How it all began…

Originally from southern Africa, I was raised during the apartheid era. That reality fueled what would become three decades of relentless pursuit for a life I was told I couldn’t have. After migrating to the U.S. in high school, I juggled odd-end jobs—waitressing, newspaper routes, and retail shifts at the mall—while attending college. A few years in, I made a bold decision: I dropped out to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. At 21, I launched my first company, Embrace Your Hair, and moved to NYC, growing the brand from a cubicle into a 7-figure international business by age 26. After partnering with the second-largest retail group in Africa, I was featured in Forbes—recognized for what I didn’t realize then was an early disruption in the beauty industry. I was considered a pioneer in the space. Running that business was a crash course in building something from nothing—with limited resources, no roadmap, and plenty of hurdles I had to clear… and sometimes tripped over.

And then there were two..

After my success with my first company, I made an unexpected decision: I went back to school. I was accepted into Harvard, where I earned my BA cum laude and founded my second company, Bubbles & Bridges—a global consultancy offering professional services that help organizations address growth barriers, compliance, risk, and workforce development through corporate education. What started as an idea during my studies has since grown into a 7-figure firm. Today, Bubbles & Bridges works with SMBs, healthcare networks, academic institutions, government agencies, and Fortune 500s in sectors including tech, finance, insurance, retail/apparel, and media—solving real-world business problems through inclusive innovation, strategy, and cultural intelligence.

A few pivots

I’ve also served as an executive and board member within a $3B matrixed organization, where I was tasked with building a new department from the ground up—an experience that sharpened my skills in cross-functional leadership, innovation, and enterprise design. Earlier in my journey, I represented 54 nations as Miss Africa USA, working with world leaders and youth as a cultural ambassador. My background in activism and the arts continues to inform how I connect, communicate, and catalyze change. These diverse experiences fuel my work today as a a consultant, speaker and personal growth and business strategist, where I share practical insights drawn from 15+ years in the field—and where I remain, always, a student. That commitment to learning most recently led me to earn my MBA from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.