S2 Episode 1a – Kelechi Okafor talks to us about acting, podcasting, her dream role, appearing on BBC Special Forces and being a baby girl!

Making Money Moves - a podcast by Janet's List

Welcome to Season 2! If you love what we are doing, please sponsor us on Patreon! Making Money Moves is brought to you by Janet’s List, hosted by Janet Oganah and Adonica Simmons. The aim of our podcast is to open up conversations about money, mind-set, and the moves people have made to build successful businesses. If you are a female entrepreneur, a high impact woman or are simply looking for inspiration, this podcast is for you. We interview inspiring guests, mostly women of colour, who are building incredible businesses. Our guests will also share tips and strategies, which you can apply at any stage of your entrepreneurial journey. We had an epic chat with Kelechi Okafor (are you ready for the receipts?): pole dancing instructor, studio owner, actress, public speaker, letter writer extraordinaire and a baby girl. In part one Kelechi speaks about her experiences as a black actress in the UK; from highlighting stereotypical casting calls to handling micro aggressions on reality TV, Kelechi unpacks the dynamics at play behind the scenes – leaping every hurdle thrown at her on BBC’s 'Special Forces', grabbing an opportunity to work in artist management in Atlanta and revealing her dream role to play lead role in a Serena Williams biopic. Kelechi walks us through the bold moves she’s made in creating her own path, championing the importance of building a strong foundation and framework of support in the people working at her level. Here’s what you’ll learn this episode: Speaking your truth and finding your voice [3:20] Dealing with typecasting [5:40] Plan b: subsidising an acting career [7:18] Artist management in Atlanta (in search of Ciara) [13:15] Appearing on BBC show Special Forces in South Africa, conquering fears and prioritising self care in the absence of group support [14.47] Kelechi’s dream role - Serena Williams [22:40] Moving with the people at your level – the people that make you strong are the people around you [25:07] Writing letters, carve our spaces and exist in them without apology [26:55] Fan Girl moment – special shout-out to Njoki [35:08] Live podcasting – the fun of thinking on your feet [26:41] If you would like to connect with us on social media, you can find us all here: Kelechi - @Kelechnekoff Twitter Janet’s List – @JanetsList (Instagram) and @JanetsList (Twitter) Janet Oganah: @Janet_Oganah (Twitter) Adonica Simmons: Global Style Services (Instagram) The overall mission of Janet’s List is to connect consumers with women of colour in business. We want to close the gap between consumers and women of colour in business and to improve diversity in the business landscape. We also have a curated edit on Janet’s List where you can buy directly from fantastic brands by women of colour. Podcast listeners! You can get a special discount of 10% off Janet’s List using the code: JANETSLIST10 Stay tuned and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and your favourite podcast apps