What does it look like to understand a system from every angle, from the inside of a probation office, to the floor of a care home, to the floor of a courtroom?

In this episode of In Her Own Name, I sit down with Creanna Dodson. Mother. Barrister. Business Owner. Founder of Soaring Heights Care.

Creanna did not plan to become a barrister. She will tell you that herself. What she did was spend nearly two decades working inside some of the most demanding spaces in the justice and care systems, and when the lightbulb moment finally came, she had something that most newly called barristers simply do not have. She already knew what the system felt like from the other side.

This is a conversation about protection. About building care for children who arrived in this country alone, without family, without language, without certainty. About what it takes to earn the trust of someone who has every reason not to trust you. About running a team so loyal that some of them have stayed for seven and eight years in one of the hardest industries there is.

It is also a conversation about what it means to finally stop brushing off your own achievements and own them.

In this episode, we explore:

How Creanna stumbled into law organically, through a family crisis, her social work experience and her work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children at Soaring Heights Care

What nearly a hundred children over ten years of care has taught her about resilience, deferred gratification and believing that young people are worthy

Why her client care skills are described by other advocates at court as second to none, and where that really comes from

What standing on both sides of the courtroom has taught her about truth, perspective and doing right by people, even when the system is slow

The moment she stopped waiting for others to validate her achievements and started championing herself

What she would shout to her 18-year-old self about believing in your own source

This is not a story about a straight line. It is a story about trusting the process, building something with your hands and your heart, and showing up fully in every role you carry.

Connect with Creanna

LinkedIn: Creanna Dodson

Instagram: @creanna.dodson

Soaring Heights Care: @creanna_shc

In this episode of In Her Own Name, I sit down with Anne-Rose Obidi, founder of The African Parent, for a deeply honest conversation about parenting, power, culture, and the courage to speak up in systems that often feel confusing or intimidating.

This is not just a conversation about raising children.

Anne-Rose shares how her own journey as a mother led her to build a platform that equips African parents with the tools, language and confidence to advocate effectively for their children.

Together, we explore what happens when respectability meets resistance.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why many African parents walk into school systems already feeling disempowered

Anne-Rose also shares books that have shaped her thinking around leadership and parenting:

📚 Let’s Go Leadership by Obi James: a practical guide exploring different leadership styles and the importance of learning when to let go.

If you are navigating school systems, safeguarding concerns, or simply trying to raise confident children in environments that were not designed with your reality in mind, this conversation will resonate.

Have you ever been told it’s imposter syndrome…When deep down, you knew something else was going on?

In this conversation, I sit down with Beverly Vanterpool, founder of Career Sistas and author of Build Your Table, and we talk honestly about what it means to navigate professional life when the system was never designed with you in mind.

This is not a loud conversation.

We speak about those moments when you realise you’re not struggling because you lack confidence, but because you were never invited into the room.

We talk about sponsorship. About visibility. About being over-mentored and under-advocated for.

We talk about redundancy not just as loss, but as an inflexion point. The kind that forces you to ask yourself:

Beverly brings both strategy and steadiness to this conversation. She doesn’t pretend the system is fair. She asks a better question:

If you’re building your own table right now, or questioning whether you still belong at someone else’s, sit with this episode.

You are not behind.

—

Learn more about Build Your Table:

Connect with Beverly:

Career Sistas:

—

If this conversation met you where you are, share it with someone else who might need to hear it too.

In this episode of In Her Own Name, host Lillian Ogbogoh is joined by Danielle Cudjoe-Michalski, a certified coach, strategist, TEDx speaker, and the founder of Thinking Light Coach. With over 20 years of experience in STEM and corporate leadership, Danielle brings both professional insight and lived experience as a neurodivergent woman to the conversation.

Together, they explore what it means to lead without masking, how to create workplaces that are truly inclusive, and why language, visibility, and belonging matter more than ever.

This is a conversation about leading with authenticity, building with intention, and honouring the full value of neurodiverse minds. If you’ve ever felt the need to hide parts of yourself to succeed, this episode is a reminder that your difference is your strength.

In this powerful conversation, Lillian Ogbogoh is joined by Danielle Cudjoe-Michalski, certified coach, strategist, TEDx speaker, and founder of Thinking Light Coach. With 20 years of experience in corporate STEM and her own lived experience as a neurodivergent woman, Danielle brings clarity, insight, and honesty to a conversation many shy away from.

Together, they explore:

What true neuro-inclusion looks like in the workplace

Why masking takes a toll on identity and leadership

How Danielle reclaimed her voice, and her brilliance

The founding of GSK’s Neurodiversity Network

Coaching, resilience, and building systems that see people fully

If you’ve ever felt like you had to “fit in” to be respected, or if you’re looking to lead from a place of authenticity, this episode is for you.

🔥 Notable Quotes:

“We’re not broken. We’re built differently. And that difference is full of value.”

“There’s something powerful in just giving people the language to name what they’ve been carrying in silence.”

“Inclusion shouldn’t be a performance. It should be felt.”

📌 Connect with Danielle

LinkedIn: Danielle Cudjoe-Michalski

Thinking Light Coach: LinkedIn | Linktree

TEDx Talk: Watch on YouTube

Instagram: Thinking Light Coach

In this deeply resonant episode, journalist, educator, and anti-racism activist Sharon Hurley Hall joins Lillian Ogbogoh to unpack the layers of systemic racism and the legacy of colonialism. With clarity, compassion, and hard-earned wisdom, Sharon shares how the murder of George Floyd shifted her path, catalysing the creation of her newsletter, book (I’m Tired of Racism), and the Share Anti-Racism community.

From confronting the invisible weight of everyday racism to redefining resilience, reclaiming rest, and challenging colourism, Sharon speaks truth to power with grace and candour. She also reflects on the intergenerational blessings that sustain her: language, knowledge, and the unshakeable fibre of survival.

Whether you’re seeking to understand how to advocate meaningfully, looking to unpack internalised bias, or need to hear from a woman doing the work without apology, this episode will stay with you.

Website: www.sharonhh.com

Newsletter: www.antiracismnewsletter.com

Book: I’m Tired of Racism – Available via Amazon, Apple Books, B&N

LinkedIn: @sharonhurleyhall

What does it mean to build people, not just pipelines?

In this episode of In Her Own Name, host Lillian Ogbogoh is joined by Modupe Adeniji, founder and Managing Director of TEM Nigeria, one of the country's leading human capacity development firms. With a background in law and a powerful track record across energy, finance, government, and professional services, Modupe is proof that true leadership starts from the inside out.

Together, they dive into:

This is a conversation about legacy, the kind built in boardrooms, classrooms, and quiet moments of courage.

Connect with Modupe via LinkedIn and Instagram

Social Media handles

What happens when you stop waiting for permission and build the system yourself?

In this powerful episode of In Her Own Name, host Lillian Ogbogoh is joined by Nanna Saoirse Soenya, founder of OmegaSeven Global and architect of The FundHerShip Grant Initiative. This revolutionary, self-sustaining model provides £10,000 per month to Black and Brown women in the UK.

Nanna is known as The Mother of Systems, and for good reason. Her work dismantles outdated structures and reimagines what access, equity, and sustainability look like for women who have historically been shut out.

Together, we explore:

This is a masterclass in vision, systems, and showing up for the women who are too often expected to figure it out with scraps.

Connect with Nanna via 

Social Media handles

"https://www.instagram.com/themotherofsystems

What does it mean to lead systems with soul? To enter boardrooms shaped by inequity, and bring both legal rigour and lived wisdom?

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Deirdre LaBassiere, a governance strategist, legal mind, and changemaker who has turned policy into purpose across housing, health, nonprofit, and cultural sectors.

Deirdre shares her extraordinary journey, from navigating homelessness and illness to becoming a nationally respected voice in ethical leadership. As Chair of WAITS, The Legacy Centre of Excellence, and the West Midlands Board for Common Purpose, she is a woman reshaping power from the inside out.

We talk:

This is more than a leadership episode. It’s a masterclass in transformation.

What does it take to sell your house, walk away from a stable corporate career, and build a business rooted in faith, freedom, and fierce self-expression?

In this episode, Joy Aboderin, founder and Style Director of Potential U, shares how she transformed her life, and thousands of others, through the radical act of personal style. More than fashion, Joy teaches visibility, self-love, and presence as tools for reclaiming power.

We talk:

This isn’t just about clothes. It’s about coming home to yourself.

Connect with Joy here:

Website: https://potential-u.co.uk/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joy-potentialu

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

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PotentialUStylist

What happens when a woman builds a multimillion-dollar AI startup—then walks away to rediscover her purpose?

In this soulful, tech-meets-truth conversation, Sabrina Ramonov shares the story behind her unexpected journey from Silicon Valley success to deep burnout, and the mission that brought her back: teaching one million people how to use AI with clarity, humanity, and heart.

We talk about:

🌏 Her Filipina roots and the power of representation in tech

💻 The creation of Blotato, a tool helping creators repurpose with ease

🧠 Why rest was the most radical part of her leadership

💬 The voice she’s reclaiming, and who she’s using it for

This isn’t just a story about innovation, it’s a story about permission, purpose, and choosing to lead on your own terms.

Listen now to hear how Sabrina is rewriting what success in tech can look and feel like, one tool, one truth, one lesson at a time.

Explore more of Sabrina’s work and resources:

🌐 Website: https://www.sabrina.dev

#InHerOwnName #SabrinaRamonov #WomenInTech #AIWithSoul #AuthenticLeadership #Blotato