Grace Beyond Borders

The One with Grace Mulenga on Audacious Destiny: Episode 25 (2022)

If I were to advise myself before moving to the US, I would tell my younger self to be more open-minded to the new country I was going to. As a young person about to move to the USA, regardless of what your background is, you may not have all the privileges and opportunities, but receive this great opportunity, you have to come to the US with an open mind because it is an opportunity to go into another culture and to do something different with your life. Open-mindedness, humility, and the desire to learn are essential traits you need if you want to succeed in a new environment or country. — Grace Mulenga (2022)

In this episode, we’re joined by Grace Mulenga, a good friend who was born and raised in the beautiful country of Zambia, aka the smile of Africa. I met Grace in Austin, Texas, over five years ago, and she still lives and works there with her husband, Chiluba, and both enjoy serving their community through various initiatives.

Among her many accomplishments, Grace is delighted to serve and uplift others. She is a public speaker on various platforms and a keynote speaker at charity fundraisers, church ministry, and community youth programs. She has served on the alumni Bootcamp panel for first-year MBA students for several years and recently published her first book, Audacious Destiny, an inspirational spiritual memoir of a journey of resilience and faith.

Grace is the third Zambian coming on the podcast. We’ve had Muloongo and Chulu, and going by all three, Zambians are very pleasant — I’m starting to see why they are called “the smile of Africa.” For her part, she finds Nigerians audacious and loud — she has never met a timid Nigerian, and even the quiet ones have boldness about them. She grew up listening to Nigerian music and watching Nigerian movies, and we discussed how people sometimes forget Nigeria does not define Africa, including in movies and food.