Press Release — Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett – Special Guest: Nobel Laureate Rina Kosi
[Intro Music Fades In]

Steven: Welcome back to The Diary of a CEO. I’m Steven Bartlett, and today, we’re in New York City with none other than Rina Kosi. Now, Rina isn’t just an actress, singer, songwriter, or novelist. She’s a Nobel Laureate in Literature, a mother, wife, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Phenomenally successful in life… Tell me, Rina, what is it I need to know about your start in life to know the woman who sits in front of me now?

Rina: Hey Steven, thanks for having me here today. I knew that someday I would find myself here in front of you. I thought it’d be in London not in New York but how wonderful to be here in December. I love New York.

I love the cold, how everyone is all bundles and layered up at the moment. The smell of cinnamon and pumpkin spice everywhere. We’re all able to enjoy a “telly Christmas” is just brilliant. Life brings us where we need to be.

Steven: It’s true New York is wonderful at this time of year.

Rina: Hmm I thought I’d prepped the answer to your first question as I know you tend to ask it but, when I look over at you staring back with those intense eyes it’s so different.

Steven: Haha I’ve been told that.

Rina: Well, it’s hard to know what exactly started me on this journey but what I can say is that it was always the journey I was going to take and I always knew it. It sounds weird and hopefully doesn’t come across as being boastful, it’s not that, but I’ve always known that I was meant to do something with my talents.

I’ve always known that I’m extremely naturally talented. It wouldn’t make sense not to use them. Always in life if I “wasn’t on track”, and I guess in terms of success you would say I wasn’t “successful” until my late forties, I’d get called back. Always.

Steven: So I have of course read in your autobiography, My Other Me, it’s brilliant by the way, really insightful, I really felt like it wasn’t just giving the story of your life but it’s a commentary of life in general. Of how simple changes in circumstance can totally alter the path life. It seems your awareness of the privilege of circumstance was a key aspect for you from a very early age.

Rina: It was strange I always felt fortunate and that’s not by any means because I looked down upon my “other me”, we were the same, she was amazing, in many ways everything that I wasn’t and everything that I wanted to be.

I knew when I was very little that I had been dealt a better hand. I never thought for a second that we wouldn’t grow old together, that I wouldn’t always be able to be inspired by her raw brilliance but that is life…that is death.

Steven: It’s such an inspiring, tragic, joyful story. As a reader we are routing for you both and we mourn her loss with you.

Steven: Your parents…

Rina: Ha, what about them…

Steven: Well, In your other book Back Home, which is I guess more of a biography of your father and the story of your family, you talk about the fact that your mum and dad were not overly supportive but not unsupportive. They were not particularly into music, or theatre, or anything artistic and yet you sing, you act, you write music. Where do you think that love of all things creative comes from?

Rina: Oh it was definitely from them. Some of my earliest memories of my dad are that he would be him playing the organ. You know the ones with the double keyboard and loads of buttons to change loads of things that you never use.. the type that you’d find in a church… He’d play for hours. It was always loud and painful. An awful, funeral like dirge.

He never got any better and sometimes he’d sing in his foghorn, slightly off key way. I’m not even sure why he played because I don’t think he particularly enjoyed it but he played no less. Then mum she always sang at church and would be practicing at home. She’d play her “God tapes” as we called them, in the car. So there was always some kind of music in the house.

Steven: When you say “We” you’re referring to your older brother and younger sister?

Rina: Yes. We were always encouraged to play instruments, between us we have probably played nearly all of them, we were sent to dance classes, cubs and brownies where we’d always go to the yearly panto. So yeah, the talent is definitely due to heredity without doubt. I don’t think they were ever aware that they had instilled a love of creativity in me. I’m sure Dad is still saying that I should have become a teacher, secretary or doctor, he’s still waiting, I’m sure.

Steven: So let’s skip forward. You get married, have two children leave the UK for the middle east, life is settled. Covid hits. You leave the middle east have a third child and settle in West Africa and this seems to be where things take a huge shift.

Rina: Yes so perhaps it’s when you’re dealing with adversity that your awareness become astute and you start making moves to change your situation, or to at least give yourself choices. I always feel like you are exactly where you need to be, exactly when you need to be there. So yeah, we were in Ghana and we are hustling.

Savings have pretty much depleted, trickling away like water from the bottom of a bucket full of little cracks. Money had gone into business ventures that didn’t see the projected returns. Life is hard the, girls are not happy and then an opportunity comes along, which leads to another and another and suddenly you’re back on track and life is doing a full 360.

Steven: You get to work on stage at the National theatre in Ghana which seems to be a pivotal moment. Work flows in and then you begin working on some of the pieces that you’ve started over the years. Then, and you talk about this in one of your other books, that you finally get inspired to complete your magnum opus as you call it.

Rina: Haha yes. It’s mind blowing how everything fell into place…well at least at the time it was mind blowing… I’ve learnt since then. The thought came to me years ago; I don’t even remember when, that there just wasn’t any “good music” especially hymns being written anymore and I just had a feeling that I could write an “amazing grace” or a “how great thou art”.

It does sound crazy I know and I remember looking at my book shelf and thinking about the Odyssey and the Iliad and how they have lasted throughout time. I remember being sure that I could write something that would last forever. I didn’t know what or how it would be for a long time but I knew it was there waiting for me to bring it into existence.

Steven: And here you are not even 60 yet and you have done it, you have produced something that looks as though it is set to go down as one of the world’s best pieces of writing. An extraordinary piece of work and you are now a Nobel laureate.

Rina: Well, you know… it’s alright… hahaha. I just had to trust. It is fantastic to receive the recognition. I really appreciate how well it has been received. It’s amazing to finally have it out in the world. I’m so grateful for the support of my family and friends, you don’t get here being a lone ranger. Your network and your mastermind are everything.

Steven: So are you done? I mean what’s next. You have written books, musicals, songs. You’ve worked on stage and film with some of the best actors of our time and actually you’ve managed to stay just under the radar and stay a little out of the spotlight. I feel like you’re relatively unknown in terms of “fame” when we compare it to all of your achievements. From my research it seems you have amassed immeasurable wealth.

You have invested in property, land, businesses. You have set up an amazing state of the art hospital for people suffering with cystic Fibrosis in Ghana. You spend much of your time traveling around with your girls and grandchildren. What’s next. Surely there is nothing else to do.

Rina: Hahaha, there is always something to do Steven. I know you know that. I know that you have an awareness of our connection to source. The simple fact is that where there is life, where there is spirit there is source and where there is source there is the constant flow. I will continue to flow and be in service in some way while here and beyond.

Steven: We have a tradition on this podcast as I’m sure you’re aware that the previous guest leaves a question for the next guest but they have no idea who its going to be for. Your question is “If you could go back in time and change one event in your life or in world history, what would you change and why?”

Rina: That’s a great question to make one ponder life and events and the trajectory of outcomes but you of course know that there is only really one answer that I can give…I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything happens as it should. Always.

Steven: Rina, it has been my pleasure speaking with you tonight. What I really appreciate from you is that your being in your presence brings a calm, sitting with you brings peace, a feeling that all is well with the world. I get this optimism from your work.

I hope that as people read your works both now and in the years to come they get that same feeling, that same sense of connection to truth, joy, love and freedom that you have so freely given us here tonight. Thank you.

Rina: Thank you Steven.

[Outro Music Fades In]
[End of Episode]