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Winnie Nantongo: From Entertainment To Personal Development blogging

By Joseph Lubandi

Posted on March 24, 2019

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You can’t mention the top five personal development bloggers in Uganda and you leave out Winnie Nantongo. Winnie is one of the very few Ugandan bloggers who chose to specialize in Personal development which is of course a very rare niche in the country. However, the 20 year old blogger started out as an entertainment writer back in 2014 before she chose to take a very different path; from writing for entertainment blogs to her personal self improvement blog and recently her new community blog.

Today, Winnie is not only a blogger but also an entrepreneur, digital influencer, social activist and the founder of Instill Eminence a digital inspiring community aimed at sharing value with the rest of the world.

I recently caught up with the former 411 UG writer and talked about her new career path, new ventures and more.

Most people knew you from Entertainment blogging and influencing , What compelled you to do something different from what we initially knew you for ?

I had to choose between a job and a hobby. Entertainment blogging was my bread and butter but personal development is something that I just love. The decision was about choosing between one thing which catered for my needs or the other which brought me joy. I have always believed that the world needs that special gift that only you have. So if I can work hard to be a person of value then share that value with others, then why not.

Starting out, what was your biggest mistake?

I labored with finding the best way to describe myself. Like, what should I call myself now? I didn’t know what described me best and I was very self-conscious about calling myself a personal development blogger. It was really frustrating changing my social media bio every day.

You’ve written about a variety of self improvement topics. Where do you get your ideas/inspiration from?

I get the inspiration from everything that happens around me. The conversations I engage in with friends, the stuff I read about online, and what I see when I watch the news. For me, it’s all about identifying these things as something to share rather than something to ignore.

How has this journey changed the way that you live today?

I have changed too much. Out grew everything that I found to be toxic in my life. Actually most people in my life no longer understands how easy I find it to make decisions which could have been hard for me if I was the same person that I used to be. But above all, I have mastered the art of self love and I think there is nothing that can never make me feel smaller than I already am.

What is that one thing that people don’t know about you?

Most people that have met me in person for the very first time will either tell you that I’m a very quiet or proud person but this is actually not true. I hate to admit it to you but I’m a very shy person if I have seen you for the first time, which I think most people are. However, once I get to be too comfortable with you then you will be forced to tell me to shut up.

What else do you do besides what we all know you for?

I actually do a lot of stuff but I will only share with you two; I take care of a shop that I partnered with my mom to start and recently I ventured into poultry farming.

You already had a blog, what compelled you to start a community blog?

Yes I have a personal blog but the community blog is different in a way that different people come together to share their different stories and life lessons or advices. With my personal blog it’s just me sharing my stories with you. The only thing these two blogs have in common is that they are both personal development blogs.

What are your top pieces of advice?

You can never be enough for someone who doesn’t deserve you
Don’t wait to be perfect, start from where you are and learn along the way
Other people’s opinions of you should never dictate how you choose to live your life
You only need a one yes. Not everyone will approve but so it be, you don’t need anyone’s approval but only yours.