We Three Queens of Africa

In this episode we meet Nkatha, a young film critic. We talk about all things film, how she got started and what it means to be a film critic. This sub sector is so biased, we discover, with few Africans and few women.

Africans are often cited as not believing in therapy. Well - that was the past. This episode goes into the importance of therapy as well as other ways to practice a lifestyle that places mindfulness and wellness at the centre.

Who pays for what in relationships? There's a term that is used in many countries : "sugar daddy", "blessor" or "anointer"..This is the man that pays for a woman's upkeep that may or may not be her full time boyfriend. Should couples just go dutch on all things? Can the woman pay for anything? Things that make you go hmm...

Do you borrow money from friends? Lend money? It's tricky....

Friendships are so important and we cherish them immensely. A good friend is hard to find, we say, adapting a well known saying. However, do we sometimes hang on to our friendships for a bit too long, even after things have gone sour? Perhaps a friend is no longer a friend for reasons that you just don't understand, but you realise you must move on. Is there a time at which we must say 'ciao' to our friendships? Or perhaps they just fizzle out. And when that happens, we may feel emotional and have to perhaps find a way to 'grieve' the end of a friendship

We talk about why people strive to be 'perfect', especially at work. Nobody is perfect and trying to be can take it's toll. We recommend embracing our unique imperfections.

You will definitely be tickled with our dating in foreign countries, exploration of foreign foods and airport / passport issues! Travel can be so thrilling but it is not without it's tricky moments! From Europe to West Africa, we keep discovering and learning!

Here we talk about our take on the importance of being vulnerable as a leader. We touch on why it seems difficult for men in particular to be vulnerable. For women, the 'she village' is a safe space that we should nurture if we don't have one already. This has worked for us in work and in life - that tribe of sisters with whom we can share, laugh and cry. Yet, even for women who do have a safe shoulder to cry on, it seems difficult to be vulnerable in the work place. Why is this. Why can't we say 'no I am not ok'. How have the covid 19 pandemic affected our ability to be vulnerable? Another in-between-the-lines career conversation. Dare to be vulnerable?

Some office culture is all about the water cooler - that's where all the scoop is at. Others go out for coffee and get all their business done there. In many countries the morning greetings are more than just 'hey'.... What do you all do? Happy Hour Fridays? Birthday Drinks? Pizza Fridays? Where does all this go in a covid and hopefully post-covid world? We talk about this....

From the shimmy-shimmy of the Trini Carnaval to lone blissful holidays in Zanzibar, our bucket lists keep giving. What's on yours?

In this episode Musonda helps us think through the idea of personal branding. Miche is the consummate multi hyphenate and reflects on her changing professions and how she manages the shifts of her 'brand' at work. Achieng uses a great analogy about how one could consider a branding package. In addition, her loud voice and big personality are part of her unique brand. We all discuss the three queens branding attributes --story telling and authenticity are key!

We talk candidly about harassment at work - what it is, how it manifests, what you can do about it and how it has affected us. #Metoo frank and important discussion that will be interesting to all who care about belonging, decency justice and equality.

This episode from last year's International Women's Day celebrates women as well as our key motivators and ambassadors growing up as well as presently !!!! Here is to all of our role models near and far! How do you support girls and women?

Another practical conversation in our career episode: a few practical tips about how to improve public speaking skills - We talk about how to prepare, pitfalls to avoid, where in the audience to look, what to do with your hands...We have had the opportunity to lead panels, give keynotes or moderate and while we are not perfect, and are still learning as we go along, these tips may be of use to you. As usual, we also have one or two very funny 'OMG' moments that will have you in giggles..of course we are on Zoom calls these days but some of these tips work for online presentations too.

What is mansplaining? We define it as per our experiences and articulate how we have tackled it. Many women we know have been "mansplained" at work. This phenomenon has got to stop. What is it? Well, often, men in a professional setting will say the exact same thing a woman has just said, perhaps add a few more words here and there, and run with this idea, essentially taking credit for it. Subconcsiously perhaps. Or even unconsciously? We are not sure. All we know is that it is simply not nice. It is one of those many manifestations of gender bias in the workplace, the result of which minimises women voices, diminishes the trust among professionals and long term leads to poor engagement as well as dissatisfaction by women at work. The men we have spoken to are mature enough to know that it happens, and are trying to gauge when they do it, why they do it and stop altogether as well as promote equitable discussions in the conference room and in the work place. Candid conversations, as always! Listen, and do review our podcast! Thank YOU.

African women dating in the world out there! As we are in the month of love, we reflect on our dates, specifically our quirky/interesting dates-- where online doesn't match up with reality; where the man oops forgot his wallet and when the date felt uncomfortable with the 'economics' of things. Funny story. What dating adventures have you had? Enjoy this one. You live you learn..or you date, you learn ;-)

In this episode, we have a great chat about how talking about one's work, skills and qualities is sometimes perceived as 'bragging' and, therefore, undesirable, particularly for women. Perhaps girls are told to 'tone it down', and as a result, later in life, we do not speak up about our skills and capabilities. In Africa, girls and women are told, directly or indirectly, to be humble and speak less about our achievements - one of those 'cultural' tenets that may be undesirable after all. Some men too, have reported that they sometimes shy of sharing their skills so as to avoid being too boastful. Where on the scale do you fall - do you 'brag' or are you humble?

We invite fitness guru Lorna (IG: i_am_lorna_b) to tell us about her fitness principles and are enthralled by how basic and yet powerful they are: Eat a variety of foods, drink water, plan your workouts (walks, whatever you do) as you would a meeting..and one of our faves - treasure good old African grains and foods. This is a great episode, particular in this season when many of us will fall for fad diets and fitness tips that truly are well, un sustainable!

Are you a Multihyphenate --one of those people who has several passions that you infuse into your life's work. You are not of the school that you need to do one thing only. Or you may be a purist, a doctor, or a lawyer or an engineer, a writer and can't imagine doing anything else, but have met people who are able to juggle seemingly diverse disciplines and are baffled by this. We coined the term 'multilicious' to capture the essence of what you like doing with your life, your work and your passions. You are multitalented and multi faceted. Join us as we explore your, and our, multiliciousness.

In this profession-related episode we talk to Irene, founder of Credible Jewels, about her path to entrepreneurship, the gorgeous pearl jewellery that she designs and the importance of high quality in this industry. The nuggets of wisdom will be compelling for any entrepreneur or start up - it is never easy but passion and hard work are part of the journey to success, fulfilment and incredible pearls.

We are lucky so far in these covid-19 times. We continue to work productively, are healthy, are part of 'quaranteams', bubbles of close friends, and live in Kenya where lockdown measures were not so stringent, for better or for worse. But how has Covid 19 changed us for the better? for the worse? Are we more generous during covid-19? It is definitely time to put the concept of 'ubuntu' in practice.

Together, we have travelled to more than 90 countries.. Part of the delightful experience of travel is the food! Peruvian, west African spicy food, French... In this episode we describe foods we love and food that we found, well, challenging to stomach. Hands down, tacu tacu from Peru counts as one of our favourite foods.

"Such fabulosity, and intensity..and I need that in my life" We talk about how we met, somewhat randomly, somewhat serendipitously, our instant bond and the incredible connection that we have. When we got together over dinner in Nairobi in early 2019, we decided that our stories are interesting enough to share with the world. We started a vlog on YouTube, wethreequeensofafrica and now, this podcast. This is our inaugural episode, and we have many more which we hope will be insightful, delightful, informative, entertaining and empowering. Enjoy! Amusez vous! Que disfruten!