In this episode the BBB duo sit with respected Kenyan stand-up comedian and manager, Doug Mutai (X, IG). The three gents follow Doug’s journey finding comedy or is it comedy finding him? From Bomet to Lethbridge, Kericho to Calgary, Nakuru to Nairobi and so on, in between laughs and hot takes - the trio trace Doug’s discovery of purpose through comedy and management; from daring abroad to successfully engineering a dam for comics back home. The episode sees the protagonist move in old cars in winter, tackle tedious terrain chasing the comedy high through comedy rooms, caves, clubs and competitions across Canada. Having built muscle and experience over the years - from bits to sets, sets to acts and routines to becoming an established comic, Doug’s chat with the BBB duo highlights lessons from the years and seasons, the highs and the lows, the pivots and plateaus, friendships, partnerships and surprisingly - farming. Even as it documents the becoming of The Stand Up Collective, this episode following Doug’s journey is truly about the benefits of consistency, self-awareness, living in the moment and the freedom attached to discovering success as the journey as opposed to the goal.

Brought to you by Prevail Presents Ltd.

EPISODE LINKS & Show notes

• Russel Peters

BOOKS

• How to Write Funniest

SOCIALS

• DougMutai on X

An episode that flows like a productive session at the therapist! The BBB duo sit with psychologist and performing artist Tugi Waiyaki for a chat on mental health, music and more. Finding clarity, direction, and truth being the soul of the guest’s belief system, Tugi walks the gents through her path so far; overcoming growing pains, anxiety, extreme ideations, depression and despair to finding light, love, abundance, melody and the strength to swim against the current. With candid examples from their individual lives, the three explore ways of functioning in a dysfunctional world while pursuing purpose, healing, grounding and wisdom. The episode celebrates faith, friendship, freedom, mental fortitude and F.L.O.A.T.ing, even as it warns of the folly of scheduling grief, suppressing emotions and using fear to fuel drive. Glorifying the trenches, self-awareness, giving oneself grace and turning towards the direction of love makes this one a most powerful listen.

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The episode is brought to you by Spearhead.

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About the Guest

Tugi Waiyaki (X, Instagram, LinkedIn) is a dedicated, multifaceted psychologist who is committed to helping people reach their greatest potential and experience the best possible Mental Health by using her artistry to give easy access to information on psychology and the process of therapy. She is a musician, poet, writer, podcaster, actress and production manager.

Episode Links

• Twombili studios YouTube

Books and Music

• Tugi’s 2nd EP - https://tugiwaiyakiofficial.bandcamp.com/album/insomnia-2

In this first episode of their fourth season - Kamande and Kigondu are back all fresh and curious! Seated beside experienced Chess Coach and Veterinary doctor Moses Kwereba, the trio engage in a great conversation that closes with a poetic cherry on top! Opening with talks on reconnection and paying respects, the middle game sees the convo focus on the guest’s experience and come-up in the animal health industry. The fight and end game stages of the episode soon enough dig deep into chess and its parallels with life, its complexities, lessons, benefits and beyond. Following Vet Musa’s journey to coaching, leadership and the practice; the episode covers experiences from Kabete to Lusaka and stories from Durban to Dubai. From protégés in Norway to sheep in Macedonia, the trio highlight memories from Kabete Ng’ombe to Kamande’s AI jokes, benefits of volunteering and extension work to those of telemedicine, also exploring topics around consistent study of both sport and science to rankings, strategy, analysis, timings, parenting, emergency response and so on, all in the day in the life of a mobile vet spreading the chess ministry across the globe. The episode is as technical as it is poetic, perhaps exploring another argument for chess players being better than the rest of humanity.

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The episode is brought to you by FunkeScience.

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Moses Kwereba is a Veterinary doctor and an accredited Chess National Coach - formerly National Federation Treasurer, whose team led Kenya National Youth Teams to World and Africa Championships. His interests spill into poetry, music and photography and his passions have seen him travel across the globe, train across communities and coach across schools.

Episode LINKS:

• On ‘SMASE’ and the STEM promotion program

Books and Music

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

In the fifty first episode celebrating the Podcast's golden anniversary; Kamande and Kigondu take time with a live studio audience to reflect on the journey so far. A nice and chill short episode that is really about taking stock, making dreams a reality in between adulting, gratefulness, grace, need for rest, high fidelity experiences, plans and projections. The episode is structured into three short segments; (i) Reflecting on their current mind state and spaces (ii) Reflecting on quotes from previous episodes, lessons and interactions with guests and (iii) A QnA session with the audience answering questions on culture, philosophy and identity.

Episode LINKS:

• Siya Kolisi leadership in Rugby 2023

Books

• Dulton Trumbo’s Biography

On their special fiftieth(!!!) recording, the host duo has a chat with celebrated actor and media personality Maqbul Mohammed. In front of a live studio audience courtesy of the Busy Being Born Live Experience 2023, the three explore the journey home to the self through the lens of the guest’s perspective on his career, childhood, pursued interests, choices and lessons along the way. From his first show on stage, on Radio and on the screens to his most popular shows on TV, characters on stage, collaborations and successes on the airwaves - the conversation picks gems from all these seasons. Reflecting on experiences from Calif to Kilimani, Mombasani to South C, Makutano Junction to Auntie Boss, Capital Fm to Nation and so on, the episode picks pointers on the dos and don’ts on a journey through elevations, expectations, dejections and celebrations. Highlighting the essence of mentorship, working partnerships, family, faith and focus, the episode is really about overcoming doubt, fear, depression and despair. A journey to thousands of homes - only to find home in the self; a great listen full of laughs, honesty and faaaantastic stories!

The episode is brought to you by AS Sports.

About the Guest

Maqbul Mohammed (IG, X) is a prolific and celebrated Kenyan actor and radio presenter. Having jumped into professional theatre at the tip of the millennium, Maqbul went on to act in numerous plays at the legendary Phoenix Players at the start of his career in the Arts and Media. His resume features leading roles in popular TV shows in Kenya such as Makutano Junction, Auntie Boss, County 49, Crime and Justice and the likes. The acting success did not hold him back from making as monumental a career in Kenyan radio, working longest at Capital Fm and later Nation Fm.

Show notes

• Maqbul’s story on a local daily

BOOKS

BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah on Nuria

In this episode the BBB duo sit with UK based Kenyan filmmaker Chantelle Kaaria for a candid conversation on her journey home and away. Home in this case being her - self, her calling, her place of birth and her motherland. The episode covers her coming and goings across borders, interests and seasons. From Kent to Kenya, London to Lang’ata, film practice studies to the actual filmmaking and so on. Following an impassioned story that soon introduces the regal producer, the episode follows Chantelle’s journey in search of impact, meaning, belonging, voice, direction and the finding of all that and so much more. Stories of green little books, kaati, accommodating parents, lovely land ladies, twinning, transitions, convictions, art, alignment and conversations with God. Highlighting intention, patience and direction; the episode covers lessons and reflections around overcoming fear, self-doubt, trusting the process, the subjectivity of film, pay offs of networking and understanding the business of film.

Episode sponsors:

The Busy Being Born Podcast Live Experience 2023:

• Part 1 

About the Guest

Chantelle Kaaria (Instagram) is a Film Impact Producer and an award winning Community Action Practitioner with close to a dozen year’s accumulative experience. A film enthusiast and artist with tested practice in producing, production assisting,research and coordination who has worked on both the motherland and beyond.

Show notes

• Chantelle’s LinkedIn

ODE TO THE ANCESTORS:

• https://www.horniman.ac.uk/project/ode-to-the-ancestors-kenyan-archaeology/

PRISM OF BLACK:

• https://prismofblack.my.canva.site/

In this episode the host duo sits with Bulle Abdullahi, an entrepreneur and the founder of the Award winning bookstore - Nuria. Following his experience moving books both at the bank and bookstores; his is a journey of resilience, ingenuity and risk. A self-proclaimed pessimist making optimistic moves despite his skeptical nature - Bulle’s story spotlights the spine and mind of a serial entrepreneur and born doer. The episode highlights lessons from his days selling camel milk to his first website selling car spare parts, from his car wash days to his years in banking and his eventual success with the award winning bookstore - Nuria. From Westlands to Wajir, Saudi Arabia to India and so on, the story goes back and forth picking up gems and memories from the years at Chase Bank, years in UNI, football days and the juxtaposition of days moving millions to twenty-shilling budget holidays. With themes and branches around ownership, entrepreneurship, unpopular opinions, beating debt, Islamic Finance, balancing family and biashara, self-publishing, winning awards and so on; this episode is really about restarting, reinvesting, reevaluating, rebuilding and the consistent urge to do better.

The episode is brought to you by The Busy Being Born Live Experience, happening on the 28th of October 2023.

About the Guest

Abdullahi Bulle (X, Formerly Twitter) is a banker turned entrepreneur and founder of the award winning bookstore - Nuria. The e-commerce Business personality of the year Gold Award honoree got the recognition for his work at his bookstore Nuria, which also won the Best Bookstore eCommerce Website Gold Award at the 5th edition of The Kenya eCommerce Awards (2023). To some, Bulle came into their radar after recognition for his free pads initiative while some might know him after interacting with him in his years at Chase Bank. To most, Bulle is recognized the most for his dedication to innovation and leadership in the online retail industry.

Show notes

BOOKS

• TREASON by Miguna Miguna

LINKS

• The men who are proud feminists

On looting and grabbing documentation by Joe Khamisi

On Senator Gloria Proposed bills

Scotland Free Period products

Andrew Huberman on cold immersion benefits & Youtube

Oppenheimer film

Muthoni Maina BBB episode

Muthoni Maina BBB blog guest entry

In this episode the host duo is joined by a filmmaking duo for an exciting conversation! Ceci Wanza and Clementina Kabutha are award winning filmmakers in pre-production for their latest feature film (at the time of recording). Their film ‘Kanairo’ follows the story of Jonte, a young Kenyan man navigating life in the big city with all its demands, expectations and excitement. The quartet go on to review their ‘Kanairo’ experiences; from the ladies’ inspiration to writing the film, to suitors, to the hustle of the city life, even to Kamande’s street bully nightmares. They look at the mental fortitude required to make it in Nairobi, the wit, the chaos, culture and character development that the city comes with and testify of a couple ‘I am Johnte’ realizations. The episode spotlights the process of making films and on a deeper level - mental health. The headspace of men in their youth, societal pressures, their counterpart’s demands, surprises and challenges are examined, as the four in the studio also make sure to explore possible interventions, platforms and solutions. The episode also tackles themes around leadership, masculinity, emotional expression, balance and art. 

The episode is brought to you by Kanairo, A film directed and written by Ceci Wanza and produced and co-written by Clementina Kabutha. 

About the Guests

Cecimercy Wanza is a Kenyan film and TV director, producer and screenwriter whose resume includes working on productions such as ToBA (2016), Get Some Money – the parable of Judas (2017) and short films such as The Editor (2018), Shiru (2017) among others. With efforts in Television on shows such as the 2018 Kalasha nominated show Sanaa Talks on KU TV, The Metropol Debrief and The Boss Lady both on Metropol TV (2021), Silver Screen (KUTV) among others. She won the 2022 Annual Journalistic Excellence Awards (AJEA) in the Environmental documentary category for her E-waste documentary, which she produced and directed. The proud double season producer of the first licensed Showmax Series “A Better Life” (2023) is currently an Indie filmmaker with multi - award nominated and award winning short film “Kanairo”. Nominations that include recognition from the Rwanda International movie awards ( RIMA) and an honorable award from Student International Film Festival amongst others - to winning a Sondeka Award (2023) for the film. She is currently working on the feature length development of “KANAIRO”.

Clementina Kabutha is a Kenyan producer, director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and video editor. Her journey has most recently seen her serve as the writer, director, and producer of the film "Vamp," which was officially selected for the esteemed Festival del Cinema di Cefalù (Best Short Film) and seen her work as an assistant producer on the TV series "A Better Life," available on Showmax. She’s also written, directed, and produced projects such as "My Story" and "Dogged," and gone on to produce "Still Waters," a sci-fi film that received acclaim by winning the Best Sci-Fi award at the Varsity Film Expo and an honorable mention at Eldoret Film Festival. Her latest project ‘Kanairo’ short film - won the Judges' Award at the Sondeka Awards and received an honorable mention from the Student World Impact Film Festival. It was nominated for at the Rwanda International Movie Awards ‘Rima’ (Best Short Film EA and Best Short Film International Category). It got officially selected at FilmJoint (Best Short Film), Golden Short Film Festival (Producer Category), NGO International Film Festival (Best Short Film), F5 FPP Financial Focus FilmFest (Best Short Film), Festival del Cinema di Cefalù (Best Short Film), Lumiere International Film Festival and Awards (Best Short Film), Lift-off Film Festival (Best Short Film), and Soleil Space (Best Short Film).

Show notes

• Kanairo on Vimeo

To support KANAIRO;

Click and donate on: https://www.mchanga.africa/fundraiser/72951

Or Paybill: 891300, Account: 72951

In this episode the host duo chat with the impressive Celestine Gachuhi and spotlight her path to the screens and beyond. An admirable journey of crazy faith, discipline and eyes on the prize dedication. Starting from the deep end - they talk impermanence, trials and tough beginnings; exploring childhood memories, circumstances and experiences littered with love and pain in equal measure. An episode full of gems, as the guest highlights lessons through changes, leaving, loving, cleaving and losing, dreaming, daring, doubting and overcoming. From Murang’a to Nakuru, Narok to Webuye and so on, the episode follows Celestine’s journey from school to fame, chapatti memories, fitting through windows, the original ‘face book’, friendship, travelling theatre, wonders of love, salons, sleeping in attics, chemistry with Pascal, belief, babies, family, finance and intentionality. A guest tailor made for favour, taking footsteps of faith and exalting dignity in the murky world of showbiz, this is an episode that celebrates hard work, discipline and pursuing a purpose driven life.

The episode is brought to you by Prevail Presents.

About the Guest

Celestine Gachuhi (Instagram, Filmconnectafrica Facebook, X (Twitter), Facebook)is a Kenyan Performing artist. An actor, a singer, mentor, content creator, aspiring producer and the founder and director of Film Link Africa. Film Connect Africa is a mentorship program aiming to engage and empower budding Kenyan actors through outreach and education.

Show notes

• SELINA Tv show

Books:

• LEAN IN by Sheryl Sandberg

In this first episode of the third season, the host duo has a powerful chat with brilliant Mwongera Mutiga. They interrogate the epidemic that is fatherlessness, highlight the crisis - its cause and effect, cite related studies and explore possible ways through and beyond. Besides themes around fatherhood, the episode follows Mwongera’s lessons growing up to becoming the consumer behavior scientist, communications strategist, entrepreneur and father that he is. From his first job to his first child, from his school days through to his hustling days, from his struggles to his successes with business, fatherhood and more. Mwongera talks transitions, realizations, lessons from his parents, inter-sibling dynamics, value systems, journey curbing carbs, the space - place and involvement of a father pre and post birth, present and engaged parenting, the nature vs. nurture question and much more. The guest also shares gems on the founding, building and vision of Papabear Kenya, The Legacy Project Trust and Redbrick Africa. An episode that spotlights intentionality, discipline and purpose.

The episode is brought to you by Prevail Presents.

About the Guest

Mwongera Mutiga (Instagram, Twitter) is an entrepreneur, researcher, communications Strategist, mentor and public speaker whose personal mission is to support the growth and development of the next generation through stable, loving families. He is a proud dad and loving husband and his passion through this path has birthed 'Papa Bear Kenya', a platform that is geared towards encouraging, equipping, and creating a community of strong, informed, accountable men to be the best, most impactful fathers they can be. The social impact and international development expert is also the founder and director of Red Brick Africa.

Show notes

• The Daniel fast

Books

• The Four hour body by Tim Ferriss