A Stellar Woman's World

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A Mother’s Balancing Act

How do you leave a three-month-old baby behind and walk into work expecting your heart to function normally? This is my second time preparing to do it and somehow, it still hurts. The first time, I had postpartum depression. I went back to work while I was still trying to find myself again, not fully healed. I wasn’t ready but circumstances forced me to return. I had to show up and function even when, inside, I was struggling. I remember having to re-learn some basic work tasks from a colleague I had trained before leaving for my maternity leave. What a humbling experience that was! This time, I thought I would be more prepared but here I am again, looking at my baby and wondering how I’m supposed to leave him with a caregiver and simply carry on. Then there’s breastfeeding. Expressing milk at work. Finding a private space. Working around meetings and deadlines and quietly worrying; 'What if my supply reduces?' 'What if the stress affects it?' Not every workplace has a ...

Confessions of an 'Accidental' Event Planner

Truth be told, I never sat in a classroom learning Event Planning 101. No lecture notes, no group work, no exams on table settings or guest lists. Yet somewhere along the way, life said, “Congratulations, you’re now the event planner.” 😄 As the Co-Founder of Stellar Generation Kenya and the Team Leader of Stellar Women, I somehow also inherited the unofficial role of chief planner of our gatherings. What started as “let’s just organize something small” has turned into nearly five years of planning events; some big, some intimate, but all memorable in their own way. Let me tell you, every event comes with its own lessons, surprises, and those beautiful “Aha!” moments that make the next one a little better. Among the many events we’ve hosted, the ones closest to my heart are women-centered gatherings. There’s something magical about bringing women together in one space; whether it’s a Women’s Prayer Day, a Fun Day, or our annual International Women’s Day Celebration. When it comes to th...

Motherhood Musings - Get Help

No one really tells you that motherhood is less about giving birth to a child and more about giving birth to yourself , over and over. I read a quote that said " Every time a mother births a child, a new version of her is also born i.e. for every new child, there's a new mommy." They warn you about sleepless nights, stretch marks, and how your tea will always go cold before the second sip, which are all true to some degree but what they don’t prepare you for is how deeply motherhood rearranges your heart (and mindset). How it humbles you. How it softens and strengthens you in the same breath and how freakin' hard it is. Yes, it's H for hard . I remember the early days holding my tiny human (now all grown) and wondering, “God, are you sure you trusted me with this?” and as an amateur in this field, I doubted my capability to parent well quite often. Motherhood taught me patience in ways no sermon ever could. It exposed my limits and then gently pushed me past t...

💫 CBR Milestone: Old Testament, done & dusted!

This morning, in my Continuous Bible Reading (CBR) journey for 2025, I officially cleared the Old Testament! What an incredible feeling of achievement. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever read the entire Bible cover to cover, I have read it - but not reading to understand deeply! This year, I made a personal vow that I was going to do this for me. Starting tomorrow morning, I’ll be diving into the New Testament, and I couldn’t be more excited! Here’s what my current morning routine looks like: 🕓 4:00 –5:00 AM: Bible reading (4 chapters or more) 🙏 5:00 –5:40 AM: Prayers or virtual morning group devotion 🏃‍♀️ 5:40 –6:40 AM: Morning run or workout (depending on my mood, this part I don’t always do religiously 😅) So far, this discipline has carried me all the way to Malachi! Clap for me, will you? I can’t begin to explain how much this journey has transformed me. This year has been one of unexpected growth and quiet breakthroughs. I promised my dear self early in the year: “This ...

HHFL@20 Celebrations: Honouring Mama Hanne – A Living Legacy of Love and Impact

This May, we celebrated not just the 20-year journey of the HanneHowardFund Lenana - Kids but the extraordinary woman behind it all; our beloved matriarch, Mama Hanne. At 78, she continues to embody the grace, resilience, and fierce love that built HHFL into a beacon of hope and transformation for so many of us. What she thought would be a simple birthday lunch with her loving husband, Ted Horton, affectionately known to us as Baba Ted or Papa Tango, turned out to be an unforgettable surprise. For five months, behind the scenes, the ever-dedicated HHFL management team, Lucy Kalu and Kirieri Njuguna together with HHFL alumni and beneficiaries, lovingly planned a celebration fit for the queen of our family. On the day, Mama Hanne walked in expecting nothing more than a quiet outing, only to be met by the joyful faces of her “children”, HHFL alumni & staff who had gathered to honour her legacy. The surprise was overwhelming. Tears flowed, hugs were shared, and hearts swelled with grat...

Dear wife, when you 'settle', don't settle!

Have you ever thought to challenge the idea that sometimes “ settling down” means settling in to roles that make us forget who we are? Today I choose to write for the wife who loves deeply, the mother who gives selflessly and the woman who sometimes disappears behind those beautiful titles. This is a reminder that you’re still allowed to chase your dreams. To glow. To grow. To evolve. Not in spite of your marriage or motherhood but right within them. There’s this unspoken notion that when a woman gets married, it’s time to “settle.” and for many, that word is taken quite literally. You get the ring, the man, the home, the children and suddenly, it feels like the chase is over. No more dreams to pursue. No more goals to grind. Just settle. Be a wife. Be a mother. Stay in your lane and when you decide to go against the grain you get unsolicited advise pleading with you to stop 'doing too much' and relax." 😆 But what happens when “settling” becomes self-ne...

3 Lessons at 3: What Marriage Has Taught Me So Far

Today marks 3 years since I said “I do.” Three years of learning, stretching, laughing, fighting, forgiving, and above all, growing (literally and figuratively). Marriage has been both beautiful and humbling. It has mirrored parts of me I never knew existed, both good and not-so-good. It has amplified behaviours I thought I'd perfected. It welcomed we and stopped me at the door with one question: "So you think you've got it all figured out, huh?" As I reflect on this journey so far, I felt led to share 3 core lessons that have stood out for me in this season of becoming one. I call them “3 Lessons at 3.” - 3 years. Family of 3. 3 lessons. 1. Forgiveness isn’t easy, but it’s necessary Forgiveness for me has been so hard, I can't lie. I struggle to move on from an offense. It is one of the areas that still needs improvement. I hold onto offense for long and have a tendency of wanting to block and forget anyone who offends me. Marriage, however, doesn't give ...