Meet Mathangi

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mathangi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mathangi below.

Mathangi, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

Confidence, for me, is about being rooted. There’s a quote by Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Independent Ghana, that I saw in Accra and have carried with me since: “Those who would judge us merely by the heights we have achieved would do well to remember the depths from which we started.” That’s the story of my life.

I’ve done deep healing work—personally, somatically, emotionally. I say affirmations, but more importantly, I try to live them even when it’s incredibly hard. And because I coach others, I hold myself to the same standards. I can’t ask others to do the inner work if I’m not doing it too. So when doubt creeps in, I ground myself in the journey I’ve already walked.

I also believe that the right people and the right situations will find us. The universe will make it happen if it’s meant to be. That gives me the confidence to embrace new adventures, even when I don’t have all the answers yet.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m the Founder of Parity Lab, a global social enterprise ending the cycle of gender-based violence by equipping survivors and allies to lead healing-centered initiatives in their communities. We focus on the intersection of gender, trauma, and leadership—training people not just to recover from harm but to become changemakers in their own right. So far, we’ve reached over 70,000 people across five countries.

What makes our work special is that it’s rooted in lived experience and deep healing. Every survivor we work with is trained to support others, creating ripple effects of safety, mental wellness, and systems change.

I also consult with both corporates and mission-driven organizations to design healing-centered leadership models, gender equity strategies, and impact evaluation systems. My approach blends Eastern and Western wellness frameworks, backed by years of research and fieldwork.

What excites me right now is our Anchor TM Framework, a healing-centered leadership model we’re rolling out across corporates and nonprofit organizations with frontline teams. Our work was recently featured in a case study by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for its trauma-informed approach to leadership and systems change.

At the heart of everything I do is a belief that healing and justice must go hand in hand—and that the people closest to the problem often hold the most powerful solutions.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Balancing big-picture thinking with execution rigor
As a founder of a growing social enterprise, I’ve had to constantly toggle between vision and delivery. It’s not enough to have bold ideas—we have to execute them with precision. Whether it’s refining the quality of our leadership programs or designing measurable outcomes for our Fellows and partners, I focus on making sure every offering delivers real value. Especially as a service provider, it’s our job to ensure clients get high-impact results for every dollar invested.

2. Listening to my gut and staying values-aligned
I’ve learned that alignment beats opportunity every time. Whether it’s choosing funders, clients, or collaborators, I lead with my gut and my values. We work with people and institutions that are ready to go deep, center healing, and prioritize impact. That alignment allows us to do transformational work without compromising on integrity.

3. Treating mental wellness as strategy, not self-care
The startup phase can consume you if you’re not careful. I treat my own mental wellness—and my family’s—as a core part of the business model. The work we do is emotionally intense, so I intentionally build in reflection, rest, and emotional processing as part of my leadership rhythm. It’s not a luxury—it’s a requirement. And it’s helped me make smarter decisions, retain energy for growth, and avoid burnout as we scale.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed, I treat it as a signal—not something to push through, but something to pause for. I start most mornings by setting an intention and doing a quick 4-minute digital-free journaling session. Honestly, some days the intention is just: “Don’t get overwhelmed”!!

The minute I feel that familiar tension rising, I push non-essential meetings to the back burner, take 15 deep intentional breaths, or go for a walk. Overwhelm, for me, is a nervous system cue—not a badge of honor. And I’ve learned that I can’t offer anything of real quality to my team, my clients, or my daughter if I’m not centered.

In fact, I feel worse when I can’t be fully present with the people who’ve reached out to me. So I’d rather rest now than carry regret or disconnection later!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.paritylab.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paritylab/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paritylab
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/co-creating-parity
• Twitter: @Parity_Lab
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paritylab