The Failure Effect Wayua B Muli

At the tender age of 27, Winnie has seen it all. The mother of a four-year-old boy has experienced loss untold - and it all started when she became an orphan at the age of three and went to live with her maternal grandmother. Thus started her fight against anxiety and depression while still in high school - and yet, the spirit of entrepreneurship grew strong in her.

She started off pitching various ideas and innovations to potential investors, none of which went through. However, it was while she was at university that she experienced business success selling sweet treats. That business eventually collapsed, but it taught her a lot about sustaining a business in the face of growing competition and market resistance.

Today she is an SEO expert, author and blogger, and she's learned enough to teach all of us how to navigate mental health issues, business failure and success... and the loss of loved one. Listen on the hear the full story.

Actor, comedian, film director and scriptwriter Mugambi Nthiga continues where he left off - after his return to Kenya in the late 2000s, when he walked into what he calls "the most toxic work environment I have ever been in," in the advertising industry.

As that was happening, his romantic relationship was also dying, and he was starting to feel the pressure - until his friends who had formed a musical group called 'Just A Band' approached him to play a part in the video for their song 'Ha-He'. The video ended up going viral all over the world, with a character called 'Makmende' who they created.

However, while the video was becoming a global phenomenon, it didn't quite fill the financial and career expectations that Mugambi had had. And thus started his journey living with mental health issues.

In this often hilarious interview, Mugambi provides important background and context to Kenya's entertainment industry, including his experiences working on some of Kenya's biggest movie projects, and how one of them triggered yet another episode of clinical depression.

Listen in to hear how he navigated his depression, how they inspired him to seek movie projects that explore and explain mental health, and what he now knows about failure, success and happiness.

Mugambi Nthiga doesn't look like he has experienced any 'failures', being that he is a highly awarded actor and director, and comedian of note.

But he has.

And he's here to detail every part of his struggle with mental health issues, and how he got over them.

Listen in to find out more about how he recognised the struggle he was facing, and stay tuned for Part 2 to understand what he did to survive and thrive thereafter.

DJ Shinski - real name Steve Nyaosi, aka Mr Vibes on Vibes - is currently Kenya's most famous deejay. He rakes in the money while touring the world, and lives the sort of life many of us would envy...

But it didn't come easy.

In this interview, he details how his journey to DJ success involved many unsuccessful attempts at being employed. While he did not thrive in those jobs, each of them taught him valuable skills that he eventually brought to his current work as a DJ. They also served as a lesson: When the Universe determines what your future is, no amount of detouring on your own part will stop the Universe from having its way.

Listen to this interview to find out more, or find The Failure Effect on YouTube to watch.

When Violette Nduku Wambua first came up with the idea for Networking In Heels over a decade ago, it was a ground-breaking idea. Kenya had never before seen a forum for women to get together to support each other in business and in life.

So good was her idea that the sponsorship and media support and attention that came her way was literally unprecedented... until entrepreneur fatigue hit her. That, combined with struggles of new motherhood, caused her to make the one mistake many entrepreneurs with great ideas make: Abandon the idea and go back into the job market.

After a decade of pondering how to restart Networking In Heels, she finally hit the jackpot. Almost immediately after she had regained her momentum, Covid happened, causing her to pause her business for two more years.

Today, Networking In Heels is back and bigger than ever! How did she do it? Find out in this latest episode of The Failure Effect.

Happy Women's Month!

👉 *Interview recorded before March 8, 2024*

Carol Ndolo Banks was a high-flying healthcare executive running the East African chapter of the global, American-based health-tech firm IQVIA... when she suddenly quit her job, much to the shock of her colleagues, peers and bosses, who had watched her career rise from bedside nurse to General Manager.

What many didn't know is that while her career was flourishing, things on the home front, in her marriage, were steadily deteriorating, causing her to feel burnt out and unsettled.

So, after hosting the very successful IQVIA Africa Health Summit in November 2022, she handed in her resignation and went home to reflect on things and figure out her next move.

She currently runs her own health consulting business, and is still navigating the effects of her separation on her family. She is also the author of a book called 'Ethical Leadership: Creating A Culture Of Trust And Responsibility', available on Amazon.

Find out how she figured out her path back to business in this very personal, very absorbing story.