NAIROBI, Kenya- I liked that she had proposed we meet on a Friday morning.
On this day, I arrived about 30 minutes earlier than Joy Ngari…she had been caught up in the usual notorious Nairobi traffic.
This was the first time I was meeting Ngari and I didn’t know what to expect. My brother had shared her phone number and TikTok account and that was it.
Talking to her on the phone, she sounded confident and I admired her eloquence in the Queen’s language. She is not a typical Genz, I told myself.
I was on a talent hunting mission for the coolest news platform in Kenya, I dare say in Africa, – the Y News.
My brother had convinced me that she is good and would make a good host for a lifestyle show at Y News.
Finally she arrived at the ArtCaffe- the one along Kenyatta Avenue. Of course she was apologetic for arriving late.
We both took coffee but hers was not ‘black coffee’ like mine- I can’t remember the name.
I was the first to do the introduction and also proceeded to provide the day’s agenda, while she listened keenly.
Then it was my turn to listen to her. I needed to know, who is Joy Ngari? What can she do? Is she passionate about it?
“My language is confidence and I use makeup as a tool for therapy,” she started.
And while she did her pitching really well, it is her initiative to promote mental wellness among women that caught my attention.
I am passionate about mental wellness and here Ngari was singing my song.
Long story short, I requested for an interview on a later date.
At only 26 years old, Ngari, while using her makeup brush as a tool for empowerment and healing, has helped over 200 women. Simply impressive!
Her approach is as unique as it is impactful.
Through her makeup sessions, Ngari doesn’t just apply cosmetics; she listens, empathizes, and uplifts.
Each brush stroke is a gesture of kindness, each conversation a step towards healing.
“I want women to leave feeling like the best version of themselves,” Ngari said, her voice filled with zeal.
As a trained psychologist cum makeup artist, Ngari has been passionate about studying human behavior. And she did and more so among women.
“I realized that many women struggle with confidence and self-image,” Ngari explained.
“I wanted to create a space where they could not only look good on the outside but also feel good on the inside.”
What started as a side hustle on campus, is now a tool of empowerment.
“I have had a client (a woman) who came lamenting about the size of her nose. But she left the makeup session feeling confident and happy,” she recalled.
“That is when I realized that the effect makeup has on a woman is the same as the one she has after a therapy session. And I wondered to myself, why can’t I marry the two?”
In a makeup session, she said they talk with her clients; they open up freely about their lives-including about their stubborn boyfriends.
To be exact, she said what happens during makeup sessions is a lot of mucene; which is basically a casual but passionate conversation with them.
But her biggest impact, she said, is through her social media platforms.
Her TikTok account, for example, has thousands of followers, all recipients of her innovative therapy sessions with a touch of entertainment.
In one such video she is seen applying makeup on her face while giving mental health tips. In another, she defines gaslighting in the context of a relationship.
Even with all this, Joy is not immune to life’s challenges. She too has her lows and seeks therapy to cope.
Her advice to her generation is simple yet profound: avoid using drugs as a coping mechanism.
Interestingly, Ngari has never wanted to be employed after her experience as an intern at a city hospital.
But after our two interactions, she will be a common face at Y News as a host.
Such is life.
