< A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Somali North American Business and Professionals National Conference. The purpose of the conference is to bring together a variety of industry experts from the Somali Diaspora to share their experiences and tell their stories. About SNABPI and the event SNABPI (Somali North American Business and Professionals Inc) is a member of SomaliPN (SPN), a worldwide professional platform with branches in Australia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Eastern Africa, Europe, and North America with branches in Australia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, East Africa, Europe and North America. The SNABPI National Conference is the #1 Leading Entrepreneurship & Innovation Conference within the Somali Diaspora. SNABPI brings industry experts in the Somali Diaspora including entrepreneurs, investors, consultants, ecosystem supporters, bankers, and up-and-coming startups to share their experiences and expertise in developing the entrepreneurship ecosystem in our Somali Diaspora Communities. Our goal is to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused, and on a wide range of subjects, to foster learning, inspiration, and wonder-and provoke conversations that matter. • Highly interactive sessions and panels from entrepreneurs and startups representing all sectors Fintech, media & recreation and government, technology/ digital, Somali Culture and Arts • Mentorship Sessions to get 1-on-1 feedback on your ideas or business • Business Matchmaking / Speed Networking Sessions I had the honor of learning from quite a few talented professionals and have an exciting series to share with you. For those of you who weren't able to attend, stay tuned for the upcoming episodes featuring Yussuf Shafie, Abdirahman Kaariye, Asha Farah and many other inspiring professionals. The first session I attended was with Yussuf Shafie MSW, LGSW a graduate of the University of MN. Yussuf is an active and well-respected member of the addiction community. He is a licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor ( LADC) with the Board of Behavioral Health. He completed his internship with the Community-University Health Care Center as a Social Work Triage Specialist, and he continued on as a Mental Health Practitioner with CUHCC. He started the Alliance wellness center to help his community deal with Mental health and addiction. Along with Yussuf, Khadar Abi a young Somali man who has gone through addiction and incarceration shared his road to sobriety and the work he knows does with Alliance Wellness Center. https://www.naptimeissacred.com/ https://www.instagram.com/naptimeissacred/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/alliancewellnesscenterllc/ https://www.instagram.com/snabpi/?hl=en https://twitter.com/snabpi?lang=en