Can storytelling change the way we understand health, identity, and community?
Siblings Ugo and Uzo Njoku, co-founders of The Social Boot Network, join Dr. Ugo Ezema for a conversation about public health, filmmaking, environmental justice, creativity, and the deeply personal journey behind their documentary, The Social Boot Vol. I: Boundaries Unchained.
Together, they discuss growing up in a Nigerian immigrant family in Louisiana, witnessing healthcare disparities from an early age, using art to communicate public health, and why the most powerful stories often begin by asking better questions.
More than a conversation about filmmaking, this episode explores what it means to find your purpose, honor your community, and create work that outlives you.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 — Preview
03:00 — The story behind Boundaries Unchained
11:00 — Why they chose documentary filmmaking
20:15 — Growing up around healthcare disparities
27:00 — Being Nigerian in South Louisiana
43:30 — Psychology, public health & storytelling
49:00 — The future of public health
56:00 — Making a film without film school
1:13:30 — Carrying other people's stories
1:23:30 — Losing yourself—and finding yourself again
1:35:00 — Building something together as siblings
1:49:30 — The future of The Social Boot Network
1:55:00 — Who are Ugo and Uzo?
2:03:30 — Creativity, community & what's next
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🎧 Watch or listen to the FULL conversation with Uzoamaka "Uzo" Njoku and Ugonna "Ugo" Njoku on The Last Zebra Podcast:
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Hosted by Dr. Ugo Ezema, The Last Zebra explores where precision, prevention, humanity, culture, and storytelling intersect to shape healthier people and communities.
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