Podcasts · Coffee Pump Podcast

Comedy Tours, Inspector Mwala & Existential Crises - Adan Abdi | Coffee Pump (E102)

16 Jun 2026 · 1 h 56 min · S1 E102 · Explicit

Konnichiwa Fam,

On E102, I sit down with Adan Abdi. What started as writing funny stories in university turned into a career in stand-up comedy, taking him from small Nairobi open mics to stages across Africa and Europe

We talk about:

• Growing up in Nakuru and studying civil engineering

• How Adan accidentally found stand-up comedy

• Breaking the news to his parents that comedy was becoming a career

• Landing major commercial campaigns and building a personal brand

• The business side of stand-up comedy and international touring

• US visas and performing overseas

• Matcha vs coffee

• Comedy, cancel culture and offensive jokes

• Palestine, Holocaust jokes and where comedians draw the line

• ADHD, autism, neurodivergence and mental health

• Existential crises, purpose and defining success

• Religion, self-care and managing stress

• Failed jokes, crowd work and learning from bad performances

We also get into Formula 1, TikTok, Substack, cheap dopamine hits, chasing greatness, and whether success actually brings peace of mind.

And much, much more.

Hope you enjoy the episode.

Best,

Team Coffee Pump

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Find Adan Abdi:

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adan_comedian

- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adan_comedian

- Stand Up Collective: https://standupcollective.co.ke/artist/Adan%20Abdi

Find our host Sajid Vayani:

- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani

Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials:

- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani

The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)