Name: Ms Caren Kibbett
Role: Award Winning Sports Anchor/Reporter, KBC TV
QN: What does wellness mean to you as an African woman? Do you prioritise it? If yes, how?
Wellness holistically means a great deal to me . It’s all encompassing. From physical , mental, emotional and spiritual. It’s multi-dimensional and fits into the whole ecosystem. As I grow, discover and explore, wellness has been central to every component of my success. To thrive and succeed at every given task, I have had to ensure all facets of wellness are in tandem . If any suffers, the toll it takes on me is visible and robs me of the fulfilment and joy I derive at work, family and associations.
Wellness rank higher in my hierarchy of needs. It inculcates a culture of discipline and mental fortitude. For me to keep my eyes on the ball and devote attention, diligence and exert myself into it, I must be sound at all fronts of wellness. The reason I prioritize it is because of the repercussions of relapse . Case in point is failure to exercise over a long spells leading to a dangerous sedentary lifestyle. I also must prioritize going to church and place of worship to bond , pray , study and learn from community of believers . This is pivotal for my spiritual pillar . My mental health is a crucial aspect that must be protected jealously. I’m careful on what I feed my mind on . The books I read , the places I go for entertainment, the friends / acquaintances I bring close , the music I listen to and the thoughts I choose to entertain. It boils down to choices I make and the kind of meditations I do . The reason I hold that wellness comes among the top on the priority list is because of its effect , contagious nature and long lasting impact it have in life . It shapes the thinking, habits I adopt , the decisions I make on daily basis and the person I turn out to . The spill over effect is how it impacts on the people in my life at work or home .
QN: Any wellness practices passed down to you that you are keen on passing on yourself?
Meditation, is a profitable wellness practice that was inculcated to me by my mother and has had a tremendous impact in my life . It has had a profound place in my schedule and often find time to meditate on things. When things are not clear, meditation helps to crystallize issues and helps in making a better informed decisions . When things are hazy , the amazing process of meditation unclogs the clutter and gives a clearer prism of the picture . It does help in navigating the often murky , fluid and uncharted paths . It is a practice that brings one to self . It’s solemn . It a rewarding practice I would be willing to keep enjoying , sharing and passing it on to other generations.
QN: What has been your biggest lesson/realisation about wellness?
The biggest lesson about wellness has been the result of the painstaking investment. It lends credence to the biblical adage of you reap what you sow . Everything you put in will have an equal out put as a result . Another profound lesson is how personal it can get . Wellness is unique to an individual and the therapeutic effect it brings can only be best felt or explained by an individual. Wellness means different things to different people and people chose to experience it in different ways as they deem it fit . Personally, when I’m not a fitness enthusiast, I occasionally jog to maintain physical and mental acuity. While I go to church to pray and fellowship, I do it as a spiritual act of worship to God and not out of compulsion by my religion as a Christian . Basically, different strokes for different folks !
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Biography:
Caren Kibbett is a Kenyan Award Winning TV Presenter, Journalist and a Sports Reporter.
She is currently serving as a News anchor/ reporter at Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation(KBC)