STELLIFY Podcast Bralade

On this episode, we have a phenomenal guest, Shadrach Stevens. He is an award winning engineering leader, community advocate, mentor and founder of Re.engineer, making impact within his profession and community by creating value in every role that he has served in. His platform Re.engineer is a collaborative community of professionals that are bridging the developmental gap outside the STEM disciplines.

As the founder, he aspires to close this gap through mentorships, providing access to professional development resources and by extending the voice of underrepresented diversity groups. As an ally, he diligently supports women in STEM, championing professional development, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the shop floors in every industry. Sign up for a special session holding April 23, 2021 here www.reengineer.co/stemulate.
 
In this episode he shares with us his tenets for life: Aggressive Patience, Razor Sharp Focus and Value Creation. You definitely want to check them out in this episode. See highlights below:
 
✴️ His work on recognizing and celebrating women, who made history and who are still making history        4:39
✴️ His journey in engineering and leadership. 8:19
✴️ His mind blowing definition of change. 10:04
✴️ How to make awesome improvements in a team. 12:09
✴️ Tips on how to spot gaps from different perspective, in an organization. 15:10
✴️ Shadrach's guiding principles and practices. 31:23
✴️ The intersection between technology, passion and talents. 36:13
✴️Ursula Burn's talk on time management. 40:09
✴️ The role of faith and its importance. 46:36
 
Shadrach Steven develops and energizes teams that are committed to changing the current reality and are focused on delivering value. As a result of this collaboration, his improvement teams have generated over 100 million of value creation, on his professional journey in 2003. He progressed from several engineering roles for several fortune 500 companies, to where he is now as a global improvement leader and reliability director for the environmental Technology Center at Dow. In 2009, he had an opportunity to partner with a faith based organization to provide project leadership for the execution of a $6.5 million Community Center in Houston, Texas. Outside of his corporate engagements.
 
Connect with Shadrach on LinkedIn and YouTube and . Instagram and Facebook @re.engineer.
Let’s continue the conversation on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn @TheStellifyPodcast. Use the hashtag #stellified. Thank you for subscribing, listening, reviewing and rating this podcast on Apple and other apps.

April is Autism Awareness month. ASD is a disorder that impacts children and the families that love them. I have experienced this firsthand in an experience I share in this episode. On this special for Autism Awareness day, I interview a hero on the frontlines of this advocacy, who has dedicated the last decade and her life to this cause.

Beauty Kumesine is a passionate public speaker and advocate who speaks from her heart and to the hearts of her community for the identification and rehabilitation of children with Special Needs, ASD and other related developmental disorders within the Nigerian society.

On this episode, she shares how she started on this journey which she describes as “purpose” even though she had no personal or family experience with autism. She talks about the levels of stigma in society and the community. Her bravery in the work she does and the lack of mental healthcare and therapy in Nigeria.

But most of all, the success they keep tracking, however small, is the fuel that helps this work continue. You will be educated and enlightened about autism spectrum disorder and the precious children who live with it.
 
Key highlights of the episode are:
 
How she went from IT to behavioral therapy 4:55
 
The story of the first autistic child she worked with 12:32
 
The top 3 things society can do to help autistic children. 20:44
 
How the Port Harcourt Autism Walk started and its impact. 30:58
 
The cost of therapy and advocacy 38:43
 
How to find and live your purpose, with her insightful practices. 41:43
 
 
Beauty Kumesine is the founder of Blazing Heart Autism Center for 12 years, where she has impacted over 500 children. She consults for hospitals and schools on special needs and how to handle special needs cases. She has received several certifications and recognitions locally and internationally with recent awards by Leading Ladies Africa as one of Nigeria’s 100 most Inspiring Women and 50 most Inspiring Women by under the Business Day Women’s hub Publications. Beauty is a fellow and an alum of LEAP Africa.

Connect with her and help sponsor this great work on:
Facebook: Bea Uty Kumesine
Instagram: IambeautyK
Twitter: Beauty Kumesine
LinkedIn: Beauty Kumesine
Email: bkumesine@gmail.com

Let’s continue the conversation on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn @TheStellifyPodcast. Use the hashtag #stellified. Thank you for subscribing, listening, reviewing and rating this podcast on Apple and other apps.
 

Our guest on Episode 36 is Abi Olukeye, founder and CEO of Smart Girls HQ, a STEM education solutions provider that creates engaging contents that facilitate exciting experiences to enable young girls achieve STEM career literacy by age 12.
Abi spearheads a movement to raise Smart Girls all over America. She shares how
Each job she had opened her up to discover what her purpose is.She developed a mix of skills that allowed her to develop through her career.To harness the power of internet research to solve troubling, everyday problems.She is building an impactful business to address representation in STEM.How her business idea started from hearing her own kids talk about gender stereotypes.To figure out what brings your creative juice to life, Abby submits: “find the thing that naturally connects with you first, and then you can go into the details later. But if you can’t grab that attention upfront, through something relatable, then you’re really fighting a losing battle.” 07:30
Some take-home for you are:
What do you want? The better you are able to answer this question for yourself, the better your impact. 43:30Take the lead. Act, act and keep acting. 44:27Believe it is possible. 46:00 
Abi Olukeye is the founder/CEO of Smart Girls HQ, A STEM education solutions provider that creates engaging content and facilitates exciting experiences to enable young girls achieve STEM Career Literacy by age 12. Core offerings include parent education for STEM informal learning at RaisingSmartGirls.com and Dear Smart Girl kits, a project based career-focused STEM curriculum for girls.
Previously, she led Internet of Things (IOT) strategy development and digital transformation projects at a diversified Fortune 500 manufacturing company. She has over fifteen years of professional and leadership experience spanning new product development, technology commercialization, process improvement and strategy. Watch her insightful TedTalk.
 
Connect with Abi on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and www.raisingsmartgirls.com
Let’s continue the conversation on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn @TheStellifyPodcast. Use the hashtag #stellified. Thank you for subscribing, listening, reviewing and rating this podcast on Apple and other apps.
 
 
 
 
 

In the first of its kind, I am co-hosting today’s show with Tonbra Nwosuagwu, host of The Unscathed Life Podcast. For this International Women’s Day Special, we sit down for a chit-chat with two of our sister-friends, Ijeoma Nwachuche and Chrissie Afe for one very important but entertaining conversation.
 
We share our perspectives on International Women’s Day, the importance of representation as women in the workplace, and raising the next generation of strong women.  We discuss the balancing-act between maintaining our femininity and advancing in male dominated sectors, as well as reflect on the toll of constantly proving ourselves, as women, to be worthy of seats we already own.
 
With our personal stories, witty anecdotes and hearty laughter, we speak to the seriousness of what it means to be 21st century women; appreciating the progress thus far but also understanding that more is needed to accelerate the journey to the ultimate destination: gender parity and equality.
 
Key highlights of this episode include:
What international women’s day means to each of us     9:30
Challenges that come from working in male dominated sectors   19:02
“Being feminine yet strong; femininity is not synonymous to weakness”               23:10
The intersection between race and gender. Closing the inequality divide               28:57
How does tokenism weigh in the inequality balance?      32:18
“We chose to challenge…”          36:14
On raising the next generation of strong women 45:17
The importance of having a supportive tribe        55:52
 
Meet the ladies:
Ijeoma Nwachwuche is a Senior Executive within the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria. She is also the founder of a newly launched Purple Orchid Project, where she coaches and mentors young female career professionals - click here to join the waitlist for the next cohort Bit.ly/thereferralcode. She is also an author of a soon-to-be published book, ‘The Referral Code’. She is also a wife and mother to three children. Connect with her at Ijeoma Miriam Nwakuche on LinkedIn and @ije_miana on Instagram.
Chrissy Afe is a HR Professional who works within the academic sector in the UK. She is also a hair coach. and a worship minister who takes great joy in seeing people have real encounters in a place of worship. She is also a wife and mother to two children.
Tonbra is a Coach to the Unscathed Life Community, Podcast host, Speaker and a Singer-Songwriter based in the UK. I have also been a Project/Program manager for more than 12 years. Connect with her on Instagram @Tonbra.Nwosuagwu and https://linktr.ee/tonbra.nwosuagwu and listen to the Unscathed Life Podcast.
And as a reminder, I am Bralade Koroye-Emenanjo, an Engineer, Speaker, Author, and a Podcaster on the Stellify Podcast. My first book, “A Line In The San”: Stories of Boundaries in Marriage drops in April 2021. I am a wife and a mother to three children. Connect with me on
Let’s continue the conversation on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn @TheStellifyPodcast. Use the hashtag #stellified. Thank you for subscribing, listening, reviewing and rating this podcast on Apple and other apps.
 
 

On this episode, Stephanie Hurtado Lonard, the founder and CEO of Technically Minded Talents shares her rocky career story and how she turned the volatility she faced in the oil and gas industry into opportunities. In her business, she goes beyond recruiting for commission to coaching clients for best results. Her wholesome strategy provides the necessary resources to drive representation in STEM, especially for people of all races. She is also an avid advocate for STEM education, believing that “you have to start the talent pipeline really early.”

From her decade long experience as a professional engineer, career coach and recruiter, you will learn:
·       The psychological impact of layoffs. 13:12
·       How to write a modern professional resume. 21:20
·       What to do when you have just been laid off. 23:41
·       The power of small talk to foster thriving professional relationships. 30: 40
·       The role of talent in building a company. 10:10
·       How (and why it is necessary) to announce your lay off. 08:45
 
Stephanie was born in New York City. Ecuadorian Heritage. Fluent in English and Spanish. Graduated from University of Missouri-Rolla with a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. Worked in Oil & Gas for various Fortune 500 companies as an Engineer Intern, Field Engineer, Process Design Engineer and Project Manager since 2007. Managed capital projects over $12M. Then in 2017, I founded Technically Minded Talent, a recruitment firm to connect Engineers with careers opportunities. Heavily involved in Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) for 14 years and serving on FIRST Robotics as a Mentor. I am married to another Chemical Engineer and have 2 boys, ages 4 and 1.5 years old, now reside in Huntsville, Alabama.

Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn and her email, slonard@techmindedtalent.com and website: www.technicallymindedtalent.com

Let’s continue the conversation on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn @TheStellifyPodcast. Use the hashtag #stellified. Thank you for subscribing, listening, reviewing and rating this podcast on Apple and other apps.

In this episode, I narrated how the Texas freeze impacted me and my family. In this once in a century event, there were power and water outages that created conditions unfit for wellbeing. Some lost comfort, others property and for 21 people, as at today, their lives as temperatures were subzero in degrees Celsius.
 
It was tragic but somewhere in the thick of this week, I found a lot to be grateful for. In the words of Michael Dooley, “Disaster gave me two things: a moment to react and a decision to overcome”. I share our story of a nine-hour harrowing journey, sleeping in three homes on consecutive nights and living with uncertainty. Ultimately, I learned two things: the next time there is such a forecast, I will overestimate the impact and make adequate arrangements.
 
So many people want to help and several others need help at such times. I shared some guidelines on how to give and get help, while honoring boundaries: yours and others.
 
How to help people going through major events or natural disasters:
Make Fewer Calls            14:30Ask and Offer                   16:38Tangible Help                   19:29Respect People’s Boundaries 21:00How to respond to help in a major event or natural disasters:
Use Blanket Messages   19:30Find a Way to let People Know You are Safe 20:29Take Help ASAP               21:06Share your Boundaries  21:41Importantly, when in weather eventualities, find humor in the situation. Lastly, be thankful for the blessings that seem so little like sunlight and rain, like water and power… few realize their importance till they are gone.
 
Let’s continue the conversation on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn @TheStellifyPodcast. Use the hashtag #stellified. Thank you for subscribing, listening, reviewing and rating this podcast on Apple and other apps.