Meet Stella Wacheke

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to meet with Stella Wacheke, a young entrepreneur in Kenya. We were meeting for work, but I soon found myself extremely impressed with her ambition, passion, and dedication, and decided that I had to interview her for the Kenyan Nomad!

1) Tell us a little bit about your background. ​
I was brought up in Nairobi Kenya, the first born among two girls. I'm an accredited Project Manager by profession and current​ly working as a consultant project manager. I hold an MBA in International Business from Kenya Methodist University, a degree in Bachelor of Commerce, Finance Major from Catholic University of Eastern Africa and a Prince2 (foundation and practitioner) and PMP Certification in Project Management.

2) What inspired you to go into your own business?
​The desire to have the freedom to venture into different emerging and ​dynamic opportunities coupled with the drive to own the task at hand and do it to the best of my ability. Stella is a brand and I wanted to keep myself accountable and in the process leave behind a legacy that will have left an impact on generations to come.​

3) If you could only use five words to describe yourself, what would they be?
​Passionate, Reliable, Loving, Kind and Compassionate​.

4) Why do you think it's vital that we empower other women? ​
In the first place, I am a woman who has gone through the roller coaster of life. Thus, life has already equipped me to guide, encourage and uplift one of my kind through experience so that they too can avoid getting into similar pitfalls that I did. Lastly, I was also empowered and I would like to pass on the baton of hope.. it's only when you give that you receive and attain the climax of your own personal fulfillment.

5) Tell us a little bit more about your cancer trust.
​Haba na Haba Trust is a platform that brings together friends of children with cancer. Our main vision is to salvage a soul by showing them the love of Christ .As you are aware, most people despair and question the love of God during seasons of long suffering. Our acts of love, kindness and care will help to change that perception.​ We extend the love of God through deliberate actions that create special lasting memories of his love for those going through long suffering. It is our unique way of ministering the gospel to the long suffering.

6) Why is it important to know and believe in the value of your personal brand?
​You are your biggest cheerleader and your own best friend. We should never sell ourselves short. Therefore once you realize that every individual has weaknesses and strengths as well as unique gifts, then you have no choice but to value your personal brand because you are unique, special and valuable in your own right.​

7) If you could give advice to yourself 5 years ago, what would it be?​
Speak positively and believe in the impossible because if you can dream it you can achieve it through God​'​s help. You are also very unique and capable to contribute to the society in your own way.​Finally, it's okay to be different.. never follow the crowd.​

8) What do you think are the greatest challenges facing young, ambitious women in today's world?​
Fear and peer pressure.

9) Any advice to these women?
​Let your ambition come from within, not from without. Only bow to positive ​peer ​pressure and just go for it!! It's never that serious. There is a 50/50 chance of succeeding and failing. Thus, ​take the route of success. When you fall or fail, stand up, crawl or limp but forward you must move.​
​Remember to always do more than you are paid for!! It pays off in the long run.​

10) What are some of your favourite books that you would recommend?
Battlefield of the Mind, Million Dollar Habits, 17 Laws of Success​​, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari​

11) What are some rituals of success you follow religiously?

Ask God for wisdom daily, give thanks and give to back to God. Help others without expecting anything in return​, family should always come first no matter what and lastly, ​engage in ​positive self talk.​

12) Do you have any favourite quote(s)?​
Be the change you want​ to see in the world.

13) Who has been your biggest inspiration to date?​
Joyce Meyer​

14) And finally, what's next for Stella? ​
W​atch this space...​ I'm currently writing a book called 'The Odd One Out'​ ​and looking forward to start​ing my family soon!!

Ach mein Gott! It's Monday!

Yes folks, it's Monday again. That day that everyone wakes up to and inevitably groans at.
To add to the misery swirling about, today's Monday is drearier than the rest. It's the last Monday after the month (cue people extremely tired after end month celebrations), rain clouds are looming in the sky, it's cold and the mood of the day is miserable. Sigh. Work again, for everyone. Driving through the streets of Nairobi, you can see drivers and passengers alike with identical looks of Monday blues bordering on apathy toward anything and everything. The emotion that accompanies road rage seems not to have set in yet, and may not until later. Manual labourers are hard at work, but with the same look on their face. It's as though Nairobi got bitten by a bug late last night that seems to have afflicted all of us with a get-me-out-of-here mentality.
This is not an extraordinary occurrence though. It happens every Monday morning, and to some degree, everyday. What do I blame it on?

The Rat Race. (For those of you who haven't, I recommend reading Rich Dad Poor Dad. It's a great resource! http://books.google.co.ke/books/about/Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad.html?id=v8NTA2mHL5kC&redir_esc=y)

For those who have never heard of this before, the 'Rat Race' is what we all live through. Go to college, get a 'good' job. Work forever. For what? We work to earn money to afford houses that we spend most of our time away from. We toil for weeks in order to enjoy a meager 21 days of freedom. We work hard so that we can spend quality time with friends and family; yet are to tired or busy to do so when need be. Yes, this is almost a cliched topic. Yes, there are people who have escaped this.

However, until most of us can get out of this, the conversation needs to be had, and had again.
What connects dreary Mondays to the Rat Race? The simple fact that if all of us loved our jobs, despite traffic, we would be happy to get there.
Goodness, can we just pause for a moment and imagine a world in which society was actually happy at work?

We've been born into a culture that encourages to play it safe. Finding a tried-and-tested job, even if it's not exactly what suits us, is what we do. People have different skills and talents that may sometimes lie outside the traditional job market. However, instead of exploring and pursuing passions, we stick to the status quo. God forbid we actually fall in love with what we do, right? Even those lucky few who are able to do what they want do not fully escape this. Once they start off, many fall prey to the same problems of routine and safety, an inability to stretch outside our world.

This has been something I've been thinking about a lot, of course. As a young professional a year away from graduation, this is the time to figure out 'what I want to do with my life' (or so I've been told). I'm sorely tempted to take everyone's advice, and stick to what we know. What's been done. What's 'safe'.
However, the thought of that is so terrifying that there may be hope for me yet.
Have a great Monday everyone, and try to work your job like it's your dream job!