As Told By Nomads

A Black Professional's Guide to the Workplace with Carice Anderson

Recounting the frustration she felt as a young Black woman beginning her career, Carice Anderson knows that many Black professionals are relying on their education and intellect alone to be successful in the workplace. In her book, she empowers young Black professionals by equipping them with advice and little-known principles of career success from her experiences and interviews with thirty successful Black leaders.

Our episode dives into what Anderson calls the three “major corporate muscle groups”:

• Knowing yourself— understanding your story and investigating your mindset
• Knowing others—building and sustaining important relationships in the workplace
• Knowing your environment—analyzing your organization’s culture

Links:

Connect with Carice Anderson:

Carice's Book: https://cariceanderson.com/book/

Carice's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cariceanderson/

Carice's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carice-anderson-a204602/

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

Tayo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TayoRockson

Tayo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

Tayo on TikTok: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

As Told by Nomads Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/as-told-by-nomads/id910739730

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deepening the Well of Love in the World with Krish Himmatramka

Krish is a man on a mission. He believes that symbols of love should never come with questions of ethics. After studying Mechanical Engineering and taking up a job at a prestigious engineering company with long term ambitions to work his way up the ladder, he learned how hard it was to drill for oil, and how easy it was to drill for water. This realization remained in Himmatramka’s head, and knowing over two billion people lack access to clean water daily, he decided this was an issue he wanted to tackle and started researching how he could make his contribution to solving it.

He initially looked into how he could set up a charity but quickly realized there were many organizations already doing a great job and given there is a finite pool of capital all he would be doing is competing for donations. Instead the idea to set up some sort of social enterprise selling products where profits could go into helping to build wells made much more sense. The rest as they say is history and Do Amore was born.

Links:

Connect with Krish Himmatramka:

Do Amore: https://www.doamore.com/

Krish Himmatramka's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krishhimmatramka/

Krish Himmatramka's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/himmatramka/

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

Tayo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TayoRockson

Tayo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

Tayo on TikTok: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

As Told by Nomads Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/as-told-by-nomads/id910739730

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Human Design with Tijana Buric

The Human Design System is a synthesis of ancient and modern sciences, and has proven to be a valuable tool for human understanding.

It provides you with simple yet effective tools to enhance your life, reducing confusion, stress and resistance. It is essentially your own navigation tool. Tayo’s guest today, Tijana Buric is a Human Design expert who discusses how and why this tool is important for us to utilize as we figure out alignment with our passions and our careers. By formal education she is an economist and by soul vocation she is a curious learner, educator, entrepreneur, coach, mentor.

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After graduating from Belgrade University she started my career in PwC audit. In 2013 she moved to New York City to pursue her graduate degree at Fordham University and continued her career in Deloitte tax consulting practice.

During her 10 years in corporate career she was a facilitator for professional and career development programs and mentor for graduate business students which awakened her passion and personal mission to help others achieve their potential through creating authentic and fulfilling careers and brands. 

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After a decade of a career as CPA, she decided to follow her passions and combine all her roles into one umbrella, the Career Alchemist. With the diploma in Executive Coaching, her educational journey doesn't stop as she firmly believes we can only grow as much as we can expand our minds.

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Having gone through the major transformations in her professional career, from moving across continents and continuing her career in New York City, to leaving a corporate career to start her entrepreneurial journey, she knows what it takes to make big changes and she is here to be your guide and support in that process.

Links:

Connect with Tijana Buric:

Website: https://www.careeralchemist.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tijana-careeralchemist/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/careeralchemist/

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

Tayo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TayoRockson

Tayo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

Tayo on TikTok: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

As Told by Nomads Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/as-told-by-nomads/id910739730

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are many people who have been prominent in our history yet have been hidden from textbooks, from conversations, and from praise and appropriate adulation. Tayo’s guest today, H.H. Leonards, got to know one of these people, Rosa Parks, in the latter years of her life and has now written a book shedding light on this amazing woman. H.H. opens the episode by telling us how Mrs. Parks came to live with her in The Mansion on O Street after being assaulted in her home in Detroit and how H.H’s vision for the mansion made it the perfect place for Mrs. Parks to recover. She also explains that she didn’t know then who Mrs. Parks was (and wouldn’t for three years) because of a lack of education about civil rights and how she’s now driven to make sure people get to know Mrs. Parks’ heart and soul.

Next, Tayo asks H.H. what Mrs. Parks might have thought about the divisions we see in society today. H.H. shares Mrs. Parks’ prescient belief that the laws would roll back if we didn’t spend time meeting with people who don’t share our beliefs and how she put herself out there to try to change people’s hearts and teach them that love is all that matters. Together, they also discuss Mrs. Parks’ belief in education and lifelong learning before H.H. closes the show by sharing that she uses her difference to make a difference by following Mrs. Parks’ wise words on forgiving others and yourself.

Episode Highlights:

• How Mrs. Parks came to live with H.H.
• The Mansion on O Street
• The lessons that H.H. learned from Mrs. Parks
• The importance of education and lifelong learning
• How H.H. uses her difference to make a difference

Links:

Connect with H.H. Leonards:

Rosa Parks Beyond the Bus: Life, Lessons, and Leadership book: https://www.amazon.com/Rosa-Parks-Beyond-Bus-Leadership/dp/1681679337

Visit the Mansion on O Street online: http://omansion.com

The O Street Museum Foundation: http://www.omuseum.org

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

Tayo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TayoRockson

Tayo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

Tayo on TikTok: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

As Told by Nomads Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/as-told-by-nomads/id910739730

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode of As Told by Nomads, Tayo sits down with Celeste Warren, Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence at Merck, to discuss what it means to be a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) champion. Celeste shares her personal experiences of feeling marginalized and attacked while attending an all-white school and working in predominantly white organizations, as well as how she uses those experiences to ensure that others do not feel the same way. The conversation also focuses on the increased focus on DEI since the murder of George Floyd and just what it takes to be a DEI ambassador.

The episode delves into how Celeste's journey into the field of DEI came from personal experiences and observations and encourages listeners to reflect on their own experiences and observations to see how they can champion people in their lives. Celeste also discusses her book on the culture of being a DEI ambassador and the importance of truly understanding and embracing the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She goes on to talk about how the murder of George Floyd was a perfect storm and how it was different from other incidents of violence against the black community. Looking forward, and highlighting the fact that the largest growing labor market is Generation Y, today’s episode proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the work culture needs to change accordingly, and is undeniably a must-listen for anyone looking to improve the culture of inclusion in their workplace both today and into the future.

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The Finer Details of This Episode:

• Celeste Warren’s personal experiences of feeling marginalized and attacked
• The increased focus on DEI since the murder of George Floyd
•  What it takes to be a DEI ambassador
• Truly understanding and embracing the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Reflecting on your own experiences and observations 
• Celeste’s book, How to Be a Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador
• Engagement and education in DEI
• Understanding the environment around you and making other people feel seen, heard, and understood
• The importance of aligning DEI conversations to the values and standards of the company
• Having uncomfortable conversations in order to achieve a culture of inclusion
• DEI wrapped around every single issue 
• The divisiveness in the political space its impact on DEI
• Passing on the knowledge and passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion to future generations

Links: 

Connect with Celeste Warren: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celeste-warren-she-her-3728784/

Book: https://crwdiversity.com/book/

Website: https://crwdiversity.com/

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sahaj Sharda, the author of The College Cartel, is Tayo’s very special guest on the podcast today. Sahaj's book explores the monopolistic greed of Ivy League colleges and other elite schools and how these institutions are creating artificial scarcity in their admissions processes. Tayo and Sahaj discuss how this is leading to discrimination, price fixing, and other exploitative practices in higher education. They also discuss potential solutions to move past the systems of oppression that exist in the education system, and share their own personal experiences and perspectives on the topic, highlighting how the culture and expectations surrounding elite education differ across the world.

Along the way, Tayo and Sahaj delve into the idea that higher education is not just about learning, but also about networking and signaling, citing examples of how attending prestigious universities such as MIT or Harvard can open doors for students that would not be available to them if they went to other schools. Sahaj then goes on to talk about how the resource and funding differences between schools play a huge role in the education that students receive, and he explains how the internet has made learning more accessible, but the value of prestigious universities, again, has to do with the network and signaling they provide. The episode draws to a close with some ideas about how to remedy this situation and break up the cartel. Join Tayo and Sahaj here today for this deep dive into the inside world of higher education's market and the changes that need to happen within it.

The Finer Details of This Episode:

• The monopolistic greed of Ivy League colleges and other elite schools
• How these institutions are creating artificial scarcity in their admissions processes
• Some examples of discrimination, price fixing, and other exploitative practices in higher education
• Some potential solutions to these problems
• Tayo and Sahaj’s experiences with these issues
• Exerting pressure on US News to change its ranking criteria
• Suppressing student athlete wages and faculty wages
• Collusion in suppressing wages and creating artificial scarcity.
• The real value of a higher education 
• The impact of the differences in funding and resources between schools 
• The Sherman Antitrust Act and exemptions within it
• Creating a national system of education to break up the college cartel

Links: 

Connect with Sahaj Sharda: 

Sahaj's Website: https://sahajsharda.substack.com/

Break the Cartel: https://www.breakthecartel.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hajsharda

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

Tayo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creating Spaces of Belonging with Immigration and Entrepreneurship with Hillary Walsh

On the last episode of the As Told by Nomads podcast of 2022, Tayo welcomes Hillary Walsh to the show. Together the pair talk about everything and anything immigration - from the systemic issues that pertain to immigration and what it’s like to be an immigrant in the US to how Walsh  endured her traumatic childhood and went on to build her business.  As a young child going through ‘juvie’ and the foster care system, Hillary never imagined that one day she would become an entrepreneur and lawyer representing refugees and asylum seekers in front of the Supreme Court. 

Since then, she’s not only made a professional name for herself, but Walsh has also broken her family’s cycle of domestic abuse and alcoholism.  Now she wants to help others find freedom like she did.  In the immigration space that’s already so plagued with rhetoric and bias, Walsh has built a business model on transparency and accountability.  She attributes much of her success to those core values and her relentless approach to immigration law.  Most importantly, she believes that there is a solution to every problem, including yours. Walsh’s story here today can serve as a lesson for you if you're trying to replicate her business model, if you're interested in her field, or, especially, if you know someone who needs her services. 

The Finer Details Connect with of This Episode:

• Hillary’s family and how she broke their cycle of domestic abuse and alcoholism
• How environment can impact  growth
• Why traveling to Uganda changed her life
• Getting her start in immigration law
• Investigating immigration rhetoric
• Combining transparency and accountability
• Creating spaces of belonging

Links: 

Connect with Hillary Walsh and New Frontier: 

Hillary Walsh at New Frontier: https://newfrontier.us/about-us/

New Frontier: https://newfrontier.us/about-us/

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

Tayo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TayoRockson

Tayo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

Tayo on TikTok: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

As Told by Nomads Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/as-told-by-nomads/id910739730

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of As Told By Nomads, Simone May joins Tayo to talk about Clutch, the company whose vision it is to build the next generation of authentic, engaging creators and support more sustainable, equitable lifestyles. As the CTO and cofounder of Clutch, May has witnessed the transformation of both the technology and software industry and has proudly participated in that change as well. Today she talks about everything from her childhood passion for math and science and her experience as a young black woman at Purdue to the power of authenticity and why she wants to democratize access in the creator space.  

As the daughter of two engineers, it’s no surprise that Simone found success in the technological field. That’s not to say that she hasn’t been met with roadblocks along the way though. Today she enlightens our audience on university burnout, how race impacts business opportunities, and where she found confidence in the midst of such struggle. This conversation is a special testament to Simone, her strength, and success. And as the pair close out today’s episode, May reveals what she and Clutch have in store for the future. You’ll definitely want to listen in.

The Finer Details of This Episode: 

• Simone’s childhood fascination with technology
• Democratizing access
• University burnout
• The evolution of ideas
• Her experience as a black entrepreneur 
• Finding beauty in imperfection
• Investor hunting
• How race impacts the axis of opportunity
• The power of authenticity

Links: 

Connect with Simone May and Clutch: 

Clutch Website: https://www.thatsclutch.com/about-us

Clutch for Creators: https://www.thatsclutch.com/make-money

Simone May on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-may/

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

Tayo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TayoRockson

Tayo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

Tayo on TikTok: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

As Told by Nomads Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/as-told-by-nomads/id910739730

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Tayo welcomes Donald Thompson, the Co-Founder and CEO of the Diversity Movement, and a Certified Diversity Executive teaching corporate executives and aspiring entrepreneurs to accelerate their success. As a three-time Inc 5000 CEO with 20 years of experience growing firms, Donald is the go-to expert for executive coaching, competitive learning, and cultural transformation. He is passionate about helping others grow, innovate, and reach their full potential. 

In this episode, Tayo and Donald unpack what it’s like to work on seizing your greatest potential while being underestimated in the world of modern business. First, Donald shares some key life lessons you can learn from sports, such as the power of resilience and recovery. Then, he proceeds to talk about his personal experience of changing how people perceived him. By becoming a top performer, he made sure people look at him through his astonishing performance and not his skin color. Finally, our duo discuss why it’s important to intentionally create a more diverse space where everyone is treated equally and has the same business opportunities. We need to be the change we want to see in the world if we truly want to make a difference.

The Finer Details of This Episode: 

• Discussing life lessons that sport teaches us
• Becoming a top performer and changing how others perceive you
• Giving people an opportunity to be better
• Building systems
• Donald’s book
• Current situation versus future situation 
• The importance of mentorship

Links: 

Connect with Donald Thompson: 

Donald's Website: https://donaldthompson.com/ 

Donald's Book: https://donaldthompson.com/books/underestimated-a-ceos-unlikely-path-to-success/ 

Donald's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldthompsonjr/ 

The Diversity Movement: https://thediversitymovement.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thediversitymovement/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-diversity-movement/ 

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

Tayo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TayoRockson

Tayo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

Tayo on TikTok: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Tayo is joined by Lynne Twist, an author, consultant, pro-activist, and renowned global visionary. Lynne is committed to alleviating poverty, ending world hunger, and fighting for equality and the rights of indigenous people all over the world. Her wealth of knowledge and experiences has led her to write an amazing book called Living a Committed Life, where she shared her compelling stories and life-changing lessons learned along the way. 

In this episode, Tayo and Lynne talk about what it takes to live a meaningful life, what being an activist truly entails, and why we need to build a global culture of commitment to make the world a better place. For more than 40 years, Lynne has been putting her heart and soul into important causes - from empowering indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest through supporting social justice to building a culture of global accountability. She’s living proof of the power of real commitment, and how being committed to a mission greater than yourself can not only empower your life and help you fulfill your purpose, but it can also move mountains and make a long-lasting impact on the world.

The Finer Details of This Episode: 

• Defining proactivism
• Fighting for vs. fighting against
• The consequences of too much power
• The toxic culture of no accountability
• Discovering your purpose and fulfilling your vision
• Tapping into your soulfulness 
• Living a meaningful life

Links: 

Connect with Lynne Twist and Soul of Money Institute: 

Soul of Money Institute Website: https://soulofmoney.org/ 

Living a Committed Life Book: https://soulofmoney.org/committed-life-book/ 

Connect with Tayo Rockson and the As Told By Nomads Podcast:

Tayo’s Website: https://tayorockson.com/

Tayo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayorockson/

Tayo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TayoRockson

Tayo on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

Tayo on TikTok: https://www.youtube.com/tayorockson

As Told by Nomads Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/as-told-by-nomads/id910739730

UYD Management: https://www.uydmanagement.com/

UYD Collective: https://tayorockson.com/uyd-collective

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.