Life to A Teee

Tope Ajala

Life to a Teee with Tope Ajala is a podcast exploring what it means to live fully while wearing many hats. From the boardroom to the tennis court, and across cultures and continents, Tope dives into real conversations about leadership, motherhood, wellness, and identity. It’s for anyone navigating life with intention, ambition, and heart—always striving to live it to a tee.

  1. MAR 6

    My Friends Reminded Me Who I Was | Week 3

    Send us Fan Mail Week 3 of sabbatical took me further than I expected — literally and figuratively. I flew to DC to close out my last consulting client. And then I stayed. Because DC is where my people are. And for the first time in years, I gave myself more than 48 hours to actually be with them, no packed agenda, no back-to-back meetings, no performance of availability. Just real, unhurried time with the women who know me best. What followed was one of the most restorative weeks of this entire sabbatical. We're talking pedicures and long lunches and a hotel bar conversation that went on for hours with not a single drink between us. One of my girlfriends booked me a surprise photo shoot, just because she knew I needed to feel like myself again. And in that moment, I understood something I want to talk about in this episode: the right people in your life will see you before you can see yourself. We also get into my very first Amtrak experience, specifically the Acela, which I expected to feel like the Eurostar and did not. My first trip to Philly. And a dinner in New York hosted by Carla Harris that put me in a room full of Black investors, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs, and reminded me exactly why intentional network building is one of the most important things you can do for your future and your family's future. And then I landed, went straight to school pickup, and reported back to mom duty. Because that's the duality. This episode is about reconnection. About what real friendship looks like in hard seasons. About carrying things well but not alone. And about the infrastructure,  human infrastructure — that holds you up when titles and calendars no longer define you. If you've been in a season where you needed someone to remind you who you are, this one is for you. Support the show

    33 min
  2. MAR 5

    I Saved $200,000 for My Sabbatical | The Real Numbers, The Real Sacrifices | Week 2

    Send us Fan Mail Everyone's been asking the same question since I started this series: how did you afford it? So this week, I'm going there. The real number. The real breakdown. The sacrifices nobody sees and the conversations you have to have before you can actually stop. Week 2 of my sabbatical landed right in the middle of Valentine's Day — and before we get to the money, we have to talk about that. Because I am not a holiday person. Never have been. And watching so many of my friends spend the week in a low-grade anxiety about what someone else was or wasn't going to do for them made me want to say something. Valentine's Day doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture. But it should be intentional. And fellas — a romantic email would go a long way. I'm just saying. Then we get into it. I saved $200,000 for this sabbatical. And I know how that sounds. So let me break it down — what that money actually covers, how long I saved for it, the $5,000 a month I was setting aside with intention as early as 2023, the investments that were quietly working while I was loudly working, and the invisible financial load that comes with being the person so many people depend on. Because as a Black woman who supports her parents, her friends, and a team of about 10 people, the conversation about rest and money is never simple. The privilege of taking a sabbatical is real. And so is the weight of what it took to get here. We also talk about the hard conversations you have to have before you can truly step away. With your family. With the people who depend on you. With yourself. Because you can have the money saved and still not be ready to stop performing availability. And the hardest thing I saved for this sabbatical wasn't $200,000. It was the courage to finally stop. Support the show

    19 min

About

Life to a Teee with Tope Ajala is a podcast exploring what it means to live fully while wearing many hats. From the boardroom to the tennis court, and across cultures and continents, Tope dives into real conversations about leadership, motherhood, wellness, and identity. It’s for anyone navigating life with intention, ambition, and heart—always striving to live it to a tee.