[BONUS..GHANA...] Between the Hyphen: How Quiet Leaders Control Their Career Narrative

WHAT TO EXPECT...WHEN YOU PUSH PLAY

Kondwani speaks with Lissa Appiah, a Ghanaian-Canadian career strategist and founder of We Apply. Lissa shares her journey from government employee to entrepreneur, revealing how her "between the hyphen" identity shaped her mission to help quiet leaders and introverts excel in their careers. Discover why being the loudest person in the room isn't the only path to success, how to control your career narrative and the power of investing in yourself. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Lissa experienced being "between the hyphen" as a Ghanaian-Canadian, feeling not fully accepted in either Ghana or Canada, which influenced her career path and understanding of identity struggles in professional settings. 
• Lissa started We Apply while working full-time in government, legally running her business on the side for years by filing proper paperwork, proving that entrepreneurship is possible even for government employees. 
• Clients repeatedly told Lissa they'd been searching for someone who understood their struggles in extroverted workplace cultures, so Lissa pivoted to focus specifically on introverts and quiet leaders.
• Lissa had to learn everything from scratch as an entrepreneur, teaching herself WordPress, video editing, and coding through "YouTube University" when her website crashed and she realised there was no IT support to call. 
• Lissa works both with individuals one-on-one and with organisations to change culture, recognising that personal development alone isn't enough if workplaces still favour only loud, charismatic leadership styles. 
• After spending seven years being afraid to start her business, Lissa realised fear prevented her from educating herself about how to actually pursue entrepreneurship whilst still employed.

BEST MOMENTS

"When I'm in Ghana, they don't consider me Ghanaian, and when I'm in Canada, they don't consider me Canadian. So it was just like somebody understands what it's like to be between the hyphen." 

"Even if it does go wrong, I'm just going to keep going because ultimately, what do I have to lose?"

"I don't know anybody in my whole world that works in government. Like I am the only one that's trying to get into this huge system."  

"There was a narrative that began to be formed around me. I even remember once somebody calling me a snob because I didn't want to come to the after work socials."

MORE FROM OUR GUEST

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/LissaAppiahCareerStrategist

Website - https://weapply.ca/author/lissa-weapply/

ABOUT THE HOST

Kondwani Mwase | Host & Creator

‘The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.’  – Jean-Jacques Rousseau

For most of my life, I have been obsessed with relationships. I have worked, watched and wondered about the complex nature of human interaction. Originally, my interest laid in the narrative…more specifically, I was driven to understand what was happening. Increasingly, my curiosity has been inspired by the underlying motivations behind events…why it happens. It is this curiosity that motivates me.

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