Kojo Baffoe | Podcast Guest

"Some version of alright, eventually." | Losing a dream

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:01:00 GMT

Kojo Baffoe had a dream that shaped much of his life, until it didn’t.
In this story, he reflects on what it means to lose something that once gave your life structure, meaning, and momentum.

This episode explores loss, identity shifts, and the emotional process of letting go when the future you imagined no longer exists. It’s about the quiet aftermath of disappointment, and the slow rebuilding that follows when ambition no longer looks the same.

A story about losing a dream, and learning how to keep going anyway.

Listen to Your Footsteps:
https://kojobaffoe.com/book/
https://kojobaffoe.com/podcast/

www.somethingshifted.co.za
Recorded at Latitude Podcast Studio Listen to Something Shifted: The Soundtrack on Spotify

Redefining Masculinity: What It Really Means to Be a Man: Kojo Baffoe || Masterminds Podcast EP57

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Download Achieve By Petra – https://app.theachieveproject.com/PSL0001000

What does it actually mean to be a man? Not the performance society sells you. Not the alpha male archetype pushed by the internet. But the real, lived, evolving experience of showing up as a man in your family, your community, and the world.

In this episode of the Masterminds Podcast, Richie Mensah sits down with Kojo Baffoe — writer, thinker, cultural strategist, and one of Africa's most nuanced voices on identity and culture. Born to a Ghanaian father and German mother, raised across multiple countries and cultures, Kojo has spent a lifetime pulling the best from different worlds to build a deeply considered identity. He breaks down what masculinity actually is, why the boy child crisis is directly linked to the men boys can see, why emotional silence in men is more complex than we think, and why focusing only on what you can control is the mindset that has carried him through the hardest seasons of his life.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why masculinity is not singular — and what it really means to perform it well
How your identity is shaped by the cultures around you — and how to take ownership of that
Why the irresponsible boy child crisis starts with the irresponsible men they see
How to raise a son who is comfortable with women showing up fully
Why emotional silence in men is more nuanced than simply telling men to open up
The journaling practice that serves as Kojo's daily meditation and therapy
How to build habits that actually stick by inserting them into your existing routine
Why focusing on what you can control is the only mindset that prevents suffering

Chapters

00:00 – Intro 01:22 – Meet Kojo Baffoe: Ghanaian, German, Pan-African 02:11 – Growing Up Across Cultures and Building an Identity 06:12 – Finding Your Place When You Don't Fully Belong Anywhere 13:09 – How Would You Define Masculinity? 19:55 – Violence Against Women and the Role of Men 21:24 – The Boy Child Crisis Starts With the Men Around Them 27:44 – Teaching a Son to Be Comfortable With Women Who Show Up Fully 30:21 – Emotional Silence in Men: It's More Complex Than You Think 38:45 – Not Every Opinion Needs to Be Heard 46:28 – Journaling, Morning Pages and Emptying the Mind 51:18 – How to Build Habits That Actually Stick 56:17 – Final Mindset: Focus Only on What You Can Control

Support the show

S3 EP4: Manhood, Media, and Meaning with Kojo Baffoe

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Kojo Baffoe is one of those rare thinkers who moves through the world with quiet depth — thoughtful, curious, and intentional in everything he creates. He is known for his thoughtful and intentional approach to storytelling. Rich and nuanced in perspective, he has shaped some pivotal conversations on modern African identity, creativity and masculinity which he's carried through his editorship of Destiny Man magazine and in his book and podcast, Listen to Your Footsteps.

In this episode

Underrepresentation of African voices and surfacing them as experts in media
Embracing African identity globally and challenging Western luxury notions of luxury
Elevating African reference points in global luxury
Shaping modern African masculinity and embracing difference
Values alignment and the journey of modern manhood and fatherhood

Links

Subscribe to our YT channel ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@africaonluxury
Follow us on IG/ LinkedIn @africaonluxury @buyimafoko
For media and sales enquiries email experience@noble.africa
Follow @kojobaffoe on IG

Melanie Bala interviews Kojo Baffoe, The Reflection Behind the Footsteps [Spotify Exclusive]

Thu, 01 May 2025 19:00:00 GMT

Kojo Baffoe, The Reflection Behind the Footsteps

Legacy, loss, lineage and the grace of motion.A Spotify Exclusive Episode of Listen To Your Footsteps

What happens when the storyteller becomes the story?

In this once-in-a-season episode of Listen To YourFootsteps, poet, writer, thinker, and host Kojo Baffoe steps away from the mic and into the mirror. Sitting in the guest chair for the first time, Kojo is interviewed by veteran broadcaster and long-time friend Melanie Bala, in a conversation that is at once intimate, expansive, and profoundly human.

Together, they trace Kojo’s journey from the mountains of Lesotho to the boardrooms of Johannesburg, from Olympic dreams dashed by injury to the quiet art of raising children, navigating grief, building a career without losing yourself and what it means to live a life that doesn’t fit neatly into boxes.

This is not a typical biography or profile piece. This conversation dances between laughter and loss, vulnerability and strength, ambition and surrender.

What You’ll Hear About:

How Kojo’s Ghanaian and German lineage, upbringing in Lesotho and life in South Africa shaped his sense of identity and belonging.
The emotional impact of a career-ending injury and how it redefined his sense of self.
His reflections on fatherhood and what it means to raise children in a world that’s constantly shifting.
Navigating freelance life, financial fear, and redefining what “success” truly means.
Honest moments about grief, including the loss of his father and his best friend, and how those shaped the man he is today.
What it means to trust the universe, especially when everything around you feels uncertain.
Why sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is pause... and listen to our own footsteps

“I’m not building a career anymore. I’m living a life.” - Kojo Baffoe

“You don’t have to fill the void. You just have to learn to live with it.” - Kojo Baffoe

Whether you’re at a crossroads, in a quiet storm, or simply curious about how to live a little more deliberately, this episode is an offering. A mirror. A soft landing.

Listen To Your Footsteps is a podcast where African voices unpack the personal and professional journeys that shape who we are. This episode is a rare flip of perspective and a chance to walk a mile in the shoes of the man who usually holds space for others.

▶️ Watch now - only on Spotify.

Subscribe and watch the video, exclusively on

Navigating creativity across multiple fields of interest - The APVA Awards 2023

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 14:46:00 GMT

Guest Speaker - Kojo Baffoe

Entrepreneur, Writer, Content Architect, Former men's magazine editor and Speaker.

In this discussion, we'll delve into the art of Navigating creativity across multiple fields of interest. It's an opportunity to explore how to strike a balance between varied interests and leveraging them to enhance one's creative output

We'd be exploring the varied nature of creativity and how it thrives when mixed with different interests.

Kojo Baffoe will be sharing his experiences, that is sure to inspire you to explore where your passions can intersect.

Evolution Series Part 5 - Kojo Baffoe

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 07:48:30 GMT

The evolution from son to father is one that has peppered Kojo Baffoe's life with questions that still need to be answered, guidance from an era gone by and the memory of a father who shaped him into the wordsmith he is today. We chatted to Kojo about meaning and he told us about finding it in his most important role yet.

Episode 9 - Kojo Baffoe

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 11:00:00 GMT

Kojo Baffoe embodies what it is to be a contemporary African man. Of Ghanaian and German heritage, he was raised in Lesotho and moved to South Africa at the age of 27. Forever curious, Kojo has the enviable ability to simultaneously experience moments intimately and engage people (and their views) sincerely, while remaining detached enough to think through his experiences critically. He has earned a reputation as a thinker, someone who lives outside the box and free of the labels that society seeks to place on us. Listen to Your Footsteps is an honest and, at times, raw collection of essays from a son, a father, a husband, a brother and a man deeply committed to doing the internal work. Kojo reflects on losing his mother as a toddler, being raised by his father, forming an identity, living as an immigrant, his tussles with substance abuse, as well as his experiences of fatherhood, marriage and making a career in a fickle industry. He gives an extended glimpse into the experiences that make boys become men, and the battles that make men discover what they are made of, all the while questioning what it means to be 'a man'. www.exclusivebooks.co.za

Kojo Baffoe

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 05:30:00 GMT

Kojo Baffoe is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed retired poet. His life story has been a book waiting to happen. He and Gareth have a candid conversation about his book, ‘Listen to Your Footsteps’, which dives into reflections on losing his mother as a toddler, being raised by his father, forming an identity, living as an immigrant, his struggles with substance abuse, and a whole lot more. www.cliffcentral.com

Kojo Baffoe on the content creation process

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 08:28:01 GMT

Creating brand stories and content that resonates requires many different perspectives, where harnessing a creative process can lead to concepts win minds and hearts. In this episode of The Lead Creative podcast, we are joined by the former Editor of Destiny Man, a seasoned content creator, strategist, keynote speaker, Kojo Baffoe. Kojo was also the host of Life with Kojo on KayaFM among many other roles. “The starting point is; ‘who is your community, who are you and what do you stand for’ , then being able to communicate that consistently. It’s also understanding that that community is diverse, Africa is a diverse continent.” - Kojo Baffoe Our conversation includes the importance of context and nuance in telling both media and brand stories, where inclusivity is significant. He talks about some of the content decisions and creative processes during his tenure at Destiny Man, as well as other content creation strategies. While thinking of brands that tell Africa’s stories in a way that resonates, Kojo mentions Shoprite as one of the retailers that carry products from specific countries on their shelves. He mentions that most brands do it from an operational and business perspective, not always on the ground.

Ep 1 - The Significance of Awards in the Era of Covid-19 with Kojo

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode, BASA Awards Chairman Kojo Baffoe speaks to Samm Marshall about the unavoidable changes he and the rest of the Awards panel were compelled to carry through, in spite of this ‘Black Swan’ moment, and often because of it.

Kojo and Samm unpack the adaptations assimilated into this new BASA Awards model – both the adaptations effected through our organisation’s own strategic efforts to improve, as well as those imposed through the current societal status quo.

Ultimately, the conversation examines the necessity of these events, in sustaining the arts as the heart and soul of society. As Kojo so eloquently states, “We need to keep doing things today to guarantee we have arts projects tomorrow.”

#1 Disrupting During Disruptive Times with Kojo Baffoe

Fri, 15 May 2020 12:05:38 GMT

Adjacent Conversations is a weekly chat with leading thought leaders and friends from a variety of backgrounds discussing how we shift and adapt in new times. From entrepreneurs to change makers, we’ll be hosting some truly impactful people!

This week’s conversation is with a close friend, mentor and writer Kojo Baffoe (and fellow stogie lover!) We’re chatting "Disrupting During Disruptive Times."

Because of global pandemic most of us have been shaken up, had our industries flipped upside down and are struggling to find a new routine or business model to get through it all.

Sharing insights along our journeys in life and business as well as our shared insights on where to now, this is a convo you don’t wanna miss.

Enjoy!

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/adjacentconversations/message

Craig Wilson, Kojo Baffoe and Jade Brennan Talk Gadgets & Apps Trends In Africa For 2015

Mon, 28 Dec 2015 06:45:05 GMT

We let you in on a panel discussion from the Annual Round-up 2015 that covered some of the past year’s highlights from from a gadgets and apps perspective. Andile Masuku leads this laid-back conversation with Deputy Editor of Stuff Magazine and Technology Analyst, Craig Wilson, Director of Project Fable, Kojo Baffoe and Digital Content Specialist at Caxton Magazines and Contributor at TechGirl.co.za, Jade Brennan. While we talked about everything from wearables to virtual reality— highlighting what tickled our fancy in 2015, we did eventually have to come to terms with what we, as African tech enthusiasts and early adopters, ought to care about far more than we currently do. After all, TIA. Additional Music Credits: Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0