I love words. It’s as simple — and as profound — as that.
A single sentence can stop me in my tracks and live inside me for days. Words stay with me. They move me, empower me, hurt me, bring me to life. They make me feel deeply human. And being able to speak three languages fluently? That’s the cherry on top — because to understand sarcasm, humour, and cultural nuance feels like living in a world painted in richer colours.
For the longest time, I wanted to do something with words. But I felt inadequate. No one told me I wasn’t enough. But somehow the world convinced me to shrink.
When I First Saw What Was Possible
Years ago, I came across She Leads Africa and fell in love with the magazine. Seeing women who looked like me creating such meaningful work lit a fire in me. I wanted to do something like that. I approached my friend Rama with excitement… and she wasn’t interested.
So, I let it go.
Then podcasting found me. And oh, I wanted it. I wanted it so badly. But that little voice inside whispered:
“Not for you. Your accent is too strong. You don’t know anything valuable. No one will listen.”
So, I let it go again.
Next, I found blogging… and loved it instantly. The intimacy of it. The permanence. The quiet power. But the voice returned:
“It’s too hard. You don’t know how. Who are you to write?”
So once again, I let it go.
The Moment My Soul Refused Silence
But my soul — that timid voice inside — started getting louder. Restless. Hungry.
It felt like something was screaming inside me, begging for expression.
One night, after someone dismissed one of my ideas yet again, something in me snapped open. I went home, created a website — something I believed only “people from the moon” could do — and I wrote. I hit publish.
And in that moment, I swear… my soul exhaled. Something inside me expanded.
And I knew there was no turning back.
The Day Podcasting Finally Became Simple
The desire to start a podcast never left. It was eating me alive. So, I finally took a course — Piece Of Cake Podcast — and Michelle said something that changed everything for me.
She stripped away the complications and returned the power back to the creator — back to me:
“Podcasting is literally the easiest thing in the world. You have something you want to say, you say it, and then you press publish.”
And then she said the part that pierced me open:
“You’re not here to add to your to-do list.
You’re here to step into your power:
Your power to use your voice.
Your power to share your thoughts.
Your power to be yourself out loud.”
For the first time… podcasting felt possible. Not because I became an expert — but because I finally gave myself permission.
My Pattern: Overcomplicate → Freeze → Do Nothing
I saw it so clearly. Every dream I had, I wrapped it in fear, complexity, and imaginary requirements:
You need a studio.
You need editing skills.
You need to be perfect.
You need approval.
You need someone else.
And every time, I’d talk myself out of it. But when I finally acted — blogging, podcasting — it felt like coming home to myself. I wasn’t doing it “for the world.” I was doing it for me. And that changed everything.
Then Came YouTube — And Another Lesson
You’d think I’d learned my lesson, but no. When I wanted to start a YouTube channel, I tried to enrol another friend. She declined. And thank God she did.
Today I have over 65 videos and 3 subscribers — one of them is my sister — and I LOVE IT.
I wake up and watch my own videos.
I learn from them.
They make me think.
They feed me. I didn’t need an expert.
I didn’t need a cohost.
I didn’t need permission.
I just needed to start.
Women Have Been Conditioned Into Silence
For generations, women have been taught to stay quiet, polite, small, grateful, invisible.
Many of us are still fighting the residue of that conditioning. But in the words of Sara Bareilles:
“Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out.
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.”
And truly —
You don’t need to be an expert to blog.
You don’t need a studio to podcast.
You don’t need perfection to start a YouTube channel.
You just need to be you.
That’s what the world actually needs.
That’s what your soul has been waiting for.
Salima
Just me thinking out loud over here