The African Cocktail: Binja

The African Cocktail: Binja

Happy Friday, my lovely ASSASSINS! Remember I told you we might have a 3-part series with the creators behind thefearlesself.com? Well this is part two. . .  so if you haven’t read part one yet, CLICK HERE! For those of you that are keeping up with the series, please let me introduce you to Binja: The African Cocktail! Let me tell you. . . Binja is one intelligent woman and she provided TONS of insight as well as motivation that we all can use! I thoroughly enjoyed reading her answers and I know you all will too! And yes, I did ask her how she got the name African Cocktail! Just keep reading to see!

 

Tell us about yourself and how you started or got involved with the fearlesself.com!

I was a twenty-something year old African woman who moved away from home at twenty to go to school over 10000 km from home and hasn’t returned beyond some vacations. There are so many life situations that I have had to navigate (cultural differences, being an international student, visa issues, professionalism – the list goes on!) and learn from. I felt like I needed to ensure that any other young woman in my position – of which there are plenty – at least had a ‘cheat sheet’ of some sort. A guide on how to navigate through life, love and everything in between – in your twenties and beyond!

So, I called up Bianca and Patience and shared this idea with them. Now, I went to Northeastern University in Boston with Bianca; however, she is younger than I am. I met Patience as she was running a Liberian NGO with a friend that I had also graduated university with. Patience is closer to me in age but has a vastly different background than mine. I figured why not create a space where women can be inspired and not only learn from me but also from these two women! We are three women at varying stages in our lives, with the converging perspective that women can be the architects of their own lives. And thus, The Fearless Self was born!

 

How is the blog and content managed? Do each of you have a specific category of the blog that you write for?

We jointly manage the blog. We have a content manager that we use to monitor who is writing which blog post by category (Dear Men, Two Cents, Lifestyle, Real Talk and What Grinds My Gears). This way we stay on top of ensuring that each writer is given a chance to explore a specific topic within each category. We all take turns in writing in each category – we don’t have any specific assignments i.e. it’s not just one person that writes all the posts for a specific category.

THE AFRICAN COCKTAIL: Binja

 

In your opinion, what does “fearlesself” mean to you?

The Fearless Self means honoring our authentic selves. Living a life that is without restraint, falsitude and fear. It means being able to be who you are when people are watching and when they aren’t: unafraid, unashamed and undeniable.

 

What has been the most challenging moment in your blogging journey so far?

The most challenging moment has been finding the time to edit all the posts that we have determined to push out – maintaining quality and consistency – all the while balancing a full-time job and crazy travel schedules.

THE AFRICAN COCKTAIL: Binja

 

What advice would you give someone who hasn’t necessarily found their tribe yet?

Keep walking your path. People who are part of your tribe will walk alongside you if you keep going. The worst thing you can do is try and people please as you will lose who you are. Your tribe will be there for you. Love who you are, just as you are. Your tribe will help you become better – not manipulate or try to take advantage of you. Keep walking your path and maintaining your authenticity. Your most authentic self is what your tribe will value the most.

 

Can you tell us some of your strengths that really helped you in blogging/photography?

I like to think that I am always looking for ways to innovate the blog. I always push the team to find new ways to engage our audience; be it via social media or through pushing the blog via a nontraditional means to increase our readership.

THE AFRICAN COCKTAIL: Binja

 

Where was your name AfricanCocktail derived from? Is there a specific meaning behind it?

When I was about 16 years old, I started using the name Africancocktail as a conversation starter when I met people. I am half Kenyan and half Congolese (DRC) and I always wanted to find a way to introduce myself and my diverse background right from hello! So at 16, I started introducing myself as Binja: the Africancocktail. I felt as though it automatically described me as a person and also invited others to find out more about me – a conversation starter – if you will.

 

I see you traveled to Dubai! Can you give us some insight on your experiences there?

I was in Dubai for some pre-wedding festivities! My friend of about 15 years was getting married in Kuwait and decided to have a week-long party in Dubai to celebrate the union – so naturally I went! Dubai was awesome! We stayed at some furnished apartments by the marina, which made the trip even more memorable. We enjoyed some sunset sailing, ATV in the desert and a world class desert safari experience! It was amazing to say the least! I wrote about my experience HERE.

 

What would you say is your ultimate goal/passion?
I definitely see myself as a venture capitalist. I believe in funding small to mid-size ventures and watching the entrepreneurs grow and achieve their potential. I know the impact that the right amount of capital can have on an individual’s business and I love to see people launching into the unknown – taking that step of faith to start something. I believe in supporting this entrepreneurial spirit, especially among African based ventures. I would like to be one of the most prolific female venture capitalists on the African continent.

 

Anything else that you would like for us to know?
I want women to be undeniable. There will always be someone who can do what you do but be the best at doing it! Put in your 10000 hours (Outliers, Malcom Gladwell) so that once you get your seat at the table, you are able to have something to say with an oeuvre backing you! Nothing is worse than being unprepared in the face of an opportunity: preparation and presentation are key! Secondly, live #fearlessly … stop doubting yourself! Go on that solo trip, start that business! So, what if you try and fail? Fail fast! Just pick yourself up, learn from your errors and pivot! The faster you learn that failure isn’t a bad thing, the faster you learn how to recover from unsuccessful endeavors. Finally, be gentle with yourself, many times as women we are the hardest on ourselves and the most critical of each other. Remember to cut yourself some slack. Take some time for yourself. Treat yourself when you do something great! And be kind to yourself when you fail. Don’t forget to celebrate the women around you. We all need another woman in our corner cheering us on. At the end of the day you need to be a warrior and a fearless one at that – the world needs you!

 

THE AFRICAN COCKTAIL: Binja

 

To stay connected with Binja, please make sure to join her newsletter at thefearlesself.com! Also, don’t forget to follow her on Instagram @AfricanCocktail and Twitter @AfricanCocktail. I hope you all enjoyed this week’s Feature Friday post and have been enjoying this series thus far!

Until next time ASSASSINS. . . Stay Motivated!