PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS®
42 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsInspiring stories of Afghanistan and Rwanda business women participating in the IEEW PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® PROGRAM. It chronicles their struggles and challenges of living in a developing country and owning a business as a woman. www.TrailBlazersImpact.com
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Ep. 42 - Positive Self Care in the Workplace and Home: Joy Gihana
February 27, 2021 00:13 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBDid you know that an estimated 6%-7% of full-time workers in the US experience major depression, costing employers an estimated $44 billion per year in lost production time? Joy Gihana is the Founder and CEO of Family Life and Beyond and holds a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology. You will get many tips for handling the stress of COVID and everyday life. www.TrailBlazersImpact
Ep. 34 - Mozhgan Wafiq Alokozai: Empowering Women in Afghanistan
January 02, 2021 07:00 - 45 minutes - 42.9 MBAre you courageous? Imagine yourself walking down a street in Afghanistan. You have to be accompanied by a male relative. As you walk along, the potential of a bomb exploding is very real. How do you economically and socially empower oppressed women? Education. By arming women with knowledge, they are able to develop themselves and their households. Mozhgan Wafiq Alokozai has a passion that continues driving through adversity again and again. She’s lived under the Taliban regime in Pakistan,...
Ep. 40 - Drs. Sharifa Hesarnaee /Susan Chambers: Two Brave Doctors
August 22, 2020 07:00 - 12 minutes - 13.3 MBDr. Sharifa Hesarnaee of Kabul, Afghanistan, tells about struggling to maintain the OB/GYN department in a Kabul hospital dealing with both COVID-19 and a horrific terrorist attack on the hospital. Dr. Susan Chambers of Oklahoma City, OK, is her mentor who has continued to be a friend to Sharifa during all this as well as work herself in a hospital in the United States during COVID. You will get a feeling of what they mean by "security" being their biggest worry. The comparison of the enviro...
Ep. 39 - Barbara Crain: Dairy and Beef Farming in Oklahoma
August 17, 2020 07:00 - 14 minutes - 14.2 MBBarbara Crain, along with her husband, pioneered grass-fed dairy and beef in the state of Oklahoma. Together they have taken a tired, underproducing wheat farm and turned it into a profitable, environmentally responsible value-added grass-fed dairy farm. They began dairy farming in 1991 and built the processing plant in 2005 so they could process their own milk. Barbara oversees manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of all the products. She would like to be an example of how a small far...
Ep. 38 - Michel Buthion: Restaurant Creativity!
August 12, 2020 07:00 - 21 minutes - 20.7 MBMichel Buthion is considered a fine food and wine aficionado not just in Oklahoma, but around the globe. Other ventures have included turning a vintage theatre into a dining and event center, building and managing the first boutique hotel food and beverage concept in the City, taking over a favorite Italian eatery in town, and finally, developing and managing that long dreamed of saloon and chop house in Stockyards City. At the same time, La Baguette Bistro has grown into a full bar and dini...
Ep. 37-Manizha Wafeq: The Real Afghanistan Today
August 07, 2020 19:00 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBManizha Wafeq graduated from the inaugural PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® class in 2007 and is currently teaching her 13th year of the program in Kabul as the In-Country Facilitator for Afghanistan. In this role, she has taught and mentored more than 400 Afghan businesswomen in Kabul and other smaller provinces. She tells us what is happening in Afghanistan with the hospital attack and the coronavirus. LISTEN to her full story on Episode 7 of Peace Through Business Podcast.
Ep. 36 - Mohsina Saqeb: Creativity in Clothing Manufacturing
August 04, 2020 07:00 - 12 minutes - 12.7 MBMs. Mohseni Saqeb is the Founder and President of Jama Saqeb Design and Production Company in Afghanistan. She is a skilled business woman with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Jama's products in the clothing design sector combine new, classic and local designs such as formal, local and traditional clothing, handbags, pillow covers and mobile phones with new, classic and local designs. The company now provides services in different provinces and countries in America, Australia, ...
Ep. 35 - Florence Isaro: Reading in Rwanda
July 29, 2020 07:00 - 13 minutes - 13.4 MBEp. 35 - Florence Isaro is a passionate linguist who works as a translator with two bachelor’s degrees, one in Political Science and one in English-French translation. As an adult in Rwanda, she has seen firsthand how challenging it is for parents to get their children to and from the public library. Her very inspiring objective for her business, Books and Brains Ltd. is to create an enterprise that will not only help kids discover the power of books but will also make those books more acces...
Ep. 34 - Barbara Umumoza: We Are Feeding the People
July 24, 2020 07:00 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBBarbara Umuhoza is a pastor and the owner of Eclat Communications. She’s particularly dedicated to helping her country become a regional conference hub for east Africa. Her company has a wide spread of services, such as translation, content production, and social media usage. She talks about how COVID has changed the pastoral mission. She also has a new television station channel! LISTEN to her full episode 16 on Peace Through Business podcast.
Ep. 33-Sylvia Scott: Building the Girls CEO Connection
March 22, 2020 07:00 - 32 minutes - 31.5 MBAfter a long career in the fashion industry, Sylvia Scott was ready for a career pivot. New work led her to coordinating a mother-daughter entrepreneurship summit, and it was the springboard for a desire to help teen girls find a path to entrepreneurship. Her organization, the Girls CEO Connection, offers coaching, mentoring, and regular conferences that connect girls with business leaders and training in how to own their success. Her help hasn’t stopped there, as she also has been connect...
Ep. 32-Cathy Cruzan: Unexpected Joy of Mentorship
March 08, 2020 07:00 - 27 minutes - 25.7 MBAs president of Funds for Learning, Cathy Cruzan leads her the consultancy in assisting schools and libraries navigate the E-rate program, a critical source of discounts on Internet services. She has a broad portfolio at the company, overseeing their various business efforts. With this experience, she was an ideal mentor for the Peace Through Business program, where she was embraced the role of guiding rising business leaders from Rwanda in how to find success and grow their business. In t...
Ep. 31-Alyssa Weathers-Murphy: The Siren Call of Independence
March 01, 2020 07:00 - 29 minutes - 27 MBAlyssa Weathers-Murphy knows the dread of an unfulfilling corporate job. One day, it was finally time to put her considerable skills and passion to use on her own business, striking out to launch her own marketing agency. Nearly a year later, Siren Media is growing fast with an all-female team of close-knit creatives who help small businesses tell their stories and build success. Her team offers graphic and web design, social media content, search engine marketing, and other key services t...
Ep. 30-Ginger Sloan: Learning Due Diligence
February 23, 2020 07:00 - 29 minutes - 27.6 MBAfter Ginger Sloan had her first daughter, she was determined to work from home. On a whim, she answered a radio ad to become a medical transcriptionist, quickly finishing coursework and embarking on a new career. She grew a solo operation into Encore Medical Services, with a team of transcriptionists providing medical clients with rapid turnaround for their transcription needs. She’s learned the ups and downs of being a woman in the business world, gaining diligence in who to connect with...
Ep.29-Jan Hill: A Spirit Renewed Through Service
February 16, 2020 07:00 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBHair Salon owner Jan Hill spent years building a successful business and helping her employees achieve success. However, after contracting an illness that resulted in the loss of using her hands, she couldn’t do hairdresser work any longer. While she could still run the business, Hill wanted to channel energy elsewhere. She was connected to the Peace Through Business program, and encountered the life-changing experience of mentoring women from Rwanda. She’s worked on helping women gain b...
Ep. 28-Sonu Ratra: Two Suitcases and a Dream
February 09, 2020 07:00 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBSonu Ratra embodies the immigrant dream of coming to America and seeking success. She arrived from her native India with a pair of suitcases and just the money in her pockets as she and her husband came to chase new opportunities in the 90s in California’s Silicon Valley. Ratra recounts the journey that culminated in her founding of Akraya, a leader in IT consulting and digital enterprise staffing. Her company’s Women Back to Work program also helps companies tap into the overlooked talent...
Ep.27-Angelika Coghlan: Burn the Bridge of Hope
February 02, 2020 07:00 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MBBusiness success isn’t built on just hoping for the right outcome. That’s why consultant Angelika Coughlan is always telling her clients to burn that bridge of hope. Entrepreneurs must do the hard work of understanding who their customers are and what they care about. One of her most satisfying experiences with that message is extending it to women business owners in Rwanda with the Peace Through Business program. Through this mentorship she’s been inspired by how they take on challenging ...
Ep. 26-Mary Ruppert-Stroescu: Making Clothing Smarter
January 26, 2020 07:00 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBMary Ruppert-Stroescu believes clothing can play a role in improving health outcomes. A longtime fashion designer, she is passionate about the potential for EKG and other types of monitoring systems to be embedded in clothing, delivering better information to patients and doctors. She designed and manufactured her own clothing and owned a small boutique in Paris for years, part of her lifelong passion for fashion and design. She brings that experience to the Peace Through Business program,...
Ep. 25-Monica Smiley: Never Stop Being Inspired
January 19, 2020 07:00 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBAs editor and publisher of Enterprising Women Magazine, Monica Smiley knows the challenges women face in business. Yet what she’s seen here in the U.S. pales to the experiences of female entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and Rwanda. Their resilience and ability to succeed, however, leaves her continually inspired. Through her work with the Peace Through Business program, she’s helped mentor women through the unique challenges they face in their home country. In Afghanistan, women must still dea...
Ep.24-Karel Ford: The Role of Mentors
January 12, 2020 07:00 - 20 minutes - 19.3 MBThe Peace Through Business program provides women from Rwanda and Afghanistan with the essential skills they need to unleash their entrepreneurial potential. Karel Ford directs the mentorship side with the initiative, pairing up U.S.-based business leaders with women who are launching and building businesses, often in challenging and sometimes dangerous, circumstances. Ford describes how the women who enter the program thrive, building stronger partnerships with their American counterparts...
Ep. 23-Karel Ford: My Role in IEEW
January 05, 2020 07:00 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBKarel Ford wants to see women worldwide have the freedom and skills to start their own businesses. This is why she heads the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women, where she and her team mentor women in Rwanda and Afghanistan giving them valuable entrepreneurship skills to help them find success in their home country. Women in the program learn critical skills to launch their business, nurture its growth, and work within their political systems to achieve lasting change. Ford describ...
Ep. 22-Princesse Umutesiwase: Embrace the Challenges you Faced and Use them as Fuel for your Journey
December 29, 2019 07:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBPrincesses Umuntesiwase always got pushack from her brothers about how much she would be able to accomplish as a girl. Proving them wrong became paramount, and she worked hard through school to earn a scholarship at a university in Nairobi, then landing a job at the central bank of Rwanda. Yet the tug was strong for another achievement — owning her own business. With Legacy Brands, she has created a business with a vast variety of services, everything from branding and publishing to event ...
Ep 21-Chandelle Mutezintare: As a Woman Believe You Have the Power to Create and Succeed in Whatever You Do
December 24, 2019 14:00 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBFor Chandelle Mutezintare, it wasn’t always clear how she would break out of the traditional gender roles and one day own a business. With a young child and husband, she began going to school at night even though it at first caused friction at home. She was also met with unapproving professors who thought business wasn’t the place for her. She pushed through, gaining her husband’s support and getting a job at an internet service provider. Over time, Mutezintare found herself not getting th...
Ep. 20-Diane Murekatete: When We Have the Courage to Pursue all our Dreams, They Will Come True
December 21, 2019 14:00 - 11 minutes - 10.8 MBDiane Murkatete discovered the key to her success through trial and error. Her family was always focused on agriculture, and after a career in government service she and her husband decided to give farming a go. They purchased a large plot of land, hopeful to build a future for their four kids and to try something new after 15 years as a tax auditor.. When harvesting sweet potatoes she grew, it turned out they weren’t great for eating but made exceptional bread and biscuits. Through her co...
Ep. 19-Asterie Hitimana: You are your own Limit. Live Each Day with Passion
December 17, 2019 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.92 MBLike many families during the Rwandan genocide Asterie “Asty” Hitimana’s fleed to escape the violence, returning later to try and rebuild their lives and country. Growing up, Hitimana hada passion for fashion and design, dressing up dolls and helping her mom as she made clothing for the family of 12 children. Hitimana has taken that childhood passion and succeeded at turning it into a business. Her store, Twinkle by Asty, creates clothing for clients not only in Rwanda, but the U.S. and Eu...
Ep. 18-Sona Mahmody: Being an Entrepreneur is Seeing Opportunities Where Others Don't
December 14, 2019 14:00 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBBeing a businesswoman in Afghanistan isn’t easy, according to Sona Mahmody. She’s the owner of Rumi Trading LLC, a business that helps Afghan women export dried fruit, saffron, and nuts to eastern markets, with a goal of eventually expanding to the U.S. and Europe. The aim of her business is to promote the Afghan agricultural sector and its products, which has often been overlooked and had to break through in a difficult market. Her products come about from a combination of her own efforts...
Ep. 17-Aisha Haguma: Focus on Your Dream
December 10, 2019 19:00 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBGrowing up, Aisha Haguma had to do a lot of fending for herself. She lost her parents in the Rwanda genocide, and lived with her aunt and extended family. Yet that experience gave her the strength and courage to be independent. She’s grown into an entrepreneur as the owner of a supermarket, Alimentation Le Panier. The spark for beginning her own journey to entrepreneurship was trips to Dubai, where she was enamored with the clothing and began to sell items that she purchased on the journey...
Ep.16-Barbara Umuhoza: Pastor and Successful Communications Business Owner
December 07, 2019 14:00 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBDeep and meaningful conversation is at the core of what Barbara Umuhoza believes can connect and heal others. This vision drove her as a pastor and has been continued with her as the business owner of Eclat Communications. With her pastoral background, integrity is essential to how she runs this firm, which is dedicated to helping with their marketing and promotional strategy. She’s particularly dedicated to helping her country become a regional conference hub for east Africa. Her company ...
Ep.15-Angel Mutoni: Music Can Set You Free
December 03, 2019 14:00 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBAs a child, Angel Mutoni admired her father’s musical talents. It was one of many sources of connection she clung to in her childhood as she coped with the loss of her mother. Mutoni’s father released an album and did a number of performances during those years, while also giving the family a rich experience of living abroad and a stint as a diplomat in Canada. Even with his encouragement, it would be a while before Mutoni would embrace her own talents and become an artist in her own right...
Ep. 14-Freshta Sarwaree: Always try to Achieve your Goals
November 30, 2019 14:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBFreshta Sarwaree has an immense passion to build economic security and independence for women in Afghanistan. She does this through her business and school, building a support network for the women in her community.. Sarwaree’s company, Green Choice, provides processed food, fruit, and spices for her customers. She has an all-women team, part of her desire to build women's independence and sense of purpose in the workforce. Her life experience is a true asset to her community. She lived ...
Ep. 13-Frida Kansime: Your Dreams Become a Reality with Determination and Hard Work
November 26, 2019 14:00 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MBFrida Kansime was only three years old when her family was forced to flee due to the Rwandan genocide. When her family returned, she learned she had lost her grandmother and other members of her family. With her close family and support system, she was able to build a life through achievement at university, culminating with an MBA. After spending time in the workforce, she reached a point where she grew tired of her job and knew it was time for a new opportunity. At only 28 years old, she ...
Ep.12-Nazila Kakar: Be Independent, Focus on your Vision and Fight for It
November 23, 2019 14:00 - 4 minutes - 4.34 MBNazila Kakar is realizing the dream of being a woman business owner in Afghanistan. She’s tapped into the agricultural resources of the country to build a food company, producing yogurt, cheese, butter, james, and pickles. Her mom made jams and pickles when she was young, and it’s been satisfying to transform that into a sustainable business. Like many women business owners in Afghanistan, she faces challenges acquiring credit and battling bias against women in the workforce. She’s sought ...
Ep. 11-Yvette Muhayemariya: Adversity is the test of strong women
November 19, 2019 14:00 - 7 minutes - 7.06 MBYvette Muhayemariya is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, losing many members of her family. As time went on, she found a sense of purpose in creating her own identity and owning her future by starting her own business. It grew out of struggle she experienced when building her home, realizing a need for businesses that sold construction materials. While her business has grown, it’s had a set of challenges such as ensuring suppliers deliver on time and taking a chance on customers by exten...
Ep.10-Agnes Mukamushinja: As an Entrepreneur you Fail When You Choose to Give Up
November 16, 2019 14:00 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBAgnes Muhanus owns Nova Coffee, which is grown in the volcanic regions of Rwanda. As a mom to four children, she is an example to her family about how a woman can build a successful business and make her own path. Her husband offers advice on agriculture, and is sometimes needed for obtaining credit due to existing cultural attitudes about lending solely to women. Yet the business is going strong, selling coffee to European, Asian, and American markets. The coffee off season doesn’t stop...
Ep.9-Priscilla Umutashya Ruzibuka: Building a Children's Fashion Brand in Rwanda
November 12, 2019 14:00 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBFrom an early age Umutasha Ruzibuka developed an eye for clothing and fashion from a family housemaid in Rwanda. As a little girl she was able to model to experience how clothing can powerfully shape how one feels. This experience stuck with her, and she would develop a passion for clothing and helping other women by founding Ki-pepeo Kids Clothing, a children’s apparel store with a focus on fashionable options for kids and empowering female employees to build greater autonomy with their c...
Ep. 8-Rachel Kakize: Saving lives keeps me motivated
November 09, 2019 14:00 - 9 minutes - 9.11 MBRachel Kakize saw a problem that needed to be fixed. After high school she started working in the medical field and noticed a regular lack of essential supplies available. She was inspired to take action by forming her own medical supply company, PrimeMad Technologies LTD. As a Rwanda businesswoman, she speaks about the hope she has for her country and the role she is playing in helping to rebuild the nation's structure after the horrors of the genocide. As a businesswoman, she is playing ...
Ep.4-Hasina Aimaq: Growing Up in Her Brave Mother's Burqa
November 05, 2019 14:00 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBHasina Aimaq’s father died in Afghanistan, leaving his wife and a daughter. Girls were not allowed to go to school or study under the Taliban. Her mother took her to a house who taught children and always hid Hasina under her burqa since both would have been killed if discovered. She talks about how men feared educating women because “they might not listen to us anymore.” Finally, when the Taliban left, she was able to go to school. her mother sat outside the school gate all day for 12 years...
Ep. 3-Judith Mutamba: Medals for Hand-to-Hand Combat
November 05, 2019 14:00 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBJudith Mutamba recalls at a very early age losing her father and four siblings due to the uprising in Rwanda. She wanted to be in Rwanda and wanted Rwanda to be free, so at a young age she was one of the first to to join the fighting. She heard that if you got training, the instructor would make you his wife. They thought she had served in the military in Uganda, but instead she trained herself and “added some age” to her 14 years so she would be accepted. It was guerilla fighting with hand-...
Ep. 6-Jeannette Gakwandi: We Develop Courage by Surviving Difficult Times
November 05, 2019 14:00 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBThe start to young Jeannette Gakwandi’s life was beyond tragic - her parents and siblings were killed in the Rwanda genocide. It was the remainder of her fractured family who sustained her and nourished her to find a path forward. While much of her story is painful, Gakwandi’s inner strength is palpable in this interview. One way to overcome her experience was a vow one day build a house of her own. Her ambition then grew to make this skill a livelihood, slowly and meticulously learning th...
Ep. 7-Manizha Wafeq: Creating Peace And Well-being Through Business IS Women’s Rights
November 05, 2019 14:00 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBMenizha Wafeqh was raised by her parents to believe that women could be strong, confident, and achieve great things. She’s put that ethos to work in her life as an advocate for women in her native Afghanistan, who often face discrimination. Wafeqh is the co-founder and president of Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which supports women in their entrepreneurial pursuits. She has spent almost two decades working with governments to assist women in business, leading seminars f...
Ep.5-Chantal Munanayire: From Genocide Survivor to Woman of Courage
November 05, 2019 14:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBChantal Munanayire lost her mother, sisters, and other members of her family in the Rwanda genocide. Yet she was determined to build a life and overcome the tragedy, doing so in a society where women have to work extremely hard to enter into business and entrepreneurship. In this episode she describes how a typical happenstance, the need to fix her car, became the catalyst she needed to move forward with building a business. Chantal became a female repair garage owner — extremely rare in R...
Ep. 2-Nan McKay: My Life-Changing Experience
November 05, 2019 14:00 - 5 minutes - 5.19 MBWhen attending the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS PROGRAM® training sponsored by the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women, podcast host Nan McKay intended to record an episode with the organization’s founder and then return back to her regular schedule with the Trailblazers Impact podcast. Instead she met so many inspiring women who had overcome life-shattering tragedy, she was compelled to tell their stories. The business women are connected with a mentor who equips them with leadership an...
Ep.1-Terry Neese: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in the Developing World
October 30, 2019 15:50 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBTerry Neese is a prolific entrepreneur who is dedicated to mentoring women both locally and abroad in starting their own businesses and turning their ambitions into reality. As founder of the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW), her organization has grown a network of women business owners in Afghanistan and Rwanda who are provided with leadership skills and business strategies to reach their goals. In this episode, Neese talks about her Oklahoma upbringing and what she lear...