Global Entrepreneurship
At the beginning of October, I shared with you that I did not receive an offer to return to Microsoft as a fulltime employee, after interning with Xbox over the summer.
When I got the news, I was absolutely devastated. I remember just laying flat on my bed for a few hours, till my boyfriend showed up and just laid by my side.
I took a step back, reevaluating why I came to MSU to begin with, and I spent quite the time realigning and having lots of moments for a lot of honesty.
After weeks of careful deliberation, I made a decision to step back from the recruiting cycle and focus fully on building my company — Q2 Corporation.
It’s strange how clarity often arrives disguised as exhaustion. I realized that the work I want to do — shaping Africa’s innovation systems and helping young people build for the future — cannot wait until I have a corporate title attached to it. Q2 Corporation is that work, and it deserves my full attention.
This month also marked a major milestone: our international debut at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco. Standing among global innovators and investors, I felt the same mix of humility and purpose I felt walking into the United Nations for the first time. Different arena, same mission — to build systems that work for everyone.
As I return to Michigan, the question that lingers is simple but grounding: what does it mean to build something that outlives you? This month was my answer — to commit fully, and to trust the process.
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Happy New Monthly, and wishing you a lovely November ahead!
All my love,
Lady at the Helm: Africa’s First Female inland Marine Captain
October (15th to be specific) is Mother’s Day in Malawi — a time to honor the women who raised us, anchored us, and taught us to dream.
For me, that means one woman: Captain Lonnie Kalua-Manduwi — my mother, and Malawi’s first female marine captain.
This month, I spent time writing Lady at the Helm — a book that I hope one day become a film and (docu)series, chronicling her journey on Lake Malawi, and the lessons she left behind. To me, this is a story about courage, love, and leadership — but most importantly, about how one woman’s life became a lighthouse for so many others, including me.
Writing this book is somehow my grief journey. Every word I write feels like a conversation with her — in a way a reminder that the waves she conquered continue to carry me forward.
Personal Development: Become Your Greatest Self
Earlier in the year, I joined the BE U Podcast for a conversation about my journey — from Malawi through the United Nations, to Microsoft; and how I’ve come to define global entrepreneurship on my own terms.
We spoke about ambition, burnout, and the discipline of becoming. About how the fire that fuels you must also be the one you learn to contain.
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I truly enjoyed having a chat with Anya and Dr. Tiamo. The conversation reminded me that growth is not always about adding more to your plate. Sometimes, it is about refining your flame.
Professional Growth: On Being a Life-long Learner
If I had to pick one defining act of professional growth this month, it would be submitting my application for a Master of Public Administration (MPA).
This is a decision that feels both familiar and bold. After years of working across public and private sectors, I’ve realized my path inevitably circles back to public service. I see the MPA as a bridge between what I’ve learned in boardrooms and what I hope to build in policy spaces.
If I’m accepted, I’ll take it as a sign that it’s time to return to service at a higher level.
If not — perhaps the universe has another classroom waiting.
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Either way, I’m proud of the intention: to keep learning, to keep questioning, and to keep building.
Entrepreneurship & Innovation: TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
This October, Q2 Corporation made its international debut at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco.
For us, this wasn’t just a conference — it was a coming-out moment for the systems we’ve been quietly building across Africa.
Through our flagship initiative, Kwathu Smart Innovation Farms (KSIF), we’re designing immersive simulation platforms that merge AI, agriculture, and education — allowing young Africans to understand and experiment with supply chain systems in ways that were once out of reach.
TechCrunch was validation that the world is ready for what we’ve been dreaming of: African-built innovation with global relevance.
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From conversations with investors to meeting founders tackling everything from climate tech to blockchain in education, I was reminded that Africa doesn’t need to catch up — it needs to lead differently.
Lifestyle: Traveling with Flowers
While in San Francisco, my boyfriend bought me a bouquet — Peonnies. They were beautiful, and sentimental, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave them behind.
So, I learned something new: how to fly with flowers.
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It was a small act of tenderness — proof that love and logistics can coexist, even at 30,000 feet.
Featured: Women Leading in Inclusive Finance
During the UN General Assembly, I joined a UNCDF panel at the Perimeters of UNGA, co-hosted with the Digital Frontiers Institute.
Our discussion focused on inclusive innovation and the future of digital finance — particularly how we can design systems that don’t just include women, but center them.
We explored how inclusion requires not just access, but agency — and how financial systems must evolve from charity to co-creation.
Panels like these remind me that the real work happens not in the plenaries, but in the margins — where people still believe in doing the slow, necessary work of designing better futures.
Up Next: African in America
As October closes, I’m turning my creative energy toward my debut novel, African in America.
It’s a semi-autobiographical story inspired by my years in New York City and beyond — a love letter to the versions of myself I met there. The book will blur the lines between fiction and memory, tracing a young Malawian woman’s journey through ambition, identity, and belonging in America.
It’s equal parts reflection and reinvention — and I can’t wait for you to read it.
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As November begins, I’m excited to delve a little bit deeper into the nuances of what it means to be an ‘immigrant’.
Spotlight: Tamanda Shines at TEDxBates College
October ended on a bright note as Tamanda took the TEDxBates stage, honoring her roots and speaking powerfully about heritage, leadership, and representation.
In her talk, she paid homage to myself, and to women like Joyce Banda and Winnie Madikizela Mandela; acknowledging the lineage of African women who continue to open doors for others.
Read my Published Works:
If you’d like to go deeper into my journey — from Malawi, through the United Nations to Microsoft, you can find it in my books:
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About the Author
