Last week I had the privilege of taking a few days off to visit my dear friend Clara (working in Tanzania for the British Council) in the small town of Marangu. Coincidently, Marangu is also the town at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Visiting her was an impulse trip, so my body (& wallet) was … Continue reading
Two years ago, I left my job at Rogers for a multitude of reasons. But definitely a key influencer was a desire to do something other than finance. To escape the routine of the accounting cycle: budget, month-end, quarter-end, year-end, variances, forecast, re-forecast, and re-forecast again. A little over a week ago I was talking … Continue reading
We’ve all heard the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child.” In my case, the saying is a little different >> it takes the whole Fellow community to raise an Acumen Global Fellow. I am eternally grateful for my fellow Fellows. I shudder to even think how I’d get through this fellowship without … Continue reading
Transitions are rarely easy. After packing up & unpacking a total of four times this year alone, you’d think I’d be used to it by now. From Ghana to Toronto to New York and now Nairobi, I’m definitely looking forward to the stability of 2014 (even if it’s just 8 months of the year). I … Continue reading
I have really struggled to articulate my first breakthrough moment during my Acumen training experience. I’ve tried telling various versions of this story; first with my sister and again with some friends. And it always seemed to come out a bit disjointed and lacked cohesiveness. I can’t promise that this time will be different. So, … Continue reading
It’s the end and yet, only the beginning. We’re about to kick-off week 8 of our New York Global Fellows leadership training. And what an intense eight weeks it’s been. When I checked my email today, I realized that this week’s schedule will be our last. I can’t fathom how fast time has flown by … Continue reading
The 2013 Fellows are officially out of the building. Well, figuratively. Some of them are literally still in the building either working on projects with Acumen or just hanging around because they can’t let go.. lol. As the incoming class, we are already a mixed bag of emotions: ranging from excitement to trepidation. But seeing … Continue reading
I’ve just gotten home after day 1 of my year as an Acumen Global Fellow. I’ve now been in New York for a full week and am already rolling my eyes at tourists, racing through the streets as if I’ve lived here my whole life and basically fallen in love with my new neighbourhood. I … Continue reading
dig·ni·ty noun \ˈdig-nə-tē\ plural dig·ni·ties Definition of DIGNITY 1: the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed Last night, I saw an advanced screening of the movie “Mandela – A Long Walk to Freedom” at the Toronto International Film Festival. The word dignity kept popping up in my head over and over. To be … Continue reading
Today is Labour Day, marking the end of summer, celebrating the ideas of worker solidarity against corporate power and, most importantly, the end of my Generosity Experiment. Similar to what Sasha Dichter said in his talk, I committed to this experiment publicly (or really, to the handful of you who read this) before I was … Continue reading
Be the change 