| | 👋 Good morning. Today, I'm thinking about people we've lost: friends, family, lovers. They say it's better to have loved and lost than to have loved at all, but sometimes, it doesn't feel that way. But maybe what stays with us isn't the loss, but the imprint, what people leave behind. This month, as we continue our IWD campaign, we're thinking about the women whose impact lingers long after the moment has passed. | Coming up: | Profiles: A 'first-in-her-bloodline' hero & Sony's Omolola Ige. The Extras: A historical fact you should know Community Townhall - (a surprise) for our new community joiners
| | | 🩸 FIRST IN HER BLOODLINE | Chiamaka Amaku is the first to fund her education abroad | | | | | | Chiamaka Amaku has always dreamed beyond what she saw around her. Thus, it is no wonder that she became the first woman in her bloodline to fund her education abroad. By leveraging creator earnings and investments in Risevest, she liquidated them and turned her dream into reality. | In this edition of our First in Her Bloodline series, she talks about being the first woman in her family to fund her studies abroad and travel across three continents, holding on to that certainty even when she was discouraged. | She reflects on the mother who shaped her sense of possibility, the resistance she had to push through, and the responsibility she now carries as a visible example for the women coming after her. | What are you the first woman in your bloodline to do, and did you always know it would be you? | I'm the first woman in my bloodline to pay for her studies abroad. First woman in my bloodline to visit 3 different continents of the world. I always knew it would be me. | Growing up, what did the women before you teach you, intentionally or unintentionally, about what was possible? | Growing up, my mother was the blueprint. She was the first template of possibility I ever had. | I watched her get a master's and PhD while raising 4 kids and having a full-time job and multiple side businesses, and she carried them all with grace. If she could do it, I definitely can. I am her daughter after all | What resistance, be it subtle or loud, did you face when you chose this path? | Ironically, everyone, including my parent, discouraged me. Some friends said my profile didn't match, others said I couldn't afford it. | My mother said the money was outrageous, and nobody in my family could help with that sum, so I should find a cheaper school or 100% scholarship. In her words, "this one is not for you". But I was on a mission, so I ignored them all. | Was there a moment you realised you weren't just doing this for yourself but for the women coming after you? What did that feel like? | That's every day for me. I am aware that my life represents a map and a guide for other women who are also forging a path for themselves, so I make sure to be visible enough for them. | If a girl in your family is watching you right now, what do you hope she learns from your journey? | I hope she learns that hard work is only half the effort. Authenticity and integrity will always travel the rest of the mile. | Chiamaka Amaku is the fourth woman to be spotlighted in our First in Her Bloodline segment. If you would like to be featured, reply now to this email. |
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| | | 👩🏽💼 THE EXECUTIVE | | Omolola Ige: The music exec who moves different | | | | | Omolola Ige has built her career at the intersection of music and branding, an increasingly rare combination in an industry driven by visibility. | As a former marketing manager at Chocolate City and, since 2023, marketing manager for Sony Music West Africa, Ige represents a new class of executives shaping African music from behind the scenes. | Her trajectory reflects both industry experience and strategic clarity. At Chocolate City, she worked within one of Nigeria's most influential music companies, contributing to campaigns for artists such as Blaqbonez, Young Jonn, and Candy Bleakz, balancing artist storytelling with commercial reach. | Her move to Sony Music West Africa marked not just a career step-up but a shift into a broader, more global framework where African music continues to expand its footprint. | Yet, for someone operating at that level, Ige's approach to public presence is deliberately measured. In an era where industry professionals often cultivate personal brands online, she does the opposite. | "I'm very careful with my public image," she said in an interview, explaining her decision to step back from active posting and even from platforms like Twitter. | This decision is forged by her professionalism. Representing a global company requires a level of discipline that extends beyond the office. | Her caution also reflects an acute awareness of how the industry functions. | "People are always watching," she noted in an interview with Culture Custodian, emphasizing that opportunities and perceptions are often shaped in unseen spaces. | For Ige, maintaining boundaries is not about secrecy but about controlling her narrative and reputation. | For International Women's Month, we are spotlighting Ige for this very reason. In a fast-moving digital culture that rewards constant visibility, her curated presence stands out. | It speaks to a different model of influence, one where discipline, self-awareness, and strategic restraint are just as powerful as being seen. |
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| | | 🤔 DID YOU KNOW? | Florence Nwapa pioneered African literature and feminist voices | | Florence Nwapa, the first female Nigerian author, is hailed as the "mother of modern African literature", paving the way for generations of African women writers. | Her novels, published in English in Britain, made her the first African woman to achieve this milestone. | In 1970, she founded Tana Press, one of Africa's first female-led publishing houses, aimed at educating women about their roles, independence, and status. Her work stood out for exploring feminism and portraying Igbo life and traditions from a woman's perspective. |
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| | | 💡 COMMUNITY TOWNHALL | | | | | When was a time a woman did something good/amazing/powerful that you'll never forget? | We asked our WhatsApp community a question. They answered. Then they joined The Juice. So, consider this their official welcome—through their own words. | Across these responses, one thread stands out: their mothers. Women who show up, stand firm, and hold their families together, no matter what. | Bisi - Many women have been kind to me, but the deed I can never forget is my younger sister, Abolanle, who singlehandedly paid 80% of my school fees at higher institution, she secured a job for me, and has always been there for me whenever I need any assistance. | Ese - Hmmm, my mom is the best mom in the world. She'd sweep houses, wash clothes just to feed us, pick clothes from the waste bin for us to wear because she couldn't afford to buy us one. She'd even pick food from the waste bin just so we could eat. | Nonso- My mum plaited hair by the road for ₦200 back then to see me through primary school, and she continued till I finished university with my 4 younger siblings. Our lastborn graduated in September 2024 and my mum died in May 2025 of Breast Cancer. 😭😭😭 | Asabe - My mom after my Dad passed. She was really struggling to take care of us. Even in that situation, she gathered to take care of us. She gathered money and got me my first laptop, because she didn't want anything stopping me from achieving great success. 🥰🥰🥰 | Sarah - It was when I wanted to write my first WAEC, but I hadn't paid, my mom had to sell her gold necklace that my dad had gifted her. When my dad asked about the necklace, she told him she lost it. I love my mom so much. | Caleb - Lost my dad in SS2, life got tough. My mom struggled a lot. I finished secondary school, and got a job to support my family. I worked for almost 4 years, I had two older brothers in the university. I had to wait for them to finish. Now, I'm furthering. | Kosi- My mum, during COVID, when my dad wasn't going to work, and he was sick. My mummy will go and pick empty cans, wash them, prepare Zobo, and carry to the market to go and hawk. She did this every single day. For months. Just for the three of us to survive. | Ejiro - Admin, my mother has done so much that I can't even say I don't know the one to say sef. Is it the one that my mother would use her salary to pay our school fees, or beg her boss to give her children clothes to wear. | Winner - It was my late mum…She saved my brother and I from fire.🔥 We were quite young, my younger brother and I were using matchsticks to play. We lit matchsticks and threw them at each other, then mistakenly our rug caught fire and started burning. My mum ran out naked and saved us. | Justina - My mum stayed with me for almost 3 months in the hospital when I was 12 without going home at all. She always slept in the hospital corridor. I also did jamb 6 times, A level, and went to a fake nursing school, but she never gave up on me. I'm now studying Optometry. | Jsyk, these stories were shared by members of the Pulse Family on WhatsApp. And you can do the same every Friday in our "Town Hall," a safe space to share wins, gist, advice, and even secrets.
Besides stories, you'll also get relatable content, memes, hot takes, exclusive drops (celeb interviews, shoutouts), plus genuinely useful hacks and tips. 1.7 million people already love it. Come inside now! |
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| | That's all we have for you today. We hope that you feel inspired to share your story with us. If you prefer, we promise to keep you anonymous. See you next Tuesday, have a great week! | - Shalom. | | Today's email was brought to you by Shalom Tewobola and Praise Okeoghene Vandeh. Editing by: Shalom Tewobola. Designs by: Daniel Banjoko | Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. | Have a story or product that needs to be seen? Submit here. |
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