

Permission to Nerd Out — Demographer Style This past weekend, while preparing a Consumer Insights
For twelve years, I have curated this blog (and by extension newsletter) as a personal journal — a window into my journey from Malawi to the United Nations, to Microsoft, and beyond. As I step into a new decade and a new chapter, I feel the need for something different: a space not just to chronicle my life, but where both you and I can make sense of the systems we are all navigating.
When I was pursuing my undergraduate studies, it was almost framed as a choice: education or entrepreneurship. specially in developing contexts, it’s often assumed that young people must choose between “staying in school” and “chasing a dream.” But what if that decision never needed to be binary?
The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is the reason I chose MSU. At Burgess, students don’t have to wait until after graduation to start building. They are encouraged—and equipped—to test ideas, fail fast, iterate, and grow while still in school.
If you’ve ever wanted to explore my work but weren’t sure where to start, the easiest way is to read my books digitally on Amazon Kindle — even if you don’t own a Kindle device.
This week at UNGA80, I had the privilege of joining the BBC Town Hall alongside Assistant Secretary-General Ahunna Eziakonwa (UNDP), ministers of digital transformation from Nigeria and Morocco, and fellow innovators to explore the future of work in Africa in the age of AI.
I am delighted to share that my second book, Feminine Silence: Walking on Glass Shells, was officially launched in New York City last week, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
Eighty years after its founding, the United Nations stands at a profound crossroads. Geopolitical power has shifted; the Global South now represents the majority of humanity, youth make up the fastest-growing population bloc, and technology is reshaping economies faster than policy can keep pace. The UN’s traditional pillars — peace and security, development, and human rights — remain essential, but the methods through which they are pursued often reflect the post-colonial hierarchies of the mid-20th century rather than the demands of a multipolar, digital, climate-strained era. So… what now?
As Malawi takes to the polls this week, we must ask ourselves the very hard questions: What works? In what context? Under what circumstances? And 𝘄𝗵𝘆?
Thrilled to be featured in Poets&Quants, the #1 MBA Admissions publication globally! In this piece, I was delighted to share how the GMAC’s MBA Tour shifted my perspective — helping me move beyond rankings and focus on values, missions, and communities that truly resonated with my vision.