April 21, 2025 • 31 mins
This week we are joined by Ejieme Eromosele, an award-winning Customer Experience and Success Executive, with two decades of experience building high-impact customer programs. She has led CX strategies for Fortune 500 companies and early to mid-stage startups.
Specializing in customer-led growth, Ejieme helps organizations drive business value by delivering customer outcomes. She has built Customer Success programs from the ground up and expanded global operations as General Manager for EMEA.
As the Founder of Success in Black, she champions DEI in Customer Success, fostering a thriving community for Black professionals.
Beyond her corporate work, she is a respected advisor, speaker, board member, and angel investor, backing pre-seed and seed-stage startups across DTC, consumer tech, social/creator economy, and B2B SaaS.
(3:13) Who is Ejieme inside and outside of the office?
(7:25) Who was Ejieme right out of college and how has she changed over the years?
(10:29) Why did Ejieme choose the path of customer success?
(12:25) What differentiates Ejieme from an influencer and key thought contributor?
(15:21) Ejieme shares her idea of vulnerability as a skillset.
(18:50) She walks us through a recent post after a tough life experience.
(26:35) Who inspires Ejieme?
(28:58) What advice does Ejieme want to leave the community with?
Connect with Ejieme Eromosele
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejieme/
Subscribe: Warriors At Work Podcasts Website:
https://jeaniecoomber.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/986666321719033/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanie_coomber/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeanie_coomber
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanie-coomber-90973b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbMZ2HyNNyPoeCSqKClBC_w
Specializing in customer-led growth, Ejieme helps organizations drive business value by delivering customer outcomes. She has built Customer Success programs from the ground up and expanded global operations as General Manager for EMEA.
As the Founder of Success in Black, she champions DEI in Customer Success, fostering a thriving community for Black professionals.
Beyond her corporate work, she is a respected advisor, speaker, board member, and angel investor, backing pre-seed and seed-stage startups across DTC, consumer tech, social/creator economy, and B2B SaaS.
(3:13) Who is Ejieme inside and outside of the office?
(7:25) Who was Ejieme right out of college and how has she changed over the years?
(10:29) Why did Ejieme choose the path of customer success?
(12:25) What differentiates Ejieme from an influencer and key thought contributor?
(15:21) Ejieme shares her idea of vulnerability as a skillset.
(18:50) She walks us through a recent post after a tough life experience.
(26:35) Who inspires Ejieme?
(28:58) What advice does Ejieme want to leave the community with?
Connect with Ejieme Eromosele
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejieme/
Subscribe: Warriors At Work Podcasts Website:
https://jeaniecoomber.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/986666321719033/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanie_coomber/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeanie_coomber
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanie-coomber-90973b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbMZ2HyNNyPoeCSqKClBC_w
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
A mentor who I had at the time a mentor.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
He was a CEO at the time, Mark Thompson, you know,
gave me some really stage advice that you know, he thought,
for at least some time, it would be better if
I could be a big fish.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
In a smaller pond.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And so I started to look at as an option
and started to look at startups as an option. And
that was the final pivot into customer success.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Welcome to the Warriors at Work Show. This is Genie Coomber,
your guide and host. This is a show for men
and women in the workplace who want to move from
the predictable to the potent. This is your weekly dose
of inspiration with an edge. I talk with CEOs and shawmans,
sports marketing executives and therapists. All of us are like
(00:47):
minded thinkers and doers who tell stories, share wisdom, and
challenge each other to have the best life possible inside
and outside the office. Welcome to your Warrior conversation everybody.
It's Genie. Thank you so much for joining me here
at Warriors at Work. Today's guest, ajam Aramasila, believes in
(01:12):
the power of customer relationships, not just as a business leaver,
but as a force for transformational growth. With a career
spanning leadership roles at Accenture, PwC in the New York Times,
and a track record of scaling startups and building high
performing customer teams, she has literally mastered the art of
(01:32):
turning potential into results. We're talking one hundred and twenty
percent net revenue retention, loyal customer advocates, and teams that
absolutely crush revenue goals. But beyond the numbers, what really
sets ajam apart is knowing her purpose and using vulnerability
as a skill set, whether it's mentoring black professionals through
(01:54):
her organization's success in black or helping founders find their
edge as is driven by a mission to empower, connect
and create value that lasts. She's currently the VP of
Customer Growth at Quick, which is an organization that helps
brands bring their AI strategies to life with unrivaled expertise
(02:17):
and relentless focus on customer experience. So join me as
we dive into the world of Asia May. Asia May
is here with me at Warriors at Work. I am
so excited to have you here.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Thank you so much, Jeanie. I'm so excited to be here.
We've known each other for gosh, I don't know how
many years. So yeah, really proud and honored to finally
make it on your show, I.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Know, and we've been talking about this for the last
couple of months, so I'm so thrilled to get into
this with you. You have so many unique perspectives and
ideas that I'm just I just can't wait to bring
out this conversation. And where I want to start is.
You know, you're known in the business world for your
deep expertise and customer success. Anybody who follows you on
(03:08):
LinkedIn can see all of the power and influence that
you have in that space. But I want to talk
about the person behind the label of this customer success expert.
I want you to describe for me, Asia May inside
the office, but also outside the office. Who are you?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I love that question. It's so deep it takes me
to the core. I think, starting with inside the office,
I'm someone who really thrives on strategy, but then seeing
that through execution. You know, I love solving problems. You know,
maybe this is in my growing up in management, consulting
(03:50):
and being a professional problem solver, But now I get
to do that for some really amazing customers and well
known brands across the world. I love designing engagement models
with those customers that really deliver value and drive revenue.
And I think I'm also equal parts analytical but very
(04:13):
human and people oriented. I have and believe in high standards,
but also in creating safer places for people to grow.
And I really love empowering people and working collaboratively to
meet our shared goals outside of the office. I think
in general, I'm just a deeply curious person.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I love to learn.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Maybe it's because my dad was an elementary school teacher.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Maybe he's that in theory.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yes, he worked at the New York Public school system
for thirty years, so maybe I get that from him.
Hi Dad, Yeah, definitely I love to learn, you know,
and that can come in a multitude of ways.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
I still read a ton of books, but I also
love to learn by experience.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So I love to travel.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Into almost fifty countries, love meeting people from all walks
of life and hearing their conversations. More recently, I'm all
about prioritizing well being, whether it's working out, I have
a meditation practice, and just being more intentional about gratitude
as well. The last thing I say, I think, you know,
(05:24):
I'm just really community driven. Maybe also again based on
how I grew up. You know, both of my mom
both of my parents have seven siblings on each shy,
so there's eight of them. So it was always and
my mom is the oldest woman in her family, in
her sibling group, and my dad is just the oldest.
(05:46):
So our house was always full of people all the time.
And so while I'm an introvert, I get so much
and source so much energy from being with family and community.
So yeah, and my core I you know, I just
want to be someone who makes things better. It's sort
of inherent in my name. So Asia may means a
good place, and that's what I'm trying to do in
(06:08):
the world.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I didn't know that either. Yes may means a good place.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Okay, that's that's my word for the year.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
By the way, goodness goodness.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I love that, Yes, spread goodness absolutely.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
The other thing that I'd add about you that I
really admire is you are an extraordinary listener. You have
the capacity to really put pause around what somebody is
saying and go to the next level. And I'm not
surprised that you're having the success that you're having with
customer engagement and just customers full stop. Your your capacity
(06:45):
to do that is really one of the best I've
ever seen. So I also want to reflect that back
to you.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Thank you. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I try to actually listen when people are talking, which
sometimes make it makes it hard to actually come up
with the response because I'm so focused on saying instead
of already in my mind, which sometimes you know I
still do, I'm already kind of thinking of the thing
to respond back to. But I think deep listening is
so important, especially in the work that I do. But also,
(07:16):
like I mentioned in you know, being a people centered
you know, having a people centered value system, I think
it's it's core to that.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah. Well, I want to go back to the early
days of your career, just out of college, you beginning
of your journey. Who was Asia may then tell me
a little bit about like the arc of where she
was then and who she is now.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, So right out of college, I was very ambitious
but not confident.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
So I went into college.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I went to n y u H thinking that I
was going to be a doctor, you know, and a
child of immigrants, an immigrant, myself a child of Nigerians,
and they're like, you're either a doctor or a lawyer, engineer, right,
the classic is that right?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Oh yeah, yeah, most immigrants across the spectrum.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
That's the thing. It's like, I bring you to this country,
this America.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
You're either a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or I don't know
what you're doing with your life. So I went and
pre med at NYU, and after year three, I decided
that it wasn't for me. By the time I graduated,
I was really lucky that I had landed a consulting
job at Accenture.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
I had no idea what consulting even was.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
At that point, and so I didn't know many people
back then that had careers in business. My dad was
a teacher, my mom was a nurse's assistant, and so
I didn't have these role models of like being a
business professional. But yeah, luckily got into some programs at NYU.
You know, we did a like a summer at Mackenzy,
and I was like, oh, this consulting thing was interesting.
(08:54):
Landed a job at Accenture, and so you know, I
knew that I wanted to have an impact and I
thought that this was going to be a great way
to do that, and you know, didn't realize just how
true that was. So, you know, still early on, I
valued learning and adaptability, so I was open to different
industries and roles and opportunities. I mean a good example
(09:14):
of that is well, I was at Eccentia, I ended
up taking a four month sabbatical to run one year
old social enterprise that a friend had started in Ghana.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
You know, I was, it was totally.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Unplanned, but when the opportunity presented itself, you know, I
really I just couldn't say no. And at that point,
I again knew I wanted to have an impact, and
I thought maybe that impact was going to be somewhere
back in the continent of Africa, maybe Ghana, and maybe
back home in Nigeria.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I just didn't know.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
But you know, looking back at the early days of
my career, I was just so hungry and ambitious and
was just open to trying new things.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
How did your parents and your family rea to you
switching gears.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Massive disappointment?
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah, I think they were disappointed that I wasn't going
to pursue the path of medicine. But I think that
they trusted that I would still land in a place
where I could you know, develop a life for myself
and obviously feed myself. But yeah, there was definitely disappointment
there that I had to deal with.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
And so fast forward to today, here you are this
customer success experting. Why did you choose that path? So
how did you switch into this or how did this
all manifest?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah, I mean it wasn't intentional. It wasn't an intentional
choice at first for sure, looking back though, it makes
perfect sense. I've always been drawn to roles that blended strategy,
problem solving, relationship building and customer success has all of
those its. You know, my first job at Eccentria, it
(11:03):
just so happened that the very first project I was
on was New York City three one one, So you know,
for folks that aren't familiar, it's just basically a way
for local and state and city governments to connect with
their people through a elevated customer experience. So it was
a call center that Accenter had created for the New
York City government, and that was my first foray into
(11:28):
working in customer experience and customer service, and that was
just by luck of the draw. And so since then,
I've just been really passionate about having customer great customer
experiences drive business growth. And so yeah, it just happened
to be that I landed into that very early in
my career. And the pivot into customer success specifically for
(11:51):
SaaS and you know, B to B tech Companies, was
off of the back of my tenure at the New
York Times. I wanted to do some thing different and
a mentor who I had at the time a mentor,
he was a CEO at the time, Mark Thompson, you know,
gave me some really stage advice that you know, he thought,
(12:11):
for at least some time, it would be better if
I could be a big fish and a smaller pond.
And so I started to look at tech as an
option and started to look at startups as an option,
and that was the final pivot into customer success.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
I'm kind of curious, what is it that you think
differentiates you as an influencer and just like he thought,
contributor in this space.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Well, first of all, I still have to giggle so
hearing that word is influencer, but I'm going to own it.
I think for sure I have influenced people the immediate
example that comes to mind is the community I created
Success in Black, which is a platform to advocate for
more inclusion in customer success and in tech, but thistually
(13:00):
has paved the way for many more offshoots of other communities,
like the South Asian Success Community, latinas and Success and
adjustingly formed Asia Pacific Success Community. So I'm really proud that,
you know, me taking that courageous step to create something
like Success in Black can now influence and inspire others
(13:22):
to do the same. And I think what differentiates me
is my ability to think outside of my own world.
You know, this was something that growing up, for let's
say good or bad, was always something I had to
deal with. You know, I was often kind of off
daydreaming about other things. And while it can be bad
(13:46):
to sort of have to put yourself outside of your
own world, and I do still struggle to kind of
tap into my own emotions, I think what that meant
is that it's quite easy for me to take someone
else's perspective. And so for business, it's been easy for
me to like look across silos and see what my
(14:06):
peers are doing and try to see how that could
help in what I'm trying to achieve, and so as
a thought leader, you know, I hope that I'm bringing
new and interesting concepts and perspectives to old ways of
doing things or old ways of thinking. I actually, in
LinkedIn talked about this concept that I'm I'm piloting called
(14:30):
assumptive advocacy. So it's all about how, as customer success
and you know, customer relationship managers, how we can take
a page from our sales leaders. There's this concept called
the assumptive sale, which really kind of puts a positive
spin and kind of positive mindset that this buyer's already
(14:53):
going to buy it assumes that they've already bought.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
So taking that.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
To my world, I thought, what if we could apply
that to how we ask customers to advocate on our behalf.
So now I've taken something that sales has done and
now I'm trying to reimagine it for my world. So
I think that that's really what differentiates me is I'm
quite easy, easily able to take a different point of
view and see how it can apply to what I'm
(15:19):
doing and how it can help.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
You know.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Building on that, you talked about the different ways, the
different kinds of discussions that you're choosing to have. There's
one that I loved and you said this term to me,
and I'd love for you to expand upon it, and
that is vulnerability as a skill set, So say more.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Yeah, So, vulnerability is something that I've been tapping more
into just in my personal growth journey. And I actually
just finished Dear to Lead by Brene Brown a few
months ago, and she talks a lot about this in
terms of like courage vulnerability. But I think vulnerability, especially
(16:02):
for me who you know, I often in the past
and still I think to an extent now come off
as quite poised, quite self assured, quite confident, and vulnerability
is a skill set for me. It's because it takes
intentionality and it takes practice. It's not something that you're
just born with. It can be something that you can
(16:25):
actually develop over time. And I think as a leader,
me being vulnerable and me sharing other parts of my life,
other parts of who I am, really helps me foster trust,
helps me drive and build meaningful relationships and connections in
ways that I just wasn't able to before. And I
(16:46):
think as leaders like that's core to actually realizing a vision.
You can have the best strategy the best ideas, the
best vision in the world, but if you can't have
that connected level with people, it's going to fall short.
So that's one thing that you know, I really am
trying to do now, you know. Another example is, you know,
(17:08):
on my LinkedIn presence, and then my thought leadership is
you know, putting my personal perspective and my personal spin
is being you know, a black woman, you know in leadership.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Like what does that mean for me?
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Like feel risky because some of the things I'm saying
are challenging the powers that be in my industry. But
I think, you know, being vocal about my own experience
has really deepened my connections with strangers on the internet,
strangers that are friends, and really created opportunities for me
(17:42):
that you know, I wouldn't have come to achieve otherwise.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
I love that you bring you brought it up, and
that you brought it up that way because one of
the things that I was thinking about is going back
to this this word into intentionality, which we were talking
about before we started this recording today, and I think
it all starts there. It's like, what is it you're
trying to bring forward and why does it matter? And
so you took that idea, you obviously put it into
(18:07):
practice from a professional success standpoint, But when you think
about the words success as you may and how you
talk about it, you're really really redefining it. You're adding
different ingredients to what success could look like. And you're
also reminding all of us in your LinkedIn posts on
what the journey looks like, feels like, how multi dimensional
(18:29):
the journey is, and for anybody listening and watching to
follow you on LinkedIn, subscribe to your newsletter because your
insights create pause and reflection and potentially a different choice
or a different decision as a result of taking in
some of those things. Like I want you to talk
(18:51):
about you did one of this post around when you
were leaving London. You finished a business assignment and.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
It was oh good.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
And maybe it's because my husband's English and I lived
in England for two years, but you talked about so
many cool things in there. So so walk me through
what was going on? So using this intentionality piece, what
was going on for you? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
So I wanted to tell my own story in my
own way, right, so you know the reason why I
moved to London in the first place. A lot of
people you know, don't know, don't know the backstory. But
it was because my marriage was ending and I was
going through a divorce, and I was thinking that I
(19:35):
needed to take a pause for my career because it
was so life shattering this you know, really horrible decision
that I had to make, And instead of allowing me
to quit, my CEO asked me to move to London
and open our international office. So off of the back
of something really painful, this opportunity grew. So a lot
(19:59):
of people know that story. A lot of people still
don't know that story. But so as I was now
moving back to the States and leaving that chapter, I
wanted to be more open about what I had accomplished
and the fact that I wasn't now returning to the States,
you know, because something had failed or because it was
(20:21):
just like, oh, the assignment was over. It was like,
look how much more I gained from this experience, And
you know, the things that I gained that I had
no idea when I first moved to London that I
would have And it's beyond just the you know, business
metrics and outcomes, which by the way, I was quite successful,
and the thing it was more about the personal growth
(20:43):
and the taking a significant risk at this point in
my career and in my life, moving to a country
into a city where I knew no one, having to
stand up a new business with no help and you know,
very little support. And so I really wanted to take
a breath, tell that story in my own terms, and
really celebrate that accomplishment.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Like the cultural dexterity.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Yes, that's what I keep going phrase there.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
That was really good.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yes, it's so important to me, right because you know
a lot of people are like, oh wow, like what
was it like living in London and you know, kind
of taking on this new role And I was like,
you know, I was always prepared for this, you know,
being an immigrant to this country, having to always kind
of live in a duality, you know, maybe even more
than duality and in multiple perspectives, really made me well
(21:33):
suited to achieve this. You know, I've been to almost
fifty countries traveling just personally. You know, I'd studied in China,
I'd worked in Ghana. You know, I already had professional
relationships internationally, you know, just the ability to be able
to bring those to bear and to now become an
international tech and international go to market leader was just
(21:57):
part of the journey and part of the skill set
that I already been developing.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
So beautiful, thank you for sharing your heart and and
your personal story around that. I think it's so refreshing
to hear that level of honesty and openness. Yeah, and
then and then how you've personally and professionally grown from
choosing to lean in like that. I think it is
(22:24):
such a great example for all of us. So where
are you in your career right now? Like, when you
think about your trajectory, do you feel like you're in
this building phase, expanding phase, teaching phase, mentoring phase? Like,
where are you in your career journey?
Speaker 2 (22:41):
I'm gonna cheat and say all of the above, But
if I would have to pick which we're primary right now,
I would have to say that I'm still building new
things while learning and also teaching.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
I think that, you know, those for me go go
hand in hand.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Lifelong learner, but I've learned a lot, I've accomplished a lot,
and I'm hopefully fortunate and privileged enough to be able
to share that with others.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
I really think.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
That I'm still expanding into my leadership and into my
community development. You know, I've built this expertise in customer
success and hopefully now I can apply that in broader
ways through speaking, through writing. I've also been doing more
advisory work. I'm also still investing more in mentorship now
(23:36):
for others and helping others, you know, navigate their own
professional journey. But all that to say, you know, I'm
still growing and expanding my own set of skills learning
AI so that I can make myself more efficient in
the work that I'm doing and.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Free up some of my time.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
So yeah, it's just exciting to think about being all
of those things at the same time, you know, having
a platform to share and teach while also still learning
from others as well.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
So let's talk about who and what has had the
biggest impact on you in your career.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Yeah, so what I mean, I think there are certain.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Milestones that, you know, have really propelled me to where
I am. I think the first one was, you know,
the first time I took a new role outside of
my comfort zone. So leaving consulting. You know, I'd been
a management consultant for ten years. I didn't know what
I could do beyond that. And then you know, this
amazing role at the New York Times showed up. So again,
(24:40):
sometimes when you kind of like question or doubt yourself
or you feel a little bit apprehensive about what's next,
you know, the world can can really deliver. I also
had amazing mentors, you know, right as I was now
transitioning from the New York Times. You know, that really
taught me that I didn't have to have all the
A answers, but was I asking the right questions. So,
(25:03):
you know, when it's time for me to leave the
New York Times, you know, there really became a question
of like why, what did I want to do next?
What did I want to learn next? What do I
want to hopefully achieve? So they really taught me about
asking those right questions. And then now I think where
I am in hopefully my next pivot, is starting to
(25:23):
realize that I don't have to fit any pre existing
model and that I can create my own path and
define success on my own terms, which again feeling a
little bit scary, But I'm going back to what I
learned from my transition from the New York Times and
asking myself the questions of you know, what do I
want to accomplish, what impact do I want to have
(25:45):
in the world. What legacy do I want to leave
behind one day? And that's helped me kind of craft
let's say, my next set of careers, because I don't
think we always have to have just one or kind
of like one career. But yeah, what I'm excited about
to do. What I'm excited about doing next is crafting
(26:06):
that there's a term now that I love, just like
a portfolio of careers or having a portfolio career.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
So that's why I'm really looking forward to next.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
I love that you remind me. I'm a big fan
of like doing something different every year or sometimes a
few times every year. My poor husband, I'll come down
the stairs and I'll be like, I have this idea,
here's all this is going to go, and He's always like,
what are you doing? I'm like, I'm always trying to
shift something and redefine something. So who are you? Who
(26:39):
are you inspired by?
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Right now?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Like?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Who are you following?
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Who are you looking to for to feel fullh gosh.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
So my b school bestie, Business school bestie, Lola Baker,
She's amazing. She just published her first book, Responsible Marketing,
really shaking the table and challenging marketers to really set
culture and have a responsibility when it comes to the
(27:10):
organizations they represent a society as a whole. Really really
groundbreaking work that she's doing. And she's a dear and
personal friend. So I'm just privileged that I get to
just like text her and call her and be like, hey,
little I'm thinking about this, and she's like, have you
thought about.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
It this way?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Like She's just an amazing, amazing person. And again, really
privileged that I get to call her my dear friend.
Other people that I'm not as close with what I
am following and learning from lovey Ajae. She's also another
Nigerian American. I think her first book was called Professional Troublemaker,
(27:49):
which I love that, Like that resonated with me so much.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
But she's like.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Constructive agitator, I would say, so helps us think about
and challenge like why are we doing things the way
that we're doing and how do we hold ourselves and
each other to higher standards?
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Love her work. And then the last person I would
say actually Dan Harris.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
So he was a former ABC News anchor and pivoted
to a podcast hosts and writer, and I have been
subscribed and following his work on the ten Percent Happier
podcast for years now, actually by recommendation of my former therapist.
But I just love even the concept of just even
(28:36):
ten percent happier, right, Like everyone's like I want to
be happy, but like that's such a lofty goal and
we all should be happy, but what if we could
just be a little bit happier? And so yeah, just
love his his framing and the guests that he has
and the way that he talks about these concepts. So
that's another person that I'm really following and still learning from.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
So where I want to end our conversation is we
talked about so many different things. What do you want
to leave us with? What do you want to make
sure that anybody's listening and watching this knows about you,
knows about your journey or feel something what's most important
for you?
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah, right now I'm really now that I'm back in
New York, what I'm still interrogating is how to redefine
success for myself. And it's not the end goal but
the journey and really for me now, like who I'm
bringing along with me? Right, So reconnecting with friends and family,
(29:38):
building new relationships and connecting with new people so really
for me, it's like, how do I think about how
I'm showing up along that journey? So yeah, I don't
know that I have like a real compelling end because
I'm still trying to figure it out for myself.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
But really there's no destination, right hmmm.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
I think that's that's That's what you're leaving us with
is the reminder of the power and the beauty in
the journey. And I think, you know, we're all so
success minded, which often associates with a promotion or you know,
some particular goal, a goal achievement. And I think what
you've highlighted for us is there's so much here around
(30:23):
the power of the revealing who we are, why we
do what we do, and then what the learnings are
around around that. I feel so grateful to have reconnected
with you when you were in England, and so grateful
for you sharing your story and your heart here with us.
Really means a ton to me to have you here,
ash Bay, So thank you.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Thank you for having me Janie now really appreciate the
time and the platform to share my story.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Thank you for joining me for another episode of the
Warriors at Work Show. If you are interested in learning
more about what we do at the Warriors at Work
show and platform. Be sure to go over to my website,
Geniecomber and subscribe to my monthly Warrior Playbook newsletter. I
share everything that I'm up to month by month, as
(31:12):
well as some lessons and insights that I've learned. I'm
also interested in hearing any feedback you have about this
conversation or future topics, so reach out to me directly
on JC at Geniecomber dot com or on LinkedIn. Be
sure to tell your friends and your colleagues about this
Warriors at Work conversation. Subscribe, review and rate us. It's
(31:36):
the best way to get this message out into the world.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Be well,
A mentor who I had at the time a mentor.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
He was a CEO at the time, Mark Thompson, you know,
gave me some really stage advice that you know, he thought,
for at least some time, it would be better if
I could be a big fish.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
In a smaller pond.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And so I started to look at as an option
and started to look at startups as an option. And
that was the final pivot into customer success.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Welcome to the Warriors at Work Show. This is Genie Coomber,
your guide and host. This is a show for men
and women in the workplace who want to move from
the predictable to the potent. This is your weekly dose
of inspiration with an edge. I talk with CEOs and shawmans,
sports marketing executives and therapists. All of us are like
(00:47):
minded thinkers and doers who tell stories, share wisdom, and
challenge each other to have the best life possible inside
and outside the office. Welcome to your Warrior conversation everybody.
It's Genie. Thank you so much for joining me here
at Warriors at Work. Today's guest, ajam Aramasila, believes in
(01:12):
the power of customer relationships, not just as a business leaver,
but as a force for transformational growth. With a career
spanning leadership roles at Accenture, PwC in the New York Times,
and a track record of scaling startups and building high
performing customer teams, she has literally mastered the art of
(01:32):
turning potential into results. We're talking one hundred and twenty
percent net revenue retention, loyal customer advocates, and teams that
absolutely crush revenue goals. But beyond the numbers, what really
sets ajam apart is knowing her purpose and using vulnerability
as a skill set, whether it's mentoring black professionals through
(01:54):
her organization's success in black or helping founders find their
edge as is driven by a mission to empower, connect
and create value that lasts. She's currently the VP of
Customer Growth at Quick, which is an organization that helps
brands bring their AI strategies to life with unrivaled expertise
(02:17):
and relentless focus on customer experience. So join me as
we dive into the world of Asia May. Asia May
is here with me at Warriors at Work. I am
so excited to have you here.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Thank you so much, Jeanie. I'm so excited to be here.
We've known each other for gosh, I don't know how
many years. So yeah, really proud and honored to finally
make it on your show, I.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Know, and we've been talking about this for the last
couple of months, so I'm so thrilled to get into
this with you. You have so many unique perspectives and
ideas that I'm just I just can't wait to bring
out this conversation. And where I want to start is.
You know, you're known in the business world for your
deep expertise and customer success. Anybody who follows you on
(03:08):
LinkedIn can see all of the power and influence that
you have in that space. But I want to talk
about the person behind the label of this customer success expert.
I want you to describe for me, Asia May inside
the office, but also outside the office. Who are you?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I love that question. It's so deep it takes me
to the core. I think, starting with inside the office,
I'm someone who really thrives on strategy, but then seeing
that through execution. You know, I love solving problems. You know,
maybe this is in my growing up in management, consulting
(03:50):
and being a professional problem solver, But now I get
to do that for some really amazing customers and well
known brands across the world. I love designing engagement models
with those customers that really deliver value and drive revenue.
And I think I'm also equal parts analytical but very
(04:13):
human and people oriented. I have and believe in high standards,
but also in creating safer places for people to grow.
And I really love empowering people and working collaboratively to
meet our shared goals outside of the office. I think
in general, I'm just a deeply curious person.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I love to learn.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Maybe it's because my dad was an elementary school teacher.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Maybe he's that in theory.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yes, he worked at the New York Public school system
for thirty years, so maybe I get that from him.
Hi Dad, Yeah, definitely I love to learn, you know,
and that can come in a multitude of ways.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
You know.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
I still read a ton of books, but I also
love to learn by experience.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So I love to travel.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Into almost fifty countries, love meeting people from all walks
of life and hearing their conversations. More recently, I'm all
about prioritizing well being, whether it's working out, I have
a meditation practice, and just being more intentional about gratitude
as well. The last thing I say, I think, you know,
(05:24):
I'm just really community driven. Maybe also again based on
how I grew up. You know, both of my mom
both of my parents have seven siblings on each shy,
so there's eight of them. So it was always and
my mom is the oldest woman in her family, in
her sibling group, and my dad is just the oldest.
(05:46):
So our house was always full of people all the time.
And so while I'm an introvert, I get so much
and source so much energy from being with family and community.
So yeah, and my core I you know, I just
want to be someone who makes things better. It's sort
of inherent in my name. So Asia may means a
good place, and that's what I'm trying to do in
(06:08):
the world.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I didn't know that either. Yes may means a good place.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Okay, that's that's my word for the year.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
By the way, goodness goodness.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
I love that, Yes, spread goodness absolutely.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
The other thing that I'd add about you that I
really admire is you are an extraordinary listener. You have
the capacity to really put pause around what somebody is
saying and go to the next level. And I'm not
surprised that you're having the success that you're having with
customer engagement and just customers full stop. Your your capacity
(06:45):
to do that is really one of the best I've
ever seen. So I also want to reflect that back
to you.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Thank you. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I try to actually listen when people are talking, which
sometimes make it makes it hard to actually come up
with the response because I'm so focused on saying instead
of already in my mind, which sometimes you know I
still do, I'm already kind of thinking of the thing
to respond back to. But I think deep listening is
so important, especially in the work that I do. But also,
(07:16):
like I mentioned in you know, being a people centered
you know, having a people centered value system, I think
it's it's core to that.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah. Well, I want to go back to the early
days of your career, just out of college, you beginning
of your journey. Who was Asia may then tell me
a little bit about like the arc of where she
was then and who she is now.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, So right out of college, I was very ambitious
but not confident.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
So I went into college.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I went to n y u H thinking that I
was going to be a doctor, you know, and a
child of immigrants, an immigrant, myself a child of Nigerians,
and they're like, you're either a doctor or a lawyer, engineer, right,
the classic is that right?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Oh yeah, yeah, most immigrants across the spectrum.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
That's the thing. It's like, I bring you to this country,
this America.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
You're either a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or I don't know
what you're doing with your life. So I went and
pre med at NYU, and after year three, I decided
that it wasn't for me. By the time I graduated,
I was really lucky that I had landed a consulting
job at Accenture.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
I had no idea what consulting even was.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
At that point, and so I didn't know many people
back then that had careers in business. My dad was
a teacher, my mom was a nurse's assistant, and so
I didn't have these role models of like being a
business professional. But yeah, luckily got into some programs at NYU.
You know, we did a like a summer at Mackenzy,
and I was like, oh, this consulting thing was interesting.
(08:54):
Landed a job at Accenture, and so you know, I
knew that I wanted to have an impact and I
thought that this was going to be a great way
to do that, and you know, didn't realize just how
true that was. So, you know, still early on, I
valued learning and adaptability, so I was open to different
industries and roles and opportunities. I mean a good example
(09:14):
of that is well, I was at Eccentia, I ended
up taking a four month sabbatical to run one year
old social enterprise that a friend had started in Ghana.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
You know, I was, it was totally.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Unplanned, but when the opportunity presented itself, you know, I
really I just couldn't say no. And at that point,
I again knew I wanted to have an impact, and
I thought maybe that impact was going to be somewhere
back in the continent of Africa, maybe Ghana, and maybe
back home in Nigeria.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I just didn't know.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
But you know, looking back at the early days of
my career, I was just so hungry and ambitious and
was just open to trying new things.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
How did your parents and your family rea to you
switching gears.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Massive disappointment?
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah, I think they were disappointed that I wasn't going
to pursue the path of medicine. But I think that
they trusted that I would still land in a place
where I could you know, develop a life for myself
and obviously feed myself. But yeah, there was definitely disappointment
there that I had to deal with.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
And so fast forward to today, here you are this
customer success experting. Why did you choose that path? So
how did you switch into this or how did this
all manifest?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah, I mean it wasn't intentional. It wasn't an intentional
choice at first for sure, looking back though, it makes
perfect sense. I've always been drawn to roles that blended strategy,
problem solving, relationship building and customer success has all of
those its. You know, my first job at Eccentria, it
(11:03):
just so happened that the very first project I was
on was New York City three one one, So you know,
for folks that aren't familiar, it's just basically a way
for local and state and city governments to connect with
their people through a elevated customer experience. So it was
a call center that Accenter had created for the New
York City government, and that was my first foray into
(11:28):
working in customer experience and customer service, and that was
just by luck of the draw. And so since then,
I've just been really passionate about having customer great customer
experiences drive business growth. And so yeah, it just happened
to be that I landed into that very early in
my career. And the pivot into customer success specifically for
(11:51):
SaaS and you know, B to B tech Companies, was
off of the back of my tenure at the New
York Times. I wanted to do some thing different and
a mentor who I had at the time a mentor,
he was a CEO at the time, Mark Thompson, you know,
gave me some really stage advice that you know, he thought,
(12:11):
for at least some time, it would be better if
I could be a big fish and a smaller pond.
And so I started to look at tech as an
option and started to look at startups as an option,
and that was the final pivot into customer success.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
I'm kind of curious, what is it that you think
differentiates you as an influencer and just like he thought,
contributor in this space.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Well, first of all, I still have to giggle so
hearing that word is influencer, but I'm going to own it.
I think for sure I have influenced people the immediate
example that comes to mind is the community I created
Success in Black, which is a platform to advocate for
more inclusion in customer success and in tech, but thistually
(13:00):
has paved the way for many more offshoots of other communities,
like the South Asian Success Community, latinas and Success and
adjustingly formed Asia Pacific Success Community. So I'm really proud that,
you know, me taking that courageous step to create something
like Success in Black can now influence and inspire others
(13:22):
to do the same. And I think what differentiates me
is my ability to think outside of my own world.
You know, this was something that growing up, for let's
say good or bad, was always something I had to
deal with. You know, I was often kind of off
daydreaming about other things. And while it can be bad
(13:46):
to sort of have to put yourself outside of your
own world, and I do still struggle to kind of
tap into my own emotions, I think what that meant
is that it's quite easy for me to take someone
else's perspective. And so for business, it's been easy for
me to like look across silos and see what my
(14:06):
peers are doing and try to see how that could
help in what I'm trying to achieve, and so as
a thought leader, you know, I hope that I'm bringing
new and interesting concepts and perspectives to old ways of
doing things or old ways of thinking. I actually, in
LinkedIn talked about this concept that I'm I'm piloting called
(14:30):
assumptive advocacy. So it's all about how, as customer success
and you know, customer relationship managers, how we can take
a page from our sales leaders. There's this concept called
the assumptive sale, which really kind of puts a positive
spin and kind of positive mindset that this buyer's already
(14:53):
going to buy it assumes that they've already bought.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
So taking that.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
To my world, I thought, what if we could apply
that to how we ask customers to advocate on our behalf.
So now I've taken something that sales has done and
now I'm trying to reimagine it for my world. So
I think that that's really what differentiates me is I'm
quite easy, easily able to take a different point of
view and see how it can apply to what I'm
(15:19):
doing and how it can help.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
You know.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Building on that, you talked about the different ways, the
different kinds of discussions that you're choosing to have. There's
one that I loved and you said this term to me,
and I'd love for you to expand upon it, and
that is vulnerability as a skill set, So say more.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Yeah, So, vulnerability is something that I've been tapping more
into just in my personal growth journey. And I actually
just finished Dear to Lead by Brene Brown a few
months ago, and she talks a lot about this in
terms of like courage vulnerability. But I think vulnerability, especially
(16:02):
for me who you know, I often in the past
and still I think to an extent now come off
as quite poised, quite self assured, quite confident, and vulnerability
is a skill set for me. It's because it takes
intentionality and it takes practice. It's not something that you're
just born with. It can be something that you can
(16:25):
actually develop over time. And I think as a leader,
me being vulnerable and me sharing other parts of my life,
other parts of who I am, really helps me foster trust,
helps me drive and build meaningful relationships and connections in
ways that I just wasn't able to before. And I
(16:46):
think as leaders like that's core to actually realizing a vision.
You can have the best strategy the best ideas, the
best vision in the world, but if you can't have
that connected level with people, it's going to fall short.
So that's one thing that you know, I really am
trying to do now, you know. Another example is, you know,
(17:08):
on my LinkedIn presence, and then my thought leadership is
you know, putting my personal perspective and my personal spin
is being you know, a black woman, you know in leadership.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Like what does that mean for me?
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Like feel risky because some of the things I'm saying
are challenging the powers that be in my industry. But
I think, you know, being vocal about my own experience
has really deepened my connections with strangers on the internet,
strangers that are friends, and really created opportunities for me
(17:42):
that you know, I wouldn't have come to achieve otherwise.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
I love that you bring you brought it up, and
that you brought it up that way because one of
the things that I was thinking about is going back
to this this word into intentionality, which we were talking
about before we started this recording today, and I think
it all starts there. It's like, what is it you're
trying to bring forward and why does it matter? And
so you took that idea, you obviously put it into
(18:07):
practice from a professional success standpoint, But when you think
about the words success as you may and how you
talk about it, you're really really redefining it. You're adding
different ingredients to what success could look like. And you're
also reminding all of us in your LinkedIn posts on
what the journey looks like, feels like, how multi dimensional
(18:29):
the journey is, and for anybody listening and watching to
follow you on LinkedIn, subscribe to your newsletter because your
insights create pause and reflection and potentially a different choice
or a different decision as a result of taking in
some of those things. Like I want you to talk
(18:51):
about you did one of this post around when you
were leaving London. You finished a business assignment and.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
It was oh good.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
And maybe it's because my husband's English and I lived
in England for two years, but you talked about so
many cool things in there. So so walk me through
what was going on? So using this intentionality piece, what
was going on for you? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:14):
So I wanted to tell my own story in my
own way, right, so you know the reason why I
moved to London in the first place. A lot of
people you know, don't know, don't know the backstory. But
it was because my marriage was ending and I was
going through a divorce, and I was thinking that I
(19:35):
needed to take a pause for my career because it
was so life shattering this you know, really horrible decision
that I had to make, And instead of allowing me
to quit, my CEO asked me to move to London
and open our international office. So off of the back
of something really painful, this opportunity grew. So a lot
(19:59):
of people know that story. A lot of people still
don't know that story. But so as I was now
moving back to the States and leaving that chapter, I
wanted to be more open about what I had accomplished
and the fact that I wasn't now returning to the States,
you know, because something had failed or because it was
(20:21):
just like, oh, the assignment was over. It was like,
look how much more I gained from this experience, And
you know, the things that I gained that I had
no idea when I first moved to London that I
would have And it's beyond just the you know, business
metrics and outcomes, which by the way, I was quite successful,
and the thing it was more about the personal growth
(20:43):
and the taking a significant risk at this point in
my career and in my life, moving to a country
into a city where I knew no one, having to
stand up a new business with no help and you know,
very little support. And so I really wanted to take
a breath, tell that story in my own terms, and
really celebrate that accomplishment.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Like the cultural dexterity.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Yes, that's what I keep going phrase there.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
That was really good.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yes, it's so important to me, right because you know
a lot of people are like, oh wow, like what
was it like living in London and you know, kind
of taking on this new role And I was like,
you know, I was always prepared for this, you know,
being an immigrant to this country, having to always kind
of live in a duality, you know, maybe even more
than duality and in multiple perspectives, really made me well
(21:33):
suited to achieve this. You know, I've been to almost
fifty countries traveling just personally. You know, I'd studied in China,
I'd worked in Ghana. You know, I already had professional
relationships internationally, you know, just the ability to be able
to bring those to bear and to now become an
international tech and international go to market leader was just
(21:57):
part of the journey and part of the skill set
that I already been developing.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
So beautiful, thank you for sharing your heart and and
your personal story around that. I think it's so refreshing
to hear that level of honesty and openness. Yeah, and
then and then how you've personally and professionally grown from
choosing to lean in like that. I think it is
(22:24):
such a great example for all of us. So where
are you in your career right now? Like, when you
think about your trajectory, do you feel like you're in
this building phase, expanding phase, teaching phase, mentoring phase? Like,
where are you in your career journey?
Speaker 2 (22:41):
I'm gonna cheat and say all of the above, But
if I would have to pick which we're primary right now,
I would have to say that I'm still building new
things while learning and also teaching.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
I think that, you know, those for me go go
hand in hand.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Lifelong learner, but I've learned a lot, I've accomplished a lot,
and I'm hopefully fortunate and privileged enough to be able
to share that with others.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
I really think.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
That I'm still expanding into my leadership and into my
community development. You know, I've built this expertise in customer
success and hopefully now I can apply that in broader
ways through speaking, through writing. I've also been doing more
advisory work. I'm also still investing more in mentorship now
(23:36):
for others and helping others, you know, navigate their own
professional journey. But all that to say, you know, I'm
still growing and expanding my own set of skills learning
AI so that I can make myself more efficient in
the work that I'm doing and.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Free up some of my time.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
So yeah, it's just exciting to think about being all
of those things at the same time, you know, having
a platform to share and teach while also still learning
from others as well.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
So let's talk about who and what has had the
biggest impact on you in your career.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Yeah, so what I mean, I think there are certain.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Milestones that, you know, have really propelled me to where
I am. I think the first one was, you know,
the first time I took a new role outside of
my comfort zone. So leaving consulting. You know, I'd been
a management consultant for ten years. I didn't know what
I could do beyond that. And then you know, this
amazing role at the New York Times showed up. So again,
(24:40):
sometimes when you kind of like question or doubt yourself
or you feel a little bit apprehensive about what's next,
you know, the world can can really deliver. I also
had amazing mentors, you know, right as I was now
transitioning from the New York Times. You know, that really
taught me that I didn't have to have all the
A answers, but was I asking the right questions. So,
(25:03):
you know, when it's time for me to leave the
New York Times, you know, there really became a question
of like why, what did I want to do next?
What did I want to learn next? What do I
want to hopefully achieve? So they really taught me about
asking those right questions. And then now I think where
I am in hopefully my next pivot, is starting to
(25:23):
realize that I don't have to fit any pre existing
model and that I can create my own path and
define success on my own terms, which again feeling a
little bit scary, But I'm going back to what I
learned from my transition from the New York Times and
asking myself the questions of you know, what do I
want to accomplish, what impact do I want to have
(25:45):
in the world. What legacy do I want to leave
behind one day? And that's helped me kind of craft
let's say, my next set of careers, because I don't
think we always have to have just one or kind
of like one career. But yeah, what I'm excited about
to do. What I'm excited about doing next is crafting
(26:06):
that there's a term now that I love, just like
a portfolio of careers or having a portfolio career.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
So that's why I'm really looking forward to next.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
I love that you remind me. I'm a big fan
of like doing something different every year or sometimes a
few times every year. My poor husband, I'll come down
the stairs and I'll be like, I have this idea,
here's all this is going to go, and He's always like,
what are you doing? I'm like, I'm always trying to
shift something and redefine something. So who are you? Who
(26:39):
are you inspired by?
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Right now?
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Like?
Speaker 1 (26:41):
Who are you following?
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Who are you looking to for to feel fullh gosh.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
So my b school bestie, Business school bestie, Lola Baker,
She's amazing. She just published her first book, Responsible Marketing,
really shaking the table and challenging marketers to really set
culture and have a responsibility when it comes to the
(27:10):
organizations they represent a society as a whole. Really really
groundbreaking work that she's doing. And she's a dear and
personal friend. So I'm just privileged that I get to
just like text her and call her and be like, hey,
little I'm thinking about this, and she's like, have you
thought about.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
It this way?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Like She's just an amazing, amazing person. And again, really
privileged that I get to call her my dear friend.
Other people that I'm not as close with what I
am following and learning from lovey Ajae. She's also another
Nigerian American. I think her first book was called Professional Troublemaker,
(27:49):
which I love that, Like that resonated with me so much.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
But she's like.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Constructive agitator, I would say, so helps us think about
and challenge like why are we doing things the way
that we're doing and how do we hold ourselves and
each other to higher standards?
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Love her work. And then the last person I would
say actually Dan Harris.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
So he was a former ABC News anchor and pivoted
to a podcast hosts and writer, and I have been
subscribed and following his work on the ten Percent Happier
podcast for years now, actually by recommendation of my former therapist.
But I just love even the concept of just even
(28:36):
ten percent happier, right, Like everyone's like I want to
be happy, but like that's such a lofty goal and
we all should be happy, but what if we could
just be a little bit happier? And so yeah, just
love his his framing and the guests that he has
and the way that he talks about these concepts. So
that's another person that I'm really following and still learning from.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
So where I want to end our conversation is we
talked about so many different things. What do you want
to leave us with? What do you want to make
sure that anybody's listening and watching this knows about you,
knows about your journey or feel something what's most important
for you?
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah, right now I'm really now that I'm back in
New York, what I'm still interrogating is how to redefine
success for myself. And it's not the end goal but
the journey and really for me now, like who I'm
bringing along with me? Right, So reconnecting with friends and family,
(29:38):
building new relationships and connecting with new people so really
for me, it's like, how do I think about how
I'm showing up along that journey? So yeah, I don't
know that I have like a real compelling end because
I'm still trying to figure it out for myself.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
But really there's no destination, right hmmm.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
I think that's that's That's what you're leaving us with
is the reminder of the power and the beauty in
the journey. And I think, you know, we're all so
success minded, which often associates with a promotion or you know,
some particular goal, a goal achievement. And I think what
you've highlighted for us is there's so much here around
(30:23):
the power of the revealing who we are, why we
do what we do, and then what the learnings are
around around that. I feel so grateful to have reconnected
with you when you were in England, and so grateful
for you sharing your story and your heart here with us.
Really means a ton to me to have you here,
ash Bay, So thank you.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Thank you for having me Janie now really appreciate the
time and the platform to share my story.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Thank you for joining me for another episode of the
Warriors at Work Show. If you are interested in learning
more about what we do at the Warriors at Work
show and platform. Be sure to go over to my website,
Geniecomber and subscribe to my monthly Warrior Playbook newsletter. I
share everything that I'm up to month by month, as
(31:12):
well as some lessons and insights that I've learned. I'm
also interested in hearing any feedback you have about this
conversation or future topics, so reach out to me directly
on JC at Geniecomber dot com or on LinkedIn. Be
sure to tell your friends and your colleagues about this
Warriors at Work conversation. Subscribe, review and rate us. It's
(31:36):
the best way to get this message out into the world.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Be well,
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