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In this week's episode, Isha Gaye shares her journey from aspiring lawyer to founder and CEO of Afrique Noire Magazine, a print publication celebrating African creativity and connecting the diaspora to the continent.

As a 2020 college graduate, nothing unfolded as planned for Isha and so lockdown forced her to reflect on her true wishes for her own future. Isha has always known that she wanted to stay connected to the African continent and to bridge the gap between the continent and the diaspora. That's when she came up with the idea for the Afrique Noire social media platform, which evolved into a recently launched print and digital publication. The magazine fosters dialogue by showcasing African designers, artists, and visionaries.

Here is a summary of the main topics in our conversation:

• Founded to address the disconnect between African immigrants and Black Americans in the US
• Launched as a social media platform before evolving into a print magazine by popular demand
• Publishes three times annually with a focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and traditional arts
• Self-funded with a creative fund that supports featured artists' projects
• Designed as an art piece meant to be kept and shared rather than quickly consumed
• Creating "Afrique Noire Edits," an e-commerce platform launching soon for African creatives to sell their work
• Committed to never charging creatives to be featured in the publication
• Deeply personal connection to African heritage despite 15 years of separation from her homeland

Isha Gaye also talks about how she's managing her newfound role as an entrepreneur and the leader of an organization. She also speaks more about her mentors and the family dynamics that have led her down this path.

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What happens when the dream your mother sacrificed everything for becomes your personal nightmare? Johannesburg-based filmmaker Karabo Lediga joins us to explore this haunting question through her debut feature film "Sabbatical" – a raw, honest portrayal of mother-daughter relationships in post-apartheid South Africa.

A 30-something year old woman called Lesego, is the compelling main character of this story. She is forced to return to her childhood home in the township in Pretoria after a professional downfall. While living in her mother's house, she has to reckon with having become alien to her own mother, how her Model C school experience has facilitated the fragility of that relationship, and the psychological cost of having being thrown in all-white spaces in order to achieve the success or dreams that parents desperately want for their children.

Our conversation ventures beyond the film into Karabo's amazing film and television career. Her credits include Netflix's "Queen Sono" and the touching short film "What Did You Dream?" that was inspired by her own grandmother's story. Karabo shares invaluable insights about sustaining a creative career in South Africa's evolving film landscape. Bonus: she shares the different funding mechanisms available to South African filmmakers—a system that is relatively unique to the country—and her commitment to authentic storytelling despite industry pressures.

Sabbatical is a much needed voice from South Africa's so-called born free generation. It's entertaining, it offers deep cultural insights and serves as an amazing showcase of Karabo's unique voice. Whether you're a film enthusiast, a creative professional, or someone navigating complex family dynamics, Karabo's perspectives will resonate long after the credits roll.

LINKS AND MENTIONS

Model C - Formerly whites-only public schools that were desegregated after Apartheid.

Matwetwe - seminal film of the film production house Diprente, who collaborated with Karabo on Sabbatical.

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In 2020, then nurse practitioner, Shaina Rainford got seriously ill from COVID. She survived the illness, but lost all her hair and found nothing on store shelves that could help with her condition. Then, she remembered that her younger sister went through something similar – not COVID – five years prior, and their mother had made a concoction that helped little sister to grow her 4C Hair to waist length. Shaina tried the hair oil on her own hair, documented her journey on social media and Bask and Lather was born.

The story is about more than creating a hair care brand. It’s also the story of how one woman’s go-getter spirit moved her into the next level of her professional journey. It’s also a story about centering community and building a legacy.

Here are some key discussions from my conversation with Shaina Rainford:

• Bask and Lather launced in December 2020, and within three months, the company was generating the same amount as Shaina's annual nursing salary

• The business focuses on natural ingredients with no fragrances, using essential oils that each serve a purpose
• Shaina maintains 100% ownership of her company with zero debt and manufactures millions of units annually
• Her 17-year-old son now leads the marketing efforts, creating a true legacy family business
• Baskin-Lather holds top-seller positions on TikTok Shop for multiple hair care categories
• The brand maintains direct-to-consumer focus to control distribution and maintain healthy profit margins
• Their community-centered approach prioritizes authentic engagement with customers both online and offline

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One of the most effective ways to succeed in entrepreneurship is mindset. To help you get in the right frame of mind for your new or existing venture, The SAL Podcast gets you a coach to answer some challenging questions on your journey to success. This time we have Performance Coach and Happiness Expert, Brandi Hudson. In this episode, she breaks down her B.A.S.E. framework that she uses to help her corporate, entrepreneurial and individual clients to reach the next level.

Here are the main topics we covered during our conversation:

-Shifting Her Own Mindset

-Moving from personal to business success

-How she works with entrepreneurial clients

-The problem with the notion of manifestation

-Agency

-Navigating systemic barriers to success

-Honoring your heritage

-The power of intuition

MORE ABOUT BRANDI HUDSON

Performance Coach and Happiness Expert, Brandi Hudson is passionate about helping women embody their own magic and step into a life of purpose through the power of performance and happiness. As an intuitive with extensive executive experience and a strong educational background, she brings a powerful combination of spiritual insight and real-world savvy to her work. “My unique blend of spiritual wisdom and practical wisdom helps women tap into the quantum field and align with the laws of the universe, making the pursuit of their dreams feel effortless and fulfilling”

LINKS AND MENTIONS

Power Versus Force by David Hawkins

Kerry Washington

Michelle Obama

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others. You can also compliment this session with coach Neketa Thigpen, who believes that one should be Intentionally Selfish to change their narrative.

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IN CONCLUSION

In the second part of this conversation with Palesa Mokubung, we discuss some of the challenges facing African designers, particularly when it comes to serving a market that is more and more shopping online.

We also get into the behind the scenes at Mantsho, Palesa's fashion brand as well as the Shades and Layers Rapid Fire.

Mantsho has been making waves in the fashion industry for the past 20 years, both in Palesa's home country, South Africa and more recently globally with an international collaboration with H&M. You can hear more about this in Part I of our conversaiton here: From Passionate Intern to World Class Designer (Palesa Mokubung Part 1)

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This is the first part of a two-part conversation with renowned South African fashion designer Palesa Mokubung. In this conversation, she shares her 20-year journey with Mantsho by Palesa Mokubung, the fashion brand she founded after working as an intern at another iconic South African fashion house, Stoned Cherrie.

This episode is both a celebration and a walk down memory lane with Palesa and here are some of the topics we discussed during our conversation:

• Founded Mantsho without formal education, working for seven years before hitting a ceiling
• Returned to school at 30, studying alongside teenagers to formally train in fashion design
• Describes education as transformative, bringing focus, technical knowledge, and business structure
• Collaborated with H&M in 2019
• Uses authentic South African cultural elements in designs, from specific color palettes to layering techniques
• Defines success as making a visible impact on African lives
• Attending trade show in Paris as a first step in global expansion for Mantsho
• Values sustainability and conscious production in fashion
• Maintains an informal "board of directors" to guide her in her business decisions

Keep an eye out for the second and final part of this conversation. Subscribe to the Shades and Layers newsletter on shadesandlayers.com or follow wherever you get your podcasts.

LINKS AND MENTIONS

Shweshwe (Seshoeshoe) - Traditional Bashoto printed colorful fabric

Stoned Cherrie - Iconic and seminal post-Apartheid South African fashion brand inspired by African aesthetics, as well as 50s and 60s urban African style with echoes of the Harlem Renaissance as seen in Janet Jackson's 'Got 'Til It's Gone' video

H&M Advert controversy - In 2018, the Swedish fast fashion brand faced a backlash over a racist advert featuring a Black child model wearing a sweatshirt that read "Coolest Monkey In The Jungle"

Amapostoli - United Apostolic African Church known for its iconic blue and white uniforms.

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Amanda Sebolai is the founder of the South African natural haircare brand, Dignify Afro Beauty and my guest in this episode of Shades and Layers.

Amanda's personal journey of embracing her natural hair led her to create a line of innovative haircare products that celebrate African beauty and self-love. Inspired by her daughters, Amanda's products are helping to transform hair care for African women in post-apartheid South Africa. Her story gives insight into how long it takes and exactly what it takes to build a brand step by step.

There is no entrepreneurial journey that is totally smooth and Amanda's is no different. In our conversation she highlights some of the bumps she hit while transitioning from homemade formulations to becoming a thriving business that seeks to own its entire value chain. She also credits customer engagement and feedback as the core of Dignify Afro Beauty's success. According to her, one of the most important pillars of her brand is being rooted in cultural identity and empowerment.

Amanda wants to build a legacy company and leave a meaningful imprint on the world. Find out how she plans to do it all.

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In this essential episode of, we sit down with Palesa Segomotso Motsumi, a trailblazing creative social entrepreneur and curator. She is the founder of Sematsatsa Library, a creative consultancy and curatorial agency based in South Africa.

Palesa's work occupies a space where art, culture and technology meet - she uses dialogue as a tool for change, storytelling as social infrastructure, and uses feminist design thinking to reimagine how creative ecosystems on the African continent function.

She shares her journey from the corporate grind to the world of art and social change in her hometown of Bloemfotein and major centers like Cape Town and Johannesburg. Through her groundbreaking work with Sematsatsa Library and projects like "Hashtag That's What She Said," a fundraising initiative honoring Black women in art, serve as radical acts of archiving, advocacy and community funding.

This is a journey through the process of building cultural platforms, designing new futures and how to center equity in African storytelling. It's also a personal narrative that touches on how to balance between the need for financial stability while making a social impact.

Highlights from our conversation include:

-What it takes to build a cultural enterprise outside South Africa's major creative capitals

-The role of dialogue as a form of social and political technology

-African feminist leadership and the art of curating safe, critical spaces

-The power of art and storytelling in funding and healing communities

LINKS AND MENTIONS

Palesa's Social Media Accounts - Sematsatsa Library and Personal Profile

Lawrence Lemoana
Mary Sibande
Ruth Motau
William Kentridge
Zanele Muholi

Ibrahim Mahama

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