WCW – Isis Nyongo-Madison

We live in a country full of amazing people who have made concerted efforts towards empowering fellow Kenyans. This week, we feature Isis Nyong’o-Madison, who is the Co-founder of Mums Village, an online community that provides resources, support and expert advice for pregnant women and parents in Kenya.

You may know her as a media and technology entrepreneur extraordinaire.

Currently the Principal at strategic advisory firm Asphalt & Ink and Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group, she has previously worked with InMobi, Google and MTV in Africa.

Isis has been named as one of the top 40 women under 40 in Kenya for several years as well as shortlisted on the Forbes Top 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa, on IT News Africa’s Top 10 Women in ICT and Africa’s most powerful women in tech 2013, selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2012.

But today, Today – we focus on her work with Mum’s Village.

The work done by Mums Village is one that we admire and support. Get to know a little bit more about the co-founder in this week’s #WCW feature.

1. Isis – beautiful name by the way? Any nicknames? Eye-so? Eye-sie? Izzay? lol… indulge us *chuckles* No unfortunately or fortunately (going by your suggestions) I don’t have any.

2. You run a very important cause, tell us what inspired you to start this cause? I created Mums Village based on the need that many women – in Kenya and on global online platforms need support from other women who’ve gone before them on matters family, health and societal standards amongst other topical issues rarely discussed. Mums Village then is the platform through which we can reach out to women via Facebook and other digital channels where they have access to local content and experts who can provide information, support and much needed humor.

3. How long have you been running Mums Village? I have been running Mums Village since 2015 – 2 years and still going strong!

4. It seems like we DO have something in common – Cleaning. Through our cleaning services, we are able to provide peace of mind to Mums and households and you help clear the minds of the many women who benefit from Mums Village, through the guidance and counselling services that you offer. How does this experience satisfy you? Oh wow! I never thought about it that way! A nice perspective, although I wouldn’t say I clear their minds, rather I provide information to help them make informed decisions. From that perspective, I am fulfilled when I see mums make informed choices based on their interactions with Mums Village. For example, a mum recently approached me on the street to tell me how helpful our Mums Village Show on education was for her, because it helped her figure out how to pick a kindergarten and exposed her to an innovative new school that just opened in
her area. This is the kind of positive outcomes my team and I live for!

5. What motivates you? I am generally a motivated person. I like to put my time into something meaningful that has great impact in my life and the life of others and when the results are positive, it spurs me all the more.

6. Do you enjoy reading books? If yes, which books are you reading now and would you like to share what they are about?
*Chuckles* Isis is THE ultimate Bookworm!! I kid you not! I can read 10 books at a go, dip my legs in a cold basin of water and read 10 more…lol!

If I had to pick one I feel is relevant to our conversation right now, it would be ‘What Works’ by Iris Bohnet. Not because we share a first name, it helps but not in the list of reasons. The book talks about issues that arise in the workplace due to various biases, mostly affecting women. I strongly recommend it to every person in management. Bohnet gives practical examples of pitfalls to avoid when recruiting, experiments to apply in any workplace from hiring decisions through senior leadership.

7. What does a bookworm I beg your pardon, what does Isis do for fun? C’mon now, we ARE just as much fun as a non-book lover- only cleverer..lol. As much as I am book reader, I also like to be out with nature..#LovingWhereYouLive aye?…*wink* and swimming.

8. What career path did you want to take as a child and why did that change?
Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor. After meeting young Africans in business years later, I was greatly inspired by the possibility of building businesses IN Africa. I think it’s important to inspire children to dream and follow their passion and more importantly, guide the children on flexibility and having an open mind when choosing a career.Many job functions are quickly evolving in today’s world, and 75% of the jobs functions available today might not exist in the next couple of years.

9. Do you have a favourite radio station that you listen to? Ummmm! Do you really want to know what I listen to? I love listening to podcasts. I listen to podcasts that discuss a wide range of subjects. I look forward to the day when we have more podcasts produced in Kenya by Kenyans or by Africa on different topics such as education, passion for life and others.

10. Why Podcasts? Sounds like a very English/Western thing to do? Far from it, Podcasts are a great non-intrusive way to enrich one’s knowledge and understanding of a topic while driving, javing or even at the gym

11. Music? What genres? What sounds get you in the right mood? Any favorite artists? I would say I like to a lot of different kinds of music but lately I have been missing Whitney Houston so I am listening to her old songs a lot!

12. What would you say if your partner suggested that you share phone passwords? That’s a very funny question and I think most partners ask each other’s passwords – don’t they? No they don’t Ms. Isis, they crack em’ ok, okaaaay, I plead the fifth.

Thank you very much Isis for your time, we appreciate you taking the time out ma’am!

Well folks that’s it for now. Let’s meet again in the next ‘Get to know me’ Edition.

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