Shows
The Failure EffectWinnie Nyambura: A Childhood Filled With Pain & Loss Inspired Me To Take Entrepreneurial RisksAt the tender age of 27, Winnie has seen it all. The mother of a four-year-old boy has experienced loss untold - and it all started when she became an orphan at the age of three and went to live with her maternal grandmother. Thus started her fight against anxiety and depression while still in high school - and yet, the spirit of entrepreneurship grew strong in her.She started off pitching various ideas and innovations to potential investors, none of which went through. However, it was while she was at university...
2024-06-071h 10
The Failure EffectMugambi Nthiga (Pt 2): This Is What Clinical Depression Looks LikeActor, comedian, film director and scriptwriter Mugambi Nthiga continues where he left off - after his return to Kenya in the late 2000s, when he walked into what he calls "the most toxic work environment I have ever been in," in the advertising industry.As that was happening, his romantic relationship was also dying, and he was starting to feel the pressure - until his friends who had formed a musical group called 'Just A Band' approached him to play a part in the video for their song 'Ha-He'. The video ended up going...
2024-06-071h 39
The Failure EffectMugambi Nthiga (Pt1): How I Survived Being Jobless In AmericaMugambi Nthiga doesn't look like he has experienced any 'failures', being that he is a highly awarded actor and director, and comedian of note.But he has.And he's here to detail every part of his struggle with mental health issues, and how he got over them.Listen in to find out more about how he recognised the struggle he was facing, and stay tuned for Part 2 to understand what he did to survive and thrive thereafter.
2024-06-0757 min
The Failure EffectDJ Shinski: Everything Happens For A Reason!DJ Shinski - real name Steve Nyaosi, aka Mr Vibes on Vibes - is currently Kenya's most famous deejay. He rakes in the money while touring the world, and lives the sort of life many of us would envy...But it didn't come easy.In this interview, he details how his journey to DJ success involved many unsuccessful attempts at being employed. While he did not thrive in those jobs, each of them taught him valuable skills that he eventually brought to his current work as a DJ. They...
2024-05-2359 min
The Failure EffectViolette Nduku Wambua: Entrepreneur Fatigue Nearly Killed My BusinessWhen Violette Nduku Wambua first came up with the idea for Networking In Heels over a decade ago, it was a ground-breaking idea. Kenya had never before seen a forum for women to get together to support each other in business and in life.So good was her idea that the sponsorship and media support and attention that came her way was literally unprecedented... until entrepreneur fatigue hit her. That, combined with struggles of new motherhood, caused her to make the one mistake many entrepreneurs with great ideas make: Abandon the idea and go...
2024-05-2255 min
The Failure EffectCarol Banks: How I Navigated The Loss of My Marriage And Work-Related BurnoutCarol Ndolo Banks was a high-flying healthcare executive running the East African chapter of the global, American-based health-tech firm IQVIA... when she suddenly quit her job, much to the shock of her colleagues, peers and bosses, who had watched her career rise from bedside nurse to General Manager.What many didn't know is that while her career was flourishing, things on the home front, in her marriage, were steadily deteriorating, causing her to feel burnt out and unsettled.So, after hosting the very successful IQVIA Africa Health Summit in...
2024-05-2258 min
The Failure EffectAbel The MC: Finding Your Unique Voice Despite Social Pressure#entrepreneurship #successmotivation #overcomechallenges Event MC Abel Opiyo - actually known as Habel Opiyo - was thriving and living his best life as an ex-Communications student, tutor and host - when life suddenly started to teach him some interesting lessons.For our first interview this year, we sit down with him as he tells us how he learned to surmount social pressures to become his own man, which then enhanced his entrepreneurial and financial journey - and if you're a creativepreneur, you already know how important it is to find your...
2024-01-0340 min
The Failure EffectNameless (Pt 2): Relationship Drama Nearly Tore Wahu And I ApartDid you know that Nameless experienced music failure when his second song after "Megarider" was badly received? Well, it was.Thus started his journey into design-thinking, and creating music for his target audience rather than creating music he liked. In the meantime, while his career was tanking... so was his relationship with his wife Wahu. In fact, it was so bad, he literally moved out of his home to reflect on things.And this is how he learned the art of selfishness - and how beneficial this would be...
2023-08-2546 min
The Failure EffectNameless (Pt 1): How I Learned To Live With ADHD"Everyone like to have a little fun so, shake your bum like a true African!"Ma-lines za Nameless! Considering his public performance confidence, do you think Nameless has a social anxiety problem? Doesn't look like it, but when he first burst onto the music scene with his hit song 'Megarider', this is what he was battling,While it seemed like he was confident and displayed a deep understanding of the craft of making music, deep inside, he was grappling with fear and uncertainty. The pressure of stepping into the...
2023-08-2529 min
The Failure EffectTazim Elkington (Pt3): How I Learned to Be VulnerableIn the final part of the Tazim Elkington interview, she explains how the lessons she has learned over time have made her the person she is now - comfortable in her skin, and aware that there's always more growth to experience.She's had to put those lessons into practice, finally allowing herself to let people into her life, and to be open to their friendship, support and imperfections. Click 'play' to find out more, and don't forget to subscribe, share and leave a comment!
2023-08-1517 min
The Failure EffectTazim Elkington (Pt 2): I Went From Leaving A GM Job To Working As A WaitressTazim Elkington is not a fan of the word 'failure' - because in her experience, everything is a lesson designed to inspire us and take us to the next level.In Part 2 of her interview, she explains how she suffered career burnout, got divorced, found happiness with a new partner, and moved to Canada to start a new life with him... until 9/11 put an end to her new, fairytale life. Thus started a season where she had to seek unexpected work that, surprisingly, brought her joy and new insights about her personality, all while...
2023-08-1529 min
The Failure EffectTazim Elkington (Pt1): From Childhood Struggles To A Troubled MarriageTazim Elkington wears many hats: she is a hypno- and regression therapist, authentic leadership speaker, evolutionary disrupter, among many others. While she has her finally has her life as an entrepreneur in the therapy space together, it didn't start out that way.In fact, things were so bad at home, growing up, that she opted to leave at the tender age of 17 to find work and become independent. She then met the man who would change her life… and cause her to eventually come to a hard re-set.This is...
2023-08-1525 min
The Failure EffectSanaipei Tande: How I Learned To Put Myself FirstEveryone loves Sanaipei Tande! She's the superstar singer and actress whose captivating turn as Nana Tandala on the TV show 'Kina' enthralled the country. She is also a radio show host and an accomplished singer who first found fame as a member of the group Sema.But while she might look like she was touched by the golden star of fame pretty early on, things haven't always been that way for her. Not only has she moved past losing a job twice, but she has also learned - the hard way - how to...
2023-08-0258 min
The Failure EffectMwaniki Mageria: How I Lost And Rebuilt My Entertainment Business Pt 1Mwaniki Mageria is the co-owner of Documentary & Reality TV (D&R TV, which produced The Real Housewives of Nairobi). He is also the host of the popular TV show Foods of Kenya, founder of Balozi Productions, emcee and all-round entrepreneur, among many other titles he holds. But did you know that before he achieved his current level of fame and comfort, his career took him through the wringer, seeing him being retrenched from employment twice, losing a multimillion shilling deal once, and plumb the depths of depression. Life has shown him all the dips a...
2023-07-2526 min
The Failure EffectBetty Oloo-Anderson: How to Build A Thriving Career From ScratchBetty Oloo-Anderson started her career without the academic credentials required to get her to scale the highest levels of the development industry. Although she started out with secretarial course qualifications, she quickly learned how to utilise the experience she had acquired in one job to take to the next. It wasn't always easy; there were two retrenchments along the way that taught her the strength of patience, tenacity, the ability to regroup and the ability to reinvent. If you are currently in between jobs and struggling to cope, this is for you.
2023-07-1344 min
The Failure EffectSam Gichuru: How To Start An Online BusinessWhat is the Y Combinator programme? Only the best-known online business start-up accelerator in the world, responsible for helping CEOs such as Sam Altman of OpenAI and the owners of AirBnB bring their dreams to life. Techpreneur Sam Gichuru applied for the programme six times, and was rejected in four instances. Today, his hybrid Kidato School is part of a Y Combinator cohort - and in this interview, he tells how he found the strength to keep knocking on that door until it opened. He also discusses his other...
2023-07-041h 16
The Failure EffectBeth Wairimu Gachurah: A Lesson In Bouncing Back From AdversityBeth Wairimu's story of bouncing back after going through a season of intense challenges, one after the other, will inspire you to go through your tough moments, acknowledge your feelings, and stay the course. When she quit her high-flying job to start a different career path, she had no idea how the Covid pandemic would upend her life. Thus started a rollercoaster of events that took her through some of the worst moments she had ever seen - and eventually inspired her to start a programme that would help others in similar circumstances Bounce...
2023-06-1256 min
The Failure EffectJoram Mwinamo: A Lesson In Working Around Mental Health BreakdownsStarting a new business can be very difficult for anyone dealing with a mental health condition. This is a lesson that Joram Mwinamo, 43, married and a father of four, learned very early in his entrepreneurial journey.He now runs a successful business called SNDBX, an entrepreneur support hub where business owners can access all the scale-and-grow services they need under one roof.It wasn't an easy journey getting there; not only did the business sap him mentally and financially, but it also strained his marriage so much that he...
2023-05-3147 min
The Failure EffectNjeri Wangari: A Lesson In Navigating a Failed App VentureNjeri Wangari, aka The Kenyan Poet, was doing very well in her IT career and pursuing her side-passion for telling Kenyan stories and poetry when the bug to start her own story-telling platform hit her. She then commenced the gruelling journey towards building an app that would supply the country's children with the very best of our indigenous knowledge, complete with all the bells and whistles, and even felt compelled to quit her job to pursue her passion project full-time at one point. What followed was a series of disappointments that saw her lose...
2023-05-2650 min
The Failure EffectMuthoni Ngugi: A Lesson In Thriving After A Bad Relationship Gets You Sh10m In DebtMuthoni Ngugi was a successful young businesswoman who, at the age of 23, was already making Sh5 million a month from her furniture business, Gaze Furnishings Kenya. Then she met a man... and six months into their relationship, found herself at his mercy, with a baby in tow, suffering severe beatings every day and wondering how to escape her circumstances. What followed was a series of painful events that saw the near-collapse of her business, and forced her to not only take hold of her life, but also reckon with how she had arrived at th...
2023-05-181h 28
The Failure EffectHellen Ashiko Mbune: A Lesson In Turning Lemons Into LemonadeWhen Hellen Ashiko Mbune started her career as a sales representative for a leading media house, she immediately knew she was cut out to succeed - except that she had one problem: Not having the patience to see a job through to the end. What followed was a series of short stints at various workplaces... until her luck ran out and she found herself unemployed and adrift. That's when she fell back on a skill she had no idea she had been honing all her life: Cooking. After the death of her best friend...
2023-05-171h 00
The Failure EffectPauline Mwarabu: A Lesson In Surviving Early Childhood TraumaPastor Pauline Mwarabu, 41 and a co-pastor at JCC Ongata Rongai, is no stranger to failure. She first experienced it when she failed her KCSE exams - but because she was determined to go to university, she took it upon herself to find some money to take herself back to school to repeat the exam. She passed with flying colours and made it to university, but her life then took a series of twists and turns that took her from being happily married, to not-so-happily married; from well-off to very poor... and finally, the most...
2023-05-171h 03
The Failure EffectButch Singh: A Lesson In Mind Over MatterWhen fitness enthusiast and HR business owner Butch Singh, 48, took it upon himself to raise funds for a girls' school at the Coast, he chose a most taxing challenge: To ride a bicycle all the way from Nairobi to Mombasa... alone.Having made the decision in an instant, and with very few weeks to train before he kicked off the ride, Butch took himself through a punishing daily routine to get his endurance levels up. But nothing could prepare him for the lonely, physically and emotionally draining journey he was about to embark on.
2023-05-101h 09
The Failure EffectJoseph Odindo: A Lesson In How The Teacher Ended Up On The Receiving End Of A Hard LessonJoseph Odindo is a one-man masterclass in the art of good journalism. A self-taught journalist, he has worked in the profession for decades, rising through the ranks to earn the title all upwardly-mobile journalists covet: Group Editorial Director. He served in this role at The Standard Group, and has also served as Editorial Director at the Nation Media Group. And yet, despite his vast knowledge of the profession, he will never forget the one day he made the decision to carry a particular picture on page 1 of the Daily Nation… and nearly lost his jo...
2023-05-0957 min
The Failure EffectAmakove Wala: A Lesson In Resilience In Business And RelationshipsWhen Amakove Wala and her husband separated nine years ago, thus began her new life as a mother of four - one son and triplet daughters. Raising four children in a single-income household is no easy feat, and thus she has dabbled with various business, won some, and lost some. She has also learned the value of personal relationships of all sorts through her journey navigating her new life, and she's here to share her personal story of loss and triumph.
2023-05-091h 09
The Failure EffectCarol Nyaga: A Lesson In Parenting and Alcohol DependenceCarol Nyaga, a mother of three, had no idea how to raise a child when she had her first one just after she finished high school. Having watched her parents fumble in their effort to raise her, she, in turn, became a detached mother whose only focus was to provide for her child. She eventually ended up in the advertising sector where her career grew in leaps and bounds... but she was using her work, and alcohol, as crutches to run away from her emotional problems and her inability to be a present mother. In 2020, she experienced a sea...
2023-04-0555 min
The Failure EffectAmani Maranga: A Lesson In Divorce and DepressionAmani Maranga, a marketing and communications executive and current host of the men-only podcast Living Truthfully, was doing really well in his career, holding two jobs that put him in the orbit of the rich elite of the country, and starting a successful communications business... until an unfortunate decision he made led to the demise of his marriage. Thus started a downward spiral and bout with depression that took him many years to overcome, and a necessary 'meeting with himself' to figure out who he really was and what he needed out of life. This is his story.
2023-03-291h 06
The Failure EffectJohn Irungu Muriithi: A Lesson In Navigating Business During Difficult Economic TimesJohn Muriithi is a serial entrepreneur who has worked in media, events, real estate development and sales, and farming. He started off working for a local media house before he followed his entrepreneurial urge and launched into business. Thus followed a raft of interruptions from the political and economic climates he was dealing with at the time. He's here to tell us how external circumstances interrupt business, and what he learned about navigating difficult times even when the best-laid plans are insufficient. Listen to learn more.
2023-03-2931 min
The Failure EffectMiriam Nabakwe: A Lesson In Finding Purpose After Being AuctionedMiriam Nabakwe is a food and beverage manager who has worked for leading restaurant chains and hotels in Kenya such as The Tamarind Group, Dorman's and The Fairview Hotel. Despite her success in employment, she chose to go the solopreneur route... and after a series of bad decisions, shortly found herself facing the auctioneer's hammer. She has since recovered and gone on to launch a highly successful western Kenyan cuisine restaurant called Kienyeji's. She tells us how she found her way back home.
2023-03-141h 16
The Failure EffectNancy Kairo: A Lesson In Age Ain't Nothing But A NumberThis week we're talking to Nancy Kairo who is a certified life-coach, stylist and budding author... and her experiences with failure and how she moved past them will blow your mind! She re-started her life at the age of 44, but when you listen to her, you realise that 'age' is nothing but a number... and it's been nothing but favour from God since then. This is her story.
2023-03-0245 min
The Failure EffectRita Kanana: A Lesson In Choosing the Right Business PartnersRita Kanana was a high-flying C-suite executive in the tech world... until her craving for entrepreneurship saw her leave to co-found a fintech business. As business dipped and the partnership fell apart, she found herself having to figure out creative ways to keep staff motivated. She eventually left the business and found her footing in the wonderful world of selling car spare parts. This is her story.
2023-02-2329 min
The Failure EffectKhalif Kairo: A Lesson in Thriving After Losing a Business to PartnersIn 2022, Khalif Kairo, former CEO of car imports company Imports by Kairo, watched as a dispute between him and his business partners turned into an acrimonious battle of press statements that nearly bankrupted and deflated him. In this episode - featuring never-heard-before details of what was going on behind the scenes - he tells us how he survived the public humiliation and used it to propel himself into a beautiful new business.
2023-02-1547 min