Fab Giovanetti [00:00:00]:
Have you dreamt of building a brand that stands not just for profit, but for purpose, people, and unyielding passion? Well, today's episode is all about vision, mission, and the magic of hope. I'm chuffed to bits to introduce you to a star student of ours, a true visionary, an AMS graduate from 2022, Umwolika Ngozi Okonjom. She's not just a graduate. Umwolika is the force beyond Igerica, an edtech gem enabling folks to learn from the best African Afrodisparic minds. We'll dive deep into the hearth of building a community that feels like home. How do you make space for every voice? Every little bit of feedback will answer that question. But also, how do you shape a brand that resonates with every heartbeat of your mission and a gentle reminder that we all need. Hope isn't just an emotion.

Fab Giovanetti [00:00:48]:
It's a discipline. It's a commitment. And Walica will share her wisdom on fostering hope even when the going gets tough because goodness knows if we need that sometimes. Ready for a dose of inspiration, strategy, and a whole lot of heart? May this class begin. I really missed actually, I'm gonna I mean I mean I'm gonna dive deep into this bit as well. But it's one of those things where I realize actually how much time passes and we don't realize. I'm saying this because the reason why I got in touch with you aside from just checking in how you are, which I'm doing my best with all my graduates, but I I just saw a lot of things coming out for you and, you know, I realized that has been such an evolution, which we'll talk about throughout for sure, but of, the beginning of the seed that we wanted to create and, obviously, the reason why you joined us for the certification and then coming to actually coming into fruition and also starting to launch opportunities for your community to actually get the training and the support they need. But it's funny how time works, and I'm sure it feels the same to you.

Fab Giovanetti [00:01:58]:
Right? Like, it feels like it's been 5 minutes since you graduated and since you're done with that, and then you start in your process but also feels forever since you've been working on the next steps, right?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:02:08]:
Yeah. Yeah. It definitely does. I do think the time has passed really, really quickly. And when I, you know, joined the program, it really was just the, you know, very small seed of an idea, and it was one of joining the course was one of the first things I did To really kind of, like, make it real, to invest in myself, and to invest in this idea, and, like, actually try and Move it into being. Yeah. It's it's crazy how things have just kind of, evolved, so quickly. And partly, that's been because I felt a lot more confident to kind of just go full steam ahead.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:02:43]:
And one of the things that I've just been learning, like, being an entrepreneur and, You know, is is that you do have to pick up skills really fast. And so the resources that you can gather, you know, around you, the the teachers that you have, The the courses that you take, they're all immensely valuable. And it's, like, also dedicated time where I can just, like, Focus on focus on building because I was working at the time as well. So it was like, this is my dedicated space to really just be pouring into a Jujiro cap, you know, at the very early stages. So, yeah, I really appreciate it. And it's it's crazy how quickly how quickly things have gone.

Fab Giovanetti [00:03:21]:
It's so important what you mentioned and thank you so much for sharing actually about that, you know, balance between investing ourselves and also then making the time time and then remembering that we're also spending a ton building actually our ideas and the next steps. And I wanna ask you since I know that now you're also starting to support people, which is so starting with, obviously, the next steps themselves, which we'll get to in a moment for sure. I wanna ask you, what would you say to somebody it. We're also having that seed of an idea, as you mentioned you had yourself, is struggling to take that next step. What would you mention to your community as well if If you wanted to give them that helping hand on that reminder.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:03:58]:
I actually watched something earlier today. It was a TikTok with, I don't know if you know Candace Bratwaite. I think that's how you pronounce her name. She was talking about being unrealistic, and how important it is to be unrealistic. And I think that a lot of the time when we have an idea, we get caught up in, like, how is this actually, you know, trying to think 10 steps ahead And figure out how, you know yeah. Basically, just going through all the problems and all the reasons why it shouldn't exist, couldn't exist, why it's gonna be difficult. And I think that being unrealistic is actually really important. Sometimes you just need to be like, you know, I'm just gonna do it.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:04:35]:
With what at the end of the day, really, what do you have to lose? You don't really have that much to lose. I mean, maybe depending on what you're building, maybe a little bit of cash, maybe a little bit of time and sleep, but you gain so much more from just diving in even if you fail. The way that you grow and the things that it could lead to just make it worth it. So I would say, like, be unrealistic And also just know that, like, there really isn't any downside, especially if you're pacing yourself. So yeah.

Fab Giovanetti [00:05:09]:
It's kind of interesting because I love the idea of the different connotation of words and what words means as well. And it's kind of the idea that we think about unrealistic and we think about something negative, but then it's kind of flipping it on its head as well and thinking about it has, like, that little fuel to be okay. That is not almost that impossible kind of idea and they're like, what is really impossible anyway and kind of flipping it on its head too And kind of going back to that and just try and push ourselves to build something new. Because at the end of the day, you have been building something completely new as well. I'll let you actually explain that a bit too because we kinda planted the seeds about you planting the seed and what you wanted to build and and the community and and the courses as well that are coming out of it. So we'd love for you to give us a bit of, insights on the origin, actually, of your journey from, again, to say, leaving the job now, yay, and starting taking the next steps.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:06:03]:
Yeah. So Ejeruka is a pan African digital learning community. I launched it at the beginning of this year, 2023, but I kind of been working on it throughout 2022. And initially it's kind of a culmination of different things because initially I just kind of saw like What is happening in the world in the sense of, like, you know, there are really big challenges that we're facing, not just as people of African descent, which is, You know, who the platform is is primarily sort of, like, geared towards. But just in general, I think there are really important conversations happening. And I saw that people are seeking out increasingly spaces to learn about that and also and but from a point of view that is, like, Hopeful, grounded in reality, but hopeful. And that equips you with a sense that you can actually do something about it. I had the had the opportunity to curate courses for another platform that I think was doing an amazing job, but a lot of their audience was Older white women and absolutely fine.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:07:08]:
But I just saw the need to kind of, like, create something that spoke directly to my community as well and to open up those opportunities and so Ejerika, like the entire idea is uplifting the wealth of wisdom people of African descent around the world Hold, especially in relation to the most compelling questions of our time, whether it is the impacts of AI and on technology and society Or climate change or even just social relationships and cultures and the ways that we are evolving as human beings and what it takes to build better societies, Platforming voices that we don't usually get to hear from but are incredibly wise and profound and doing so in a way that makes people feel Comfortable, welcome, celebrated in their own identities. And I think that it's it's been going really well so far. It's become more than just the courses themselves. It really is about the community. And it's just crazy how, like, taking the sort of Simple marketing principles that I learned has just kind of catalyzed because it's really just found, like, I I've been so surprised because obviously being a startup, You don't have a ton of budget to be able to spend 1,000 and 1,000 and 1,000 of dollars on ad spend. It's just a little bit. But, like, knowing how to, like, you know, Share our story and our message and positioning things in a particular way, and then obviously some more strategic planning. Ejerika has just naturally found its you know, the right people or the right people have found us.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:08:42]:
And so Yeah. It's been growing very very quickly and, I'm just really excited about, like, the community that's being built Kind of on its own as as well. Like, I'm here, but, like, it's, like, almost beyond me in a sense.

Fab Giovanetti [00:08:56]:
You know that the best community hosts in the best communities actually are the ones where the host knows how to step up when it's needed but also step back to become the facilitator of the conversations that are happening, which I'm sure at some point in some regards I mentioned probably in our, community design lesson because I'm really passionate about it because I think there's so many misconceptions about what communities are supposed to be or can be. And so it sounds like naturally it just happened through what you've built because of the understanding of what why you wanted to build which I think it's so important.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:09:30]:
Yeah. I definitely see myself as a facilitator more than anything else. And I think that, like, just Within weeks so we have like live courses, as well as like workshops and events. And, what I've noticed is that, you know, I curate my role is a Facilitator and a curator. So I curate the space. I bring people together, and I share the sort of core values and message and principle. Like, how why is the space here and how do we wanna kind of hold it. And that's really the most that I need to do.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:10:02]:
I might sort of, like kinda like a conductor, Like, you know, help conduct things a little bit. But for the most part, people even have started to request to form their own peer groups and Their own conversations and share resources with each other. And I think that that's the power of, like, you know, once you do have that core message and mission And it resonates with people. Like, you're able to communicate it, and it resonates with people, and the right people are drawn to it. You don't actually need to do a ton To then kind of, like, keep hammering it home. They will just kind of take it on themselves, and run with it. And I guess, like, that's how the community grows.

Fab Giovanetti [00:10:40]:
That is such an important point as well and it goes back to the idea of learning and listening as well, which, dare I say, is a very understated skill for marketers and also entrepreneurs because it can be hard to find the balance between taking a time to listen and understand and implement. I was gonna say it was, like, implement and at the same time actually then being able to act and and change and, obviously, and keep on going. You know, as you say, like, boost start boost trapped startups. That's the word. You know, we do what we gotta do in order to keep on going, but I think that reflection piece, and the listening piece is so important, which leads me to the bad news that we're not gonna be back in class. I'm so sorry, but you're teaching today so we're fine. So class is in session right now. I got a couple of questions for you.

Fab Giovanetti [00:11:31]:
And for once, I'm gonna step back from my teaching chair. Not that I have a teaching chair. That will be interesting though. And I'm actually gonna ask some questions. And I'm sure that some of these lessons will come from just experience that you've had with Ejerika, like, so far. And so the first one, which is one of my favorite questions is, what is the one thing that you can teach our fellow listeners and students and fellow graduates in a minute or so that is related to your journey. It can be about the entrepreneurial journey. It can be the marketing element, or it can even just be about the community, something that you learn from that.

Fab Giovanetti [00:12:06]:
What will be one practical thing that you can teach others that they can take and maybe do for themselves as well?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:12:12]:
Yeah. I I think so. The thing that I really, really love is, you know, how to build a brand that is rooted in a mission, Like a purposeful a purpose led, business, and make it beautiful as well. I think that's probably that's probably What I'm figuring out that I'm I'm pretty good at. You know, I think business can sometimes, especially the way that it's traditionally been taught, Can feel a little bit cold at times or at least that has been the, I guess, predominant narrative. Like, you have men in suits and, like, You know, like, you have to be you you make just decisions based on money and the bottom line and things like that. But it's actually, I see it as being, like, the entrepreneurial journey as being almost kind of like my form of artistic or creative expression, And that makes it so much more fulfilling for me. And the biggest part of that is actually learning how to Build a brand that is oriented around a core set of values and a core mission, and that I can you can continuously return to.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:13:18]:
And, I think when you have that, like, what I've noticed is, like, I don't really have to say much, like, whether it's our teachers that are, you know, we're asking to be part of our programs, Our our, like, customers who are co learners and community members, they automatically kind of say it themselves. Like the first thing they always say to me is like, your branding Really resonates. That's probably my that's probably my gift right now.

Fab Giovanetti [00:13:44]:
That is a grace. I mean, I'm reading between the lines, but that to me is, like, one of the gifts of creativity as well and the artistic expression. And it doesn't have to to be that way. I just wanna say for anybody who's sitting there and I'm like, I'm a marketer or I'm a creator or I'm an entrepreneur, and I don't have that streak. I'm the analytical one. I'm like, cool. Cool, boo. I'm the same, actually.

Fab Giovanetti [00:14:04]:
I have one side that is very analytical and then one side that is very creative. And just like yourself, I feel eventually we're rooted into our brand. And I just wanna add to that because I agree your branding is really unique, and I can release, which is beautiful. You can see it straight away. It jumps out. But for us, it took a bit longer. I just wanna say for anybody who's also finding that as a challenge, it took us 2 years to get AMS to actually have the branding that what's needed for it to have to actually represent what it wants to be. And eventually, people now are saying, oh, I went to your website and it looks so cool.

Fab Giovanetti [00:14:37]:
Oh my god. Yes. I can see the branding. That is so you. And it took us a bit longer, but we got there. So it is worthwhile exploring that. And I love the fact that the mission or the purpose or who you wanna be and how you want your audience to see themselves in the representation, whether it is on social, whether it's in the images, whether it is in the wording. It really then connects them deeper to you.

Fab Giovanetti [00:15:01]:
They see themselves in that and that they're more willing to take the next step, which I think is really, really powerful as well. And now I wanna look at some of the things that you have learned in the last year or so, we'll say. Is there a tactic, a framework, a strategy that you learned from somebody else this time that stood out to you. What would that one be?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:15:23]:
Yeah. I I think, like, I didn't use to think about funnels Until until I joined Art Marketing School's course, I had never thought about the concept of front funnels. And the funny thing is that, like, I, like, do a lot of, like, journey mapping and things like that. So it's you know, it would have made sense to think of marketing in that sense. So So I think have actually having a comprehensive funnel and actually being able to to think about, like, what are the different touch points and what are the different messages, that your target audience will receive at those stages and what the what type of information they're looking for is really valuable. And to couple it with, like, different types of marketing, I guess, outputs or strategies. So, like, social media is, Like, a lot of our, community members come from social media. You know, Instagram, especially, that might be their 1st interaction.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:16:18]:
And then, You know, wanting to give them an actual experience of, you know, what EJureka is about, especially as a courses or event space type of type of platform. So giving people just like a little snippet of that in a free program that's maybe shorter than like, you know, our our longer courses. And, yeah, it's just a nice way to engage. So, yeah, I'd say, like, the the tactic that I've learned is having a a clear funnel, and in that funnel, just having, like, different approaches. And one of those approaches is like give things away for free. Like, give knowledge away, experiences away. Like, just, like, be generous in in how you interact with your you don't lose anything from it.

Fab Giovanetti [00:17:00]:
It's a daily podcast dance. Whenever somebody says, like I always get my little daily podcast dance. It just happens. Because this is something super important, which is about being generous with your knowledge. And it's so interesting as 2 platforms are very educational driven and knowledge driven. You feel like you can't or you shouldn't or you don't want to give away some of your most valuable information for free. You feel a bit worried about that. And there's an element of quote, unquote, unquote, unquote, gatekeeping.

Fab Giovanetti [00:17:29]:
You're like, oh, maybe I shouldn't. But, actually, I heard it first a couple of months back in a video, And now I keep repeating it to everybody else as well. Actually, giving away your most valuable content for free can be really, really powerful, especially when you are obviously a content information driven business and company. Because at the end of the day, people will come to you for the support, knowledge, accountability. Those other elements of the experience. So it's actually just giving them the understanding and the trust that you have the information that they're looking for. And it's a balance and it's a very fine balance to actually go beyond, like, those fears because they can be fierce. So thank you for mentioning that because being generous with the knowledge that you give away.

Fab Giovanetti [00:18:12]:
It's really powerful. And as you say, if you tap it tap and adapt it with the stage of the funnel that your audience is in, you actually build a gentle journey that then takes them to actually wanna commit. And I find that is the balance between the 2. So I'm really glad that we introduced our very specially shaped funnels because they're not the traditional funnels. But as you said, they are still a journey. So it's a journey in itself that is beautiful. Now since we're both teachers in our own right since we're both teaching and educating and supporting people. This is one of my favorite questions, but I'm really excited to ask it to you because I wanna see what comes up, which is what is something that you have unlearned recently, and how did it improve the quality of your life or work?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:18:59]:
I'm currently in the process of, not unlearned yet, but in the process of unlearning A hyperfixation on money. I think, like, it's really important, obviously, like, if you are an entrepreneur or someone who's building a business, to have The mindset of trying to be profitable and sustainable and all of those things. But what I've realized is that when you fixate on it, You are less likely to take risks. You're less likely to actually do the things that will generate that income, that will draw people towards you. And it almost kind of produces like a, a fear based mindset when really what you need to pour your energy and attention into yes. Do the strategic work and all that stuff. But, like, what you need to pour your energy and attention into is the content, the the experience, The customer service, like all of these, the marketing, like all of these things that actually will help you grow as opposed to just like kind of Like, fixating on the numbers. It obviously is like a balance at times.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:20:05]:
Like, you do need to be con conscious of that and you need to be, like, you know, on top of it and everything. But I think there's so much more to there's so much more to, like, building Something, than just, you know, the the the numb the money will come, basically. Like, that's what I've realized. It's it's it's gonna come. Like, you just need to actually focus on producing the best possible experience and and product or platform or whatever it is that you're building for The audience and understanding them and their needs and their interests.

Fab Giovanetti [00:20:36]:
What do you find are some of the practical ways for you to get that feedback and that understanding. You sprinkle a few in as well, Monica, which I love. But I was thinking, is there anything, like a couple of of the ones that really worked for you when it comes to your community.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:20:54]:
Like getting feedback? Yeah. Okay. Well, so the first thing is, people need to know that you actually are interested in receiving feedback. So, like, as many times as you possibly can, like, just keep Reiterating that that's something you care about. Like, people don't know that, you know, you are You're a person who cares about what they have to say until you tell them. And that goes for like any, you know, aspect of life. So you have to, you have to make that clear. And then I think, like, creating, making it as easy as possible and making it as inviting as possible.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:21:26]:
So I what I've done is like, You know, on our website, we might have integrations, things like Hotjar or, you know, mini surveys, things like that that just pop up and are simple, like, 1 to 2 questions. Also, the ability to schedule calls and even if it's 15 minutes. But again, like, that thing of generosity. Okay. If if I have a 15 minute slot where, You know, someone has asked to, you know, speak with me. Don't have a hard out necessarily. Obviously, this can be hard with calendars. But, like, If someone is expressing to you, if if someone who's a potential customer or an existing customer is excited about what you're doing and they wanna tell you The reasons why they're excited or what you need what you could improve, what ideas they have.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:22:09]:
You know, I think, like, being generous with the time that you allow for that Can be really valuable because you don't know what it could what could come of it. And so I think it's like a combination of, like, use the tools that you have at your disposal. Things like Upjar. Tali is a is another great, like, free if you can't you know, if you don't wanna pay for a type form, Tali is a great is a great, You know, form builder that I use all the time. I'm just looking for free tools like that to, to give people the opportunity to give feedback. And then also make space and time in your calendar. Send people a link so they can book a call with you And just speak. It doesn't necessarily have to always be a call because you're planning to sell to them.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:22:53]:
It could just be, like, You know, a conversation. That's that's worked really well for me.

Fab Giovanetti [00:22:59]:
I don't really need dance again when you mentioned Tally because is great because it also integrates with Notion, which makes me very happy. Let bring everything back into one place. And I'm actually gonna go a bit deeper into this point. Maybe maybe the tip will come back from that, which is I love the mentions of the feedback and especially feedback that can be related also to what you do and also understanding people's needs and their openness. How have you found you were able to get feedback all clarity around whether the mission and the purpose and the vision or what you've been trying to build was, like, with the Jericho was actually clear to your audience because that's another thing. We talk about brands rooted a mission and vision that is strong, which is what we do and what we teach as well. But I find that sometimes we know our story, we know our mission, but how do we know that it hits home? Because it and then from the sound of it, it does hit home for your audience, has always been the case? What did you actually need to get their input to make sure that it would also be a meeting of the 2. You know?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:23:59]:
Yeah. Definitely. I think this is actually the most difficult thing because, even for me, like, I can be quite long winded. So So when you're when you're building a brand around the social purpose, you can have, like, I wanna change the world, and so there's so much that Go into it and you can end up, you know, sharing a brand story or a mission or whatever that's very complex and maybe may not hit the way that you I would expect it to. For Ijeruka, it's been a lot of iteration. Like, just trying to, like, simplify, really kinda get To the point, I think I had a mission statement that was like a paragraph before before. And so, you know, just kinda like to whittle it down. But to the question about, like, where did the 2 intersect? I think you don't know until you actually put something out there.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:24:50]:
So, like, when we first started, I had, like, my own idea. I, like, came up with the mission, vision, all these different things, messaging. And you don't actually know if people are going to respond to it or even get what you're trying to say until you put it out. And then I think once it's out there, I listen to for the people that it does draw, I listen to what how they're describing it in their own words. Basically, like, Taking, you know, what my customers are saying and then editing our messaging to basically reflect their own words back to them. And, again, like, because I obviously as the as someone who works in the company or, you know, as part of this building this, I I know what the essence of what I'm trying to create, so I might do some tweaks and things like that to elevate it. You just have to listen Listen to, like, what people are saying in their own words and maybe actually ask people directly, like, you even if you haven't launched, like, you can tell them your idea, explain it to them in, as, you know, the best way that you possibly can, and then ask them to say tell you what they heard Or what they think it is, right, or what they would be drawn to and then refine based on that. I think other things that are really valuable is looking at I think looking at, like, what your peers are doing.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:26:10]:
So for Ijiruka, it's interesting because we don't have, like, necessarily a direct Pierre, which is part of why I started the platform because there wasn't anything like it that exists. But they're definitely, like, smaller communities that are doing things that are, You know, similar resonant. I look at, like, how have they communicated. And so I think, like, drawing from Because we're gonna share similar audiences. So I think even trying to not copy for sure, but, like, look at what is working and what even you may be drawn to in the messaging of, like, other people, that are doing something similar to you.

Fab Giovanetti [00:26:46]:
One of my favorite bits At all times is about that kind of odd I call it like the the audience actually telling you which words twos, which is actually using your audience's words and reflecting it back to them. That's one of my favorite pieces when it comes to the kind of audience and persona and understanding of your audience that we tend to forget. We tend to a lot of other variables that we wanna focus on. And that can be great when it comes to some elements of what we're trying to build. But when it comes, as you say, to, missions and visions. And also, love that you shared about the mission statement being really long because I mean, apology everybody. I don't remember exactly, but I know that at the very least, 70% of the students, whenever they send me through the mission statement from the assignment, I'm like, it's too long. And then but it's because a lot of us are passionate.

Fab Giovanetti [00:27:35]:
It's our things. Our vision is something that we love. But it's natural for us to actually define that that it's really long, and it's great to have a version of that because then we can just say we can whittle it down. And the more the, you know, the more impactful it is actually is when there are a couple of words that really jump out because that's what your audience gonna remember. That's a great reminder of that. So I'm really glad that you mentioned that too because, you know, I say it and I know that I say it, but I'm not the only one. So thank you very much for that. We're into quick fire now.

Fab Giovanetti [00:28:06]:
We had a nice little stroll all around the ups and downs of community building and entrepreneurship and branding. But now it's time for quick fire.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:28:16]:
Okay.

Fab Giovanetti [00:28:16]:
And, Ulrike, are you ready?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:28:18]:
I'm ready.

Fab Giovanetti [00:28:20]:
Okay. Two choices. You keep the one that you like the most. Mhmm. Spotify playlist or podcast.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:28:30]:
Oh, Spotify playlist. Yeah.

Fab Giovanetti [00:28:35]:
Was it a hard one?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:28:37]:
It was hard. Yeah. It was hard.

Fab Giovanetti [00:28:39]:
What is a podcast that you've been listening to recently that, like, was kinda, like, made you kinda think, mhmm.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:28:47]:
I really like the diary of the CEO. Yeah. I think it just has really great guests on there. So, yeah, it's a really good podcast.

Fab Giovanetti [00:28:56]:
Excellent recommendation. Excellent choice. But we still got for Spotify playlist which again still very close to my heart is a hard one. I know we started hard. We might ease up now with another one. Voice notes or texts? Text. Straight on. Very easy this one.

Fab Giovanetti [00:29:17]:
Next, carousels or reels?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:29:22]:
I'm a carousel person but reels are very effective.

Fab Giovanetti [00:29:27]:
That's actually where I go back with a follow-up question then which is, does this change depending on whether you are creating the carousels and the rills or you are consuming them? Or would you the answer will be the same for both.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:29:39]:
I think I actually prefer carousels. I think they can be more informative, and I people can do really cool things with the designs. If I mean, I also I yeah. I'm not a reels person as much. I think video content is awesome, but I kinda, like, Prefer to look at, carousels on Instagram anyways. But on TikTok, I'm all for the video content.

Fab Giovanetti [00:30:02]:
Yeah. I love it. So it depends on where we are as well. I see. I see. So actually going back to video, I think I know the answer now. TikTok or YouTube?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:30:12]:
That's hard.

Fab Giovanetti [00:30:12]:
Oh, no. Oh, no.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:30:16]:
It's actually hard. YouTube. Oh, man. That was great. I'm a new TikTok, but I love it. Okay. Can it be a tie? It's a tie.

Fab Giovanetti [00:30:27]:
We have our 1st tie ever. I I I'm not I'm not joking. We have our 1st tie ever. Okay. I'll take the tie. I'll take the tie. But we can do a tie for the Swanden. We we use our Thai bonus.

Fab Giovanetti [00:30:39]:
Meme or GIF?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:30:41]:
GIF. Yeah.

Fab Giovanetti [00:30:46]:
That's my team. That's my team. I'm always I'm always up for gift team and then says memes. I'm like, no. I still love you. It's still totally fine, but gifts is a special place to my heart. So excellent. I'm really, really glad.

Fab Giovanetti [00:30:58]:
It just I think a gift work in so many ways. I can say so many things. Obviously, memes are a very specific kind of scenario, which is super fun, but, you know, a good gift is a 1,000 words. Yeah. I use a lot of the problem with me is, like, I use a lot of the most random I go from Parks and Rec all the way to The Office, all the way to get some random pop culture and then puppies. There's literally no rhyme reasons for my meme for my gift. Sorry. I don't know if that's the same, but I actually have a GIF folder full of GIFs that I can use at any given time.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:31:28]:
It's the same for me. It's the same for me. Although lately, I also really like, sharing TikToks as my reaction stuff. Like, so yeah. I've been I'm I'm one of those people that downloads TikToks and shares them And just has a folder of TikToks now. So

Fab Giovanetti [00:31:44]:
Oh my god. Yes. Okay. That's next level. That so that should be the quick fire. It should have the adoption of, like, TikTok reactions. I might have to add that too as well. So thank you.

Fab Giovanetti [00:31:52]:
That's a that's a great idea, actually. I got 2 more questions. 1 is if you were to describe all marketing school having experienced it yourself in one word. Which word would you choose?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:32:07]:
There's so many things, but, I'm gonna say fun. I think, obviously, Informative and all these other things. I'm cheating a little bit. But at at the core of it, like, the experience was actually fun. And I think that that comes down to your personality as well. So, you know and the the it's infused into into alt marketing school. So, Yeah.

Fab Giovanetti [00:32:32]:
I'll take that. I'll take that. Thank you. And it goes back to what we said at the beginning. Just to reiterate, it's generally, like, whether it's community but sometimes when isn't a course or it's an experience, a lot of who we are actually kinda comes across even when you then let your students shine which I hope It's still what I managed to achieve every single time that we show up with the court. It's just allowing you to create the connections and talk to each other and learn from each other. But still, you know, you kind of add a bit of yourself so that the the the students or your community are motivated to show up and to commit and to And to talk to each other, you know? So I'm really, really glad. Now though, I'm gonna actually finish with a bit of a hard one because I'm gonna bestow upon your power.

Fab Giovanetti [00:33:18]:
I'm gonna give you a power. And, Monica, you have a very special power which is the power to send 1 message to everybody on their phone. So if you could broadcast 1 message onto everybody's phone, what would that message say.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:33:35]:
I okay. Well, so this is the core message for Ejerika that I I just think is is needed right now, which is that hope is a discipline. And so, you know, we we're in crazy times right now in the world. And I think that, like, what we need is, like, you know, hope and, like, joy and, you know, just all the good things. But also, it's it's it's something that you have to Actively cultivate in the ways that you, you know, build your the people around you, the community, what you invest in, like, in terms of, like, how you pour into yourself, Whether that's the types of courses that you're taking or the things that you do in your free time. Like, all of these things are are are, you know, you're practicing Practicing nurturing hope, in my opinion. So I would say that, you know, hope is powerful and it is a discipline would be my message to the world, basically. Yeah.

Fab Giovanetti [00:34:28]:
That's a good one. And that's and, you know, that that's a powerful one as well that is almost like a reminder. You know? It should be set as a message and then added to your reminders as well. It's like a lot of other things. I I genuinely believe and I agree with you that it's important to find, you know, to to reconnect with ourselves and tap into whether it's hope, whether it's gratitude, whether it's combination of both. Sometimes even kindness, I think, can be a bit of a discipline towards ourselves and others. So I absolutely love the message. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Fab Giovanetti [00:34:57]:
Now if anybody we'd love to connect with you and Ijerika and find out more about how to get involved. Can you please please please tell us where they should go?

Anwulika Okonjo [00:35:07]:
Yeah. Awesome. So you can find Ijeruka, which is spelled I jeruka on Instagram, which is, like, our main social media home, but also on LinkedIn, just with our name. And also, ijiruka.com. I'm actually very Excited because we have our new website coming soon. So that's gonna be our little digital playground. And now we'll have the dedicated community, the, space as well. So there's lots of really exciting things coming.

Fab Giovanetti [00:35:37]:
Thank you so so much for taking the time. It's been pleasure to catch up as always, and I cannot wait to see all the next iteration of Ejerika and wherever this is gonna lead you.

Anwulika Okonjo [00:35:47]:
Thank you so much, Fab. It was great speaking with you and catching up.

Fab Giovanetti [00:35:50]:
In the meantime, please go and check out Ejerika and everything that Amulya and all the team is up to. For now, as always, it's been a pleasure. Class dismissed.