Warrior Princess: My Quest to Become the First Female Maasai Warrior

Only the combination of cultural curiosity, passion, fearlessness and a set of Jewish parents breathing fire down her neck could lead a sane human being to buy a one-way ticket to Nairobi and face probable death in an effort to become the world’s first female Maasai warrior.

Warrior Princess is the funny and inspirational memoir of Mindy Budgor, a young entrepreneur tired of having a job to have a job, who decides to make changes in her life. While waiting for her Business School applications to go through, she decides to volunteer in Africa, building schools and hospitals in the Maasai Mara. While living and working with the Maasai, Mindy talks to the chief and asks him why there are no women warriors. The chief responds simply and derisively: because women are not strong enough or brave enough. Mindy immediately realizes her calling and thus begins her amazing adventure to become the first female Maasai warrior. As a result of this training and advocacy, the Maasai in Loita, Kenya are leading the charge to change tribal law to allow women to become Maasai warriors. Mindy as a tribe member is ready to return to stand with her fellow warriors against whatever opposition they might face – be it lions, or elephants, or Western influence.

Only the combination of cultural curiosity, passion, fearlessness and a set of Jewish parents breathing fire down her neck could lead a sane human being to buy a one-way ticket to Nairobi and face probable death in an effort to become the world’s first female Maasai warrior. Mindy Budgor embodies that combination.
In her junior year at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Mindy started her first business, CollegeButler, a concierge service for undergrads. She sold the company several years later and worked at a small sports marketing agency. She also managed early-stage investments for the agency’s CEO. In 2009, after leaving her marketing job, Mindy’s career was at a standstill. Unsure what she wanted to do next, she simultaneously applied to business school and bought a multi-stop plane ticket to Bangladesh and Kenya to explore her interests in social enterprises in developing countries.
After completing a two-month microfinance internship in Dhaka, Mindy traveled to Kenya. While volunteering to build a clinic in the Maasai Mara, she met several members of the Maasai, a semi-nomadic tribe, which led to the journey detailed in Warrior Princess.
Mindy hopes Warrior Princess will bring attention to her tribe and empower readers to slap complacency in the face and take the reins in their own lives.