Our History

From Becoming Better
To Becoming Global

BTBY Africa did not begin with a market expansion plan. It began with people, relationships, shared stages, community outreach, faith, friendship, and a growing belief that personal development becomes more powerful when it crosses borders without losing sight of the people who live there.

HRH Dr. Ruben West

The Roots Were Already Growing.

Long before Becoming The Better You had a name, the work of transformation was already in motion. HRH Dr. Ruben West had spent years traveling, speaking, serving, and building relationships across Africa.

His connection to the continent was not created through a single event or appearance. It grew through repeated visits, humanitarian work, cultural exchange, leadership development, and trust built over time.

Then Ruben met Dr. Brenda Ring Wood. They came from different experiences, but recognized a shared belief in one another: people are capable of becoming more than the circumstances, mistakes, losses, or labels that have shaped their past.

Their friendship became collaboration. Two paths that had already been changing lives began moving in the same direction.

Dr. Brenda Ring Wood in Kisii, Kenya

Transformation Became A Movement.

Dr. Brenda Ring Wood founded Becoming The Better You around a simple but powerful truth: transformation is not a single moment. It is an ongoing decision.

What began as a vision for personal growth became a growing community of speakers, coaches, leaders, entrepreneurs, faith communities, and people committed to changing their mindset, changing their actions, and changing their lives.

BTBY grew person by person. One story opened a door. One introduction became a friendship. One friendship became a collaboration. One person’s courage gave someone else permission to begin again.

As Brenda and Ruben continued working together, the worlds around them began connecting too. Through Ruben’s longstanding relationships across Africa, Brenda and members of the BTBY community began traveling, speaking, serving, listening, and building relationships of their own.

BTBY at the Maasai Mara naming ceremony

This Was Not Simply A Trip.

By 2025, the connection had become deeply personal. Members of the BTBY family traveled to Kenya for speaking, community outreach, faith, cultural exchange, and time spent with local leaders, families, and communities.

Kenya Mester made her international speaking debut in Nairobi. Dr. John E. Avocado experienced Kenya beyond the boundaries of military service. The BTBY family joined outreach in Nunguni Village, spent time with children and families, connected with the Maasai, and built relationships face-to-face.

Through leaders including Christopher “Pastor Chris” Njoroge and Dr. Juma Nashon, the relationships on the ground continued to deepen. Kenya became the natural place for BTBY Africa to begin because the foundation was already there.

Trusted relationships. Local leadership. Shared values. Community connection. A belief in growth, opportunity, and becoming.

BTBY Africa is not about taking an American organization and placing it in Kenya. It is about building something together.

The beginning is Kenya. The vision is global.