What an incredible year 2018 has been! I am also grateful for the quality time I am blessed to spend with family and friends at the end of this year.

 

As we are fast approaching 2019, I cannot help but reflect on how amazing it has been to live an incredible location-independent lifestyle. Travelling and working at the same time is a real privilege, an opportunity to see the world, meet incredible people, share my expertise and make new friends whilst working.

 

My top spot goes to Morocco, which I had the pleasure to visit three times during the year. It is an incredibly diverse and welcoming country with a special shout to Marrakech, a cosmopolitan city where modernity and tradition blend in harmony with good food, good people and most importantly good internet connection! A must for an independent-location lifestyle!

 

Delivering Digital Marketing workshop to Moroccan women business owners of AFEM

digital marketing workshop Marrakesh

 

 

Another highlight is Kigali, Rwanda, a thriving city. The country has come a long way from its troubled past and is now one of the best place to do business in Africa! We hosted the first Leadership Summit of African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC); more on this further down this post.

 

 

Gibson Island off Washington for a team retreat. Also great for the best crabs dinner!

 

 

Lome, Togo – A small and welcoming city in West Africa. Mobile 4G works well but comes at a hefty price. for an intensive use of internet. Broadband is not widely available, so you need to get a specialised internet connection if you are there for more than a few days. Cafe informatique does a great job.

 

I catch up with family, friends and was invited to share my insights as Tech #girlboss at the 7th edition of the Boot (woe) Camp at Woelab, aTech hub known to have designed the first African 3D printer using e-waste.

 

 

Rabat, Morocco

 

The political Capital of Morocco where I had the pleasure to moderate two sessions at #AITEX2018, the best of#Digital in #Africa under one roof – Read more

 

 

Other spots visited in Morocco this year include: Casablanca, Essaouira, Fes and the Sahara desert (off Merzouga).

 

If you are interested to learn more about digital lifestyle also called digital nomad life, listen to my interview (in French) with Mohammed Karim on Corpodiem – #5 Le Digital Fatal : Comment l’entrepreneur peut t’il faire du digital son arme fatale ? Performer, survivre et disrupter !

 

AWEC

 

I had the privilege to co-create and bring to life the African Women Cooperative (AWEC). It is a one-of-a-kind, entrepreneurial blended-learning program that offers business and management skills, mentorship and networking opportunities to African women on the continent and in the diaspora.

 

Being part of a team that provides a world-class training and high-touch support to 200 women selected out of 2225 applicants in year 1 has been an exciting and humbling experience.

 

The program is already making a difference in the lives and businesses of these women who will graduate in March 2019 in Cairo. We are already preparing the selection of an additional 200 women from the 1630 applications across 46 countries received in december to join the second cohort in March 2019.

 

 

Personal branding book

 

I was thrilled  to receive the Africanity Awards in Marrakech for my book Personal Branding in the digital age : How to Become a Known Expert, Thrive and Make a Difference in a Connected World, available as paperback, ebook and audiobook on Amazon, Itunes and Audible. Francine Beleyi trophees de l'Africanite

 

 

I held a book signing session at TLA5 to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates, a community of entrepreneurs, investors and tech enthusiasts I am part of.

 

 

Health

 

I’ve managed to lose 8 stubborn kgs (16 pounds) in 1 month by following the 28-day medical medium cleanse. I have resumed a normal diet but love the morning celery juice and have kept away the extra weight since! To live a fulfilled life, it’s important to keep a healthy and balanced lifestyle including exercising as often as possible.

 

 

Coming up in 2019

 

The French version of Personal Branding in the Digital Age will be out in Q1 2019. Other books and ebooks are in the pipeline for 2019 too (more on this in due time).

 

MWML podcast

 

I am excited to bring you the Meaningful Work, Meaningful life (MWML) podcast in 2019. It is a project that I have been working on throughout the year. It is a 30-40 minutes show where I interview inspiring leaders from all walks of life, CEOs, entrepreneurs, authors, speakers who have taken control of their lives and are writing their own rules to live the life they want. 

 

 

If you have been looking for ways to find more meaning at work and in life, if you have lost your passion or purpose and are looking for ways to rekindle your fire, then the stories you’ll hear in this podcast will inspire you, energise you to get in the driving seat of your life.

 

Stay tuned for a specific announcement. You don’t want to miss this!

 

What about you? What was your highlights in 2018? What are you most looking forward to in 2019? Comment below, I’d love to hear from you.

 

I look forward to many more opportunities in 2019 to connect and share my expertise with many more people across the world and make new friends.

 

Until then Dream. Act and Make an Impact.

 

Lots of love

 

Francine