Shanda Initiative

From Bookkeeper, to Librarian, to Records Manager, to Personal Assistant to the Managing Partner… to becoming an Award-Winning Hairstylist and Makeup Artist.

Some journeys are not linear. Some journeys become the story.

Our next Shanda Speakers guest reminds us that purpose does not always arrive in one title, one qualification, or one path.

Meet Annalisa Tsoro — a young entrepreneur whose story reflects courage, reinvention, creativity, and excellence.

Over the years, Annalisa has built experience across multiple professional spaces — from finance and administration to records and executive support — before fully embracing entrepreneurship through beauty and transformation.

Today, she is an award-winning hairstylist and wig artist, building a growing brand while helping people feel confident, empowered, and seen.

Her journey is a reminder that your previous experiences are not wasted — they may be preparing you for something bigger.

Join us as Annalisa shares her story of growth, purpose, and becoming.

Thursday, 28 May 2026
7:00 PM (CAT)
Live on our WhatsApp Channel

Come for the conversation.
Stay for the inspiration.

Today, we are honoured to host Mai VaGil Joseph NaRuth (Nerisa Shiri Mnemba) as our Guest Speaker under the Shanda Speakers Series.

Nerisa is a speaker, trainer, and advocate for mental health, self-awareness, and autism awareness, bringing both professional insight and lived experience into the conversation. Through her journey as a mother and advocate, she continues to create awareness, encourage understanding, and amplify conversations around neurodiversity and emotional wellness.

💙 Today’s Topic:
Raising Awareness About Autism

This will be an honest and meaningful conversation around understanding autism, embracing neurodiversity, and creating more compassionate communities.

Today — Tuesday, 19 May 2026
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM (CAT)
Live on the Shanda WhatsApp Channel

Channel Link : https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBiH8jIHphQsh4wmp2v

Whether you are a parent, leader, educator, entrepreneur, friend, or simply someone who wants to learn and understand better — this conversation is for you.

Come ready to listen.
Come ready to learn.
Come ready to hold space.

See you there 💙

Your year is not over. It is just getting started 🙏🏾❤️

It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you realise we are already in May.

The pressure to have everything figured out by now can be paralysing. But progress is rarely a straight line.

The months behind you are your foundation.

They are filled with the experiences that have shaped who you are today.

The months ahead are your canvas. They are filled with the opportunities you have yet to seize.

Do not discount the growth that happens in the waiting. Do not underestimate what you can achieve in the time you have left.

You have the power to redefine the rest of your year. ❤️

Selah Cohort 2 is officially underway, and we are now stepping into our second month together. 🤍

What began as a small, intentional circle of women has slowly become a space filled with reflection, honesty, accountability, growth, and meaningful conversations.

This cohort is centred around:
Identity. Character. Calling.

And over the past few weeks, we have intentionally created rhythms that help us slow down and become more aware of ourselves:

* Daily morning devotions
* Heart Check Wednesdays
* Gratitude Calls
* Presentations and reflections
* Weekly alignment and reset sessions

One thing I am learning through Selah is that growth does not always happen loudly.

Sometimes growth looks like:

* finally speaking honestly
* resting without guilt
* confronting your fears
* learning yourself again
* rebuilding confidence quietly
* showing up consistently

Selah was never created to be a large space.

It was created to be an intentional one.

And watching the women in this cohort slowly open up, reflect, support one another, and commit to becoming has been a beautiful thing to witness.

We are cruising gently, intentionally, and with grace.

— Shanda Initiative

Selah is one of the intentional spaces we host under the Shanda Initiative — a space created for women who desire to pause, reflect, and grow in a meaningful and supportive community.

Over the past three months, Selah Cohort 1 has been a journey of honest conversations, reflection, and personal growth. As we bring this chapter to a close, we are now opening the doors for Selah Cohort 2.

This next three-month journey will focus on Identity, Character, and Calling — helping women explore who they are becoming, the character they are building, and the purpose they are walking into.

To maintain the depth and intimacy of the space, Selah will remain intentionally small, with only 9 women joining this cohort.

If you feel drawn to a space of intentional growth and reflection, we invite you to look through the slides above for registration details.

Ten women.
Three months.
One intentional space.

This image represents what Selah was always meant to be — a small circle of women choosing growth, reflection, accountability, and honest conversation.

At Shanda Initiative, Selah is intentionally kept small — only ten women per cohort. Not because more women do not deserve the space, but because depth requires intimacy.

Over the past three months, Cohort 1 showed up for conversations about healing, identity, confidence, boundaries, relationships, discipline, and the quiet work of becoming.

It was not always comfortable.
But it was always honest.

This space reminded us that transformation rarely happens in noise.
It happens in rooms where women are willing to sit with themselves and grow.

As we close this chapter, Selah Cohort 2 is coming.

Another circle.
Another three-month journey.
Another opportunity for women who are ready to grow intentionally.

Registration will open soon.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing a woman can do is pause… and become.

Heart Check Thursday 🤍

Today, we pause—not to fix, not to explain, not to perform.

Just to check in.

How are you really feeling beneath the noise?
What has been sitting quietly in your heart this week?

This is a safe moment to be honest with yourself.
No judgement. No rushing. No pressure to have the right words.

Take a breath.
Name what you feel.
Hold it gently.

🤍 Shanda Initiative