Open Door Conversations

Cultivating self-awareness in order to become a conscious leader is essential. In this episode, Akua guides you in reflecting on your communication style, decision-making style, and how you respond in stressful situations and how this relates to your innate personality. She'll also discuss the concept of personality and how it is not set in stone but constantly evolving. Like an operating system,...

Taking time to reflect is essential to being a conscious leader and moving forward effectively. In this episode, your host Akua dives deeper into how founders and leaders can reflect, what specifically to consider when reflecting, and how to make the most of the people around them who can help get them to the next level.  If you're wondering how to use reflection to surround yourself with inspirat...

If you’re a leader who is constantly firefighting and feels like you’re not as effective or influential as you’d like to be, today’s episode is for you. Learn how to go from a reactive to a proactive leader by clearing more headspace so you can be a more conscious leader, able to see the big picture in your business.  Executive and Leadership coach Akua Nyame-Mensah gives you insight into her See...

Personal finance guru, Oluwatosin "Tosin" Olaseinde talks about growing into her role as CEO, her growth as a leader and founder, and how it's okay not to have everything figured out.  Founder of financial literacy and investment platforms Money Africa and Ladda, Tosin aims to democratize access and means of wealth-building for the long term. Tosin is famous in the world of personal finance in Afr...

It's a new year and a new season of the Open Door Conversations podcast. In this short episode, Leadership and Executive Coach (and your host) Akua Nyame-Mensah, talks about her accomplishments over the past year and shares what you can expect from the upcoming season!  Akua will start the season by welcoming top leaders in their respective industries to talk about the first pillar of leadership,...

It's the last episode of 2022, and Akua is going over having a New Year, New Team. There is always the opportunity to reintroduce yourself to your team. People aren't robots, they evolve and change, and in order to keep your leadership relevant and influential, it's always a great idea to periodically reintroduce yourself. Akua calls it the "power of introductions."Akua works primarily alone when...

"I'm bootstrapping, which means that the talent I can afford right now is not as experienced as I would like." Sound familiar? In this #AskAkua episode of the Open Door Conversations podcast, Akua Nyame-Mensah gives insight on how to start a team on a limited budget and how to give your team more confidence to make decisions independently.  Bootstrapping looks different to every business, but this...

Starting your own business, running a startup for someone else, or leading a team is a heavy weight to bear, and it’s easy to feel like you’re alone. But you don’t have to be. In this #AskAkua episode of the Open Door Conversations Podcast, leadership coach Akua Nyame-Mensah discusses the benefits of executive and leadership coaching, even if you’re already getting results as a leader. She’ll help...

In this episode, leadership coach Akua Nyame-Mensah shares the top 5 tools and apps that allow her to work more efficiently, connect with and convert clients, all while being more productive. These are tools that help her get exponential results in both business and her personal life and allow her to do more in less time. Having recently done an audit of her revenue streams and where she spends he...

Being a leader/manager/founder in a foreign country poses a unique set of challenges, especially one where you stick out as being foreign. Founder and American expat living in Mauritius, Chris Suzdak joins Leadership Coach Akua Nyame-Mensah to talk about what it’s like to work and start a business in a foreign country. He also discusses his leadership journey and his experiences with executive coa...

Many entrepreneurs are multi-passionate individuals who always have lots of new ideas. It can be hard to focus on just one thing, like your startup, business, or project at hand. Sounds familiar?  In today's #AskAkua episode, Executive Leadership Coach Akua Nyame-Mensah answers a question she received via Twitter: How do I stop myself from seeing problems and coming up with new ideas while focusin...

Taking over a team that already has structures and work culture in place can be daunting. Set yourself up for success with advice from Executive Leadership Coach Akua Nyame-Mensah she will tell you the steps you need to take for a smooth transition.  This episode is relevant for any leader, especially if you are taking over a department/company, are inheriting a CEO role from a founder, or taking...

Networking can inspire dread in a business leader, but taking time to build relationships is a necessary investment, helping fill knowledge gaps, identify opportunities, and ultimately, go farther and faster in business.  In this episode, Akua Nyame-Mensah talks to executive coach/author Karen Jaw-Madson about how networking should be included in our daily habits, how to create authentic relations...

Should a boss, CEO, or company leader be friends with employees? On this #AskAkua episode, Certified Executive Leadership Coach Akua Nyame-Mensah delves into her experience and perspective regarding friendships and relationships at work. Depending on the culture in which you work, industry and sector, and even the stage of the organization's growth, relationships, and their meanings can vary. And...

We're into the fourth quarter of 2022. Do you know where your finances are? If you're a coach or consultant, or just someone self-employed, It's important to check in annually - even quarterly - so you can assess what is working for you and, just as importantly, what isn't. That way, you can pivot your energy as necessary. In this episode, Akua Nyame-Mensah breaks down her finances in her own quar...

If you've ever worked for a company or a family business and you didn't feel like it was a good fit, you'll be inspired by this episode as Sherul Mehta joins Akua to share how he leveraged his vast experience to become an entrepreneur, investor, and operator.  Knowing the value of IT in business, Sherul studied computer science and business management while at university. He went to work at Goldma...

Investing in outside support for your team can be intimidating. If you are a business leader, founder, or manager, you might be asking yourself what kind of service provider to invest in for that support and how to get the most out of your investment.  Here you will learn why it's important to reflect on the type of help your team needs, and all about pricing and whether the cost of bringing in a...

Find out the three top issues that coaches and consultants face when starting their businesses and why it’s important to master them to be a successful executive and leadership coach! If you are interested in starting or growing your own coaching or consulting practice or want to find out how to get clients consistently, you don’t want to miss this episode.  Leadership and Executive Coach Akua Nya...

Get inspired by Jokotola Edu "Joko," an entrepreneur who has pivoted careers several times and has a wealth of experiences in different countries and sectors. In this episode, Akua welcomes Joko to chat about her perspective on being able to evolve and adjust the definition of success.  Joko is the founder of Joko Edu, a stationary company using storytelling to highlight and preserve the rich cult...

As a team leader, department head, or founder, it can be challenging to know where to invest in order to increase your team’s capacity. In this episode, coach and facilitator Akua Nyame-Mensah talks about the different questions you need to ask yourself in order to decide if a training, workshop, or course would be most beneficial to your employees and team members.  With so many online and in-per...

If you’re a CEO, founder, or solopreneur who thinks it’s impossible to take time off, or you’re afraid of missing out on money or helping a client, this episode is for you. Leadership coach Akua Nyame-Mensah is back from vacation, and she’s ready to share how she prepared for her time off so that she could return feeling re-energized, rested, and not overwhelmed with a backlog of work.  Learn what...

Kuorkor Dzani is a serial entrepreneur who has successfully started and grown several businesses while working a full-time day job. Today she joins Executive Leadership Coach Akua Nyame-Mensah to share the secrets of building capacity when you are working a 9 to five and tending a side hustle (or several!).  By day, Kuorkor works in Ghana for a local lender. But as someone who gets energy from new...

Leaders, CEOs, and founders who have benefited from great coaching know how powerful it can be in setting and achieving goals, so it's natural to want to recreate the experience for your team. But is hiring an external, professional coach a good investment for all employees?  On today's #AskAkua episode of the Open Door Conversations Podcast, certified executive and leadership coach Akua will answ...

Employee retention is key to building a sustainable and scalable business. In this episode, Akua talks about what leaders, managers, and founders should look for in attrition rates and how to avoid high turnover.  During this era of “the great resignation,” employees reflect on the type of work they do and often take advantage of better or more aligned opportunities. Subsequently, it is more impor...

Learn how confidence in the bedroom leads to confidence in the boardroom as Akua welcomes JingJin Liu, founder, and CEO of ZaZaZu. The two talk about the connection between sex education and female health, self-confidence, and how to overcome self-limiting beliefs. Guest JingJin Liu is a serial entrepreneur, active Angel Investor, and Advisor to female-driven, early-stage startups. She has a corpo...