Glody Kikonga
Glody Kikonga was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, into a family of eight children. Raised in the central suburb of Ngaliema, he was introduced to a privileged lifestyle due to his family's social and political connections. His late grandfather, Alexandre Mahamba, was a notable Congolese politician and the first Minister of Land Affairs of Zaire under the Lumumba Government from 24 June to 12 September 1960, serving under Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Despite his family's prominence, Kikonga faced personal struggles, particularly in navigating his relationship with his strict father, while his late mother nurtured his creativity and personal development.
Early Life
From an early age, Kikonga displayed a passion for self-improvement[1], technology[2], and the creative arts[3]. He explored photography[4], videography[5], and graphic design[6] while also participating in sports[7]. However, his true calling became evident when he embarked on a transformative journey of resilience[8] and mental discipline.
The Journey into Life Coaching
Kikonga’s life changed drastically when his family faced financial hardship following his late mother’s illness[9]. As circumstances worsened, following the country’s political instability[10] his father arranged for him and his younger brother to relocate to South Africa[11] to join their older sibling. However, along the way, they were abandoned in an unfamiliar town by an unreliable travel guide, leaving them stranded with no resources or means of communication. Faced with homelessness[12] and hunger, Kikonga had to step up as a guardian to his little brother, ensuring that he had food and safety despite their dire circumstances.
During this period of immense hardship, the two brothers navigated survival together. Kikonga took on any opportunity to provide for his younger brother, often going days with minimal food while ensuring that his sibling did not suffer the same fate. Eventually, they were taken in by a military officer, acting on instructions from their family. However, life remained difficult, and Kikonga was forced to make tough decisions about their future.
Determined not to give up, he insisted on continuing their journey instead of returning home. His father, initially hesitant, eventually agreed, arranging for another way to get them to South Africa. They then moved to Zambia, where they were received by their older brother’s in-laws[13]. At this stage, Kikonga experienced a shift in perspective. No longer the privileged child he once was, he had witnessed the harsh realities of life and was determined to rise above them. Seeking answers, he turned to religion[14], particularly Christianity[15], and used faith[16] as a foundation for his journey of self-discovery[17]. He was baptised[18] and later introduced to technical work, learning how to fix refrigerators[19] to support himself.
After some time, Kikonga was finally able to reunite with his older brother in South Africa. There, he learned better English[20] and resumed his education. The journey had shaped him into someone deeply aware of resilience[8], mental toughness[21], and perseverance, qualities that would later define his career as a life coach[22].
Professional Career and Impact
Kikonga formally transitioned into life coaching[22], using his lived experiences [23]to help others build mental toughness[21] and achieve personal success.This passion led him to study life coaching[22] methodologies[24] and personal development[1] strategies, refining his expertise in resilience[8] training and mental discipline. He further pursued studies in neuroscience[25], gaining qualifications that enhanced his approach to coaching[22] by integrating brain science[25] into his mental toughness[21] programs.
Authorship of Mental Toughness: Unbreakable Mind Book
He launched coaching programs that emphasise discipline[26], goal-setting[27], and overcoming adversity. His book, Mental Toughness: Unbreakable Mind, became a cornerstone of his teachings, providing a structured guide for individuals seeking growth and resilience[8].
Founding of Lokumu Institute & Black Desire Creative
He is the founder [28]of Lokumu Institute, a life coaching[22] organisation dedicated to helping individuals develop mental strength[21] and success-oriented habits through structured coaching programs. He also founded Black Desire Creative, a company focused on artist empowerment, offering mentorship[29], branding, and business development strategies for aspiring creative talents. For more information about his companies, visit Lokumu Institute and Black Desire Creative
Impact
Through his work, Kikonga has coached entrepreneurs[30], athletes[31], and professionals[32], helping them cultivate a resilient mindset[8]. His coaching programs integrate psychological principles[33] with real-world applications, making them highly effective.
As a member of Rotary International, a global organisation dedicated to humanitarian[34] service, Kikonga actively contributes to community-building[35] efforts and leadership development[36] programs.
Public Engagement and Recognition
Kikonga has been featured[37] on multiple platforms, sharing his insights on mental toughness[21], resilience, and personal development[1]. He actively engages with his audience through social media, live coaching sessions, and keynote speeches[38]. His commitment to helping others overcome adversity has positioned him as a leading figure in the personal development[1] space.
Press and Media Coverage
External Link
About page: https://www.lokumuinstitute.com/about-glody-kikonga-life-coach
Crunchbase profile: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/glody-kikonga
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0DW5T98HB
Social Media
LinkedIn: https://za.linkedin.com/in/glody-kikonga-993538146
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glody_kikonga/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Mental-Toughness-by-Glody-kikonga/61565577911271/#
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 [1]Personal development or self-improvement consists of activities that develops a person's capabilities and potential, enhance quality of life, and facilitate the realization of dreams and aspirations. Personal development may take place over the course of an individual's entire lifespan and is not limited to one stage of a person's life. It can include official and informal actions for developing others in roles such as a teacher, guide, counselor, manager, coach, or mentor, and it is not restricted to self-help. When personal development takes place in the context of institutions, it refers to the methods, programs, tools, techniques, and assessment systems offered to support positive adult development at the individual level in organizations.
- ↑ [2]Technology is the application of conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word technology can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible tools such as utensils or machines, and intangible ones such as software. Technology plays a critical role in science, engineering, and everyday life.
- ↑ [3]The arts are considered various practices or objects done by people with skill, creativity, and imagination across cultures and history, viewed as a group. These activities include painting, sculpture, music, theatre, literature, and more. Art refers to the way of doing or applying human creative skills, typically in visual form.
- ↑ [4]Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed in many fields of science, manufacturing (e.g., photolithography), and business, as well as its more direct uses for art, film and video production, recreational purposes, hobby, and mass communication. A person who captures or takes photographs is called a photographer.
- ↑ [5]Videography involves capturing moving images on electronic media (such as: videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage), and can include streaming media. It encompasses both video production and post-production methods. Historically Videography was considered the video counterpart to cinematography, which involved recording moving images on film stock. However, with the advent of digital video recording in the late 20th century, the distinction between the two has become less clear as both use similar intermediary mechanisms. Today, any video work can be referred to as videography, while commercial motion picture production is typically termed Cinematography.
- ↑ [6]Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of design and of the fine arts. Its practice involves creativity, innovation and lateral thinking using manual or digital tools, where it is usual to use text and graphics to communicate visually.
- ↑ [7]Sport is a form of physical activity or game. Often competitive and organized, sports use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills. They also provide enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Many sports exist, with different participant numbers, some are done by a single person with others being done by hundreds. Most sports take place either in teams or competing as individuals. Some sports allow a "tie" or "draw", in which there is no single winner; others provide tie-breaking methods to ensure one winner. A number of contests may be arranged in a tournament format, producing a champion. Many sports leagues make an annual champion by arranging games in a regular sports season, followed in some cases by playoffs.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 [8]Psychological resilience, or mental resilience, is the ability to cope mentally and emotionally with a crisis, or to return to pre-crisis status quickly.
- ↑ [9]A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that are associated with specific signs and symptoms. A disease may be caused by external factors such as pathogens or by internal dysfunctions. For example, internal dysfunctions of the immune system can produce a variety of different diseases, including various forms of immunodeficiency, hypersensitivity, allergies, and autoimmune disorders.
- ↑ [10]The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a history of conflict, where various armies, rebel groups, and outside actors have profited from mining while contributing to violence and exploitation during wars in the region. The four main end products of mining in the eastern DRC are tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold, which are extracted and passed through a variety of intermediaries before being sold to international markets. These four products, (known as the 3TGs) are essential in the manufacture of a variety of devices, including consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets, and computers.
- ↑ [11]South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. Its nine provinces are bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles) of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini; and it encloses Lesotho. Covering an area of 1,221,037 square kilometres (471,445 square miles), the country has over 62 million people. Pretoria is the administrative capital, while Cape Town, as the seat of Parliament, is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is regarded as the judicial capital. The largest, most populous city is Johannesburg, followed by Cape Town and Durban.
- ↑ [12]Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, living in boarding houses with no security of tenure, and people who leave their homes because of civil conflict and are refugees within their country.
- ↑ [13]In-law may refer to: Affinity (law), kinship by marriage, such as: Parent-in-law, a mother-in-law or father-in-law Sibling-in-law, a sister-in-law or brother-in-law In-law apartment, a type of secondary residence In-Laws, a 2002–2003 American situation comedy that aired on NBC The In-Laws (1979 film), an American action-comedy film starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk The In-Laws (2003 film), an American comedy film starring Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks The In-Laws (2021 film), a Polish comedy film The In-Laws 2, a 2023 Polish comedy film
- ↑ [14]Religion is a range of social-cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual elements—although there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion. Different religions may or may not contain various elements ranging from the divine, sacredness, faith, and a supernatural being or beings.
- ↑ [15]Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, professing that Jesus was raised from the dead and is the Son of God, whose coming as the Messiah (Christ) was prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (called the Old Testament in Christianity) and chronicled in the New Testament. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with over 2.38 billion followers, comprising around 31.2% of the world population. Its adherents, known as Christians, are estimated to make up a majority of the population in 157 countries and territories.
- ↑ [16]Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, including "something that is believed especially with strong conviction", "complete trust", "belief and trust in and loyalty to God", as well as "a firm belief in something for which there is no proof".
- ↑ [17]A "journey of self-discovery" refers to a travel, pilgrimage, or series of events whereby a person attempts to determine how they feel, personally, about spiritual issues or priorities, rather than following the opinions of family, friends, neighborhood or peer pressure. The topic of self-discovery has been associated with Zen.
- ↑ [18]Baptism (from Koinē Greek: βάπτισμα, romanized: váptisma, lit. 'immersion, dipping in water') is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three times, once for each person of the Trinity. The synoptic gospels recount that John the Baptist baptised Jesus. Baptism is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. Baptism according to the Trinitarian formula, which is done in most mainstream Christian denominations, is seen as being a basis for Christian ecumenism, the concept of unity amongst Christians. Baptism is also called christening, although some reserve the word "christening" for the baptism of infants. In certain Christian denominations, such as the Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Assyrian Church of the East, and Lutheran Churches, baptism is the door to church membership, with candidates taking baptismal vows. It has also given its name to the Baptist churches and denominations.
- ↑ [19]A refrigerator, commonly shortened to fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so that its inside is cooled to a temperature below the room temperature. Refrigeration is an essential food storage technique around the world. The low temperature reduces the reproduction rate of bacteria, so the refrigerator lowers the rate of spoilage. A refrigerator maintains a temperature a few degrees above the freezing point of water. The optimal temperature range for perishable food storage is 3 to 5 °C (37 to 41 °F). A freezer is a specialized refrigerator, or portion of a refrigerator, that maintains its contents’ temperature below the freezing point of water. The refrigerator replaced the icebox, which had been a common household appliance for almost a century and a half. The United States Food and Drug Administration recommends that the refrigerator be kept at or below 4 °C (40 °F) and that the freezer be regulated at −18 °C (0 °F).
- ↑ [20]English is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, whose speakers, called Anglophones, originated in early medieval England on the island of Great Britain. The namesake of the language is the Angles, one of the Germanic peoples that migrated to Britain after its Roman occupiers left. English is the most spoken language in the world, primarily due to the global influences of the former British Empire (succeeded by the Commonwealth of Nations) and the United States. English is the third-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish; it is also the most widely learned second language in the world, with more second-language speakers than native speakers.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 [21]Mental toughness is a measure of individual psychological resilience and confidence that may predict success in sport, education, and in the workplace. The concept emerged in the context of sports training and sports psychology, as one of a set of attributes that allow a person to become a better athlete and able to cope with difficult training and difficult competitive situations and emerge without losing confidence. The term has been used by coaches, sport psychologists, sports commentators, and business leaders.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 [22]Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a coach, supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a coachee. Occasionally, coaching may mean an informal relationship between two people, of whom one has more experience and expertise than the other and offers advice and guidance as the latter learns; but coaching differs from mentoring by focusing on specific tasks or objectives, as opposed to more general goals or overall development.
- ↑ [23]Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience involves a subject to which various items are presented. In this sense, seeing a yellow bird on a branch presents the subject with the objects "bird" and "branch", the relation between them and the property "yellow". Unreal items may be included as well, which happens when experiencing hallucinations or dreams. When understood in a more restricted sense, only sensory consciousness counts as experience. In this sense, experience is usually identified with perception and contrasted with other types of conscious events, like thinking or imagining. In a slightly different sense, experience refers not to the conscious events themselves but to the practical knowledge and familiarity they produce. Hence, it is important that direct perceptual contact with the external world is the source of knowledge. So an experienced hiker is someone who has actually lived through many hikes, not someone who merely read many books about hiking. This is associated both with recurrent past acquaintance and the abilities learned through them.
- ↑ [24]In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bringing about a certain goal, like acquiring knowledge or verifying knowledge claims. This normally involves various steps, like choosing a sample, collecting data from this sample, and interpreting the data. The study of methods concerns a detailed description and analysis of these processes. It includes evaluative aspects by comparing different methods. This way, it is assessed what advantages and disadvantages they have and for what research goals they may be used. These descriptions and evaluations depend on philosophical background assumptions. Examples are how to conceptualize the studied phenomena and what constitutes evidence for or against them. When understood in the widest sense, methodology also includes the discussion of these more abstract issues.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 [25]Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developmental biology, cytology, psychology, physics, computer science, chemistry, medicine, statistics, and mathematical modeling to understand the fundamental and emergent properties of neurons, glia and neural circuits. The understanding of the biological basis of learning, memory, behavior, perception, and consciousness has been described by Eric Kandel as the "epic challenge" of the biological sciences.
- ↑ [26]Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a set of rules that aim to develop such behavior. Such enforcement is sometimes based on punishment, although there is a clear difference between the two. One way to convey such differences is through the root meaning of each word: discipline means “to teach”, while punishment means “to correct or cause pain”. While punishment might extinguish unwanted behavior in the moment, it is greatly effective long-term due to consequences being understood and societal retribution to wrongs committed [citation needed], while discipline usually is the process of training self control.
- ↑ [27]Goal setting involves the development of an action plan designed in order to motivate and guide a person or group toward a goal. Goals are more deliberate than desires and momentary intentions. Therefore, setting goals means that a person has committed thought, emotion, and behavior towards attaining the goal.
- ↑ [28]Organizational founder, the person or group of persons responsible for creating an entity Founder, in entrepreneurship, the starter of a private or public company Philanthropist, the starter of a charity Founder CEO Founder, a metallurgist who operates a foundry Founding Fathers - see list of national founders
- ↑ [29]Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and professional growth of a mentee. Most traditional mentorships involve having senior employees mentor more junior employees, but mentors do not necessarily have to be more senior than the people they mentor. What matters is that mentors have experience that others can learn from.
- ↑ [30]Theorists Frank Knight and Peter Drucker defined entrepreneurship in terms of risk-taking. The entrepreneur is willing to put his or her career and financial security on the line and take risks in the name of an idea, spending time as well as capital on an uncertain venture. However, entrepreneurs often do not believe that they have taken an enormous amount of risks because they do not perceive the level of uncertainty to be as high as other people do. Knight classified three types of uncertainty: Risk, which is measurable statistically (such as the probability of drawing a red color ball from a jar containing five red balls and five white balls) Ambiguity, which is hard to measure statistically (such as the probability of drawing a red ball from a jar containing five red balls but an unknown number of white balls) True uncertainty or Knightian uncertainty, which is impossible to estimate or predict statistically (such as the probability of drawing a red ball from a jar whose contents, in terms of numbers of coloured balls, are entirely unknown)
- ↑ [31]An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track and field and marathon runners but excluding e.g. swimmers, footballers or basketball players. However, in other contexts (mainly in the United States) it is used to refer to all athletics (physical culture) participants of any sport. For the latter definition, the word sportsperson or the gendered sportsman or sportswoman are also used. A third definition is also sometimes used, meaning anyone who is physically fit regardless of whether or not they compete in a sport.
- ↑ [32]A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skills necessary to perform their specific role within that profession. In addition, most professionals are subject to strict codes of conduct, enshrining rigorous ethical and moral obligations. Professional standards of practice and ethics for a particular field are typically agreed upon and maintained through widely recognized professional associations, such as the IEEE. Some definitions of "professional" limit this term to those professions that serve some important aspect of public interest and the general good of society.
- ↑ [33]Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both conscious and unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feelings, and motives. Psychology is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between the natural and social sciences. Biological psychologists seek an understanding of the emergent properties of brains, linking the discipline to neuroscience. As social scientists, psychologists aim to understand the behavior of individuals and groups.
- ↑ [34]Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance, usually in the short-term, to people in need. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and victims of natural disasters, wars, and famines. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity.
- ↑ [35]Community building is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community among individuals within a regional area (such as a neighborhood) or with a common need or interest. It is often encompassed under the fields of community organizing, community organization, community work, and community development.
- ↑ [36]Leadership development is the process which helps expand the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles within organizations. Leadership roles are those that facilitate execution of an organization's strategy through building alignment, winning mindshare and growing the capabilities of others. Leadership roles may be formal, with the corresponding authority to make decisions and take responsibility, or they may be informal roles with little official authority (e.g., a member of a team who influences team engagement, purpose and direction; a lateral peer who must listen and negotiate through influence)
- ↑ [37]In a world where purpose and passion often feel overshadowed by economic pressures, Glody Kikonga, founder of Lokumu Instituteand Black Desire Creative, is proving that meaningful work can drive not only individual fulfillment but also community transformation. From his beginnings as a freelancer to now running two impactful organizations, Kikonga’s journey embodies resilience, strategic thinking, and a deep-rooted desire to empower others. With a mission to help individuals master their purpose and create new opportunities within the creative industry, Kikonga is changing lives across Africa and beyond.
- ↑ [38]A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework for the following programme of events or convention agenda; frequently the role of keynote speaker will include that of convention moderator. It will also flag up a larger idea—a literary story, an individual musical piece, or event.