Dad · Educator · Speaker · Community Activist

It's Kool to Be Kind!!!

A student emailed him that morning: her childcare had fallen through. He told her to bring her baby to class. Mid lecture, the baby crawled up to him. He picked him up and kept teaching. The moment was caught in a six second video that went viral, landing him on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and various platforms across the world. In Singapore, he was first called the "Professor of Kindness." A movement was born. It wasn't a stunt. It was a lifetime of practice.

Book Dr. Musoma Get the Book: Ukukakulwa: When Kindness Sets Us Free

Dr. Musoma holds a doctorate in Education, Leadership and Administration and currently serves as Director of Leadership and Character Formation at Tec de Monterrey in Mexico, after two decades teaching at Texas A&M and Texas Christian University. He is a sought-after international keynote speaker on kindness, Ubuntu, ethics, and conscious leadership, and the author of Ukukakulwa: When Kindness Sets Us Free, a memoir driven exploration of identity, culture, and the leadership power of kindness.

"I'm a hustler, I hustle knowledge."

"I am because we are." (Ubuntu)

Ukukakulwa: When Kindness Sets Us Free, book cover
The Book
Coming Soon

Ukukakulwa

Ukukakulwa (oo-koo-kah-KOOL-wah), Bemba: the act of becoming, being, and staying free.

Ukukakulwa is Dr. Musoma's account of his journey, from Kasonde, his birth name meaning "a small world," to Henry, the English name given to him as was customary for Zambians of the era, though not fully used until he enrolled in English run schools, and back again to an identity that integrates and honors both. Its central argument is that kindness is not a soft virtue or a social nicety, but a mechanism of liberation, for the giver and the receiver alike.

Structured as twenty chapters, plus a prologue and afterword, the book moves between personal memoir, cultural analysis, and leadership philosophy. It chronicles Dr. Musoma's upbringing in ChampaLesa Village, Zambia; his education at an English run school; his career across American higher education; and the events leading to his viral moment and the invitations that followed.

  • The Identity Desert: the internal fragmentation of living between an inherited culture and an institutional one
  • Ubuntu: "I am because we are," explored as a complete relational way of understanding personhood
  • Pa Nsaka: a traditional Bemba practice of community governance and consensus-building
  • The Great Man Lie: challenging the myth that leadership is rare and concentrated, rather than common and distributed
  • G + H + C = AOK: when Gratitude, Humility, and Curiosity come together, they form something greater: an Agent of Kindness
  • HUM: the three disciplines of Humanize, Humorize, and Humilize, for leading with integrated intelligence
  • LEAP: "Leadership Empowers All People," Dr. Musoma's personal signature and guiding philosophy

"The seed is yours. Now plant it."

* Prototype: the new book's Amazon link is pending confirmation.

His Philosophy

Three Pillars

Humanize

See the person in front of you completely. Not their role, their revenue, or their potential. The whole human being. Institutions train us to see categories. Leadership demands we see people. You cannot heal what you cannot see.

Humorize

Use levity as a leadership tool. Humor disarms hierarchy, builds psychological safety, and opens doors that seriousness keeps locked. The leader who cannot laugh with their people cannot fully lead them. Humor lifts people before strategy can reach them.

Humilize

Lead from humility. Genuine acknowledgment that the person in front of you carries wisdom you need. Your title does not make you the smartest person in the room. Humility is not weakness. It is the posture that makes learning and leading possible. Humble leaders multiply others' capacity.

Whether you're bringing him in for a keynote, a leadership workshop, or picking up his book, Dr. Musoma offers the same invitation he gives every audience: show up whole, and watch what grows.

It's AOK!!!

Agent Of Kindness of the Week

Each week, Dr. Musoma recognizes someone who’s living out the book’s core framework: Gratitude + Humility + Curiosity = AOK (Agent of Kindness).

AOK
Week of [date]

[Agent of Kindness Name]

[Short story: what this person did and how it reflects Gratitude + Humility + Curiosity. Dr. Musoma uploads this profile weekly.]

Get Agent of Kindness of the Week in your inbox, free, every week.

Coming Soon
His Story

From Kasonde to Henry and Back

From cultivating soil to cultivating people, his path from international agricultural development to Ubuntu centered leadership reflects one enduring belief: growth, whether in a field or a community, only happens when you tend to root systems, not just the harvest.

Dr. Henry Kasonde Musoma was born and raised in Zambia, where kindness and humanity were foundational values. He carried them to the United States, where they remain central to his teaching today.

In 2017, Texas A&M University named him the face of its institutional value of "Leadership." That same year, a viral photo of him quietly teaching class while holding a student's infant son introduced his philosophy of kindness to a global audience, leading to an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and an invitation to speak at Singapore Management University's Wee Kim Wee Distinguished Lecture Series.

Dr. Musoma holds a Doctorate in Education, Leadership and Administration. He has taught at Texas A&M (including the Mays Business School and the George Bush School of Government and Public Service) and at Texas Christian University's Neeley School of Business. He now serves as Director of Leadership and Character Formation at Tec de Monterrey University in Mexico.

He teaches courses on ethics, leadership, and difficult dialogues, and is known for designing high-impact leadership programs built around international immersion and cultural intelligence.

He serves on several advisory boards, including the TCU College of Education, and currently sits on the board of the Voom Foundation. A father of four, he enjoys nature, reading, music, and travel. He also loves to cook, and true to his spirit of curiosity, he never makes the same meal twice. Though he doesn't consider himself a baker, he is known for one exception: his German chocolate bundt cake, which he has gifted to friends and family more than a thousand times over the years.

He's often introduced as the man who taught global executives that leadership begins with wholeness, not performance. A lesson born in a Zambian village long before it reached a boardroom.

Dr. Henry Kasonde Musoma
Keynotes & Workshops

Keynotes & Workshops That Move Rooms and Move People

Dr. Musoma's signature talks blend personal storytelling, African philosophy, and practical leadership frameworks. Audiences range from university classrooms to Fortune 500 executive programs (including a Presidential Leadership Executive Program for a Houston-based multinational), and the response is consistent: people leave with permission to lead as their whole selves.

Dr. Henry Kasonde Musoma speaking

Ubuntu Leadership

"I am because we are." What African philosophy teaches about relational leadership, distributed authority, and collective success.

From LEAN to LEAP

Moving teams and organizations from individual optimization (LEAN) to collective transformation (LEAP): collaboration, trust, and co-creation.

The Kindness Formula

A practical framework: Gratitude + Humility + Curiosity = an Agent of Kindness, built on three disciplines: Humanize, Humilize, Humorize.

Potent Chaos: Leadership and Real-ationship Building

Why showing up authentically, even imperfectly, disrupts comfortable dysfunction and unlocks real trust.

Identity, Culture & Legacy

Drawing on his own journey between his birth name Kasonde and his adopted name Henry, a talk on integrating cultural identity rather than trading it away for institutional acceptance.

Courageous & Conscious Leadership

Ethical decision-making, difficult dialogues, and leading with both head and heart.

Keynote (45–75 minutes) Half-day or full-day leadership workshop Multi-session executive development series University lecture / commencement address Wedding Officiant Master of Ceremonies
Past Engagements Highlight
The Ellen DeGeneres Show Singapore Management University: Wee Kim Wee Distinguished Lecture Series Presidential Leadership Executive Program, Halliburton Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University, Tec de Monterrey CBS Morning Show (Gayle King)

Commencement & Executive Series Speaker

You can count the number of seeds in an orange, but you can never count the number of oranges in a seed.

I wrote Ukukakulwa because leadership isn't a spreadsheet. It's a story. On stage, I bring that same lesson. Real growth starts when you stop performing and start showing up whole. Expect wisdom, not a TED talk template.

Master of Ceremonies

The best MC is felt, not noticed.

Your event doesn't need a schedule. It needs a pulse. I keep the room warm. I keep the transitions invisible. I make every speaker look good. Think of me as the thread nobody sees but everybody feels.

Wedding Officiant

Kindness is the one currency that never depreciates.

Every couple has a story. My job is to make sure yours doesn't sound recycled. I get to know you first. Then I craft a ceremony that sounds like you, not a Pinterest board. Warm, personal, unmistakably yours.

Speaking Engagements

Freedom isn't given. It's grown.

Panels, workshops, fireside chats. I go where the conversation is real. Every session is prepared, but never canned. That's the same heart behind Ukukakulwa: presence over performance. Audiences remember honesty longer than slides.

Request Dr. Musoma for Your Event
Media

In the Spotlight

In 2017, a video of Dr. Musoma teaching a Texas A&M management class while holding a student's nine month old son, after her childcare fell through, was shared on social media and quickly went viral. It sparked a national and global conversation about kindness and humanity in professional and educational spaces and earned him the nickname "the Professor of Kindness."

The Ellen DeGeneres Show Dr. Musoma, the student (Ashton), and her son were invited to appear following the viral moment.
Singapore Management University Invited to deliver the Wee Kim Wee Distinguished Lecture Series on Educational Leadership.
Face of Texas A&M's institutional value of "Leadership" (2017) Texas A&M University recognized the event among its most significant moments of 2017.
Faculty Recognition Recipient of one of the highest faculty honors awarded at Texas A&M.
Keynote: Dr. Kasonde Musoma
CBS News: Kindness comes full circle

* Downloadable press kit (headshots, one-sheet, press quotes): pending.

Explore

Pods! Tubes! Spots!

This is where you can see what all Dr. Musoma is watching and listening to.

Pods

Podcast appearances.

Coming Soon

Tubes

Keynote clips and interviews.

Spots

TV, radio & press appearances.

Rooted & Free Ukukakulwa Merchandise

Carry the message with you

Products inspired by the book. Available soon. The Rooted & Free line carries the site's branded seed mark.

T-shirts

Coming Soon

Mugs

Coming Soon

Signed copies & bundles

Coming Soon
In Honor of His Father

Henry Kanyanta Musoma Education Foundation

Henry Kanyanta Musoma with his grandchildren

A foundation honoring his father

The Henry Kanyanta Musoma Education Foundation carries forward the legacy of a man who planted his own orchard. He never stopped looking out for the less fortunate. Born in a small Zambian village and shaped by hardship, hope, and grit, Henry Kanyanta Musoma believed every child deserves the chance to dream boldly.

In his honor, the HKM Education Foundation invests in promising young people from underserved communities. We nurture the doctors, teachers, nurses, lawyers, coaches, and musicians of tomorrow.

Planting seeds. Growing futures.

Get the Book on Amazon →
Dr. Henry Kasonde Musoma
Bookings

Let's Start a Conversation

Whether you're inviting Dr. Musoma to speak, inquiring about media, or simply want to share how kindness has shaped your own story, reach out directly.

Phone: (682) 465-3963

Email: kindnessprof@gmail.com

"Leadership Empowers All People." Dr. Musoma signs every message this way. Consider this your invitation to LEAP.

Peeled orange with seeds, from the Ukukakulwa back cover

"You can count the number of seeds in an orange, but you can never count the number of oranges in a seed."