In this episode, Akua welcomes startup veteran Kirin Kalia to talk about how startups can grow their revenue faster without giving up equity. If you are a startup founder looking to create meaningful relationships with investors and enterprise clients that ensure future growth, this episode is a must-listen. As a tech and business journalist in New York during the dot-com boom, Kirin gained a deep appreciation for the energy and drive she witnessed from startup founders as they struggled to bring products and services to market. Her experiences launching and growing online publications and working on corporate innovation programs ultimately led her to want to support even more founders. In 2021 she created Grow Through Story, in which she helps founders build the crucial skill of pitching so they always know how to tell their unique story and tailor their message to connect with others. Kirin is honored to work with founders all over the world as they build solutions for their home markets or regions and believes, “When startups succeed, the whole world benefits.” She specifically enjoys supporting female and underrepresented entrepreneurs.

In this fascinating episode, you’ll learn to question the cultural codes that have been ingrained as “right,” why white supremacy is a global issue, and why it has less to do with skin color than you might think. You’ll also understand how cultural intelligence can foster more understanding and elevate the way you lead. Cultural intelligence expert Shiva Roofeh joins Akua to talk about how she’s spent her life negotiating between cultures and how she helps people understand their own culture, what they’ve inherited from their families and societies, and the deep-rooted beliefs that affect their ability to love and lead with equity. As an Iranian-American, Muslim-Jewish Agnostic living in Spain, Shiva encourages people to reflect on societal constructs and realize there isn’t one “right” way to be in this world.

In this episode of the Open Door podcast, Akua welcomes guest Hawa Kombian, a global citizen who is building an amazing remote career. The two discuss working remotely while employed with a company/organization and the crucial things that need to be considered before going remote or allowing your employees to work remotely. Whether you’re an employee looking to stay remote after shifting out of the office temporarily, or you’re a team leader considering whether remote work is sustainable long-term, this is the episode for you. Hawa dives into how she became a remote worker in her organization, the pros, and cons of working remotely, and how to decide if it’s right for you. You’ll also learn crucial, actionable steps to take in order to convince your employer that working remotely is feasible and not just tolerable but advantageous for the company’s bottom line.

If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s likely you want to make a meaningful impact; you’re passionate and willing to do whatever it takes to grow your company or organization. But what happens when your dedication to your work comes before your mental and emotional well-being? BURNOUT. In this episode, Akua welcomes the founder of the FemGems Club, Dora Petrova, to talk about burnout and how putting yourself first is integral to the success of your business.

Affiong Williams, the CEO and Founder of ReelFruit is an entrepreneur and leader who knows how to get things done. In this episode, she chats with Akua about her work and how she's been able to leverage her purpose to move forward. She shares her story of how she started as an entrepreneur in Nigeria and eventually created a successful business that is now impacting farmers on a larger scale. She also talks about the importance of social media in her work and how she uses it to connect with her audience. This is an inspiring chat with a woman who is making a difference in the world. If you're looking for some motivation on how to grow a business, this is the episode for you!

Are you looking to take your LinkedIn game up a notch? LinkedIn is a powerful tool for thought leaders, and with the right tools and strategies in place, you can use it to its fullest potential. Akua's UpLevel for Thought Leaders program is exactly what you need. This comprehensive program offers unlimited critiques, templates for every important piece of content, and step-by-step strategies to help you effectively and efficiently master LinkedIn. Plus, you'll get access to live co-working sessions, repurposing workflow workshops, and done-for-you content.

In this episode of #AskAkua, Akua covers the importance of feedback and how leaders can benefit from opening themselves up to getting and receiving it. Feedback is essential for growth but it's also one of the most challenging things to solicit and act on. Maybe you've been resisting or ignoring feedback because you don't know how to process it or feel overwhelmed by it. Whatever the reason is, Akua will help you better understand and leverage feedback, and also provide actionable tips on what you can do to make the most of it, especially when it's difficult to hear.

Today on the Open Door Conversations podcast, Akua is joined by Danielle Keiser, the Executive Director and Founder of Menstrual Health Hub and a partner at Madamí, a consulting agency focused on gender and female health innovation. Danielle specializes in advocating collective impact in the menstrual health world, which includes working to bring together, engage and impact the broader female health global community. Prior to starting MH Hub, Danielle helped launch and grow Menstrual Hygiene Day (28 May) with WASH United.

In today's episode on the Open Door Conversations podcast, Akua shares her windy journey – her career transitions and what she kept in mind about why she made the decisions she did. Aku is chatting about her experience working in the corporate world. She shares her time as an entrepreneur and how she eventually found her way into coaching. Akua gets real on the fears and doubts she faced in each of these transitions and how she used them as fuel to keep going. So if you're thinking about making a career change, or if you're just curious about what's possible, this episode is for you!

As a leader who has so many things to do, it can be hard to get everything crossed off on your to-do list. You might get to the end of the day and wonder where did all that time go. So in today's episode, Akua shares with you her top five tools that have helped improve her productivity in business so that you can get more done in less time. Not only will you learn about these five tips, but she'll also teach you how to apply them in your own life and business. And in her signature program, Uplevel for Thought Leaders, launching soon, she deep dives into this even more. So whether you're just starting out or you've been in business for a while, there's something for you here. Tune in for more!