My first podcast! Iman on: Afracanah Podcast
At the end of this year, I was honored to be invited onto the Afracanah podcast for my first ever podcast interview. I met the one and only Adedana, from Village Capital, earlier this year at a networking event for entrepreneurs and investors. I was on my way home to call it a night when I decided to make one more loop around the event, only to immediately hit it off with Adedana when we met at the bar. We started talking about how we had both moved to Kenya to work within the social enterprise space, the impact investing ecosystem in East Africa, and the unique experience of being raised in the States as members of the Diaspora then deciding to move to Africa as adults, and our mutual love Nicaragua--we both spent significant time there and in similar places.
We talked about how she was turning 30 soon and how the past year had been her best year yet--it was a year of fully coming into her own, of her realizing Adedana. She told me this year would be different, because as she turned 30, she just wanted to "sit in her progress" and celebrate how far she'd come to get to this point. This phrase immediately struck me as very profound. It was such a refreshingly honest and healthy perspective to have about life, especially in a world where we often are in a rush to learn the next thing, grow to the next level, and become the next big thing (not saying there's anything wrong with that per say!) but sometimes in our busyness to achieve that next big 'whatever', we forget to just sit in our progress. We could all use a bit more of sitting in our progress. That is to say--enjoy the present moment, celebrate how far we have come, and recognize the progress and success we have made up until that point. It's powerful when you think about it, even more so when you implement it.
That night she extended an invitation for me to be a guest on her podcast. A few months later, what you are about to listen to below, is the result of that early conversation.
Take a listen to Episode 21, where I talk about BuuPass (formerly Magic Bus), our journey to Kenya via the Hult Prize, why we switched from matatus to long distance buses & the SGR Madarka Express train, to my passion project- Reading Room, to my learnings about effective leadership. Stay tuned until the end, where you get to hear me talk about my vision for my next 3 years, then a funny Rapid Fire Session of 'Would You Rather'--where you get to hear about my top choices for the oddest set of scenarios, from choosing between the preference to have hands or feet keep growing or if I love sweet or savory treats. It's funny, genuine, and has some good stories sprinkled in. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!
So, what are you waiting for? Tune in by clicking here. You should listen to the whole podcast, Adedana and Nomusa are hilarious girl children covering a diverse range of topics, but if you are looking for when I come in it's at 52:31.
Leave your comments below. Here's to a great 2017!
