Hello from Los Angeles, California! You are brave, you are bold, you are beautiful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for considering me as your child’s adopting mom. You are so courageous at a time the world is transforming, the ground may feel unsteady, and you may feel so many challenges and emotions at once. I admire and appreciate greatly what you have chosen to do. Please know that your most special gift of life, your baby, will be loved, adored, encouraged and cheered for my whole life. Your baby will have a beautiful life, surrounded by nature, water, mountains, and a loving, warm home. Most of all, your baby will learn, love and laugh and will contribute to making our world a better place.

I started my career reading the traffic news at a new radio station in Nairobi. I went on to host the love show, called Love Lines, where I played romantic music and gave advice to callers! I started working for radio stations like the BBC and later moved into TV where I hosted the evening news seen by the whole country at the Kenya TV Network.

After that I worked at CNN for 14 years in Atlanta, then Washington and London. I worked really hard, learned as much as I could, and traveled the whole world. I made friends, interviewed world leaders, covered major breaking stories and events like earthquakes, plane crashes, wars, politics, the Olympics, and space shuttle launches.

The best period of my career was when I covered Condoleezza Rice, and traveled with her in her plane.

I moved to London and anchored the morning shows for a few years. I hosted programs like Inside Africa or Inside the Middle East which were really cool.

Then, I decided I wanted a new career path. I got a Master’s degree at Oxford University in Creative Writing and I launched my own media company focused on Africa.
I believe people of color, especially women, should be empowered to tell their own stories from their own points of view. I created a few events like Rouse, a gathering for women of African descent to come together and share in a safe space.

I have had my ups and downs throughout my career, as glamorous as it may sound. I have learned from mistakes, failures, and I have struggled. I have emerged stronger and better as a person for all those challenges. My greatest wish is to have a family of my own, where I can nurture, love and support a child through life, as my parents did so wonderfully with me.

I was born in Nairobi, Kenya to two loving parents, Yasmin and Johnny. They are the most incredible parents in the world. My mum made me believe I could do anything in the world, be the best possible version of myself and to always have faith. My dad encouraged me to have impossible dreams, to have courage and aim for the stars and live life to the fullest. My brother Irfan and I went to a diverse school called Hillcrest in Nairobi where we learned so much about different cultures.

The Swahili, Indian and British cultures were a rich and diverse mix we grew up in. Our family celebrated all traditions like Christmas, Eid, Diwali, Passover, and Irfan and I received gifts for all! I grew up playing a lot of sports and competed a lot in track and field, swimming and hockey. I was really close to my grandmother, Ma, who lived with us. My uncles, aunts and cousins would visit every year from Canada, England and Ivory Coast so the house was often full with extended family and laughter.

When I was 17, I left Kenya to study in Canada where I got a Bachelor’s in English Literature and Films Studies. I would go home every holiday to spend time with my family, and stay connected. That is really important to me: to always maintain our family bonds no matter the distance. Irfan and I meet in Nairobi or Dubai many times a year, and I make sure to spend quality time with my sister-in-law Aalia, and my nephew and niece, Arman (Spiderman) and Eliana (Captain America). I have close friends who are like family in the US like my good friend Teresa, who I live with, and I speak to or see my friends, Alice, Chidi, Jeanne, Hussein and Ariella often.