Thoughts from Limbo

More than anything, this talk was a real boost of endorphins! Batouly Camara is a real force of nature. She made it on Forbes 30 under 30 list for her inspirational work as the founder of W.A.K.E, a nonprofit built to educate, equip and empower young girls through sport, education and social entrepreneurship that is now working to launch one of the first all-girls elite boarding schools in West Africa!

Batouly made three Final Four appearances with the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team and now plays professional basketball in Spain!  We spoke about how sports has shaped the go-getting entrepreneur that she is today, and how she manages her numerous projects, which span from speaking engagements, to writing her very own children’s book, alongside her business and the rigorous training schedule that comes with being a professional basketball player.

For more about how you can support Batouly, check her out below:   

W.A.K.E.: https://wake-academy.org/ 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Basketball-Game-Wake-Street/dp/B08C7N7XXZ 

Instagram: @toolyyy 

TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzgnEqV8yzA

We speak to the lovely Violet Manners about what it’s like to live in heritage in modern-day Britain, her creative endeavours and developing an entrepreneurial streak. Violet is the oldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, and has lived a truly extraordinary life, growing up at Belvoir Castle - a multi-towered palace boasting over 356 majestically decorated rooms hosting artworks from some of the best artists in history, on a beautiful 16,000-acre estate in Leicestershire.

With eight years experience working in Luxury and digital, she has now co-founded her very own London-based creative agency, Akana collective, and a fascinating podcast hosted by her lovely mother, called “Duchess”, in which they interview a number of inspiring women who lead some of the most historic manors, palaces and castles of Great Britain. 

For more about Violet, head over to Akana Collective: https://akanacollective.com/portfolio-item/violet-manners/ 

And check out her engrossing new podcast, “Duchess.”

In today’s episode, I speak to the wonderful Kelly Hoey!  

She was named “1 of the 10 Most Well-Connected People in New York City’s Startup Scene”, according to Inc., “1 of the 100 Most Influential Tech Women On Twitter”, according to Business Insider, and “1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship”, according to Forbes. 

Formerly an attorney in a top law firm, Kelly has gone on to co-found a startup accelerator, is a LP investor in several emerging tech funds, a keynote speaker, and the published author of “Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships In a Hyper-Connected World.” A book in which she shares her expertise on the ever so powerful, and often underrated skill of networking. 

We spoke about why networking is so important and discussed some of the common pitfalls people make when building connections online. Kelly put to rest the idea that networking is a skin-deep, momentary activity we engage in, and explained why it’s an ever-evolving game of give and take. We also discussed some of the important differences between women and men when it comes to networking and spoke about her latest survey which seeks to explore these gender differences in detail – I encourage everyone listening to sign up, and for all of those who are keen to do so, you can find the link below: 

Kelly’s Survey: https://jkellyhoey.co/successful-women-dont-network-the-way-guys-do/

Kelly’s Website: https://jkellyhoey.co/

Books: https://jkellyhoey.co/books/   

Katie Briefel is an Account Supervisor at a leading advertising agency, where she’s worked  in London and New York with brands like PepsiCo, Samsung, and collaborated on the infamous John Lewis Christmas Campaign. She’s also the host of the Start Fail Repeat podcast, where she interviews some truly inspiring people who are killing it in what they do, and finds out how they’ve overcome the setbacks that we all encounter, in some form or another, through our careers and in life. 

We talk about building resilience and recovering from setbacks, and discuss our experience with the imposter syndrome. Katie shares the pivotal experience that motivated her to change the course of her career, and we also delve into the need to reframe failure, and the increasing popularity of side hustles. 

Vishakha Sodha defies the old adage “jack of all trades, master of none” - she seems to have done it all! From acting, to modelling, to fashion design - her savvy managing skills were noticed by fashion designer Jatin Varma, who hired her as a General Manager at the young age of 19, and there’s been no stopping her since. 

She is now a full-time freelance blogger, content creator, and owns her own marketing agency in Canada. We talk about what it’s like to live a day in the life of an online content creator, and she gives us a glimpse into the world behind the Instagram feed. It’s a candid conversation in which we discuss the beauty of non-linear career paths, the future of online content development, and the exciting and upcoming world of freelancing. 

You can find out more about Vishakha, through her website at: https://vishakhasodha.com/ 

Or check her out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vishakha_sodha/ 

Aude Asklöv is a speech therapist born and raised in France, who moved to Sweden at 25 in search of fulfilment. At 43, she's now a commercial model represented by agencies in Sweden, Paris and Milan; she's also a yoga instructor, a perfume creator, and a mother of three.  

She tells us all about her journey and how she continues to consistently reinvent herself in a quest to uncover her creative passions. We discuss the empowerment that comes from being a 40+ model, the importance of yoga, exercise, strengthening your mind-body connection, and she reminds us that we should view our careers as evolving works of art as opposed to linear ladders. 

You can follow Aude on Instagram @asklovmodel

And find out more about her modelling and perfumery at www.asklov.com/

Amy Cuddy, Mind-body connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWZluriQUzE 

In this special episode, we’re joined by Shilpa Raj, a young girl from a poor, rural village in Southern India, who has shattered every social expectation and risen out of poverty through education. Shilpa was raised in Shanti Bhavan (‘Safe Haven’), a school founded by Dr. Abraham George in 1995, with the mission to alleviate poverty through the transformative power of education for the underprivileged and socially discriminated.

Shilpa shares her engrossing story, giving us a glimpse of what life in a poor Indian village looks like, and her heartwarming experience at the school. We first came across Shilpa in the Netflix Documentary series, Daughters of Destiny, and have since read her unmissable book, The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter. 

We hope you love this episode as much as we did. We encourage everyone to visit the Shanti Bhavan website for more information about how you can help, and to support Shilpa by adding her amazing book to the top of your reading list!  

Shanti Bhavan Website: https://www.shantibhavanchildren.org/ 

Donate: https://www.shantibhavanchildren.org/donate/ 

Book - The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter by Shilpa Raj: https://www.amazon.com/Elephant-Chasers-Daughter-Shilpa-Raj-ebook/dp/B075T5TWL7 

Daughters of Destiny Documentary: https://www.shantibhavanchildren.org/netflix/ 

Heather Stupi is one of the three female co-founders behind Reposite; a start-up born at the outbreak of covid-19, for which the trio have managed to secure over $2.7 million from investors as well as their rightful place on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list. 

We talk about her experience as a young entrepreneur, how her athletic background influences her drive, and how she seemingly effortlessly manages to overcome the sunk-cost fallacy to make rational decisions. She shares some valuable career and business advice that we hope you’ll find helpful and enjoy! 

Besides an absolute BABE and a half, Anna Demetriou is an award winning, London-based actor, best known for her starring role as Princess Helle of Volsung in the film, Viking Destiny (available on Netflix). She has also voiced over 7 characters in 5 video games, she is a singer, songwriter, an avid gamer, and my favorite person to follow on Instagram. Anna is hilarious. 

She tells us about her journey in pursuit of an unconventional career path, how she handles the highs and lows of being an actor, and we talk about the popularity of side-jobs and the stigma that often comes with these roles. 

To see Anna in action, search for ‘Viking Destiny’ on Netflix. 

If you’re looking for a reliable daily pick-me-up, guaranteed to make you smile, follow her on Instagram at: @annardemetriou (don’t forget the ‘R’ in the middle). 

Hersh Patel is a young entrepreneur from New York City, who made it on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list in 2020 for his work as co-founder of advertising tech company, Hindsight. We talk about his brave decision to leave a stable job as an investor at Goldman Sachs, to found his own startup. He shares his perspective on redefining success, the value of learning on-the-job, and we find similarities between our parents’ journeys as entrepreneurs. He also shares three key pieces of advice for any aspiring entrepreneurs, and he gave us a very candid take on his experience, which we really enjoyed. We hope you will too!

To find out more about Hindsight, you can visit the website, at: https://hindsightsolutions.net/ 

For more about Hersh: https://www.forbes.com/profile/hersh-patel/?sh=47feb5266d31