Between Here and Benin

Fall holds a special place in my heart, even though I enjoy both of the transition seasons we experience here in the Northwest. About 2 weeks ago, the first flock of Canadian geese flew over - signaling the changing of the tide from summer to fall.

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At least this sign does for me - as I’m writing this, I realize many people have never seen geese migrate from the north to the south. It is quite a sight to behold, especially when you see flocks of over 100 birds all “v’d” up to make the long journey. And they do not go quietly, they certainly are a loud bunch when they fly over rooftops - I often wonder what all of that chatter is about. I’m sure some Canadian geese researchers could tell me more about it.

It has been a busy time since the last newsletter came out…

The annual fair took place less than a block away from where we live. So there were 11 days of concerts, rodeos, and the demolition derby. And much more traffic on our somewhat already busy street.

Aden and Ben set up and ran their second annual lemonade stand, taking advantage of the masses of people going to and from the fair. They even concocted a new product this year, which was called the “Purple Shake” - and was a take-off of “the Grimace” shake that McDonald’s had for about a month last June. It was a success and a delicious combination of vanilla ice cream, milk, raspberries, and blueberries that hit the spot on the hot August days. I honestly wasn’t sure how this idea was going to pan out, but we figured out a system, and on the first day they sold more shakes than I thought they could have! Just goes to show that as adults we do not always know the outcomes of what we may think are crazy ideas.

After the fair was over I had about a week left before the fall semester started for my doctorate program. Hard to believe, but I will be defending my dissertation proposal this November and starting up research in the spring. This is somewhat of a daunting task for me as I almost completely changed my dissertation topic last June. Am I worried? Nah. After talking with a couple of my professors this past week, I have realized this is just part of the doctoral process. I have learned and grown so much during these last two years. It is incredible when I look back at what I thought I wanted to do during my first semester and where I am now. Fantastic really if I allow myself time for reflection.

Then the boys and I took a road trip down to Oregon to visit some college friends that I hadn’t seen in years. It was a great drive, and I always enjoy visiting the state where I spent four years after high school. We stayed in my friend’s tiny house that they have in their backyard and it was a truly wonderful experience. I have always been intrigued by the tiny living spaces and this did not disappoint! We visited a carousel museum, ate some delicious cupcakes, and even saw a production of Pinocchio. Plus there was plenty of time to play and just catch up with old friends. On the way home, we drove up the Oregon coast and put our feet in the Pacific, which was freezing!

Oh, and how could I forget? My parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary! They have reached the golden years :)

These seasonal transitions also trigger something in me to re-organize and move around furniture. This year was no exception and the boys worked tirelessly with me as we made some major furniture changes. Does anyone else go through this? I’m sure that it can’t just be me!

I am looking forward to enjoying the rest of the fall and all that it has to offer, including some apple picking 🍎!

And for all of you, I hope that you enjoy “fall” wherever you may be.

Stay well and smile often…

Debra

As always, if you would like to support this newsletter and my work, feel free to subscribe. It is greatly appreciated!

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First off, I would like to say thank you for all your support during this past year regarding my entrepreneurship ventures.

I put together 2 pitches this year asking for $20K through a program, Venture Devils, at ASU. While I received amazing feedback on the pitches, I did not receive any funding.

Each time I went back to the drawing board as to where the issue was and how I could change the development plan of Ékodjayé, the T3 Innovation Hub in Benin.

What I realized after the pitch in the spring has been monumental in how I am approaching this venture, as well as my doctoral dissertation.

(That is right…I will be defending my dissertation proposal this fall!)

I went back to my WHY…

In Benin, after you finish your general education (through high school in US terms), you take le Bac, the national test, which determines your eligibility to move on and continue your studies at the University level.

Over the last 5 years, the average passing rate of the 33,000 students who took le Bac in our region was 40%. This means that over the past 5 years, 13,000 students passed, while 20,000 were left without the opportunity to go on and continue their studies at the university level. And this is just in our region of the country.

This is the group that we are wanting to address - to provide hope and opportunities.

The T3 Alliance programs, which I was using on adapting for Èkodjayé, were developed to exist within a formal education setting.

However, in Benin, we are not working within a formal education setting. And yet, I was trying to take the T3 Alliance program and make it fit within an informal education setting. This was the lightbulb that popped on after the last pitch.

This past year has provided many networking opportunities and has allowed me to have conversations with people that might help me address this issue, including being invited to the Clinton Global Initiative University.

One conversation that brought about different answers to the above dilemma was this question - if the students (and in this case, the students are community members - not students in a formal education environment) go through these different curriculums, do you have a job waiting for them at the end?

No. I don’t.

In the T3 Alliance model, the students move on to the University and finish their education where a job is most likely a reality at the end of their studies (especially within the fields that they are studying).

So the new idea that has developed is this -

I am going to tap into The Kouda Company, the tourism business that my husband and I started just as the pandemic began in 2020.

My dissertation is going to focus on the idea of knowledge sharing in tourism. For example, let’s say you are an orthopedic surgeon in the US and you decide to tour Benin. We would put members of the community together so that you could present how orthopedic medicine works in the US (or wherever you happen to be from). In the vein of knowledge sharing, we would then organize a visit for you to see how the traditional bone healers work in the local villages.

This idea of knowledge sharing and experiential learning is very exciting and provides an opportunity for people from different cultures and different parts of the world to share how they handle similar situations. For friendships and networking opportunities to develop.

As you can probably tell, I’m still working on the best way to explain this type of tourism, but I will get there.

The Kouda Company will also form a foundation, at this point, it will probably be called Èkodjayé, which will be the informal education environment hosting apprenticeships programs. When the student has finished the apprenticeship program, they receive a certificate of completion, in the field of their choice, and we as an organization would have made connections with local and national businesses so that would have a job available to them at the end.

The picture below shows the mind map of the beginnings of this new take on the idea. The Kouda Company would also host AirBnb’s for tourists who are just traveling through, as well as a longer-term educational and cultural exchange programs. I participated in something similar when I was a senior in my undergraduate years at Oregon State and spent three months at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia (maybe there are some readers who remember this experience???!!!).

Anyhow, I am so glad that I am finally getting this story out to the world. Now it is time to make it happen!

Debra Kouda Designs

At long last, I have gone back to my creative roots a bit and dived back into website design. It is taking a lot longer than I realized it would find funding for the big goal that I explained above.

I created Debra Kouda Designs to mainly cover the niche of academics, scholars, and researchers who are looking to create their own online presence outside of social media (including LinkedIn!). I have encountered many academics who want to get a personal website up and running but do not know how or where to start.

If you happen to know anyone in this space who seems to fit the bill, please send them my way!

Also, as it is the beginning of the business, if you are in need of a website and ARE NOT an academic or researcher, I would still love to help you out.

Feel free to click on the link (here!) and peruse my new business on the world wide web!

For those of you who know, I enjoy a good cup of coffee. I have been on the lookout for an at-home espresso machine for a while now, and here it is!

Best find at a garage sale - my new (to me) espresso maker!

With this and my Ember mug, I can enjoy a delicious cup of espresso and more…WARM…even if I can’t drink it right away! Sometimes it is the small things in life that put a smile on your face ☕️😁.

I am looking forward to keeping you all up to date on life in the Kouda household!

Don’t forget to subscribe so that you don’t miss any important updates!

Stay well my friends and smile often!

Kouda's News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I know that it has been a hot minute since I graced your inbox, so here’s a…

Short little newsletter and update on this beautiful Wednesday evening!

It is almost the end of the spring semester (5 semesters down for my doctorate woohoo!) which means there is another opportunity for me to secure some funding from Venture Devils for the development of Èkodjayé in Benin.

I very much appreciated all of the feedback this little community provided the last time and am reaching out to see if you would be willing to help me out again!

Here is the Loom video.

Canva - 19 March 2023 - Watch Video

I also have included feedback from the judges of the first round. In general, I have a good idea of the direction I need to go, but at this point, I do not have a Venture Devils mentor so am looking to simply find my own!

Thank you all for your time!

Stay well and smile often 😀

Debra

Kouda's News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Feedback from judges

A judge:

Did the venture clearly describe the product or service?

Assess on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being no clear identification, 5 being clearly understood with quality descriptions presented.

5 / 5

Did the venture clearly present an understanding of their customer segment/market opportunity (i.e. competitive advantage)?

5 / 5

Did the venture demonstrate a plan for a sustainable business model, and/or a plan to reach necessary milestones to grow and scale their enterprise?

5 / 5

Positive feedback for the pitch/presenters?

Great explanation of the problem. Love the story.

Suggestions to improve the pitch/presentation or other areas related to their venture?

How will you make money (what grants, how will you fundraise, who are you seeking donation from, and how will you obtain those donation). Add details on how you plan to continue to raise money to support the non-profit.

A judge:

Did the venture clearly describe the product or service?

Assess on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being no clear identification, 5 being clearly understood with quality descriptions presented.

3 / 5

Did the venture clearly present an understanding of their customer segment/market opportunity (i.e. competitive advantage)?

3 / 5

Did the venture demonstrate a plan for a sustainable business model, and/or a plan to reach necessary milestones to grow and scale their enterprise?

3 / 5

Positive feedback for the pitch/presenters?

The plan aims for a better place for opportunities in such places where there simply are not enough resources to keep up with 4IR mentioned.

Suggestions to improve the pitch/presentation or other areas related to their venture?

providing additional implementation plans to stand out from competitors such as advertisements might be needed. What are the unit economics? What does the company do uniquely well and what is the cost structure of setting up these centers? What is the profitability?

Feedback

Great description of the problem statement but more detail would be great for how you plan to make this a profitable venture. Or consider non-profit models that will provide sustainability.

A judge:

Did the venture clearly describe the product or service?

Assess on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being no clear identification, 5 being clearly understood with quality descriptions presented.

4 / 5

Did the venture clearly present an understanding of their customer segment/market opportunity (i.e. competitive advantage)?

4 / 5

Did the venture demonstrate a plan for a sustainable business model, and/or a plan to reach necessary milestones to grow and scale their enterprise?

5 / 5

Positive feedback for the pitch/presenters?

Incredibly interesting and well thought out presentation. The fact that you have real experience with the location and live there part of the year shows that you have complete buy in for a venture like this. The story at the beginning and the adage about learning to fish really helped to set the stage for your pitch.

Suggestions to improve the pitch/presentation or other areas related to their venture?

I am curious about the background of the name. It is defined on the first slide, but it may be worth sharing the meaning of the name in your intro since it is used so many times throughout the presentation. It will allow for the judges/audience to constantly make the connection to education being life. Additionally, in the executive summary, under management team, the first paragraph goes from speaking in 3rd person to speaking in 1st person. In order to keep it consistent with the others listed, third person may be best. Lastly, the first few slides have great graphics that help the listener follow along with what you are saying. The last few slides don't have the same graphics. The pictures that caught my attention the most were the real life photos that represented the community this business will be benefiting. I would encourage you to add more pictures of the community!

Feedback

I truly love this and I am very interested in what is to come for you!

Kouda's News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Friday

I knew the travel day wouldn't go as planned as soon as TSA in Bellingham confiscated the overnight oats I had prepped for breakfast. Perhaps it was because they had only been in the fridge for three hours and hadn't fully reached an oatmeal-like consistency, but who knows? I could have gone back out of security and eaten it, but at 4:30 am, I just wasn't ready to eat! Of course, they gave me the option of checking it in my luggage, but I didn't have any. So, I had to watch them throw my food in the garbage.

The flight to Seattle was quick and uneventful. Upon arrival at Sea-Tac airport, I was hungry. I took the train to the beautifully renovated N gates, where I found a sweet spot by the window. Many people were in the airport, which amazed me, especially so early in the morning. I wrote last week's newsletter, drank a delicious Americano, and watched the comings and goings of airline traffic.

In our house, we are fans of the Kara and Nate YouTube channel and have been watching them for at least four years. In their videos, they give flight attendants a gift, usually a box of chocolates, whenever they board an airplane. On a whim, I bought a bag of candy treats from an airport store to give to the flight attendants on my upcoming flight. I wrote a little "thank you" message on the bag of goodies with the blue permanent marker I always carry with me.

Boarding had started and I felt a little nervous about giving something to the flight attendants. As I got on the plane, I gave the treats to the flight attendants who were greeting passengers. Almost immediately, they exclaimed, "Wow! Thank you so much! What is your name? What is your seat number?" I overheard them chatting as I walked to my seat, "How nice! These are some of my favorite kinds of candy..."

If I had been feeling down, this experience would have certainly put me in a good mood! So, I recommend bringing a box of chocolates or sweet treats for the flight attendants on your next flight. It will definitely bring a little joy to their day (and yours!).

After finding my window seat, I evaluated my seatmates to see if they were the type to engage in conversation or not. I’m currently reading Malcolm Gladwell's book "Talking to Strangers," and if you haven't guessed by now, I am one of those people who talks to strangers. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, I do a brief intake to see if my conversation will be well-received. It turned out that I was sitting next to a couple from Eugene, Oregon, who were traveling to Nashville for business. They were fantastic people to sit next to, even graciously letting me get out to go to the bathroom twice! 😂

The flight took off smoothly, but during our descent into Nashville, the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker:

In case you haven't noticed, we have climbed back up to cruising altitude. Due to high winds in Nashville, air traffic control has asked us to circle the Nashville airport for 1.5 hours. However, we do not have enough fuel to do that, so we will be diverting to New Orleans to refuel before continuing on to Nashville.

As I sat in my seat, I remained hopeful that I would make it to the opening plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) conference. No worries.

The sun greeted us in New Orleans, which was a welcome change from the dreary, cloudy days of Washington. While looking out my window seat, I observed the fuel truck connecting the hose to the wing. Once the fueling was complete, the pilot informed us that we would have to remain on the ground in New Orleans until we received word from Nashville that a landing spot was available. The delay was due to ongoing tornado warnings and high winds.

Several passengers deplaned to stretch their legs in the jetway.

I decided to remain in my seat and was relieved when the other passengers started returning to theirs. The captain announced that it was time to head to Nashville, and I knew I would make it to the conference in time!

The flight attendants gave another safety briefing, and then we waited patiently for takeoff.

I looked outside and saw someone bring the blocks out and put them in front of the airplane tires.

Then I watched as a baggage cart was wheeled around and the baggage ramp was moved toward the plane.

And then the words no one wants to hear when you are on a flight and have a destination that needs to be reached that day…

This is the captain. The pilots and crew have timed out. The flight to Nashville is cancelled. Please exit the plane and proceed to the gate agent who will be able to help.

BAM. That solidified it. I was going to miss the first night and at least Saturday morning sessions of the conference. Bummer.

Everyone gathered their stuff and people were immediately on their phones calling Alaska Air customer service and wondering what was going to happen now.

I came out of the jetway and saw a long line of passengers waiting to talk with the two gate agents.

Geez. This is going to take a LONG time.

About three minutes later, I heard people saying, check your email.

Sure enough, there was an email from Alaska Airlines, letting us know they were sorry for the change in flight. Included in the email was a link to pick your hotel and meal vouchers. Within seconds the vibe of the section of the airport we were in changed. A little bit of frustration, but for the most part, people were chill. Everything was going to be okay. The flight was to be rescheduled for the next morning at 9 am.

I was so impressed by the way Alaska Airlines handled this situation. Millions of hats off to them for having solutions to issues like this setup and ready to deploy!

Quite a few of us checked in to the airport Hilton, and soon after, overran the hotel restaurant who was obviously not staffed for having so many new customers all at once! I ate dinner with some nice women from the flight who called Nashville home.

Saturday

Saturday was an early, but very relaxing morning, getting to the airport with enough time to use up the meal vouchers that we were given the night before. As a souvenir for being in New Orleans, I purchased a can of Cafe du Monde coffee ☕️ and some fresh beignets (they have a shop at the airport!).

The plane that we had gotten off of the night before pulled up to the gate and we greeted the same flight attendants (sans a treat this time).

I chose the aisle seat for this short flight and found myself sitting next to two people traveling for work to Nashville. As it turned out, they were from a marketing and branding firm in Seattle, and one of them was a former employee of Starbucks. We talked throughout the flight after I asked them for one piece of advice they would give to someone starting out in their entrepreneurial marketing and branding journey.

We arrived smoothly in Nashville - with most of the passengers clapping as we touched down.

After taking an Uber with a driver who let me know how he felt about politics and politicians (I did not mention that I was going to an event organized by the Clinton Global Initiative!), I arrived late to the conference.

Or maybe, was I right on time? I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. The people I met and the conversations I had during the whole canceled flight ordeal were terrific. They were interested in my projects and wondered how and when they would be able to tour Benin. I received advice and was able to practice my pitch about what we are trying to create.

So here is to taking advantage of those situations that are unexpected, talking to strangers, and to Alaska Airlines for having handled a difficult situation with ease.

None of this would have happened if everything would have gone according to plan.

Stay tuned until next week when I will take a deep dive into CGI U and my experience. Until then, I leave you with a replay of the first session that I attended.

Have a wonderful week…

Stay well and smile often!

Debra

PS…Shoutout to one of my reader’s for sending me coffee last week!

Kouda's News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I’m writing the newsletter from the N gates at the SeaTac International Airport. I think that I could sit and watch all the movement that happens at airports for hours. The view I have right now is of planes coming into the gate, leaving, taking off, and disappearing into the cloudy skies of Seattle. It’s probably going to be a bit of a bumpy takeoff.

In case you forgot where I am headed, I will kindly remind you 🙂 I am headed to Nashville for the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) conference. It will be a whirlwind of a weekend, but I am so excited about the possibilities!

Here is a little clip from the conference website as to what CGI U is all about:

Founded by President Bill Clinton in 2007, the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) is a community of students who are taking action together on pressing challenges facing their campuses, communities, and the world. The 15th CGI U Annual Meeting at Vanderbilt University will bring together aspiring leaders and global experts in business, public service, and social impact to develop innovative solutions to global challenges.

Movie Theaters??

When was the last time you went to the movie theater? I had not been since at least 2016 or 2017 when we still lived in Fairbanks. Well, I ended that drought yesterday when I took my boys and their two cousins to see one of the latest Marvel movies, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Ant-Man has been a beloved comic book character in our house since its debut film.

The highlight for me was watching the boys’ reactions to the film…and the line, “and what do you do? You talk to ants…” If you are a Marvels fan, it is a great film and leaves a nice cliffhanger at the end. Remember to watch through the beginning credits, they always include a sneak peek!

The movie theater experience was the same as it always has been, but the seats have been nicely upgraded, and the cup holders are so convenient (for the Bubbly fizzy waters that we snuck in!). I have to tell you though, there were only 10 of us at the showing. Ten. And I honestly don’t think there were that many more people in any of the other showings. How in the world are movie theaters staying alive?

Regal Cinemas has started a monthly subscription service for $27 (I think) to watch unlimited movies. Will that sort of promo help to get people back to the big screen? I guess time will tell. One big lesson the kids learned is that you can’t pause the movie at the theater to go to the bathroom! One point for watching movies at home!

But the theater did have arcade games and the boys spent a bit of time playing those after the movie was over. Aden went through his change jar and brought all the quarters he could find!

That is it for this week, gotta go catch my flight ✈️

Stay tuned next week for a recap of what this weekend brings!

Stay well…and smile often 😃

Debra

Kouda's News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

👩🏼‍💻 Doctorate

For those of you who are new to the newsletter or may not be aware, I am currently a student in the Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Innovation program at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. I was drawn to this program for many reasons including:

* a 100% online, three-year, cohort-based degree

* focus on research in action

* the option to advance professional studies in systems, professional, and reimagined change leadership

* conduct multiple cycles of research throughout the program to learn how to research within your own workplace (or context)

* be place in a Leader Scholar Communities (LSCs) - a faculty member and 5-7 of your cohort members (starting in the 5th term), where academic and personal support will occur

* an action-research dissertation

I am in a cohort of 20 that began in the Fall of 2021. During the first semester, a couple of cohort members started regular Zoom sessions and invited other cohort members to show up. I have to admit that I did not regularly attend these in the beginning - because I thought, why should I meet with other people unless the course requires it?

Boy, I’m sure glad that I started participating in what we now call our Community of Practice (CoP) in Spring 2022. There are between 5-7 of us (from Canada and the US) who meet twice a week over Zoom. Attendance is not mandatory, we show up when it fits into our schedules.

We complete discussion assignments and talk about the courses. Still, above all, we have become each other’s support system as we go through this doctoral process (which we all acknowledge we put ourselves in). I can’t describe how much these people mean to me - they are my friends, my colleagues to bounce ideas off of, they are outliers just like I am - and we have finally found each other. It is such a safe space to be in. We talk all the time about how we have learned so much from each other in this CoP…maybe more than we have from the courses themselves.

The fall of 2022 brought around the time when the Leader Scholar Communities are formed by the faculty. Our little CoP has somewhat become well-known within the college (we believe) and we rallied to be placed together into an LSC. This decision went all the way to the top. For the most part, members of our cohort were placed with colleagues they would choose to be with, including our little group.

And this is another reason I like the program, the faculty and directors listened, looked at the feedback, and made changes. In fact, the process for putting together the LSCs has now changed. Students can now name which students they would like to be placed within the LSC.

We would like to give our CoP a little pat on the back for pushing for changes to make things better - but isn’t that what we should be doing? After all, we are in a Doctorate of Education for LEADERSHIP and INNOVATION. If we aren’t trying to lead and innovate in our own doctoral program, how are we going to be able to do it in our own contexts?

🧆 Dinner Conversations

Earlier this week my Dad started talking about the winner of the billion-dollar lottery ticket, who is supposedly from Maine. Aden immediately latched onto this and started asking each one of us around the table…

“What would you do with a million dollars????”

When was the last time you thought about this?

Immediately, I started thinking of all the grown-up things that I would do…pay off debt, buy a house, take an amazing vacation…

My Mom said that she would buy a new mattress. And then Ben piped in with, “and some new sheets too!”

Of course, my Dad brought about the whole idea of taxes, and that probably you would only get between $600 and $700 thousand.

The boys, however, were on a roll.

“I’m going to buy a mansion. And hire a butler.” (Aden)

“I’m going to have a dessert room.” (Ben)

“I’m going to have my own airplane.” (Ben)

“I’m going to have my own chef.” (Aden)

“I’m going to have the biggest biggest swimming pool.” (Ben)

“I’m going to have the largest slide in the world in my house - well, maybe not too large, it could be dangerous.” (Aden)

As adults, we would interject with questions, saying

“Well, to have a personal plane is really expensive because you have to have a pilot, and crew, and pay fees to all the airports you land in.”

The boys were undeterred. (Aden) would say, “I have my lemonade stand business that will help to cover all the costs that the million doesn’t cover.”

We went on for almost 1/2 hour talking about his.

When was the last time you thought about the answer to this question from the perspective of a child?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to imagine answers to questions such as these without the weight of an adult mind?

So, I put the question to you…What would you do with a million dollars? 💰

🏈 Gotta love Superbowl commercials

I admit it, I sat around and watched the Superbowl this year (and frankly many other years) for the commercials and half-time show.

There were a few good ads this go around, but my favorite was the Budlight commercial with Miles Teller and his wife, Keleigh Sperry. The music was so chill. The dancing was great. Of course, now every time that I am on hold now and have to listen to the hold music, I immediately start thinking of this commercial.

In case you missed it, I have included it here :)

If you watch the commercial and think, man, that music is really familiar - you just might have heard it if you have ever been on hold with Cisco. Apparently, that is their hold music (Opus No.1 by Tim Carleton). However, I hope that you have never been on hold with them, as being on hold for over an hour would almost drive anyone to dance. And I guess that was what Budlight was trying to impress, that you can enjoy every moment, even those that feel “wasted.”

🚲 You can find me on Peloton

This last week I had a very special delivery. A Peloton bike was placed in the “garage gym”. I have been a Peloton user since 2016, including using it to train for the half-marathon I did in 2019, and I 100% believe in the platform. Peloton has a new program where you can rent one of their bikes for a flat delivery fee followed by monthly fees. When you are finished with it, you call them up and they come and pick it up, no charges and no questions asked! Of course, you can also purchase it if you would like. For someone like me who travels between two countries, this is a fantastic option.

If you happen to be a Peloton user, you can find me @debrakouda! See you there!

To learn more about Peloton you can check out their website!

Have a fantastic week everyone!

Stay well…and smile often 😃

Debra

🎶 Oooh…the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup…

I believe the majority of you reading or listening to this newsletter know this little jingle from Rockapella and Folgers Coffee…

Sorry, you might have that little jingle stuck in your head for the rest of the day now…

Well, contrary to what the jingle is stating, the best part of waking up is actually to wait 90-120 minutes before drinking your delicious morning cup of coffee (or whatever form of caffeine you drink while reading the morning newspaper).

How did I come upon this knowledge you ask…

A Health Journey

Back in August 2022, I started working with a health and fitness coach. (For all the women reading this, if you happen to be looking for a coach, I highly recommend the ladies at Flexis Fitness…science-backed programs designed specifically for women).

On one of the very first calls that I had with my coach, I mentioned that for the most part, I always felt like I needed more coffee to make it through the afternoon and onto the evenings. She asked if I drank coffee within 20 to 30 minutes of waking up in the morning - of course I said, who doesn’t?

Without hesitation, she said, maybe you should try waiting one and a half to two hours before having the first cup. WHAT??!! I don’t think that I could do that!

She explained the science behind it, which paraphrased went something like this…

When you wake up in the morning, you still have adenosine (the sleepiness factor) in your system. You would think that by drinking caffeine you would eliminate that, but due to the makeup of caffeine, you end up blocking that adenosine.

So, when the caffeine wears off - the adenosine is freed and causes the sleepiness to return.

By waiting for 90-120 minutes, you give adenosine the opportunity to work itself out of your system. A couple of ways to get the adenosine out of your system quickly is to:

* hydrate when you wake up (H2O)

* get bright light in your eyes as soon as you can, ideally from sunlight (but bright artificial lights can also do the trick)…

* And ten minutes of movement (jumping jacks or walking, etc.)

She said for me to think about it, and try it out.

Okay, I said.

Of course, after that call, I headed onto the good ‘ole internet to see if I could find out some more information about it and I stumbled upon the below video podcast by Dr. Andrew Huberman. The science behind it is so fascinating…

If you are wondering how it went…since August, I wait to have the first cup of coffee for at least an hour or longer in the morning. And when I do it in combination with moving and getting sunlight I feel more energized and less groggy in the afternoon. I also don’t feel like I need more coffee to get me through the day unless, of course, I have some heavy theoretical reading to do for school 😂.

Reflecting…

At some point in the last couple of months, it led me to think about how I started off my days in Benin…

* Wake up with the sun, not an alarm clock, between 6:30 and 7 am…

* Drink some water and brush my teeth…

* Stand outside on the porch to enjoy the coolness of the morning…

* Go back inside, boil water, and make a beautiful French press of coffee…

* Then usually, take a cold shower (too lazy to warm up water for a hot shower in the morning!).

This simple routine is what the majority of people in our community in Benin do in the morning. There are additions to this routine, depending on who you are and your jobs within the household. Most mornings people wake up and sweep the floors of their houses and yards and wash the dishes. It isn’t jumping jacks or push-ups, but it is movement.

It made me wonder if these steps lead to a less stressed, more happy population. Maybe I’ll have to give Dr. Huberman a call to do a study in Benin :)

Ending with a story…

This is a story about a son and his father and a horse.

The father and son were going to visit some family and had a long day of travel ahead. They both started out riding the horse.

They met someone along the road.

The person said, “You both are riding the horse! Don’t you know that is too much weight for the horse?”

So, the father got down and started walking, while the son continued to ride the horse.

A little while later, they met another person on the road.

“What is going on,” the person says to the father, “you are old and your son has more endurance than you, why are you letting him ride the horse?”

So, the father and son switched places.

They continued on their journey.

They met a third person along the road.

“What is wrong with you?” the person said to the father. “You are the father and you are riding and you are making your son walk?”

The father descended and he and his son decided to walk next to the horse.

They were about to arrive at their destination when they met a fourth person.

“Are you not smart?” the person said to the father and son.

“You have a horse that you could both be riding to have a faster journey, but you have chosen to walk next to the horse.”

The father then leaned over and told his son, “What you can learn from this is no matter what you do people are going to have their own opinion about it.

This little story, a parable, is one that my husband recently told me. As per usual with parables, there is a lesson to be learned. And if you haven’t figured it out already, here is the one for this little story.

Stick with what you believe in and what you believe is right. Because no matter what you do, you will never be able to please everyone.

By the way, if any of you decide to try and delay your caffeine in the morning - please let me know how it works for you! It has been a game-changer for me, so I thought I would share!

Have a wonderful week ahead…

Stay well and smile often 😊

Debra

TODAY’S PICKS…what I would share if we were chatting at the water cooler 💦

📖  READING …Besides all the articles for school 🙂  Strong Mothers, Strong Sons by Meg Meeker, M.D ; The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler; Tranquility Tuesdays by Laura Vanderkam

🎧  LISTENING …Marketplace Podcast…I have been learning about the economy from Kai Rysdal and the crew for over 5 years!

🎶  MUSIC …still Sea Shanty’s! All because I watched The Fisherman’s Friends 🎣

Our family was all excited to go up to Canada for a few Saturdays in February because my husband is taking a course for work. Something different on a Saturday, a chance to go explore our neighboring country which is only about a ten-minute drive from our house.

On Friday night, in preparation for the next day’s trip, I pulled out all of our passports just to double-check that everything was copasetic (btw this is one of my favorite words!). Looking at Benjamin’s I realized his was coming close to being renewed. Children under 16 have to be renewed every 5 years, they change so much in such a short time!

Everything was looking good until I came to my passport. And I read…

Expires: 24 JAN 2023

No Way!

It was the 27th the day I was looking. I remember looking at all of our passport expirations sometime last September, but I must have thought that January 2023 was so far off!

To say I was shocked would probably be an understatement. I was a little bit embarrassed, and also just disappointed because the boys and I were looking forward to our little adventures while D’Aquin was in class.

Of course, I immediately ran to the internet to see if there was another way that I could get across the border, but short of an enhanced driver’s license which I do not have, it really wasn’t worth the risk.

Saturday came and instead of going to Canada, the boys and I walked down to the local Rite Aid for new passport photos. I came home and applied for a new passport online. That is right, the whole process is done completely online. There was a little bit of a wait when I created my account, but after that, it was pretty smooth sailing. No need to go to the local post office. I didn’t even need to have an official passport photo. You have the option to upload a photo taken with your phone. I did not realize this until after I had the passport photo taken.

(FYI…for children, you still have to have an official passport photo and go to the post office).

I now am patiently waiting for the passport to arrive.

Besides going to Canada for these little trips it is important for all of our family to keep our passports up to date in case we need to travel to Benin in a hurry.

I just thought I would share this little story with all of you...maybe some of you will go and check your expiration dates!

I now have all of our renewal dates, which they recommend done six months before the passport expires, in my calendar. Oh, the lessons learned on a normal Friday evening!

Èkodjayé

Back in December 2022, I found out about the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) through the ASU Venture Devils email newsletter:

Students apply to participate in CGI U’s year-round community of learning, leadership, and action — beginning with a global meeting where participants, topic experts, and high-profile innovators convene to support and learn from each other.

Over the course of the program, rising leaders participate in trainings, modules, and tailored events that help formulate their ideas and provide the necessary resources, feedback, and tools to transform their ideas into action.

Looking at what it entailed, I thought, wow, this looks like it could be beneficial for me as I work to make Èkodjayé a reality.

So I applied. It was a very carefree, no-stress sort of application. Just answered the questions in under 1500 characters and pushed SUBMIT. I had the opportunity to go in and make some revisions, but I decided against it (which is very unlike me!).

I basically forgot about it as the new semester began and life moved forward in 2023. Last Thursday I received an email informing me that I was selected to join the Clinton Global Initiative University community!

Wow! Cool, I thought. They have an upcoming conference in Nashville, but due to cost, I had not planned on attending.

This past Wednesday I received an email from my college (Mary Lou Fulton Teachers’ College at ASU) letting me know that they were going to cover my travel to attend the conference! Apparently, the coordinator of the CGI U program at ASU had contacted them.

Okay - I realized, this must be a bigger deal than I thought. I emailed the coordinator to find out how many students had been accepted into this CGI U community this time around. I thought that she would say 100 at least.

Twelve.

12 people were chosen. And I was one of them.

I am so excited and honored about this opportunity. I suppose what makes this invite even more amazing is that I basically did it on a whim. And it was all stress-free. Isn’t this the way it is supposed to be??!!

So now, I will be enjoying Nashville the first weekend in March in a whirlwind trip to attend the conference which is being held at Vanderbilt University.

If anyone has any tips or good places to eat that they know of in Nashville (not that I will have time!) send them my way! This will be my first time in the music city.

A few other things…

It has been quite a week, to say the least. As I write this I am listening to gusts of wind blow past the house and my children’s laughs as they play in the crazy windy weather.

I watched The Fisherman’s Friends movies this week, and their music is now on repeat. Take a listen to the list below and you will be singing sea shanty’s all weekend long!

Also, the boys and I learned about some incredible sea creatures. Just watch the YouTube videos and the coconut octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) and peacock mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda) will be topics of conversation at your dinner table. So many amazing species exist on this planet!

Why Subscribe??

I’m sure that at one point or another, you have been asked to become a paid subscriber to this newsletter. If you are wondering why you should - here are a few reasons…

* The opportunity to be a part of the community that I am creating. Friends and family, new subscribers, I greatly enjoy sharing my story and journey with you as I navigate many different avenues.

* A way to financially support me and my future goals (Ekodjaye and The Kouda Company...more on those later!) as I go through this doctoral program. Things are slowly moving forward as I look for funding for those larger goals, but right now it is all me.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week ahead!

Stay well and smile often 😃

TODAY’S PICKS…what I would share if we were chatting at the water cooler 💦

📖  READING …Besides all the articles for school 🙂  Strong Mothers, Strong Sons by Meg Meeker, M.D ; Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell ; Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty; just added Tranquility Tuesdays by Laura Vanderkam

🎧  LISTENING …Marketplace Podcast…I have been learning about the economy from Kai Rysdal and the crew for over 5 years!

🎶  MUSIC …Sea Shanty’s! All because I watched The Fisherman’s Friends 🎣

I listened to a phenomenal podcast this past week - Seth Godin chatting with Rich Roll. After watching and listening (you can watch it on YouTube or listen to it on the podcast service of your choice) to this a few more times I will debrief and explain why this was so pertinent to me and the work that I am doing. Although, if you end up watching it, some of you might figure it out yourselves!

One issue for me writing this newsletter consistently is that I am looking for it to be absolutely perfect when I hit publish. Of course, that will never happen.

As Seth highlighted in the podcast when he was talking about a near-death experience he just had while swimming in the Pacific Ocean…

There’s a difference between drowning off the coast of San Clemente and putting up a blog post that isn’t perfect.

I simply need to get out of my own way and remember that this is a space to share my story, my thoughts and ideas. It is not a dissertation that has to have perfect APA formatting or a manuscript that is being sent for final edits to a publisher.

And then, of course, it comes down to MY WHY…

Why did I decide to write this newsletter?

* To write, as that is one of the only ways to become a better writer (academic or not),

* to share my story,

* and finally to have conversations and build community.

The last reason is a fairly new realization. I used to work in an office where community occurred naturally, over at the water cooler or by popping over to your neighbors cube. That really doesn’t exist for me now and it is something I really miss. An avenue to try out new ideas, talk about what happened over the weekend, or what you learned in the latest non-fiction book you just finished. More on this at the bottom of the newsletter.

On to other news…🗞️

Some of you might be wondering what happened with the Venture Devils pitch that I spoke about in the last newsletter. I wasn’t funded. But that is OK.

I first have to give a shout out and thank all of those who helped me revise my pitch. It was awesome how many people took time out of their schedules to review and provide feedback on my project. After a night of reflection (seriously the day after the zoom pitch I changed course), I realized that my message and how I was approaching the business needed a reboot. So I am heading in a new direction and I think that it is going to be great! I will share more as I move forward.

The month-long vacation that I had from school was wonderful and certainly needed! It was filled with crazy weather, the tallest Christmas tree I have ever had, watching my sons work for four days to put together the coolest brick build (like Lego - but not the Lego brand) I have ever seen, finishing a fiction novel, and above all sleeping in and spending some quality time with my family.

But all good things usually come to an end with the Spring Semester starting this past Monday. Back into the groove again. The beginning of a semester is always so refreshing. Everything seems do-able and nothing seems overwhelming or complicated. While I would like this feeling to continue throughout the semester, I have learned better than to make that particular expectation! Mindset is powerful though…I will will it into being!

Dinner Conversations 🍲

We have some of the most interesting dinner conversations, which I suppose is what happens with a variety of ages sitting at the table. There is so much that is talked about around a dinner table. In my experience, you do not necessarily need to be “sitting at a table”. It is just a time when everyone is together for a meal (although I’m not sure if breakfast conversations would be as interesting as dinner ones? Something to ponder.) Growing up, dinner time was sacred. We all had our roles in setting the table. There were rules, no music or singing being the one that is the most forward in my mind. And if your fits of contagious laughter could not be controlled you might just end up in the hallway for a little while to calm down.

Do you have memories of dinnertime?

Tonight, our conversation led to the topic of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which Alexa explained begins on January 22 and 2023 is The Year of the Rabbit 🐇. Of course this led down the rabbit hole 😂 of which Animal we all were around the table. Out came the phone and the searching began. At our table, we had one Pig, one Ox, one Horse, and two Roosters. This led to much laughter and now I finally know who were all the guests at the Emperor’s party.

The reflections that I had at the top of the newsletter have me leading down a path of revamping this newsletter a bit.

While I am in the planning stages - I just want you to know that I am looking forward to writing this newsletter on a more regular basis in order to get over my fear of perfectionism. As the famous Desmond Tutu quote goes…

How does one go about eating an elephant 🐘 ? You eat it one bite at a time.

Meaning that I can overcome this fear if I take little steps, have those small wins, see that even if I post something that is not perfect I will still be able to wake up the next day and try again.

Keep an eye out for those changes to be happening soon 🙂

For now…stay well and smile often!

(I’m borrowing this line from a colleague of mine - thanks Steve!)

Kouda's News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

TODAY’S PICKS…what I would share if we were chatting at the water cooler 💦

📖  READING …Besides all the articles for school 🙂  I have three books in progress…Strong Mothers, Strong Sons by Meg Meeker, M.D ; Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell ; Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

🎧  LISTENING …Marketplace Podcast…I have been learning about the economy from Kai Rysdal and the crew for over 5 years!

🎶  MUSIC …my playlist for January is full of chill Afrobeats that will just about get you out of whatever funk you may be in!

▶️. WATCHING …Seth Godin on the Rich Roll podcast has been on repeat whenever I have a chance (you can also find the audio only version here…)

📰 DAILY NEWS…The Morning Brew is the only email newsletter I read daily to learn about what is going on the world!

Kouda's News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I’m sure that is what all of you have been asking yourselves lately. She was here one day - gone the next…promised a revamp of her newsletter and nothing.

I understand. And one day, I will tell you the story of what happened. But not today. You’ll have to wait until my book comes out. (You can’t order it now, but I’m in the process of looking for editors, in case anyone happens to know one!)

Here is what I have been working on -

Èkodjayé Video Pitch - Watch Video

If you need a refresher, I am a current student at Arizona State University in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College pursuing a Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Leadership and Innovation.

I tried last spring to be selected to participate in the Venture Devils Demo Day, an investment opportunity at ASU, to pitch real ideas and start-ups in front of people willing to invest in projects.

I was denied. That’s right. Told “no.” And man was that hard.

However, as I tell my children, or as I go through this process of receiving a doctorate…the first go is just that - the first one, and usually, there is a whole lot that can be learned from one experience, that “failure.”

Now about six months later, during the first half of the second year of my doctoral program, I had the opportunity to try again. This time, with the video you watched above, I jumped the hurdle and now have the chance to pitch in front of real people at ASU during the first week of December.

I have received feedback from the judges on what I could do to improve my 5-minute pitch for the real deal. The top items they would like to see include a timeline of events and how the venture will be sustainably funded as we move forward.

Now is where I need some help. Please provide in the comments below (or email me) where you think I could include this information and what I could cut out. Five minutes may seem like a long time, but I assure you, it is not!

On that note, a bit of advice is needed. I do have the option to pitch via Zoom, as I am not located in Arizona. Which one do you think would be better? To pitch in person? Or via Zoom?

I believe I know the right answer to that question, but as a start-up, “free” versus “paying for all travel costs” makes a big difference!

There is much more to come with this newsletter, such as regularity (no FiberOne necessary 🤣). I am excited to share the journey with all of you.

Best wishes as we move forward into the holiday season 🦃