Family Influences in Philanthropy
Everyone’s path to philanthropy is unique and personal. On our podcast, Positive Impact Philanthropy, we share the stories of many, and they are all connected by one important thread–the influence of upbringing.
As listeners of the podcast know, we ask every guest how they were introduced to the idea of philanthropy and who from their childhood first inspired them to give back. Each woman’s story has stuck with us in its own particular way, but today we are focusing on two of our favorites.
Maureen Mwangi: Maureen runs a company called Startward Consulting that teaches product-based entrepreneurs the strategies they need to turn their brands into household names. She also runs a nonprofit organization attached to her business called the TAJI Foundation. The foundation empowers boys in Kenya to get the education they need to lift their families out of poverty and build generational wealth. Maureen’s own experiences growing up in Nairobi, Kenya directly inspired this philanthropic focus. As the entrepreneurs in the family, Maureen’s parents often supported their extended families. This sparked an interest and calling not only to give back, but also to widen the scope of her philanthropy beyond family. “It was sort of part of me to support those who don’t have it, and I wanted to take it beyond family to other people who were not related by blood.”
Since then, Maureen has been able to successfully marry her entrepreneurial and philanthropic strategies to focus on “education [as] the main thing that can uproot people out of poverty in Africa.” In the episode, she discusses her personal connection to this philosophy, noting how receiving a scholarship for graduate school in the United States gave her the opportunity to remove herself from the poverty that surrounded her childhood. Maureen calls the connection between Startward and TAJI “a symbiotic relationship that I truly love and am passionate about.” We are thoroughly inspired by Maureen’s passion, and we cannot wait to watch her continue to build her legacy. To listen to Maureen’s episode, click HERE.
Jennifer Sapel: Jennifer is the CEO of Utor Wealth, a company that primarily helps women make financial decisions with confidence. As a child, Jennifer was heavily influenced by the divorce of her parents and the effect it had on the family’s finances. She watched her mother struggle and began to connect money with anxiety, stress, and negativity. Her mother’s financial difficulties left Jennifer with a very clear thought– “I never want to feel this way about this…nebulous concept of money.” This idea directly inspired Jennifer to “conquer the beast that money was” in her household, become a financial advisor at 25, and ultimately help other women create a money mindset based in confidence rather than stress or anxiety. Jennifer has helped countless women in her over 20 years in the financial planning world, and we highly recommend listening to her episode HERE for tips and strategies on making financial decisions with conviction.
We are sharing the stories of these two insightful, and passionate women because we love the way they have been able to use their upbringings to empower others and provide opportunities for independence, education, and financial freedom.
If you would like to hear more stories of incredible women building incredible philanthropic legacies, you can access our full podcast catalog HERE. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any new episodes, dropping every other Wednesday.