Read time: 4.4 minutes
Welcome back to Spotlight Hustle, where we celebrate Black women making bold moves in life and business.
Today, we’re spotlighting Dr. Fredah Mainah — leadership scholar, visionary coach, and creator of the SPIRAL™ Self-Leadership Framework. Her journey reminds us that legacy is not built by conforming. It is born when you choose to live fully, courageously, and on your own terms.
Quick One: Your Ticket Is On Us!
Tickets to the Top 100 Most Powerful Women Summit are FREE this year.
This is your chance to connect with powerhouse women, hear stories like Dr. Fredah Mainah’s, and walk away with strategies to transform your business and life.
👉 Reserve your free spot now and invite a sister or colleague who needs to be there.
What’s Inside Today’s Newsletter
- Feature Story → From “shrinking to fit” to becoming a leadership voice with global impact
- Wisdom & Advice → Myths she’s breaking, lessons she’s sharing, and the words she’d give her younger self
- Resilience & Becoming → How the SPIRAL™ Framework turned setbacks into growth
- Daily Practices → Rituals of faith, reflection, and grounded movement
- Vision Forward → Legacy leadership, creative empowerment, and lifting women worldwide
- Rapid-Fire Round → Mantras, books, movement, and what keeps her steady
- Summit Spotlight → Why we can’t wait to hear Fredah live at the Top 100 Most Powerful Women Summit
Feature Story: Fredah’s Journey
Fredah’s story begins in Kenya, where cultural traditions often whispered to girls: be nice, be supportive, but never too bold. Ambition wasn’t encouraged, and for a time, she conformed—dropping math and science to fit the mould.
But quietly, she was watching. Women who endured, persevered, and pressed forward despite barriers became her silent role models. Their resilience became her compass.
The turning point came when she realised she could no longer shrink herself. She wanted to lead, to learn, and to lift others. That realisation birthed her ambition and carried her into academia, where she built her career as a teacher and researcher in leadership.
At first, it was about proving herself. Every lecture, every paper, every success was evidence that she belonged. But over time, something shifted. She stopped proving and started leading with purpose.
The more she reflected on her own journey, the clearer her message became: leadership begins with self. From her own seasons of setback and realignment, she created the SPIRAL™ Self-Leadership Framework—a practical, reflective tool to reset, rise, and keep moving.
Faith, resilience, and self-awareness keep her grounded. Her mantra: “No one can live my life better than me.”
Fredah’s leadership is rooted in connection. She takes what feels complex and turns it into clarity. She helps people, especially women, see that their identity is not a barrier but a source of power.
“As a Black woman in leadership, I’ve faced bias and doubt,” she says. “But I’ve also learned to leverage my identity as a source of wisdom, authenticity, and courage.”
Today, Fredah lives her “why”: helping women step into their power and build lives and businesses that reflect who they truly are. She has moved beyond survival mode. She is in legacy mode.
Wisdom & Advice
On setbacks:
“I see them as lessons. Each challenge is an invitation to realign.”
To her younger self:
“Don’t shrink to fit expectations. Trust yourself, start small, and keep going.”
Biggest myth to bust:
That leadership is about titles. True leadership begins with self.
What women in business should know:
You don’t need permission to lead your own life. Your vision and resilience are enough.
Resilience & Becoming
For Fredah, resilience is not about pushing harder. It is about resetting and realigning.
That belief inspired her SPIRAL™ Self-Leadership Framework, which helps women reflect, pivot, and grow when setbacks come. It’s a reminder that every challenge is a chance to spiral upward, not break down.
Her mindset has evolved from survival to legacy. She no longer asks, “How do I succeed?” She asks, “How does my success lift others?”
Daily Practices
Fredah’s grounding rituals:
- Faith and prayer as a daily anchor
- Reflection to capture lessons and clarity
- Walking is her favourite way to recharge mind and body
These simple rhythms keep her aligned with her purpose, reminding her that self-leadership begins in the everyday moments.
Vision Forward
Fredah’s mission is bold: to help people, especially women, step fully into their power and create lives of authenticity and legacy.
Her next chapter includes:
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Expanding the reach of the SPIRAL™ Self-Leadership Framework
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Writing and publishing resources to make self-leadership accessible globally
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Mentoring and empowering women to embrace their unique voice and vision
Her ultimate goal: a movement where women lead their lives unapologetically and leave a legacy of courage.
Rapid-Fire Round
☕ Coffee or tea? → Tea
🌅 Morning or night? → Morning
✨ One word for this season → Legacy
📚 Current favorite read → Rest is Resistance
🚶🏾 Favorite activity → Walking
💡 Discipline hack → Self-awareness and faith as daily resets
🪞 Mantra → “No one can live my life better than me.”
Over to You:
What part of Fredah’s story resonated with you most?
Hit reply and share—I’d love to hear.
And if you know someone who needs this story today, forward it to them.
Why We’re Excited
At the Top 100 Most Powerful Women Summit, Dr. Fredah Mainah will share her story of resilience, leadership, and legacy. She will remind us that leadership begins within—and no one can live your life better than you.
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