THE AUTHOR’S VOICE SPOTLIGHT MONADIKI THE GODDESS OF FIERCE LEADERSHIP
Monadiki, the girl, embodies a tapestry of collective
stories that I have heard over the last 4 years while building relationships with women from all over the world. She is also a big part of me but not exclusively. I wanted a character based in truth but with her own essence as well. She is 13, creative, empathic and not without inner struggle that will prove to be her biggest obstacle in leading completely and authentically. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into character development, from Pinterest boards, working with illustrators, research and lots of thought as to how the characters will stand alone and together. I wanted a protagonist that is real, one that could be living next door to you. She is. Leadership is a process, a journey that I feel still needs to be discussed more... redefined.
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G LO B A L V O I C E MAG A Z I N E
Leadership starts with each girl leading herself first, with confidence, with boundaries and deep self-love. Only from this place can she go out and lead in the world. How that looks will vary girl to girl. Some will lead in their homes, communities, churches, schools. Some will go on to lead on a grander scale. One of my goals with these books is to close the leadership gap between say, a head of state and the rest of us. Many will relinquish leadership dreams if they can’t be president or the queen and this is simply not serving any of us. It’s the middle group that needs to be empowered and mobilized when it comes to leadership. The middle crowd can many times feel like they are in no man’s land. Which is why the girls in my books are the ‘middle girls.” They lie between the top and the bottom so to speak. Leadership is for anyone, all of us. All the time.
