In this deeply reflective episode of the Listen To Your Footsteps podcast, host Kojo Baffoe sits down with Ghanaian-South African entrepreneur and publicist Sheila Afari to explore a journey shaped by love, legacy, and fearless innovation. From unexpectedly launching her first business after stepping on a flyer at university, to growing a PR empire across continents, Sheila’s story is a masterclass in audacity, instinct, and emotional resilience.

Now based in Washington, D.C., Sheila candidly shares what it means to uproot one’s life for love without letting go of one's roots. Raised in the Eastern Cape by Ghanaian parents, she reflects on how her cultural heritage continues to influence her entrepreneurial spirit. Her journey is not linear, it’s layered. Sheila studied medicine before pivoting to psychology, flirted with law, and eventually followed a calling she didn’t yet have the language for: building things from scratch and making them work.

Throughout the conversation, she reveals how she grew her boutique PR agency, launched multiple online media publications, and nurtured a business mindset that focuses not only on scale but on succession. She opens up about battling internal and external expectations, especially from her parents, and how she has had to prove, often silently, that her unconventional path was valid. Her reflections on parenthood, cultural belonging, and legacy-building offer powerful insight for anyone at a crossroads.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How to seize opportunity even when you’re not “ready”
• The unspoken pressures of African family expectations
• The balance between personal ambition and partnership
• Why building systems is the next level of entrepreneurship
• The role of storytelling in creating platforms for African narratives
• Why legacy is not just what you build, but who you become in the process

Memorable moments include:

• Sheila describing how she landed her first event gig
• Her honest thoughts on moving to the US for love, and what “home” really means now
• Her quiet realisation that media isn’t dying, it’s evolving into something more democratised and deeply personal
• Her powerful reframing of “purpose” as something you grow into, not just stumble upon

This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, creatives, cultural builders, and anyone navigating multiple homes, whether physical, emotional, or ancestral. Sheila’s journey is a reminder that sometimes, the life you’re meant to live begins with a moment of saying yes to the unknown.

You can find the latest from Sheila on sheilaafari.com or on the following social spaces ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kojobaffoe.com/book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe:

• To ⁠⁠Watch/Listen⁠⁠ now
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Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio

Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe

Produced by Ayob Vania