My name is Marjorie Boafo Appiah aka Marjy Marj and I make the meanest jollof rice. My favorite dessert is vanilla ice cream and I love to dance to Afrobeats. I am a mama, wife, sister, friend, and cheerleader for most humans. I enjoy talking to people, so I host a globally ranked podcast with listeners in 1,100+ cities. Sometimes a lot of people tune in to listen to our chats.
At my day job, I work with businesses and nonprofits on strategy and project management. Our company - Innovation Abound – gives creative ideas the opportunity and resources to flourish. My clients like me so I must be good at what I do.
In addition to my day job, I like waking up early in the mornings to write stories. The early morning routine payed off because I am the author of eight books. Most readers enjoy the stories. You can check out some of the cool reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
My books are titled Conversations About Race (a bestselling book about our humanity), The Shimmigrant, and Same Elephants. I've also written and published five children's books about perseverance, reading, culture, and dreaming big.
My novel, The Shimmigrant, debuted as a number one new release in 2019. Same Elephants debuted as a top 10 release in March 2020.
A portion of the proceeds from my book sales have benefitted 20+ nonprofits.
As a community protagonist, I have served as chairman of the following:
I've also served as secretary to the Charles Lea Center Foundation Board of Trustees and on the boards of the American Red Cross, and The National Kidney Foundation.
Also, I have been the Mom-In-Chief at my son's Ball4Good nonprofit since 2016. Initially, my job was a glorified chauffeur but now that he can drive, I've been acting as an Agent for the 'kids'.
Sometimes I do fun things like - hiking with my girlfriends or pretending to be a singer. One time, I was Tina Turner in a Lip Sync competition - raising funds for our neuro-diverse friends.
I've also played/cheered in basketball games in support of youth development - it was more like me running up and down the court without touching the ball.
I like to read and promote reading. As a literary advocate, I believe in the importance of representation in literature. In 2015, I partnered with Girls for STEAM, family and friends to launch the 'GIVING BOOK DAY' program. As a result, we collaborate with schools, bookstores and publishing houses to distribute books to school aged children. Giving Book Day enlarged its footprint by partnering with Project Lit Ghana and Ghanaian schools to gift books by authors of African descent to children and young adults in Ghana. Other partners in the reading initiative include Barnes and Noble, Hub City Bookshop, Leadership Spartanburg, benefactors from the Clear the List movement, and some generous authors.
