Everyone has a story, here is a bit of mine…
As time goes by, I live more and more by gut. Some call it intuition. I am guided by my inner wisdom and am ready to embrace uncertainty.
My journey is full of twisting zigzags, leaps of faith, and unexpected drama (also known as wonder)!
Drawn to People
I believe I was telling stories from my mother’s belly. As a child, my dad thought I had too many friends. I loved to play and have skipped naptime for as long as I can remember. As you can imagine, I got in trouble many times in elementary and middle school for always talking in class. I was always ready for recess. I love meeting people from all walks of life and am always curious about their stories. In my mind, I’m always wondering why I met someone and how we are connected. What is my message for them? What do I, in turn, need to open myself to accept from them? ‘WHO?’ and ‘WHY?’ are the questions always at the top of my mind.
A Creative and Visual Soul
My mom taught me how to sing at a very young age. When you combine a kid that can’t keep her mouth shut with music, you get a singing bird. Growing up, I aspired to be an opera singer—a dramatic one—and wear the huge gowns and crowns on stage during every act. I even began singing in choirs during middle school (almost 30 years ago) to work toward this goal. The bad news is that because I was born in a highly educated family, school always came first. While my dream hasn’t come true yet, I have leveraged my love for music with curiosity to explore other art forms – especially dance, cooking and African Heritage arts.
Problem Solver
As a kid, my older brother called me “The Manager” because I could organize almost anything. My older sister called me: “Minister of the Exterior” – I was always outside playing and making new friends. Everywhere but home. My mom’s garden was always blooming; I could spend the entire day wondering how hummingbirds get nectar out of hibiscus flowers or estimating how many seeds a papaya has. In high school, I chose math as my area of focus, as I can’t memorize anything (science, history, geography were all out) so you might have to remind me your name a few times.
Awareness of the Seasons
There is a season for everything. You can trust me because my family owned a farm growing up. We would wake up at 6 AM on Saturdays and head to the farm. Planting season was a time of reflection and trust. What will we plant? Will the yield be successful? Then comes the season of growth and nurturing—ensuring that the plants have enough sun, shade, and water to fully grow. Then harvest season—oh the fruits we’d eat directly off the tree. Mangoes, pineapple, and avocados! My favorite is the longer dry season as the soil needed to rest and so did we. Being aware of the seasons has given me appreciation for the rhythms in life, and the discipline to prioritize the right things at the right time. Summer in the village was also harvest time—peanut harvesting was my favorite.
Venturing Into the Unknown
“Real life” began when I left Cameroon to attend college in the US. Between an inability to speak the language and culture shock, it was quite a test of everything—including faith. I managed to land a few academic scholarships and graduate in something “useful” (at least in the eyes of our African society): Computer Science at Brigham Young University. Then, while searching for my compass (what do I want to do when I grow up?), I realized that a common enjoyment of mine has always been empowering and connecting people. My graduate degree was an MBA with an emphasis on creating businesses that enable waste reduction in post-harvest processing. In other words, helping small scale farmers make more money from their crop by forming coops and preserving their foods beyond their short shelf life (drying, canning etc.).
Oh, the places you’ll _______
Working in tech over the past two decades has given me the opportunity to merge multiple passions and grow in new, unexpected areas. In one role, I lead marketing for a program that builds technology for emerging markets. This included very rewarding experiences, such as delivering solutions for refugee camps or providing students across the world with access to education through improved technology. Transforming lives and providing livelihoods give me energy and joy. Most importantly, I have met many people (including angels) along my path that have made the journey worthwhile and exciting.
Five Mantras I Live By
- Try something new every day.
- Let discomfort be your guide.
- Listen (and talk) to the birds.
- Most problems resolve themselves. Just give them space and breathe.
- Talk to strangers whenever possible
Unexcepted Discovery and Passion(s)
- Writing – Started with children’s books and then expanded into poetry.
- Opening an Art studio in Cameroon – balafun.com in 2012. To empower artists to dream, create and thrive.
- Spending time in Nature – The forest is my refuge. Mountains and waterfalls are always calling.
Now… Connecting the dots!
The world adventures I’ve undertaken so far (including the imaginary ones) have led me to appreciate the finest of all—finding balance. This journey started by listening to my intuition more, being grounded in nature, and continuing to sharpen my creative powers through activities such as writing, music, illustrations, and growing the studio. For me, soaring through the future and the skies entails bringing others along on this journey as we attempt to find and keep our natural rhythms. Welcome!