Living with purpose and intention isn't just a philosophy; it's a strategic way of life that requires clear vision, goal setting, and continuous accountability. In this episode of Life Intended, I had the pleasure of speaking with Bose Akadiri, founder of Goal and Grind. Bose’s journey from nonprofit fundraising in Oklahoma to a distinguished career in Corporate Social Responsibility at Boeing, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase in Chicago showcases the power of intentional living and strategic pivots. Here’s an insightful look into her story and the methods she uses to help high achievers create impactful change in their lives.
Bose’s Vision and Goals Method is rooted in joy and clarity. It consists of five steps involving meditation, identifying joy, creating a vision, setting goals in the four key areas of life (personal, professional, health and financial), and building your support system.
This method provides a clear roadmap, allowing individuals to focus on specific areas of their life without feeling overwhelmed by the bigger picture.
One of the standout moments in Bose’s journey was when she met a customer while working a retail job in Chicago. By clearly articulating her goal of working in corporate social responsibility, she received a pivotal introduction that launched her career. This encounter underscores the importance of clarity in achieving your goals. Clear goals enable others to help you more effectively, turning vague ambitions into actionable plans.
Bose has discovered that one of the biggest challenges in goal setting is asking for help. Many people hesitate to seek guidance, fearing rejection or uncertainty. Bose emphasizes the importance of conversations and networking to gain insights and refine your goals. By talking to professionals in your desired field, you can understand the nuances and realities of the job, ensuring your goals are both clear and attainable.
Accountability is another cornerstone of Bose's method. Her Accountability Club provides a supportive community where members can share their progress and challenges. This ongoing support helps individuals stay on track and adjust their goals as needed.
At the heart of Bose’s approach is joy. By focusing on what brings joy in the four key areas of life, individuals can create a balanced and fulfilling life. Joyful living is not about constant happiness but about finding satisfaction and purpose in your daily activities and long-term goals.
In the Accountability Club, Bose emphasizes the importance of setting clear goals and having a support system. Goal setting is not just about professional aspirations; it involves a holistic approach to personal, professional, health, and financial well-being. The Accountability Club offers resources and community support to keep individuals motivated and on track.
Living intentionally with joy and purpose is achievable through the Vision and Goals Method. Bose Akadiri’s journey from Oklahoma to a successful career in Chicago is a powerful example of how clarity, structured planning, and accountability can transform lives. Embrace the Vision and Goals Method, and embark on your journey to a more intentional and joyful life.
Resources mentioned in this Episode:
Connect with Bose:
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Kelly Berry (00:00) Hi friends and welcome to or welcome back to Life Intended. I'm your host Kelly Berry. Life Intended is a podcast that explores what it means to be true to yourself and live an authentic and purposeful life. Each episode explores my guest version of personal growth, self -discovery, and the pursuit of becoming the best version of themselves, as well as how to find the joy in the journey. Today I have Bose Akadiri with me. Bose is a founder of Goal and Grind where she empowers high achievers to create impactful change in their lives using the revolutionary vision and goals method. She is no stranger to making major pivots as she herself moved to Chicago with no job and no network and created a distinguished career in corporate social responsibility at Boeing, Salesforce, and JP Morgan Chase. Prior to working in corporate philanthropy, Bose excelled in nonprofit fundraising as well as in technology sales. So her combination of tech sales and nonprofit development, as well as corporate philanthropy affords Bose a unique perspective as a thought partner to her corporate consulting and individual consulting clients as they are looking to embark on strategic pivots. As an avid runner, yogi, traveler, and dog mom, Bose believes in finding joy in the four key areas of life which are personal, professional, health, and financial. And she is gonna tell us all about those today. I'm so excited to welcome her. Hi, Bose, welcome to the podcast.
Bose Akadiri (01:35) Hi, Kelly. my goodness. Thank you so much for having me here today. It is a true honor and a joy to be here with you. Ever since our first conversation, I've been super pumped about this. The work that you do and just listening to all of the other life intended episodes have been really impactful in my life. So I'm pumped for the conversation that we're about to have. Thank you for having me and thank you for that great intro.
Kelly Berry (02:00) Yeah, you're welcome. I'm excited too. We share a love for vision and goal setting and strategic planning for, you know, both our professional and our personal lives. And I love what you're doing and what you've created for yourself and for others. And I think that you're just gonna share some really great wisdom today. So yeah, let's do.
Bose Akadiri (02:25) Awesome. Let's get to
Kelly Berry (02:27) So I mentioned that you uprooted your life and moved to Chicago, and that is kind of, I think it was the catalyst for where you are now. So tell us, walk us through that story and what that looked like for
Bose Akadiri (02:40) Definitely, definitely. And this is a question that I've gotten a lot, right? It was something that I had no idea that it was risky or anything like that. It just felt right in my heart. And it was what was going to bring me joy. So I thought, let's do it. So essentially what happened is I'm living in Oklahoma. That's where I'm from. I have a really good job. I've got really good friends, good support system. But I could just feel it. Something wasn't quite I, everything was good, but I didn't love it, right? I wasn't like on fire for my life. And I knew that I really loved international travel. I knew that I didn't like driving. I also knew I wanted to move from the nonprofit side of life over into corporate philanthropy, essentially like instead of asking, giving. And so I said, where can I go and do all this? Right? Like it's not happening where I'm sitting right now. And so I started looking and I was like, Chicago sounds good. It sounds real good. And so I came for a visit here and legit, I cried on the airplane home. Like, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Like, you're supposed to go live there. And so I came home and I started envisioning things, right? And I said, OK, if I can get there, I need to have joy in what I call the four key areas, which are personal, professional, health, and financial. So I said, I got to pay off on my credit card debt because I can't be moving somewhere where I don't have a job and I don't know anyone and already be in the hole. So I took out a second job, paid off on my credit card debt, saved all the money from the second job so that I have a cushion when I moved. And I gave six months notice at my job where we got to work together and hire my replacement, train my replacement. And then I left. I was like, OK, I love you all. I'll be in Chicago. So I showed up here and Life was great. It has been great ever since and I feel so blessed because I can truly say there has not been a single moment where I thought to myself I really messed up Like I need to go home I have felt more and more at home here and I have grown into myself Because I really chose myself in this journey and I chose my own joy and I went after and so what that looked like is when I got here, I had to hit the ground running and start building my network, right? No one knew me. No one knew what I was capable of. And I just wound up really having people placed in my life that were able to support. And the biggest thing is that I was very clear, right? I was very clear on what my talents were and what I could bring to the table when I got a job. And I was very clear with what type of role I wanted and that I understood what I enjoyed, but I also understood what I was good at and that overlap, right? And so when I started building my network, I really focused on people who did corporate social responsibility because that's what I wanted to do. And it was tough. I'm not going to say like it happened overnight. You know, the first couple of years here in Chicago, I was doing different roles. I had jobs that, whoa, we won't even get into that, right? Things that I was like really hate this job. But I knew it was the stepping stone for exactly what I wanted. And I knew it enabled me to make enough money to keep living in Chicago, to put a roof over my head, to put food on the table here. And so one day, one of those contacts came through and referred me to this role. And I did my interviews. I'm shaking in my boots. like, this is the interview I've been waiting for. Call me back for second interview, a third interview and a fourth interview. And yeah, that's how I got my first job at a Fortune 500. And it's crazy. I know even when you said it when you were introducing me, it still hits me like a ton of bricks that this girl from Oklahoma came, showed up here, and has been at three Fortune 500s. Like what? So segue into how I started Goal & Grind is because people started asking that that was
Kelly Berry (06:54) Before you get into that, remind me, how long now has it been since you came to Chicago?
Bose Akadiri (07:07) That's a great question. 10 years. I just had my 10 year anniversary. 10 glorious years. And so people have started asking.
Kelly Berry (07:08) 10 years, OK, awesome.
Bose Akadiri (07:18) Wait, how did, what did you come here for? Did you have a job? You know, were you going to college? Nope. I was done with school. I've been working. I came for me, right? You don't normally hear that. And I didn't realize that. I was just so like, I came for me. through that, people started asking, well, what was the process? And the process was my vision and goals method, right? I would sit down and I would meditate. And after meditating, I would talk about my joy. I would write down what brings me joy. And I would use that as the guiding light to build my vision. I would use that as the guiding light to build out my goals in those four key areas. And then from there, once I saw my goals, I could easily say, you're missing some things in your support system, right? I always say goal crushing is a team sport. Nothing that I have done is solely mine, right? It has been the people who have lifted me up. It has been the people who have spoke my name in rooms that I wasn't in. And I take that very seriously because it's my job and my duty to then do that for others. And that's what I'm doing with Goal and Grind, right? Yeah, the first person that hired me, she knew I had done this with my friends. Like, instead of doing a housewarming party, I had finally moved into an apartment that wasn't a shoe box. And I had my friends over and I walked them through. And of course, everybody showed up with magazines like we're doing vision boards. I said, no, no, you don't need the vision boards. I have a whole workbook for you, right? Keep this here because I have to see my goals every day. And yeah, all my friends were like, wow. Like, because you you have that vision board and then goes into the closet. And then in December, you're like, my gosh, I haven't got anything done. And you you're guilting yourself. You're jolting yourself. You're feeling bad. No, I wanted to move beyond that and make things feel more attainable. And so that's why in my process, we take the vision and break it down into long term, mid term and short term goals. So you walk away like having a road map. So yeah, so one of my coworkers was like, well, you do that with your friends, do it with my friends. Okay. And this was really funny. Sorry, Kelly. This goes so deep. I'm like, long winded. So long winded. So I get to her house and I realize this woman's my mother's age, right? And I'm sitting here thinking to myself, I started getting that imposter syndrome of like, wait. Bose all of these ladies and I'm like half their age, what am I going to have to say? Like that's going to bring value. And I got real scared, real scared. I remember sitting there like, but then I'm like, they already paid me. Like, I guess I better do this. You know, all the food's out, everybody's eating. I'm like, you better do this. Like, I mean, you're here, printed out these workbooks. So we get into it and the first step is meditating. And I realized a lot of them had meditated before. And it was so beautiful to see this calm come over the room, right? Not like the room was like agitated before, but just this sense of letting go of everything, right? Because so many things are coming at us each day. I really like to start with that meditating so that you can get grounded and centered and really let go of anything that's come your way that's been negative. So we do that and then we start talking about joy. That's why I get my second surprise. People are like so surprised because it's not often that somebody says to you, what brings you joy? So that step is really crucial, talking about joy and just really allowing space and encouraging people to talk about what brings them joy. I'm not talking about like, okay, whatever social media or the world is telling you, like, this is what's going to bring you joy. I'm talking about really going introspective. And from there, we went into the vision. And then that's always fun because that's when people start realizing like, oh, this is how old I'll be in 10 years. This is what I my life to look like. Ooh, you know. And we broke those goals down. It was very interesting to hear what some of the ladies shared. And I'm super pumped because then in the last step, it was like, well, how are you going to get there? Like, who do you need in your circle? Right. We talked about your joy. You talked about your vision. And then we have this whole holistic look at goals in those four key areas in that roadmap. But who do you want helping you to get there? And that's always a tricky one because we all have different backgrounds, different families. You know, some people have a lot of support. Some people have a little support. Some people have no support. And so over the years of me doing this, a lot of the feedback that I've gotten because I do a survey after everyone because I believe that I'm constantly growing and I want to keep learning and I want to make this better, not for myself. I want to make it better for the people that I serve and my clients. But what I realized is, people were pumped because they had a whole mindset shift of like, this is bigger than a vision. This is a roadmap. And then the second was, I really liked these people here. I want to know what happens, right? So people started saying like, well, what's next? And know, me, a baby entrepreneur, I'm like, I don't know. I got this one workbook. I've got the message. And so I had to really be introspective. And that's kind of where I am now on the journey is I've started this accountability club. And it's really a space for, OK, you have the clarity. Now let's get your goal besties, right? Or I call it, it's cheesy, but I love it. I'm cheesy. Who's going to be your bestie on this journey? And it doesn't have to be one person, right? And it doesn't even have to be someone you already. But the thing is, goal crushing truly is a team sport. So how do I make sure that I'm not leaving people hanging, right? That was the biggest lesson that I learned as an entrepreneur is that I'm serving folks. So why would I stop the dinner plate?
Kelly Berry (13:51) Mm -hmm. Yeah. You know, I think, well, there's a lot of thoughts that I have on all of the things that you just talked about, but I love the Accountability Club, the name that you came up for, because I think that at its core, you know, we need people to help us be accountable to what we say we want in life. And that's why if you've ever had a conversation with me or talked to me, especially about things professionally, like, I believe everybody needs a coach. I think like the best people at the top of their fields have not gotten there alone. They have had coaches, they have had communities, they've had mentors, they've had it all, and that is why they are where they are. So why do we think that we can get places on our own? That we don't need people to walk beside us or hold us accountable or even say, hey, you said you want this, you know, you're doing things that aren't really in alignment with that. So I love that name. I love that kind of addition to what you're doing because I think that is like part of the magic of goal setting. And you see that a lot in corporations and the professional world because you have your teams and you have like, you know, you're accountable to getting your job done. So a lot of that is like built in, but personally, we don't have that in a lot of areas of our lives. So I really love that. Before we go on too much, and this may not be the most appropriate place to do this, I looked on LinkedIn and I saw your title, and I think you're pretty modest about what you've accomplished professionally and what your method has gotten you. So can you tell everybody what your current title is?
Bose Akadiri (15:39) So, okay, I am a vice president at the largest financial firm in the world. that, yeah, it's, it is, it's still weird for me. You're right. That's why I'm so modest about it. Because my mom goes around telling everybody and I'm like, when did that happen? And it's a blessing. It's a blessing because I have not one but two jobs that I really enjoy. In my day job, I get to work with all of these beautiful, amazing nonprofits that are doing such impactful work in the community. And I get to be a conduit to help amplify that and a connector. I always talk about, here we go, strength binders. I didn't talk about this before. It's one of my favorite books. But I say that because my top strength is connector and then woo. And that really, I think about it often because I realize, you know, in my day job, I'm connecting. I'm connecting humans to humans for resources that in that can sometimes be life changing, right? But then in my company, I'm helping people connect to resources that can bring them personal joy, professional joy, you know, financial freedom. These things are measurable, right? And when I talk about those four key areas, I take it very seriously because I also realize without my own growth professionally, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now. People always ask me with goal and grind, they're like, well, who designed everything? My first corporate role here at Boeing, that's where I learned really making decks. I I loved who I worked for there were really, really, really precise in how they wanted decks and how the different colors would mean things and how consistency would help get your point across and things like that. And I always think back to that because those are some of the building blocks that helped build me to the woman I am today and the professionalism that I bring to Goal and Grind, especially when I do the corporate workshops. It's like, yeah, everything that I talk about is rooted in joy but I have that corporate background that kind of ties it all together. I'm like, look at Barbie.
Kelly Berry (18:11) Well, I think it's just worth mentioning because, you tell your story and you, you you ended up in the role and doing what you wanted to do. But I think it's, you know, like that's a big deal. Like your role, when I, you know, I had a conversation with you that I'm looking on LinkedIn. I was like, she didn't mention that. You know what I mean? It's like, she didn't mention that she's a C level at an organization like this. So I think that that's amazing. And I think that that speaks a lot to the method that you've created and, you know, kind of like metaphorically speaking, you know, you use that to get from like zero to a hundred in, you know, it's in less than 10 years. And I think that's pretty amazing. So I think it's worth mentioning for context in not only like where you've been able to get yourself, but really like the power of doing, you know, goal setting and figuring out what you want for your life and how like it can work to get you from where you are to where you wanna be.
Bose Akadiri (19:23) It can, well, and Kelly, you are so kind. Like, thank you. Thank you for acknowledging me in that way. Because, you know, that's part of my growth journey and where I'm at right now is it's just really weird to think about. You know, I think sometimes I think I'm still that girl from Oklahoma, but like now I've blossomed into this like corporate woman in Chicago that that girl would be very proud of, right? And that's also part of what I want to help people with is making sure that they're making their future selves proud, right? So that when they look back, it's like, all that happened? Like, it's the exact job I wanted. And here's a funny fact that I don't think I've ever said this publicly. I think some of my friends know it. But it's funny that corporate philanthropy was like the dream job, because when I was in high school, I was president of my key club. And for people that don't know, Key Club is the community service club. So literally, I get paid to do what I had fun doing in high school. And it's like yeah, it's funny because one day my mom was like, yeah, you you got set up for this in high school. And I was like, what? She was like, you literally plan volunteerism for a club of 200 plus students every weekend. She's like, all you ever did was work with nonprofits. All you ever did was create impact in community. And yeah, so thank you. It's good to go down those memory lanes. And the 10 years has flown by. But I will say, OK that something that's really important is those four key areas. So in the Accountability Club, I have some courses and the one that's the most important to me is claiming your worth because I think especially sometimes us as women, myself included, we get that imposter syndrome and it's like, okay, just take the offer, you know, but I'm a big believer and just saying thank you. I'm excited about the offer and let me go digest.
Kelly Berry (21:34) Mm -hmm.
Bose Akadiri (21:34) And so in the Accountability Club, that course really talks about if you've got your goals in those four key areas, personal, professional, health, and financial, you're going to know and be better equipped to negotiate as you are moving up the corporate ladder as you are changing roles because you understand better what you need in order to be successful. And that to me changes the scope of what the negotiation is because you build that confidence in yourself in order to know what you're bringing to the table. And you bring that confidence in yourself of knowing what you need as well as your family in order for you to fully show up. I think of it as like, you better get what you need so that you can show up how you showed up in your interview right? Because that's what that company deserves. What you promised in the interview, go do that. And if you need something to do it, you better ask. And that's the negotiating. And so yeah, I have this template that talks about not just the liquid benefits that you're negotiating, but also the non -liquid. like, know, RSUs, all that kind of stuff. But then most importantly, your joy factors. All right, so I had a client. I'm very excited for this client. And she was on maternity leave. And somebody referred her for a role. She was like, I'm on maternity leave. They were like, the role's open. This company would be great for you. So she calls me and is like, I'm on maternity leave, but I need some like, I need you, I need some interview prep now. I'm like, okay. So we're doing our interview prep and there is presentations. So we get the presentations ready and everything. We work together. I'm coaching her through it. She's doing interview prep. and then she gets the offer. She's on maternity leave. Like, till this day, I mean, I love this. I love it for her family. So she gets the offer and she's like, well, I need to finish my maternity leave and I need to go back to my employer after my maternity leave and I need to give notice and I need to properly wrap things up. Right, because to me, it's not just about you get the offer and you go. I like to leave somewhere better than when I found it. Right, like I'm still very close with people at the other companies I worked at. know, like Boeing and Salesforce both, I'm still very close with them. So that's just, that's what I would want, so I believe in that. So, and that's what my client believed too. So she ended up, she finished her maternity leave, she went back to the other job, you know, she had a conversation, she, wrapped up projects, you know, did good handovers. And then she went to the new job. And that's the power of knowing your worth. And you know it, you can speak it. And that's what she did. And that's why that company was willing to wait for her. Right. And she's kicking butt over there. Everything's great. But her family's also better set up. Why? Because she negotiated what she needed. And she's able to go in there and do a great job because she doesn't have to think about, should asked for this or my gosh I left all these things on the table you know you don't want to bring that when your employer doesn't deserve you to bring that right they better ask for it but yeah
Kelly Berry (24:52) Mm -hmm. Yeah. There's a lot to love about that as to your point, like, leaving places better than you found them, not only, like, feels good, but I think that you, in the, wanting to be proud of what you've done and what you've been through and what put other people through, you I just think that those types of things are important. And when you can stop and think about like, how do I want this to go? How do I want to be perceived? What do other people need? It helps you make better decisions in those areas. And then, you know, I didn't even know like negotiation and knowing your worth was even part of your method at all. But I just had a conversation a couple of podcasts ago. It kind of fits in here, but you know, it's when you operate from like a scarcity mindset or operating below the line, you you aren't giving your best and you are taking things that are below your worth. you know, you just, you have to figure out like, how do I think about things from an abundant mindset? Knowing that, you know, this is not the last opportunity I'm ever going to have, or this is not the best opportunity I'm ever going to get. So I love that you teach like knowing your worth. Because I think that's such an important step and women in general just aren't really taught to think that way or taught how to like negotiate in those ways.
Bose Akadiri (26:32) right? Yes. And it's Yeah, that's part of the accountability, right? It's like someone once taught me to do that. And now if I'm truly gonna be a good accountability partner to others, a good coach to others, a good mentor, heck, even a good friend, I'm gonna have those conversations. They're not always fine. I remember when I first started talking about money, I was like, ugh, I don't know anything about this. I think I'm failing at it. I think I'm not capable of it. But that wasn't true. I was capable and I am capable and I've learned a lot about money and. great financial advisor now and he's more he's doing the heavy lifting, but he's also educating me at the same time so that together we can make really smart decisions that align, you know with Michael's. I want to say something right quick because when you said I didn't even know negotiating was part of what you do and it takes me back to what you said about Fossey. You're very humble about these things like you're talking about your title you talked about and one thing that trying to be really mindful of is hearing people when they're like, I didn't know you could do that because I want I'm challenging myself to get better as an entrepreneur about sharing what it is that I offer. Yeah, like the foundation is still that vision and goals method. But within that, we've got those four key areas. And so I wanted to make sure that in the Accountability Club, there was something for each of those four key areas, personal, professional, health and financial, because they're equally important into recognizing ourselves as a whole. And so that's why the negotiation stuff is in there, because you gotta get to the money if you're gonna get to the fun.
Kelly Berry (28:16) Yeah. Yeah. So tell us, tell us more about the method itself.
Bose Akadiri (28:23) Yeah, so. The biggest thing is that it's rooted in joy. And so it really can be tailored. Right. So there's the five steps. But within that, it's so empowering. Right. you start with meditating and I call that energize your mindset. And then the second step is about joy. And that one's recognize your joy. The third step is really writing out your vision. And that's I call visualize your future. But the fourth step is where the meat is. And when I have the vision and goals parties, I always tell people I'm like, okay, it was a little soft and easy up to now. But now is when it gets hard because I'm going to have you lay out your goals in each area in 10 year, five year and one year. And so I have this chart. It's called a conceptualization chart because you're really conceptualizing your life over the next 10 years and saying, okay, if my vision is where do I need to be in 10 years, personally, professionally, health and financial? And then taking each of those and saying, what's the halfway mark? Right? Like, what's at five years? What does that look like in five years? And then what can I do today, this year? And the big part about it is once you have that, it in your house, right? And you know, I don't have to go full force ahead on every day right because I think that's a big part of it is that when you have just the vision and you don't have the goals with it You feel this pressure of I've got to do everything but when you have the vision and the goals you understand Okay, you know what in this season. I really want to focus on my career Like I might be a crap daughter a crap mother a Crappy friend for the next three four months six ayear, but I know where I want to be personally, and I know that I can pick up those personal goals. But for right now, I'm going to be clear with everybody that I really got to focus here, and I'm coming back, you know, and that clarity personally empowers you to share it with others, you know, so people know what's going on. The same vice versa. Maybe you're like, I am for promotions right now good. I like where I'm at. I want to keep doing this level of work because I want to invest in my self care. I want to invest. know, my kids are at an age where I want to be going to the baseball games. I want to be going to gymnastics meets. So I don't want to be going hard, hard, hard at work. I'm going to get my job done, right? I'm going to fulfill my duties. I'm going to do it. But I'm not doing that. Like I'm trying to get a promotion work. Right. And so conceptualization chart really helps gel it in our minds of like, okay, this is is what I'm working on right now. And it's okay. To Shonda Duckett, who I love, love, love. I don't know if you know who she is. CEO of TIAA. Yeah. And she is like, a powerhouse in the finance world. And just like amazing woman. She's one of my she rose. But she recently I think it was on MSNBC or something like that talked about life isn't I use the word balance. She said it's not about balance that it's about having she calls it a balanced portfolio, right? Or a diversified portfolio. That's what she says. And that's I truly believe that. That's why I developed this method is you look at yourself whole, you create all those goals. Yeah. And then of course, the fifth part is how do you realize those results? How do you get the right people on your team? How do you make sure that Sorry, but sometimes you got to kick people off your bus. I call it your bus, right? Who's in the front seat of your bus? Who's in the middle? know, who's in the back of the bus? Who's going to cause the bus to break down and be smoking on the side of the highway? Those people have to go. You know, if you really want to start living your dream life, you have to be upfront with, you know, sometimes there's people that are poisoned on your bus and it's okay, right? But you have to be the one to get in the driver's seat of your bus.
Kelly Berry (32:48) Yeah, yeah. So I just recently saw a content creator on LinkedIn. I can't remember who it is at the moment, but she talks about what you're talking about, the diversified portfolio and being able to prioritize specific areas of your life. She talks about it like on a quarterly basis, thinking of your life as a stove. And sometimes you put things on the back burner and sometimes you put things on the front burner. So maybe this quarter you really want to focus on your health and you really want to focus on your family. So your career and maybe your finances are on the back burner, but then when you're like reevaluating your goals or your progress the next quarter, you look at the stove again and you decide, okay, where do I need to move things this quarter? So you're not ever like dropping things, but you are clearly prioritizing the areas. Just, I think the example you gave about you know, kind of status quo at your job is good because there's going to be seasons where you need to go to all the networking events and you need to travel and you need to do go above and beyond. But you can also have seasons where you're fulfilling your role and you're giving yourself space to be there for your family or you know, you don't always have to be just grind, grind, grind. So I really like that analogy. I like the diversified portfolio that you talked about too, because I think that's really important. And you know, the bus analogy. I don't think people understand how impactful the people they surround themselves with are on their journey. And you know, everybody knows the saying like you are the average of the five closest people around you. And that is like in weight, in health, in financial success, you know, it's everything. But I don't think people really are like, you know, these people that I'm spending a lot of time with are holding me back. And the fact of the matter is if you stop and you look at what you want and who you're spending your time with, you may actually come to that realization.
Bose Akadiri (34:52) Yeah, and that's, so I'll say this, it can be scary, right? Like who wants to admit that they're not spending their time with folks who really make sense for them, right? Oftentimes, I especially feel like, tell me if you have this, because I feel like you and I are a lot alike and that we're constantly like pouring into and serving. And sometimes you wake up and you're like, this is a one way friendship.
Kelly Berry (35:23) Yeah, that's a whole, that's a whole nother podcast. Yeah.
Bose Akadiri (35:25) and you're really tired. That's a whole other one. But that's just one example of like, do I have to do everything? Or is this a shared partnership? Are we growing together? So I feel very blessed by the people in my life. I can't say it enough because I've had really good support.
Kelly Berry (35:36) Mm -hmm. But it's probably been really intentional, right?
Bose Akadiri (35:53) Yeah, yeah, mean, it's been intentional in the sense that the clearer I am, the more others can support me. like, okay, when I first moved here, you know, I was working a retail job. Because I was like, I gotta I gotta get some money flowing, right? We just got to do anything. And so I'm working this retail job, which It's funny because I think it actually helped me. I lost so much weight. I was so tiny because I was just running around holding up clothes and I was meeting people. I was having fun. It was great. But so I say that I'm working this retail job and there was this woman that used to always come in and everybody thought she was so grouchy. And so no one would talk to her but me. I mean, I didn't care. Like she would tell me, I want a loose shirt. OK, I get her a loose shirt. And so one day she came in and she said, what do you want to do? I said, corporate social responsibility. I was very clear with her. She said, OK, I've got an introduction for you. That introduction changed everything. Turns out she was a partner at a big finance firm, at a big hedge fund or venture capital fund. And their CSR person is who she introduced me to. She went to her office the very next day and said, hey, there's this young lady I know. She just moved here from Oklahoma. She wants to do what you do. Can I introduce you? And the woman's like, yeah. Literally last week, I was at an event with that woman and somebody asked how she knew me and she was like, this partner at the firm I work at came in and said that this woman that was working retail was very clear and was very adamant and told her, I want to do corporate responsibility. Do you know anyone? And she was like, ding, ding, I know someone. And so it was interesting because I had never heard the other person tell the story.
Kelly Berry (37:42) Mm -hmm.
Bose Akadiri (37:49) But what's also wild about this is like three years later, I was in some fellowship or something and there was a guy in it and he was from the same company. And I said, you know, do you know Diana Ware? You know, she changed my life. Like she asked me what I want to do. I told her and she made an intro and that intro changed everything. And he was like, yeah, I know her. know her. When I go back to work tomorrow, I'm going to I'm going to tell her I met you. He sent me thisemail. And he said, Diana said you were the only person in the store that was nice to her while she was going through chemo and radiation for breast cancer. And I just remember reading that email and being like, I had no idea. You know, I didn't know this woman's journey. Everybody, you know, thought she was just so grouchy and I just was like, I'm going to be helpful. She was clear on what she wanted. She wanted a soft, loose shirt. Now I know why she wanted a soft, loose shirt. Back then, I didn't know. And so I just say that to say is that we were both helping each other and I had no idea. This whole time, I thought I was the only one receiving help.
Kelly Berry (38:44) Mm -hmm.
Bose Akadiri (39:04) And I still credit her because she did, I mean, she changed the whole game. She made that intro. And then I met everybody that did CSR. And then I was able to maneuver. But the clarity is what helped. So that's why I always tell people, like, you've got to start with your vision and your goals. And that's how you can articulate it in order to support the people who are going to support you. Right?
Kelly Berry (39:10) Thank you. Yeah. So this morning I recorded another episode and we talked a lot about confidence in that episode, but my guest said something that I think really is very relatable to what you're talking about. But we were just talking about goals and you the problem with setting bad goals is you don't know whether you hit them or whether you don't or when to celebrate or whatever. And she said, cloudy goals create cloudy confidence.
And so I think, you know, what you're saying, how clear you are, had you been cloudy, she wouldn't have known what to do with what you told her, you know, but because you were so clear, it made her so, it made it so easy. She's like, I know this person, it's easy for me to help you. But if you have been like, well, I think I want to do, and then you just talk for 25 minutes, you know, she probably leaves there being like.
Well, good luck, you know, it's like, but she was able to help you because you were so clear. And so I think if you think about it, like, how do you make the, take things from cloudy to clear?
Bose Akadiri (40:35) Right. I love that. Cloudy to clear. Cloudy to clear. I mean, and that's what it's all about, I will say. Because outside of the vision and goals parties, like the corporate workshops that I do, I did one a couple of weeks ago for a company for their intern class. And I love doing this one because we do elevator pitch and beyond. Because everybody thinks it's, OK, get your elevator pitch. But it's like, how are you going to get your elevator pitch if you're not clear?
Kelly Berry (40:37) Yeah, yeah, I love that
Bose Akadiri (41:03) So first I give them the tools to get clear on what they want to do and what they're good at doing. And then I give them the formula for how to articulate it. And then it's like, where are you going to articulate it? Like, it's not just for that elevator pitch. It's also for your LinkedIn profile. It's also for when you meet someone out and about. It just can be used in so many places that I wanted to understand like, no, is your base. Like this is your home base. This is your clarity. This is how you empower others to help you.
Kelly Berry (41:38) Mm -hmm. you and I, we talked about this a little bit. know, goal setting for us, it has been a little natural, I'll say, or something that's been an extension of what we've done professionally for a long time. But I know that there are a lot of people who never set personal goals, who have a very cloudy vision of what they want their future to look like, which just leads to a cloudy plan and, you know, that feeling of being comfortable, but not really feeling fulfilled. So what are some of the challenges that you see from people who come to your workshops or your clients that you work with in figuring out how to set good goals for themselves?
Bose Akadiri (42:27)
I think the biggest challenge, and this came up at the last Vision and Goals party, is asking for help. And the reason is, is because if you're not having conversations, you're not going to start getting clear. So when I knew I wanted to go into corporate social responsibility, I had a lot of conversations with people who did it. And I asked the exact same five questions of each person, because it was like a data for me to understand, there are these different areas of corporate social responsibility. there are these different ways of going about it. There are these pros. There are these cons, right? And I say that to say asking for help is really paramount when you're goal setting because you might think you want something, but you might not be clear on what that something is, right? and ask me all the time, how do I get into CSR or corporate philanthropy, whatever they want to call it. I'm like, you got to understand, I'm not fully deciding where the money is going, right? There's a strategy. That role is a lot about strategy, relationship building. And it's not just like, for like, you get a million dollars, you get a million right. And so it's very interesting because I like to explain that to people. I'm also like, I'm in service. So I am coordinating and strategizing and bringing volunteer activities to, you know, 100, 400 ,000 employees. But that means I'm actually not volunteering that much myself. So I always like to challenge people that if you really want to get clear on what you want to do, you've got to talk to people that are doing that because you might find out you don't want to do it. You really might find that out. And that's OK. Right. Like I grew up saying I want to be a lawyer. seriously.
Kelly Berry (44:18) Me too. Me too. Yes. I even took the LSAT. I did all the things. And then finally, I realized what lawyers do. And I'm like, I don't want to do that. While I think there some really valuable skill sets and things like that, was like, that is not how I want to be spending my time. Yeah.
Bose Akadiri (44:52) Right. And that's okay. Right. And I think that's the second part about goal setting. There's the asking for help that will help you get over that hurdle. Right. And that's the scary part is you're like, what if someone doesn't respond to me? Guess what? All the time people don't respond to me. Right. You know, like, But I just have to know in my heart and soul, like, they're busy. It has nothing to do with me. Maybe technology glitch, maybe they're busy. I don't know. But I'm going to keep asking. And that's a big hurdle to overcome. And that second hurdle is admitting. Right? So another personal story is that I started the company with a vision and goals. But then everything was telling me, you've got to niche down. You can't just be a life coach. But I believe in living holistically. And that's my expertise that I can bring to the world. Because you've got a niche down. No one's going to understand that. No one's going to sign up for that. And all these pressures. And so I started saying, I'm a career coach. Well, about a year and a half into that, I had a good friend sit me down and was like, Bose, you've never been in HR. What's your expertise in this career part? Like, yeah, you know how to do it. Right, he was like, your expertise even more is in joy.
Kelly Berry (46:11) Mm -hmm.
Bose Akadiri (46:15) He was like, I could listen to you talk about joy all day long. He's like, I've never known someone more joyful, never know someone so passionate in believing that they deserve joy and believing that others deserve joy. He was like, you don't have to pigeonhole into career. He was like, you've got to get back to what you started for. And I am so grateful that he did that because clearly that's where I'm supposed to be. Like the business took off even more once I started shifting from that, but it was because I was like, my gosh, I've recorded all these things and put them on YouTube where I'm talking about, you know, it was a hard thing to admit. And honestly, it probably took me a good six months to wrap my mind around like, okay, like now I'm gonna change the title of my business on LinkedIn, like, like what are people gonna think, you know, like, am I gonna be confusing? Now I'm not a consistent business owner and all those things creep in. But guess what? It's OK to change your mind. Just like we both took the LSAT, guess what? Now I have a ton of friends that are lawyers. And that's very, very helpful. That's super helpful, right? But you have to be, and it takes time. I say you have to be, and I just stopped myself because I realized it sounded so like cavalier, like, it's very easy. It is not easy to ask for help. It is not easy to change directions. Those are key drivers in accomplishing your goals. And the third one, I would say, is supporting others. You cannot expect to get receive, receive, receive and not give. And that's why I feel so strongly about giving myself because so many people have poured into me. You know, like. I still can't believe Diana, the woman at the store, was just like, what do want to do? She must have seen something in me that I didn't even see. Kelly, I could talk to you all day.
Kelly Berry (48:15) Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. Yeah. I know. I know. This is great. I know we're at time, and I still have like three more things on my list that we didn't even get to. But maybe one day we'll do a part two. So yeah, I think that that was great. I mean, I really, I already said it, but I think that like this is something that people need personally. I created recently like a journal and planner. I know you have one too, but I think that it's you know, it's really important to you know work towards an authentic and intentional life so that you can achieve the things that you want and really, you know, you're the only one you as in yourself and you know, you're the only one that's gonna ensure that that happens for you. And so you just have to take responsibility for doing what you need to do and seeking out help and getting a coach and have somebody who knows what they're doing walk you through how to get from where you are to where you want to be. And I would love for you to tell people more about how they can get in touch with you, how they can become a part of your accountability circle. So what does all that look like?
Bose Akadiri (49:34) Yet. So, okay, there's two things and both of them end up at the Accountability Club. And so the Accountability Club, the website is just community .goalingrind And you can sign up. There's two different levels there. There's one that's free and there's one that's paid that gets you a little more of those in -depth courses and things. But it's fun. We have weekly challenges and things that inspiration that I share. And yeah, it's a good place. I call everybody in there the Gold Besties. So that's the Accountability Club. And then the other two main pillars of my business are really I go in and do corporate workshops. So the elevator pitch workshop the professional presence workshops, the vision and goals workshops. And so I do those a lot with intern classes or BRG groups. And they're really great because they empower folks to be the best that they can be, not only professionally, but also personally. And employers find it to be a good investment in their team. And then on the individual side, I'm open for individual coaching. And no matter what, if it's on the corporate side or the individual side, people can still join the Accountability Club and have that ongoing support. And that's what it was really built for. And then, yeah, the Vision and Goals parties that are open to the public, which I have one at least every January. We're working to intertwine more in, but you can always find out about these things by following me on Instagram or LinkedIn, which is at Goal and Grind. Both of them are at Goal and Grind or can just go straight to the website, www .goalingrind .com.
Kelly Berry (51:09) Yeah. Yeah, I'm going to include all of those links that you just mentioned in the show notes. Do you do your vision goals parties? Are they in person or are they virtual?
Bose Akadiri (51:21) So in the pandemic, I was doing virtual, but now I'm doing in -person. And spoiler alert, I'm looking at locations outside of Chicago, too. And so I've been contacted by a few potential partners. So we might have some locations outside of Chicago. But right now, they're in -person in Chicago. And yeah, and they're really good, because I see people's lives being transformed. And I get to hear about
Kelly Berry (51:30) Okay. Yeah, I bet. Yeah. Well, if you ever come to South Florida, let me know. I think that would be amazing. Awesome. yeah. Thank you so much. This has been great. know listeners will love this. I hope they reach out to you. And just thank you so much for sharing your time and your energy with us today. It's been amazing.
Bose Akadiri (51:57) I will. Thank you, Kelly. It's been a true honor and a joy. I could not ask for a better afternoon. So thank you for inviting me. Thank you for your curious questions. And thank you. Just thank you for everything.
Kelly Berry (52:28) Yeah, thank you. And we will talk to you again soon. Bye.
Bose Akadiri (52:31) Okay, talk to you later. Bye!
Kelly Berry is a strategic business leader and business coach. She is known for her operational excellence and her ability to drive growth and results across multiple industries.
She is also hosting her own podcast, Life Intended.
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