The Trailblazers Experience Podcast

EP38 Zelelapi Kaemba : Founder /CEO Training & Development Consultant : My goal is to motivate & help people achieve their maximum potential.

• Ntola • Season 3 • Episode 38

Share episode

Send us a text


My next guest us Zelelapi Kaemba , Founder /CEO Training and Development Consultant at Talent Capital Institute
What if there was a way to not only survive the entrepreneurial landscape, but to truly thrive within it? Zelelapi Kaemba has been doing that for over 15 years. As a seasoned training and development consultant, she's journeyed the path from formal employment to steering her own ship. She reveals how her leap into entrepreneurship was fuelled by passion, resilience and a risk-taking mindset. Zelelapi takes us through her year, reflecting on projects that have profoundly shaped her journey.

Want to know the secrets behind successful leadership? The code to continuous development and strategic thinking? Or perhaps you're interested in harnessing the power of digital platforms for business growth? Zelelapi  got you covered. Her insights into these crucial aspects of business are derived from a career spanning over a decade. She navigates us through the shifting world of business, emphasizing the value of personal and professional integrity and the necessity to adapt.

Let's talk about self-care. It’s crucial, and Zelelapi  knows it. She champions the importance of a balanced work-life dynamic and how it’s key to successful entrepreneurship. We discuss how burnout can be debilitating, the benefits of good nutrition, and the necessity of guilt-free breaks. The conversation is filled with practical tips for managing stress, finding support, and maintaining that balance. Join us, as we unravel these nuggets of wisdom and inspiration to help you navigate your own entrepreneurial journey.

Chapters

00:00  Introduction 

03:36  Transition to Entrepreneurship

07:37  Lessons and Milestones as a Training and Development Consultant

10:19  Working with Young People

14:14  Leadership and Skills Development

17:46 Continuous Learning and Strategic Partnerships

23:03  Core Values and Personal Growth

26:09  Challenges Faced as an Entrepreneur

32:36  Specializing in Public Speaking

45:48   Self-Care and Work-Life Balance

47:25 Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle and Self-Care

52:12 Trailblazer Takeaway Tips


Follow Zelelapi Kaemba 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zelelapi-kaemba-73b98b42/
https://www.facebook.com/tci.coza
Instagram @tci_zm

Listen : to the audio version Apple Spotify .Amazon Music Google Podcasts
Watch and subscribe to my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@Thetrailblazersexperience
Follow Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazersexperience/

Speaker 1:

Welcome to another episode of the Trailblazers Experience podcast, the number one podcast for candid conversations with women, sharing their amazing career journeys and stories across multiple industries and sectors. My next guest today was Zellele P Kayamba, who is currently a training and development consultant with over 15 years experience running her own business, she considers herself a facilitator, with the goal of bringing out the best in people. Zellele P Kayamba, hi.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for having me. I've been looking forward to being a guest on this show. It's been a long time coming, so I'm so happy to be here.

Speaker 1:

And you are worthy of being a guest Such a trailblazer. I think your story will inspire someone out there. Let's talk about how you've come to this point of running your own business and being an entrepreneur, because that journey must have started somewhere. Tell me about your early years and your career so far.

Speaker 2:

Okay, sure. Well, if we take it back to the beginning, I was interested in IT, information technology, which is what I did at uni in the UK. Came back home, I got a job with an NGO and I worked at that NGO for about three or four years and then I left again and then when I came back to Zambia, I worked for a compensation benefits company and it was sort of an administrative role. But I must say in both of these roles that I worked in for the 13 years I was in for employment, I always leaned to wants, training and development. Whenever there was an opportunity to train people or if they were looking for volunteers to teach peers about processes or systems, I would always put my hand up, because that's something that I always felt passionate about.

Speaker 1:

Initially.

Speaker 2:

I thought it was IT thing. But things changed over the years and then I mean to truly understand my transition. One has to understand why I left for more employment in the first place.

Speaker 2:

So I was doing the training and development here at work, but I always felt that I could give more and reach more people if I did it on my own, if I went out on my own. So, yes, for most of my work life, I felt it was stifling my creativity, I was not given the space to actually reach my fullest potential. I felt that I wasn't pursuing my passions, and that's what led me to this role that I'm in now as the founder and CEO of Talent Capital Institute, which is a training institute. We do training for personal and professional development with individuals and corporate.

Speaker 1:

That's a significant transition, isn't it A to say I'm tired of this rat race of working for other people, but then also to say I found my niche and this is the direction that I want to go in. Tell me about your experience of being a training and development consultant and what are some of the lessons you probably and milestones you've learned along the way.

Speaker 2:

Yeah Well, I must say before I answer that question that it's not to say that I feel being in formal employment is not good. It is good. I feel it's the best and safest way to earn a living. If you have a good-paying job that takes care of all of your needs, it's perfect. If you're satisfied, you're doing what you love, it's absolutely fine. I mean, do meet those people who are in formal employment to keep things going. But I guess you have to know yourself as well and know your capabilities, your abilities for you to know whether formal employment is for you or it isn't. And if it isn't, then all that it does is frustrates you and it sort of saps away the motivation and the zeal to work. So that's also part of the reason. One of the things that really stood out in my career journey was that when you showcase your abilities, when you showcase your strengths and things that you know in the workplace, it sort of lifts you up and exposes you. And that's what helped me to be selected in certain projects or certain things that were happening in the workplace, because I wasn't afraid to showcase what I had to offer. And of course, you are people that you work with who notice you and you will be picked out to do certain things. So I always say that don't be afraid to be seen. I think the fear of being seen or being noticed at work really does affect somebody's progression in the workplace. So that's something that I learned along the way.

Speaker 2:

The biggest milestone for me, I think, was my decision to pivot and pursue my entrepreneurial journey. This was obviously a big one for me because it came with a lot of doubts. I was trying to do this for a number of years. I came with a lot of you know, am I doing the right thing? Should I just stay in for more employment?

Speaker 2:

But I also felt that I was running out of time because the years are going by. The years are going by and getting older and thinking do I have enough energy to actually go out there and do this on my own? But I was pushed to make that decision and, of course, taking that leap has taught me to be resilient. It's taught me to be more of a risk taker and it also opened me up to be willing to fail, pick myself up and keep it going. As an entrepreneur, you have to have that bounce back ability, because you will fall so many times, but you always have to quickly pick yourself up and keep it going. So I guess those are some of the milestones and lessons that I've learned along the way.

Speaker 1:

That's so interesting, Zelle Lappie, because a lot of people are scared of making different decisions, are scared of taking an entrepreneurial journey, and there's this thing of what's the worst that can happen. You may try once you pick yourself up, but to live a life of not even knowing how it would have panned out if it was going to work out in the first place is far worse.

Speaker 1:

That was my worst fear, so I literally just had to pick myself and what are some of the projects that you're working on now we're closing the year 2023. What are some of the things that you worked on that you think this is something that's really inspired me, has motivated me, and what are some of the things that you are taking from this year into the next?

Speaker 2:

Well, this year I've worked with several clients and I think when you're doing training, the thing that you take away is what your clients tell you at the end of your sessions or at the end of your training, the feedback that they give you, the change that you can see that you've made with those clients. That's really something that keeps me going. I did a talk with some young girls earlier this year. The talk was about why we are an entrepreneur, what's so great about being an entrepreneur and all that kind of stuff. So I talked them through it and I could just see there was so much enthusiasm with these young girls.

Speaker 2:

So that kept me motivated and you always feel like, well, the response that you get. You always feel like I think I'm doing the right thing, I think I'm on the right path, because, as a self-employed person, always tend to think is this the right thing? Should I just maybe just go back and get a job and get back into the referees? That feedback that I've received from my clients and the changes that I've seen in themselves and in their organizations, that's definitely something that's kept me going and I think for next year I'm planning on doing a lot of work with younger people when they're at the lessons stage. But yeah, that's something that I'm working on, which I think will be a good thing.

Speaker 1:

I mean, that's awesome, just even just. You know the ability to engage, because, do you find I find this sometimes in LLP when I look at young women and they're attending these networking events. They're coming into talks, they are participating actively in their own development and they may come to the event nervous, but the fact that they've made the first step and said you know what, instead of me just hanging around with my friends, I've decided to come and do something that will help and empower me. I think it's so inspiring. So when you saw those young women coming to hear you speak and you know empower them, were you not a bit, you know, shocked in a way, to say, wow, this is really happening.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I was really shocked because these were young girls like in high school. So I was, I was, I was quite shocked to see how interested they were in in starting business.

Speaker 2:

And some of them had started small businesses, whether it's selling headphones or phone covers, but at least they're they're doing something that's productive and, like you said, keeping them out of all of these other things that make them go the other way.

Speaker 2:

But also another thing that has been eating at me is the fact that I think for a long time we focused on the young women and I kind of feel like the young, the young men, have been left behind and I'm starting to see that gap in society. You know communities young women are, you know, go getters, they're the ones at the front of the line, they're the ones who are doing better in school. And I think because for a long time the focus was on the girl child right, we focused so much on the girl child that we forgot about the young boys who are now young men. So I think, like I was saying before, what what I want to do is not only focus on one gender, but both, you know, because I feel the young men also deserve to be given all of these opportunities and to be talked to and nurtured so that, at the end of the day, we have a society that has balanced men and women who are doing great things.

Speaker 1:

I totally agree. I mean, you know, I'm the mother of boys so I am also biased in that way. But you're right, we need, we need that balance of, you know, successful women, successful men. We need the allyship, we need the balance in that way. Scott Galloway is a professor and he's writing a book specifically to talk about. You know masculinity, what that means today for the young men of today, and you know he, to your point, feels like there's been a lot of focus. What's happened in the world? There's been so much focus on one gender, on one race, on one. You know, sexuality, but actually we need to look at it as a whole. Everyone needs to be given a chance. So how can we facilitate that for men and for women? I think is really important as well.

Speaker 2:

So definitely that's something that I'm looking into.

Speaker 1:

So your skills? I mean? There's a lot about relationship building, skills development, strategic thinking, public speaking. Talk to me about you know your role as a leader within your organization and how important that that's been to developing and growing that.

Speaker 2:

Okay, yeah, that's. That's a great question. I mean, all of the skills that you've mentioned relationship building, skills development and strategic thinking are all important, and I think they're important in any leadership journey because they're sort of intertwined and all of these skills, you know, sort of complement each other. So when you think about relationship building, relationship building creates a good environment for skills development, right, and then strategic thinking sort of guides the direction and focus on these other two things. So I think, as a leader, we have to spread ourselves a bit and kind of tap into all of these skills and not just focus on one specific skill. So, together, all of those three skills that you mentioned, which you know, I have shared.

Speaker 2:

They contribute significantly to a leader's ability to inspire and motivate their team and to get their team to some kind of success. So for me, as a leader, I think in my team, my team is quite small. Nevertheless, I think for me the skill that I'm mostly tapped into for the work that I do is strategic thinking, especially also as an interpretal law. I need to be able to have foresight, to anticipate you know, the trends. I need to be able to formulate plans, long-term plans. I need to be able to think strategically, to have a plan to help me to achieve all of those goals. So I think strategic thinking for any leader is a must. It can make or break you. So that's a skill that I'm always looking to sharpen. I'm always looking to learn more because it's vital to the success of your team or your organization.

Speaker 1:

I mean some great insights there. It's interesting when you are working with so many people or developing or working on projects. It's thinking about how you lead and how you interact with people is a very big part. And one thing that I love about your business you know you are really working on short courses that focus on the continuous development. So you've broken development into little, bite-sized chunks so people can. I always believe in incrementals, so people improving slowly over time if they're consistent with what they're doing.

Speaker 2:

Exactly. I mean, that's key. We have to keep learning. We have to keep learning even just to remain relevant in our different roles, even for myself, I mean, I'm a trainer, I'm a facilitator. One would think that I know it all, but things are changing every day. They're literally changing every day. So you have to have this continuous development, where you're doing research and looking at what your peers are doing how you can do it better, what you can do.

Speaker 2:

So all of those things are part of what I incorporate, even in my training and development. I'm always encouraging people to keep learning and be eager to learn more, because that's the best way to remain relevant in today's world.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, definitely. And talking about that, I mean you've gone into some key strategic partnerships, so, for example, with the PACB, in terms of offering the expertise and certain training courses to develop the people within there. How do you network ZalalaP2A, develop yourself, be curious and learn new things, but also ultimately, drum up new business?

Speaker 2:

That is a very good question. I have a thing about networking, because we have all these networking events right, always being invited to networking events but if you really think about it, if nothing actually comes out of that networking event, it's been a sheer waste of your time. It's been a complete waste of your time. You've just gone and stood for two hours chatting to people, exchanging numbers. Probably they'll never call you or you will never call them. So I feel that those events are great, just to be out there and to tell the world that you're there.

Speaker 2:

But the real networking, I think, is more one-to-one, more reaching out. If I can see that, okay, it's like someone that I would like to do business with. I'm not going to wait to meet you at an event. I can look for your details. Or you introduce myself, set up a meeting, see if we fit, and if we do, then we take it from there.

Speaker 2:

So a lot of my partnerships have been either because somebody has reached out to me and said I like the work that you're doing, can we work on something together? This is what I have to offer. I think we can offer this to this partnership and then, yeah, definitely we will do something together. Or I reach out to certain companies, organizations, if I feel I can work with them and I can use their platform to sort of put myself out there. Especially with the organization that you mentioned, pecb, they provide a platform for trainers to train on their subject areas, so they'll teach you certain subjects like, for example, cyber security.

Speaker 2:

If you're interested in cyber security, you can go through a program and then you use their platform to sort of train people. Or you can hire trainers from their organization. You set up the training in your location, in your country and use their name. So I think also always looking out for new for partnerships, always looking to see who's doing what and can I do something with them, how can I be of value to them and how can they be of value to me. I think that's what's important in a partnership. It just shouldn't be one-sided. It has to work both ways. Some great things happen doing things that way. So it's always good to reach out to people and see how you can work together.

Speaker 1:

There's so much power in digital nowadays, isn't it? I say, you know, with your phone you can do so, you can start a business, or you can just be wasting your time scrolling endlessly, exactly, or you can make connections. So there is power in this thing.

Speaker 2:

You can be a tip-top. You can do something useful.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, time is of the essence of how you spend that. You touched on really one important point about values. What are your core values, just for you as a person, and how does that help steer you in your professional and personal life?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, core values. Interestingly, we often have many as individuals, right, I believe in this, I'm this, I'm that, but I think for me, the main one is integrity. I believe in doing the right thing, even when nobody's watching. If I catch myself doing something that I shouldn't be doing, I feel guilty on my own. So to me, that tells me that, okay, you know I shouldn't be doing this if I'm feeling awkward about it. So, integrity, honesty I believe that you know should be honest with one another. It avoids so much drama.

Speaker 2:

It's personal, whether it's business. If you're, you know you have a service to deliver that you can't. Rather than stringing a client along, just level with them and tell them you know, integrity, honesty, having a strong work ethic, you know, being trustworthy. I think those are important and I think that when people trust you, then they'll be more open to even doing business with you. So, if you seem like an untrustworthy person because of, maybe, things that you know people have seen on social media, because everything is on social media now, so carrying yourself in a manner which people would be willing to do business with you, I think is the plus for me Integrity, honesty, trustworthiness and having a strong work ethic.

Speaker 1:

That's also considered the invisible PR, isn't it? Those are the things that are. People are watching and seeing and saying, okay, you know, holding yourself accountable, I think is as well, like you said, when nobody's watching, doing that sense. Check with you saying, is this right, does this sit well with me, is a very, very good barometer for life. Exactly, exactly, yeah, definitely. What are some challenges you face, which are, you've said, you know, I've learned this lesson. I'm never going to put myself in that situation again, professionally or actually. It's just been part of the learning curve in your journey.

Speaker 2:

Yeah Well, moving from being informed employment to working for myself, that transition definitely wasn't easy and, unfortunately for me, when I decided to go out on my own in 2019, a couple of months later, the world went on lockdown. So I was stuck with this business model that wasn't working because, you know, we couldn't have physical contact with people. So that was the the first and the biggest challenge, and it really made me sort of doubt what I was doing, because it was. It was hard. I had to completely change my business model. I had to Do everything online now, from the get-go, and of course, that meant that what I had planned Was a way to work out. So I had to now become a social media manager. I had to become a content creator. I have become an online trainer. I had to become a graphic designer, you know, marketing online marketing manager all of these things all in one and it was a lot to learn and I must say it was very challenging.

Speaker 2:

But I guess that's part of being an entrepreneur you have to be able to adapt to, to change Very quickly. You can't dwell on on those facts for too long. Oh, I'm not gonna be able to do this. Should I wait until COVID is over, until I start my business. So I had to quickly change my thought process and quickly change how I had designed my business. And now everything was online. So you know, even even calls that I was making to people now had to become emails that I'm sending to lists of companies. It was difficult, but that was the biggest challenge. But you know, I learned so much. I learned things that I probably wouldn't have learned in such a short period of time.

Speaker 2:

And Another challenge I face being you on the market. I mean, I've been doing this for four years now, so now we've gained some traction. But the first year was quite hard because even you're on the market, nobody knows you Right, nobody knows you. You're in COVID, you can't go around talking to people. So it was hard as a new person.

Speaker 2:

But I had to be patient and I had to learn that People who do business with you, when they trust you or they can see what you've done and all you need really is just that one person to give you a chance, just that one person to say, okay, you're new and this year you sound like you know what you're doing, but okay, let's see how it goes a lot of companies, especially if you're dealing with corporate Training, a lot of companies want to see what you've done with other companies. And then if you say but you know, if you give me a chance, you won't be disappointed. You know, I know I'm new at this, but just give me a chance, most of them will shy away from that. But you just need to To to believe that you know one person will give you that chance.

Speaker 2:

And when those doors open, then that's it. You know, that's it. You're, you're, you're going to start to create your portfolio and More people start to to respect you and more people start to trust what you're doing. So those are some of the challenges and, of course, the usual ones of trusting the wrong people. You know, we learned the hard way because there's trusting the wrong people, but again, it brings a very big one, isn't it?

Speaker 2:

It brings me back to that bounce back ability that you need as somebody who's working for yourself, because, at the end of the day, if you Always getting shot down by these, these negative things that are happening to you at the end of the month, when you don't, when you have nothing, it's on you. You know you don't have a Company salary to rely on, so you you kind of have to block out those things. Of course you learn from them. Learn from them, but also learn how to move forward and do better the next time.

Speaker 1:

You've just, really just given some some real tips, nuggets there, because you know Entrepreneurship is not easy and there will always be challenges, and the fact that you have to wear many hats. Yes, within your organization, you are the first employee and you are the one who's doing everything. Yeah, in the organization as well. And and there's also have you found now, when you are maybe hiring the content person, you know they can't, they can't lie to you of what, what's not insurmountable, because you've done it, you were the content person yourself.

Speaker 2:

Exactly. You've done it and you know I also feel like being an intrapreneur, being self-employed, you sort of become control free, because even when I know that, okay, I can't do this, I have to hire someone to do it. You hire them and then you want to micromanage them because you're like, look, this is my baby. Yeah, you might know what you're doing, but you don't know it like I do. So you kind of have to pull yourself away a bit and let people do the work that you hire them for. So it's a tough one. It's a tough one. Be an intrapreneur. It's not for the faint-hearted, definitely.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, at that point where you know you're able to recruit people and then you can actually delegate, do you have to pinch yourself because you think, is this really happening? I Can, you know I was. I was a company of one, you know, and now I'm having to entrust the trust element Not just trusting yourself, but trusting others, wow. So most recently, zanella P, you appeared in a business and lifestyle magazine, you know, sharing tips about public speaking, which is also one of the things that your organization offers as well. Public speaking, I mean work where public speaking right now, in a digital format, casting has now become a thing vlogging, speaking in front of you know corporates, and it's not a skill we're taught in school. I I don't recall anyone teaching me about public speaking. So how did you decide that this is an area you want to specialize in?

Speaker 2:

I think every, well, most of everything that I do In my training and development comes from the desire to help people be the best that they can be. That's really what it is. So when I started, I had a number of subjects that I was training in. In fact, there were too many, so I had to narrow it down. But when I would advertise for public speaking, the Response I would get would be overwhelming. So it sort of became our flagship course, right. And then I realized that okay, actually, this is something that a lot of people struggle with.

Speaker 2:

Some people Don't have a problem with it. You can. You're a natural public speaker, you know. But the gift of the gap, it's not a problem. But a lot of people actually struggle with public speaking and I think it's something that can can even affect your work if you, if you fail to speak up, you fail to make contributions in a meeting, just because you have that fear to Speak in public. I want to do is just help people Be the best that they can be, and if public speaking, if public speaking, is one way that you can do that, then I'm willing to help you do it.

Speaker 1:

There's also something about the confidence that it brings. Isn't it learning to articulate yourself, how you assert yourself, your positioning, your, you know, bringing your point across? It's. It's not even just for yes, I'm going to speak in front of 50 people, hundred but just day-to-day Communication with people, whether it's with family or your partner. I think it's something that helps you, regardless of what you're doing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's communication, it's, it's, it's something that can help you in all areas of your life in all areas of your life work, personal, even you know friends, speaking with friends, speaking with family. It's if you have, if you, if you harness that public speaking skills. So it's definitely something that I encourage you to do. If you're somebody who shines away from it, Definitely take up a few classes, even just online. Just learn a few things, one or two things that can help you to open yourself up. It's not that scary.

Speaker 1:

What are some of the foundations of public speaking? I think it's scary. I mean, the first time I had to present something in a business, they're like, yeah, this is what you have to present. I had printed it out but I was still shivering. I was like what? And my boss at the time was like we can't hear what you're trying to say. I have to start all over again.

Speaker 2:

It's nerve-wracking because you don't know what the reaction is going to be.

Speaker 1:

Are you going to be booed? Is no one going to say anything? Is no one going to respond?

Speaker 2:

So I think it's those are very common fears.

Speaker 1:

Are there any tips that you give?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, sure, I'll give you three tips, three of my best tips. Three, because three is a good number to remember. There's a lot of tips that we can share, but we'll be here for a long time. Three is a good number to remember. Usually, when you're presenting something, even when you're creating content, try to keep it to three points, because usually people will remember at least three things that you say. When you start to go into five, eight, ten people lose focus. The first thing I would say is be authentic and be enthusiastic. The reason is people will relate with you if you're an authentic speaker. What I've noticed is that even when I started out, I was on YouTube looking at different speakers. How do people speak? What's their speaking style? How am I going to do this? You sort of mimic somebody else's speaking style, but that's their speaking style. They know why they speak like that. But then, when you try and do it, you come off as fake. Maybe you even fail to get your point across because you're just copying somebody's speaking style.

Speaker 2:

So what I always tell my clients is be authentic about how you speak to people. Try and be more natural, like you're speaking to your friends. When you speak to your friend, it's easy, You're able to get your points across, and so on and so forth. So try to be natural, be enthusiastic. If you're giving a talk, talk about something that you're interested in. Talk about something that you're passionate about. If you're not interested in atomic energy, then don't want to give a talk about it because first of all, you might not have been understanding the concepts well. You're going to be well prepared and when your audience can see through that, then they sort of lose that respect for you and they're not able to connect with you. So definitely be authentic, be yourself. Try to be a more natural speaker and to be more definite and to have the audacity to be bold. Boldness is, I guess it's a personality trait.

Speaker 2:

Right, some people are older than others. But when we talk about being bold in public speaking, I'm talking about being courageous, you know, having the ability to be fearless, daring. Be bold enough to talk about those things that other people are afraid to talk about, because that's what will get people listening. We always need those people that are bold enough to talk about those subjects that are contentious, subjects that you know people are so afraid to even mention. But, as a speaker, if you have that audacity to be an apologetically bold, then you know, you open up people's minds, you inspire them, you motivate them by speaking the truth. So if we say, if we use, maybe, martin Luther King as an example, that speech that he did, we're still referring it today, referring to it today. So that's just an example of somebody being bold, speaking their truth, speaking about things that in those at that time people were so afraid to talk about. So I would say be bold about whatever it is that you want to speak about.

Speaker 2:

My final tip is confidence. You talked about confidence earlier. Confidence as a speaker, being confident and having positive affirmations, positive energy, would definitely help get rid of, you know, those jitters, those fears that we feel when we're called to speak in public. So how can you get confidence? Three piece of public speaking prepare, plan, practice. See, those are the three points prepare, plan, practice. Prepare what you're going to talk about, plan how you're going to articulate yourself. Plan how you're going to deliver the message and practice it. That will help you build your confidence. I think we're usually afraid or have this fear of public speaking when we haven't done those three things. You are afraid of your material because you haven't prepared enough. You're afraid of your audience because you haven't planned how to talk to them, and then you're afraid of yourself because you haven't practiced. So even the best public speakers will practice and practice, and practice. Of course we do have natural born speakers, but even they practice their skill.

Speaker 2:

So doing that will help you build your confidence. And I think be kind to yourself, speak positively to yourself, have a positive self image about yourself, think about yourself as having great stage presence, think about yourself as being confident, and then, when you actually do it, that's how you deliver it. But if you're constantly thinking about the negative side of it, oh, I'm going to be shaking, I'm going to be sweating, I'm going to forget everything that I've said. That's probably what will happen. But always speaking positively to yourself definitely makes that whole experience much more enjoyable and just helps you build confidence. So those are my three tips when public speaking.

Speaker 1:

Awesome. I mean fail to prepare, prepare to fail, isn't it One of those? You've articulated it so well. Yeah, in terms of what's needed on the mindset, from the preparation, from the oratory skills that are needed, I think you've really found a niche actually in the market. To your point of when you were looking at the different training and development, this would offer the fact that you found a niche of things that will resonate. I think public speaking is something that I don't remember, like I said growing up that it was taught. You looked and watched the news and saw how people articulated themselves.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it would help you when you start working.

Speaker 1:

I think there's opportunity to do it in life.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's definitely something that should be added to the curriculum.

Speaker 1:

That's a quite plesh of opportunity for you.

Speaker 2:

Yes, definitely See, just by talking, I'm writing down this idea.

Speaker 1:

Come January, contact us. No, honestly, I think you know, yeah, exactly. Just, you know, contract a few, contact public school, state schools and see what might that bring, because I think it's relevant. It's something that's relevant, it's a life skill that will help, you know, for years to come once you've mastered it. You've shared so many amazing things. You know about your journey and you know taking the plunge to say I've studied, I've gone to university, I've worked, you know, for somebody else, and now I've made a decision to start my own business. And you know it's a very big step. I admire anyone who's an entrepreneur, because A sometimes it's circumstance that plunges you into that, but also sometimes it's just a decision that you've made and you've chosen something that I think is resonating with it. So, if young women, young men, organizations, there is no age barrier to the training that you are looking to offer. So we're going to talk about self care. Oh, self care and work life balance what does that mean to you? Definitely.

Speaker 2:

This one is a really good one. Self care is something that I think we don't deliberately think about. I think it's something that you only do when you feel like, oh, I'm feeling some type of way or you know, we don't deliberately think about it. We incorporate it into our daily lives or routines or whatever it may be. So maintaining a healthy work life balance for me means that I must be self aware. I must know myself well enough to know when I'm getting to that stage where I'm getting stressed, I'm getting depressed. You know I'm not motivated, I'm feeling sluggish, I don't want to work, I'm making excuses, I'm procrastinating. You need to know the signs for yourself when you're getting to that stage, because what that means is that you're neglecting yourself, you're not taking care of yourself, you're not doing those things that will keep you motivated and keep you on top of things. So I think the key is knowing who you are.

Speaker 2:

You know be self aware, Just know what gets you down, Know when you're getting to that slump Before you actually get to a point where you have to do so much more work to get back to where you are. So for me, those things look like maintaining a healthy lifestyle exercising, eating well, eating good food. Of course, sometimes, you know, I fall back a bit, especially on the exercise, and I've noticed that when I do that I don't feel I generally don't feel that great. You know, I'm irritable, I'm not that happy, and then I realize that, okay, why am I feeling like this? You know reflection, why am I feeling like this? Oh, it's because I'm not exercising. Exercise helps to release that stress and that tension that we feel. So maintaining a healthy lifestyle is definitely something I'm also not feeling guilty about.

Speaker 2:

Taking care of yourself, Right. Oftentimes, especially for people who work for themselves, they feel like I can't take a break. Or you know people who are workaholics I can't take a break, I need to keep it going, I need to work all the time. That's when they feel that they're doing something. But what I do is recognize my wins, small wins, even the very small wins, and when I do that it helps me feel less guilty about treating myself or taking care of myself. So, you know, I think that helps, like keeping track of the achievements that you've made, keeping track of your wins, and then connecting that to oh wow, I did great, I actually do deserve a break, you know, just to get back into it. And then, when you do take a break, your creativity opens up. You're able to think about, you know, new things that you can do, other ways that you can improve your business or your work, and so on. And also, I think what's important is having someone to talk to, having whether it's a life coach or a mentor or a friend, wife, husband, a partner, whoever that person is have somebody that you can talk to about the pressures that you're going through at work, safety, guidance and share the burden.

Speaker 2:

I've found that in this, in my entrepreneurial journey. It's often a very lonely place, especially if you're surrounded by peers who are working full time. We have very different stresses and pressures, you know. So it might be explaining something to someone and they just don't get it because they're like don't worry about it, at the end of the month you still get paid, and it's like no, actually I won't. You know. So we have different pressures, we have different stresses. It's a very lonely life, so you have to have somebody who you can share with so as not to get yourself, you know, down in the dumps. I think, yeah, those are some of the things that I do to just balance this whole work life thing that we're doing.

Speaker 1:

I mean, you've touched on three important points health, great food and having an amazing circle, isn't it? It's like a circle of life. Life is too short to just be working. Just be working all the time. You have to embrace those, like those wins, isn't it? Those small wins, those small moments, is really key. So for anyone out there, and also defining what self-awareness means to you, isn't it?

Speaker 2:

It's different for so many people as well, Exactly exactly. That's why I talked about self-awareness. You really just have to know yourself and who you are and what that self-awareness means to you.

Speaker 1:

Developing a high self-awareness. That's a really good nugget there. Yes, picking up on, let's talk about trailblazer takeaway tips. You've shared so many amazing tips stories, but let's circle back as to if you were to impart knowledge to the audience out there. What are your trailblazer takeaway tips?

Speaker 2:

Okay in my field, I think something for people to take home would be, first and foremost, to get the correct training, get the necessary training for whatever training that you want or facilitation that you want to do. I see a lot of people calling themselves trainers and facilitators without any formal training, or life coaches. Even life coaches go through training. You need to be able to. You need to train in order to help somebody you know, in order to coach them through their life. So I think getting the necessary training is very important because what it does is makes you credible and I think individuals and companies alike will respect that more and it will help your potential clients to be more open to working with you. So I think getting training that's one of the first things that I did when I went out on my own. Even before I started, I said okay, but I did be in entrepreneurship and business. I've got my IT qualification, but I'm not a qualified trainer. So I need to go out and get that training because I didn't want to feel like I'm an imposter, like I'm training people and I don't actually have any training qualification. I don't know methodologies of training. I don't know how to even do a training needs, analysis and all of those things. So I think getting the proper training is a must. It will help you feel more confident and definitely make you more credible to potential clients. Another thing is to know your subject areas very early on. I made a mistake in the beginning because I thought, if I have, if I'm training in so many different things and I'm going to have so many different clients, but that made me just spread myself too thin and I struggled with content, Bro, isn't it? Yeah, I really struggled with content creation because you're creating content for so many different programs, so I had to narrow it down and find things that I actually liked and that I was good at. So knowing what you want to train in very early on will help you get to your goals faster. What else? Research? Do your research? See what other people are doing out there. It really helps you start on the right foot. See what other trainers are doing. See what technologies are out there, how you can make your work easier. There's so many applications and so many processes that you can use that will make your life easier, especially if you're doing online training. There's so many things that you can do to make your life easier to help you be more productive and effective as well.

Speaker 2:

And I would say also keep learning, Keep learning, it never ends. It never ends the moment I feel like, oh, I know this very well, I know about public speaking very well. I see somebody else talking about something else and I'm like what did that happen? So it's always important to keep learning, Just be eager to know more. That's something that has kept me on my toes. And also collaboration. We talked about collaboration earlier on. I think in this field, it's really important to be open to collaborate with other facilitators or other trainers. I have been in a situation where a client has given me a proposal. They want this specific type of training, which I can do, and then they want another type of training which I'm not an expert at.

Speaker 2:

So rather than throw, away that business opportunity or somebody else and say, oh, do you think you can do this? It's training in another subject that I've not come for you. It builds your portfolio. So.

Speaker 2:

I think collaborating is something that I'm very open to and that's helped me. A lot of people are afraid that when they collaborate with others, they'll steal their ideas. We have this thing like oh no, if I show this person how I do things or if I introduce them to this client, they'll steal my ideas. But your ideas are your ideas. Even if somebody steals them, they might not be able to deliver them in the way that you would, which might be more impactful. So let's not be afraid to collaborate and create partnerships and build strong networks.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I think, like with everything in life, don't give up. Don't give up whether it's, you know, your foreign employment, your entrepreneur, whatever it is that you're giving. I think you know not giving up when things seem so bleak, when things seem so hard no work is coming in or you're not, you're feeling like you're not progressing in your job. You know you sort of feel stuck. Just don't give up, keep going, keep going. Change the story somehow, do something different.

Speaker 2:

But we have to keep going because at the end of the day, you know, if you give up, then you won't know how far you'll be able to go. So that's my thing, especially on this entrepreneurial journey. It's very easy to be discouraged, but you have to keep going and not give up on yourself, because it's for me anyway, it's my main on the line, so that's something that keeps me motivated. I cannot give up because it's my main on the line. I don't want to disappoint my family, I don't want to disappoint myself and I don't want to disappoint people who believe in me, you know. So let's keep it moving.

Speaker 1:

So, lallapi, this has been brilliant. I mean you. One of your secret weapons, I think, is your mindset, and you've demonstrated that you know, you're proactive, you have a clear vision of what you're trying to do for your business. There's resilience, a high self-awareness is there and you've tapped into a niche you know, especially in Zambia and Southern Africa, of you know delivering training and development, because I think, growing up, we've always thought it's secondary school, some vocations, some university or college and that was it. But you've tapped into a niche of a sector that I think is really needed and is well served and will support and hopefully uplift and bring up the next generation of public speakers and other. You know training and development methodologies that you're sharing and bringing to them. So thank you for sharing your journey. I think there's someone out there listening who's saying I think this is for me and I could potentially go in that direction.

Speaker 2:

So it's been a pleasure. I think it's just one person, then I'll be happy. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. That's all you need, isn't it? Do you know what Actually doing this has helped me revive some of those things that I had forgotten about, like why I'm doing this. Just talking about it, I'm like, wow, this is great. So please keep doing this, please keep helping us remember where we started from, where we're going, what's happened in between, because as you go, as you're doing it day to day, you sort of forget even where you came from. You know, and those wins that I was talking about. Now I'm thinking to myself like, wow, it's actually been four years I've been doing this. I've come a long way. So thank you for this. It's been great, absolutely lovely.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's the whole idea, you know to celebrate the wins, the achievements, the journey of amazing women. So, on that note, thank you so much, everyone. You know where to find the podcast. We're on all streaming platforms, audio and video. And until next time, thank you.