In this episode Entrepreneur, Intercultural Communicator, Teacher, Mentor and Mother, Funke Michaels, shares with us her story. From “little Lagos girl” to Harvard and MIT fellow, her path has been truly unique, but the lessons she’s learned can help us all in navigating our own lives and careers. From leveraging one’s community, to starting with a smile, learning by doing, and marketing one’s self – you’ll want to get out a pen and paper to take notes from this truly masterful teacher.
Follow Funke’s work on LinkedIn and e4impact.org
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00:00 Opening
00:51 Intro
01:47 “My real job is being Mom”
04:45 Funke’s current projects
07:25 We get excited about the farm
08:29 Her Story: “A little Lagos Girl”
11:30 Some information about Benin
13:41 Understanding Africa
17:17 At the University of Benin
18:40 Finding work through community and happy accidents
20:15 Building a career in marketing
23:50 Advice for young professionals; setting yourself up for success
27:50 Developing confidence from your context and vision
30:10 Entrepreneurship and insights from MIT and Harvard
31:20 Building your support system with a smile
33:39 Changing to make the most of the unexpected
35:24 Some motivation for students struggling through Finals
37:00 Pursuing opportunities and making the opportunities pursue you
41:48 Navigating intersectional identities and cultural dynamics
48:25 Tips to help advocate for yourself
51:19 Listener questions
1:01:40 Closing thoughts and key takeaways