Niiamah Ashong

What does Your Joy Look Like? A Talk with Dr. Erin Baker About Real Success

October 13, 2022 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

Dr. Erin Baker, author of Joy-Full AF: The Essential Business Strategy We're Afraid to Put First, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast to talk about joy as the ground of real success. Erin Baker draws a clear line between happiness, which depends on circumstance, and joy, which comes from within and can sit alongside sorrow, grief and challenge. What emerged is a practical picture of joy in business: keep the joy tank topped up the way you stay hydrated, follow your joy in how you do the work, and the success will come.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Dr. Erin Baker, Author of Joy-Full AF: The Essential Business Strategy We're Afraid to Put First, who works with entrepreneurs on putting joy first
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released October 13, 2022
Format: conversation, 46 minutes
Topics: Joy versus happiness, Joy-full: the full range of human experience, The joy tank, Writing a book with joy, Going all in, Joy as a business strategy

What Dr. brought to the conversation

Dr. Erin Baker released a first book, Joy-Full AF, about three weeks before this September 2022 conversation, and sees joy as both a deep truth about running any form of business and a bigger movement. A recovering academic who wrote a PhD dissertation and worked as a user researcher, Erin Baker works with a lot of entrepreneurs, having seen how many start a business for joy only for joy to be the first thing de-prioritized. The aim is to help every single person have joy in everything they do. Niiamah Ashong describes someone who brings play, speaks truth to power and goes all in, unapologetic and experimental.

What emerged

The central distinction is that happiness happens based on circumstance and is usually fleeting, while joy comes from within and can be accessed at any point, even in pain, grief or challenge. Erin Baker writes joy-full with f-u-l-l to name that fullness: coming back to who you are and allowing the fullness of your humanity to show up in everything you do. Niiamah Ashong says the way the book was created, all in on joy, showed him where he could go further in his own business, and Erin Baker explains that the starting point was refusing to do anything without being all in, which made the question what to be all in on.

Questions this episode answers

What is the difference between joy and happiness?

Dr. Erin Baker says happiness happens based on circumstance, like a job promotion or a big life event, and is usually a pretty fleeting thing. Joy comes from within, doesn't need an external circumstance and can be accessed at any point.

Can a person feel joy and sorrow at the same time?

Erin Baker says yes: people can feel joy and sorrow, joy and grief, and joy in going through the pain of challenge, fear and risk. Sitting with a client who is mid tears, Erin Baker can feel so much joy at getting to be present to their humanity.

How does a leader sustain joy in business over the long term?

Erin Baker pictures a joy tank that works less like a gas tank you refill on empty and more like hydration, where the whole idea is to stay hydrated at all times. Keeping the tank continually full also expands your capacity for more joy, and Erin Baker adds that misery in business is not sustainable.

How can joy shape the way the work itself gets done?

While writing the book, Erin Baker noticed the joy drained away in a word processor, while things flowed when posting online and in conversation. So Erin Baker paced the office recording bite-sized pieces as voice-to-text conversations, and the story of the book emerged from them.

What usually gets in the way of joy?

Erin Baker says that what so often gets in the way of joy is beliefs about how things are supposed to be done, such as the idea that a good writer sits down at a word processor. Writing the book meant confronting all the beliefs that came up about what it meant to be a real writer.

In their words

Joy comes from within. It doesn't need an external circumstance.
Dr. Erin Baker

Every time I pursue my joy, I find more of who I am.
Dr. Erin Baker

I'm not handing you a map to joy. I'm giving you all the tools to develop your own map, your own path to joy.
Dr. Erin Baker

Key moments

07:18 – A first book about joy

08:25 – Why entrepreneurs lose their joy

13:09 – Joy and happiness are different

15:44 – Joy-full and the full range

17:48 – Seeking joy and finding yourself

20:26 – The joy tank and hydration

24:04 – Joy that can intimidate others

29:13 – Talking the book into existence

34:56 – What are you all in on

41:11 – Your own map to joy

About Niiamah Ashong

Niiamah Ashong is a coach to outlier leaders, host of the Outlier’s Edge Podcast, and founder of the Trailblazer Collective. He coaches leaders who are creating something only they can make: a company, a body of work or a movement. Make a difference with your difference.

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference

Continue into Outlier’s Edge World:

Leading a Wholistic Life with Mike Giampa

October 11, 2022 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

Mike Giampa, a partner in a consulting deals practice, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast to talk about leading a whole life while doing high-pressure work. He shares how he takes care of himself first so he can show up fully when work demands it, and why that balance is a model for the people coming up behind him. What emerged is his drive to keep creating new challenges for himself, from new career paths after making partner to learning to cook.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Mike Giampa, Partner in a consulting deals practice
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released October 11, 2022
Format: conversation, 30 minutes
Topics: Leading a whole life, Connection with clients and teams, Modeling balance for others, New paths after making partner, Betting on himself, Play, practice and new challenges

What Mike brought to the conversation

Mike Giampa always loved math and started his career as a retirement actuary at the intersection of math and business, then moved fairly quickly into mergers and acquisitions deals in the HR space. He earned his MBA, changed firms about eight years ago, and made partner about four years ago. What he loves most about his work is the connection with his clients and his team, and he says clients who feel that connection see him as a partner rather than a service provider. Outside work he puts real focus on his family of four kids and his wife of almost 15 years, and on his own needs, from basketball and lifting weights to playing video games with his cousin.

What emerged

The central idea is the order Mike Giampa chooses: like putting on his own oxygen mask first, he takes care of himself, and because he does, he can show up fully when work runs late. Niiamah Ashong noticed him change his language from 'when I can do that' to 'because I can do that.' Mike Giampa sees modeling that balance as critical to the success of the firm, since a leader who models a life where work takes over gives people a reason to stay a little while rather than aspire to the next level. Niiamah calls Mike's need for new challenges an outlier mentality, and Mike describes making partner as the start of a whole new set of paths rather than an ending.

Questions this episode answers

How can a leader keep work from taking over their life?

Mike Giampa says work will keep taking more and more from anyone who keeps saying yes, so leaders have to create those boundaries for themselves. He takes care of himself first, with basketball, lifting weights and video games with his cousin, so that when work needs long hours he can show up for it.

Why does a senior leader's lifestyle matter to their team?

Mike Giampa says a firm needs its senior associates and managers to aspire to be directors and partners. If leaders model a life where they work way too hard and everything else suffers, most people will do it for a little while but won't stick around for another 10 years.

What happens after you reach the top level at a firm?

Mike Giampa found that making partner opened a whole new career path, where a partner might be asked to move to another country, start a new practice or take on leadership roles. He raised his hand, made the right connections and got those opportunities, and he is excited about how his career will evolve over the next five to 15 years.

How do you take a leap of faith in your career?

When Mike Giampa changed firms after nine years, he took a leap of faith, putting the relationships and reputation he had built behind him and starting over. He says he keeps betting on himself, with the confidence that he can excel at whatever challenge he takes on, and that with the right mentality that bet gets rewarded.

How can a leader get good at something they've never been good at?

Mike Giampa once named cooking as something he didn't excel at, until he asked why not and started with simple recipes and pre-packaged ingredients. He says that like anything in life, it's about practice, working hard and sticking with it, and he now makes dishes like risotto.

In their words

If there's no balance, if you're not kind of happy holistically, then it's just gonna, honestly, it's gonna wear you out and wear you down and burn you out.
Mike Giampa

You got to keep betting on yourself. You got to be willing to keep betting on yourself.
Mike Giampa

If it starts with play, I'm in.
Mike Giampa

Key moments

01:03 – How Niiamah sees Mike

04:11 – From actuary to deals partner

05:12 – Connecting with clients and team

07:46 – Creating a balanced life

08:49 – Putting on his own oxygen mask first

11:21 – Modeling a life worth aspiring to

14:56 – New paths after making partner

18:32 – Betting on himself

22:09 – If it starts with play

23:10 – Learning to cook as a challenge

About Niiamah Ashong

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference

Continue into Outlier’s Edge World:

Vulnerability isn’t pretty…but it’s powerful! A one on one with Madelaine Vallin

October 6, 2022 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

Madelaine Vallin, a musician turned coach and holistic counseling educator, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast to talk about passion and vulnerability. She shares how passion has guided her from creating music to helping people recreate their lives, and why she chose to share her own story openly instead of packaging it. What emerged is a distinction between real vulnerability, which comes from courage and feels empowering, and a packaged story, along with her view that growth moves in cycles rather than a straight line.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Madelaine Vallin, Musician turned coach and holistic counseling educator
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released October 6, 2022
Format: conversation, 50 minutes
Topics: Passion as a guide, When passion goes into overdrive, Real vulnerability versus a packaged story, Vulnerable or just transparent, Life moves in cycles, Story, identity, inner knowing, deep knowing

What Madelaine brought to the conversation

Madelaine Vallin has followed her passion all her life, from creating music, including the idea of keynote concerts, to helping people recreate their lives and step into their next chapter. She sees this work as close to music: still creating, only now creating the song together with someone. She teaches at a college where she and her team are writing a whole new program, driven by her passion for well-being and human flourishing, and where students learn deep coaching and holistic counseling built from her decade of experience with clients. She also works privately with three clients a year.

What emerged

The central distinction is between vulnerability that is packaged and vulnerability that comes from courage. Madelaine Vallin says real vulnerability shares where a person is right now, without all the answers, and should feel empowering for the person speaking, which led Niiamah Ashong to ask whether his own off-the-cuff style is still vulnerable for him or just transparent now. Her answer, that courage is personal, opened a new question for him: where are the races he has already won? Her picture of growth as a spiral rather than a line offers leaders grace when familiar feelings return at each new level.

Questions this episode answers

What happens when a leader's passion goes into overdrive?

Madelaine Vallin says passion needs to be deepened and grounded. When the college where she teaches grew quickly, her passion pushed her to over-deliver and hold space for everybody, and because she wasn't grounding it, it sent her into overdrive, even though she was doing work she loved. She sees it as something many people should think about, even when they do what they love.

What is the difference between real vulnerability and a packaged story?

Madelaine Vallin says much of what passes for vulnerability is packaged: the hard parts are trimmed away and the story ends with how great life is now. For her, vulnerability is saying where she is right now, without all the answers and not out of a need for sympathy, and because it comes from courage it should feel empowering for the person speaking.

Should a leader share a hard experience publicly?

Madelaine Vallin challenged the voice in her head that said her story should stay hidden, and decided to put it out there and see what came back. People told her the same had happened to them and thanked her for her vulnerability, and she learned that people often connect through their vulnerabilities. She calls deciding not to hide it the scariest thing she did.

What does it mean to stop running a race in order to win it?

Madelaine Vallin, a self-described high achiever, set out to move through a hard chapter faster than it normally takes, and after six months realized it was a race she had to stop running in order to win. When she slowed right down and stopped pretending to have all the answers, she saw she was already doing the things she had said she would do. Niiamah Ashong pictured runners still looking ahead for a finish line they crossed 30 miles back, and asked himself where the races are that he has already won.

How can a leader work with feelings that keep coming back?

Madelaine Vallin says life moves in cycles, so feelings like loneliness or not feeling enough come back so a person can find new growth through them. She describes four levels to work through: story, identity, inner knowing, and deep knowing, a connection to something greater than oneself. Niiamah Ashong connected this to grace, noticing that a sense of being alone shows up each time he moves to his next level.

In their words

What I learned from that is that we often connect through our vulnerabilities.
Madelaine Vallin

This is not a race, this is the race that you have to stop running to win.
Madelaine Vallin

It's growth potential, it's moving into a new level of seeing it, and it's not linear, it's spiral.
Madelaine Vallin

Key moments

02:40 – Reinvention and keynote concerts

05:15 – Passion that can't be taught

11:05 – When passion goes into overdrive

17:48 – Deciding not to hide it

20:52 – Real vulnerability versus a packaged story

28:13 – Vulnerable or just transparent

30:48 – A finish line already crossed

34:29 – A race won by stopping

39:16 – Life moves in cycles

43:58 – Four levels of inner work

About Niiamah Ashong

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference

Continue into Outlier’s Edge World:

Speaking Truth to Power with Power, with Parissa Behnia

October 4, 2022 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

Parissa Behnia, a coach and advisor who stands for speaking truth to power with power, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast to talk about influence, truth telling and the change agents who never get seen. She shares why admitting what she doesn't know builds trust, and why every outcome is perfect because it shows her what to do next. What emerged is her calling to help the leaders she calls modern badasses be understood without compromising who they are.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Parissa Behnia, Coach and advisor who stands for speaking truth to power with power
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released October 4, 2022
Format: conversation, 31 minutes
Topics: Speaking truth to power with power, Recognizing a sphere of influence, Asking for help as a leader, Every outcome is perfect, Content and context, Seeing the change agents in training

What Parissa brought to the conversation

Parissa Behnia stands for speaking truth to power with power, which she calls a divine calling. She coaches and advises the people she calls modern badasses: leaders who go 80 miles an hour in a 45 mile an hour zone, with strong intuition, a wicked sense of humor and wild creativity. She knows that world from her own corporate life, and she has spent the last year writing a book positioned as a love story from her to them. Niiamah Ashong shares that he goes by his given name because of her: years ago, in a circle, she asked why he was using a name that literally means no one when he was born with a beautiful name.

What emerged

The central insight is that power and not knowing can live together. Parissa Behnia says the counterintuitive truth is that the more a person admits not knowing something, the more people are willing and able to trust them, and she stays in her power by not attaching to an outcome, because every outcome gives her information about what to do next. She thinks about the opportunity cost of the truth tellers and change agents in training who get sidelined, and Niiamah Ashong acknowledges her as a world shaper who chose to stay in the game.

Questions this episode answers

What does it mean to speak truth to power with power?

For Parissa Behnia, speaking truth to power with power is influence. She calls it a gift to recognize a sphere of influence and to stand in power and say something that may be difficult for someone to hear, yet is what they need to hear in the moment, and she calls the work a divine calling.

How can a leader ask for help without losing credibility?

Parissa Behnia says the counterintuitive truth is that the more a leader asks, or admits not knowing something, the more people are willing and able to trust them. What helps her is not being attached to an outcome: every outcome is perfect because it tells her what to do next.

Why ask a question when you already know the answer?

Parissa Behnia says asking a question she knows the answer to always brings out more content and context that may not have been available to her, and it can confirm that what she thinks is the answer actually is. She adds that it is especially useful in negotiations.

What is the difference between content and context in a conversation?

Parissa Behnia describes context as the situation: where a person is and who they are with. Content is the exchange of energy, thoughts, ideas and words within it, and she frames the two as the what and the how.

Why do some high-potential leaders never get seen?

Parissa Behnia says many change agents, disruptors and outliers in training take themselves out of the game, or someone else takes them out of the game. From her own corporate experience, she helps them share their content and context so they become relatable, without changing who they are.

In their words

I'm not taking credit for the shift, I'm taking credit for the seed.
Parissa Behnia

The more you ask or the more you admit you don't know something, the more people are willing and able to trust you.
Parissa Behnia

Every outcome is perfect because it gives me information as to what to do next.
Parissa Behnia

Key moments

02:04 – The story behind Niiamah's name

04:38 – Speaking truth to power with power

09:21 – Honoring the gifts she's been given

14:00 – Helping people become relatable

17:08 – Admitting not knowing builds trust

19:46 – Every outcome is perfect

22:55 – Asking questions with known answers

25:33 – The traits of modern badasses

26:35 – A book written as a love story

28:39 – Acknowledged as a world shaper

About Niiamah Ashong

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference

Continue into Outlier’s Edge World:

What Does it Take to Live a Fulfilled Life? A heart to heart talk with Rachel Eden

September 29, 2022 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

Rachel Eden, a coach whose work has always been supporting people with transformation, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast for a conversation about desire, faith and living in alignment. She draws a clear line between believing everything is for the best, which she calls safe, and the faith that she can create whatever she wants as a co-creator with something much bigger than herself. What emerged is her filter for any aspiration: is this your truest desire, and is it your highest one.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Rachel Eden, Coach who supports entrepreneurs, coaches and leaders with transformation and honoring their desires
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released September 29, 2022
Format: conversation, 42 minutes
Topics: Iteration and alignment, Core values beyond ego, Surviving versus thriving, Desire as divine, Truest and highest desire, Daring to dream

What Rachel brought to the conversation

Rachel Eden's background has always been transformation: she studied psychology, spent years in community leadership and engagement work, and went into coaching several years ago, full-time for a little more than the last two years. She runs a group for women entrepreneur leaders, coaches and people in the mental health space who want to see the impact they make in their world show up in their bank account, and she works with serial entrepreneurs who are constantly in creation mode. Her newest creation, a course incubating at the time, is her first collaboration with someone else. Niiamah Ashong describes her as someone he comes to for support, who helps him get through the clutter of a visionary mind and is a stand for people's desires.

What emerged

The central distinction is between two ways of seeing the world. For Rachel Eden, everything being for the best is safe and passive, a way of surviving, while thriving is the faith that she can create whatever she wants, a continuum she says she is still moving along. Her belief is that desire is divine and already in motion, and you can't get away from it. Niiamah Ashong shares how her question about why his idea for a global joy movement wasn't out in the world helped bring it to life within a month.

Questions this episode answers

What is the difference between believing everything is for the best and believing you can create?

Rachel Eden says the two are miles apart: everything is for the best is safe and passive, a way of interpreting whatever happens. To her, surviving is everything's for the best and playing it safe, while thriving is knowing she can create whatever she wants.

How can a leader tell whether a desire is worth pursuing?

Rachel Eden uses two filters: is this your truest desire, and is this your highest desire. Truest means it is genuinely yours, not an image someone else put in your head, because if it's not true it's not sustainable; highest means thinking big about the stakes and reaching for a soul-level desire, what you were put in this world to do.

Why can honoring a desire take longer than expected?

Rachel Eden coached a client for two months on honoring his desire to move his family to a new city, and at their last session he said he would stay. When she followed up, he told her he was moving in two weeks; in her telling, the coaching had needed time to germinate underground before it could blossom.

Why do some people keep moving the goal post?

Rachel Eden says most people prefer to play it safe and ask themselves whether what they have is enough. Entrepreneurs don't accept the status quo that way and keep moving the goal post over and over again, which is why she is so drawn to working with them.

How can a leader find core values that aren't driven by ego?

Rachel Eden asks where the ego stops and the genuine desires start, and lets her core values lead her to the desire. For her that desire is being a builder, a wellspring of inspiration and support for other people, and holding space for them, from serving good food in her home to helping people see their own power and light.

In their words

To me, surviving is everything's for the best and playing it safe, but thriving is I can create.
Rachel Eden

You can't get away from this thing called desire.
Rachel Eden

If it's not true, it's not sustainable.
Rachel Eden

Key moments

04:08 – A background in transformation

10:24 – Core values that cut away ego

14:04 – A new level of faith

16:39 – Everything for the best is safe

18:45 – Surviving versus thriving

22:20 – You can't escape desire

24:56 – A question that sparked a movement

30:09 – Truest desire and highest desire

32:44 – The three phases of desire

39:25 – Dare to dream every day

About Niiamah Ashong

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference

Continue into Outlier’s Edge World:

Implementing Self Love with the Fierce and Unapologetic Coach Fari Eskandari

September 20, 2022 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

Fari Eskandari, a spiritual health and wellness coach with 30 years as a fitness trainer and life coach, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast to talk about self-care, self-love and self-respect. She shares how she let go of what she'd held on to for years, stopped judging others and now builds herself up from scratch every day. What emerged is greatness as a way of being, one she believes every person can find within themselves.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Fari Eskandari, Spiritual health and wellness coach, fitness trainer and life coach for 30 years
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released September 20, 2022
Format: conversation, 42 minutes
Topics: Self-care that goes deeper, Self-worth, self-love and self-respect, Imposter syndrome is never a quick fix, Letting go of judgment, Coaching with authentic words, The greatness within

What Fari brought to the conversation

Fari Eskandari is a spiritual health and wellness coach who has been a fitness trainer and life coach for 30 years, helping people gain clarity in their self-worth, self-love and self-respect. Fitness is what she breathes, a gift she inherited from her father, an athlete in his own time, and she kept going until she became a trainer, even when she was told many times she would never make it. A longtime client told her that her words are so authentic, and she realized that what people were asking her for is called coaching; she certified as a coach in 2016 and came to see herself as a health and wellness coach when the gyms closed in the pandemic. She earned a black belt at 46, and she says she has a PhD of all A pluses from life.

What emerged

Niiamah Ashong sees a fierce, unapologetic and incredibly tender love in Fari Eskandari, and he names greatness as her way of being: you can't keep greatness down, and wherever she goes, from fitness to health and wellness, she is great there. She extends it to everyone, saying that if every person digs deep and sees their own greatness, they will transform and stop judging others. That's why she is so big on self-care, self-love and self-respect: once you achieve them, there is no way not to see your greatness.

Questions this episode answers

What does real self-care look like?

Fari Eskandari says self-care goes deeper than hair color, eyelashes or a facelift; it's when you respect yourself and find ways to be with you. That can be walking outside by yourself, writing, painting, a long bath with nice music, or looking in the mirror and telling yourself you love yourself and have a lot to offer.

Is imposter syndrome something you get over once?

Fari Eskandari says imposter syndrome is never a quick fix: it comes and goes, the way you get hungry again a few hours after you eat, so you have to work on it constantly. She takes pride in doing that work first with herself and then with clients all over the world.

What makes a coach's words land with clients?

A client who has been with Fari Eskandari for nearly two decades told her that her words are so authentic, because there are no games and she says it like it is. That's when she realized that what clients were asking her to do is called coaching.

How can a leader stop judging other people?

Fari Eskandari stopped wasting the energy she had spent for years judging others. When a negative thought about someone starts, she pictures a little version of herself saying you can't go there, and she turns it into a positive acknowledgement instead.

Why shouldn't you force change?

Fari Eskandari says that when you force anything, whether a relationship or a friendship, it won't last. Her advice is to appreciate it, acknowledge it and work towards it, but don't force it.

In their words

Every day is a new day and every day you feel different and every day you need to build yourself up from scratch.
Fari Eskandari

I have a PhD of all A pluses from life.
Fari Eskandari

You can't keep greatness down.
Niiamah Ashong

Key moments

01:31 – Fierce, unapologetic, tender love

04:03 – Coaching self-worth and self-love

11:46 – Becoming a trainer against the odds

13:47 – Why a client calls her authentic

16:21 – What self-care really is

19:56 – Building yourself up every day

21:28 – Catching judgment before it starts

26:35 – How much longer to hold on

33:46 – The greatness within every person

37:26 – You can't keep greatness down

About Niiamah Ashong

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference

Continue into Outlier’s Edge World:

Get Naked! Enjoy the Freedom with Tina Reimer

September 15, 2022 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

Tina Reimer, a coach, dancer and singer-songwriter, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast to talk about getting naked: being transparent, honest, open and vulnerable with yourself first and then with others. She shares the message behind her first song and the show she's creating, which weaves coaching, storytelling, music and dance together. What emerged is the freedom of living your full truth, and the questions it raised for Niiamah Ashong about his own.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Tina Reimer, Coach, mentor, dancer and singer-songwriter
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released September 15, 2022
Format: conversation, 44 minutes
Topics: Getting naked with yourself, Living with zero secrets, From supporting artists to being one, Integrating every part of you, Remembering how to dream, Living your full truth

What Tina brought to the conversation

Tina Reimer is a coach, mentor, dancer and singer-songwriter who worked with and for artists her whole life before realizing she is the artist. She has written five songs in the last year, and her first, Get Naked, is about being transparent, honest, open and vulnerable with yourself and with others. She is creating a show that brings coaching, storytelling, music and dance into one immersion, so that everyone who leaves knows they deserve to go after their dreams. Niiamah Ashong describes her energy as something that infuses the whole environment, and sees in her a woman relentless in discovering more about herself and sharing it through every vehicle available to her.

What emerged

Tina Reimer's choice to live with zero secrets became the edge of the conversation for Niiamah Ashong: at first it was hard for him to believe, and then it got scary as her presence came more and more into focus. Rather than asking for her secrets, he got curious about the process and what a life without them would mean for him, and he left asking himself where he is living in fantasy. She made clear that having no secrets isn't the goal; her goal is living her full truth.

Questions this episode answers

What does it mean to get naked with yourself?

For Tina Reimer, getting naked means being transparent, honest, open and vulnerable, first with yourself and then with others: no more masks, no pretending, no hiding, no secrets. She says the energy it sets free brings so much more freedom, space and resources.

How do you move from supporting others to stepping on stage yourself?

After working with and for artists her whole life, Tina Reimer realized she is the artist, and she now writes songs about her own messages and stories, each with a message the audience can put into their own lives. Niiamah Ashong reflects it back as the messages that are true for her moving front and center.

How can a leader bring all their talents together into one body of work?

Tina Reimer is creating a show that combines coaching, storytelling, music and dance in one immersion. Niiamah Ashong hears it as an integration of every part of her, made by someone who no longer has to compartmentalize herself or hide things from herself or others.

Why do so many people stop dreaming?

Tina Reimer sees that many people have forgotten to dream or how to dream and have put their dreams away. Her show is meant to help everyone leave knowing they deserve to go after their dreams, big or small, with the mindset and tools to do it.

What is the real goal of living without secrets?

Tina Reimer says it isn't about having no secrets or leaving fantasy behind; it's about living your full truth, finding out who you truly are and living your true dreams. As the masks come off, she says, you gain energy and freedom and have access to all you are here to do.

In their words

Get naked is all about being transparent, honest, open, vulnerable.
Tina Reimer

Many people have forgotten to dream or how to dream and maybe put away their dreams.
Tina Reimer

It's about living your full truth, it's about finding out who you truly are, it's about living your true dreams.
Tina Reimer

Key moments

02:03 – Who she is to Niiamah Ashong

08:19 – Her first song comes out

09:51 – What Get Naked is about

10:52 – No masks, no pretending, no secrets

13:25 – A show combining all her gifts

14:28 – Helping people dream again

17:00 – An integration of all of her

24:46 – When zero secrets felt scary

38:37 – Questions Niiamah asks himself

40:37 – Living your full truth

Enter Tina Reimer’s world

Website | YouTube | Instagram

About Niiamah Ashong

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference

Continue into Outlier’s Edge World:

Thriving in Intimidating Environments with Samantha Lee

September 9, 2022 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

Samantha Lee, an impact investor who became a CEO at about 24, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast to talk about owning who you are beyond titles and going where others don't go. She shares how she grew from letting her team introduce her to letting her name stand on its own, and the mission that drives her: channeling the best resources into solving the world's biggest problems. What emerged is a fresh view of fear as an ally, a sign she's taking on the challenges that matter most.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Samantha Lee, Impact investor and former CEO of a consulting firm
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released September 9, 2022
Format: conversation, 56 minutes
Topics: Owning who you are beyond titles, Leading a more experienced team, Going where others don't go, A mission statement in one sentence, Fear as a compass, Building what you most needed

What Samantha brought to the conversation

Samantha Lee became CEO of a consulting firm at about 24, leading a team in which everyone was at least eight years more experienced, and she has since moved through international development and impact investing into impact-led venture capital investing. She calls herself anti-hype: rather than following what's popular, she wants to be in the nitty-gritty of giving people in rural areas access to the internet and getting health care to people who live a day's walk from the nearest health center. Her mission is to channel the best resources into solving the world's biggest problems, and she credits the people she meets, from farmers in the fields to patients and teams in health care, with shaping where she puts her work.

What emerged

Samantha Lee said out loud, for the first time in those words, that she is the person who goes where others don't, and Niiamah Ashong heard the self-trust and solidity in mission behind it. When she shared that the closer she gets to something big, the more afraid she is, he offered that fear is a friend and a sign she's in the positions where the biggest challenges and greatest opportunities are. She agreed that if she isn't afraid at all, she doesn't care enough, and that her work is making sure the fear doesn't stop her from doing what she needs to do.

Questions this episode answers

How can a young leader hold authority in a room of more experienced people?

Samantha Lee became a CEO at about 24 with a team that was at least eight years more experienced, and at first she let her team introduce her. Over time she got more comfortable with the role and believed more in her own story of why she was doing it, until the title no longer mattered and her name was enough.

How do you get busy professionals to give their time to social impact?

Samantha Lee's work involved bringing together a network of talented, incredibly busy people to help nonprofits, social enterprises and corporate leaders. She learned that if you give people a vision to believe in and show how their work contributes, it taps a hunger deep in everyone to do good and make a difference.

How do you write a personal mission statement?

A friend pushed Samantha Lee past buzzwords like impact investing and social innovation, asking who she is and what she stands for in one sentence. She described it in a way her grandmother would understand: channeling the best resources into solving the world's biggest problems.

How can a leader relate to fear when going after something big?

Niiamah Ashong suggests fear can be a friend and, as his mentor says, a compass that means you're headed in the right direction. Samantha Lee adds that fear reminds her what's at stake and points to her north star, and that the work is not letting it stop her.

Why do so many leaders build what they once needed?

Samantha Lee's theory is that people put out into the world the thing they believe they most need, and many people start something because they didn't receive it themselves. Her own mission grew out of how hard fundraising was for the organization she led, so that other social entrepreneurs don't have to face that again.

In their words

That mission statement is really around wanting to channel the best resources into solving the world's biggest problems.
Samantha Lee

If I'm not afraid at all then I don't care enough.
Samantha Lee

We put out into the world the thing that we believe we most need.
Samantha Lee

Key moments

00:32 – Niiamah on reclaiming his name

09:16 – Becoming a CEO at 24

11:47 – Fearlessness first, then confidence

14:19 – Giving busy people a vision

15:52 – Going where others don't go

25:07 – Her mission in one sentence

34:45 – Fear as a friend

41:21 – Putting out what you most need

47:29 – The people who shape the path

55:39 – Trust in your instincts

About Niiamah Ashong

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference

Continue into Outlier’s Edge World: