CYLS 199: Africa X Podcasting - The Blueprint to Female Leadership in New Media with Molly A. Jensen

57m · Create Your Life Series · 05 Sep 02:00

Episode Summary

This week Kevin Y. Brown has a discussion with Molly Jensen, his colleague and CEO of the growing pan-African podcast hosting company, Afripods. They talk about how Afripods helps creators take up as much space as possible while getting paid for their genius, and the ways that they uniquely serve African creators and consumers. Molly shares how a New Yorker ended up in Nairobi, what she’s learned about leading and motivating a team, how she’s working to overcome challenges and get comfortable with discomfort and uncertainty, and the ways that her experience as an athlete have translated into her success as a CEO. Kevin and Molly discuss the personal habits that fuel their days, the idea of legacy, and the difference between the juice and the sauce–you’ll want to listen in to find out!

Kevin Y. Brown

Kevin is a seasoned multi-media executive who is passionate about Africa’s digital future. As an award winning entrepreneur, podcast producer (over 1,000 episodes across different genres with over 30 million downloads across clients) and tech veteran, Kevin is the Chief Content officer and Head of Strategy at Afripods leading their multi-country strategy and product vision.

Kevin is the host of the Create Your Life Series podcast and has been featured or spoken in Forbes, Black Enterprise, Essence, Podcast Movement, Podcast Sessions, Ted X, Sirius XM, Inc. magazine and many more…

Molly Jensen

Molly Jensen is the Chief Executive Officer of Afripods, a free pan-African podcast hosting platform building the largest library of African audio stories on the planet, based in Nairobi, Kenya. With the ability to categorize in over 50 languages and with content from over 30 countries including that from individual podcasters, radio stations and media houses, Afripods is the home for African podcasting across the continent and within the Diaspora. As a Ghanaian-American born in New York, Molly is extremely excited to help digitize African stories and wants to see African creators take up as much space as possible while creating avenues to help them get paid for their work. She has over ten years of experience across people management, sales, marketing and technology. Molly has spoken at Podcast Movement, Africa Podcast Day, Africa Media Festival, BBC Media Leaders conferences, and Advertising Week Africa as well as most recently featured in Forbes, The Guardian, Reuters, JamLab Africa, Podcast Sessions and Apple Podcasts.

Insights From the Episode

Advice on how you can fill your cup and show up for yourself so you can better support others
Tips for aspiring business leaders and women, in particular, wanting to build their own companies
Strategies for identifying distinguishing qualities in people and assembling a powerful team
What makes Afripods different from other podcast-hosting companies
Strategies for being a good leader and managing relationships with team members in the workplace
Discussion on the differences between doing business in Africa vs. in New York
Tips for problem-solving when your perspective is different from your team members
Thoughts on the future of podcasting in Kenya and Africa as a whole

Quotes from the Show

“With Afripods we’re able to speak to these creators, we’re able to create a technical solution for them, we’re able to advocate for them. When I look at my role it’s not just a privilege to be in a position as an executive, there’s a real responsibility to do right by the people on the ground. My job isn’t just enforcing my opinion; my job is listening to what creators want and then advocating for it and making sure that it happens alongside our incredible team. That’s what we do, and that’s why I think it’s important.” - Molly Jensen, Create Your Life Series, #199
“I think a lot of times you want everything to go right, and you’ll miss your opportunity to catch the wave by waiting for perfection. A lot of times it’s not you that’s causing the delay–it’s your team, it’s another person, it’s getting reviews back–and I think trusting yourself, you will never look back and be upset if you trusted yourself. You will look back and be upset if you trusted someone else and things went wrong, but if you trust yourself and you make a mistake, that’s just a learning experience. I’m definitely working on my ability to be comfortable with failing.“ - Molly Jensen, Create Your Life Series, #199
On doing business in Africa: “People care about relationships, which then goes back to this innate understanding of community. People matter. And once I really understood that the connecting piece of all this was people, I was able to lean in on experience and continue to research the best ways to get maximum value out of people.” - Molly Jensen, Create Your Life Series, #199
“Work is work, and when we have a problem or if someone feels disrespected, we have to stop. The thing is, we can argue until we’re blue in the face about if this table is black or if it’s navy blue… if someone says, ‘Are you blind? This table is black!’, that’s disrespectful. I think as you touch an emotion what happens is that you make people feel less than, you make people feel insecure, you make people feel not confident to speak, so from a work perspective, we can do as much work as we can–there’s going to be more work tomorrow and the day after that and after that–but if you feel unsafe, if you feel disrespected, if you feel you can’t voice your opinion, we have to stop and handle that.” - Molly Jensen, Create Your Life Series, #199
“Everyone who has an opinion thinks their opinion is right–that’s the thing about an opinion. For me, I am working at being better at listening, hearing people all the way through. Not just having my thought and waiting to speak my thought, but actually hearing what someone else says.” - Molly Jensen, Create Your Life Series, #199
“The funny thing about making a mistake is someone can tell you that you’re about to make a mistake and it won't stop you from making the mistake. Sometimes you have to make the mistake yourself and know how bad it is so you won’t do it again.” - Molly Jensen, Create Your Life Series, #199
“When you distill it, we’re really talking about storytelling in Africa and the opportunity to memorialize language, the opportunity to reposition and evolve regular radio talk shows to a more on-demand version. I don’t think radio’s going anywhere, but I think podcasts provide another opportunity for people to engage with highly specialized niche content, and why would we let anyone who doesn’t care about that into this space? I think that it’s a win across the board, whether big multinationals come into place, whether local businesses are built up, what we know is that Afropods is advocating for the creator which means that everyone is going to have to advocate for the creator. You’re not going to be able to be successful if you don’t advocate for the creator, and I feel very proud about that.” - Molly Jensen, Create Your Life Series, #199
“I am one of those people that believe I want my life to be measured in moments of celebration. I throw a party for everything, and what I’m so grateful for is that my community shows up. When I ask for help, they show up.” - Molly Jensen, Create Your Life Series, #199
“I feel like sometimes the support you have in one situation is not the support you’re going to have in another situation, and I think that it depends on what you need but you also need to either know that you need something or know what you need. You may not know what it is that you need, but if you know that you need something you can ask for it, and I’m not afraid to ask, I’m not afraid to be exposed, I’m not afraid to be vulnerable. I think there’s a lot of power in vulnerability, and I am grateful that the champions that surround me, the ones who are rooting for me, the ones who want me to be successful, the ones who comment on my Instagrams, the ones who are praying for me without knowing what’s going on…they’re all part of my community, and whether they want to be or not, they’re in the game with me.” - Molly Jensen, Create Your Life Series, #199
“It’s becoming even more comfortable with people essentially not liking you. Sometimes people’s issues have to do with themselves and don’t necessarily have anything to do with you, and then sometimes might just not be feeling you… I just have to realize and be okay with who I am and how I operate, while also being open to being wrong and doing things differently and accepting feedback.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #199
“If somebody spends the time to tell you what you could be doing better, I think that is them expressing love and expressing that they care, and that it’s my responsibility to take that love and then move differently.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #199

Resources Mentioned

Juice vs Sauce Explained Best Buy employee video
LinkedIn
Gmail

Favorite Book

Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building by Claire Hughes Johnson

Favorite Quote

“It’s not the juice, it’s the sauce.” - Kevin Y. Brown via Juice vs. Sauce video

3 Keys to Create Your Best Life

Go after it.
You only have one life.
Love on everyone, hard.

Stay Connected

Create Your Life Series

Facebook: Create Your Life Series

Instagram: Create Your Life Series

Kevin Y. Brown

Website: Kevin Y Brown

Instagram: kevinybrown

Twitter: kevinybrown

Facebook: kevinybrown

Molly Jensen

LinkedIn: Molly Jensen

Twitter: mj_acosua

Afripods

Website: Afripods

The episode CYLS 199: Africa X Podcasting - The Blueprint to Female Leadership in New Media with Molly A. Jensen from the podcast Create Your Life Series has a duration of 57:38. It was first published 05 Sep 02:00. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.

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CYLS 206: Pt. 2 - Africa X Media - Redefining Reality Through Transformative Storytelling with Moses ”Ras” Mutabaruka

Episode Summary

On this episode of the Create Your Life Series podcast, host Kevin Y Brown continues his conversation with Ras Mutabaruka, a former refugee, sharing an inspiring life story. After spending over a decade as a refugee, he found stability in Canada, which opened doors to education and resources. Initially aspiring to be a lawyer, his mindset shifted, leading to a passion for storytelling about Africa. From a blog to a magazine and documentary, the guest aimed to challenge stereotypes.

This episode explores his college experience, professional journey as a public servant, and entrepreneurial ventures. Emphasizing authenticity and consistency, the guest discusses personal growth and leadership. The episode concludes with insights into community recognition and the ongoing pursuit of goals, highlighting resilience and the power of storytelling in his journey from refugee to visionary entrepreneur.

Tune in to this episode of the Create Your Life series for an inspiring and heartfelt conversation.

Kevin Y. Brown

Ras Mutabaruka

Ras Mutabaruka founded The African Perspective (TAP Media Ltd) after being frustrated with seeing how Africa and Africans were often portrayed in global media. TAP is a Pan-African media platform that tells African stories from an African perspective with a mission to rebrand Africa, one story at a time. Born in Rwanda during tumultuous times, he and his family sought refuge in neighboring countries. The journey eventually led him to Kenya, where he settled and found a sense of belonging amid a diverse community. His journey then took him to Canada for higher education.

Before working on TAP full-time, and to give back to his once adopted country of Canada, he spent five years working as a public servant in the department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) where he received three back to back Ministerial Awards of Merit for service to Canadians.

Insights From the Episode

How to use collaboration as a tool for growth
Emphasizes the importance of networking and persistence
Discussion surrounding Intrinsic Motivation in Entrepreneurship: countering negative narratives about Africa and staying true to personal values as intrinsic motivations in entrepreneurship
Reflecting on the historical impact of media, emphasizing its responsibility to tell authentic and responsible stories
Discussion about the evolution of entrepreneurial journeys, showcasing diverse ventures and experiences over the years

Quotes from the Show

“I stayed true to myself and for the times where I didn't stay true to myself. It ended up rerouting me and telling me that you should have stayed true to yourself. And so when you look at a life at your life, you know what I mean? I think it's important to be able to say that you chose what you did, not that somebody else chose it for you and that you followed other people. But that you did what you felt was the things that you wanted to do and that you needed to do.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #206
“Real people do real things and you know, sometimes it comes at the expense of what could have been, you know, the easy route, the more financially sound route, right? But you know, when you look back at it, you can always say, you know, I'm happy to waive it for what I did because I know that I chose me.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #206
“My commitment to building a bright future for Africa is to continue to tell African stories in all its forms, is to continue to bring out a part of Africa that people don't know is to continue to inspire, to challenge and to move the needle forward, I think and part of that and also a commitment I have for Africa and for Africans is to continue to be me to live my life to, to share my story.” - Ras Mutabaruka, Create Your Life Series, #206
“My biggest challenge was probably my biggest blessing. My biggest challenge was when, when my, when my older sister returned back to our biological family when I was 10. That time after that trying to figure out life on my own without someone being there, who I was familiar with and who I had known since the beginning was definitely a challenge. And I think choosing to stay on the right path, in spite of everything happening around me, I think, you know what I mean was it was a challenge that definitely helped me to to become the man that I am today.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #206
“... That's where create your life as a term comes from, that's all that I had was a life that I could dream of but that I wanted to manifest. And that's what I stuck to every day when it was hard where I have foster parents who were mistreating me or where my peers didn't understand where I was coming from or where I was moving from house to house and, you know, all of these things, it was just this dream and this focus and this possibility.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #206

Resources Mentioned

Apple Watch
Google Calendar

Favorite Book

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by Ben Carson

Favorite Quote

“My life is my message.” - Unknown

Keys to Create Your Best Life

Be consistent
Remain true to who you are
Maintain balance in your life

Stay Connected

Create Your Life Series

Facebook: Create Your Life Series

Instagram: Create Your Life Series

YouTube: Create Your Life Series

Kevin Y. Brown

Website: Kevin Y Brown

Instagram: kevinybrown

Twitter: kevinybrown

Facebook: kevinybrown

Ras Mutabaruka

Website: The African Perspective (TAP) Magazine

Instagram: Ras Mutabaruka

Twitter: Ras Mutabaruka

Linkedin: Ras Mutabaruka

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Afripods, and Spotify.

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com).

CYLS 205: Pt. 1 - Africa X Media - Redefining Reality Through Transformative Storytelling with Moses ”Ras” Mutabaruka

Episode Summary

On this episode of the Create Your Life Series podcast, host Kevin Y Brown welcomes a truly inspiring guest to the studio, Ras Mutabaruka. A storyteller, entrepreneur, and community builder, Ras’ life is a testament to resilience, vision, and an enduring love for the African continent. Delving into the challenges he faced and the transformative impact of facing a traumatic past, including his experiences during the genocide in Rwanda. He opens up about the deep scars left by those events and the long journey toward healing. Ras also reflects on the importance of speaking out about personal struggles and advocating for mental health support, breaking the silence that often surrounds such experiences.

The conversation takes a turn as Ras shares lighter moments from his life, including his time in Canada, where he discovered his purpose and passion for storytelling. As he navigated cultural differences and stereotypes, he found strength in embracing his identity and heritage.

Ras Mutabaruka’s journey exemplifies resilience, the power of storytelling, and the unwavering commitment to make a positive impact on the continent he calls home. Tune in to this episode of the Create Your Life series for an inspiring and heartfelt conversation.

Kevin Y. Brown

Ras Mutabaruka

Insights From the Episode

Reflecting on the Rwandan Genocide, Ras Mutabaruka underscores the healing power of facing the past
Emphasis on the need to challenge stereotypes about Africa
Mutabaruka shares experiences in Canada
Dissatisfaction with Western media narratives inspires TAP Media, evolving from a blog to a magazine, focusing on science in Africa
Importance of remaining true to oneself and consistent for personal growth and success
Strategies for Building a Platform: discussion surrounding transitioning from a blog to a magazine format broadens TAP Media's platform, leading to partnerships with prestigious institutions
Strategies for overcoming Imposter Syndrome
How to use collaboration as a tool for growth

Quotes from the Show

“... the narrative about Africa was still the same, probably even worse because the academia surrounding African people of African descent is really terrible… There's not that much that the academia says we've done and I found that to be a challenge… And then one time he hit me like, OK, you didn't go to journalism school, you not a, you know, you're not a journalist but you can write. So if you, if you don't like what other people are talking about, you or your country or your continent do something about it.” - Ras Mutabaruka, Create Your Life Series, #205
“the BBC says this, the CNN says the BBC is a British Broadcasting Corporation. They have their agenda, they are speaking for the British audience. So I'm like, so who, who's speaking for Africa or for Africans? And so it started out as a, as actually started very humble beginning, starts out as Facebook note. I would like write like notes about facts and things about Africa.” - Ras Mutabaruka, Create Your Life Series, #205
“It's a pleasure to know you as a leader and someone who, you know what I mean has I, I would say rose to the occasion or accepted the challenge of being a leader, being a dynamic person.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #205
“Create a group, create an insider group of people who can see the things you are doing and if they, and, and, and you can trust their feedback, of course, you're still the executive of your own story.” - Ras Mutabaruka, Create Your Life Series, #205
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Stay Connected

Create Your Life Series

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YouTube: Create Your Life Series

Kevin Y. Brown

Website: Kevin Y Brown

Instagram: kevinybrown

Twitter: kevinybrown

Facebook: kevinybrown

Ras Mutabaruka

Website: The African Perspective (TAP) Magazine

Instagram: Ras Mutabaruka

Twitter: Ras Mutabaruka

Linkedin: Ras Mutabaruka

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Afripods, and Spotify.

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com).

CYLS 204: Africa X Podcasting - The Rhythm of Innovation: A Deep Dive into the Data Driving Africa’s Podcasting Renaissance with Angela Machua

Episode Summary

On this episode of the Create Your Life Series podcast, Angela, host of Zen Moments, discusses the transformative power of podcasting, particularly for the youth. She emphasizes the platform's freedom for self-expression without limitations and encouraging aspiring creators to explore the diverse world of podcasting. Angela shares personal anecdotes, highlighting the role of mentorship, discipline, and motivation in her journey.

The conversation delves into lessons learned in podcasting, such as the importance of time investment and planning. Angela reflects on moments when she contemplated giving up but found motivation in the positive impact her podcast had on strangers. The episode concludes with Angela expressing her commitment to shaping a vibrant future for Africa, particularly in the podcasting industry, aiming for inclusivity and financial opportunities.

In the rapid-fire segment, Angela discusses favorite productivity apps, commitment to personal growth, and her love for art. The episode ends with Angela turning the tables, posing three unscripted questions to host Kevin Brown, adding a lighthearted and engaging touch to the conversation.

Kevin Y. Brown

Angela Manchua Angela Manchua, host of the impactful podcast "Zen Moments," is a trailblazer in the world of podcasting, advocating for limitless self-expression and empowering youth to embrace content creation without constraints. Her journey reflects resilience, disciplined commitment to personal growth, and overcoming moments of self-doubt.

Angela's story is one of unwavering determination, embracing the challenges of podcasting with grace. Beyond her podcast, she is a talented graphic artist and is dedicated to elevating the podcasting industry in Africa, making it accessible and financially viable for creators.

In essence, Angela Manchua's life is a testament to the power of resilience, self-discovery, and pursuing passions, inspiring others to embark on their unique journeys with purpose.

Insights From the Episode

Importance of Africans telling their own stories without translation when needed to maintain accuracy and authenticity
How to maintain the integrity of the story: directly sharing ensures that the narrative isn’t influenced by external perceptions
Significance of persevering in the face of challenges and chasing what you are passionate about: Angela’s drive for learning outside of office hours is emphasized in reference to her growth in the podcasting industry
Angela’s approach to understanding challenges faced by new podcasters
Statistics of podcast listeners
Podcast listening behavior
Advice for new podcasters
Importance of mentorship
Discussion of key elements of personal growth
Conversation surrounding how to create the life you want, from the perspective of Angela

Quotes from the Show

“… it's important for us as Africans to tell our own story the way we want to tell it. If we don't want to translate it, say it as it is because that's how it comes accurate and because sometimes things can get lost in translation.” - Angela Machua, Create Your Life Series, #204
“It's been amazing to see your growth and watch you as this person who essentially to me, I've been watching your evolution going from a project manager who was primarily dealing in finance to I call you, that's my personal moniker for you, the data maven of African podcasting.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #204
“Podcasting is so important because it gives you the individual the space to be who you want to be. There's no limitations in podcasting and I think that's what makes it different from other platforms. As a young creator, you're able to express yourself how you want to without any limits. And I think that it's important for the youth to be able to get into content creation as they would like without being told this is how you have to do it. And because I feel like that cripples creativity and podcasting has opened up that space that anyone can be anything they want to be.” - Angela Machua, Create Your Life Series, #204
“Mentorship is important also because sometimes you might feel like I'm just doing something, you are only looking at the now, but with mentorship you're able to see the entire growth journey.” - Angela Machua, Create Your Life Series, #204
“I feel like imposter syndrome is something that a lot of people struggle with, but if you just decide and tell yourself this is not real, you can do what you want to do and there are no limits, you can go ahead.” - Angela Machua, Create Your Life Series, #204
“We need to build a platform or an industry that is easily accessible by everybody… make it possible for people to make a living out of podcasting. Because content creation, yes, it's still a new thing, but it's a viable option for monetizing yourself, whether you're a company or you're just trying to build your own brand, your personal brand or your company brand. We need to make the space viable for everyone to be able to be successful. And my commitment in that is just being involved in the industry in whatever capacity, but mainly in data to push for platforms to provide the space for this to be possible.” - Angela Machua, Create Your Life Series, #204

Resources Mentioned

Notion
Akiflow

Favorite Book

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

Favorite Quote

“Just do it.” - Nike

3 Keys to Create Your Best Life

Visioning and Goal Setting:

Angela emphasizes the importance of envisioning the life you want and writing down your goals. Breaking down these goals into achievable steps, whether monthly or weekly, helps track progress and encourages a sense of accomplishment.

Taking Action:

Angela advocates for taking action without waiting for the "perfect" moment. She suggests breaking down tasks into manageable steps and enjoying the journey of personal development, growth, and achievement.

Enjoying the Journey:

Angela highlights the significance of finding joy in the process of pursuing your goals. It's not just about reaching the end goal but relishing in the experiences, growth, and connections made along the way.

Stay Connected

Create Your Life Series

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Kevin Y. Brown

Website: Kevin Y Brown

Instagram: kevinybrown

Twitter: kevinybrown

Facebook: kevinybrown

Angela Machua

Linkedin: Angela Machua Instagram: @angela_machua

Podcast: Zen Moments (Afripods, Apple, Spotify)

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Afripods, and Spotify.

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com).

CYLS 203: Africa X Podcasting - The Blueprint to Building Ghana’s Most Successful Podcast Network with Cyril Afeku and Donald Aryee

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Africa X series, Kevin Y. Brown is joined by Cyril Afeku and Donald Ayree, cofounders of The Gold Coast Report. The GCR is a thriving podcast network based in Accra, Ghana, whose unwavering mission is to forge accessible avenues for visibility and to curate impactful experiences that empower individuals and communities alike. Cyril and Donald explain how the World Cup led to their initial idea for The Gold Coast Report, which changed from being a single podcast to the beginning of a network in the same week. They discuss the milestones they’ve passed so far and where they hope to go, the shows they’re most proud of, and how they were able to turn a passion project into a self-sustaining business. As leaders they share their tips for creative compromise and amplifying the creativity of their team, along with their thoughts on the importance of sharing their knowledge and experience with others in the community. In the Turnaround, Kevin opens up about how his trip to Africa in 2018 influenced his understanding of legacy, of family, and his responsibilities as a Black man, and how it led to him moving back to the Continent and joining the movement to amplify African stories through podcasting.

Kevin Y. Brown

Cyril Afeku and Donald Aryee

Cyril Afeku and Donald Aryee met in high school and reconnected after university where together they created The Gold Coast Report, a podcast network based in Accra, Ghana. They produce shows covering a variety of interests such as sports, women-focused issues, religion, sex, pop culture, social issues, entertainment and more. Cyril and Donald are results-driven and inquisitive professionals with a vast expertise in developing podcasting infrastructure in Africa. Their passion revolves around amplifying African creativity and nurturing self-sustaining communities, providing them with the space to incubate, flourish, and achieve their aspirations. Every action, word, and endeavor The Gold Coast Report undertakes is a dedicated stride to realizing this vision.

Insights From the Episode

Tips for dealing with difficult clients and creators
Where to look for guidance when you’re an early adopter in a burgeoning industry
3 tips for new podcasters looking to join an established network
How to stay rejuvenated and focused as a leader
Advice for handling conflict between teammates
Tips for dealing with negative feedback
Thoughts on the keys to personal growth
Strategies for directing your energy so you don’t overextend yourself

Quotes from the Show

“At the time this was just two friends in a room trying something out. When you look back and zoom out to what it is now, it’s kind of crazy. We thought that we could tell our own better stories, and we also felt like there was some creativity in everyone.” - Cyril Afeku, Create Your Life Series, #203
“[The schedule] helped build consistency within the team. That helped also build some level of planning. We obviously got better at the editing and figured out the mechanics that came to podcasting, and we figured out how to actually run and operate as a network because that wasn’t a skillset that we had coming in.” - Donald Aryee, Create Your Life Series, #203
“All those shows are not failures, because those really are learning opportunities. All those episodes that we didn’t record correctly—all those where the mic went wrong or we didn’t export something perfectly or the audio didn’t sync up—all those things are the learning opportunities that make these batch of shows much better than they could have been. So it all counts, and I’m really grateful for that.” - Donald Aryee, Create Your Life Series, #203
“Lessons learned, not failures, right? Opportunities to improve.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #203
“I always feel like to get the best out of people in what we do, it’s always best to give them that room to express themselves and hear what they have to say and see how best we can bring what it is they want to do to life. The hope is that with our experience and expertise, they would also trust whatever guidance and inputs we bring to the table is worthy of incorporating.” - Cyril Afeku, Create Your Life Series, #203
“You kind of have to look in the mirror and work out how you are a mentor to yourself. Be honest with who you are and what self-improvement looks like, and what challenging yourself looks like.” - Donald Aryee, Create Your Life Series, #203
“We realized that we weren’t going to be able to either serve every community, or serve every community exhaustively or adequately. On our end we’ll provide you with our resources as we can to get you started, and that way it doesn’t become a case of you have to rely on GCR before this gets done because I think for us, first and foremost, we are huge fans of the medium and do want this space to grow.” - Donald Aryee, Create Your Life Series, #203
“For me in all spaces it’s really ‘how do I figure out what somebody is way better than me at’, and then ‘how do I have them teach me and show me?’ Usually it helps build really good relationships and connections too because people like teaching, they like talking to you, they tell you about themselves, and you get to know them better.” - Cyril Afeku, Create Your Life Series, #203
“If somebody takes the time to correct you or give you feedback, that’s them showing you love and trying to help you to improve, and that’s an opportunity. It’s not about taking things personal, but remembering why you’re here.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #203
“Ghanaians are passionate people. We do care about each other, we care about our family, our friends, our loved ones, our community, and podcasting just makes that so much more personal because it’s not as structured or rigid as traditional media is. The host allows for a much deeper connection, and I think that’s something that works natural for who we are as a people, and zooming out I think that works well for the continent of Africa because one thing that keeps coming up when you look back at our history is ours is an oral tradition, and nothing hits home like audio. And what’s a thing about audio that has a future? It’s podcasting.” - Cyril Afeku, Create Your Life Series, #203
“Growing up in foster care from 9 months to 18 I think foundationally is what has made me strong, helps me to adapt to new environments, makes me curious to know people, to learn people, to learn about different cultures, and is probably a big part of my foundation for hard work and also for my confidence.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #203

Resources Mentioned

Sincerely Accra, a GCR podcast on everyday life in Ghana
After the Whistle, a sports podcast
Free Your Mind, a general talk and lifestyle podcast
Sex and Sanity podcast
The Unartiste Podcast, a pop culture podcast
Sunday Fufu, a podcast hosted by Donald Aryee where men have conversations they’ve been conditioned not to have
Is It Crack?, a podcast on everyday trending topics
The Palaver Podcast on storytelling and travel
Hairpins & Straights, a motorsports podcast
GCR Labs
Mosaic - A GCR Event
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Asics Gel Kayano running shoes

Favorite Book

Donald Aryee: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
Cyril Afeku: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Favorite Quote

“Step in love.”
“Be a wrestler for the greatest prize of all, which is control of self.”
“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, because an artful life requires being prepared to meet and withstand sudden and unexpected attacks.” - Marcus Aurelius

3 Keys to Create Your Best Life

Donald Aryee:

Consistency
Be ready for opportunity
Open yourself up to different experiences and try new things

Cyril Afeku:

Love
Be able to challenge yourself
Enjoy your life

Stay Connected

Create Your Life Series

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Kevin Y. Brown

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Cyril Afeku

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Donald Aryee

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Gold Coast Report Network

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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)

CYLS 202: Africa X Radio - Why Africa X? with Calvin Wanguku

Episode Summary

This special episode of the Africa X series features Kevin Y. Brown’s recent appearance on Trace FM with Calvin Wanguku. They talk about the personal and professional opportunities that drew Kevin back to Kenya, the evolution of Create Your Life, and the power of the grind. Kevin shares his excitement for the Africa X series and where it’s going, why podcasting is an ideal medium to preserve African history, language, culture, and traditions, and why when we’re looking to create our lives the most valuable question we can ask is ‘how.’

Kevin Y. Brown

Insights From the Episode

What makes African storytelling unique
The opportunity for creators in Africa in the podcasting industry
Tips for how creatives can get paid for their work

Quotes from the Show

“I went on a journey of finding what was exactly was going on with me, but also I had the opportunity to really see Black legacy here, for generations and generations of people who have these families who have been doing striving and excellence. So because of that I wanted to come back and really be immersed in blackness in a place where I don’t have to worry about my skin complexion, where I don’t have to worry about so many things and I’m allowed to just exist.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #202
“I was so keen on helping to amplify African stories, but also I think that podcasting is a low-cost way to save and preserve African history, language, culture and tradition so that those in the future can have authentic African experiences. To me that matters a lot.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #202
“The ability to be able to adapt, listen, and then actually move into learning about these other stories you haven’t heard about, you have Hollywood and these other stories that are coming from the West, but it’s Africa’s time to hear these stories from the source.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #202
“The biggest thing for me with Create Your Life is that a lot of times when they’re interviewing people ask ‘why’ and ‘what’ you do, but they never ask ‘how’, and the ‘how’ is the only thing that can be duplicated. So as I talk to amazing trailblazers and I also have conversations with the youth, a lot of times the youth are asking, ‘hey, what about the how?’ or my peers are asking ‘how?’. How did you do this? How did you do that? So I said, why don’t I open up a space where you can hear from people who have walked your walk… I think Africa X is that way for people to be able to create their life, and that’s my whole thing: create the life you’ve always wanted to live. I live by that; I’m a product of that; I am that; so I wanted to share it.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #202
“I think one of the biggest things to keep in mind as a creator is ‘don’t complain about not getting the rewards you didn’t work for.’ If you’re going to become a podcaster, you’ve got to be committed to the grind, and being ‘committed to the grind’ looks like doing the work and being consistent and understanding your audience, understanding your listener, understanding what guests you should have on your show. Those are the important pillars of having a good show.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #202
“You’ve got to grind it out in order to get these results. Money is the result of hard work and dedication. I remember my high school principal said, ‘There’s no job called “make money. You make money by being good at what it is that you do.’” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #202

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Create Your Life Series

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Kevin Y. Brown

Website: Kevin Y Brown

Instagram: kevinybrown

Twitter: kevinybrown

Facebook: kevinybrown

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Afripods, and Spotify.

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)

Every Podcast » Create Your Life Series » CYLS 199: Africa X Podcasting - The Blueprint to Female Leadership in New Media with Molly A. Jensen