SLĀ Foundation Presents The Power of Storytelling with Shane Adams

Alexa is a bilingual nutrition educator at the Central Texas Food Bank. Growing up commuting from a border town in Mexico to the US everyday for school, Alexa had to deal with feeling caught in the middle of two different cultures. Alexa and Aniket talk about finding comfort in change, her love for food and nutrition, and the impactful work she does today helping out people across Central Texas who suffer from food insecurity.

Usama Siddiquee is an actor and standup comedian in New York City. Usama and Aniket discuss embracing one's own culture, the importance of passion, the difficulties of dealing with external pressures, and his tough path in the entertainment industry. Usama made the courageous decision to forego medical school and pursue his dream, and today has found widespread success as a comic with his own podcast, Mango Bae.

A child of divorced parents and an alcoholic father, Michael faced a lot of hardships at home. However, he found solace in education and an escape through playing viola. By viewing the difficult times in his life as learning opportunities, he has worked hard to become a Technical Recruiter at Google, while also continuing his love for music as a DJ and producer. Michael's story inspires us all to be resilient in the face of adversity and follow our passions.

Katherine Allen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Flo Recruit. Katherine shares with Melissa how she discovered her love for entrepreneurship and venture capital, the trials and tribulations of starting her own business during college, and her experiences in the Bay Area with Y Combinator. This past year, Flo Recruit raised $1M in funding. Katherine lives in Austin and works full-time with Flo Recruit.

Danna Tao is the co-founder of Pocket Punch and recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. Danna and Katherine discuss her decision to pursue a business major, her experience creating a company while juggling her other coursework and student organizations, and her future plans as she goes on to work for Cheniere Energy as an Associate Treasury Analyst.

Dwamian Mcleish is the founder at Journely and former chief technology officer at Camp Gladiator. Dwamian and Shane recall his childhood days in Jamaica, where he fell in love with the computer lab—except it wasn’t much of a lab considering there were only two computers. Despite this, he realized his passion for technology as a young child. Dwamian also talks about how he used his skills in track and field to make his way to college in Kentucky. He talks about assimilating to the US and reconciling his cultural differences. He built his own companies, sold them, and now is working on a new venture.

Dwamian Mcleish is the founder at Journely and former chief technology officer at Camp Gladiator. Dwamian and Shane recall his childhood days in Jamaica, where he fell in love with the computer lab—except it wasn’t much of a lab considering there were only two computers. Despite this, he realized his passion for technology as a young child. Dwamian also talks about how he used his skills in track and field to make his way to college in Kentucky. He talks about assimilating to the US and reconciling his cultural differences. He built his own companies, sold them, and now is working on a new venture.

Kelsey Creveling is the Founder and CEO of her own ventures, including KelsC. Consulting and The Consultants Closet to name a few. Shane and Kelsey have known each other for years, as they crossed paths in Texas as Shane was seeking someone skilled and ambitious to join his company Sagacious Consultants. Kelsey opens up to Shane about her life before that as she talks about struggling with trying to fit in and losing herself in the process. Kelsey also talks about her journey as an entrepreneur and the challenges that come with that title. She shares lessons about learning your own value and advocating for it when it comes to negotiating jobs.

According to Kelsey, she made $60,000 as a starting salary at Epic, with that salary growing nearly 10% every year.

Kelsey Creveling is the Founder and CEO of her own ventures, including KelsC. Consulting and The Consultants Closet to name a few. Shane and Kelsey have known each other for years, as they crossed paths in Texas as Shane was seeking someone skilled and ambitious to join his company Sagacious Consultants. Kelsey opens up to Shane about her life before that as she talks about struggling with trying to fit in and losing herself in the process. Kelsey also talks about her journey as an entrepreneur and the challenges that come with that title. She shares lessons about learning your own value and advocating for it when it comes to negotiating jobs.

According to Kelsey, she made $60,000 as a starting salary at Epic, with that salary growing nearly 10% every year.

Lori Mankin is an Integrated Marketing Manager at Lifesize, a video conferencing software company with clients like Netflix, LinkedIn, and many more. Lori sits with Shane to talk about her college experience at California State University, Chico and how she found her passion in journalism. She tells about her rocky road to where she is now as she had to deal with childhood bullies, financial instability, and mean bosses. Lori also talks about going to therapy to cope with the challenges she still faces.