A letter from the visionary

I was born on the land of the Powhatan, Chickahominy & Youghtanund peoples. My lineage traces back to the Mandinka, Hausa, Yoruba, Fulani, Gaelic, Taíno, as well as many other unknown groups across the world.

As a transnational servicemember & global citizen, I have spent much of my life navigating complex spaces that have both shaped my experiences and uncovered layers of my identity. Although one thing that has remained constant, however, is my deep connection to the world around me.

I have always found joy & passion in tracing threads of humanity through the interwoven fabric of the global collective consciousness, threads that transcend borders, beings, & binaries.

This has often taken shape in my passions for culture, music, fashion, art, travel, ancestral wisdom, social justice, and the environment.

In February 2025, I took multiple leaps of faith & ended up creating Makhaya International LLC, as both a business and a living expression of the world I hope to help cultivate: one where people can move across borders without losing their roots, experience cultures without consuming them, pursue opportunity without leaving communities behind, and find wellbeing without separating themselves from the Earth or one another.

Makhaya is my child—they are an extension of who I am and who I aspire to be.

This isn’t just a business—it’s a reflection of what I believe in.

My work is guided by values that continue to shape me:

Shanti (Peace).

Umoja (Unity).

Justice.

Ahimsa (Nonviolence).

Cultural Preservation.

Environmental Restoration.

Ethical Innovation.

Global Healing.

Santosha (Joy & Contentment).

Community.

Love—Always Love.

I believe my Dharma (Purpose-Driven Mission) is rooted in all of these things. Whether that is cultivating them, creating a space for them, or embodying them, I aspire to be a container, a steward, and a vessel.

I do not believe Makhaya is meant to speak for every culture or community.

Its role is more so centered on creating bridges, platforms, and spaces through which people can encounter one another with greater humility, curiosity, and care.

I hope Makhaya can become a home for the traveler and the rooted.

For the displaced and the returning.

For the learner and the teacher.

For the creative, the practitioner, the builder and the dreamer.

Wherever your journey takes you, I hope you arrive with intention—and that somewhere along the way, you find connection.