Our Story
We help people live well inside and out. With a focus on thoughtful design and storytelling, our tools and experiences empower you to gain clarity, self-awareness, and personal growth. We are honored to be part of your journey.
Meet Yelka: Our Founder
Before Kume House was born, our founder, Yelka, was a young girl growing up in New York City, listening to her baba (father) speak about the power of stories. He often reminded her of their Finah heritage, a lineage of storytellers, poets, and historians from Sierra Leone entrusted with preserving culture and carrying the truth of their people. To him, storytelling wasn’t just art; it was responsibility, connection, and a way of life.
Years later, when Yelka began therapy and started telling her own story, she finally understood what her baba had been trying to teach her. In giving language to her experiences—the questions, the uncertainty, the moments of both pain and joy—she discovered something profound: that stories could be tools for healing. Through reflection, people could find clarity, and through self-awareness, they could begin to live more fully, both inside and out.
Kume House grew out of that realization. It is where our founder continues her family’s legacy in a modern form—through thoughtfully designed tools and experiences that invite people to pause, reflect, and reconnect with themselves. Each journal, workshop, and gathering is an invitation to explore the inner world, to make sense of life’s chapters, to transform old narratives, and to create new meanings.
At its heart, Kume House is a home for that exploration—a reminder that we are all storytellers, capable of evolving, healing, and creating lives of depth and meaning.
“KUME”
The Meaning Behind the Name
In the Mande language from West Africa, the word “kume” holds multiple meanings. One meaning is “conversation.”
Our tools and experiences are your “kume” — they represent your conversation with yourself and your unique story.
Five Star Rating on Apple Podcasts
Wow, cool little podcast
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“I had to actually pullover to a park bench so that I could fully enjoy the chat; almost wanted the chime in. It felt like an actual conversation, not just an interview; very 'fly-on-the-wall' feeling. Definitely looking forward to some more interesting conversations.”
—jacjac73
Refreshingly Vulnerable
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“I love that this is storytelling without a prescriptive point of view. Storytelling without trying to a point to a specific lesson for listeners to learn, rather it seems the point is to share and be vulnerable which is perhaps more important and impactful.”
—Cherelle_
Emotionally freeing and honest
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
“Yelka has done a fascinating job navigating the diverse stories of such a diverse set of people who are featured in each episode. I find the most enjoyable part of each episode is figuring out where each persons journey is going to take the conversation — and while yes the conversations are centered around turning points, we instead discover so many other interesting details of the trials and traumas we all face as everyday people. Kume to me is about relating and empathizing and when I come to listen, I feel just that.”
—QueenBri35
