84. What becoming a CEO really asks of you w/ Dr. Laila Macharia | Yesticle

88. Are we forgetting how to think? What AI reveals about being human w/ Leon Apungu

Answers have never been this easy to find. A question that once required research, reflection, or a conversation can now be answered in seconds. But as artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life, a deeper question begins to emerge: What should humans do before outsourcing thinking to machines? This is Season 9, and its theme is: Back to Basics; exploring the systems, habits, and assumptions that quietly shape how we live. In this Yespisode, Akumu and Claire turn their attention to one of the most talked-about technologies of our time, and not to ask whether AI is good or bad, but to explore what it reveals about us (us meaning "humans" in case you're wondering). Joined by AI and technology pioneer Leon Apungu, this conversation examines the relationship between artificial intelligence, human judgment, and self-trust. Together, they explore why fast answers can feel so convincing, what happens when we rely too heavily on automated thinking, and where human responsibility must remain firmly in the loop. Through a series of live experiments, the Yes Girls compare their own thinking with the responses generated by an AI chatbot, exploring decision-making, critical thinking, uncertainty, and the uncomfortable but important role of waiting for clarity and sitting in uncertainty. They also unpack the difference between information and wisdom, confidence and understanding, speed and judgment, while asking this simple question: Just because a machine can answer, does that mean it should decide? This episode is thoughtful, playful, and deeply relevant for anyone trying to navigate an increasingly automated world without losing sight of what makes us human. You will leave wondering whether you are more like Claire, or more like Akumu when it comes to AI. Listen in to find out. ___ Timestamps to Specific Segments: (0:00) Intro (03:01) Meet Leon Apungu and his thoughts on AI's dangers and possibilities (07:28) The Yes Challenge: Testing AI's career advice against human judgement (16:20) Why AI's Advice misses personal context and emotion (20:16) How to get better AI chatbot results (25:14) Leon's thoughts human judgement & AI's effect on critical thinking (34:41) Introvert vs. extrovert use of AI & Leon's 3 tips for responsible AI use (48:03) The frustration of speed and easily recognisable AI-generated content (58:30) Leon's visions for AI's transformative future: humanoids, neuralink etc. (01:04:08) What has Leon recently said "Yes" to? (01:04:55) Outro ___ You will connect with this episode if: • You use AI tools in your daily life or work. • You have ever wondered whether technology is changing the way we think. • You are interested in human decision-making, judgment, and self-trust. • You want a more balanced conversation about AI: one without fear or hype. It is quite ironic to have two millennials, whose childhoods were relatively technology-sparse, sitting down for a chat with a Gen Z digital native. Yet, this is precisely the type of dialogue we need more of, especially given the frequent friction between these two generations in the professional world. Listen in, then drop us a comment or DM with your thoughts. _____________ Important resources: Follow Leon Apungu on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leon-apungu-a53b3829a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leon-apungu-a53b3829a/] Learn more about AI Central here: https://www.aicentral.africa/ [https://www.aicentral.africa/] _____________ If you enjoy the podcast, we love you! And we'd like to ask you to rate us on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2yAqJtkJnlXJ23Z5A229hR] - it will only take a couple of seconds, we promise!  If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, please take a moment to https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330leave a brief review [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330]. We promise it will take less than a minute unless, of course, you have more to say. In any case, we appreciate you! Thanks in advance! _____________________ For video logs, visit https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast]  For blogs, visit https://yesgirlspodcast.com/https://yesgirlspodcast.com/ [https://yesgirlspodcast.com/]  Feel free to follow us across these platforms: INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/yesgirlspodcast]  TWITTER [https://www.twitter.com/yesgirlspodcast] LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yesgirlspodcast] TIKTOK [https://www.tiktok.com/@yesgirlspodcast]

87. How grief changes the way you see everything. Healing after loss w/ Rose Gichure

Grief has a strange way of changing what feels important. Things that once felt urgent suddenly become noise, routines stop making much sense, and priorities slowly rearrange themselves. Without warning, life strips everything back. This is Season 9, and for it, the Yes Girls are going *Back to Basics*, exploring the systems, habits, and assumptions that quietly shape how we live. But some lessons about what truly matters do not arrive through self-improvement or intention. Sometimes, they arrive through loss. In this deeply reflective episode, Akumu and Claire sit down with Rose Gichure, a grief coach and the host of the Grief Angels Podcast, a space dedicated to helping people navigate grief with greater honesty, openness, and compassion. Together, they explore the disorienting experience of life no longer fitting the way it once did, and how grief can reshape identity, relationships, perspective, and what truly matters. The conversation moves through the pressure to "move on" (which Rose explains is the wrong phrase entirely), the way loss changes our relationship with time and productivity, and the role of love, support, community, and presence when everything else begins to fall away. Despite the weight of the topic, this episode is spacious, honest, and warm because, somewhere inside conversations about loss are also conversations about love and being truly alive. ____ Timestamps to Specific Segments: (00:00) Intro (03:12) Meet Rose Gichure, a Grief Coach & Host of the Grief Angels Podcast (07:12) Is There a "Right" Way to Grieve? (10:39) How Culture Shapes the Way We Mourn (13:11) The Myths and Misunderstandings Around Grief (24:47) Why "Moving On" Is the Wrong Phrase (25:40) How Loss Reshapes Life Decisions and Priorities (40:03) How to Heal & Rebuild After a Huge Loss (43:23) Rethinking Grief & Difference Grief Experiences (46:57) What to Say (and Not Say) to Someone Grieving (49:01) Presence, Support, and Showing Up for People (58:12) Final Reflections on Grief, Healing, and Support (1:04:04) What Rose Gichure Has Recently Said "Yes" (1:04:44) Outro ______ You'll most likely connect with this episode if: * You've ever experienced grief, loss, or a major life transition. * You've struggled with the pressure to "move on". * You want to better support someone who is grieving. * You want a more honest, human conversation about grief and healing. * You're curious about the topic. ______ Important Links: Follow Rose Gichure: https://www.instagram.com/aymarose/ [https://www.instagram.com/aymarose/] Follow the Griel Angels Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/griefangelspodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/griefangelspodcast/] Watch & Listen to the Grief Angels Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@griefangelspodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@griefangelspodcast] https://open.spotify.com/show/0mJM765hzDTMZbTtOpAPZJ?si=9a1bde982fc84aa6 [https://open.spotify.com/show/0mJM765hzDTMZbTtOpAPZJ?si=9a1bde982fc84aa6] Things you shouldn't say to someone who's grieving: https://youtu.be/5JEpxm5SyJ4?si=hB5NNPmVc-QWHDhn [https://youtu.be/5JEpxm5SyJ4?si=hB5NNPmVc-QWHDhn] ____________________ If you enjoy the podcast, we love you! And we'd like to ask you to rate us on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2yAqJtkJnlXJ23Z5A229hR] - it will only take a couple of seconds, we promise!  If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, please take a moment to https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330leave a brief review [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330]. We promise it will take less than a minute unless, of course, you have more to say. In any case, we appreciate you! Thanks in advance! _____________________ For video logs, visit https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast]  For blogs, visit https://yesgirlspodcast.com/https://yesgirlspodcast.com/ [https://yesgirlspodcast.com/]  Feel free to follow us across these platforms: INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/yesgirlspodcast]  TWITTER [https://www.twitter.com/yesgirlspodcast] LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yesgirlspodcast] TIKTOK [https://www.tiktok.com/@yesgirlspodcast]

86. What we forget every time we click 'order': convenience isn't simple - yet it feels effortless w/ Nira Nyangweso & Greenspoon

We've all done it. Add to cart, checkout, close the app. And then… we wait. But we rarely stop to ask what actually happens behind the scenes. For Season 9, the Yes Girls are going back to basics, looking at how the systems we rely on actually work. For this episode, they're saying yes to something most of us take for granted: healthy eating on the go. So they partnered with Greenspoon to test something bold: can you really get fresh, healthy food delivered to your door in under 45 minutes… without something breaking behind the scenes? To find out, they went straight to the source. Akumu and Claire visited the Greenspoon fulfilment centre to see what really happens after you click "order" - and what they found wasn't robots, sci-fi automation, or even magic. They found people - dozens of people moving fast, thinking faster, and working in sync. So whether yours is a standard order or a GreenspoonGo order, an entire system springs into action the moment you press that button on the app or website. What this episode reveals is the human coordination, care, and intensity behind that beautiful thing we call "convenience." And somewhere along the way, the question shifts. It's no longer just: "How does delivery work?" but: "What does this kind of convenience actually require from other people?" To answer that, Akumu and Claire are joined in the studio (weeks after visiting the fulfillment centre) by Nira Nyangweso, Creative Lead at Greenspoon. ____ Timestamps to Specific Segments (0:00) Intro (2:59) Meet Nira Nyangweso & the mission behind Greenspoon's take on healthy convenience (5:19) What "convenience" really means behind the scenes at Greenspoon (7:08) The Yes Challenge: how it unfolded (9:21) What actually happens the moment you click "order" (16:03) Where "healthy" really shows up even when convenience is the goal (20:14) The live test: Did our GreenspoonGo order arrive within 45 minutes? (22:03) What happens on the tech side when an order comes in (22:42) Did the Yes Girls succeed with this Yes Challenge? (24:37) Where Greenspoon fits alongside supermarkets, organic markets, and growing your own food (29:37) How 45-minute delivery became possible, and what it depends on (34:59) What's next for Greenspoon (38:55) Common misconceptions about Greenspoon (41:17) What genuinely surprised Akumu and Claire at the fulfilment centre (45:14) Simple ways to start saying yes to healthier eating on the go (49:52) What Nira has recently said yes to (50:21) Outro ____ Find photos and videos from this Yes Challenge and Yespisode across all social media platforms: @yesgirlspodcast This episode is proudly brought to you by Greenspoon: Greenspoon is a Nairobi-based online marketplace built on a simple idea: food should be good for you, and good for the world. As a certified B Corp, they're held to high standards of social and environmental responsibility, working closely with local farmers and producers to prioritise transparency, fair partnerships, and responsible sourcing. Their approach is about more than convenience - it's about helping people understand where their food comes from, who made it, and how it gets to them, while making it easier to access fresh, healthy, and high-quality products. Important links: Order on Greenspoon: https://greenspoon.co.ke [https://greenspoon.co.ke/] Follow Nira here: https://ke.linkedin.com/in/nira-nyangweso-1132061aa [https://ke.linkedin.com/in/nira-nyangweso-1132061aa] _______ If you enjoy the podcast, we love you! And we'd like to ask you to rate us on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2yAqJtkJnlXJ23Z5A229hR] - it will only take a couple of seconds, we promise!  If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, please take a moment to https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330leave a brief review [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330]. We promise it will take less than a minute unless, of course, you have more to say. In any case, we appreciate you! Thanks in advance! _____________________ For video logs, visit https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast]  For blogs, visit https://yesgirlspodcast.com/https://yesgirlspodcast.com/ [https://yesgirlspodcast.com/]  Feel free to follow us across these platforms: INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/yesgirlspodcast]  TWITTER [https://www.twitter.com/yesgirlspodcast] LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yesgirlspodcast] TIKTOK [https://www.tiktok.com/@yesgirlspodcast]

85. What millennials keep getting wrong about Gen Z | Yesticle

Everyone has an opinion about Gen Z. But what if the real story is what Millennials & everyone else keep getting wrong about them? This Yesticle is a journey back into the Yes Girls archives. Across eight seasons of conversations, a surprising pattern kept appearing: Gen Z. Sometimes as guests, sometimes as the subject of debate, and sometimes defended fiercely by the people we interviewed. But this isn't a Gen Z debate episode, but more like a listening one. It's a carefully curated highlight reel of Claire and Akumu revisiting moments from past Yes Girls conversations that reveal deeper truths about this youthful, complex generation. You'll hear thoughts about: 1. Gen Z self-awareness 2. Youth civic engagement 3. Generational identity shifts 4. Emotional intelligence 5. Expression through fashion and culture 6. What Millennials are still learning Along the way, the Yes Girls ask each other the much bigger questions: What have Millennials misunderstood about Gen Z? And what are they forcing older generations to unlearn? This Yesticle features clips from: 1. Episode 46 – Da Boiz 2. Episode 57 – Mantalk with Eli Mwenda and Oscar Koome 3. Episode 63 – Adelle Onyango 4. Episode 65 – Geoffrey Mboya 5. Episode 83 – Kavata _______ Timestamps to Specific Segments: (0:00) Intro (1:56) Does Gen Z need advice? (4:14) Gen Z being superhuman: civic awareness and engagement (5:25) A prediction that Gen Z might actually save the world (6:14) Gen Z fashion, identity, and "main character energy" (7:46) Gen Z being in touch with their feelings and emotions (10:06) What have Millennials misunderstood about Gen Z? (11:06) What is Gen Z forcing older generations to unlearn? (12:11) Outro ___ If this episode made you think differently about generational change, share it with someone who should hear it. Follow us everywhere: @yesgirlspodcast And tell us: What do you think older generations still misunderstand about Gen Z? ___ If you enjoy the podcast, we love you! And we'd like to ask you to rate us on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2yAqJtkJnlXJ23Z5A229hR] - it will only take a couple of seconds, we promise!  If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, please take a moment to https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330leave a brief review [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330]. We promise it will take less than a minute unless, of course, you have more to say. In any case, we appreciate you! Thanks in advance! _____________________ For video logs, visit https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast]  For blogs, visit https://yesgirlspodcast.com/https://yesgirlspodcast.com/ [https://yesgirlspodcast.com/]  Feel free to follow us across these platforms: INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/yesgirlspodcast]  TWITTER [https://www.twitter.com/yesgirlspodcast] LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yesgirlspodcast] TIKTOK [https://www.tiktok.com/@yesgirlspodcast]

84. What becoming a CEO really asks of you w/ Dr. Laila Macharia | Yesticle

Leadership isn't something you're born into. Most of the time, it's something you grow into, quietly, incrementally, and often without realising that the weight has already shifted onto your shoulders. In this Yesticle, Akumu and Claire sit down (for the second time) with Kenyan business leader and board executive Dr. Laila Macharia to talk about what becoming a CEO really asks of a person: not the aesthetic version of leadership, and certainly not the motivational quote version, but the lived kind - the one shaped by responsibility, range, and consequence. Laila's path was not a straight line toward a corner office. She moved through law, real estate, entrepreneurship, angel investing, and digital education before leadership became the thread tying it all together. Beyond being Vice-Chair of Centum, and having sat on the board of ABSA Kenya, among others, she now leads Imaginable Futures in the region. But none of those titles tell the full story. What matters more is how each chapter required her to stretch into a different version of herself. In this episode, we explore: * The biggest misconception about becoming a CEO * The invisible emotional weight of leadership * What women in Kenyan corporate spaces navigate quietly * The difference between founders and "ship steerers" * The boring but powerful habits board-level leaders share * And one small, reversible step anyone can take toward leadership this year This conversation is for anyone curious about becoming a CEO, navigating leadership as a woman, or understanding what executive responsibility actually feels like. Whether you are building something from scratch or growing inside an existing institution, the question underneath it all remains the same: Who are you becoming as your responsibility grows? Because the title is only the surface. The real transformation happens underneath. ________ Timestamps to Specific Segments: (0:00) Intro (02:00) Meet Dr. Laila Macharia: board leader, female CEO, and corporate executive (04:13) Starting from the bottom: how her leadership journey actually began (06:53) Do you need to "get your hands dirty" to become a leader? (07:53) The biggest myths about becoming a CEO or senior leader (10:50) The invisible challenges and advantages of being a female CEO (12:38) Seeing the forest and the trees: strategic thinking vs operational leadership (16:41) Breaking the glass ceiling: practical advice for women in leadership (19:54) The "boring" habits of successful CEOs and board-level leaders (24:08) Founder DNA vs CEO DNA: what type of leader is needed (and when)? (29:52) Stepping into a new leadership role: her move to Imaginable Futures (33:25) One small, reversible step toward leadership this year (39:54) What Laila has recently said yes to (40:27) Outro ____________________ Follow Laila Machari on LinkedIn: https://ke.linkedin.com/in/laila-macharia [https://ke.linkedin.com/in/laila-macharia] Learn more about her: https://imaginablefutures.com/team-member/laila-macharia/ [https://imaginablefutures.com/team-member/laila-macharia/] Listen to the other episode we've done with Dr. Laila Macharia: Episode 64: Saying yes to Critical Thinking [https://afripods.africa/episode/64-intelligence-doesn-t-protect/3c420bf0-7821-11ef-8bd3-9dd738bff0d8] (or scroll up or down right now in this pod feed to find it) ____________________ If you enjoy the podcast, we love you! And we'd like to ask you to rate us on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2yAqJtkJnlXJ23Z5A229hR] - it will only take a couple of seconds, we promise!  If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, please take a moment to https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330leave a brief review [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yes-girls/id1560933330]. We promise it will take less than a minute unless, of course, you have more to say. In any case, we appreciate you! Thanks in advance! _____________________ For video logs, visit https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@yesgirlspodcast]  For blogs, visit https://yesgirlspodcast.com/https://yesgirlspodcast.com/ [https://yesgirlspodcast.com/]  Feel free to follow us across these platforms: INSTAGRAM [https://www.instagram.com/yesgirlspodcast]  TWITTER [https://www.twitter.com/yesgirlspodcast] LINKEDIN [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yesgirlspodcast] TIKTOK [https://www.tiktok.com/@yesgirlspodcast]