EP 111: Finding Your Authentic Voice: Communication, Culture & Career Pivots with Funke Olufon

Your voice isn’t just sound — it’s strategy.

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with Olufunke Olufon — communications strategist, TEDx speaker, and founder of IWA Consulting — for a rich conversation on purpose-driven communication, leadership presence, and navigating career pivots without shrinking who you are.

Olufunke’s career spans some of the world’s most influential institutions — from directing executive communications at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to serving as a spokesperson at the World Bank, to leading transformation-era communications at EY. Across industries and continents, her work has helped translate complex ideas into narratives that move people to action.

Together, Lola and Olufunke explore what it means to show up with layered identity in corporate America, how culture shapes leadership, why relationships are career currency, and how the Yoruba concept of “IWA” (character) becomes a powerful lens for brand, reputation, and credibility.

This episode is for anyone navigating reinvention — especially professionals who want to communicate with clarity, lead with confidence, and align their voice with their purpose.

In This Episode, You’ll Hear

• What intersectionality means in real life — and why it matters at work
• The experience of navigating corporate America as a Nigerian woman
• Why culture and language shape how we lead, communicate, and take risks
• Olufunke’s nonlinear career pivot from chemical engineering to international relations
• How to know when it’s time to pivot (and stop waiting for permission)
• Why clarity is a career advantage — not a luxury
• The power of relationships as “career currency” (the human way)
• IWA (character) and why reputation is simply character revealed
• The cultural connection question: why Funke brings Nigerian jollof rice to work

About the Guest

Olufunke “Funke” Olufon is a communications strategist, TEDx speaker, and founder of IWA Consulting, where she helps mission-driven leaders and organizations find, refine, and amplify their authentic voice. Her work spans global communications, executive positioning, and narrative strategy across major institutions including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and EY.

About the Host

Dr. Lola Adeyemo is a workplace inclusion strategist, author, speaker, and CEO of EQImindset, and founder of Immigrants in Corporate Inc. She helps organizations build communities of belonging through strategy, storytelling, and systems change.

Connect + Next Steps

For HR & DEI Leaders (ERG/BRG strategy support, workshops, or fractional partnership): 📩 Lola@EQImindset.com

For Immigrants & First-Gen Professionals:
Join the free community: www.immigrantsincorporate.org

Go deeper on Substack (extended reflections + community):

Connect with Funke / IWA Consulting:

• Website: www.iwaconsults.com

Keywords

Intersectionality, workplace inclusion, communication strategy, leadership, cultural background, career pivots, authentic voice, Yoruba culture, corporate America, storytelling, purpose-driven leadership, mentorship, relationships, entrepreneurial journey, IWA Consulting.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hello and welcome to the Thriving in Intersectionality Podcast. A podcast that explores the real experiences of professionals navigating the workplace with layered, lead identities. I'm your host, Dr. Lola Ateemo, the CEO of EQI Mindset and founder of the nonprofit Immigrants Incorporate Inc. I'm also an author, speaker, and a workplace inclusion strategist. I work with organizations to build communities of belonging through strategy, storytelling, and systems change. This podcast amplifies the voices of professionals from intersectional backgrounds, immigrants, ethnic minorities, cross-gen professionals, veterans, working parents, individuals with disabilities, and so many more. Through solo reflections and guest conversations, we'll uncover the eating challenges, celebrate the wins, and offer insights to help you thrive, not just survive, in the corporate world. Because in today's global workforce, belonging isn't just a bonus, it's the catalyst for real growth and impact. Let's dive in. A career has spanned some of the most influential institutions in the world. And I mean that literally, from directing executive communications at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to serving as a spokesperson for the World Bank to leading transformation era communications for EY, as well as building global partnerships at Dell. Across all of these roles, Ulufunke's work has reached hundreds of millions of people and helped turn very complex ideas into narratives that move people to action. But one of the things that made Ulufunke especially powerful is that she didn't just come up through a single lane, like so many of my guests, and we're going to be diving into that a lot on this episode. She's built organizations from the ground up, she's navigated global institutions from the inside, and she has also learned how influence really works at skill as well as at the human level. So today, Tria Consulting, the work she's doing with leaders is very aligned with her passion. She works with leaders that are ready to align their voice, their purpose, and their impact, helping them build credibility, trust, and presence in the rooms where decisions are being made. In this conversation, we are going to explore a career path background and how she strategically uses voice, storytelling, leadership presence, and purposeful communication to shape careers organizations around the world. I'm excited to share this episode with you. Welcome to Thriving in Intersectionality Podcast. But before I bring her in, I wanted to set the tone and talk about the word intersectionality. If you're new and this is maybe your basic intro to intersectionality, I hope you get curious and you learn more about this uh word. But I'll share a little bit. Um, intersectionality is a big word, but I heard about it for the first time a few years ago, and I remember feeling like, okay, there's something that captures some of these thoughts and this layered conversations I've been having. Um, I came into the word through the work of Kimberly Crensher, and she had done a lot of social research around the experiences of Black women, and so that intersection of uh gender and race was our focus. But prior to Kimberly, there have been researchers that have explored multiple intersections around culture and uh and um different dimensions of identity. Uh, but she introduced that word itself and described as a framework that recognizes how multiple aspects of identity, such as gender, race, ethnicity, even immigration status and class, among so many others, how all of these categories overlap and interact, creating unique experiences of privilege or discrimination that we can't understand by examining just one of these factors in isolation. So we are all essentially we are all multi-layered individuals, and and the whole premise of this podcast is to bring people on my guests who are not professional podcast guests, uh, but they are people that have had a career journey that has been shaped by multiple things. And so we learn from them what worked for them, and we get to know them beyond the bio. I I know we we all have uh the entry point into all of my guests is going to be their bio, but um, hopefully you walk away understanding a lot more about how they got here and how their identity has shaped their path. So thank you for being here with me, Olufunke. Thank you so much for having me, Lola. Yeah, um, I was gonna ask you, okay. So I do I call you Olufunke, Olufun. I am Nigerian, obviously, and I know your name is Yoruba name, the same tribe, but do you go by Olufunke or Funke? I go by Funke.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

Um, okay, but I I'm very intentional in writing my full name, Olufunke, but most people call me Funke for sure.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Funke, I know, and and I know that too because by default, when I saw the name, I was going to say Funke, and I think about it like because I'm Nigerian, I'm so familiar with the concept of shortening our names. My full first name is Dami Lola, and a lot of people don't know that because there are multiple versions of Lola, you know, there's Tomi Lola, there's uh Fun Lola, and so I appreciate that fact that you spell it out so that people know what the full is, even if you are fine with um with the shortened version. Thank you so much for being here with me.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Thank you so much for having me. I'm right, I'm quite excited to you know jump right in and talk about intersectionality.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

Yes, and and yeah, that's that's the first question for you is when you think about that word, uh, would like to know you a little more than your bio. What are some of your own intersections that you want to spotlight for us to get to know you?

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Thanks. So um, you know, and thanks for defining it before we jumped right in, because when I um had the opportunity to come on this podcast, the the first thing I did was research intersectionality. Like you said, it's such a big word, right? And when I say research, all I did was Google it, to be honest. Exactly, right? And yeah, so to your earlier point, you know, the first thing that come to mind for me is, you know, gender, culture, background, cultural background, ethnicity, and family status and religion, things like that. But you know, when I think about intersectionality, um Lola and myself, I think about how I've never really been able to show up as just one thing, you know, and honestly, I don't think I would want to. Um, I'm an American by birth. Um, I was born in Queens, New York. And to your earlier point about my name, by everything else, I'm fully Nigerian, right? And so even though I was born in New York and I moved back, um, I moved back at a very early age um to Nigeria with my family, and I spent my formative years there. And most of my life essentially was there in Nigeria. Um, before I came back to refinish, emphasis on refinish high school. And anyone that knows Nigerian parents, it's like I finished from an all-girls boarding school in Nigeria, but I came back and they're like, ah, you're too young, because again, there we start education very young. And so I went back to senior year in high school and you know, um, got a crash course in um high schooling in America, like you see on TV many of those times. Um, but yeah, but for me, because I grew up in Nigeria, a lot of my um cultural and ethnic aspects of who I am are very significant to me. So my Nigerian roots, the way I was raised, the stories I grew up learning, the spaces that were never off limits to me, these are things that, in fact, there was no space that was off-limit to me as an individual, as a person based on anything. And so these are things that really were deeply embedded in who I am and how I view myself and the world. So if I were to define myself just thinking through the lens of intersectionality, I'm a Nigerian woman, navigating corporate America and even America in general, which I learned very quickly. We're not Nigerian, we're all black in this. You lose your cultural identity, is eroded, I found when I came into the United States. And so someone, I'm I think I'm someone that carries the weight of the beauty of the night of the Yoruba culture while also being fully American. And I'm a woman in spaces where I'm not, where I'm often, you know, and I'm sure you hear this a lot, um I'm often the only one or one of very few that look like me in corporate America. And of course, I'm a mother. Um, so that's another intersection that I've that's had a huge impact on my journey. You know, motherhood often changes how we see ourselves, how we see our careers, how we prioritize our time, and even how we're perceived in the workplace. And I find that what's interesting is that each of these identities don't just sit beside the other, right? They're constantly in conversation. My experience as a black woman in corporate space is shaped by my cultural background, the way I was raised to value education, to work hard, to never forget where I come from. Um, my immigrants, and that was a word that was new to me in much later years, right? My immigrant background means I approach risk differently. You learn certain things in this new space I find myself, in this new world, I found myself when I moved back for high school. I think about security differently, I negotiate differently. You know, everything is just seen through a different lens of multiple layers of who I am as an individual, as a person, as a background, my entirety. And I think if I want anyone listening, what I'd want them to know is that I've never, as I as I evolved in this new intersections that I found myself in the United States, these intersections, I've never seen them as obstacles to overcome, right? I find them as my superpowers, and I think that's what I also try to instill in my children. There's so many layers to us, and I don't see them as obstacles at all. I see them as superpowers. You know, I learned how to code switch, right? Um, and I think that's cultural intelligence. Uh, I've learned resilience, and I think I inherited that not only from my parents, but I also see that as adaptability. So the community first values that come from my Yoruba building uh upbringing, I find those to be leadership, right? These are layers of me that just I don't think anyone else has them. And even those with similar background, you can't replicate that. And I embrace that those like just fully.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

Oh, I love, I love, I love listening to you describe these. I was like, I couldn't have said a better, but um, okay, so you kept saying Yoruba, and I wanted to talk about that for those listening. Um, of course, whenever I have a Nigerian guest, we get to talk about these, and I'm just trying to think. I have had I I have had a couple of Nigerian uh guests that have been Yoruba, where we haven't really talked about that part. So for those listening, what is Yoruba that you kept referring to?

SPEAKER_01 13:10

So um it's uh it's a tribe in Nigeria, so there are three main tribes, and Nigeria has hundreds of tribes, you know, it's just a multifaceted, beautiful country. Um, and Yoruba is one of the tribes in Nigeria, and the uh the Yoruba people, Yoruba culture, there's a Yoruba language, which I also speak, so it's essentially one of the tribes in Nigeria. Yeah, and I'm trying to see how would you define a tribe because I'm sure some would say what's a tribe?

SPEAKER_00 13:42

I don't know. I mean like um, yeah, I you know, people always say just Nigerians, and I always say the same thing, like, oh, there's so many different cultures within Nigeria where we speak completely different languages, yeah, and and we don't even understand ourselves. Yes. Um, so it's it's quite interesting and and uh difficult to unpack for people. I mean, we take it for granted because we know about it and we live there. My my mom um uh was part Igbo, so I know a little bit about Igbo and Yoruba, but uh maybe a few Ausa, but then all the other tribes, like you know, one or two people, but it's not really where you grew up. And um, thank you for sharing that. I think it really does shape us differently.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Um and the common language is English, because people will say, Oh, you speak English very well. Yes, because in Nigeria most people speak English that's the language uh spoken in the country, yes, right.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

And and I think talking about language, I think that was another thing that I had to learn uh coming to America is in Nigeria, if you speak English, you probably learned it in school. So every educated person speaks English. The people that don't speak English or maybe don't speak good English is probably they didn't go to school, yeah. So they're not educated. And I think when I came to the US, it was having to have that mindset shift that not everybody that speaks English went to college or finished high school because it's a very, you know, English is more of the language they're born with here, so it's it's uh fascinating and the differences in how we begin to shift our mindset. You think you know everything about the US because you watch the TV shows and everything, but some things can only be learned by living there.

SPEAKER_01 15:32

I'm telling you, very much so, you know, and I and I also just think that when as I just think back, it's uh especially if you're coming into this environment, into the US, into a different culture, even though I was born there, it's I love that your podcast is spotlighting this intersections, right, of different places. And I'm sure your your guests on your podcast have been vast and varied. But I for me, it's great to spotlight these because oftentimes when we come into a new space, um, we're being asked to minimize what makes us us, right? Yeah in order to make others comfortable, but I believe thriving is bringing all of who you are into the room and recognizing that that is precisely what makes you valuable wherever you find yourself. And so I think it's just a great platform altogether.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

Thank you, thank you so much for that. And you do it well, you do it, you show up. I love the way you just show up, present yourself, even from the name that you have there, and uh um and the way you describe and go deep into the culture and and the journey. So let's talk about career um a little bit, which you kind of started with the iSchool piece. Uh, but when we would like to understand your career journey, um, could you walk us through that? Um, maybe spotlighting we'll end with where you are now and what you do currently, but how did you get here? You know, that behind the scenes that people don't really see and the choices and the transitions and milestones.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Right. Ha, where do I start? My journey has been anything but linear, and I think that's the first thing I want to normalize, right? People, when they think about career, they say, Oh, you go to school, you do this, you do that. Um, we've learned even just looking at the wealthiest people who have done the best, didn't necessarily some of them didn't get an education, some of them just went straight into drive following their passion. So, what I want to start with to say my career journey has been anything but linear. And I think it's great to begin to normalize that, especially as people start to think as they're starting out in their career path, um, what the expectation is. So, you know, when I we started with high school, I re-entered high school. And then I actually got accepted to Tufts University in Massachusetts to study chemical engineering. Now, you and I both know from my bio that I'm not a chemical engineer. And you know, up until that time, I was purely a science student. I excelled in math, chemistry, physics. But fast forward to graduation, I walked across that stage with a degree in international relations. Then I went on to do my master's in diplomacy and international relations. And then if that's not a curveball to every traditional African parent dream of having a engineer, don't you? I don't know what is. I mean, I threw in my parents a major curveball. And here's the thing it wasn't that I was failing in engineering when I got into college, I was actually quite good at it. I was checking all the boxes, acing my classes. But you did start. You did start on the I I I started and I kept going into sophomore year when I changed. Um, but I think the hardest part that made me keep going, I mean, then I started taking elective because I knew what I needed, what I was going to do, but I didn't, my parents didn't get that memo until later in sophomore year because I just didn't know how to break it to them. Um but yeah, so I did start. I I just switched um halfway through and switched into international relations. But I think here's what no one tells you. Um, you can do everything right. And I was, I mean, I was passing my classes, I was there, but it still feels like something's missing, right? Because while I was thriving academically, um, I kept asking myself this one question like, would I want to wake up doing this for the rest of my life? And the answer was no, right? And I knew deep down in my heart that that was not my purpose. And thankfully, I realized quite earlier on, even before I really started down that path, right? Um, and my fate, so I think that was my first major transition when I realized I was building someone else's version of success. And this time, it wasn't even my parents' version because they didn't force me to into engineering. I genuinely love those subjects, right? I chose that career path myself. And it was clearly a respectable one, but I was in a position where I was technically excelling. Yet I'd look around and think, is this it? Like, is this my purpose? Is this what I want to wake up every morning doing for the rest of my life as I as I learn more and continue to take those classes? And that I think has become my North Star over the years as I look back on my career path and my journey. I even wrote a book on it, like, is this my purpose? Like, what is my purpose? And over the years, understanding what my drivers are, anchoring on my purpose and recognizing when I'm not in alignment, you know, because I've learned that when you don't see a clear path forward, not because things get difficult, because even when you're on the right path, you would have difficult times times and things will get challenging. But because the path you're on, if the path you're on requires you to shrink parts of yourself, then you know you're not aligned with your purpose, right? So I stopped throughout my career and over the years, I've stopped waiting for permission to pivot a very long time ago. I start, I invest in my own development. I seek mentors who don't just look successful, but who've navigated similar intersections and similar pivots. I've said yes to projects that scared me. I've raised my hands to opportunities, even when I wasn't 100% ready. Because as you and I know, others are doing it at 50% readiness, right? And so when I think about who I am at my core, I always tell people I'm a storyteller. You know, I had a TED talk where I talked about how I was a noisemaker and a storyteller, and that was funny. But really, that's who I really am. And I've been blessed to have a career that has allowed me to tell meaningful stories in some incredible spaces. I've worked in organizations whose missions I deeply align with. And over the years, I've, you know, led communications, I've shaped leadership voices, and I've helped communicate organizational goals and impact across. Continents, reaching global audiences of over 500 million people. And through that work, I've also had the privilege of catalyzing partnerships that have created real lasting change, right? But through it all, I think through my career, and I've done this in many different contexts within the Gates Foundation at the World Bank with EY, with Dell. So I've had a vast, I think I've been blessed and opportunity to have a vast career. And each experience has taught me a different dialect, a new dialect in the language of influence, a new way to connect purpose to people. And recently, one of my pivotal moments, as you know, for me is taking a leap from transitioning from traditional corporate career into a more entrepreneurial space. And now in this new chapter of my journey, in this new year, as the founder and principal consultant at Iwa Consulting, which is a strategic communications and leadership advisory firm, I get to multiply that impact. So I've brought everything, every part of who I am, every part of my experiences in corporate America in my background into this new venture. And so just circling back on intersectionality, the name Iwa, you would probably know is a Yoruba word for character, right? And I think this goes back to what we're saying, bringing who you are to what you do. And there's a saying in Yoruba that says, which essentially translates to character is like smoke. It can't be covered up, right? And so when I thought about exactly, and so when I thought about my um my consult, my communications consultant, I chose the name iwa because anyone in branding and consulting and reputation knows that your character ultimately is your brand, right? And so um I can talk a bit about what we do, but yeah, essentially we partner with mission-driven organizations, leaders, because again, even when I was working 9 to 5, I always aligned with organizations that aligned with what my purpose was and what my mission is. So stepping out of that space is not about the paycheck, it's about still staying connected to these types of organizations. So we partner with organizations to help them discover their own authentic voice and then amplify it until it can't be ignored. So whether it's through brand positioning, through executive presence, through reputation management, or even purpose-driven campaigns, the goal is simple to architect communication strategies that turn potential into power and showcase everyone's brand, which ultimately is their character, their iwa.

SPEAKER_00 24:39

Iwa. Oh my gosh, I love that. I love that. It's uh it's a powerful word, and it really sums up what companies, organizations are trying to do with PR and branding and communications, right? Is to speak, and if your if it's really genuine and authentic, it should speak, it should sip out through every aspect of your company. Exactly. Not not just your messaging in uh on your website. Exactly. Exactly. Not just packaging, not just packaging, exactly. Thank you so much for sharing that and um for all of the the phases you've worked through, maybe starting to bring it all together now for you know, beginning of a new year is usually a time when people are reassessing, so to speak. I mean, uh a lot of us don't do it as often as we should, but the new year sort of uh it's like a new beginning and a refresher. So for anyone that is listening that can see themselves in you, maybe in any of your intersections, or maybe they are uh at a thoughtful point in their career where they are thinking about what to do next um or how to move forward, especially in the current climate, you know, there's a lot of layoffs. There, there are people that are without work, there are people starting thinking of starting their own ventures. Um, what are some of the things that helped you along the way? I feel like you already started sharing with the giving yourself permission and doing that check-in with yourself. Maybe you could expand on that. What are some of the things that helped you? And then what are some advice you can give to early mid-career professionals who are at that point right now?

SPEAKER_01 26:17

Yeah, no, and thanks. That's such a good question, Lala. And I think the first thing I would say is own your own intersections, right? Don't shrink from them because the truth is that's where your strength lies. For a long time, you know, you would think, oh, you need to fit into one box. You need to be a professional, you need to be an African, you need to be a black person, you need to be a woman, you need to be a communicator, you need to be a leader. But life doesn't really work that way, right? The world we live in today actually rewards people who can move between worlds, who can bring context, empathy, perspective into the room. And so my advice, my first advice would be lead with what makes you different, not with what makes you blend in. So, right. So I could have chosen to name my company, I don't know, Sanford or Excel Incorporated or Excel, something that would, you know, be familiar to people. But I I chose something that meant something, not only to me, but as I convey it to people, I'm sharing a part of you know what we consider good character with the world. So that would be the first. The second would be invest in clarity, clarity about who you are, about what you stand for and the kind of impact you want to make, right? So for me, it's easy to say impact because I've worked in the development space, I'm a communications um specialist, but even in non-even in non-profit, even in for-profit, even in private, you need to be clear about who you are and what you stand for. Um, and when you're clear, I believe your why decisions become easier, right? You can tell the difference between opportunities that grow you and those that keep keep simply just keep you busy. And another thing that's worked for me, and I can't stress this enough, is relationships, right? I've worked in organizations where they say our currency here is relationships. And I'm like, what do you mean your currency is relationships? But they're not lying because, and it's not even necessarily in a transactional sense, but in a sense of building genuine connections, right? Every transition, every major transition in my life and career was anchored in relationships. I would even say me being here with you today was based on a relationship that we formed, based on a relationship that I had with someone and you had with the same person. And then, you know, the world aligned and we brought ourselves together. So even here, right now, we're the perfect example of how relationships have brought us exactly to this point. And so, and I think lastly, I would say don't wait for permission to evolve. The world of work is changing faster than ever. The skills, the technology, even the language. So keep learning, be curious, and give yourself permission to pivot. I think that should be like my watchword because Lords have pivoted and pivoted, but really give yourself permission to pivot when something no longer feels aligned. Uh, there's a saying that say move, you're not a tree, you can move, right? So if things no longer feel aligned, and sometimes the biggest growth, I believe, happens when you step into spaces where you're not a hundred percent ready, but you're willing to learn and you're driven by your why. That would be, I think, the last the last thought I'd share.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

I love that. And and I was just thinking of the the these intersections, these things that shape who we are, sometimes is also what keeps us wanting to be 150 before we make any move, right? You want to be 150 qualified for the role before you apply. Then where's the challenge in that role? Exactly. You've already done it for 20 years, and then you're applying for a role where you get to do the same thing you did for the last 10 years. That's exactly and so that open openness to um to something new and and and moving before you feel ready, I think is definitely a message that we need to we need to really drive in for people with a lot of intersections, which is everybody, but especially for people that have a lot of minoritized categories because we have all these layers that the world puts on us as negative, as you said, we gotta flip the scripts, right? Exactly. It's our superpowers, it's it's our strength. So thank you so much for sharing that. You talked about um pivots a lot. Do you want to share an example of one of your pivots? I know you've walked across different industries. Maybe how you how you made the decision.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

I I think, and I you know, uh, one of the things I do is I speak and just mentor younger um women in public health, in tech, etc., as they're young in their career. And when I talk about um pivoting, a lot of questions that I get asked a lot is well, how do you move? How do you when do you know it's time? When do you know it's ready? Why I'm so nervous to make the next step. And I always, and I said this earlier about my North Star. I have I anchor any decision I make based on purpose, purpose, right? Based on my why. And if you're on the path of your why, you even if difficult, and they will come, like life is never a bed of roses, they will come. You will know that yes, but this is the right path I need to be on. So I I mentioned some of the organizations I've worked in, right? And some would say, oh, they've worked in the development space, I've worked in Africa, I've worked in the United States, I've worked in the UK, I've worked across continents and I've worked across industries. But I think the underlying threat has always been my why. So even within that, I've done communications, I've done leadership voice, I've done brand reputation. And so I've never been one to box myself to say, well, I did it in the private sector. I don't think I can move into the development world. And I went from the private sector straight into the World Bank, and there's no bigger pivot than that, right? Because you would think, and I entered the as a leader in the World Bank. And so I would say, don't let your fears hold you back. You said it earlier, you've done the same thing for 20 years. Now it might, the room might look different, and the people around the table might look different, but what you do is what you do. Own it and be confident in it. And I watched a clip, Obama was saying how like he's been in different spaces, and what he's realized is like nobody's 100% confident. Some people they are just winging it, even in even people that are leading countries. And if there's one takeaway, I tell everyone, and I even use myself as an example. There's spaces I walk in and I'm not 100% comfortable, but I'm comfortable in who I am and what I do, and I roll with it. That's and I know that is this before I've even walked into the room, I've assessed it. Does this align with what I want to do? Is this along the path I want? And even there are times, and I tell this to people young earlier in their career. Now I have the ability and I have the privilege to pick and choose what I want to do. Earlier on, I would say there's some jobs I took because you know I needed a paycheck, right? It was still along the what I studied, but was it ideal? Was it my perfect job? No. But again, I know what was important to me at that point was school bills and you know, student loans, etc. Every experience, especially for those young in their career, for those of us that are a bit mature in our career, we have the ability to pick and choose. We have the ability to select what options we want to go to next. But for people that are younger in their career, just to keep it a bit more relatable, yes, there are experiences that you would go through. And I've had people say, God, I hate, I want to quit, I don't want to do this anymore. But there's no experience that's a lost experience. Get what you have out of it and what you can get out of it, and give it 100% because it's in doing that you never know where that notice might come from. Someone might notice that, oh, she's doing this well, this person's doing this well, she's good at what she does, and she's doing it 150%. I like that that actual term of 150. She's going above and beyond, and that's where doors would open. So don't um belittle little spaces or spaces that you think are you're not you shouldn't be in. But I say give it your role, and when it is time to pivot, you will know because you'd know if it's anchored to what your North Star is and your why, you would know when it's time to leave. When it's time to leave. Yes, and the fear was there, but you would still know when it's.

SPEAKER_00 34:49

And there's something you said that I'm still stuck on, and I want to make sure people don't miss it because I think, especially for myself, for a lot of the people that I'm talking to, we are the only in a lot of different layers, a lot, right? You are the only woman, you are the only black person, you're the only parent, whatever it is, right? And so we get stuck in that fear of, oh my gosh, I'm going into this space. But what you said is I'm confident in who I am. I don't need to be like everybody in that space. I know what I bring, and I think that's really going to be the most powerful tool that we all can use. We can't do enough research on every space or every company or every role we're trying to go into. But if we build our own confidence in who I am, what I stand for, what I bring to the table, we can walk confidently into any room and convey that. So thank you so much. Because that's that image that I feel like, oh, okay, I want to hold on to that. You know, be confident in who you are so that you can step into any room because we're never going to, I mean, it's going to take decades or never or forever for us to get the rooms to be the way we all envision the rooms. Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 36:00

Exactly. So you better furnish it the best way you can and make yourself comfortable.

SPEAKER_00 36:05

Exactly. So how about we do what we can control? Uh, which is exactly how you react, I'm sure. But thank you so much. Um, thank you. I love that, and thank you for sharing your wisdom. Thank you for your experience, and thank you for your um for sharing about Iwa thank communications. Um is that brand new for you? Is that the next phase?

SPEAKER_01 36:31

It is it is brand new. It is the next phase. New year, new everything. It is the next phase, and again, um, I'm quite excited about it. Just you know, sharing and helping others communicate and bring their impact to life, yes.

SPEAKER_00 36:44

All right. Well, if you are listening, um, you're in a body here. Yeah, I hope you get connected with Olupunke at um details will be in the show notes, and it's been um amazing chatting with you, but I'm not gonna let you go without my last question that I ask all my guests and call it my final cultural connection question. But if you were to share a dish, maybe you take a dish to work for your co-workers, um, either a meal or a snack or a fruit, what would you pick and why? Why did you choose what you choose? Oh, this one's easy.

SPEAKER_01 37:18

Is it jolof rice now? Funny enough, I actually made jolof rice for my kids yesterday. But yes, jolof rice. And I'm talking about the Nigerian Jolof. Nigerian jolof, not the diplomatic version, and yes, I am ready to defend Nigerian Jolof superiority. All right, no, but seriously, here's why jolof. What I love about jolof rice is what it represents, right? In Yoruba culture, and I I I love this question. Let's end on this question because we started with Yoruba, right? In Yoruba culture, food is never just about eating, it's about gathering, right? It's about celebration, it's about love. It's and jalof rice is a dish that brings people together. You can't really eat jalof alone. It's always at the center of something, it's at the center of a birthday, a wedding, or even a casual Sunday afternoon in your house with your family. And so, um, in the workplace, we talk about bringing our whole self to work, right?

unknown 38:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:17

Well, jalof is my whole self on one plate. You can't miss it. It doesn't apologize for taking up space. No, it doesn't. It doesn't apologize for taking up space. It's complex, and there are layers of flavor that took time and care to develop. It's nourishing and it's substantial and it's meant to be shared. So for me, it's symbolic of how I see work and I see life that we thrive most when we're in when we're in community, that we can bring our full selves to the table, our culture, our stories, our experiences. And I think that's when collaboration becomes powerful. So, yes, I would bring jolof rice and maybe some plantains on the side, you know, just to seal the deal. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

Well, I can't wait to meet you in person and come and eat jolof rice in your there. You go, yes. Smokey jolof. Thank you so much. Smoky Jolo, the real one. Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure chatting with you. Um you remind me of home. Of course. I'm glad. And uh congratulations on your just beautiful career journey. And thank you. Thank you for giving back as you go um along the way and looking forward to continued conversations.

SPEAKER_01 39:30

Thank you, and congratulations as well on this excellent platform that you have developed. And thanks for giving me the opportunity to just come here and be with you. It's been so much fun. Uh, I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 39:40

All right, uh, make sure you share this episode, rate and review wherever you listen, and um can't wait to hear your feedback. Thank you. Thank you for being part of today's conversation on thriving in intersectionality. If you're an HR or DEI leader and you need employer resource group or business resource group resources, let's connect and LinkedIn and help organizations build inclusive cultures through inclusive workplace communities, strategy, and storytelling. Immigrants and first-gen professionals, join our free community at www.immigrantsincorporate.org for career support, networking, and resources in community with peers who understand your journey. Tag our podcast page on LinkedIn or connect with me directly to continue the conversation. Please don't forget to rate and review to help others discover these discussions. Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters. I'm Dr. Lola Adeemo, and this has been Thriving in Intersectionality Podcast.