Open Door Conversations

Akua is celebrating her 50th podcast episode! She’s sharing some words of wisdom about podcasting and what she’s learned about herself in the process, as well as the top three most popular episodes and what they offer. It’s been about a year since Akua started releasing her weekly podcast episodes. If you’ve ever wanted to be a public speaker in any capacity or host your own podcast, Akua has some...

Nothing kills productivity like a toxic work environment. When employees don’t feel psychologically safe at work, leaders need to look inward to try and find answers. This episode focuses on what a toxic work environment looks like, why a horrible boss could be to blame, and how founders and leaders can cultivate self-awareness and identify what can be changed to help employees flourish in the wor...

Since it's the end of the school year in many places in the world, Akua is talking about the things she's learned since graduating 12 years ago and starting her own business as an executive and leadership coach.  If you are fresh out of school or you've been out for a while and find yourself questioning your major or career choice, this episode will help put things into perspective and guide you i...

To find success and purpose in a career, it is important to possess both the skill AND the passion for what you do. But what if the skill you’ve invested so much time (and money) into learning leaves you unfulfilled? In this episode, Akua welcomes her virtual assistant, Dorcas Nakaye, as she shares her inspiring story about being empowered to pivot her career to pursue purpose and happiness.  Afte...

This #AskAkua episode is densely packed with helpful information for aspiring business coaches. Tune in as Akua pulls back the curtain on her own coaching business to tell you what she would do differently if she had to do it all again. Find out if she would have invested as much in courses and the important metric to tell if you’re getting the most out of them. She also shares her thoughts on soc...

No one likes to fail, especially high performers or achievers, but it happens to everyone at some point. Dealing with these feelings of failure and disappointment can either be productive or hold you back in business. In this episode, Akua teaches four helpful strategies to help leaders cope with these setbacks. They can be more resilient and confident and get back to working towards their ambitio...

Are you interested in being an angel investor or a funder? In this episode, Akua welcomes Mark Kleyner to talk about how to build a venture capital career in Africa. Funders are in high demand in this emerging market - listen to find out how you can play a direct role in birthing innovation in all tech sectors on the continent! Mark Kleyner is a multi-time entrepreneur who actively mentors with a...

It’s another “Ask Akua” episode on the Open Door Conversations podcast! In this episode, Akua answers two great questions about networking and gives helpful strategies for business leaders, managers, and founders to help you build your important relationships in person and online.  To be successful in business, one of the most important things to learn is relationship building. But as a reluctant...

The challenges of running a business, regardless of where you live, can create a lot of anxiety. In this episode, Akua outlines nine exercises that will help any startup founder or leader increase productivity, decrease stress, and recalibrate, especially if you experience heightened uncertainty from living in an emerging market.  Akua is very familiar with various environmental stressors (she bri...

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 dee...

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...

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 t...

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 yo...

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...

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 he...

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, Ak...

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 heal...

Storytime! Last weekend Akua had someone approach her and ask if she supported career transitions. And first and foremost – yes! She loves supporting leaders by creating a safe space to reflect on where they are and where they want to go.  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 t...

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...

The topic of this Open Door Conversation is getting to know yourself better, on an intimate level, to be exact. Akua interviews Erica Daniel, an intimacy coach that has led a multi-passionate life. Erica values learning and exploring the world through cultures, food, and the people living in it. She has always supported love for all people; after a few career shifts, she is currently working as an...

Do you want to learn how to apologize effectively as a Leader? A lot of people find apologizing difficult. But it's an important skill to learn, especially if you're a leader in your company or organization. Apologizing is about much more than just saying the words, "I'm sorry." It starts with learning to look inward and see your impact on others. In this episode of the Open Door Conversations pod...

If you have ever said to yourself: I am not wired for social media or social, or it's too scary. I'm not sure how to show up authentically. I don't know what to post. How do I get people to buy for me? Or how can I sell on social media? Then this is the podcast episode for you! In today's episode, Akua interviews JennaWarriner, a social media expert, about leveraging social media. Jenna shares all...

This episode of the Open Door Conversations Podcast is for leaders who are serious about conquering their goals. It's for the reluctant leaders, for the overwhelmed leaders, and for the leaders that find themselves somewhere in between. But most importantly, it's for leaders who are looking for tangible ways to be successful in 2022. In today's episode, Akua shares how to make the most of your goa...

This episode of the Open Door Conversations Podcast is for those who are serious about growing their brand in 2022. While a lot of people may have goals of reaching new highs, without leveraging social media, it will be hard to grow. Whether you are using social media but are not consistent, or maybe you are shy and reluctant, hopefully, this episode will help inspire you to build awesome things t...

In this episode of the Open Door Conversation Podcast, Akua interviews Josh Haynam; CEO and founder of Interact Quiz Maker. Josh describes himself as an atypical entrepreneur, although his entrepreneurial journey started 15 years ago in high school. Upon graduating from UCLA, Josh and his friends jumped into the world of starting their own business.   Josh tells his story of building Interact, dis...