Beyond All My Expectations

Angry Black Kitchen was created in 2018 by Wunmi Durosinmi-Etti who was originally a sous chef for 15 years. Her aim was to make pan-African food more accessible, fusing the cuisine with more familiar tastes and ideas. Her kitchen and catering service caters to a variety of customers from private dinner parties to corporate events, supporting healthy meals with the launch of her family meal box and online cook-alongs and cookery classes. Please welcome to the show Wunmi! Show Notes: https://www.angryblackkitchen.co.uk/ About us: Wunmi can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wunmietti/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Tobi is an award-winning founder and CEO of Black Ballad, an independent media and data company for and by Black women in Britain and beyond. Black Ballad has undoubtedly changed the media landscape by being the first women's lifestyle publication in the UK to transition from a free site into a subscription media company back in 2016. She has led Black Ballad since its inception in 2014; overseeing the transition from free access site to a full-fledged subscription company and is responsible for driving the overall vision of the business and alongside her co-founder implementing the strategy to ensure that Black Ballad continues on its path to be the leading lifestyle company for Black women in not just Britain but in Europe. She created the foundations of Black Ballad's unapologetic and unmistakable editorial voice, which has covered topics including; Black motherhood, the lives of Black women and communities who live outside London and the other national regions, Black British pop-culture and other stories that no other media outlets are willing to cover. Welcome to the show Tobi! Show Notes: https://blackballad.co.uk/ About us: Tobi can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobioredein/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Sarah Ozo-Irabor is is a culture critic and digital content creator. She utilises new media to engage in different discussions about literature and reading culture. As well as being an extremely talented photographer, Sarah is the creator and host of ‘Books & Rhymes, the podcast' where she explores the intersection of literature and music If you're taken by her you can also find her on the incredible ShoutOut Network podcast Not Another Book Podcast. Her literary works by the African Diaspora can all be found is documented and platformed on her website, booksandrhymes.com. Welcome to the show Sarah! Show Notes: https://booksandrhymes.com/ About us: Salma can be found here: https://twitter.com/sarahozoirabor Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Writer, poet and BBC radio presenter Salma El-Wardany has performed internationally, has given TEDx Talks and partners with organisations and global brands to have the uncomfortable conversations we've ignored for so long. Her work revolves around female stories and bringing the often ignored realities of women into the spotlight. Previously she headed up marketing departments where she got to tell stories all day long, which is all marketing really is, and hence why she found herself in it, long after I had grown out of her childish games. Salma brings together my marketing expertise and diversity experience to help build diverse brands and create inclusive workplace cultures. Please welcome to the show Salma! Show Notes: https://www.salmaelwardany.com/ About us: Salma can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salmaelwardany/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Before launching Strand Sahara, Rashida worked for over 9 years in London and Dubai at global law firm Hogan Lovells, where she represented some of the world's largest corporations in international arbitration disputes worth up to billions of dollars. Her work took her all over the world, but the most memorable wins were for businesses operating in Africa. She saw first-hand their ability to truly transform the economies in which they operate and their crucial role in creating secure livelihoods and increasing prosperity. In 2018 she decided to combine my passions for entrepreneurship, African business and the emerging field of legal technology to start Strand Sahara, with the mission to empower entrepreneurs with the legal and business support they need to grow and attract investment, using technology to make those services more affordable, accessible and relevant to start-ups and SMEs in the UK and across Africa. Over the past 5 years, she has regularly presented to audiences at legal and business forums locally and internationally and have published a number of articles on important legal developments and issues of interest to businesses in Africa. She has also championed diversity in the UK legal sector, winning several awards for my work to promote diversity and investment in Africa. Welcome to the show Rashida! Show Notes: https://strandsahara.com/ About us: Rashida can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashida-abdulai/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Co-Founder and managing director at Afrocenchix Rachael Corson join us today to discuss her journey in co-founding the award winning startup creating safe, effective, vegan products for Afro & curly hair. We formulate everything in-house in line with our high ethical & quality standards, and we've sold over 30,000 bottles to customers around the world. Afrocenchix began when Rachael and Joycelyn met at university in 2008. They shared their frustration from having tried countless products which claimed to be great for afro hair but just didn't work. They discussed the problem that many high street favourites contain nasty chemicals to increase shelf life, smell ‘nice' and keep costs as low as possible. Afrocenchix is now based in London and develops expertly researched and carefully created products in partnership with formulations and cosmetics scientists. From their Birmingham beginnings they've gone worldwide. Afrocenchix products have been loved by customers from as far afield as India, Canada and Ghana. They are currently growing their team and working hard to solve your afro and curly hair problems and make natural simple. Welcome to the show Rachael! Show Notes: https://afrocenchix.com/ About us: Rachael can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaeltwumasi/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Managing Director at Vouch Global Mark Joseph joins us today to discuss his journey to success. Mark is an entrepreneur with strengths in creative problem solving & logical thinking, he has been the main strategic lead for businesses including; Soho House brands; Cowshed, Cheeky & Neville, Groupe SEB, DB Apparel Wonderbra, Moneysupermarket.com, AXA, McCains, Scottish Friendly, Adecco, John lewis Insurance, Virgin Media, bmi, RSPCA, Which?, & Yell.com, amongst others. His company Vouch is the Social Communications Agency Specialising in Influencer Marketing & Social Content Amplification. They help Brands Grow Sales Globally Through Feed-Winning Social Content, Authentically Told With The Right Social Media Influencers. With decades of collective experience, Vouch brings together a team of data analysts, strategists, content creators and paid media experts to help build brands from awareness through to sales. Welcome to the show Mark! Show Notes: https://vouchglobal.com/ About us: Mark can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrjoseph/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Kinshasa-born, British writer and poet, JJ Bola has written three collections of poetry as well as a novel, No Place to Call Home, and a non-fiction book about masculinity and patriarchy for young people, Mask Off: Masculinity Redefined. His debut novel, No Place to Call Home, was first published in the UK in 2017. He was one of Spread the Word's Flight Associates 2017, and a Kit de Waal Scholar for the Birkbeck, University MA in Creative Writing. His next book, Mask Off : Masculinity Redefined, will be published in September 2019. Bola was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo when he emigrated to London he spent many years as a youth worker, working with young people with behavioural and mental health problems. He currently works for several projects to raise awareness about the human rights situation in Democratic Republic of the Congo. JJ reads, speaks, workshops and performs all over London/the UK at various universities & festivals such as SOAS, Oxford, Kings College, Glastonbury festival, WOMAD, Cheltenham Literature festival, Africa writes and more. Welcome to the show JJ! Show Notes: https://www.jjbola.com/ About us: Imriel can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imriel-morgan-2113a427/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Founder & CEO of Podcast Agency Content is Queen Imriel Morgan joins us today for episode 5 of Beyond All My Expectations. Imriel is a Marketing Maven and cultural innovator in the podcasting industry. Imriel's mission to make podcasts inclusive, affordable and accessible. Content is Queen is a global storytelling community made up of content creators, podcasters and audio producers. They create safe spaces for women, BAME and LGBTQIA people to connect, create, collaborate and learn using audio, podcasting, events and social media. Their goal is to help creators of all backgrounds share their humanity and grow their voice and value in the world. Welcome to the show Imriel! Show Notes: https://contentisqueen.org/ About us: Imriel can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imriel-morgan-2113a427/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Episode 4's guest Freccia Benn is the Co-Founder at Lumify Energy. Freccia started her career as a dentist and worked in the NHS and private sector for over a decade. Seeking a new challenge and upon learning about the complexities within the renewables sector, she made it her mission to simplify and streamline the management of renewable projects for landowners and those responsible. Freccia and her team have developed our award-winning platform Lumigraph™ to help light the way towards a simpler, more transparent renewable energy industry. Welcome to the show Freccia! Show Notes: https://lumifyenergy.com/ About us: Freccia can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frecciabenn/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube and Instagram for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Joining us on episode 3 is Emmanuel Aremu the Head of Marketing at Porta. Porta makes blockchain products accessible to everyone. Porta means “gateway” in Latin. It is a blockchain project built on Substrate with the goal of giving everyone access to Web 3.0 products with a seamless and easy to understand experience for both new and seasoned blockchain users. Products such as decentralised finance, non-fungible tokens, peer-to-peer lending and also less common use-cases like social, business organisation, decentralised creator economies and more. Welcome to the show Emmanuel! Show Notes: https://porta.network/ About us: Emmanuel can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuelaremu/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Joining us on todays show is founder of The Barber Shop; Dino Myers-Lamptey. Dino, a former managing director of MullenLowe Mediahub, launched his strategy agency and consultancy, The Barber Shop back in 2019, which has media and creative strategic thinking at its core. They work with businesses which are driven by a purpose and which strive to enrich culture via the pleasure that they bring. Alongside full-service solutions, The Barber Shop offers a range of supporting services: In-housing solutions for brands, creative and PR agencies looking to integrate media; co-creating unique ideas with media owners; providing experienced strategic SWAT teams for media agencies; as well as developing some of its own products and brands. Please welcome to the show Dino! Show Notes: https://twitter.com/dinosbarbershop?lang=en About us: Dino can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinosaw/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations

Our first guest on the show is an award-winning lawyer and founder of the Africa-focused legal platform, Strand Sahara. Proudly serving entrepreneurs of African descent, she works with businesses in the UK and across Africa to put in place the five key legal protections every business needs to succeed, from co-founder agreements to standard terms and trademarks. She also advises on the opportunities for doing business in Africa and connects clients with local partners who can help hit the ground running. Welcome to the show Rashida! Show Notes: https://www.strandsahara.com/ About us: Rashida can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashida-abdulai/ Niki can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-igbaroola/ Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Facebook for more content! @beyondallmyexpectations