Adelle Onyango opens up about how traditional media robbed her of confidence
By Paulette Mboga, July 25, 2026Media personality Adelle Onyango has opened up about her experience in traditional media, saying it affected her confidence and left her with a deep fear of being seen.
On Saturday, July 25, 2026, she explained that she only managed to regain what she lost after questioning long-held beliefs about herself. Adelle said two important changes helped her find freedom.
“There are two things that helped me find liberation. One was when I started to question the definition of what a good woman was and acknowledge the discomfort that definition caused me. The second thing, when I started to collect and then unlearn all the many ways I was taught to reduce and hide who I am,” Adelle Onyango said.
The journalist explained that this journey helped her understand the effect that those beliefs had on her life. According to Adelle, she had spent years trying to fit into expectations that made her hide parts of herself. She said unlearning those lessons gave her a new sense of freedom.
Rebuilding confidence after traditional media
“Traditional media robbed me of many things that I have only now managed to fully regain. One was it robbed me of chunks of my confidence and in its place, instilled a deep fear of being seen,” Adelle Onyango said.
She also spoke about how she viewed the treatment of on-air personalities during her time in traditional media. Adelle explained that she felt workers were often valued based on audience numbers and the money they generated for their employers. She said this affected how some managers responded when employees became sick.
“On-air personalities in traditional media houses aren’t seen as humans. You are two numbers: The number of people who listen/watch you and the amount of money the company makes off of you,” Adelle Onyango said.
Adelle said this way of thinking also shaped how she reacted whenever she fell ill. She explained that she carried guilt for getting sick because of what she experienced while working in traditional radio. According to her, it took time before she was able to let go of that feeling.
“And so even when you’re sick, many managers will not feel compassion; they will feel inconvenienced because your absence affects those two numbers. In fact, only recently did I stop feeling guilty when I get sick, an emotional response gifted to me during my time on traditional radio,” Adelle Onyango said.