The Chris Voss Show - The Chris Voss Show Podcast – Mumba the Lion Who Forgot to Roar by Subomi Macaulay

Episode Date: April 13, 2026

Mumba the Lion Who Forgot to Roar by Subomi Macaulay https://www.amazon.com/Mumba-Lion-Who-Forgot-Roar/dp/B0GVYTPDBY Subomimacaulay.com Mumba the Lion Who Forgot to Roar is a powerful and heartwarming tale about identity, courage, and the importance of owning your story. Deep within the lush forests of the Congo lives Mumba a strong, wise, and respected lion whose silence leads others to misunderstand who he truly is. When his story is twisted and doubt begins to grow, Mumba is faced with a life-changing realization: if he doesn’t speak his truth, someone else will define it for him. Guided by resilience and self-discovery, Mumba embarks on a journey to reclaim his voice. With the courage to rise above fear, he learns that true strength is not just in power but in honesty, expression, and authenticity. Written by The African Storyteller, Subomi Macaulay, this beautifully woven story draws from rich cultural traditions to inspire readers of all ages. It teaches timeless lessons about confidence, self-expression, and the power of storytelling. Perfect for children, families, and classrooms, this book encourages every reader to find their voice and never forget to roar. About the author Subomi Macaulay, affectionately known as The African Storyteller, is a Cultural Ambassador whose voice bridges generations and connects the richness of African heritage to modern-day narratives. Through her storytelling, Subomi imparts timeless lessons rooted in African culture, history, and personal experience. Her journey as a storyteller began in the heart of West Africa, where she learned the craft at the feet of her maternal grandmother. Through these early lessons, Subomi discovered the power of stories to teach resilience, empathy, and cultural pride. Today, she continues to weave narratives that both honor and reinvent African traditions, creating stories that resonate with audiences worldwide. Subomi’s work spans across multiple formats: from live performances to written works, workshops, and cultural consulting. Her stories have touched the hearts of youth and elders alike, offering a powerful reminder that through storytelling, we can heal, connect, and transform.

You wanted the best... You've got the best podcast. The hottest podcast in the world. In the world. The Chris Voss Show, the preeminent podcast with guests so smart you may experience serious brain bleed. The CEOs, authors, thought leaders, visionaries, and motivators. Get ready. Get ready.

Strap yourself in. Keep your hands, arms, and legs inside the vehicle at all times. Because you're about to go on a monster education role. rollercoaster with your brain. Now, here's your host, Chris Voss. Folks, Voss here from thecris Foss Show.com. Ladies, gentlemen, the early season that makes official, welcome to 16 years, 2,800 episodes of the Chris Voss show, because we had nothing better to do.

That's what we do. And we want to make the world a better place to entertain you folks and make life good for everybody. So that's why we have the most amazing authors on the show. And along with some guy with a Mike who's an idiot who hosts it, wait, I got to quit reading the teleprompter. Anyway, guys, refer the show to your parents and relatives. Go to Goodread.com, Fortresschus Christchis-Christfoss.

LinkedIn.com, for chest, Chris Foss, 1 on the TikTok and all those crazy places to end up. Opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host or the Chris Foss show. Some guests of the show may be advertising on the podcast, but it's not an endorsement or review of any kind. Today, anyway, my amazing young lady on the show with us today. We're going to get into her book that came out March 31st, 2026,

Boy, man, where you're getting there into March. We're already in April now. The book is entitled Mumba, the Lion who Forgot to Roar by Shiboni, Shibomni, Macaulay. Did I get that right? Shabomimmy McCauley. Macaulay, Macaulay, just Macaulay, Cawkin. Shabombeamie McCalkin. She's going to be joining us on the show.

She gave me the assist there for the name and all that good stuff, so we're going to get into it. She is a passionate storyteller who believes in the. power of imagination to inspire confidence and curiosity in young readers. Her debut book, the aforementioned, was born from her love of creating joyful, meaningful stories that help children embrace their unique strengths. She enjoys connecting with families through reading events and hopes her work encourages children to celebrate who they are. Welcome the show, young lady, how are you? I'm great. Thank you for having me on your show. Thank you for coming. Give us any dot com's websites, anywhere you want people to find you on the interwebs.

They can go to my website, www.w-W-W-Machau-M-A-L-A-L-L-E-L-E-L-E-O-R-E-O-M-A-U-L-A-Y. All right. And give us a 30,000 overview of what's aside your book. So this book is my debut children's book. and it teaches a life lesson to young children because as the African storyteller, that is a name I hold dear and proudly too.

I like to tell stories to young children that teach them life lessons. Put them in the story because then they take notice. So in this book, Mumba the Lion who forgot the Lord, they see themselves in the story and they understand that their voice is their power. Hmm. The voice is your power. And that's an important lesson to learn, I think, isn't it for young people? Absolutely. Because if you don't tell your story, someone else will. And they might not tell it truthfully.

You want to have it told truthfully because, you know, otherwise, you know, people, you know, be making up their own stories. You can't have that. Absolutely. What was this? Tell us about the character in here, Mumba. And what is he up to you there? As you know, I'm a native African, and I try to teach a little bit about Africa in all my stories. So this story is set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is in Central Africa. And it is set on, of course, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has a famous river, the Congo River, which is the third largest river in the world. So Mumba the Lion is sitting on the banks of the Congo River. river and he is protecting the tropical rainforest. He is defending the land from all these

enemies. He is protecting the animals. And he is the king of the jungle. That's who Mumba is. Yeah, Mumba, king of the jungle. I've done the Congo. I've never been there, but I've done the conga. It's not a thing. What was the proponent as to why you decided to write this particular book about this particular character in the story you told? This story teaches that silence is not always noble. In a world where stories shape reality, you must tell the truth. You must protect your name and share your journey, not out of pride, but out of responsibility. Yeah.

Not out of pride, but out of responsibility. You know, we all have stories. I mean, we often say on the Chris Foss show, at least I do, I think I'm the only one on the show technically as a host. I often say stories of the fabric of our lives. That's, they are who we are. Regardless, I mean, good, bad or ugly, whatever your stories are, you know, maybe some bad things happen to you. We are the summation of all of our stories. And without them, we'd probably be nothing.

If I didn't have any good stories, I'd just be sitting here on a drone out the side of my mouth or something, which is, you know, Fridays around the Chris Faw Show. For me, identity must be affirmed, not assumed. True must be carried like a fling. Tended, protected, and shared. That's what truth is. A roar is not noise, it is presence. Yeah. So we talked about the griot in African history of the tribal, the tribesman or tribeswoman that were saddled with being the tribe historian.

Tell us a little bit of that term. I've talked about a lot in the show, and I love the concept of it. So my fond nickname is the African storyteller. So in Africa, I would be called a gris. a keeper of the history of our culture. And as a keeper of the history of our culture, you are one with the soil. So it is passed down from family to family. Like in my family, I inherited this gift of storytelling from my maternal grandmother,

who was the African storyteller, who was the original storyteller, the griot. because she got that from her mother. So it is passed down in a family lineage, and you are one with the culture. You understand the practices. You understand the culture. You understand the history behind the culture. Griet is a keeper of all history. And we were joking.

I was always joking. I'm like, what happens if the lion eats the griot? But evidently, they're supposed to be good with animals, evidently. Hopefully they are. They're one with the land, absolutely. Yeah. I'm one with the land whenever I trip and fall, and it hurts. But evidently, I'm not very good on good terms with the land.

That's why I skin my knees. And now, is this your first book? Do you publish? Yes, it's published on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, on my website. This is my first debut children's book. Ah, congratulations. So what got you into writing books? How early did you start writing books?

How early did you start writing and when did you kind of know you had a knack for it? I did not know I had a knack from it, but I retired after a long career in human resources. And one thing you'll know about employee relations and human resources, you do a lot of writing, disciplinary actions. So I'm used to the format of writing in a professional manner and telling a story by being neutral. And that's what storytelling is. So when I retired, I started a non-reactored. I started a nonprofit, and I loved working with children. And in my character as the African storyteller, I'm telling stories, and I said, you know what, I should write some of these stories.

So about a year ago, I started to jot down my notes, which have now become the book, Mumba, the Lion, who forgot to roar. I like you, give it the accent. Mumba! The lion who forgot to write. Yes. So, I mean, what I want to want to say. thing and you hope to, I mean, who reads this book and who he hopes reading it and what might gain from it? It's funny you ask that. This book was designed for children three to 12,

but anybody can read the book and learn the message in the book, because like I said, every story teaches a life lesson. Wow. And so give us an example of some of the lessons you cover in that. Okay. So in this book, you learn that reputation must be protected. It cannot be assumed. You learn that humility is good, but silence can be harmful. So speak. Don't keep your mouth close. Speak. Lives grow when the truth stays quiet. And leadership requires communication, not just action. Yeah. Leadership. You know, it's it. definitely does. I mean, you can say all you want, but if you don't do what you're supposed to do, you know, it's not going to work out. It doesn't. Yeah. And I've certainly waited as that over the years. And now, do you see this book coming on as a series, maybe continuing further books with the same characters?

Absolutely. I'm not sure about the same character. You're not the first person to ask me that. I did a book reading yesterday, and they wanted to know if I was going to do a Mumba, the Lion book, So you never know. It could develop, but I'm writing my second book right now as we speak. It's going to send another message because every story tells, teaches a life lesson. Every story teaches a life lesson. Lesson. That's really important to have, right?

Yes, because your story strengthens others. People learn from your stories because it's real life lived examples. Real life lived example is a way to take and do it. When did you start writing? When did you kind of find you had a knack for it? So about two years ago, I also did live performances as the African storyteller. And after the performance, the head of the company came to me and said, you should write a book. And I said, what makes you say that? You need to teach these lessons and have people be able to read the lessons in the book. And I like the way your plot line goes.

So I said, okay. I just started judging down a few lines here and there. And voila, today we have Mumba the Lion. Mumba the Lion. It's quite an adventure. And now you, one of the things you offer do is come do readings to places, things along those lines. Tell us about what your offer there. I'm currently on contract with about 14 libraries in the children's section,

as well as I go to schools at events, and I put on my costume as the African storyteller. and I actually tell the stories and teach life lessons. Because my goal as the African storyteller is to enrich lives and promote culture. And enriching people's lives, sharing stories, and this is how we learn lessons. This is how we learn from each other. You know, this is how we learn how life works. It's pretty cool where we learn these things and we know what to do with our lives and all that good stuff.

So I love it. you know, stories, whether they're fiction or nonfiction, you know, we all learn. And the other thing is, is I don't know if you want to talk about this at all, but when you, you know, stories are a way that we help sharpen our minds. Yes. Is a way that we help sharpen our minds. Yes. And it's so great when I hear parents, and we've talked about this a lot on the show, we hear parents that are like reading to their children, getting their children involved in reading, teaching them to read. you know, the brain just develops so much better when it has that opportunity.

And, yeah, I mean. You know, it's funny you say that because I work with kids so much, I've now started grooming a set of young leaders. To be a young leader, you have to be admitted into the reading circle that I create. Oh, wow. Yes. So when I do a, when I do a start, story time, I pick five children from the audience who volunteer, pick them certain characters in the book,

and they have to read the parts. Ah. Yes. That's got to be fun for them. Oh, they love it. They love it. They love it. That's awesome, sauce.

That's a great thing for them to take and utilize and do. And then if you have any other books or maybe works that you're working on that you might think come out soon? Yes. I'm working on. second book. It's still in the stage. It's not finished, but it's going to teach the same life lesson. For some reason, I'm drawn

to animals. So this book is called Kekere the aunt, a little aunt that you see ants run around. So this is a good story that teaches a life lesson. And the children love it. They love the characters. They get into the characters.

When I do the book readings for this mumba, the lion, I have them, I have shapes of the lion. pause. I have the coloring book for the lion. I have them say the affirmations. Speak your truth. Because if you don't speak your voice, someone else will. And they will say it truthfully. You know, that's probably important for young people to learn, right? Yeah. Speak your truth. Defend yourself. You know, speak up. You know, a lot of kids, they'll hide stuff or they'll, you know, they'll be afraid. Maybe I shouldn't talk about this, yada, yada, yada. And so sometimes

you know, talking about stuff can get you out of maybe some trouble if you've gotten some trouble there, right? Yes. And yeah, it's a great encouragement for children to open up, feel that it's safe for them to talk. It's safe for them, free them, discuss certain things. And, you know, I mean, you know, if something happens to them, you know, maybe a stranger or something weird goes on, you want them to be able to talk to you and go, hey, this, you know, this went on. And you don't want them to hide it out of shame or embarrassment. and like you say, speak your voice and let it be heard.

And that's an important lesson. I think all of us need to learn. So people can learn that with the book. Any other future things that we hold or anything maybe that we miss, you wanted to talk about the book? I'm really looking at the possibility of doing comic books and of doing a cartoon of the stories because we have to understand that in 2026,

our children are fragile. They live in a world of social media. There's no human touch. Like when you and I were kids, we ran out. We had friends on the street. In today's world, the parents are working longer hours. So the companion is the TV, is the phone. And there's no real life scenario.

So storytelling brings that into the forefront. Yeah. It makes us, you know, you can, you can, you know, understand how life works. And it also teaches others how to write stories and do stories and all that sort of stuff. That's really important. As we go out, give people a final pitch out to pick up your book, where refined books are sold, how they can reach out to you on your website to find out more.

Listen, it's been a wonderful time to come out here and speak with you tonight. Please go to Amazon, go to Banzanoble, or go to my own website, W.W.W.w.shvomimakawley.com and pick up a copy of this book, Mumba the Lion, who forgot to roar. Why, you must roar, because a roar is not noise. It is presence. Your presence. Mumba the Lion, who forgot to war. Somewhere, I guess, in the book, maybe he remembers. We don't want to give away the ending, but that's exactly what happens. I had a feeling that might be the pot.

So thank you very much for coming on the show. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure. And thanks for us for tuning in. Order of the book, wherever fine books are sold. It's out March 31st, 2026. Mumba!

The Lion Who Forgot to Roar. Go to goodreads.com, Fortess, Chris Foss. LinkedIn.com, for chest, Chris Foss. Chris Foss won on the TikTok and all those crazy places on the internet. Be good to each other. Stay safe. We'll see you guys next time. You've been listening to the most amazing, intelligent podcast ever made to improve your brain and your life.

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