Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola, PharmD, MPH, is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of Radiant, a thoughtful bi-annual health magazine for women of African descent.
An Atlanta resident, Nnenna launched Radiant as an online magazine nearly six years ago. Radiant has grown to become the leading health magazine for Afro women across the globe and is distributed globally at major retailers and newsstands including US Barnes & Noble stores.
Prior to starting Radiant, Nnenna enjoyed a career in pharmacy and public health with global healthcare experience at WHO and CDC.
Nnenna has been featured in various media outlets including Voice of America, How We Made it In Africa, She Leads Africa; as a panel speaker at the Wharton School of Business’ Africa Business Forum, and was named one of 41 Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs Putting the Country on the Global Business Map by Lionesses of Africa.
Nnenna earned her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from Texas Tech University and her Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University.
Why Did You Create Radiant Magazine?
Radiant was born out of my own need to find credible health and wellness information that took into account my cultural perspective.
I watched my father battle heart disease and navigating that journey while we lived in Nigeria and later in the U.S. was quite challenging. No one could tell us what a heart healthy Nigerian diet looked like nor could we find others or stories of others with the same issue to commiserate with. As I got older, I realized that I faced the same dilemma in my own wellness journey.
I was on a long run one early winter morning pondering, as I often did, possible solutions to having accessible culturally relevant health information when the idea for a magazine came to me. I ran home and googled “how to start a magazine” and here we are. My mission for Radiant is to tell our own health stories and inspire women of African descent to live out their healthiest and most fulfilled life.
What Does Black History Month Mean To You?
This year’s Black History month has me reflecting on the weariness that comes from all the fighting we’ve been through in recent years. How can we balance the fight for justice without sacrificing our wellness? For me Black History this year is about honoring my right to sanity.
What’s on trend for Radiant Magazine this year?
Besides producing two exceptional issues this year, we’re exploring more ways to connect deeper with our readers including small group intimate meetups.
What’s trending with readers of Radiant magazine?
I’m not sure I can speak to a particular trend for our readers. What I can say is that we remain true to capturing the black woman in her true beauty and elegance and that the imagery in our upcoming Motherhood Issue (due out in June) will be a true embodiment of that commitment.
