CW: Substance Use

Nadia Aimé joins Jen and Tesha to share the story of how she went from being homeless at 15 years old, to a highly regarded tech entrepreneur. This is not an overnight success story. Nadia details her journey through homelessness, substance use, and rejection, to finally building a life she could be proud of. This episode is jam-packed with inspiration and wisdom.

Topics Discussed:

(0:00) Introductions

(2:30) Homelessness:. After the death of her parents at 15 years old, Nadia found herself homeless and in a country where she barely spoke the language. Nadia describes what life was like living on the streets of Belgium

(7:45) Community Housing/Shelters: Nadia discusses the first time she found a roof over her head, and taking a shower in a year. She describes the rejection she felt applying to attend school.

(17:40) First job. First paycheck, First apartment: Nadia describes attending cooking school, her passion for cooking, and working in a restaurant. Nadia tells us about eventually getting her own apartment.

(22:51) Substance abuse: Nadia talks about using substances to cope, and realizing that she had a problem.

(29:55) Job Searching: Nadia describes looking for work as a person of colour, with no education, and no experience. She details the ways that each rejection harmed her self-esteem, and made her feel not good enough.

(34:10) Finding her passion: Nadia describes the process of applying, interviewing for, and obtaining her first “real” job. Turns out Nadia was good at the job, and it was here that she discovered her passion for technology. She had something that she was good at, a skill that could lead somewhere.

(47:00) Coffee, Coding, and Eating: Nadia talks about pursuing her passion with a vengeance. Nadia describes teaching herself as much as she possibly could, until she knew enough to start getting some work, and began making a name for herself.

(53:10) She is Digital: Nadia describes starting an organization to inspire others from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue careers in technology.

(61:34) Making peace: Nadia talks about her relationship with her guardian now, and how she got the closure she needed

(65:10) Nadia’s advice: Nadia tells us her secret for keeping hope alive, what drives her to keep going, and where she is now in her personal life.

Resources:

Nadia’s Tedx Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/nadia_aime_now_is_not_forever

Guest Bio for Nadia Aimé

Self-taught and driven, I have always had a passion for new development in technology that escalated me to where I am today. My push into tech happened 7 years ago after several failed attempts at applying for jobs when I was 20. I kept getting rejected due to the fact I held no degree and the fact that I used to be homeless, I am a big believer that anyone can achieve or learn anything with time, determination and a chance. So that’s what I did, got my chance and I taught myself how to code, which ended up leading me to where I am today.

Nadia can be found on Instagram @she_is_digital

Want to be a guest on the show?

Email: [email protected]

Follow us onInstagramFacebookTikTokSupport the show for as little as $6 on Patreon and access exclusive content