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Leadership, Innovation & Building a Limitless Life
26 Plays7 days ago
How do you build a meaningful life while leading with purpose? What does it take to navigate uncertainty, reinvent yourself, and create lasting impact?
In this inspiring episode of The Entrepreneur Speaks Podcast, host Kofi Anyemedu sits down with leadership strategists Dr. Esther Zeledon and Dr. Paul Rivera for a powerful conversation on entrepreneurship, leadership, mindset, resilience, and personal transformation.
Dr. Esther Zeledon is an executive coach, founder of Be.Act.Change and YourPitch, former diplomat, scientist, bestselling author of Creating Your Limitless Life on Your Terms, and TEDx speaker. Dr. Paul Rivera is a strategic planner, international economist, leadership coach, and expert in organizational transformation and inclusive leadership.
Together, they share practical insights on:
✅ Leadership during uncertainty
✅ Entrepreneurship and purpose-driven impact
✅ Building a limitless life on your own terms
✅ Mindset shifts for high performers
✅ Reinvention and personal growth
✅ Finding your voice and building your legacy
✅ Strategic leadership and organizational alignment
✅ The future of leadership in a changing world
Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, business owner, development professional, or aspiring leader, this conversation will challenge you to think differently about success, purpose, and the legacy you are creating.
🎙️ Subscribe to The Entrepreneur Speaks Podcast for inspiring conversations with entrepreneurs, innovators, business leaders, and changemakers from around the world.
👍 If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to Like, Comment, Share, and Subscribe.
#Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Mindset #Purpose #ExecutiveCoaching #BusinessStrategy #PersonalGrowth #Legacy #Podcast #TheEntrepreneurSpeaks #KofiAnyemedu #DrEstherZeledon #DrPaulRivera
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Entrepreneurs Fix' and Guests
00:00:06
Speaker
Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of the Entrepreneurs Fix Podcast. The podcast where we uncover the journeys, lessons, challenges and breakthroughs of entrepreneurs, leaders, innovators and change makers from around the world. Today's conversation is one I'm excited about because I have the privilege of hosting two remarkable individuals and I can confidently describe them as a true power couple in the world of leadership, strategy and impact. I first met them during a season of uncertainty and transition in my own journey, and our conversations left a lasting impression on me.
Key Questions on Impact and Leadership
00:00:42
Speaker
But perhaps that story is for another day. What does it truly take to build impact, grow revenue, lead with purpose, and remain resilient? In a rapidly changing world, how do leaders move from complexity to ambiguity into clarity, alignment, and action? Today we explore these questions and more in this conversation.
Guests' Backgrounds and Gratitude
00:01:02
Speaker
Joining me is Dr Esther Zelidon.
00:01:05
Speaker
She's a strategist, scientist, former diplomat, executive coach, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and founder of BeXchange and YourPitch. That should tell you, she's a lady of many parts. Alongside her is Dr. Paul Rivera. He's also a strategic planner, an expert facilitator, national economist, and leadership coach known for guiding organizations through complex environments towards purpose-driven and sustainable impacts. Dr. and
00:01:37
Speaker
Dr. Paul, welcome to Entrepreneurs Fix. It's an absolute pleasure to have you both on the show. Thank you so much. We're so honored to be here with you. This is, as you said, we we met at a time when things were tough. And it's nice to be able to come here and and talk about things that are so meaningful to us and so impactful to us and and to really try to share some of that with your audience. So we're we're grateful and we're honored. All right.
00:02:00
Speaker
so so So let's go on with our conversation today.
Esther's Childhood and Life Lessons
00:02:03
Speaker
So before the titles and the achievements and the global experience, who were you growing up? or What experiences shaped who you are today? I'll start because if not, I'll take over the whole podcast. Oh, man.
00:02:13
Speaker
No, no, no, no. I think we should do it ladies first. So we'll start with you, Esther. Okay. You guys all ask for it. So many things shape my path. So, I mean, I have a book, Creating Your Living Less Life, where I talk a lot about everything that happened to me. But I'm going to share, um because there's so many stories, but I think I'm going to share two. They're the most instrumental. Okay. Because they kind of go on top of each other and shape everything I do now.
00:02:41
Speaker
The first one is... When I was two years old, you know, I almost died. I was given three weeks to live. And my dad was unwilling to accept that as like the faith, right? Fate of like my life.
00:02:53
Speaker
And so he played the lottery with my aunt in Nicaragua and they won. And with that, they saved my life. And ah they used all the money to save me. And he never, ever, like they never threw in my face that that all the money was used to save me. I just knew that that was the story. And like, um and I knew that that was the sacrifice they made and Now, that was pivotal because it taught me about never giving up and like having this higher belief, like you can whatever you believe in, in the universe and things working out and challenges and in crises. So that's one piece.
00:03:26
Speaker
But then the second story is when I was 10, my dad was studying for his doctorate. Right. So we we left the war where we were refugees in the United States. You know, everything was going really bad in Nicaragua. We left the war and everything.
00:03:40
Speaker
And he went to study. That was a way that we got, we were able to get there. And when he was there, he was deep in his studies. He had only one year left. And they told him, we don't have any more funding for you. So he lost his PhD funding. My mom at that time was seven months pregnant with my brother.
00:03:56
Speaker
And, you know, he had... He had a fourth child on his way. It was the middle of the school year. He had no idea this was going to happen, my family. And so he's like, OK, he's like, well, I have to go back to Nicaragua. going to go work for three years. They were doing the reconstruction of the country. And we had to then, my mom sent my sister and i by ourselves cross country. And I remember us being like, OK, we've never flown. We don't know other than immigrating overseas. And my sister and I, was the first it was one of the it was the first time we knew that this was going to be the rest of our lives, learning how to navigate things on our own. And um we get to Miami. My mom lost her health insurance. She almost died giving birth. And then it started our struggle. Like from then on, we struggled financially. We struggled in every reach possible way. Now that experience, though, taught me like my dad was brilliant. Like he had a PhD. He was like, you know, he had worked in government and the whole thing. And in that moment...
00:04:50
Speaker
He actually worked for USAID. Yeah. he actually Yes. Yes. OK. He was actually local staff. Yeah. And so I'm actually I was the legacy from USAID. And then but he couldn't in that moment articulate his value or articulate or advocate why he should keep his funding.
00:05:07
Speaker
He didn't even know that was an option. He just took. He was like, oh, I lost my funding. I need to go find another way to survive. And that's when I realized if you don't know how to communicate your value, your value proposition and advocate, it can make or break you.
00:05:21
Speaker
And so from there, those two experiences shaped my entire life because then I realized, one, I had to change the fate of my dad because he changed my fate. And then so I became the high achiever, people pleaser. I'm going to fix it for my family type person. And the other thing was knowing your values. So while while this goes full circle. So then I started helping everyone after that from when I was like 10.
00:05:45
Speaker
ten So, what you know, like I was then 12 and tutoring the kids that were 10 years old. And whether you are trying to get into a better school or a scholarship to a school or pay your tuition or, you know, get into a job or find anything. I was always helping everybody along the way figure out how to get it, how to pitch themselves, how to advocate for themselves,
Paul's Cultural Background and Personal Growth
00:06:05
Speaker
everything. And so when people ask me now, how long have you been doing pitch practice and value proposition? like like, my entire life.
00:06:11
Speaker
That's right. So. Yeah, I was like, that's it. I got to help everyone with that. And then so when i um I was able to get into a good college, Swarthmore College, through got a scholarship, the whole thing, I got into the same Ph.D. school as him, Berkeley. And the minute I got there, I pitched for my dad. I got him re-enrolled, even though he had been trying for 10 years. He couldn't do it. I got him re-enrolled that first week. i then well Then I got his whole committee, did the whole process, and we graduated together. And that was the full circle. Yeah. And then since then, that's what I've helped people do, right? Whether it was in academia, whether it was with USAID, whether it was now with Biac Change, I help people understand what they bring to the world, what's their value proposition, and not just understand it, but then communicate and position it and advocate with it so that we can then navigate the systems we need to navigate and propel and, and you know, thrive. And so that's why I was like, only going to share two stories.
00:07:12
Speaker
Those are the few big ones that shaped my life. Okay, that's very good. As we converse, we'll try and break a number of things you said down so that we would all appreciate it. Our audience would also appreciate it. Now, let's hear from you, Dr. Po. Man, so my story is different, even though we have a lot of parallels, you know. I...
00:07:33
Speaker
You know, and I grew up in a very interesting family. So I was born in the United States, but my I am the child of immigrants. Right. And so I grew up in a very immigrant feeling kind of ah a scenario. Right. But I grew up really with my parents and my grandparents. Right. who were very, very different people. my My parents, well, how do I say? My grandparents were the hub of community. Everyone loved my grandparents.
00:07:58
Speaker
They created their own community. they They accepted everyone. They loved everyone. And my parents are very different. My parents, they're so much more focused on safety and security and having money. And it's it's been very, it was very fascinating growing up with them because they the The idea of money itself was very important. And it was also very important not to spend the money and not to talk about money. Money is taboo, but yet everything is about money. Right. Whereas my grandfather, I mean, my grandfather was the guy who if he saw somebody who needed a shirt, he would take the shirt that he was wearing and give it to that person. Right. So for him, anything that you had was about how can you bring joy to the world through that thing? And and so I grew up.
00:08:42
Speaker
in the middle of that, you know? and so... On top of that, you grew up with multiple languages. I don't know if they know that. No. Yeah. So, you know, i grew up in the United States or English, but i mean, I only spoke English at school. So at home, everything was Spanish. And my grandparents and my mom are from the south of Mexico where they speak Spanish, but they're also a very heavily Mayan speaking indigenous communities. We we heard all of that on a regular basis. So was a really, really rich cultural cultural way to grow up. But it was interesting because... One of the the things that have shaped me have been at the intersection of those two things. So a lot of push and pull. Right. And to the point where I i realized where my values are and my values were on the, you know, give love to everyone and be who you are. You know, the the part about authenticity is really, really heavy in my story because I grew up in that very working class situation. kind of a blue collar, work with your hands kind of a thing. And there was an expectation of what is a man and how does a man behave and things along those lines.
00:09:46
Speaker
And the truth is that, you know, I'm married, I have children, man. i'm a man but I also I love babies and I love to cook and, you know, and I and and I love art and all of these things. Right. So there are times where I was faced with either expressing myself authentically or feeling cut off or disconnected from those who were supposed to be my circle. Well, also, Paul, when I met Paul, he hadn't danced.
00:10:15
Speaker
Since he was five years old because of the situation where they emasculated, right? It was all about like toxic masculinity and being like,
00:10:27
Speaker
Yeah. Boys don't dance. you know, yeah, a lot of that. Yeah.
Power and Role of Community
00:10:31
Speaker
yeah And to this day, I remain a terrible dancer, but I'm much i'm much more willing to try it. Yeah, it's good to try. i always say I always say there's no formula when it comes to dancing.
00:10:42
Speaker
You move to the sound of music. Yes, correct. I tell everyone, my dad says that the way that we dance is that if you've ever gone to the circus and you've seen, if you've ever seen the bear riding the bicycle, that's how I dance. No, he's a good dancer.
00:11:00
Speaker
so So, you know, anyway, it's it's it's been an interesting journey. A lot of like, I think if we had to summarize your childhood, was a lot around your parents were a lot around fear and scarcity. Yeah. Right. Yeah. OK. Yeah. No, that's it. That's it. You know, and then and I mean, and the the the circle, the full circle of that is that on on one side, it's a little bit unfortunate because I'm not that close to my family. We realize that I don't share I don't share the same values as as my parents. Right. And that's that's it's a little bit sad because they're the ones I think who you you expect are going to be your biggest champions, your biggest supporters and in their own way they are. But it's not in the ways that that are valuable and and matter to me. Right. So um and at the same time, I realize that I am so much happier, calmer, less anxious because I've chosen to to live my life in a way that is aligned with me. Right. And, you know, that's that's that's sort of the full circle.
00:11:56
Speaker
and All right. so So you talked about something. One key thing stood out. The value of community. um So I want us to talk about community and its importance. I just discussing this with a friend just yesterday. did The fact that We should always think about communal living. There's power in living in a community and and and accepting community. lot of people are very comfortable with living in silos and they think everything can be achieved ah on their own.
00:12:24
Speaker
what How do you, the two of you, how do you see community? How valuable is community? I think that's for you. You want to take that? Well, I think Paul's story with his grandparents, right, they taught him the value of community. I mean, I think when Paul talks about his grandparents to me, I didn't get i only met his grandpa. And he died in community, actually. We went to see him in Mexico. And he was until the end of his life in his 90s, right? Yeah.
00:12:52
Speaker
surrounded by people. Like we went to the house and it was full of people and full of life. and yeah And because he valued community and all the way till the end, you know, through generosity, through community, through love, he was surrounded with love.
00:13:07
Speaker
And I think that was one of the nice things because he was exactly who Paul had always told me he was. Right. That is this grandpa, this the house was so vibrant. But I think for us, um I'm yeah like, it's a big part of my life. Again, my my parents, because of the the whole immigrant leaving war experience, when you leave a war, a war um driven country, that I think one of the side effects it was like part of my dissertation.
00:13:33
Speaker
that It leads to people not trusting each other and people being like, ah whose side are you? And don't trust your neighbor, which, you know, political party and and that division. Nicaragua has that history. It creates that sensation in that community.
00:13:51
Speaker
community And it was one of the things like growing up that I was like, man, this is so like this, this, this needs to be different. And I remember doing my dissertation, Nicaragua were ex-combatants from different groups. They were starting to come together in community. So community means for us like belonging, people coming together, people cheering you on, on your aspirations, people supporting you the way you want to be supported, i'm lifting you up.
00:14:18
Speaker
showing that love and belonging and that space and and just sharing, right? Sharing life and things like that. One of the things that I think is really important, i I love words and I love the origin of words, right? So community, word community means to come together as one, right? And oftentimes we think that...
00:14:35
Speaker
community has to be a certain kind of person or a certain group of people. And I think that's one of the biggest mistakes we make, right? Your community can be anywhere. Your community can be anyone.
00:14:47
Speaker
And it's and what's what I think people need to focus on is that common commonality of values, that commonality of purpose. And that's something that transcends language and gender and country and all of that. So the bigger I spend a lot of time when we when we talk about things, talking about what economists call big universe and small universe.
00:15:08
Speaker
And I think that so often our troubles, our problems, our anxieties are because we're focused on small universe thinking. The more you can expand to big universe thinking, you start to see possibilities that you never thought about. You start to see opportunities that that you would have been blind to otherwise. And community is a big piece of that. We've seen it. Our our community has turned out to be people that had we been more closed off, we would never have reached out. We would never have seen, you know, the fact that we're we're speaking to you, you know, on the other side of the world today. That's a big piece of of how it is that we build our community. Yeah. And that's the thing in this world now, it doesn't necessarily mean it has to be people in your necessary vicinity. I think for Paul and I, our community is worldwide and we love that. You know, we have community all the way in the Maldives to Dubai, to Guatemala, to here in the, you know, we're in the Dominican Republic right now, to the U.S., to different cities and cities.
00:16:08
Speaker
To Accra, Ghana.
00:16:12
Speaker
and everywhere and the u k and what matters more is do we have an alignment of the way we see the world and and values and helping and meaningful work right and like that is so beautiful and is so beautiful and actually we have on australia too and it's it's beautiful to see that intersection globally Also, your community, you can have different communities at different stages, right, in your life and for different things. Like, we have a community where we practice breathwork and wellness, but we also have a community that for support.
00:16:45
Speaker
And so, like, you know, there's this exercise you can do, which is like, you know, you can the roundtable or you can call your board of directors or whatever. But who are the people you need sitting at your table that are going to support you in different ways, right? There could be the person that's going to be giving you the hard truths, right? That's kind of like, maybe you shouldn't do that.
00:17:06
Speaker
That's me. There's a person that's the safe space that's going to be like, I'm here for you no matter what. That's Paul. There's going to be the person that's going to bounce a soundboard of ideas, right? I know my my friend Earl in the UK is like that. There's going to be the person that's going to cheer you on and be like, you got this and and lift you up. And there's going to be there's going to be a different, everybody has a different way of supporting you, right? And those can all form this table for you. So If your life's an auditorium, the per like um the people who sit on the first row are going to rotate depending on what you're going through. That doesn't mean that they leave the auditorium. Sometimes the first row people become now the third row people. But who's on the first row is who you need right now for the one stage in your life right now. And if you don't have... And that's the thing. That's the fallacy. We're taught that... um
00:17:57
Speaker
You see it all over the internet. Self-made. Do it alone. But that's not true. we We need everything. You need mentors. You need people, peers that support you. You need understudies that look up to you that that also cheering you on. All that is part of our success and well-being and and all of that. So I think I also want to just end with community also requires you to put intention and work into the community, right? So everyone's always something like, oh, I feel alone. I wish I had more community. Well, are you also going out there and helping other people? Are you also giving value to other people that that is reciprocal? Not not the takers, but the people who also give to you back. Are you also putting yourself out there? yeah Because it is.
00:18:44
Speaker
It's a two-way street and it requires you to give and you to receive, but that's what's beautiful. But it does require intentionality. as Paul was mentioning, his grandparents had people every day circling his house. That was intentional. That was not like they intentionally created community.
00:19:02
Speaker
Okay. So I met to you last year during a period of uncertainty, not just for me, but for a group of people. And I know the critical role you played working with a lot of people. How was that experience like working with different people during such a period? You know, that was a really heavy time because so for context, I'm not sure if the listeners know what happened last year.
00:19:25
Speaker
Last year, USAID, rest in peace, died. Right. So it was, you know, this it was um how it's what's the right word? Disassembled. I don't know. it was taken apart. Destroyed. Destroyed. Dismantled. Destroyed. Dismantled. There we go. So last January. all But it wasn't just USAID. So I want to give this story because it wasn't just USAID. So USAID was one part of it.
00:19:47
Speaker
But there was a lot of things dismantled. Grant programs, programs for minorities, program for refugees, um everything diversity, equity and inclusion. A lot of science was defunded. Health science, environmental science. um It was a lot. It was a whole system. So USAID was one part of the system because, you know, it had the humanitarian arm. But everything that had to do with supporting people of color, minorities, things that would be advancing science, people, things that would be, as we would define, meaningful work. dismantled So even though we had left USAID five years prior, we were also
Career Transitions and Storytelling
00:20:25
Speaker
deeply affected because all of our work, even though we had corporate, government, government,
00:20:32
Speaker
We had universities, universities everything. And even but big because we're two minorities working on inclusion and belonging and everything like that, we got everything cut, too. We got 90 percent of our stuff cut. That we had spent six months doing. and And more than that, this is where I think the community conversation comes in. Our whole network was dismantled. You're talking about 30 years of establishing a network or 20 years, right, of all these professionals doing. And all of a sudden, that network and that stability, that, that you know, that thing that we we had worked so hard to create a name for ourselves, dismantled.
00:21:07
Speaker
So we had gone through that as well. and ah We were sitting, I remember, this is how it connects to last year, because we were sitting there saying, but we have two options here. We either give and we say they win.
00:21:21
Speaker
And Paul and I try to get a job and like doing, I can do environmental, social safeguards for a company. can go do economics for a company. Or do we rise up to what's happening?
00:21:32
Speaker
And we decided to rise up. So we went on news. We were on CNN, on Reuters, and we were like, you know, trying to bring awareness. But I mean, you're on this podcast. I think one of the biggest lessons I think of last year is that we didn't spend enough time educating the entire public on what all the great work we were all doing and all these and and In an interesting way, in an interesting and tragic way, it's actually a very parallel story story to your dad. Yes. Like there was all of this wonderful benefit that was being provided. yeah And on multiple levels worldwide. and And I don't I don't mean just that one agency, just in general. And then because always ways those.
00:22:13
Speaker
pieces had had been so poor about making their value known. When it came time for cuts, they were the first ones. Yeah, we we would make our value known to just the funders, but not to the public. And so we were we were trying to help the public understand why this was happening, why this was, we need to try to fight it, right? When we saw that that was, you know, it was great awareness, but it was still going to happen. We're like, what can we do? Well,
00:22:37
Speaker
We're like, we can help people transition because we had transitioned, right? This is again helping the person in the chapter behind you. We're like, we know that there are opportunities outside. We know how to translate the value outside of that agency to the rest of the world. And we also knew from understanding the new like how AI readers work with your stuff, how that worked. on the It just happened to be coincidence. I believe in synchronicity. I don't think it was coincidence. I think over the years we had been learning stuff that we knew would go help people during this time. And I didn't know why. We were like, why are we helping these AI software people help them, like, I guess, create less bias. And then when that moment we're like, wow, it all came together. And so during that moment, we had the opportunity to help a lot of different countries. Actually, we traveled to 15 countries and helping two things. One is process the grief because you're losing an identity that you have been tied on, right? And there's a lot of grief in that. Grief of losing your network, your identity, feeling everything being stripped away from you. It's um it's being like a refugee again, right? And and so it's like one part is that, like the part of... You're now a refugee in the career world. And then the second part is, okay, now that I'm in this status and in this place, how do I position my value and communicate that so I can continue doing the good work? Because now to tie to your question, how was that experience? It was so heavy because everywhere we went, there was so much grief.
00:24:04
Speaker
And the way it was handled was so inhuman. Inhumane, I think that's the word, sorry. It was like people's insurance was being cut one moment to the next. People were giving different dates. People were not treated like humans. And when it's so inhumane like that, the amount of grief, the amount of we all loved our work. We all put our hearts and souls and everyone put more hours than they were paid. And then to have that that suffering, that inhumanity. So that part was really heavy. go ahead. No, I was I was going to say what's what's really interesting, though, is and that that that was an encapsulation. Right. It was a very intense and extreme kind of a situation.
00:24:45
Speaker
But it's it's an example of something that that we see entrepreneurs struggle with. An example that we see um so um people in social enterprise and nonprofits and even and and certainly in in even in the business and corporate world that that that.
00:25:01
Speaker
idea of your your image and your concept of self and your and of value and self-worth is so tied to to your your position, your title and that sort of thing. I mean, I think that's one of the reasons why i really like i really like how you started this podcast of tell me about you before all of this, right? yeah In the end, we've always been people who are looking for community, looking for ways to find people, looking for ways to help people, you know, and and basically trying to make the world a better place. That's who we've always been. That's what we've always done. That's what we're what what we're always going to do, regardless of our education and who we're, you know, where we're working and all of that. And a big piece of our work is helping everybody see that that's true for for you too, right? Anybody out there listening, that's true for you too, so you know? Exactly. and And everyone in the experience are people who give back, are people who do meaningful work.
00:25:49
Speaker
and And it's just helped. I think in the experience was it was it was heavy because we were carrying that grief for a lot of people. I actually went gray last year for that. But at the same time, holding that, and we would have to like breathe after. But at the same time, it was so beautiful to see people reclaim their power again. yeah and I think that was the most beautiful part last year was moving people from the grief to reclaiming their power. Because they would grieve it and then remember like through because because the way we do it, we don't do traditional things where where we weren't going, give me your resume and let me write it over. I was like, I'm not we're not doing that. where We need to first hear you and understand your values, understand your alignment. Then we're going to unpack all of your stories and your impact from your lens.
00:26:35
Speaker
Right. And then from there, create you the resume LinkedIn, because it's from your authentic power, your authentic perspective, your impact that you're already having and how it translates to any sphere.
Maintaining Community and New Technologies
00:26:48
Speaker
and So that's why it would take so long. Right. But it weren't like like, you know, ah other companies where I know we're doing like, oh, let me just edit your thing. I'm like, how is that serving The person, the person needs to understand. They'll apply, but they haven't gone through the, the I have power, i have impact, I have value. Those sessions were so ah special, right? Because then people would, you know, I always say people released, you know, if you cried, if you sighed, if you realize realized, oh my God, I have this thing. And I would tell everybody, even if you don't ever use that resume, it doesn't matter. You have a legacy document. Now you have something that it's your storyboard. This is your life. And now you can go in there and be like, I'm going to continue to do this meaningful work. Because every every workshop we started, everyone would be like, help me translate this to corporate and I'm going to do something totally different. And I would be like, wait. Let's go through the process and let's see if maybe if that's aligned with your values, maybe. But let's let's let's first unpack and then see how you feel at the end. And nine out of ten times was they were going to do the same impact, just in a different space.
00:27:50
Speaker
But they needed to go through the process of other spaces existed, that other people would value what they brought, you know, to this space in other places. And... think it was beautiful. And it was beautiful doing it across the world because guess what? We all shared that experience together. It didn't matter like what language and what a country.
00:28:08
Speaker
it was beautiful to see that all of us, I mean, sad, tragic, but also beautiful for all of us to come together together. under this and help one another. And I think that's what's been beautiful, too, because there would be people who I would see that had similar things and that would connect them and be like, oh, you can help.
00:28:26
Speaker
Even just them just last week when someone messaged and we're like, they're like, i'm ah I got an interview for this. I'm like, oh, I know from the coaching, two other people landed there. So contact them and they're going to help you. And then and they helped them. So we're still in community, even if that organization has been dismantled. um It's remembering that we are all still together. and i And I know that all of us are continuing to do this this great stuff and in the space we have. it But it was a lot. Exactly. So that that's why we're building. I think you mentioned our our introduction. That's why we have your pitch, because we did 30. We did give extra hours pro bono. Then we we were paid for certain amount, but we surpassed that by a lot and gave pro bono. And it was a lot of people who whose job didn't pay for the services that we gave for free.
00:29:12
Speaker
But then it got to the point in November that we couldn't. There was not enough hours the day to do any more pro bono. um And I remember sitting there going, Paul, we need to... The demand is still there. The demand is still there even there today. And so, like, how do we create... How do we help the people that you can't do one-on-one? And that's where why we're creating this... It's more than an app because the app sounds like a tool. You know what i mean? App sounds like a tool. AI sounds like a tool. It's actually just using technology in a way that's going to feel human, that does what we do.
00:29:42
Speaker
But through a technology that's trained like us, that is the people who can't have that one-on-one, will be able to do it through WhatsApp and through a way that feels human, that allows them to process the grief, understand their power, understand their value proposition so that all of us can continue thriving. And in particular, in any moments where you have to have what you call a high stakes conversation, right? Because it can happen to you any second. and You can be on the bus. You can be in an elevator, right? Like you can be anywhere and you have to be able to know what's my blueprint, what's my value proposition and use it at any time. So even the people who had the coaching, this will allow them like
00:30:21
Speaker
remind them always, especially in challenging times, who they are and the power they've always had. Because we're always going to be going through challenges, right? and And we don't know what the future holds and the future's changing. And so we need to have something that's constantly helping us and reminding us of
Closing Thoughts on Growth and Legacy
00:30:36
Speaker
that. And I think that was the main takeaway of last year. We all have power. Things can change at any moment. And so it's even more important than ever to know what we bring to the table so that and so that we're always confident at any moment that even if someone takes away everything from us, how we perceive that, they haven't because they haven't taken away our essence and we can continue making a difference.
00:30:56
Speaker
So let's talk about two important things you work on. And I think you've talked about your pitch, but let's look at B-Act-Change. So you have B-Act-Change and your pitch. What inspired you to work on these two things? Keir Paul, I'll let you go first. You're the president of the company. So a couple of things, you know, when I when we left, it wasn't leaving from a place. If you read my if you read my book, I have a book, Creating Your Limitless Life with Chasing the American Dream Crossed Out. One of the first exercises I have in that book is doing a visioning obituary. And I know it sounds really dark, but the truth is that it allows you to understand, like, what's your impact today?
00:31:39
Speaker
right, what's the impact I've had in the world today? But then it allows you to rewrite it and think about what's the impact I want to have in the future. And I think for me, it was one of the reasons why we exited and we started Biak Change was because when I did that exercise, I realized that that's Yeah.
00:32:02
Speaker
i needed to be part of that movement to change that and that meant that i had to stretch myself into something completely unknown i don't come from a family of entrepreneurs they think it's crazy they thought it was crazy when i was leaving my position They still do. They still They still do. Yeah. And they were like, what are you doing? You have an amazing position. But I knew it. Like I intuitively knew. And honestly, I think it's all synchronicity. I'm very spiritual. I think I was meant to leave when I left to then help the people I helped last year. And and I think I think it all happened exactly how it was supposed to happen. But I knew that. i Go ahead. and No, no, go ahead. Go ahead. OK. i don't want I don't want to derail you. go, go, go. No, I was, I think one of the the really important lessons that, that we have learned and one of, and I say this because I know that you're, I know that this show is, is aimed at entrepreneurs, right? One of the things that we have learned through this enterprise of ours is that you can make money.
00:33:04
Speaker
You can earn a living doing something that matters to you, that makes the world a better place. You know what I mean? That there, there's a lot of assumptions that are really incorrect about, you know, that in order to make money as an entrepreneur, I need to sacrifice my values. I need to be unethical. I have to be doing, you know, I don't like doing this, but this is how I make money. You know, the truth is that for us, our success has come with that alignment. The the deeper that we have gone into aligning to who we are and what we believe in and direct service and service. And directing our our work in that direction, that that's been the That's what's led to more flow of resources. Exactly. That's been the the crux of of success for us. and then Yeah. And it was fighting those beliefs, yeah right? Because everyone everyone even told us, too, like, oh, you can only make money by selling your soul. All these things, right? And and I'm like, I have to believe that you can make money doing good. one. And the second that I know that when I have more money, I give more money away and I give more resources away. So there has to be that flow. I know there has. And so I knew in the obituary that one, I wanted to be someone later in life, wanted to be part of this fear and scarcity movement, wanted to see more of a world of more social entrepreneurs,
00:34:24
Speaker
And then I also wanted to be a person that eventually, is still you know, this is part of my long vision, that I could be, we could be a foundation that later gives money to other, to two people, right?
00:34:37
Speaker
And that that have these dreams. And so that's what led us to then, we're like going to create BX Change. And at first, the name, everyone's like, change the name, it's too hard, no one's going to understand it, la la la la.
00:34:47
Speaker
And that's when you have to trust as an entrepreneur. I'm like, well, no one knows it now, but they will. They will know it. And I i wanted, because I love the the phrase by like Gandhi and everyone, the be the change. And the what I wanted to, why I added the act in there is because you have to do the actions and you have to take the steps. You got to take the risks. And so for me, that was always what was missing in the be the change. So that's when we added act. So you have to be...
00:35:14
Speaker
who you are, you have to live in alignment with your values, but you also have to take all the actions and the steps and the risks and the uncomfortable things. And you have to use your voice and you have to stand and you have to, you know, you have to, the one who brings community together, you have to take those steps and each step leads to your vision. And that's what then changes your world and then the world around you and the world in general, right? And so that's when the B-Act change came around. And the BAC change is what we do. That's exactly what we do, right? So we help people align with their values and alignment, take those steps, and those steps are going to differ, right? So we work, like last year, we worked with a lot with the career transition, but we also work a lot with social impact entrepreneurs. And even part of that last year was, do you want a career do you want to start a business? Because we have both paths, right?
00:36:03
Speaker
And the social impact on entrepreneurship, it still starts with the same values alignment piece, right? Everything starts with the same and the visioning. But then the steps, of course, are going to be a little different, right? One would be more resume career thing. This is going to be more your pitch deck, how you show your value proposition, your two-pager, creating a business that flows with your natural flow. Like not everyone is going to flow to we don't sell on Instagram. Right. That's not our flow. Other people do. They can do the lead magnet. But you've got to know how does your energy flow? How does your design, your human design? Right. That's very specific to you. And that's going to lead to the success of whatever you build. Right. And so so many of us are so into the noise. I got a copy with this person. Yeah. A lot of the work is going like, what's natural for your growth? And for us, ah what was natural for our growth was going into different communities. So even with the book, I remember that with the book tour, people give us all sorts of advice. And I remember we we did we do breath work. And I said, Paul and I were like, you know what? You know what's natural for us to speak to to students and to social impact entrepreneur entrepreneurs and to humanitarian spaces? And so we just started doing free talks at different places. And then that led to our book spreading and us doing talks at, you know, 200 people, 200 people, 200 people. And then that's how our book grew organically. But again, we trusted
00:37:32
Speaker
Right. our Our flow trusted that this was going to be our population and that it was going to be a lot of like international or refugee or first generation. And and then we a whole other population of medical doctors in the rural areas came about, which was not what we didn't we didn't know that that would be a population, but that ended up being a population. But it's like following that.
00:37:53
Speaker
Right. And so so BAC Change helps people understand who they are, their value proposition helps unpack that and then make it happen and keep it going. And that's how we summarize that. And then your pitch is just the technology side of it, right? it's like It's like how... it's it That's why it's called your pitch. It's like taking everything that we do and it's in your hands so that you have it, as Paul says, in the moments that matter. And those moments that matter can mean a visa interview. I'm talking about any moment that matters, right? An interview, fellowship, a pitch. But you need to know, right? you know If you have a moment like my dad... that can change your life in one instance. We want people to have that tool. And and I think that tool, it didn't come till now but because we needed to understand what worked.
00:38:39
Speaker
And I think that's what entrepreneurs sometimes try to rush the process. And we needed to work with 5,000 people. To understand what is it that people need? What is it that works and resonates?
00:38:52
Speaker
What is it that, you know, you have to test and trial, right? And in the beginning, yeah, it was more coaching, more consulting. You learn what feels good, what doesn't feel good. We've taken clients that not always have felt good because it wasn't fully value aligned. You learn how to read and trust your intuition. And I think until now, we're like, I always thought about the technology piece, but we wanted to wait until we knew the piece that would really move the needle. And I think in this last year is what's really taught us this is what will move it. And this is where we are now.
00:39:22
Speaker
don't know, you want add anything? and we're Okay, so we'll later talk about your book, but I want us to look at this. Let's talk about mindset and the importance of having the right mindset. Because it's something that keeps coming. I've talked to so many entrepreneurs from so many countries, from so many sectors, from so many fields.
00:39:42
Speaker
And at every conversation, the issue of mindset comes up. How important is mindset? You want me to take Well, i and you're going to take it in a different direction than I am. So but i want to I want to say one thing. So one one of the, I don't know if it's mindset directly, but it's part of the mindset. One of the things that so we we have the the opportunity to work with a lot of, as Esther said, social entrepreneurs through different accelerator programs and things like that. One of the biggest things that we see is that all entrepreneurs don't believe that their story matters. that and And your story is why you're doing this business, right? It's more than your technical capacity. It's even more than the product, right? When you're out there and you're pitching for venture capital, one of the things that we know for a fact is that venture capitalists invest more in the person than in the product itself, right? So so your ability to understand your story, relate your story, and to use that
00:40:39
Speaker
as the motivation of why you're doing this business is absolutely essential because that's what that's what lets investors know that this is going to work because this means something to you. Right. And so so and a big part of the mindset for me is the mindset that your story matters, right? Where this is coming from matters. Right. So I'll let you go from there. Yeah, I think and i and for you're absolutely correct. And I like to do I like to make everything practical, right? Because it's mindset could feel abstract. And like, you know, we hear a lot of words like emotional intelligence, mindset. And you hear, you know, you I even attend I'm part of like this group called School of Mentors where you have like billionaire millionaires, you know, every week.
00:41:25
Speaker
And they talk about 90% is mindset. um But let's let's do it practical terms, okay? What does that mean? If 90% is that, and 10% is still the action, so i do wanna say that, 10% is still the action. But what does that mean is that, ah are you able to be vulnerable? Have you dealt with your shadows?
00:41:43
Speaker
So when we talk about mindset, like how do you create a mindset is, have you dealt with your stuff? Okay, what does that mean? Okay, there are, If you haven't dealt with the things that are holding you back or that you're struggling with or certain childhood things, that is going to show up in your business. So when people talk about having a good mindset is that you've done that work. OK, so what does that mean? For example, why do people struggle with telling their story? Well, they're scared they're going to hurt someone. They're scared that people are going to feel that their story not of one where they were homeless and this. So they're going to judge their story. They haven't taken the time to put those connections together of why it matters. I mean, I talk about this with my book, the how-to section of the book, like Paul and I wrote.
00:42:31
Speaker
It took us six weeks to write that. It was like, we knew it in the back of our mind. How do we sit with people to help them, like, get away from societal norms and do that? But it took 18 months to write the story.
00:42:42
Speaker
And I kept on deleting parts. I was scared to write about what happened in USAID. I was scared to write about what happened with my daughter. I was scared to write about my background because I talk about the money part, which Paul brought up in his story about not having money. And in my house, you don't talk, in our culture, you don't talk about not having money to strangers because then you're putting shame on the family. So what was I afraid of? Hurting my parents. So the mindset work I had to do was remembering that this was bigger than them. And I had to sit them down and I said, you're not going to like the first part of my book. I know you're not. But guess what? This isn't for you guys. It's not a reflection of me being ungrateful to my childhood. It's not to embarrass you. It's nothing like that. It's that it's going to help a lot of people because no one talks about this. And he was uncomfortable. So that mindset is like, what is keeping you from being vulnerable, from maybe sharing a story, from posting something, from we get a lot of pitches that talk about stories very general. They're like, imagine a world where blah, blah, or chronological. I suffered this. I suffered. no Oh, at 19, I had this at 25. And I'm like, I want you to tell me how you felt.
00:43:57
Speaker
that moment. And when that person struggles, they're like, I don't want to show emotion. Okay, that is the mindset thing you have to work on. Why are you uncomfortable? What makes you feel unsafe in your body when we're doing this, right? And so that is the work. Why are you uncomfortable? by this? you know and And also being confident.
00:44:16
Speaker
Like the the the story that I was sharing you with my dad, it doesn't matter. Like I meet now through this cool application board here. I have an investor meetings three times a week. I start with that story now.
00:44:28
Speaker
And I started with like, you want to know what I do? I have to tell you this in two minutes and then we can go into it. But then people understand it. And at first people will hesitate. Like that's the mindset shift I had that I'm like, you know what? I'm not wasting anyone's time by giving that two minute thing. I'm giving them context. But that's where that that the mindset is that confidence is that I've done the healing that I've dealt with the shadows of keeping me from posting or or sharing things or getting on the phone or talking about my work or not upsetting.
00:45:02
Speaker
I remember even sharing my USAID stories. I was really worried about upsetting my team or my colleagues, you know, And maybe you did upset them, but you have to be willing that mindset is this is bigger than them. Like, what is that service? What is that impact I want to have? So when we talk about mindset is that your mind is so you are a thousand percent in the service and the change you want to make in this world, that you are so certain that people need this beyond anything else, that the rest of it, the other consequences that could happen for
00:45:37
Speaker
along the way, which they can. So it's, you know that that's like the price, the short-term price to do this longer work. impact that you want to make and that you are thousand percent in. If you're not a thousand percent in, that's when that thing, that's why they say you have to have that in there. If not, it's not it's not going to move. I would I would add one thing to that. And and it's just it's really just to reemphasize your point. So a few years ago, when when when we were sort of just getting started, Esther had this this mentor and business coach who who all the time would say, how are you serving your audience? How are you serving your audience?
00:46:14
Speaker
And in the moment at that time, i think we didn't understand what that meant. Like it seemed it seemed like like it was being told to us as a way of this is how you make sales, right? That it was more like something superficial in a way. And, you know, I have taught in an MBA program before. And and you hear that all the time in in the MBA. How are you serving your audience? you you just serve the audience. And it and it took us a while to get to the point really really understanding that what we do is service. This is our superpower. And we do this to help
00:46:47
Speaker
people to understand that your purpose is to make things better, to empower people, to, you know, to somehow solve a problem that is holding people back somehow, you know. And and I think the more that you can internalize that what you are doing is solving a problem, that that mindset, I think, will help a lot as people move forward in an entrepreneurial journey. And even remembering, like when we were talking about the obituary exercise, right, I have people go even further, like it has to be detailed, right? So in that rewrite, what are the testimonials? What is that change that you're that you're creating, right? And I remember thinking about, wow, people who didn't know what their value was, like, um even me as a teenager, I was helping people, but I thought, oh, that's just what I do. I didn't realize that it was actually a superpower.
00:47:34
Speaker
Like people who didn't know that they had value, they know it now and are doing all these amazing good things in the world. Right. And I and I have I give them names in my head. Right. Like, you know, from like four years. So when you're like doing stuff, you're like, this is for Maria. This is for right. Yeah.
00:47:50
Speaker
You know, Sebastian, this is for this person because they're coming and they're going to hear it. And because of what I'm doing, they're going to go then that one change maker is you help them is going to go help 100 other people. And that's what moves us forward. That was like a way to say that's I was hoping to make it more practical for the listeners. Right. It's not just it's it's more than just.
00:48:15
Speaker
My mom a state of mind, it's actually like like yeah actively thinking about that impact and that service constantly and being a thousand percent in to that.
00:48:28
Speaker
Okay. So let's talk about your book. You mentioned it in your submission, but let's talk a lot more about your book. And I got mine last year. actually got it August 2025. So thank you.
00:48:40
Speaker
Thank you for for this, as well as the workbook. So there's also the workbook. Let's talk about the cover page. So you have here, Creating Your Limitless Life. And then you have Chasing the American Dream. Those are crossed out.
00:48:55
Speaker
First of all, why this title? Yes, I love that. Because it's totally intentional. Because the Chasing the American Dream is not just for the United States. It's a global thing.
00:49:09
Speaker
phenomenal, right? And I think like, you know, when we were traveling, we saw it worldwide. It's something we grew up with as, you know, you know i grew up as a refugee, Paul's an immigrant, and we saw it in different places. And we still see it, right, where people are trying to chase this American dream. Now, the problem with the American dream, and actually Paul explains this better, is that it's very limiting. What do I mean by that? Why is it limiting? Because it's saying it has very set metrics on what defines success.
00:49:37
Speaker
And it's also defining only specific values. It's saying if you have a house and if the house has a fence and if your kids go X school you or you have to have two kids, it has a very specific thing in the type of job you have, like a nine to five. And it's a it's an image of a person in midlife.
00:49:59
Speaker
that has this house that has a certain amount of money and has a picket fence. And the thing is growing up, I never wanted that. And that's i think that's why and I felt very odd about it because it was something that ah you know it was something growing up to be like, you need to go be a doctor and a lawyer.
00:50:17
Speaker
And it was like I was doing well in school or an engineer. but These are the three paths you can only take, Esther. And because you got to go by your house and you have to get married by your 25. And so it was like all these check marks. I remember talking to colleagues in in Ghana and apparently in Ghana, there's a fourth one. You have to be at doctor, a lawyer, engineer or a pilot that you could be a pilot to. And that was OK. Exactly. So you, that yeah that's what I'm saying. It's a worldwide phenomenon, right? It's like this checklist of things. And then every conversation you have at family, whether, you know, you go, if you're at a church or on a Sunday or, you know, your family gathering, whatever cultural thing you have, it's about
00:50:57
Speaker
How far are you on those check marks? And it's so limiting. You're not supporting the people how they need to be supported. You're not accounting for so many other dreams and possibilities. And honestly, I feel, because, you know, like, you know, I'm a brown person in this world. I feel that it's a very limiting and colonialism practice. Because for other people, like I'm telling you for the, I'm going to be very...
00:51:23
Speaker
you know when I'm just going to go and say it for like, you know, people who are wealthy and white, they they're not told these narratives. They're told that they are limitless, that they can explore so many paths that they can create and they can invent, that they can delay.
00:51:42
Speaker
Marriage, you know, their conversations are about connection, like, how can I connect you to an opportunity? How can I link you and support you? and And Paul and I saw that dichotomy, you know, as we started moving in different circles, the circles which actually connect you to people and expansion of ideas. And so my whole thing was I need to put that on the cover because we as a population and my, you know, like it's like I wanted it and my book is, you know, for like people who are like us, right? That I want them to be expansive. You can create your limitless life. There's so many more opportunities than other than those four things. You can invent. You can create. And when you actually bring it from your purpose, the sky is the limit. And I see it in my life. I decided not to do anything.
00:52:31
Speaker
against all odds and approval against appreciation. I went against those paths and I'm so glad I did because that opened possibilities, that opened this. And now that I've went against the paths, I see that there is a whole philosophy, the people that believe the one in the other, the limitless life that have these doors open. And so we need to bring that to the rest of the world. We need to all be in this mindset that there's so many different paths, that that path of American dream is here. Why not aim here? And why not make a difference at the same time?
00:53:04
Speaker
And, you know, why not also change the narrative that you can make money and make a difference? And that's okay. And you can. And the more money that we create as people who care about the world, the more money that's going to flow into other people who care about the world. And so it's I put it in your face in the cover to be controversial because i believe in that. And I've seen that the people we've helped change that. It's almost like we've given them permission. Then taking this and sort. Our best example is do you want to share that example of a talk we gave in New Orleans? Well, go ahead. I was going to say so say something. OK, I'm going to give you one story. In New Orleans, we were giving talk.
00:53:42
Speaker
a keynote on the book and on this, okay? The photographer there, she was the photographer. She's like taking pictures whatever. And then she comes after and she's like, can I have a book too? And was like, okay, we give her a book and everything. And then she reached out to us later and is like, I read the book and I did all the exercises. And she's like, and I realized I was I was limiting like I was doing like the American Dream box. And she's like, you know what I've always wanted to do was and she was like, like at the place at the photography, she was dressed very plain and like professional clothes, the whole thing. And then she realized I want to be a fashion model. And like a fashion model for good. Like she does runway shows that donate. And for Ukraine, all those things.
00:54:22
Speaker
She went and three months when went, changed her life, went to, created the modeling, started doing that. And then like in a year, started doing all those fashion shows. And now she's like boomed. And all, she just needed the permission. And, but it was crazy. She was just listening to our thing and the background. But she heard the message. and so that, that was exactly what we wanted to happen. And that's what happened. to Go ahead. Yeah.
00:54:47
Speaker
No, was going to say, it was interesting to hear you talk about it because... I think it's also my life. It it is your life. but So, I mean, I think one of the reasons why the chasing the American dream is crossed out in the book is because the concept. No, not the concept, because the American dream is a lie. The concept is beautiful. too The concept is beautiful because the concept of the American dream is that in a situation of equity, that you are free to create success,
00:55:17
Speaker
as you define it. That's what the American dream means, that in a situation of equity, you are free to create success as you define it through your work. Right. And so that's why people equate the American dream with bootstrapping.
00:55:32
Speaker
I built myself up at the America. America is a place where you can come with nothing and make something of yourself. But the truth is, one, that equity is a lie, right? When we come as immigrants, we're not given equity, right? We don't have the same resources. We're not we're not given the same opportunities. We're not seen the same, right? And and and i add that race, add that everything else is... All of that. we Like when we we speak a different language, we come, we speak a different language. We we look different and all of that and all of that matters. So equity is a lie, right? So that doesn't happen. We don't start on equal footing. And then the other piece is that what we have forgotten in the definition of the American dream is that it should be about success as you define it. But the truth is that in application, what has happened is exactly what Esther was explaining. It's about your salary, your education, your assets and are you married and do you have children?
00:56:27
Speaker
Basically, that's that's the encapsulation of the American dream. So when Esther was saying the American dream is about sort of mid range kind of success, that that may or may not be your definition of success at all. And so we we've worked with so many people who have achieved those metrics of the American dream and are just miserable. Because they work their whole life to get to this. And then they look around and they're like, man, this isn't what I wanted. No, I did it. I did it for validation, not for me. Exactly. Well, we always say if it happens to be that those are the criteria that is value aligned in yours. Amazing. Right. yeah Then that's great.
00:57:06
Speaker
But it it allows you to think beyond that. Yeah. Even beyond those metrics, even if it is true that you wanted them, there's a big there's still an impact and a legacy piece you want to leave. And and what is that for you? And and what does that look like?
00:57:18
Speaker
And how is it that you want to make people feel? It's very it's very based on these external and these these specific things rather than what you bring as a person. Man, all of that and just the cover And just the cover, That's just the cover.
00:57:31
Speaker
Oh, yes. That's just in the cover. So where where can where can people get copies of your book? Yeah, so it's on ah it's on Amazon. It's on Barnes & Noble. It's also on like...
00:57:43
Speaker
There's all these apps that you can download it on different library apps. But let's say you're in a country, which has happened to us, that does not that you cannot download it from these type of websites, whether it's Barnes & Noble or Amazon or it somehow doesn't translate to your different place. Then you could just email us and we'll send you the PDF. You can send us a message on Instagram or through LinkedIn and we'll send you the PDF copy. And also not to be forgotten, there for those who love audiobooks, it's on Audible and Esther reads the whole book. Yeah. Which is really, really nice. I think it's amazing when when authors are the are the voice of their book. Oh, that was really rough for me too because I i have i can't pronounce a lot of words in English and I had to be like 10 times saying it over. But yeah, so it's on Audible. I know Audible is available in most countries. But again, if there's ever an issue, we can send you the PDF copy. and Not a problem. Just message us and we'll send you a complimentary. Okay.
00:58:42
Speaker
So we are just about wrapping up. But you've been on this journey for quite some time. And like any journey, there's been a lot of lessons you've picked up. I want us to spend some time talking about the key lessons you've picked up so far on this journey. Man. I will tell you, I'm i'm going to answer your question a little bit differently.
00:58:59
Speaker
I will tell you the lessons that I am still working on because I also don't want, I don't, I don't want you to, i don't want you, I don't want your audience to think that we're here as images of perfection in some way, you know, like when we talk about all of these things, we're Like like that that whole lesson about learning how to be of service. That was a hard lesson for us to learn. You know what I mean? And we've had to we've had ups and downs in our business and all of that. So for me, it's a personal lesson that applies to everything, especially in business. I would say I'm still working on not caring what other people think. It's a big lesson. You know, you there's one part that is very certain.
00:59:42
Speaker
of the value that we bring and the work that we do. And then there's a part of me that still struggles with being sort of out there and and visible and vocal and and things like that, that I know i think would help our business. But I still struggle with that.
00:59:59
Speaker
So and I think that the more that that you can free yourself from from the weight of others opinions, the stronger you will be. And I've seen it in my life because i I'm not saying that I have made zero progress, but I also see that that's a place where I have growth still to do. And I i would add to that. i love that Paul said that because when we overcome, we're always going to keep overcoming. Right. And so that's sort of as part of one of the things in the workbook. It's always going to be something. And and like i we still I still have a long way, like even though we've had successes, you know, along the way, like. ah
01:00:32
Speaker
I think there's still a long way of so many more things I want to create that I know it's, but I know it's a 20, 30 year journey. And I think that's the one thing is always patience is always reminding myself there's still 30, 40 years left in this. So it doesn't all have to happen now. um I think also last year with when we lost everything in the beginning of the year and then we recovered,
01:00:53
Speaker
And we came last year with full-on service. That was amazing. it was It was one of the lowest points for us last February, March, throughou for all of us worldwide. But last November, one of our highest points because we felt that the work we did mattered.
01:01:10
Speaker
And then we decided after that, that opportunities we would filter that way from now on. Like, because I think in the beginning when you're starting, you know, a business, you take more things to try to test, right? And then we took on more things that sometimes weren't in full alignment. And I think after last year, we're like only in alignment now because that that we want to keep that feeling. But I think a lot of lessons, we have lost friends because sometimes, you know, when you you you outgrow, right? and i think um Sometimes like they it's it's not even like you get into a fight or anything. They just kind of stop communicating because they're not in the same space as you.
01:01:48
Speaker
And that there's a grieving time for that. And then. um Right. There's grieving time for that. There's also grieving time with your family at first when they don't understand what you're doing. So I think when the lessons is being patient with people and having empathy, because in the beginning it could feel very hurtful when you're starting something and people don't support you. And I think constantly having the lens of empathy of being like, they might come around later is really important because I think some people have taken like four years to come around to us. And and then when they come around, it's beautiful. They come around, they're like, I'm ready to work.
01:02:21
Speaker
And they realize it had nothing to do with you. It was that you were, by you reflecting something, it showed and a wound that they had. And I think having that empathy that is not necessarily about you has been, for me, I'm very very emotional about people. So that's going to hurt me more than other things, right? And so...
01:02:38
Speaker
That's one of the lessons with that. I think the other thing is trusting. So last year I had to do a lot of trust of like, we will sort we will survive. We will keep the change. I don't know how and I don't have all the answers yet, but it will come. And I think even this year when we started the tech process, I'm like, I don't know.
01:02:55
Speaker
how it's going to go, but I know this is the way to go. and we trust that we're going to figure it out. And it's what Paul says, like being less, being more risky, less afraid. We did a fundraiser this year and I sent it out through email and through WhatsApp. And I felt myself cringe asking people to help with the app. But that's really important when you're doing technology because you need to have a friend and family raise round. But culturally, you don't ask people for money. So how do you handle that?
01:03:26
Speaker
One of the lessons is, again, remembering that things are bigger than us. so So I'm still so it's the same struggle. Right. I'm still just like with the book that I struggle to write about the money. I still struggle to ask people for money. Like you said we're always going through that. But remembering that that's how these things work. They work in collaboration. That's the expansion. They work in collaboration with other people's money. But that's an expansion that we're going through right now. So one of the lessons is allowing like that's the lessons we've been through is allowing ourselves to expand, but also at the rate that you're meant to expand. Because, you know, when I started the business, I wanted to do TEDx right away. And then I stopped and I said, I'm not ready. Like this needs to happen five years from now when I have a really solid message.
01:04:10
Speaker
And then it happened. It's happening this year. And I feel like this is the right timing for it. And I know that everything else, like we know that we want a bigger platform. social media. But I know that that's going to be a couple of years from now when we we've done more of that inner work of being more public. And so everything has its... and So I think one of the lessons is, is not rushing things, is being patient, being of service, allowing that expansion to happen at the pace it needs to happen. And it will happen for you and it will happen at the time when you're ready for it. And I think that's true. I think it's right. I think yeah TEDx is not until now that we're ready. yeah The book was when we were ready. And I think the tech is building at the pace it needs to happen as we're ready. There's ah the divine timing. There's a divine timing.
01:04:59
Speaker
So I think that's one of the biggest lessons I can tell anyone to here, you know, because you you want things so quickly and you need to sometimes just allow things to happen. Like we know that we we will later have more revenue and it's going to happen later. You know, like it's just like it's like the amount that we want. And but.
01:05:17
Speaker
Right now, it's about the expansion. Right now, we're like building this technology and we've slowed down on revenue this year. But it's been intentional because I'm like, I know we need this to then be able to skyrocket. And so trusting that everything has its time and place. And everyone that you see that is super successful on social media, that's 10, 15 years down the line.
01:05:36
Speaker
And i think that's a remembrance to too. You know, like Mel Robbins started five years. She has a book that we none of us even know about. And then 10 years later is when she did her TEDx. And then that's when she grew. So what we see now is 20, 30 years in the making. Right. And when we see Jay Shetty, when we see all these big people, when we see those big platforms, they've been around for a long time. And so they've gone through these processes.
01:05:59
Speaker
And so remembering that what you see there is like a lot. They've already done all those steps. And then's start and then we have to, we can't rush it. There's no express route. We got to take those steps at the pace it needs to happen as well for us. So the the only one thing that I would add, only because Esther mentioned it, We didn't get it we didn't get too much of a chance to talk about things like leadership and things of that variety. But one of the big things that I think goes with the lessons that we've learned that applies to leadership as well is that empathy is strength. It's one of the things that we are, that we're, there's so much talk about the opposite, right? That that it's ah it's about productivity and productivity. expectations and, you know, all of these things. And the truth is that that being able to and mean, we we talk a lot. We talk a lot about emotional intelligence and understanding basically the perspectives, the feelings, the values of other people, being able to incorporate that into your leadership. And that starts with you first. It starts with you you have to know with the self-awareness and all of that, right? So I think it's one of the things that that I don't think that we ever questioned it in ourselves, but I think that we we were often questioned as to why we were this way. And, you know, wouldn't we be better off if we were much harder and and more disconnected from people and things like that? And the truth is that empathy empathy is strength and kindness is a superpower, you know? And being who you are. Everybody around us now is positive. It's all about meaningful work. Everything that. So you can. That's the biggest lesson is that anything you visualize that you want, and you can create for yourself. You have to take the actions and the steps. But it is possible. It is possible.
01:07:34
Speaker
It is possible. I like that. It is possible. So before I sign off, what would be your last words to my audience before i sign off? If you have an idea and you have an impact in the world that you want to make, go after it. Like, do it. Like, you have this voice in your head. It's kind of what we say in the back of the book, right? you have this voice in your head, it's telling you something because that's what's meant for you. So don't ignore it. And don't worry about that. You need to have it all figured out right now.
01:07:59
Speaker
Just start taking those little steps. Grab the book, grab the workbooks, start doing those exercises and start bringing it out to the world. And there's not one path that's right. You could be building as you're working full time.
01:08:10
Speaker
You could work part time while you build. It could take you five years to build something. like It's your process, your timeline. What matters is that you're building the legacy you want to build. It is possible. Anything that you want, it's it's in any vision you have, whether it's like changing the community you're around,
01:08:28
Speaker
Or, you know, being around positive people. That's what we wanted. Or maybe it's about having more impact. You can create it. Maybe it's about, I don't know, anything. Just it's it's there for you.
01:08:39
Speaker
And you can have it. And you can change your life drastically in five years. or Don't think just of one year. Think five. Think about what you want that to be and then go after it. Go create it and to And to know that that whole path starts with tiny steps. Like the the scary thing, the reason why people often quit is because they see something so far, so big, so far in the future and feel like that distance from a to B is really, so is just that they're incapable of it, you know? And so-
01:09:10
Speaker
What I would want people to know is, one, we've had the opportunity to speak to thousands and thousands of people. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that every single person has a beauty, a uniqueness, and a value in this world. so if any person If anything, like I want you to the one tiny step that I want you to take is tomorrow when you get up in the morning and you brush your teeth as you're looking in the mirror, just mentally say to yourself, I'm a light in this world. And get into that tiny habit every day as you're brushing your teeth, you look at yourself in the mirror. And I don't like to say things like that out loud, but I want you to think it and to look yourself in the eye. loud. I know, Yester does. But to look yourself in the eye and say, I am a light in this world. i am a light in this world. i am a light in this world.
01:09:59
Speaker
Right. And you can do it. I will close that in November. We just, because of the pro bono, we had an idea that we're like, we need to make this technology. And we had no idea what it would look like to now it's May. And we know exactly what it's going to look like. And, but it it didn't, it just, the it was just the intention.
01:10:15
Speaker
We just set the intention in November. And when you set the intention and you set the energy, then the effort flows to it and the answers will come. but You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to have that that impact and that service and that you want to do something and it will come to you.
01:10:30
Speaker
So just take that small step of like, I'm going to do it and I'm going to create this and and do it. The more of us that do it, the fat the I think not just the faster, but like the more that we will together change the world from fear to scarcity to abundance and growth.
01:10:47
Speaker
And it requires all of us to do that together. Thank you. So we can all create a limitless life. Yes. And there's one thing here we always forget. All your attempts. We always leave that out. Exactly. queen So great on our terms. So thank you. Thank you, Dr. Esther and Dr. Paul for sharing this rich experience with us today on the Entrepreneur Speaks podcast. It's been so insightful and I know my listeners and everyone out there is going to pick a lot of nuggets and apply this in their life.
01:11:18
Speaker
Thank you so much and we wish you the very best. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So this has been another inspiring episode of the Entrepreneur Speaks podcast. I'll come your way next time with another episode. I'm your host, Kofi Animeju. As always, do take good care of yourself and let's continue to keep hope alive. Cheers. Please be sure to subscribe to the Entrepreneur Speaks podcast on all your favorite podcast channels. And if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out to us on social media or in the comments section below.
01:11:57
Speaker
Dreams light up the sky tonight. Builders of tomorrow shining bright. From every land they find their beat. Yeah, it's the entrepreneur speaks.