BBC speaks to Chude Jideonwo about living with Tourette’s and the book ‘How Depression Saved My Life’

Tagged ‘the golden boy of African media’, Chude Jideonwo is a media entrepreneur whose 25-year career spans advertising, public relations, television, radio, print, and digital media. As co-founder and CEO of RED | For Africa, he crafted and led strategies that fueled social movements and shaped national elections across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Senegal. Under his leadership, RED was honored as African Business of the Year alongside Dangote Group and Chandaria Industries. In 2016, after a decade at RED, Chude sensed a calling to a new mission. With no prospect of revenue or recognition, he stepped away from his role to focus on storytelling that uplifts the mind, heart, and spirit, and founded Joy, Inc., a human flourishing company that has partnered with organizations like Ford Motor Company and the Lagos State Government to create safe, nurturing spaces for mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. In 2020, he also launched #WithChude, a viral podcast featuring conversations with African leaders and celebrities – which has been called the most watched talk show across Africa. Syndicated across three Pan-African networks, hosted exclusively on the streaming platform withChude.com, with tens of millions of views on YouTube, the podcast has become a hub for exploring deeply personal stories about healing, resilience, and growth. He has taught media and communication to undergraduate and postgraduate students at Pan Atlantic University. He has also advised global corporations and nonprofits, including Meta, Google, the Gates Foundation, the African Union, and the governments of the UK and the US, on media strategy, democracy, and human rights. Chude has been a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, CNBC Young Business Leader of the Year, an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow, and a World Fellow at Yale University. He has served on boards that include Microsoft 4Afrika, the Oando Foundation, and The Initiative for Equal Rights, where he is the current chair. As a filmmaker, his documentaries have been nominated or won for ‘Best Documentary’, ‘Best ‘Feature’ and ‘Official Selection’ at the Africa International Film Festival, the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards, the San Diego Black Film Festival, amongst others. In 2024, he was appointed Creative-In-Residence at the London School of Economics. His writing and work have been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, The Huffington Post, and The Financial Times. He is the author of two books: Are We the Turning Point Generation? and How to Win Elections in Africa: Parallels with Donald Trump. His forthcoming book, How Depression Saved My Life, will be published by Narrative Landscape in August 2025.