To open Season 4, I’ve got two guests with me with this week, and if you’re looking for inspiring women in your life, then these two are it.
Kirsten and Aiyven Mbawa are sisters from Northampton, England and they’re 13 and 12 years old respectively. Nothing unusual there. What is unusual is that both Kirsten and Aiyven are published authors and business owners. Their love of reading has driven everything they’ve done so far, and you’ll hear in this chat the effect on their lives that they both attribute to books. Their company, Mbawa Books, produces monthly subscription boxes for teens containing diverse titles with relatable, representative heroes from a wide range of authors, as well as stories written by Kirsten and Aiyven themselves. Their output is prolific, and having tasted success with their first books, which they self-published but subsequently got onto the shelves of Waterstones through their hard work and tenacity, they are well on their way with their next novels.
Kirsten and Aiyven are the face of their brand. They have help from their mum, Ndah, but have themselves appeared on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4 and in various local and national press. Kirsten confidently told me she wants to be prime minister, and I just wouldn’t put anything past these two.
Useful Links
Mbawa Books Website: https://www.mbawabooks.co.uk
Subscribe to Kirsten and Aiyven's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1-zobH5aogUrGF02gIW3lw
Follow Mbawa Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbawabooks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mbawabooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mbawabooks/
21. Ninorah Fernandes-Brookshire - a varied and eventful life
20. Laura Bartlett - defying the odds and daring to succeed
19. Lisa Cox - on writing, surviving, modelling and campaigning
18. Bonus - The voice behind the microphone
17. Hayley Leibson - leading the ladies in Silicon Valley
16. Jessa Zimmerman - sex, shame and sexual games
15. Sarah Williams - from the deserts of Morocco to inspiring women back home
14. Cal Major - from Land's End to John O'Groats on a paddleboard
13. Elaine Miller - fannies, fart jokes and the serious business of women's health
12. Abby Ehler - sailing, surviving and thriving in round-the-world yacht racing
11. Anna Smith - films, feminism and being President (of the Critics' Circle)
10. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz - from ward rounds to walruses via a New York Times bestseller
9. Amelia Viney and Saba Shafi - unleashing the power of young people
8. Athene Donald - a physicist of many passions
7. Alexandra Heminsley - wobbly bits, wetsuits and writing
6. Manon Bradley - powerlifting, politics and major projects
5. Nicola Miller - running a mile in others' shoes
4. Uta Frith - exploring the mind
3. Sally Snow - uncovering the secrets of the underwater world
2. Iona Bain - de-mystifying finance for the younger generation
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