LEAN FORWARD with Sam Semako

Getting a job for graduates is the usual thing after graduation. However, there is a glut in the job market. That said, most graduates still follow the LINEAR WAY (traditional) way of getting a job. In this podcast episode, deviated from the LINEAR way of getting a job. Listen and alternative ways of getting g a job.

I met two ladies who were volunteers at www.AfricaNXT.com. I had opportunity of having conversations with them. I was impressed by what they do. Take a listen and learn from them.

One of the opportunities I get at www.AfricaNXT.com is the opportunity to meet people from different fields. On Monday I meet Wunmi Akinsola. I joined the session she was on as a panelist with other panelists. She started WWW.FASTTRACKER.COM a fashion e-commerce site. Prior to this, she was project manager for the 2018 Bridal Fashion Week in Lagos. On September 20, 2021, Akinsola's fashion-tech startup, Fashtracker, won TechCabal's Future of Commerce pitch contest. Her journey into entrepreneurship started with working with her sisters in 2008 when her siblings co-founded a fashion brand called Virgos Lounge, a London-based womenswear brand. She worked with them as brand coordinator where she was involved in almost all levels of the business's value chain, especially the fulfilment part. In 2014, she monitored transactions worth over £1,000,000. In 2015, she graduated from the University of Kent, England, where she studied fashion and textile. She turned her final year project into her own company, called Pearls and Portrait, a B2B fashion outlet that designs and outsources production to manufacturers in China and India, then sells the ready-made clothes to businesses across the world. After two years and a lot of financial and strategic mistakes, she decided to pursue a master's degree in entrepreneurship and innovation. It was here that she got a better grip on how to run a business, especially a tech-enabled enterprise. She came back to Nigeria She also worked with Jumia to lead its Women's Fashion Category. She left Jumia and started Fashtracker in February 2020 to provide a pan-African marketplace for the continent's fashion. Check her out at www.fasttracker.com

This is an interview with Joana Chemel. We met at www.africanxt.com. I attended her session. So, who is Joana? Joana Chemel is a Creative economy and Project management consultant living in Ghana, West Africa. We talked about what brought her to Nigeria. We talked about how she was able to lean forward. We talked about opportunities available to you. ABOUT HER: When she is not fully booked in strategic planning, implementation and evaluation of a client project, she spends her time training and facilitating Human-Centered Design/Design Thinking sessions with the youth, business/industry and government institutions. As a Project manager and Design Thinking facilitator, she has engaged over 500 young girls, children and cumulatively over 1,000 young entrepreneurs, students and relevant stakeholders using Human Centered Design approach to train, draw out experiences and write stories for various partners such as Netherlands Embassy Ghana, British Council, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, UNICEF, UNDP, PACT Ghana and Kosmos Innovation Centre (KIC). She is passionate about Human Dignity and the development of African Youth so she spends her time working on programs and projects that empower, promote and enhance young people in Ghana and Africa. She loves to travel to experience new people and cultures. She is a lover of afro beat and dance.

Greatness demands that you accept the card you have been dealt with by Nature/God. You can't have it all. You can't knowbit all. You can't be in everywhere. Embrace your inadequacies and move on with your life.Pyemwa Samantha Deshi, a copywriter, writer, script writer and so many things thrown into one person was my guest talking

The solution you are seeking is hidden in a conversation.

In 2019, I was at Social Media Week Lagos. While there, one of the resource persons said, "Don't allow your age to be your cage." That stood out for me. Thinking about that I realised that most of us really have allowed our age to be our cage. Our age has limited us from attempting some projects or ideas. So, how can you unlock yourself from this cage? Listen to this.

"If your life is a STATEMENT, what is it saying? " - SMK My life, for some years now has been centered around certain life themes. Some years ago, a young lady drove herself to a cliff of a mountain, came out of her car went close to the edge and jumped and killed herself. A man who was a lecturer, who was not far away saw this happened. He was shocked! He reflected on that experience. That experience had a profound impact on how he lived his life afterwards. He felt if she had been shown love adequately she wouldn't killed herself. He became THE LOVE TEACHER. He created a course unit on love and asked his university to allow him teach that. He was allowed. LOVE became his LIFE THEME. That was what he taught. Spoke about. Wrote about. That was what encapsulated his life. He LIVED and DIED for LOVE. His name: LEO BUSCAGLIA. In making sense and meaning of your life, there are things you must do. One of those things is FINDING/DISCOVERING YOUR LIFE THEME. What is a life theme?

I am looking at 3 Unfair Advantages that you have that you often overlook. This might be the reason you often think somebody else is better than you. If you look deeply into your life, there are some advantages that you have that stands you out in what you do or should be doing. Here are three unfair advantages that you have:

I was listening to Dorie Clark, a marketing communication expert when she mentioned these three words: Passion to Explore. That got to me. Passion to Explore. Also I came across Suzy Kazeem's words. She says, "I have been finding treasures in places I did not want to search. I have been hearing wisdom from tongues I did not w ant to listen. I have been finding beauty where I did not want to look. And I have learned so much from journeys I did not want to take..."* This year, one of the things you need to put on your to-do list is PASSION TO EXPLORE.

We all desire to achieve our dreams goals. We want to have things we can point to that we achieved every year. However, when the year gets to an end, regrettably, we often don't have tangible things we can point to. Let me share with you three things you might need to take note of as you work on your goals this year.

Everyone can build something.

Don't let your beautiful ideas, thoughts, concepts vapourise, document them so that you can be able to come back to them again.

You will hear the story of Jerome Onipede and the story of Funmi Iyanda how they got recomemnded.

There are so many things holding you down from leaning forward. They are your slave masters. You have to fight to free yourself from them. That's how you can lean forward.

Perfection ia stopping you from doing what you have to do.

Today, let's talk about HOW TO Lean Forward with THE 'F' WORDS. I had a brief stinct working with a radio house. While working there, there are words that are forbidding. You dear not mention them on radio. Doing that can lead to you being warned. When repeated, that can call for suspension, and maybe eventually being fired. What are the 'F' words that you can lean forward with? Take a listen.

Do you often see faults in what people do, write,and say? What if you recondition your mind in finding lessons you can learn? That will be awesome.

Why you don't get patronised or invited to speak on a particular subject or topic or why people don't buy from you is because they don't know you have such knowledge or expertise. If you don't show or signal to people that you have the knowledge or skill or expetise they need, they wouldn't call you.

Today I am talking a look at, Fight Inertia. Everyday that you wake up, you are up to a fight. I don't mean physical fight, I believe you know that. For you to move forward in your life, career, or business, INERTIA is the first battle you have to fight.

You need tough love in your life just like I do. Nimdir life is about tough love. And she has learned so many lessons from tough love that were not pleasant at first but these lessons are life lessons that are guiding her life now. Listen and look into your life too for tough love lessons. You can follow her here: Instagram: @nimnansoh Twitter: @naijacitizenNim Facebook: NimDir Nerat Oluwapamilerin Nansoh LinkedIn: Nimdir Nansoh

Where do you draw knowledge from as a speaker or a writer? There are several ways kmowledge, insight,and wisdom come to us. Im this podcast, I mentioned just three ways here.

The world is experiencing a lockdown due to COVID-19. What are the inexpensive things you can do with your life to move it forward. In this episode I shared on 3 simple things that you haven't had time to engage in because you were always busy.

Do you have a place online where people can easily accessible what you have done or you are doing? If you don't, now is the time to start. That's is your personal project. That's the project you need to tie your name to

I first came across Subomi Plumptre on Twitter more than 5 years ago. We later met at TedXZuma in Abuja where she spoke. We sat beside each other and talked a bit. I downloaded her book titled NO BULLSHIT. We met again at Social Media Week Lagos 2020. I engaged her.

All men and women have dreams but on very very few ever live out their dreams. KC Ifeanyi is living out his dreams. You will find out in this episode. Ifeanyi lives in New York. He came all the way from United States to interview Banky W at the Social Media Week Lagos 2020. We got talking after the interview and he decided to come on my podcast. This episode is focused on him. KC Ifeanyi is an associate editor, reporter, and podcaster at Fast Company covering pop culture for Co.Create. Previously, KC was awarded an Emmy while working as a social media producer at Good Morning America. Fast Company is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes eight print issues per year.  Fast Company is the world’s leading business media brand, with an editorial focus on innovation in technology, leadership, world changing ideas, creativity, and design. Written for and about the most progressive business leaders, Fast Company inspires readers to think expansively, lead with purpose, embrace change, and shape the future of business.  He's also co-hosted “The Judith Regan Show” on Sirius XM and freelanced for Inc. magazine and Time Inc. publications. He host a podcast called INNOVATION CRUSH Friday for Fast Company. KC holds his masters in arts and culture journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and first degree in Journalism from Louisiana Tech University in the United States. He has interviewed hundreds of great men and women. We did this podcast at the end of him interviewing Banky W.

This Lean Forward Episode is done by my friend, NILES PYELSHAK, a CISCO expert (Cybersecurity Leader, Solutions Architect, Thought Leader, Global Public Speaker, CCIE, CCNA Cyber Ops), Service Delivery Managet with CISCO based based in the North Carolina, United States. She shared her story about how she was first asked if she has a mentor. She shared important points why you need a role model or mentor. Listen to her.

Do you have a model for what you want to accomplish? You need to find a model for whatever you want to get accomplished. That way, you make your success easier.

You often underestimate the power of your personal story. In sharing your story, it can help another person become who they are meant to be. It can help someone become better.

I was at an international non governmental organisation recently. I dashed in there to grace her graduation for another set of female trainees. Earlier in the week I was sent a text message inviting me for the graduation. Prior to this set - the previous set - I was sent a message too to grace the graduation. It happens from time to time like that. How did we get here? I TRIED COLD CALLING and it worked.

Sam Semako shared his formula Rv + Pv = Av for building relationships that is necessary for massive results.

Fear has hindered so many from attempting some ideas and activities. Fear has hindered people from living their dreams. Fear has made so many people to conform to societal, organisational, industry demands without questioning the standard and rules. Deep down in their hearts they know they should cross the boundaries and crush the barriers holding them down, but they arw scared. The ideas and dreams they need to give birth to never gets delivered.

Have you told yourself that you are starting a book, a project, a blog, a journal, a business, and you are struggling to start? NOW is the time to start. START, JUST START!

Welcome to the Episode 1 of LEAN FORWARD. Lean Forward Podcast is here to help you take little, lttle steps to move you forward in your career, business, and life. In this Episode, Sam Semako, the originator, a career coach and and mentor talked about you DELIBERATELY and INTENTIONALLY creating memorable experiences with your child, boss, with friends, and your colleagues. Listen and pick lessons from it. Lean Forward episodes drop every THURSDAY. Share with your friends.