Inspire In Half an Hour

What is it like to provide medical care in a conflict zone? Dr Mustafa Obama takes us inside his work serving communities impacted by the conflict in Darfur, Sudan. Through moving firsthand accounts, he shares stories of survival, resilience and hope that reveal the strength of the human spirit even in the most difficult circumstances. #Sudan #Darfur #HumanitarianWork #Podcast #StoriesOfHope #Insp...

When Trinette Faint suddenly lost her job, she turned the setback into an opportunity to follow her passion. In this podcast, I speak with Trinette, now an award-winning actress, filmmaker and novelist, about the incredible year she’s had since that unexpected dismissal. #filmmaker #actor #inspire #creative You can check out her short film, Party Pants, on YouTube. 

I chat with Micaela de Sousa about the Mar&Tone Foundation she founded in Mozambique, inspired by and named after her two sons, Mar & Tone – it is a story of love, resilience and hope. The foundation gives opportunities for disadvantaged children and adolescents in Mozambique. She also talks about her life, including her 35 years working in different African countries for UNICEF, and how w...

Be inspired by Mel Mendones, a British artist with roots in the Philippines. In this episode of Inspire in Half an Hour , Mel explores the ideas that shape his striking paintings, including inclusivity, neurodiversity, migration and the powerful symbolism of sunflowers. #inclusivty  #artist #paintings #diversity #neurodiversity

Be inspired by Sydney Kamanga, an incredible sports coach, motivational speaker, and founder of the 'See the World Foundation' based in Zambia. #coach #motivationalspeaker #disabilityadvocate.

In this episode of the Inspire In Half an Hour podcast, Chulu Chansa joins us from Zambia to discuss her first novel, inspired by a friend, a sports coach who lost his sight in his 30s. She shares her writing journey and tips for first-time authors. #podcast #writers #writingcommunity #novel

I am thrilled to announce a brand-new series of my podcast, ‘Inspire in Half an Hour’. I kick off with Laurence Hendrikx, who shares her journey of being diagnosed with HIV while pregnant at a time when stigma was overwhelming. Today, Laurence not only speaks openly about living with HIV to help others in similar situations, but also shares tips on how to cope with life’s inevitable challenges wit...

I was so excited to have an interview with Dercio Gomate on "Inspire in Half an Hour" podcast. Dercio is a Mozambican musician/composer based in Maputo. His music has taken him to Berlin, Zurich, and this year to Washington D.C. where Dercio and fellow musicians showcased a piece they had composed for a nature documentary film shot in Botswana for the National Geographic. Dercio is parti...

Be inspired by Aliénor Salmon, author of  ‘Finding Rhythm’, an advocate for happiness and founder & CEO of ‘Bailando Journey’. Aliénor gave up her full-time job to follow her dream to learn how to dance. It was a journey of self-discovery #dance #salsa #bachata #latindance #selfdiscovery #happiness  

Be inspired by the talented Katanga, a professional salsa dancer and bachata teacher. His path to dance was different, sometimes criticism can spur you to do great things! He chats to me about his experiences in international dance competitions, including coping with stage fright and how dance can bring joy to so many people of all ages and different skill levels.  Katanga who is originally from M...

Be inspired by Michelle Sintaa Morna, a yoga & meditation instructor.  How can we cope better with life’s stresses? How can we be happier? Michelle has given yoga and meditation sessions for over eight years in Mozambique, and since COVID-19  to online students around the world. She is also currently studying yoga therapy. #yoga #meditation #visualisation #happy #calm #destress  

In this episode of Inspire in Half an Hour I chat with Emeka Ntone Edjabe,  a South African artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Emeka enjoys experimenting with many different forms of art including acrylic painting and indigo tie-dye, and he loves teaching children.  Emeka talks about his plans to set up a community arts centre in Johannesburg where young people and children can explore th...

In this episode of Inspire in Half an Hour I chat with Cooper Rust, who has danced as a principal ballerina on stages around the United States before founding Artists for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. Originally from South Carolina, United States, Cooper now lives in Nairobi where her organization supports young talented Kenyan ballet dancers from the poorest neighbourhoods in Nairobi. One of her stud...

In this episode of Inspire in Half an Hour I chat with GreatJoy Ndlovu, a Zimbabwean artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He talks to me just before he travels to Florence, Italy for the launch of his solo exhibition, ‘Enigma of the Soul’ at the Tobian Art Gallery 1-15 October 2022. #greatjoy#art #visualarts #Zimbabwe #SouthAfrica #Johannesburg #podcast #inspirational

Giacomo Pirozzi is a photographer and art curator, based in Florence, Italy. Giacomo’s photography has taken him to 150 countries across continents. Most of his work has been with UNICEF. Giacomo has also facilitated over 70 child photography workshops around the world. During the workshops, Giacomo teaches children, many of whom have never held a camera before, how to tell their stories through a...

In this episode, I talk with Manuela Madeira, a talented Mozambican figurative artist based in Brussels.  From December 2021 to January 2022, Manuela had a solo exhibition entitled Mussiro & Other Masks @aKazi! Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, the US, and from February to March this year, she had another solo exhibition entitled A Batota dos Sonhos @Fundacao Fernando Leite Couto Art Gallery in Map...

Anaïsa Visser, a biracial filmmaker, based in Canada, is a strong advocate of mental health and race issues. As a child, Anaïsa lived in Mozambique, the United States and France before moving to Canada.  Anaïsa is the Festival Director of the 17th annual Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (March 8-13) and the founding member of “Women and Gender Diverse Filmmakers of British Columbia”.

My guest in the 7th episode of Inspire In half an Hour podcast is Cornelia Boateng who set up a special school for children living with autism and other special needs in Ghana.  Cornelia also works as a governor for a special school in the UK and has a charity New Beginnings. Cornelia talks to me about how and why she set up the school in Ghana. She tells me about the challenges she has faced as w...

Be inspired by Bridget Pickering who is a filmmaker and producer based in  Johannesburg with over 30 years of experience in the industry. She has travelled widely and lived in London and New York.  Among Bridget's many projects is the acclaimed Hotel Rwanda which she co-produced.  She has also produced over 12 television series in South Africa and documentaries. She is now working with her da...

I talk to Onke Nesi, a rugby player for Brighton. He tells me how his father, a top rugby player in South Africa, inspired him and how rugby teaches him how to deal with life's challenges. He also chats about his other interests including his love for reading and fashion design. He ends by sharing his takeaways from his life so far and what he thinks is the best way forward. 

I talk to  Eleazer Kissi Asante about his work at the Orthopaedic Training Centre (OTC) in Ghana. The OTC assists people with disabilities to gain independent lives.  Many of those who benefit are children.   During my visit to the centre, I was so inspired by the work of Eleazar and his colleagues and also by the children.

In this episode, I chat with Irene Jackson, a family mediator, working in Portsmouth, UK. She talks about her work as a family mediator, why she became one, and what she has taken away from it herself.

Michelle Huynh is studying Psychology at the University of Sussex in the UK. She talks to me about her plans to become a clinical health psychologist; how she dealt with a cancer diagnosis at the age of 17 years; her fundraising and awareness activities as well as the time she spent shielding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Michelle, a  talented musician, also highlights how music is a healer.

Hello. I am Ruth Ayisi, welcome to the Inspire in half an hour podcast.  My first guest is an amazing talent! Meet Kenyan ballet dancer, Joel Kioko. He graduated last year from the English National School of Ballet, and I recently had the great pleasure to speak to him just before he left Kenya to join the renowned Joffrey Studio Company in Chicago. Joel talks about how his life in a poor neighbou...