Dr. Munira Zahabi is an entrepreneur, author, mentor, coach, public speaker, and podcaster. Her podcast, Munira’s Musings, is a treasure trove of insights. Here, she interviews influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are making a positive impact in the world. Listening to her podcast, you’ll find yourself not just educated, but also deeply inspired by the experience and words of wisdom shared by her guests.
Dr. Zahabi is widely recognized as The Niche Navigator, a testament to her expertise and success in helping entrepreneurs define their niches and identify their ideal clients, as prominently stated on her website. Her guidance can be a game-changer for aspiring entrepreneurs, instilling in them a sense of confidence in their business strategies.
Dr. Zahabi’s life journey is a testament to her adaptability and resilience. Born in Kenya, she embarked on a new chapter at sixteen when she married and moved to Tanzania. Despite the linguistic similarities, she encountered cultural differences that shaped her worldview. After fifteen years in Tanzania, she expanded her horizons by moving to the US.
Growing Up In Kenya
Dr. Zahabi shares that she had a wonderful childhood growing up in Kenya. She grew up with a lot of people and different cultures around her. Lots of culture, languages, and figuring out who she was in the mix of all of that.
She says that growing up, they had the “One Voice of Kenya” channel. Which started at 5 PM and finished at 11 PM, and she was her parent’s remote control. Because the TV had an antenna on the roof that had to move when the channel wasn’t showing, she sometimes had to stay up there to hold the antenna. She would schedule her time around the TV schedule, like for homework, so that she wouldn’t miss her favorite TV shows.
After high school, she married and moved to a neighboring country, Tanzania. Although Swahili is spoken there, the dialect, accent, and culture differ. On the coast of Tanzania, everything is Muslim, so when Dr. Zahabi first moved, she wondered, “How do I show up here?”
She mentioned that at the time, Tanzania was a communist country, so there weren’t many things, and everyone had the same. For the first time in her life, she had to stand in line for bread because the supermarkets in Kenya were full, but not in Tanzania. She lived in Tanzania for fifteen years before moving to the US.
Moving to The United States
The Niche Navigator, aka Dr. Zahabi, and her family were granted the Diversity Visa Lottery or DV1 program. This program was introduced in the 1990s by the Client Administration. Those who were interested would apply, show assets, and should have a financial affidavit from the United States. Her family’s name came up, and she received a letter, so she decided whether they should go.
Once she decided yes, there was another process of sending more documents and then waiting for months for a response because everything was done by paper and mail at the time, different from today, that everything is online. It’s the interview process once they complete all their health checkups and physicals.
When she got to the interview, seven families were ahead of them, and they all got denied, so she was expecting it to go the same for them. The interview wasn’t done in a separate room. Dr. Zahabi explained that it looked like the post office or the DMV was set up here, where there was a little window where you could speak with the official.
So, she was asked who provided the financial affidavit for them because that is important information in the US; she said it was a gentleman from church. When asked what she would do as an occupation in the US, she responded that she was a teacher and could teach, and her husband is a watch repair man; he can do that. And they got approved. They had six months to move to the US when they got approved.
Advice from The Niche Navigator About Moving to The US
In the episode, Dr. Zahabi says she’s seen people who have one foot in the US and one foot back home, which she doesn’t think it’s wise to do. So she says if you are considering moving to the US, you have to be all in or all out; there’s no in-between because moving to the US is not a joke. So she suggests making a pros and cons list about going versus not going.
She says to do your research and make your decision based on that. Research the schools, the neighborhoods, jobs, etc. She says there are a lot of opportunities here, and you have higher chances of making it, depending on what ‘making it’ means to you because it’s different for everyone!
Listen to the Episode
You can watch the whole episode on YouTube! And let me know your thoughts or what stood out to you on this episode.
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With Love, Heidy
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