Ngoni Chengeta Tsumba is an author who published her first book, Giving Up is Not an Option in 2021. The book is a must-read motivational piece of writing that was birthed from a desire to inspire others to keep fighting for their dreams no matter what. In addition to being an author, she is an IT and Risk consultant with over 15 years of experience and a proven track record of successfully delivering multiple high-profile enterprise-wide projects. She has domain expertise in Governance Risk and Compliance based on three lines of defence plus domain experience in Data Analytics, GDPR, Business Continuity Management, Credit Risk, Private equity, and Insurance gained mostly in the financial services industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Management & Information systems, an MSc in Communication Management and is currently studying towards an MSc in Risk, Crisis and Resilience Management. She is also a mother of two boys.

What inspired you to become a published author and how much work did it take for you to get where you are now?
I have always wanted to write a book but due to other commitments, I always made the excuse that I never had time to write. Just as well when the Covid pandemic started in 2019, working from home became the new normal; and to distract myself from all the pandemic-related stresses in the media, I challenged myself to write a book. Working from home meant no commuting time as such I found myself with ample time on my hands and I used it to write my book titled ‘Giving up is not an option”. Although it took me over a year to write it, I am glad I did because it has become my accountability partner in all my endeavours. You can get a copy of the book on my website ngonitsumba.com

Every journey has its share of challenges; what were yours?
The complex demands of balancing the pressures of home and work responsibilities meant I always felt as if there was never enough time to write a book. As a result, this made me doubt myself initially and therefore delayed the process of writing. Negative self-talk made it difficult for me to seek guidance from experts earlier which meant I authored the book with no guidance from others that have experience in writing books. However, despite all these challenges, I still rose to the occasion and managed to accomplish my goal.

Did you ever feel like giving up at any point? If so, what kept you going?
Definitely. Writing is a process that required patience and persistence because there are some days when you can only write a few lines while on other days you can be inspired to pen down several pages in one sitting. As such some days I wanted to give up whilst on other days I would write only a few lines and then leave it for a few days. In the beginning, I told myself that I was going to just try and write the book but not publish it. However, once I found the courage to share the idea with friends, they motivated me to consider publishing it. I remember asking the publisher to confirm if my work is worth publishing when I finished the book and to my surprise, he said it was excellent. Lesson learnt: Don’t let fear hold you back from pursuing your vision, instead work your way through it until you accomplish your goal.

What is the big picture i.e., where to from here?
I am someone who loves to share information and opportunities, so I am planning on writing more books as my way of giving back to the community.

What drives/motivates you as an individual?
I am someone that came from humble beginnings and was helped by others to be where I am today; as such, I love to extend the same helping hand to others. Writing is my way of paying it forward by inspiring others while also giving back to the community. Furthermore, it’s also a way to motivate my children to never fear chasing after their dreams.

A word of advice to others reading your story and aspiring to be authors?
Never doubt yourself, you can do it and when you start writing remember Giving Up is Not an Option. 

LinkedIn: Ngoni Chengeta
Email: info@ngonitsumba.com
Website: https://ngonitsumba.com/