Episode Summary

Kevin continues the Africa X series focused on conversations with experts from Africa, in Africa, about Africa by speaking with Gathoni Ngumba, the community manager at Afripods. Afripods is a platform built to distribute African stories and support African creators, and Gathoni speaks on her role in fostering a space that unites creators in Africa and sets standards for how they will be treated and paid fairly for their work. She shares how she got started in the podcast industry, the podcast she records with her sisters, Okay Kiasi, and tips for building not just an audience but a community. Gathoni and Kevin discuss the importance of stories in helping us learn as a people and grow, allowing for the space to turn folk tales into something more real and tangible in its effects on the people who have experienced them, and telling our own stories so that we can shine on our terms, in our space.

Kevin Y. Brown

Kevin is a seasoned multi-media executive who is passionate about Africa’s digital future. As an award winning entrepreneur,  podcast producer (over 1,000 episodes across different genres with over 30 million downloads across clients) and tech veteran, Kevin leads Afripods’ multi-country strategy and product vision.

Kevin is the host of the Create Your Life Series podcast and has been featured or spoken in Forbes, Black Enterprise, Essence, Podcast Movement, Podcast Sessions, Ted X, Sirius XM, Inc. magazine and many more…

Gathoni Ngumba

Gathoni Ngumba is a Kenyan native and community builder in the African podcasting community. She is a social media consultant, event manager, and the community manager at Afripods, a distribution network focused on creating spaces for African podcasters to connect and grow the African podcasting ecosystem. Gathoni is a journalist and co-host of the Okay Kiasi podcast with her two sisters, sharing their experiences and perspectives on various topics such as period stigma, body image, and parenthood as siblings from a blended family. She believes that Africa's stories should be told by the people who know them best, and is proud to be on the panel of judges for the 2023 African Podcasts and Voices Awards.

Insights From the Episode

• Thoughts on what is unique about podcasting in Africa, how the industry has changed, and the future of the podcasting industry in Africa
• Why it’s important for Africans to tell their own stories
• Learning about stories like the Mau Mau movement from the people who were involved
• Strategies for new podcasters looking to grow their community
• The role of mentorship (or friendtorship) in the success of the African podcast industry, and the value of sharing support and resources with each other
• Strategies for surrounding yourself with right people who will help support your personal growth and call you out when you need it
• Methods for goal-setting and growth

Quotes from the Show

• “I feel like podcasting is a space where we have figured out how people in South Africa, Egypt, West Africa, East Africa are finding a way to build the ecosystem together. There’s a lot of collaboration that I feel is not necessarily typical in a lot of spaces, and it’s really exciting to see it happen.” - Gathoni Ngumba, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “I think there’s such potential for the growth of the industry. Not only podcasting, but for storytellers and creators on the African continent.” - Gathoni Ngumba, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “Africa’s stories should be told by the people who know her best, which is the Africans. I feel like for a long time we have been told our story; we have been told our narrative. The world has decided who we are, and then it’s been fed to us. For the first time it’s a chance for us to take control of the narrative.” - Gathoni Ngumba, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “I feel like podcasting on the Continent is a way to preserve traditions, languages, stories, and history in an authentic way so that the future generation can still have an authentic African experience no matter where they move, by being able to rely on history told by those whose history it is.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “If you’re not able to put in who you are as a person I feel like you’ll have a problem building community because a lot of the community in the podcast will be attached to who you are, so authenticity is very important.” - Gathoni Ngumba, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “Podcasting has the ability to be the thing that unites us because we are uniting on storytelling, which is the one thing that is absolutely African. As an African it doesn’t matter which part of the continent that you’re on; storytelling is your thing.” - Gathoni Ngumba, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “I think the beautiful part about being collaborative is that we’re also open to other people’s feedback so there’s a chance to course-correct and be open to being wrong and being able to pivot to be able to do things that are in the best interest of the greater African podcasting community.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “A lot of times we’ve been taught that mistakes are bad, so it’s about reminding myself that it’s okay to make a mistake. I’ve learned to look back and the one thing I thought was such a giant mistake a long time ago, it’s not that big of a deal now.” - Gathoni Ngumba, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “I want to create a space that makes Africans understand their worth, know that they’re worthy, and take up that space. I want to see Africans take up the space that is ours.” - Gathoni Ngumba, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “I’ve allowed myself to give people space in understanding that people project, and sometimes what they have going on has nothing to do with you.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #192
• “[About overcoming mistakes] So is just like in this moment it seems like giant, but in two weeks when you look back on it, it wouldn’t be that big. So, think two weeks ahead and come back and then it’s small now and then you can continue.” - Gathoni Ngumba, Create Your Life Series, #192

Resources Mentioned

• Canva for creating images for social media

Favorite Book

• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

Favorite Quote

• “'It is never too late to be what you might have been.” - George Eliot

3 Keys to Create Your Best Life

1. Know yourself.
2. Love yourself.
3. Surround yourself with people who know and love you.

Stay Connected

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Kevin Y. Brown

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Gathoni Ngumba

LinkedIn: Gathoni Ngumba

Website: AfriPods

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Instagram: podcastinginafrica

Podcast: okaykiasi

Podcast Instagram: okaykiasi

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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)