Strathmore’s mental health podcast got the unique opportunity of recording 4 audio plus video episodes at Sema Box studios along Riverside Drive, Westlands on 24^th February and 3^rd March. The one-of-a-kind invitation by Sema Box – Africa’s biggest podcast incubator and plug-and-play facility – exposed the team to state-of-the-art and fully equipped studio technology with skilled experts in the podcasting profession who supported our studio hosts all through the recordings during the two Fridays. The free recording offer at their space was inclusive of multi-camera production, editing, and publishing support.

Our hosts – Ivan Keli, Mukami Muchang’i, Joseph Fernandes, and Christine Ng’ang’a recorded 4 topics: Past and modern mental health, positive mental health habits, the psychology of gender identity, inclusivity, and diversity as well as discussed mental health integration into the education to destigmatize mental health issues. They were flanked by Wairimu Serumaga and Naomi Masiyoi Lenana from our media and marketing department, Anna Wang’ombe – Managing Director, as well as Michael Ochola – Strathmore Media Group (SUMG Club) President, Roy King’atua, and Peter Wanyangi from the advisory board. The team was supported remotely by our research department headed by Higgins Ogechi and the partnerships department headed by Brian Nyagah to make the events a big success.

Founded in November 2021 through a partnership between the Strathmore Mental Health Club and SUMG’s The Stratizen Podcast, How You Doin’? podcast has been on a quest to reinvent mental health conversations amongst young people, particularly within the university setting. Inspired by our vision of being a transformative student-driven mental health podcast igniting candid and bold mental health conversations through real-life stories, experiences, and professional insights for sustainable mental well-being, we are defining our unique space in promoting safe spaces for open and honest mental health dialogues.

We ended the year 2022 with 10 episodes recorded and uploaded since commencing active operations in July 2022. Taking key lessons from the previous year, we are intentionally putting our audience at the heart of our conversations and ambitions. Our 2023 strategy has been anchored on promoting quality, relatable, and professional studio insights, a reliable medium for our audience’s input and feedback, as well as vibrant marketing targeting every Stratizen with our content. Sema Box’s partnership, made possible by Strathmore Media Group, will be one of the many partnerships we look forward to sealing this year. We are glad to be partnering with Strathmore Medical Centre’s clinical psychologists Peter Mwangi and Oscar Odhiambo who ensure our research and studio output are professionally advised. The Strathmore Law Clinic is currently supporting the podcast with legal consultancy and assisting us to guarantee best media practices and sound governance while providing us insights on brand protection and intellectual property rights even as we envision growing our brand and extending our footprint to outside Strathmore.

Our team’s growth is also at the core of our strategy. There are many opportunities for our people to hone their skills and realize other interests and potentials, for instance, our hosts in potentially becoming future presenters or starting their podcasts as well as building leadership skills in the various capacities and departments within the podcast, just to mention but a few. The podcast will be unveiling benchmarking opportunities with other developed podcasts and media platforms to expose our team to the necessary know-how in this space while building individual and team capacities that will be beneficial for our members and podcast.

There can be no mental health impact without mental health conversations. As the young population, we need to openly speak and engage with each other about our real-life experiences (both our struggles and our thriving moments) and educate ourselves on positive mental health habits. Mental health is a lifestyle; it’s actually how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced or affected by our environments, stimuli, triggers, events, and people around us. Mental health is in everything about us and in everything around us and there can be no running away from the important conversations surrounding mental health.

Click here for our Linktree redirect to our podcast platforms and follow us on Spotify and Instagram to be notified when our Sema Box studio episodes and other episodes are out. The conversation never stops!