Where Purpose Leads, Hope Inspires & Resilience Sustains – Exclusive Interview With Dr. Harold Mayaba

Dr. Harold Mayaba is a renowned speaker, entrepreneur, and market consultant expert whose inspiring journey from a remote Zambian village to earning a PhD in Agribusiness in New Zealand is nothing short of extraordinary. Orphaned at a young age, faced with homelessness and rejection, he overcame seemingly insurmountable odds with unshakable determination, discovering along the way that education was not only a path out of poverty, but a purpose- driven calling to serve others.

Today, Dr. Mayaba is the founder of H|M Agri-Food Consulting & Speaking, a firm dedicated to helping individuals and organisations align their purpose with practical strategy, market insights, and cultural transformation. His work integrates industrial and consumer research with a signature message of Purpose, Hope, and Resilience, principles he believes are essential for sustainable personal and business growth.

Through his consulting, speaking and coaching, he empowers individuals and businesses to rise above adversity and discover their core mission so they can build aligned operations and strong organisational cultures that reflect consumer values. Calling himself The Lion Hugger, Dr. Mayaba draws on his powerful life story to inspire others to face life’s fiercest challenges with courage and faith. The title reflects his personal philosophy, he has trained himself to confront adversity head-on, embracing every challenge with boldness, anchored on purpose, hope and resilience.

Dr. Harold Mayaba, Agri-Food Consultant & Speaker

Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.

Hello! My name is Dr. Harold Mayaba. I’m a Purpose, Hope, and Resilience speaker, author, agri-food consultant, and entrepreneur. I was born and raised in rural Zambia, and my journey has been shaped by deep adversity, unwavering faith, and a relentless pursuit of purpose. I help people and organisations discover or rediscover their purpose, align it with what truly matters, and grow with strategy.

I specialise in organisational culture research, consumer research, and industry analysis, empowering businesses to scale impact while staying grounded in meaning. I speak in schools, churches, and corporate spaces to reignite the spark of purpose, hope, and resilience, empowering young people and leaders alike to rise above adversity, lead with conviction, and live with unshakable clarity and courage.

Outside of work, I’m a gospel music enthusiast, a passionate storyteller, a traveller, a part-time cook, and a full-time foodie. If it’s delicious, I’ve probably already had seconds (and asked for the recipe). I find peace in quiet moments and joy in uplifting others. If there’s one thing I’ve learned on this journey, it’s this: When you know your “why,” which is rooted in your purpose, every obstacle becomes a stepping stone.

What inspired you to become a market consultant, speaker, and coach, and to integrate purpose, hope, and resilience into your work with businesses and leaders?

My inspiration to become a consultant, speaker, and coach came from both personal struggle and deep observation. Having walked through extreme hardship, moments of homelessness, rejection, and despair, I saw firsthand what it means to live without hope. What I realised during those painful seasons is something I now share with audiences around the world.

Most people are not hopeless because life is hard; they are hopeless because they’re searching for hope without first understanding their purpose.

I repeatedly observed a pattern: individuals and even organisations trying to fix their businesses and lives, motivate teams, or reinvent themselves without ever identifying their purpose and their ‘why.’ When challenges hit, they give up, not because they’re weak, but because they built their hope on a shaky foundation. Without purpose, hope collapses under pressure. And without hope, resilience cannot grow because hope gives us the reason to keep going, even when everything else says quit.

That’s what led me to consulting, speaking, and coaching. My mission is to help people and organisations discover or rediscover that hope alone is not enough. Hope rooted in purpose becomes unshakable. And when that purpose is clear, hope is ignited, and resilience becomes a natural response to life’s challenges. That’s when true transformation begins.

I speak to awaken purpose. I coach to nurture resilience. I lead to help others rise, and I consult to align businesses with what truly matters. I do this because I’ve lived the journey from ashes to purpose. And I believe anyone can, if they connect to their big WHY.

How would you describe your core mission when working with clients?

Similar to my response above, my core mission when working with clients, whether individuals or organisations, is to help them discover or rediscover their purpose. I believe purpose is the foundation of everything. Without it, businesses lose direction, and individuals lose motivation. But when the purpose is clear, it becomes the compass that guides every decision, action, and goal.

For individuals, I help them uncover their “why”, why they exist, why they do what they do. That discovery ignites hope, and with hope comes resilience. When life’s storms hit, and they will, it's their purpose that keeps them grounded and moving forward.

For businesses, it’s about clarifying their core purpose, their mission. Once that is established, we align all operations, strategies, and culture around it. This alignment not only strengthens internal coherence but also gives the business clear direction and long-term impact. When a business knows why it exists beyond profit, it becomes resilient in uncertain markets and more meaningful to the people it serves.

In every engagement, my role is to help connect purpose with action, because hope without purpose is fragile, but purpose with hope breeds unstoppable resilience.

What sets your consulting, speaking, and coaching methodology apart from others in the field?

What sets my methodology apart is that it’s built on a strategic foundation of Purpose, Hope, and Resilience, with a strong focus on research-driven insights. I don’t offer generic motivation; I deliver transformational frameworks grounded in evidence and aligned with real business needs.

At the heart of my approach is the belief that a business built on a clear sense of purpose creates stronger cultures, better operations, and more meaningful connections with its customers. When an organisation knows why it exists, beyond just making a lot of money, it gains direction. Take a company whose purpose is to reduce plastic waste and protect the environment. Every decision it makes, from product design to partnerships, is guided by that mission. It’s not just selling products; it’s solving a problem, creating impact, and building trust with customers who care about the planet. Then every team member becomes part of something bigger, and every action starts aligning with that mission. That’s the power of purpose in business.

Through organisational culture research, I help businesses uncover what’s really happening inside their teams, what they value, what holds them back, and what can move them forward. This helps shape a work culture that’s not only positive but purpose-driven and aligned to consumer preferences and values.

Sometimes, consumer research alone doesn’t work because we’re busy looking outward when the real problem lies within. I’ve seen businesses spend thousands on market research without solving the root issue. As my grandfather used to say, “A wolverine cannot smell itself.” True transformation starts from within. I also conduct industry analysis to help organisations understand where they stand competitively.

Once organisational research and industry analysis are complete, I conduct consumer research to identify what customers truly value, their preferences, and what they’re willing to pay for, assuming the issue doesn’t originate from within the organisation itself. When operations are aligned with both internal culture and external consumer expectations, businesses are positioned for long-term growth, not just in performance, but in impact.

This combination of deep insight, strategic clarity, and emotional resilience is what makes my consulting, speaking, and coaching approach different. It connects purpose to performance, and strategy to the soul of the business.

Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.

A pivotal moment in my life came during my teenage years in Zambia, when I was suddenly chased from my uncle’s home. This was after I had visited another uncle to lobby for school fees. That evening, I found myself walking alone in the darkness with no food, no shelter, and no one to turn to. The pain of rejection and the weight of hopelessness drove me to the brink of suicide. I vividly remember stopping under a large tree, seriously contemplating ending my life. As I reached into my small bag, searching for something to carry out that plan, my hand touched the very thing that saved me: my schoolbooks and uniform. They were the only items I had taken with me, grabbed in a rush when I was kicked out of the house.

In that moment, I was reminded of the promise I had made to my grandparents to complete my education and one day return home victorious, determined to break the cycle of poverty. I realised that the despair I was feeling was temporary, but the purpose I was born with was eternal. That night, I chose not to end my life. I chose to live with purpose.

That experience became the foundation of everything I do today. I came to understand that many people give up not because they lack strength, but because they chase hope without first anchoring themselves in purpose. Without purpose, hope is fragile. And without resilience, even the strongest hope can fade in the storm. But when hope is rooted in purpose and the clear big WHY, resilience naturally follows.

Today, I speak, coach, consult, and mentor from that place of lived experience. I help others turn their pain into purpose, align their lives and businesses with meaning, and develop the inner strength to persevere through adversity.

I call myself “The Lion Hugger” because I’ve learned to face life’s fiercest battles with courage and conviction, choosing to embrace my fears instead of run from them.

"So, here’s my message to you: 'Unleash the lion within yourself and let your roar be heard.”

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