The Future Is Africa, And I'm Here For It
Not long after we arrived in Rwanda, a young man reached out and asked if he could interview my husband and me for his podcast.
At the time, he was a full-time pharmacist. Long hours. Real responsibilities. And a dream that sounded almost too big to say out loud...he wanted to become the "#1 Podcaster in Rwanda." Maybe on the entire continent.
On paper, the distance between where he stood and where he wanted to be was enormous. He reached out anyway. And I have thought about that a lot since, because that is almost always how it starts. The most talented people I meet are rarely the "discovered" ones. They are the ones quietly doing the practical thing while the big thing waits for someone to take it seriously.
We said "yes" to his podcast interview. And then something happened that mattered even more.
He asked my husband to mentor him.
Not to advise him from a comfortable distance. To actually walk with him toward his BOLD dream. And my husband said yes...gladly, and humbly.
I want to sit on that word for a second, because it is the whole point. He did not treat it as a favor he was granting from above. He treated it as a relationship worth investing in, before there was a single shred of proof it would ever pay off.
That is what real mentorship is. It is a decision to pour into someone before the results exist to justify it.
Here is where the story gets GOODT!!!!
Fast-forward just over a year. That young pharmacist quit his job. He moved into a bigger apartment. He now earns more through social media than he ever did behind a pharmacy counter, traveling the country interviewing other people about why they chose to make Rwanda their home. His dream is no longer a someday. It is his TODAY.
I call him my Rwandan nephew now. And I mean it. I could not be more proud of him if he were my own.
I tell you his story because it taught me something I already believed but had never seen this clearly. The talent here in Africa is truly ENDLESS. And in so many cases, it is untapped.
Not absent. UNTAPPED. There is a difference, and it matters.
I have traveled to more than 14 African countries since 2021, and everywhere I went, I saw the same thing my nephew showed me in one story: enormous potential sitting one "yes" away from becoming something extraordinary.
We talk about Africa's young population like it is a statistic. It is not a statistic to me. It is a room full of people exactly like him, brilliant and ready, waiting on access, on belief, on someone willing to invest.
That is a big part of why I am staying in this work here. This fall, I am beginning an adjunct teaching role with the African School of Governance, a place built to empower a new generation of purpose-driven African leaders. I will have much more to share about that next month, once I have actually walked into the classroom. But I will say this now: I did not come to Rwanda to give anyone charity, be a "savior," or act like I have all the answers just because I'm from America. I came because I recognized genius that the rest of the world has been slow to see...but want to capitalize on...and I wanted to be one of the people pouring into it.
And here is the part I want YOU to hear, wherever you are reading this.
My husband did not have a program for any of this. He did not have a title, a platform, or a formal initiative. He had a yes. That is it. One young man reached out, and instead of letting the message sit, he answered it.
You do not need to run a company to change the direction of someone's life. You do not need to wait until you are more senior, more established, more ready. The most valuable thing an experienced person owns is not their advice. It is their belief, offered to someone before they have earned it, but when they need it most.
So let me leave you with the question I keep asking myself:
Who reached out to YOU that you have not answered yet? Who has the talent and the dream, and is simply waiting on your "yes"?
Because one message, and one yes, gave a pharmacist a whole new life...and gave me a nephew I adore.
I would love to know who you are pouring into. Hit reply and tell me. I read every response.
One more thing, before you go.
I recently sat down with VoyageLA for a longer conversation about this whole chapter of my life...why my husband and I left the U.S., what a full year of being a "student" of Rwanda actually taught me, the surprising lesson about time and rest that has completely changed how I work, and why I am so convinced the FUTURE IS AFRICA and their time is NOW. My nephew's story is only one piece of it.
If this issue resonated with you, the full interview is worth your time.
August Observances:
Black Business Month: A celebration of Black entrepreneurs and business owners, and a call to intentionally support, invest in, and build the Black-owned enterprises shaping our economy and communities.
National Wellness Month: A month-long focus on self-care, healthy routines, and protecting your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing, a reminder that rest and restoration are not luxuries.
Purple Heart Day, Aug 7: Honors the men and women wounded or killed while serving in the U.S. military, and the sacrifices carried by them and their families.
International Allyship Day, Aug 8: A day to recognize the ongoing, active work of allyship, standing alongside marginalized communities not as a one-time gesture but as a sustained practice.
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Aug 9: Established by the United Nations to celebrate the cultures, rights, and contributions of Indigenous communities worldwide, and to confront the injustices they continue to face.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary / Dormition of the Theotokos, Aug 15: A holy day observed across Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Marcus Garvey Day, Aug 17: Commemorates the birth of the Pan-African leader and visionary whose message of self-determination, pride, and unity continues to inspire the African diaspora.
World Humanitarian Day, Aug 19: A United Nations observance honoring humanitarian workers and all who dedicate their lives to helping others, often at great personal risk.
National Senior Citizens Day, Aug 21: A day to recognize the contributions, wisdom, and continued value of older adults in our families, workplaces, and communities.
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition, Aug 23: A UNESCO observance honoring the memory of those who suffered under the transatlantic slave trade and recognizing the resistance that helped bring it to an end.
Mawlid al-Nabi (Birth of the Prophet Muhammad), Aug 25 to 26: Observed by Muslim communities around the world to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, marked with prayer, reflection, and acts of charity.
Women's Equality Day, Aug 26: Commemorates the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote, and honors the ongoing fight for full gender equality.
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Women's Equal Pay Day, Aug 28: Marks how far into the year Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women must work to earn what white, non-Hispanic men earned the year before, a stark reminder of the persistent wage gap.
International Day of People of African Descent, Aug 31: A United Nations observance celebrating the contributions, heritage, and resilience of people of African descent across the globe, and reaffirming the fight against racism and discrimination.
Until next month... Be well and protect your peace!
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