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