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The Untold Story of Zaida Sesay, Teen Miss Africa 2026
‘For a moment, I could hardly move.I stood beneath the bright stage lights, surrounded by hundreds of people, with my heart racing and my emotions threatening to overwhelm me. The names of the second runner-up and first runner-up had already been announced. Now there was only one name left.Mine’. When I heard it, everything seemed to slow down. The crown was placed on my head, but my mind travelled back to the beginning of the journey. To the shy girl who never imagined herself standing on a stage like this. To the girl who was afraid of being seen. To the girl who once read a comment that asked: “How can…
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The Red Flags We Romanticised: How Emotional Illiteracy Taught Us to Call Pain Love
There is a particular kind of heartbreak that does not arrive through betrayal or abandonment. It arrives quietly, through awareness. It is the moment you realise that what you defended, excused, prayed through, and labelled love was in fact a series of emotional compromises: sanctioned by culture, reinforced by faith, and normalised by generations who were never taught emotional literacy. Many of us did not overlook red flags. We romanticised them. Not because we lacked intelligence or discernment, but because we were never given the language to name emotional harm. Especially when it appeared respectable, spiritual, or culturally endorsed. What Red Flags, Actually Are? The phrase red flag originates from warning systems. Simply…
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Culture and Lifestyles, Entrepreneurship, Lifestyle, Personal Growth & Development, Work, Life Balance
7 Critical Mindset Shifts Every Entrepreneur Must Make to Win in 2026
In 2026, the entrepreneurial landscape is no longer defined by hustle culture and relentless grind. Today’s founders, creatives, and leaders are navigating a world that demands resilience, emotional intelligence, and sustainable impact; not just revenue growth. From social impact ventures in Africa to innovative coaching businesses and education startups, the shift is clear: inner development and strategic leadership must co-exist. In my first article of the year, I will walk you through seven transformative mindset shifts that will define entrepreneurial success in 2026. They are grounded in research, real-world examples, and the lived experience of mission-driven founders. 1. From Survival Mode to Sustainable Momentum Too many entrepreneurs operate in survival…
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Best TED Talks on Gratitude for Thanksgiving 2025: An Expert Review
Every Thanksgiving, I return to a question I ask my coaching clients, the teams that I work with, and occasionally myself on challenging days:“What beauty are you rushing past?” As a holistic educator and an executive coach, gratitude is one of the most powerful tools I teach: not because it is trendy, but because it transforms. It rewires patterns, softens defensiveness, strengthens assertiveness, and helps us reclaim the present moment from the loud urgencies of life. This year, I revisited some of the best TED Talks on gratitude: the ones I often assign to clients when they say things like, “Ariana, I know I should be grateful, but right now…
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Treasure Our Chests: When Art Becomes Advocacy and Healing
At the heart of creative expression lies the potential not only to delight the senses, but to spark awareness, facilitate healing and drive social change. October is internationally recognised as Breast cancer Awareness Month and Kompin Artists, in collaboration with the Orange Foundation Sierra Leone, transformed their ‘Treasure Our Chests art exhibition’ into a powerful platform for education and support. Held at the Orange Foundation’s venue in Hill Station, Freetown, the exhibition enlisted colour, texture and story to elevate the conversation about breast cancer in Sierra Leone. Why Breast Cancer? October’s alignment with global breast-cancer awareness made the timing ideal for committing the exhibition to a cause. For the Kompin…
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The Self-Care Revolution: How Professionals in 2025 Are Rewriting the Rules of Work and Wellbeing
It begins, as so many modern confessions do, with a phone that won’t stop humming. A Lagos-based consultant wakes at 3am, compulsively scrolling through unread emails. In São Paulo, a teacher finds herself snapping at her own children after a day spent managing both a classroom and WhatsApp parent groups. In Berlin, a startup founder whispers into the blue light of his laptop: “Just one more hour.” Across continents, the professional class is coming to the same realisation: we are not machines, and the myth of infinite productivity is breaking us. The old gospel of hustle: stay late, always reply, sleep when you are dead is being replaced by something…
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Therapeutic Laziness: Why Rest is the New Power Against Hustle Culture in 2025
September is often framed as the month of seriousness. In many places, it signals the return to routine! Children in uniform, offices brimming with renewed intensity, and a cultural expectation to shake off the languor of summer. In some African cities, September means traffic grows thicker, schools resume their bustling cadence, and social calendars speed up. For professionals in the diaspora, it is the sprint to year-end deliverables; for those shuttling between two or more homes, the reminder of competing obligations across continents and cultures. But in September 2025, the narrative has shifted. A quiet, intentional rebellion is taking place. Across Lagos, Johannesburg, Nairobi, London, Toronto, and Atlanta, people are…
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Curiosity as a Catalyst for Growth: How Asking Questions Drives Personal, Social, and Innovative Success
In the grand African tradition of storytelling and questioning, curiosity stands as a mighty catalyst- one that does more than just scratch the surface of things. It is the humbling, insatiable force that propels personal transformation, fuels ground-breaking innovation, and weaves the intricate threads of community connection. Curiosity, at its core, is the bold art of asking “Why?” and “What if?” and not resting until the depths of understanding are plumbed. Cultivating Curiosity: The Root of Self-Awareness Curiosity pushes the mind to venture beyond the familiar, catalysing continuous learning and self-discovery. Science shows that curious people engage brain circuits associated with reward and learning, releasing dopamine, ever heard about the…
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Real Gratitude vs. Performative Thanks: A Guide for Leaders
Gratitude often wears the halo of positivity and healing, but beneath its gleaming surface lies a complex truth: gratitude can sometimes mask pain rather than heal it. The prevalent advice to “just be grateful” can inadvertently silence our valid struggles, as if expressing pain or striving for more were somehow ungrateful. When gratitude morphs into phrases like: “At least you have a job.” “Others have it worse.” “Be thankful he stayed.” Then it ceases to be a source of comfort and instead becomes a form of emotional gaslighting: minimizing real suffering and invalidating personal experiences. This kind of toxic gratitude traps people in a prison of silence, blocking pathways to…
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From Sierra Leone to Louisiana: Chef Niema DiGrazia’s Vibrant Journey of Flavour, Culture, and Courage
There is a moment in everyone’s life when time stands still. When Niema DiGrazia first learned the Food Network was scouting her for Beat Bobby Flay, her world stopped and spiralled into joyful scenes. She was in an airport, scrolling through her phone, convinced at first the email had to be a scam. When the production team called … “Have you heard of Beat Bobby Flay?” they asked. She put them on hold, spun around, danced! Her spirit, irrepressible, alive with possibility. We have followed Chef Neima for years and couldn’t help but curate and showcase this experience. From Freetown to Shreveport: The Birth of a Cultural Bridge Niema’s journey…
