Writings
Recent
Lessons: Book Series [Preorder – Coming July 2026]
When I was a student at the University of Malawi, my classmates would often say, “You’re going to work for the UN.” It was meant as a compliment—an affirmation of brilliance. But at the time, I didn’t even know what that meant.
August, 2025
On August 1st, I finished my internship with Microsoft in Redmond, and made my way back to Lansing.
Traversing Your Terrible Twenties
In Traversing Your Terrible Twenties, Nthanda reflects on her twenties with honesty, vulnerability, and wisdom. From love and loss, to career choices, family, faith, success, and forgiveness — each chapter distills the joy and heartbreak of a decade into lessons that will resonate far beyond it.
Feminine Silence
Feminine Silence is part memoir, part manifesto, part love letter to the women and men who have shaped me. Across its chapters, I explore what it means to lead as “the first,” why meritocracy is not enough, how culture shapes womanhood, and what it will take to build futures that are truly unbound.
July, 2025
Between wrapping up my summer internship at Xbox, planning and hosting a full-scale U.S. Gala for Ntha Foundation, and relaunching my first book By the End of Your Teens — I found myself teetering on the edge of burnout more than once. I was trying to do it all.
Lessons
After over a decade working across public, nonprofit, and multilateral systems — from the grassroots to the United Nations Headquarters — I’ve come to understand that development is rarely about what we do. It’s about how we think. And whom we center.
By the End of Your Teens
This June, I reintroduced By the End of Your Teens — the first installment in what will be a growing series of reflections on growth, identity, and navigating life as a young person with ambition.
June, 2025
I’ve now been in Redmond for 7 weeks, adjusting to the slower pace and sharper expectations of summer at Microsoft. In the midst of all this, something personal and precious quietly happened: I republished my first book, By the End of Your Teens.
Exploring Redmond Town Center
When I was told that we’d be living at Redmond Town Center (RTC) for the summer as Microsoft Interns, one of the biggest selling points was its unbeatable proximity to a whole world of food.
Visibility
At the end of May, 2025, I was awarded the Most Inspiring Female Corporate Leader in Malawi. A huge honor. As I received the award, what I felt most was less pride, and more reflection. Reflection on what it has taken to become visible in a world that often demands excellence from women but offers very little space for us to shine on our terms.
