No Straight Path

In this solo episode, I do a deep dive into how to bounce back from a setback. At some point in our no-straight-path journeys, we all face setbacks and I believe that by sharing our stories and the lessons learned we can help others struggle less and soften the blows. Given the fact that many big companies have recently announced staff reductions and lots of people are facing job losses, in this episode, I use job loss to contextualize the issue, but it is relevant to other setbacks. Having failed the bar exam to become a lawyer, I have firsthand experience of how to overcome a setback, and today I am going to break down some practical tips on how you too can get through a challenge like this. From normalizing the setback and honoring the pain to ultimately believing in yourself again, I’ll give you helpful steps to get through this tough time. If there’s one thing I know it’s that your setback story can become your comeback story and I’m here to help you do it. So if you’re in a tough spot in your career right now, this is the podcast for you!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Pivot with Ashley Menzies Babatunde (Part 1) 

The Pivot with Ashley Menzies Babatunde (Part 2) 

Law, Tech & Content Creation with Alex Su 

“The real strength of weak ties"

Fiverr 

Upwork 

Picking the Destination, but not the Journey with Dawn Dickson 

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram

No Straight Path Podcast

In line with this podcast’s theme of navigating no-straight-path journeys, today we are joined by lateral thinker, Dawn Dickson! Dawn is a serial entrepreneur and inventor with over 20 years of experience in technology and business development. She has run six successful companies, including Flat Out of Heels and PopCom, and is a pioneer in crowdfunding as the first woman to raise over $1 million. She has received a number of awards recognizing her impact in business, including a feature on the Forbes Next 1000 List. In our very first live episode, we bring you a conversation with Dawn from HubSpot’s Inbound business conference. Tuning in, you’ll hear how Dawn’s entrepreneurial journey began in her childhood and how she came up with the idea for some of her companies. She also sheds light on investing, the barriers that exist for many people, and why crowdfunding is so rewarding. Dawn believes that the only reason she didn’t fail is that she didn’t quit. To hear about the many challenges that she has encountered and the pivots she has made along her journey, as well as the lessons learned in the process, make sure to tune in today! 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dawn Dickson 

Dawn Dickson on LinkedIn

Dawn Dickson on Twitter

Law, Tech & Content Creation with Alex Su 

Inbound 

Flat Out of Heels, LLC 

PopCom 

The Big Fix

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram

No Straight Path Podcast

Hubspot Podcast Network

This week, on No Straight Path, we are joined by the Head of Community Development at Ironclad, Alex Su (otherwise known as the LegalTechBro on TikTok), who has been taking the legal content creation world by storm! As a former attorney who now works at the cutting edge of legal technologies, Alex uses humor to make some pretty serious points about what it’s like to practice law and highlights some of the biggest issues facing the legal profession, from mental health to overwork, burnout, and more. Alex’s journey is not without its unexpected twists and turns and, in today’s episode, we dig into a number of No Straight Path topics, including major setbacks, highlights, and lessons learned. You’ll discover what drew Alex to the legal profession in the first place, how he realized that he was on the wrong path, and how he uses the lighthearted medium of social media to engage with a typically earnest legal audience. One thing that stands out about this interview is the key role that personal storytelling has played in Alex’s success and how you can rethink your definition of success by focusing on doing what you find meaningful. For some valuable (and hilarious) insights from an exceptional leader at the intersection of law, technology, and new media, make sure not to miss today’s conversation with Alex Su!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

No Straight Path Podcast

Alex Su

Alex Su on LinkedIn

Alex Su on Twitter

Alex Su on TikTok

Alex Su on Instagram

IronClad

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram

Emily Thompson’s entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 18 when she bought her first business, a tanning salon. From the moment she stepped into the role of a business owner, she knew that was where she was meant to be, and since then she has built businesses ranging from online jewelry stores to website design agencies. Today, she runs Being Boss and Almanac Supply Co., both of which feed her passions for creativity and business in different ways. Tune in to hear Emily share the story of her upbringing (which was filled with experiences rather than things), one of the biggest setbacks she has experienced as an entrepreneur (and the valuable lesson it taught her), why it is so important to be flexible with your vision, and the benefits of a “business bestie.” Entrepreneurship is about the journey; be open to all the opportunities that life presents to you, and don’t forget to have fun along the way! 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Emily Thompson on LinkedIn

Almanac Supply Co.

Being Boss

Being Boss on Apple Podcasts

Being Boss on Spotify

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram

How can we achieve more humanity in the workplace? If this is something that you are passionate about, you have come to the right place! In this episode, we bring you an enlightening conversation with Dr. Sanja Licina and Maddie Grant on achieving a human-centered workplace. Dr. Sanja Licina is an organizational psychologist and the president of QuestionPro Workforce. She has dedicated her entire career to helping companies create cultures that employees love to be part of. Maddie Grant is the co-founder of Propel, as well as an expert culture designer and digital strategist, focusing on helping organizations unlock the power in their culture. She is also the author of a number of books including Humanize: How People-Centric Organizations Succeed in a Social World, which was surprisingly ahead of its time when it was published over a decade ago. After covering Sanja and Maddie’s no-straight-path stories, we talk about creating systems to better support humanity in the workplace in spite of business objectives and capitalist constraints. We discuss the importance of empathy as a leader, how well-being is more front and center than ever before, and how important flexibility of location and time is to workplace culture and employee retention. Tune in for this fascinating conversation!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Sanja Licina 

Maddie Grant

Work @ Life 

Work @ Life — 'How a Successful Career Path Can Be Anything but Linear'

Hubspot Creators Program

QuestionPro Workforce

Propel

Humanize: How People-Centric Organizations Succeed in a Social World 

When Millennials Take Over: Preparing For The Ridiculously Optimistic Future Of Business 

The Non-Obvious Guide To Employee Engagement (For Millennials, Boomers And Everyone Else)

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram

In the second installation of The Pivot, I unpack five of the most important lessons (there were many more, but I’ll get into those in future episodes) that I learned during the period of imbalance that preceded my decision to take a one-year sabbatical from my law firm job and pursue podcasting full-time. From asking for what you want to embracing your childhood qualities and giving yourself grace, tune in today as I share some of the lessons that helped me gain the courage and the confidence to change the course of my life. Thanks for being a part of this journey! 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram

No Straight Path on Instagram

Today is the first official day of my year-long sabbatical from law. I am going to focus my energy on being a full-time podcast creator! So, I thought this would be a good time to share how No Straight Path came to be. The combination of my passion for storytelling, my desire to help other people overcome their feelings of failure, and my mom’s encouragement all led me to the point I’m at today and I couldn’t be more grateful. I know how it feels to have the weight of a community on your shoulders, how it feels to fail when everyone expects you to succeed, and how it feels to lose all sense of balance. I also know how it feels to overcome setbacks, redefine self-worth, and take control of the journey that is life. In taking this sabbatical, I’m going after what I really want, and I hope you’ll join me to see where it goes! Here’s to you, mom.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Hubspot Creators

How Are You, Really by Jenna Kutcher

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram

Thanks for joining us for the second installment of our two-part conversation with Stanford graduate, NFL player, and active community member, Michael Thomas. As you learned in part one, Mike is one of the NFL Player Association’s most active players, a two-time NFLPA Community MVP, and an excellent storyteller. We ended on the incredible story of how Mike earned his reputation as one of the best Special Teams players in the NFL and, in today’s episode, we delve into his definition of success as he shares some of the lessons he has learned in his journey as an entrepreneur. Mike also speaks candidly about how his experience of loss has informed his perspective on life and how he was able to channel his grief into his philanthropic work. Tuning in, you’ll discover why Mike believes that consistency is key and how he implements the ‘No Excuses’ philosophy in his household. He also offers insight into the purpose-driven work he does through Camp Mike T and some of the valuable lessons he hopes to impart to the young athletes that he hosts, including the importance of pursuing your passions with great conviction and speaking out against injustice. Mike’s story is a poignant reminder that dreams can come true with hard work, dedication, and taking advantage of opportunities when they arise. We hope you’ll join us!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Michael Thomas on LinkedIn

Michael Thomas on Twitter

Michael Thomas

No Excuses

Aldine Sports Association

Camp Mike T

Cincinnati Bengals

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram

When they’re not using their athletic powers on the field, NFL players, like today’s guest, are finding ways to serve as superheroes for their communities. This week, we are joined by Michael Thomas, a fellow Stanford graduate and one of the NFL Player Association’s most active players, both on and off the field, having played with the San Francisco 49ers, the Miami Dolphins, the New York Giants, the Houston Texans, and the Cincinnati Bengals over the course of his decade-long career. Throughout his time with the NFL, Mike has always been an active community member, creating the Big Plays for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami, being named NFLPA Community MVP in both 2015 and 2016 for his youth mentorship initiatives, and hosting ‘Camp Mike T’ to expose kids to unique opportunities for financial literacy and college prep programs. He also formed part in the NFLPA’s 2018 and 2019 Externship classes, during which he worked closely with Representative Sheila Jackson Lee to learn more about the political process on Capitol Hill. Tuning in, you’ll gain some insight into the journey behind Mike’s many accomplishments and find out how he learned to use his own social justice activism to turn his protest into policy. We also touch on how he struggled academically before he learned to ask for help, the challenges he had to overcome in order to realize his dream of playing in the NFL, and the importance of having faith in yourself, as well as how he earned his reputation as one of the best Special Teams players in the NFL, plus so much more! Today’s episode is No Straight Path’s version of an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary with Mike Thomas, jam-packed with valuable lessons that you can apply in your own life. Be sure not to miss it (and stay tuned for Part 2)!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Michael Thomas on LinkedIn

Michael Thomas on Twitter

Michael Thomas

Aldine Sports Association

Camp Mike T

Cincinnati Bengals

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram

In the first of our two-part series on McKenzie Thomas, the Director of Operations, Ads & Business Products at Meta, we learned all about the twists and turns of her journey and how she stayed true to herself and her inner compass. In today’s episode we delve more deeply into the lessons she learned along the way. Tuning in you’ll hear more about McKenzie’s definition of success and the role of her values, integrity, and morals in it. As she is on the brink of motherhood and is about to go on maternity leave, she opens up about what her pregnancy has been like, how she feels about becoming a mother, and her refusal to change who she is as a result of it. She talks about some of the biggest challenges she has faced in her life, how she accepted that some things just weren’t meant for her, and why she believes that it’s so important to be open to things that you may not have imagined for yourself. Listen in today to hear more of McKenzie’s profound insights into the value of trusting your intuition, as well as what she means by internalizing your own compass, and why this is so key to navigating all of life’s challenges and successes! 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

McKenzie Thomas 

Ashley Menzies Babatunde

Ashley Menzies Babatunde on Instagram