Last week, we shared stories from four Mentees in the Eighth batch of The Comms Mentoring Programme. This week, we hear from three more. Eunice Murathe, Joshua Anieze, and Tiyamike Banda talk about how the programme helped them grow, find clarity, and build confidence in their careers.
Eunice Murathe
If you had asked me to introduce myself just a few months ago, I would have started scrambling inside. I remember being at an event when someone casually asked that question. My mind flipped through some titles I had seen on LinkedIn and none of them felt real to me. Back then, my instinct was not to look inward and reflect on my values or voice. I would reach outward to grasp for the grandest words I could find because I wanted to sound impressive.
Enter: The Comms Avenue
I came across the TCA call for mentees on LinkedIn. I have been part of The Comms Avenue’s Kenyan chapter since its first event in 2022. This year, something nudged me to take a step and apply. Balancing the TCA sessions with my Master of Arts in Strategic Communication classes and a full-time job was a stretch, but one I was willing to take on.
I had set many goals. When I sent them to my mentor, Antoinette Bonita Kamau, I am sure she wondered, “In eight weeks you want to do what?” Our first session was all about setting goals with timelines, deliverables, and accountability. After we wrapped up, I told a friend: “This is the first time I’ve had such a clear path.” There was no ambiguity and the goals were measurable and ones I could confidently share with someone else for accountability.
Clarity is not just for strategy decks. It belongs in our own lives too
We, communicators, are experts at crafting strategic frameworks for organizations we work with/for which include defining vision, aligning goals, setting timelines, establishing indicators, and designing robust M&E plans. Yet, we so often neglect to apply these same tools to our own lives.
By doing so we risk drifting or reacting to opportunities rather than intentionally designing a path forward. Without a clear direction, we also miss the ability to diagnose issues before they become larger setbacks. Also, if we can track it, we can celebrate it. So going forward, I will let the same clarity I bring to organisations bring alignment, motivation, and purpose to my own journey.
Plot twist: The Value Proposition
Just when I thought goal setting was the highlight of the journey, along came a plot twist. Enter the villa, a hot new bombshell: the value proposition.
This part asked me to go deeper and introspect: What do I care about? What have I done? What is my professional identity? What drives me? Where do I want to be? Then: Use that to communicate my value. Simply. Naturally. Authentically. So that when I say it, I do not stumble or fill the silence with “ummms.” It just flows because it is me.
My mentor helped me with a formula to communicate value: I help [target audience] do/achieve [specific goal] by leveraging [your key skills/approach], resulting in [impact/outcome].
Now, meet Eunice Murathe
I did the work. And now, I can introduce myself not with buzzwords, but with a version of myself that reflects both my purpose and my professional identity.
Here is how I show up now on LinkedIn:
“I am a child of teachers. I grew up surrounded by stories and books. Those early influences shaped my path. For over nine years, I have been telling people-centered stories, first as a journalist, now as a communications specialist. I focus on development, particularly in the environment, agriculture, and research sectors, helping organizations communicate in ways that raise funds, shape policy, and build strong global connections.”
This version of me feels authentic because it is grounded in my personal origin story, shaped by experience, and guided by purpose. It also gives me the clarity and confidence to show up fully whether at networking events, conferences, or webinars. It reflects who I am, where I have come from, and the impact I am committed to making. While the details may shift depending on the context, sometimes leaving parts out, other times adding pieces like hiker or curious mind, what remains constant is that I no longer need to rely on borrowed titles. I have the story, the substance, and the work to back it up and they speak for themselves.
Joshua Anieze
My time in the eighth batch of the CMP was an extremely rewarding experience. Every week, I got to learn from experienced Comms professionals whose guidance ensured a soft landing for my transition into the world of strategic communications.
I was paired with Onyekachi Kingsley Nkemneme, a highly experienced Comms professional in the energy sector, with whom I shared conversations around growth and relevance in the Communications industry.
A lesson I’m reflecting on as I mentally relive the CMP today is that growth is both internal and external. Conversations with mentor Kingsley helped me to see personal and professional growth as daily practices and not distant or long-term goals. He was often emphasising how crucial it is to stay curious, and constantly refine one’s craft. Growth, in his words, has only really happened everyday you show up better than you did the day before.
The second lesson is leveraging technology in Communications. I was challenged to embrace tools that can simplify my workflows. It’s no longer enough to just be communicators, we must also be tech-savvy and data-informed.
However, soft skills like empathy and active listening are, likewise, essential for success in Comms. They determine how far we go and how well we work with others.
The CMP weekly workshops were the most hands-on part of the programme. Particularly sessions where we learned to align communications with clear objectives. I mastered the concepts of audience mapping, message clarity, and the importance of feedback loops in communication planning.
Finally, throughout the CMP, almost every facilitator emphasised that we prioritise building meaningful relationships, and courageously show up in professional spaces. I got to understand that networking is largely about adding value and staying in touch even when you’re not in need.I’m very thankful to Comms Avenue for organizing this career-propelling program, and to my mentor, for pouring out himself unreservedly. The CMP has ended, but the impact on my professional career lives on. And I love every bit of it.
Tiyamike Banda When I applied for the Comms mentorship programme I was at a turning point in my career. I’ve always been a comms girl, but for the last few years I found myself working in marketing. The two go together well but I constantly asked myself where I truly fit.I had reached a place where the passion I once had for my work was gone ..and even worse,I had gotten comfortable with that. I wanted to leave agency life but after doing it for so long I didn’t know how to start over. Did I belong in comms? Marketing? Both? I really didn’t have the answers.My mentor, Madam Antoinette Kamau, was the perfect fit for me. From goal setting to unpacking my career path and even working on my personal brand I got the full experience! The Saturday workshops became something I looked forward to, especially the sessions on using AI in comms this one in particular completely changed my perspective on the profession.But the best part? The programme pushed me out of my comfort zoFinally, throughout the CMP, almost every facilitator emphasised that we prioritize building meaningful relationships, and courageously show up in professional spaces. I got to understand that networking is largely about adding value and staying in touch even when you’re not in need.
I’m very thankful to Comms Avenue for organising this career-propelling program, and to my mentor, for pouring out himself unreservedly.
The CMP has ended, but the impact on my professional career lives on. And I love every bit of it.
Tiyamike Banda
When I applied for the Comms mentorship programme, I was at a turning point in my career.
I’ve always been a Comms girl, but for the last few years I found myself working in Marketing. The two go together well but I constantly asked myself where I truly fit. I had reached a place where the passion I once had for my work was gone ..and even worse,I had gotten comfortable with that. I wanted to leave agency life but after doing it for so long I didn’t know how to start over. Did I belong in Comms? Marketing? Both? I really didn’t have the answers.
My mentor, Madam Antoinette Kamau, was the perfect fit for me. From goal setting to unpacking my career path and even working on my personal brand I got the full experience! The Saturday workshops also became something I looked forward to, especially the sessions on using AI in Comms this one in particular completely changed my perspective on the profession.
But the best part? The programme pushed me out of my comfort zone. I took on moderating for the first time for one of the sessions, something I never thought I’d do and I loved it!
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve not only set clear career goals, but I’ve also started writing in my blog again which talks about PR and Marketing campaigns from around Africa. My passion for storytelling and creating narratives is back, and after months of looking I’ve finally landed the role I believe is right for me. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my mentor, that I’m sure of.
The CMP reignited my confidence and reminded me the exact reason I got into this profession.
