Today on Pearls And Heels we feature Furaha Ruguru. Furaha Ruguru is a Kenyan music journalist, content creator and self-proclaimed music junkie! Her favourite place in the world right now is her imagination. She says that she can daydream and visualize her deepest desires wherever she is, even in a matatu.
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What do you do and what impact do you think it creates in your industry or the world?
As the founder of LaMusicJunkie, I promote Kenyan music to the world through playlists, podcasts and written content. I also highlight my favourite alternative events, artists and lifestyle brands. My work supports creatives as it helps them feel seen and heard. It also connects art lovers to all the cool content and experiences around them.
Most recently, I started creating community experiences aka events that bring art-loving and conscious people together.
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What things would you change along the way if you had a chance to go back to the past?
They say you shouldn’t change the past as it’s what got you to where you are. But if I had the chance, I would take more risks e.g. reach out to my dream mentor or follow up on an opportunity. Who knows where I’d be right now?
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What would you say are the top three skills needed to succeed at your current job?
Self-discipline. As your own boss, you have to be disciplined. That is, have daily routines, and track your projects and tasks (insert Google Calendar). Otherwise, you will waste a whole day browsing the web.
Patience. Ask any creative and they’ll tell you patience is a must. You have to wait for your big break, a client email, and that MPESA message. But it’s all worth the wait.
Commitment. In this work, you have to believe in what you’re passionate about. Even if it doesn’t pay (yet) or you don’t get an award for it. Stick long enough and people will notice.
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What do you love to do, that makes you light up when you talk about it?
My number one love is music! That’s why my brand is called LaMusicJunkie. I literally get high on music.
I can talk about Kenyan music all day. Why? Because it’s OURS. And it’s full of rich beauty and diversity. Forget what you hear on the radio or in clubs, I’m talking about the humongous iceberg underneath that is unseen. Being exposed to it inspires me to spread the gospel as far and as wide as the universe will let me.
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What motivates you to keep going?
It’s the creatives and artists for me. Seeing them create beautiful art every day inspires my own content. And the fact that they appreciate my work is a blessing. I receive unsolicited compliments every other day. It makes me know that my work is important.
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How do you define success?
Success to me is freedom. Time freedom, mental freedom, and financial freedom. When I am free to do what I want when I want it, then I have succeeded.
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What is more important for you, passion or purpose or both? Why?
Passion precedes purpose. When you follow your passion, you find your purpose. I didn’t realize this until recently. But my passion for sharing music and information has led to my purpose. Which is supporting creatives, empowering them, and helping them heal.
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A lot of people like to talk about success but not failure. We are told to embrace failure on our road to success. Is there one time you failed at something you were working on that taught you valuable lessons that you can share? What lessons were those? You can also share what you failed at if you are comfortable sharing.
Yup. The most recent was in late 2022. After years of dreaming and months of planning – I launched my first online course. Talk about a “passive” income stream.
(Almost) everything went well. I hosted my first webinar, people attended and they loved it. Then I offered the course. Crickets ensued.
After 5 days, not even one person had bought it.
As you can imagine, this was disheartening. Especially after all the tireless work I had put into designing the webinar presentation, the landing page, and the course itself.
After listening to a podcast, I realized my mistake. I should have prepared my audience 3 months in advance so that they’d be willing to make that investment. That was a big lesson.
But that was not the end. After more online advice, I decided to turn my email marketing course into one-on-one coaching. Guess what? That’s how I got my first students. For about a month, I teach them online how to start their own newsletter from scratch. Teaching has its own valuable lessons as well.
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Have you ever faced imposter syndrome? How do you deal with it?
What do you mean? I face imposter syndrome almost every single day. You know, thoughts like “Am I good enough, what’s wrong with me, does anyone care?” It’s that unchecked monkey brain that chatters all day long.
I’ve started to realize that you can change your inner narrative. So whenever that voice comes up, I speak to it. “I am appreciated. People like my work. I am pretty darn good.”
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What advice would you give somebody just starting out in your line of work?
I would say just start, but you’ve probably heard that one too many times. So I would say give it your all. Jitume. If you love to write, write as much as you can. Write as if no one is looking. After all, your soul wants to express itself. Let it. That is why you are here.
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Are there specific books or movies or podcasts you would recommend to somebody for them to get a better sense of what success is or what success could be like? This is an auntie moment to pass wisdom
Sure. The last book I read was Almanack by Naval Ravikant. It’s a collection of his thoughts and tweets about happiness and wealth. It’s easy to read and you can get it online for free (legally)
Over the past few years, I’ve become a documentary junkie. I still enjoy sci-fi and romcoms, but documentaries spill the truth we all need to hear. That said, watch The Reality of Truth on YouTube.
I love podcasts – after all, I host one called The Top 5 with LaMusicJunkie. My favourites include Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast and Imperfect Action which are perfect for online entrepreneurs. And if you’re an African podcaster like me, listen to Sema Nasi.
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What do you like to do outside of work?
When I’m not at home working on my computer, I’m outside having all kinds of enriching experiences. Whether it’s a herbal medicine class, capoeira martial arts class or Afro-Latin dance social. Oh, and find me at the nearest live music event in Nairobi.
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What would you like your legacy to be?
I want to be remembered as the music junkie who loved (Kenyan) music so much that she gave her all to it. That I helped people heal physically, mentally and spiritually. We all deserve to be free and happy.
You can find Furaha Ruguru on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lamusicjunkie and on Instagram at https://www.
