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Lionesses of Africa

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The Pride of Africa's Women Entrepreneurs

the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs

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Risk Forward: Embrace the Unknown and Unlock Your Hidden Genius by Victoria Labalme

March 28, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Victoria Labalme

Victoria Labalme

Book Review

Every entrepreneur is in search of inspiration - an innovative idea to elevate their business. In Risk Forward: Embrace the Unknown and Unlock Your Hidden Genius by author Victoria Labalme, she helps you to discover how to embrace uncertainty, trust your intuition and achieve success.

In her new book Risk Forward, presentation strategist and performing artist Victoria Labalme shares her experience of working with over 700 organizations, entrepreneurs running multimillion-dollar businesses and Hollywood celebrities. She’s found that some of the most successful companies and creative endeavours didn't start with a plan or a goal. They started with an idea and figured out the next steps as they went. In Risk Forward, she helps you do the same in your own life and work, giving you permission not to know exactly where you're heading. Victoria uses principles drawn from the performing arts to prove that uncertainty is not the enemy, but a crucial step on your unique path, and to show that even when your plans and goals aren't clear, you can follow your curiosity, interests and ideas forward. 

In Risk Forward, you’ll learn how to:

  • Discover the 'noble intent' behind your work

  • Follow 'the idea that leads to the idea’

  • Trust your own internal timing

  • Listen to others - but not too much

  • Defy your category while remaining within it

Author quotes

Some people in life know exactly what they want to achieve, Risk Forward is for the rest of us.

If you're struggling to figure out your next steps on a project, plan or path. If you sense there’s something more but you're not yet sure what it is. If you wish you had more courage to try something new. Risk Forward will help you find your way.

It’s time to step into the full extent of who you are and all you can become.

About the author

Author of the book, Risk Forward, Victoria Labalme helps people unlock their hidden genius and perform at their highest levels in work, onstage, on camera, and in life. Her unconventional approach offers a surprising blend of art and business. As a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, Victoria is known for her Keynote Performances and workshops around the world. Her proprietary systems and strategies have been embraced by hundreds of thousands of people: Entrepreneurs, artists, consultants, healers, advisers, professors, scientists, executives and more than 700 organizations including top team members at Starbucks, Microsoft, Intel, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Cisco, Oracle, Chase, Lowe’s, L’Oreal, PayPal, American Heart Association, MetLife, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the World Bank, universities, cultural institutions, and not-for-profits.

Victoria has been the trusted consultant to C-suite executives, leading entrepreneurs, artists, and New York Times best-selling authors. She has coached hundreds of elite individuals for high-stakes presentations including keynotes, live streams, PBS Specials, Oprah’s SuperSoul Session, and arena events. Her films, performances and theater projects have received critical acclaim from The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, Variety, BBC, CBS, Los Angeles Times, and Good Morning America. Victoria is the founder of Risk Forward® and Rock The Room®, a full suite of products designed to help individuals and organizations uncover their original ideas and express them with the unexpected twist that distinguishes their work.

www.riskforward.com 


Why LoA loves it….

Let’s face it, life as an entrepreneur means constantly stepping out into the unknown, taking an idea and trying to make it work and resonate with customers. There is so much uncertainty and the journey can be stressful for the startup entrepreneur in the early days of launching a new business, product or service. Often, doubt creeps in, you start to question the intuition that led you to becoming an entrepreneur in the first place, and you wonder if you have made the right decision. In her fresh new book, Risk Forward, Victoria Labalme gives permission to all those entrepreneurs to embrace all the uncertainty, to look doubt straight in the face, and to trust that intuition. Above all, she encourages entrepreneurs to Risk Forward and open themselves up to all the possibilities out there when you don’t have a rigid plan to hold you back. This is a great new read for all those women entrepreneurs who may be questioning their entrepreneurial journey and choices, and wondering if they can ever make it work. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa

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Tech FoundHER AFRICA CHALLENGE

Five female founders win over $100,000 in TechFoundHER Africa Challenge. Read more


CELEBRATING 10 YEARS


LATEST PODCASTS

Lioness Radio Show Interview: Listen to Mr Jules Ngankam, Group Chief Executive Officer of the African Guarantee Fund, discussing the journey from Bias to Bankable - AGF’s Case for Financing Women Entrepreneurs.

Lioness Radio Show: Five Mozambican women entrepreneurs share their experiences of building successful green businesses and creating green jobs for local people. From an environmentally-friendly, high-impact skincare brand, to an innovative green transportation business transforming marine waste into bicycles, these Lionesses are making waves in Mozambique. Listen to their stories, learn from their experiences, and be inspired by their tenacity.


LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORIES

LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Vanessa Mhlom, a South African wellness brand builder
Vanessa Mhlom, a South African wellness brand builder
Morongwe and Michelle Mokone, two social impact entrepreneurs building a high-growth, premium sustainable homeware business
Morongwe and Michelle Mokone, two social impact entrepreneurs building a high-growth, premium sustainable homeware business
Dr. Phindi Cebekhulu-Msomi, an agripreneur focused on climate-smart solutions
Dr. Phindi Cebekhulu-Msomi, an agripreneur focused on climate-smart solutions
Retang Phaahla, a pioneer for South Africa’s indigenous teas
Retang Phaahla, a pioneer for South Africa’s indigenous teas
Dr Margaret Kemigisha, a publishing entrepreneur passionate about childrens’ literacy
Dr Margaret Kemigisha, a publishing entrepreneur passionate about childrens’ literacy

IMAGE OF THE DAY. CELEBRATING WOMAN MADE IN AFRICA.

Image of the Day / MonChoco

Pure chocolate heaven…If you are a chocolate lover, then you need to experience raw chocolate at its finest, and Dana Mroueh, founder of MonChoco an artisan chocolatier in Côte d’Ivoire, has just what y
Image of the Day / Rokus London

Sculpted statement jewellery…If you want to make a statement with your accessories, then these uniquely crafted pieces by Rokus London, a fine jewellery brand founded by Marie-Paule Tano, are just for you. Roku
Image of the Day / Eva Sonaike

Vibrant interior design…The striking new interior designs by Eva Sonaike caught our eye this morning. Like the rest of the world, we love the African aesthetic which is increasingly finding its way into global i
Image of the Day / Kunjina

Statement designer fashion…We are big fans of Kunjina in Ethiopia, the fashion brand founded by the talented Kunjina Tesfaye in 2017. She launched the brand while she was a university student studying construction t
Image of the Day / Dathonga Designs

Traditional craft elevated…We love the impact-driven accessories created by Márcia Nangy O’Connell, founder and artistic director of Dathonga Designs in Mozambique. Since 2010, she has establis
Image of the Day / FiveStars Africa

African Cycling Style…Who says cycling and style don’t go together? If you are a cycling enthusiast and you want to look and feel good whilst you are are on the road, then take a look at the seriously
Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Luxury statement accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The
Image of the Day / The House of Agness

An elegant floral gifting idea… Mariana Agness Francisco Eria is a creative force in contemporary floral design. Her business, The House of Agness, is a luxury florist and gifting boutique nestled in Map
Image of the Day / Abiola Olusola

Minimalism x artisan craftsmanship…If you are looking for a contemporary women’s ready-to-wear and bespoke fashion brand interweaving minimalism with artisan craftsmanship, then look no further than Abi
Image of the Day / Black Mamba Foods

Chilli Heaven…Spice up your life and your favourite foods by cooking up some great chilli-based recipes using some of the finest chilli sauces and new Hot Honey from Black Mamba Foods in Eswatini. The comp
Image of the Day / MonChoco

Pure chocolate heaven…If you are a chocolate lover, then you need to experience raw chocolate at its finest, and Dana Mroueh, founder of MonChoco an artisan chocolatier in Côte d’Ivoire, has just what y Image of the Day / Rokus London

Sculpted statement jewellery…If you want to make a statement with your accessories, then these uniquely crafted pieces by Rokus London, a fine jewellery brand founded by Marie-Paule Tano, are just for you. Roku Image of the Day / Eva Sonaike

Vibrant interior design…The striking new interior designs by Eva Sonaike caught our eye this morning. Like the rest of the world, we love the African aesthetic which is increasingly finding its way into global i Image of the Day / Kunjina

Statement designer fashion…We are big fans of Kunjina in Ethiopia, the fashion brand founded by the talented Kunjina Tesfaye in 2017. She launched the brand while she was a university student studying construction t Image of the Day / Dathonga Designs

Traditional craft elevated…We love the impact-driven accessories created by Márcia Nangy O’Connell, founder and artistic director of Dathonga Designs in Mozambique. Since 2010, she has establis Image of the Day / FiveStars Africa

African Cycling Style…Who says cycling and style don’t go together? If you are a cycling enthusiast and you want to look and feel good whilst you are are on the road, then take a look at the seriously Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Luxury statement accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The Image of the Day / The House of Agness

An elegant floral gifting idea… Mariana Agness Francisco Eria is a creative force in contemporary floral design. Her business, The House of Agness, is a luxury florist and gifting boutique nestled in Map Image of the Day / Abiola Olusola

Minimalism x artisan craftsmanship…If you are looking for a contemporary women’s ready-to-wear and bespoke fashion brand interweaving minimalism with artisan craftsmanship, then look no further than Abi Image of the Day / Black Mamba Foods

Chilli Heaven…Spice up your life and your favourite foods by cooking up some great chilli-based recipes using some of the finest chilli sauces and new Hot Honey from Black Mamba Foods in Eswatini. The comp

STARTUP STORIES. MEET THE WOMEN WHO’VE LAUNCHED.

Featured
Dr Juanri Jonck and Bernadette Kruger, co-founders of a first-to-South African-market serum-only skincare range
Dr Juanri Jonck and Bernadette Kruger, co-founders of a first-to-South African-market serum-only skincare range
Gillian Holl, a South African architectural entrepreneur building a sustainability-focused business that responds to the needs of both clients and the environment
Gillian Holl, a South African architectural entrepreneur building a sustainability-focused business that responds to the needs of both clients and the environment
Júlia Silota, a Mozambican green business builder, focused on environmental waste management
Júlia Silota, a Mozambican green business builder, focused on environmental waste management
Claudia Machaieie, a Mozambican green business innovator transforming marine waste into reading glasses
Claudia Machaieie, a Mozambican green business innovator transforming marine waste into reading glasses
Matilde Mawelele Rungo, a Mozambican tech-preneur helping to drive digital transformation in the country
Matilde Mawelele Rungo, a Mozambican tech-preneur helping to drive digital transformation in the country

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