Ipu Podcast

Oja Express is a marketplace for small grocers that sell cultural specific groceries and consumers shop for their cultural groceries in and easy and convenient manner. In this Episode, we interiew Boyede Sobitan, co-founder of Oja Express. He walks us through the dream, challenges and what it took to make this a reality. www.ojaexpress.com

As a certified public accountant, entrepreneur and former professional basketball player in Europe, Ebong Eka understands the importance of team work, leadership and development not only on the court but within companies. His experiences, both as a consultant and Soft Skills communication trainer with some of the largest professional services firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte & Touche, multinationals and organizations lend to his ability to offer a fresh perspective in a commanding yet approachable manner that draws a diverse audience. Ebong is a leadership, entrepreneur and small business expert who regularly appears on MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business Channel, NBC and CNN. Ebong is also an accomplished TEDx Speaker, motivational speaker, Bank of America Small Business Expert and Office Depot Blogger. Ebong is also the author of the book, “Start Me Up! – The No-Business-Plan Business Plan”, published by Career Press! (available on AMAZON) www.EbongEka.com

May is Mental Health Awareness month. In this episode we invite our previous guest, Tabitha Kaguri, who is a practicing Therapist and a PhD candidate to talk about challenges faced by individuals dealing with mental illness and what those around them can do to help. Mental illness is not something that is talked about in the immigrant or diaspora communities but recently the trend is changing by young people taking up the mantle of addressing this and fighting to remove the stigma that has hindered people from seeking help. Tabitha is founder and CEO of the Edja Foundation (edjafoundation.org)that has a mission of combating child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence in Sub-Saharan Africa. Twitter: https://twitter.com/EdjaFoundation Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edjafoundation/

Much to the dismay of his conservative Kenyan Parents, Tim marches to the beat of his own drum and enjoys taking his own advice for good and bad. After studying Business Management and Theology at Oakwood University and working in those respective fields for some time, Tim decided to endure more punishment and enroll in nursing school. After graduating he worked as a nurse and administrator in Indian, Michigan, and California. Throughout his different career journeys Tim has always had the entrepreneurs spirit. He has been a part of a number of business ventures ranging from indoor advertising to car rentals. Today he operates a video production company Timothy Christopher Films and acts as Development Coordinator for Rezide Properties, a building company based in Atlanta Georgia. He also keeps busy consulting, public speaking, and modeling on the side. Tim believes that everyone has a purpose and should follow their passions. "We should all strive to be the best version of self possible and help others d

Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Kenneth was always around delicious food! His mother made sure that dinner was always cooked and we had meals packed for us to go to school. While food was always around, it wasn’t always the healthiest. It wasn’t until he landed in Connecticut and changed his eating habits, he became more conscious of his eating habits and immersed himself in food medicine and nutrition. Then Law School happened and he realized time was truly of the essence. Between classes and even during class I would have my meals and friends would always comment, “Wow that looks amazing, can your prep for me?” One favor, led to another, and Esquire Meals was born. Esquire Meals is a gourmet, health-conscious meal prep company based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Everything you put in your body should have a purpose, and we at Esquire Meals believe that food can be a catalyst to health, recovery and success. Cooked the same day delivered, it’s the perfect way to stay consistent with your nutr

Boye Asenuga is the Co-Founder of CHICNICITY and a Fashion/Apparel Development and Production Consultant, with over 15 years of experience in the fashion industry. She has worked several designers/brands to mass produce garments have been sold in renowned retail stores like Moda Operandi and My Theresa and other stores in the UK, Italy & South Africa. She is a former lawyer and Nigerian native who moved to the United States 15 years ago. CHICNICITY was created with a simple goal; to оffеr Ready to Wear Clothes inѕрirеd by Ethnic Colors & Prints in Cоntеmроrаrу Silhоuеttеѕ for the Modern Woman. The CHICNICITY story started with a group of friends who wanted to be "Chic in their Ethnicity" and their solution was to create ethnic inspired clothes that will be compatible with the African in Diaspora lifestyle. Since CHICNICITY launched last yearn July, it has been worn by fashion & social media influencers and their designs are currently being stocked in boutiques in the US & Nigeria. CHICNICITY

Dr. Praise Matemavi is a multi visceral transplant surgery fellow at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She graduated from Michigan State College of Osteopathic Medicine and did her general surgery residency at New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital. She is a wife and mother. She hopes to one day be able to do kidney transplants in her home country of Zimbabwe. She is passionate about organ donation and global surgery. She is the author of “Lessons for my daughter:Adapted from my life experiences” a guide she wrote for her daughter as she is getting ready to go to college; an avid reader, runner, blogger and an advocate for teenage mothers as she was a teenage mother herself. You can connect with her on: instagram: @drpraise0624 twitter:@drmatemavi blog: www.womanofcharacter2224.com

One of the many things that unite us as human beings is our love for delicious food. In this episode, we take a candid look at what it took for Paul Ofwono to transfer that passion and dream into a reality. In this powerful episode, we take a look at the "behind the scenes" of what actually happens when you firmly decide to follow that dream. May dreams are formed years before they actually materialize. What does it truly mean to hang on to your dreams and passion to bring it to reality. This episode is one that will hopefully leave you inspired to pursue whatever it is you've been meaning to do. Paul's restaurant can be found at: Little Kampala 10110 Washington Blvd N, Laurel, MD 20723 or online at: www.littlekampala.com We hope you enjoy this episode.! Please rate and leave us feedback. on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and SoundCloud If you would like to get in touch with us, our email is: ipupodcast@gmail.com

Goshen Carmel is a passionate Filmmaker/Photographer based in Denver, Colorado. With a heartfelt story hailing from D.R.Congo, Goshen moved to Denver, Colorado in 2010 with his three siblings. Goshen had a dream to become a professional soccer player when he first moved to Denver, Colorado and becoming a visual storyteller never crossed his mind. Suddenly, Goshen found himself drawn to visual storytelling because many of his peers on the soccer fields and in his neighborhood were sharing their stories of struggle, compassion and love as former refugees. Motion pictures and photography has enabled Goshen to become a better storyteller and a voice for people in his community. Visual storytelling has inspired Goshen to be more confident to share stories of pain, resilience and hope. Goshen is currently building his own multimedia company in his new home of Denver. Hence, Goshen hopes to produce a major film about the struggles of minorities in his native country, D.R. Congo. His work can be found at: W

Martine is an speaker, author, Huffington Post blogger and Managing Principle of Martine Kalaw Enterprises, LLC that offers professional development, management and overall training consulting to start-ups, government and fortune 500 organizations. Martine's memoir titled, Woman Without An Identity, is available for Preorder until April 12. Generating 1000 pre-orders gains her access to top tier publishers. Watch her 1-2 min. video on the book:https://publishizer.com/woman-without-an-identity/ and pre-order your copy. BOOK SUMMARY: The book is Martine's personal recount about being an undocumented immigrant orphan and in deportation for 7 years; the hardest part was having to testify against her deceased mother in an immigration courtroom. Two complete strangers saved her life by helping her get into prep school and act as her benefactor. Martine's life took another turn when her supposed dead father found her through LinkedIn in 2012 from Zambia! BONUSES: Martine offers bonus packages for anyone/o

Andrena Sawyer is the Founder and President of P.E.R.K. Consulting, an advisory firm for small to mid-sized nonprofits and businesses. Originally from Freetown, Sierra Leone, she and her family moved to the United States when she was nine years old due to the Sierra Leonean civil war. She now credits her family's move for her interest in human triumph and perseverance. For her work with nonprofits and small businesses, she has been honored among The Black Business Review’s 40 Under 40, the Top 30 under 30 by WKYS 93.9, the International Alliance for Women World of Difference 100 Award, the Women Owned Small Business Award by the Associated Black Charities, and Hope for Africa Leadership in Community Development Award. In addition to her work with P.E.R.K. Consulting, she is the author of The Other Side of Assertiveness, Ponder It In Her Heart, and The Long Way Home. http://www.perkconsulting.net/

Rahama Wright is a social entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Shea Yeleen. "Established in 2005, Shea Yeleen International, Inc. is a social enterprise dedicated to empowering women in West Africa and the United States through the production, sale and use of shea butter products. A unique blend of grassroots organizing and business development, Shea Yeleen is a company that specializes in manufacturing high quality, organic, fair trade skin care products and utilizing a sales strategy that incorporates women’s’ micro enterprise development." In this episode Rahama walks us through the mindset that it took to build her company and brand, lessons she learned on the way. In this inspirational episode, she discusses the approach that those that dream of starting their own business should take. Listen to this episode, take notes and apply them to your own dreams. https://www.sheayeleen.com/

Mrs. Kemayou is an articulate and innovative no nonsense leader who is driven and dedicated in her chosen sphere of influence. She is a purposeful and intentional visionary, a skillful communicator and strategist, is missions and focused driven, and demonstrates a natural and uncanny ability to tap into the innate and limitless potential of women from both a professional and personal perspective. As an anointed woman of God, her WOW retreats create a safe space in which she teaches women how to secure a healthy balance between career, family and social life styles, and that the overall state of their psychological, physical, social, spiritual and financial wellbeing is only as good as the effort that is placed in making this the “Business of You.” As a result of this labor of love, Sandra recently debuted her first book “Guide To Creating WOW Retreats: Transforming Lives One Retreat at a Time” A step-by- step guide for fellow retreat planners. As a business coach and process guru, Sandra Kemayou is well a

Chiko quit his job at the age of 26 to become becoming a full-time entrepreneur. In the past 5 years he has built 2 separate companies that generate at least a million dollars in annual revenue. His first company is a staffing organization with 80 employees on payroll. The second organization is a real estate based organization with over 200 private office spaces for entrepreneurs looking for affordable, professional and flexible office space solutions. He loves entrepreneurship and believes that it allows for us to live a more free life when done right.

Philip n. Tete is an African born and raised entrepreneur currently living and doing business in the United States. He is a visual content creator and marketer, a business strategist, owner of Lip Visual Studios and he calls himself, the world’s first African high ticket closer. Philip was born and raised in Bamenda, Cameroon to lower middle class family of 7. He started his Entrepreneurial ventures at the age of 8 and at 16, he started a movie production agency “Grass to Grace Entertainment” with his friend. They quickly got regional recognition as their skits were picked by a few TV stations. Philip was in the middle of making his first feature film when he moved to the States to join his family in 2011. In 2013, he started school at P.G Community College Studying business administration. He later transferred to UMBC majoring in Cinematic Arts and Minor in entrepreneurship. With just 1 more year to graduate, Philip dropped out of school and started Lip Visual Studios. Philip also created nduttu.com, a site

Roy AfriQue was born and raised in East Africa. He is currently an event planner in the Boston area. He is the CEO of AfriQue Events, a promotional company that he created to provide entertainment that he felt was missing from the Boston night life. His goal was to bring African culture and African Music into mainstream clubs in the Boston area. Website: https://iamafrique.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamroyafrique/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ROYAFRIQUE

Crystal has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at San Antonio, and professional experience in engineering, logistics and operations management. She has worked in engineering and management positions for notable companies such as Pratt & Whitney, Dow Chemical Company and Union Pacific Railroad. Crystal’s experience as a minority woman, coming from an underserved community and advancing to a career in mechanical engineering, sparked the idea to create an organization that would offer underserved young women equal opportunity to pursue professional careers. She wanted to create an organization that would help disadvantaged young women receive free mentorship and professional etiquette training that would help them through school, encourage them to pursue college, and inspire them to pursue professional careers. Her nonprofit organization was founded and started in Austin, TX on December 19, 2016 as a passion project and personal, divine assignment from God. As the

Born and raised in Kenya. Attended Andrews University for undergrad and grad. Currently pursuing my second master’s degree at the University of Kansas. An IT consultant, wedding photographer and a stock option trader! Eric has been trading on the Stock Market for more than 10 years and in this interview he breaks down some of the essential concepts one should know before they embark on the mission to invest and make money from the US Stock Market.

Like Batman, Christopher Ategeka witnessed the death of both his parents as a child. He grew up with immense hardships but managed to navigate - an experience that left him equipped with valuable life skills. The talent he now uses to tackle the worlds toughest problems. He is a serial entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, an engineer and a pioneer in the unintended consequences of technologies ("UCOT") movement. He is the founder and Managing Director at LyfBase, the world's first center for the unintended consequences of technology. Ategeka coined and popularized the term "UCOT" (unintended consequences of technology) in the tech sector and the concept of "UCOT" evangelism. Before that, he founded Health Access Corps, a non-profit that works to establish sustainable health care systems on the African continent. Before that, he founded Hourglass ventures a fund that supports visionary entrepreneurs who come from an underpriviledged background-who need a Friends and Family round financing. He has been invited to s

Annabella was born and raised in Rwanda and moved to the US in 2009. She lived in Chicago where she pursued her BSc. in Healthcare Administration. She currently works as a banker and personal growth/money coach and hosts the Zero2Retirement Podcast