Unspeakable Leadership

What happens when you realize the biggest barrier to your leadership isn't external, it's your own opinion of yourself?

In this episode of Unspeakable Leadership Season 6, Rohene sits down with Leena Yousefi, founder of YLaw, the largest female-owned law firm in Canada. Leena has spent her career reimagining the legal profession through progressive values like four-day work weeks, pay transparency, and first trimester leave.

But before the accolades, Leena hit rock bottom at 19. Severe depression. Failing courses. Parents who had given up. Even now, with recognition as one of Canada's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers, she's actively working to unpack the guilt and perfectionism that still follow her every step.

In this raw, honest conversation, we explore:

• How to build a thriving career without losing yourself to perfectionism
• Why "having it all" is a myth and what actually matters
• The difference between balance and living with intention
• Why ambitious women are often told they're "too much"
• How childhood conditioning keeps us seeking validation from others
• The biggest mistakes that still haunt her and how she's healing them
• Why your body holds the answers your mind keeps seeking
• How to pass a different message of worth to the next generation
• What it actually means to choose yourself

This episode is for anyone who's been told they're too ambitious, too loud, too much. Anyone ready to redefine what leadership means on their own terms.

Website: www.ylaw.ca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leena.lawyer.ylaw/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leena-yousefi-7932b232/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Watch the episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/K1128rqZrug

What happens when you realize the biggest barrier to your leadership isn't external, it's your own opinion of yourself?

In this episode of Unspeakable Leadership Season 6, Rohene Bouajram sits down with Haeley Mariah Williams, Founder of The Mental & Physical Coaching Experience, Holistic Health & Wellness Educator, Transformational Coach, and Creator of Remember You™, a trauma-informed framework designed to help people reconnect with who they are beyond what they have experienced.

Haeley brings over a decade of lived experience, professional expertise, and hard-won wisdom about what it truly means to reclaim your voice, your body, and your power. From losing her brother to suicide at age 12, to navigating identity as a student athlete, to being cut from her college team right before graduation, Haeley has faced the moments that most people only fear, and she's emerged with a framework for turning survival into transformation.

In this raw, honest conversation, we explore:

• How trauma, athletics, and grief shaped her leadership journey
• The first law of personal growth: we will never rise above our opinion of self
• Why valuing others' opinions over your own keeps you stuck
• The critical difference between hearing yourself and listening to yourself
• How to build self-trust through action, even when you're terrified
• Why stillness and meditation are where real decisions happen
• The universal law of rhythm: why healing isn't linear, and how to love the down slopes as much as the up slopes
• How to move through pain and suffering with gratitude instead of resistance
• What it means to be your ancestors' answered prayer

This conversation is for anyone who's been told who they should be, anyone who's doubted their own instincts, and anyone ready to choose themselves, not just once, but again and again.

Website: www.haeleymariahmpe.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haeley.mariah/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haeleymariah/

Substack: https://haeleymariah.substack.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Download a free guide: rohenebouajram.com

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QuXaFyAySng

What if the power to heal the world has been inside you all along?

In this episode of Unspeakable Leadership Season 6, Rohene Bouajram sits down with Yeye Omitosin Cyrus, spiritual leader, third-generation guardian of the Kenny Cyrus Alkibidon Ilaiyappa (K C A I I), one of the oldest Orisha shrines in Trinidad and Tobago, and recipient of the chieftaincy title Iyalode de Awaa Bay (Mother Leader, Woman Leader of the World).

Yeye brings a lifetime of spiritual grounding, corporate leadership experience, and ancestral wisdom to a conversation about what it truly means to lead as a woman in a world that has systematically erased our power. Drawing on the Osa Meji reading, the divine guidance for June 2026–June 2027, she reminds us that women are the first healers, creators, and leaders, and that when we put aside our fear, we blossom into our full capacity.

We cover:

• How the Osa Meji reading reveals women's power to heal and transform the world
• The historical and systemic erasure of women's power through colonization and patriarchy
• Why fear is the loudest voice holding us back, and how to move beyond it
• The gifts women need to reclaim and the balance between spiritual and physical life
• Why nature connection is essential to leadership and healing
• The role of intuition, ancestral guidance, and discernment in navigating a constructed world
• Growth comes with discomfort: what her mother taught her about preparation
• Why we are our ancestors' answered prayers, and what that means for how we lead
• The festivals, initiations, and spiritual work Yeye is leading into the future

This conversation is sacred, grounded, and deeply affirming for anyone who has felt the call to lead differently, who carries ancestral wisdom, or who is ready to step into their power despite the fear.

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Pve3VuY3H/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Work with Rohene: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/workwithrohene

What if everything you were taught about building a successful career is actually keeping you stuck?

In this episode of Unspeakable Leadership Season 6, Rohene Bouajram sits down with Alison Hemmings, career glow-up coach and founder of Nouveau Executive Solutions, for a refreshingly honest conversation about redefining career success, breaking free from traditional employment scripts, and building a life that actually fits.

Drawing on over a decade of experience as an executive recruiter sitting in rooms where hiring decisions were made, Alison shares what she learned on the inside and how she now uses that knowledge to help senior women of colour get seen, promoted, and paid what they are worth.

We cover:

• Why the traditional script of work hard and climb the ladder is keeping women of colour broke and burnt out
• The visibility gap and why the most talented person rarely gets the job
• How to advocate for yourself when you have been conditioned to stay invisible
• Why staying at the same company too long is actually costing you money
• What fractional leadership is and why it represents the future of work
• The importance of getting a life outside of your career
• How to stage your career like a house before you go to market
• The difference between being a generalist and being a multi-hyphenate
• Why doing everything by yourself is one of the biggest career limiters for women of colour
• How to shift from a struggle bus mindset to a private jet mindset
• What it truly means to decouple your identity from your career

This conversation is honest, practical, and deeply affirming for anyone who has ever felt stuck in a career loop, burnt out from overgiving, or ready to reimagine what success looks like on their own terms.

Connect with Alison Hemmings:

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

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alisonhemmings

Connect with Rohene:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nf-vNx6SKFM

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Work with Rohene: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/workwithrohene

Subscribe to Rohene's Newsletter: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

What if the very metaphors we use to talk about leadership are already rooted in scarcity?

In this episode of Unspeakable Leadership Season 6, Rohene Bouajram sits down with Vanity Jenkins, founder of ShiftED Consulting, leadership coach, and human design facilitator, for a rich, honest, and deeply practical conversation about scarcity mindset, self-trust, and what it truly means to lead from a place of abundance.

Vanity shares her personal journey through two layoffs, single motherhood, and the decision to finally bet on herself, and unpacks why so many women of colour find themselves trapped in fear-based leadership, even when they're trying to open doors for others.

We cover:

• Why the metaphors we use ("climbing the ladder," "seat at the table") are already rooted in scarcity
• How women of colour can unconsciously become barriers to other women of colour and why
• The relationship between injustice and scarcity in organizational leadership
• What it takes to move from fear-based decision-making to abundance and possibility
• How to name and interrupt the inner voice that spirals toward worst-case scenarios
• Why stability isn't always what we think it is and what self-trust looks like instead
• Navigating the freedom and fear of entrepreneurship as a single mom
• Thinking in seasons: what African perspectives on time and nature teach us about leadership cycles
• The difference between mentorship that opens doors and mentorship that narrows possibility
• Why the crossroads metaphor is itself a form of scarcity and what to ask instead

This conversation is grounding, generous, and deeply affirming for anyone navigating leadership transitions, scarcity mindset, or the courage it takes to bet on yourself.

Connect with Vanity Jenkins:

Website: www.shiftedconsulting.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/shiftedconsulting/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanity-y-jenkins/

Book a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/vanity-jenkins-/discovery-call

Connect with Rohene:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4anP01HHadw

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Join Our Newsletter: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/contact

What does it mean to lead truly, not because the system told you how, but because you decided who you want to become?

In this Season 6 premiere of Unspeakable Leadership, Rohene Bouajram opens with one of the most important conversations of the season: her own. She invites you into her arena, a space where you stop performing and start choosing.

Between Season 5 and now, Rohene has been reflecting deeply on the question that launched everything: What do you really want? But that question needed expansion. Because reaching success by someone else's definition doesn't mean you're free. And that's where this season begins.

Drawing on conversations with fellow coaches, her doctoral research on how leadership has been defined far too narrowly, and her lived experience as a woman of colour in organizations, Rohene explores:

• Why we can be excellent at navigating a system without ever feeling truly free inside it
• The difference between success and freedom
• How leadership has been architected around assumptions that never accounted for women of colour
• What it means to hold multiplicity: to be ambitious and soft, strategic and spiritual, grateful and wanting more
• The concept of "braiding", how our lives don't have to happen in separate compartments
• Your arena: the space where you decide who you're becoming, what you're choosing, and what you're carrying because it's truly yours

She also introduces the Circle of Braided Arenas, an intimate in-person gathering for women ready to be themselves, find community, and share what they're carrying, alongside an exclusive bracelet marking this new expression of Unspeakable Leadership beyond the podcast.

This episode is an invitation to ask better questions, reclaim agency over your life, and remember that your courage opens doors for someone else. Your success expands what's possible, for everyone.

Connect with Rohene

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Learn more about the Circle of Braided Arenas & the bracelet: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/circle-of-braided-arenas

Watch the episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/-jHtPab5c2k

What does it really mean to build your own arena?

In this Season 5 finale, Rohene Bouajram reflects on the powerful conversations that shaped She Built Her Own Arena and shares the deeper lesson that emerged throughout the season. Building your own arena is not simply about ambition. It is about honesty. It is about having the courage to admit that the life you've built has room to expand into something more aligned with who you truly are.

Drawing from the wisdom of every guest this season, Rohene explores the threads that connect dreaming bigger, self-love, financial leadership, authenticity, and redefining success. Together, these conversations become an invitation to imagine differently and to build a life rooted in choice, purpose, and possibility.

We cover:

• Why building your own arena begins with honesty

• The lessons each Season 5 guest brought to the conversation

• Creating space for expansion instead of staying within limitation

• Letting go of lives built around what feels attainable

• Why leadership extends into every area of your life

• The relationship between imagination, trust, and possibility

• Asking yourself what you truly want and giving yourself permission to pursue it

This episode is a heartfelt reflection and an invitation to continue building a life that feels deeply aligned with who you are becoming.

Connect with Rohene:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lPmsumVVSYE

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Subscribe to Rohene's newsletter: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

What if becoming the CEO of your financial life has less to do with how much you earn and more to do with the decisions you make? In this episode, Rohene Bouajram sits down with Chimaobim Udodi to explore how financial literacy, intentionality, and leadership intersect to create a life of freedom, confidence, and possibility.

Together, they unpack the mindset shifts that help us move from reacting to our finances to leading them with purpose. Chima shares why financial leadership is about creating options, protecting your future, and making decisions today that support the life you want tomorrow.

We cover:

• What it means to become the CEO of your financial life

• Why financial literacy is an essential leadership skill

• Building confidence through intentional financial decisions

• How money creates freedom, choice, and opportunity

• The importance of emergency funds, debt management, and investing

• Moving from financial fear to financial empowerment

• Creating long-term wealth and generational impact

This conversation is practical, empowering, and filled with actionable insights for anyone ready to take ownership of their finances and lead every area of their life with greater intention.

Connect with Chimaobim Udodi:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elektra.cutie?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Website: https://worldsystembuilder.com/mypage/chimaobimu/

Connect with Rohene:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hW-La5Ru8BE

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Free Resources to Download: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resources

What happens when you stop surviving and start thriving? In this episode, Rohene Bouajram sits down with Emmerance Victoria for a raw, honest, and deeply moving conversation about intuition, self-love, healing, and the courage to put yourself first, even when the world tells you not to.

Together, they explore what it means to reconnect with your spiritual essence, trust your intuition, and reclaim the gifts you've been conditioned to suppress. Through Emmerance Victoria's powerful story of near-death, burnout, and breakthrough, they unpack what it truly means to lead from the inside out.

We cover:

• The danger of performing wellness while drowning privately
• Why intuition is your greatest leadership tool
• How near-death experiences can crack you open to your gifts
• The difference between surviving and thriving as a leader
• Ancestral practices and ancient wisdom as pathways to healing
• Why self first isn't selfish—it's a standard
• Metabolizing negativity without being consumed by it
• The age of Aquarius and what it means for women of colour reclaiming their truth
• How colonization disconnected us from our gifts and how we're returning to them
• The relationship between faith, spirituality, and authentic leadership

This conversation is honest, layered, and deeply affirming for anyone navigating leadership, healing, burnout, or the journey of reconnecting with who they truly are.

Connect with Emmerance Victoria:

History Unveiled Live series on TikTok (Sunday 5PM PDT): https://www.tiktok.com/@theemmerance

Website: emmerance.com

The Emmerance Podcast: https://www.emmerance.com/podcast/

Connect with Rohene:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/SuHTfB3lDzQ

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Work with Rohene: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/workwithrohene

What happens when leadership is no longer defined by titles, achievement, or external validation? In this episode, Rohene Bouajram sits down with Donnette Burrows and June A. Muvunyi for an honest conversation about leadership, motherhood, identity, and the courage to define success on your own terms.

Together, they explore the ways women are conditioned to perform, fit in, and seek approval, and what becomes possible when we choose alignment over expectation. Through stories of motherhood, personal growth, and professional leadership, they share how letting go of imposed roles opened the door to a more authentic and fulfilling life.

We cover:

• How motherhood reshapes the way we lead and see ourselves

• Why leadership is about more than titles and positions

• The courage required to build your own arena

• Letting go of expectations, approval, and the need to fit in

• Learning to love yourself and trust your own path

• Detaching from identities that no longer serve you

• Recognizing when you are in the wrong location and finding spaces where you belong

• Defining success and leadership on your own terms

• The importance of being true to yourself, even when it feels uncomfortable

This conversation is thoughtful, vulnerable, and deeply affirming for anyone navigating leadership, motherhood, personal growth, or the journey of becoming more fully themselves.

Connect with Donnette Burrows:

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnette-burrows-1727b8b4/

Connect with June A. Muvunyi:

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

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/june-abahuje-1b0a2485/?skipRedirect=true

Connect with Rohene:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/

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

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram

Website: https://www.rohenebouajram.com

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kthfgjS8-hk

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Downloading a free gift: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resources