The Truth Is with Kathryn Flaschner

Esosa Osa: Who Tells Your Story Decides Your Future — On Disinformation, Narrative Power, and Work That's Good

Episode Summary

The information around us has never been more abundant. The truth has never been harder to find. In this conversation with Esosa Osa — founder of Onyx Impact and creator of Aisha — we talk about how disinformation actually works, why our brains are not built to resist it, and what it looks like to build narrative power when the system wasn't designed to tell your story. Who tells your story decides your future.

Episode Notes

The information around us has never been more abundant. The truth has never been harder to find.

Not because we've gotten less intelligent. But because the systems shaping what we see, believe, and repeat were not designed with our discernment in mind.

In this episode of The Truth Is, I sit down with Esosa Osa — founder and CEO of Onyx Impact, former Deputy Executive Director of Fair Fight Action, and one of the most clear-eyed thinkers I've encountered on what it actually takes to protect your relationship to truth in this moment.

We talk about:

• How disinformation actually works — and why repetition is its most powerful tool
• Why our brains are not built to resist what the current information environment is designed to do
• Why there is no such thing as an unbiased AI — and what that means for all of us
• What it looks like to build narrative power when you can't trust the existing infrastructure to tell your story
• Aisha — what it is, why it exists, and what it represents about who gets to shape the future
• What it means to keep doing the work when the work is hard

This episode sits at the intersection of everything this show is about — the stories we inherit, the systems that shape what feels true, and what it takes to reclaim authorship of your own narrative. Except this time, the stakes are not just personal. They're collective.

Who tells your story decides your future.

About Esosa Osa

Esosa began her career in finance at BlackRock before moving into democracy work — serving as Campaign Manager for a top 2018 U.S. Congressional election, Senior Advisor to Stacey Abrams' gubernatorial campaign, and Deputy Executive Director of Fair Fight Action, where she led pro-democracy reform efforts focused on combating disinformation. She is now the founder and CEO of Onyx Impact — a nonprofit working to understand and counter disinformation targeting Black communities — and the creator of Aisha, an AI trained on Black news, history, and culture.

Connect with Esosa + Onyx Impact

Website: onyximpact.org 

Digital Green Book: digitalgreenbook.org 

Blackout Report: blackoutreport.org 

Instagram: @theonyximpact

Connect with The Truth Is

Instagram: @thetruthispodcast 

YouTube: @thetruthis_pod

Credits

Hosted by Kathryn Flaschner 

Video Production & Editing by Anton LaPlume 

Music by Will Savino — wsavino.com 

Visual Identity by Sarah Gainor & Jonathan Bush 

Advised by Natalie Tulloch