Podcast

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 thoughts about how you can show up and be consistent. 

Long-time listeners of the Open Door Conve…

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 workplace.

According to leadership coach (and a former horrible boss herself) Akua Nyame-Mensah, there…

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 in the direction of your joy. 

Remember, you are not what you studied in college. You are complex, …

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. 

After studying accounting at her university, Dorcas landed a great job. On paper, it was perfect; it su…

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 social media and whether having a website is necessary to get clients.

Akua also gives great advice on…

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 ambitious goals, despite a few bumps in the road.

As Akua discusses, failure is a very personal thing. The…

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 range of accelerators and incubators, as well as supports several companies as a consultant. He is…

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 networker herself, Akua knows what it’s like to have a bit of anxiety around the topic. Whether you…

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 brings you this episode while experiencing a power outage as well as trying to avoid ambient noise fro…

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 deep appreciation for the energy and drive she witnessed from startup founders as they struggled to br…