Tell Your Story and Build Equity Through Personal Narrative

Thank you for joining the Professional Quotient Podcast, conversations that build equity. These conversations are meant to really lift people up and help them put their best foot forward in the professional world. And it's brought to you by our sponsor, Market Scale, who does the same thing for companies around the globe, helping them put their best foot forward by turning their subject matter experts into content creators. So be sure to check them out. And now we are going to have a conversation that builds equity with a very special guest. Welcome to Professional Quotient. I'm your host, Jason Winningham, and I have a very exciting guest for you today. Neha Nagandhi, would you like to introduce yourself to us? Hi. I'm so excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me. I'm thrilled to be here. My name is Neha Nagandhi. And, gosh, you know, I can always kinda say to you that I've been a storyteller for all of my life. I was born in Chicago, but when I was eight, my family moved us to Charlotte, North Carolina. And back then, Charlotte was not the big city that it is now. It it it was a much smaller town. And so then we didn't move to the center of the town. We moved to the way outskirts of the town. And in that, there were cows that were now my neighbors, literally cows. And it's like, oh, okay. So I, you know, get on the bus. I was eight years old, first day of school, third day the third grade, and I've never ridden the big yellow bus. So I get on this big yellow bus because in Chicago, we walk to school. And I get on the big yellow bus, and I'm so excited. It's the first day of school, and my hair is in pigtails, and I had my mom put, like, the pink bows in my hair. And can you just imagine? I am so excited. Okay? All the things that I've read about, all of these I've seen in TV, I'm getting ready to board the bus. So I get on. I'm excited, and this little boy comes up to me on the bus. And because we had moved to Charlotte and because we had moved to a place that was quite rural, nobody in that township or where we were had really seen people that looked like us or practice the same religion we did or even, you know, observe the same holidays that we do. And so this little boy comes up to me on the bus and says, so do you, like, do you live in a teepee? At at year eight years old, I didn't know what a teepee was. And I was like, no. I don't. But maybe we can draw a picture of it together. Because I was always from the place that if you make a connection to somebody, you two will share a story together. So I'll you know, I even though I you know, we grew up in a place that people didn't always recognize who we were, my parents owned a small business in Charlotte, and, they built a community there. You know? Customers would come into our small business, and my dad would start telling them stories about, oh, I came over from India and you know? Again, using stories to connect and build community. So that's always been the way that I have kinda done my career. So I graduated college, worked a ton of broadcasting, and get told more stories, and went on to work for T Mobile corporate and went on work for Starbucks corporate doing international marketing, which for a product that I love, tea, it speaks to my heart. So telling getting to tell international consumers about tea and telling those stories, again, really, really has has brought me back, you know, to my central place where I come back to. So from there, I left America corporate America because I have two children. And so then I started sort of writing, became a more of a a trained journalist, and I hosted my own radio show here. I live in Metro Atlanta. And then from there, I got an opportunity to give a TEDx talk. And that TEDx talk was about one community, one world. It always revolves around using your story to speak to the world. So now I do I'm a public speaking coach. I help others speak their stories and share that using that voice with the world. Awesome. Thank you for sharing that and and really highlighting what it is you do. I'm curious now that you're serving in that capacity, what does your day to day look like? Lots and lots of meetings. Let me tell you. Oh my gosh. I was just talk we were talking beforehand, but lots of meetings. So I do one on one coaching with people. Again, delving into how to use your voice, how to share your story, nonverbal communication, how does that communicate with others? So we delve into all that. So there's sessions that I do. I also do corporate workshops. So then that requires meetings after meetings of understanding, you know, what they need, what I provide. So there's a lot of that understanding of that and then and then execution of such. Right? So right? Like, so what does that mean? You know, so that means in the in the mornings, I usually reserve for my sessions. And then in the afternoons, I either reserve to go to events where I am meeting other people or I'm doing my corporate level or nonprofit workshops on, you know, getting people inside of a room, in a space to really understand. So my lane in that is your brand and your story because each of us has their own personal brand. Whether we work in one of the biggest corporations, which is where I do my workshops in, or, you know, whether it's even you when you're in a smaller mid sized company or you're in a nonprofit setting, every single one of those spaces, you have your personal brand, and some may call it your reputation. So, you know, your reputation is built on what you let others know. And I promise you, if you don't let others know exactly who you are and how you deliver things and how you show up, I promise you they will make it up for you. And sometimes, that is not what you want said about you. So I really go into doing these corporate workshops about understanding how, number one, how to tell your story, defining that. Number two, refining it. You know, we don't start always with, well, you know, I started out. I opened the front door, and I walked out, and I saw the warm sun. Right. All of that is great. But what is those golden nuggets that everyone's gonna gain from it? So I really help people refine their story, and then we practice sharing it. So those were that's that's what my data that I hate looks like. Well, you hit on so many good things here I'd like to to shine a light on. One, that branding is so important. I like to I've also heard it said, your branding is not your logo. And what you're saying is it's that whole it's the whole reputation that comes with. And that sparked something in my mind because I remember someone, telling me that when you're especially in in leadership positions and you're sharing messages, it's super important that you fill the bucket, so to speak. He always referred to messages as as these empty buckets. And if you hand somebody an empty bucket, they're going to fill it with whatever it is they want to fill it with, whether that's gossip, like, oh, did you hear so and so is no longer at the company or whatever it is. But if you fill the bucket and then hand it to somebody, it doesn't leave room for that. And that kind of sparked the same when you were talking about that branding where if you're not telling people what your branding is, if you're not communicating that, they're gonna fill that bucket with anything they want. They're gonna connect those dots with whatever fills their own brain. Now listen. All of us, every single one of us has done this. Right? We've been in a situation. We've walked into a meeting. We don't know everyone in the meeting, and we'll pick somebody in our brains because this is what our brains are neurologically are attuned to do. We are going to make we are hardwired to be storytellers. So instantly, we start telling ourselves stories. Now we may not always recognize that even consciously that we're doing it, but we do it. So we find a person in the room and we're like, oh, that person has on yellow today. That person automatically just may be a super positive, happy person, really bubbly. Maybe they don't even know what they're doing in this meeting. They're just here to be the bubbly happy person. You know, we just make up all this stuff. Right? This part now the meeting could go on. You run into this person at the water cooler down the hall, and the person actually is, you know, very, very serious. A very stoic person. But, you know, a very, person that you were just like, I had you pegged completely wrong. Now you may carry on the conversation and find out why this person is the way that they are hardwired to be. But my point is, though, if we don't walk into that space almost attuned to where we want our storyline to be and what we want our reputation to be as known as, then we're sending out the wrong messages and the wrong story. It's so true. And and a lot of us make those snap judgments or those snap storytelling for others within a fraction of the first second that we look at somebody. We can build up so much, and it's so important that we recognize that so much of that isn't built on any truthful foundation. It's really our brain trying to do a shortcut so that we can understand the room that we're in. And and I say that that it's important to to highlight that because when we know that about our brain, we can then allow ourselves the grace and space to keep getting to know people and keep telling that story so that it's not just, you know, what I thought when I first walked in the room with you, but now it's what I think of you now that we've had a meeting and now that we've met each other at the water cooler and and to keep building that story. So I appreciate that call out a whole lot. Now you also mentioned that you are doing a lot of both coaching, corporate workshops, etcetera. So how do you go about, not going in five different directions at once? How do you, organize your time throughout your days and weeks so that you can do all of the above? Well, I, you know, I I here's the thing. I am very mindful of what I do because I am a mom, and I take that role very seriously. So I don't take on any session, any client, any work, unless I am able to answer this question. Does it bring me joy? Does this bring me joy? And I think lot of times, people get in different directions because they see maybe a dollar sign associated with it, or maybe they see, you know, an award, an accolade, and something associated with it. But, really, what and and whatever that is, whatever that that that thing, that carrot, that's dangling is for you, does that bring you real joy? Because if it doesn't, I promise I promise your heart will tell you. And if your heart tells you that this is not meant for you, then I promise you that you will not be the same person that you will bring to that situation to the per this to the situation when you find it joyful. When you find it, when you it fills you, your space, your inner space with all the things that fulfills you. So going back to time. Right? So when I take a meeting, when I, you know, meet with a potential client, when I go to an event, when I say yes to doing some things, I always am very mindful to ask myself, will this or does this bring me joy? Mhmm. Because I know I've come to a place back in the day that I did it when it didn't bring me joy. And I know that feeling of, oh, I'm just doing it. And do I really wanna do it? And then you start to drag your feet because you don't wanna do it. Because in your heart, it never there was never any joy in it for you. Mhmm. So then it becomes work. Right? Then it becomes work. And for me, what I do and I'm always very so the second thing is, does it bring you joy? Second thing is always be know what your north star is. Always know what your north star is. Know your why. This is what it goes back to. When I say, you know, storytelling is becoming very, very maybe even it's everywhere. Right? It's story tell your story. You need to be your story. Live your story. All of it. It's still everywhere. But here, I stay in this lane because I'm very attuned to the why. The why did I do that? Why did I do because for so many years, I didn't have a voice. I didn't know where my voice was. Because growing up, when you are even though we had a community and we built it day by day, customer by customer, that doesn't mean that in my twelve year old brain, I knew exactly where I fit in. Sure. And even though and, you know, back then, through no fault of anybody else, it just was what it is what it was and that, you know, we weren't connected by the Internet back then. And so people didn't know what India was on the map. People didn't know how to, you know, what Diwali is. Like, everybody knows now. And so when you don't fit in one box and you don't fit in another box, you fit in the other box. Mhmm. So what does that other box mean for me? I didn't know. And because I didn't know, I didn't have a voice. I didn't trust my voice. I didn't know my voice nor was I even part of any kind of experiences that I was exposed to finding my voice. So now I am very attuned to that is my why. That is my why, and I will always gravitate towards things that I can help others understand and be very attuned to their why. So yeah. So so when you talk about time, to me, my time and my days and the way that I fill my calendar is so very fulfilling because I know before I take that meaning or before I understand that I say yes internally. Right? Internally, it is a yes. It is a joyful yes. So when I do take that meeting, or when I'm, you know, not be able to spend time with my daughter, because, she's eight and years old, and there's no school right now because school doesn't start for us until next month. But I'm still like, this conversation brings me joy. So I'm gonna take that time, and I'm gonna schedule this because it brings me joy. So I feel like when we talk about time management, you know, there's often I feel like there's this there's this sort of veil upon it, like, like, oh my gosh. It's it's it's a lot. I know it's a lot. But if we just were to think about that and we shift that thinking, it's it's not really a a a that. It's more of you finding that space in your life and that time, that time that you're slotting for, it's bringing you joy. Mhmm. That's what I think is a more pertinent, you know, question. Absolutely. And and I think that that joy is so true because and you spoke to it already. But when we don't have that joy, when you're just doing it, that's where burnout becomes a real thing because you're you're trying to force yourself to wake up and be miserable and do something you don't wanna do. And so when you're able to find joy in what you are doing and and I'm I say this with the caveat of sometimes we have roles or sometimes we have positions that we do just have to do, and maybe they don't always bring us the fulfillment of our joy. In those instances, I really like to recommend to people find the joy that you can within it as well until you can find something else that resonates with your soul because you can't just be just negative all the time or where it's not really gonna do yourself any good or anybody that you're around. So I appreciate that call out. I I think that's so important to find that joy. You also mentioned the, and I just wanted to touch base on the clients and the coaching. How do you go about finding your clients? How how do you market yourself? How do you go about communicating with with people to get things on your schedule? Oh, so it's so funny. I just had this conversation yesterday. You know, it's what I I am I guess it's a shorter answer and a long answer. So the short answer is there's social media. Okay? So there's and, I feel, So you spend time daily on social media then, like LinkedIn, Facebook, insta are there any that you particularly hit up more than others? I I love LinkedIn. That's what my peep that's what my tribe is. That's what my people are. Right? And I I'll I'll be very transparent. I I do work with a social media agency. And so I am on all the platforms, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, all of them. And so, yes, that does require so my social so my agency, you know, puts the things out there. But I'll tell you what works is video. And so that means, you know, you know, my folks that I work with are like, Neha, you've gotta record a video. They outline for me what I need to be the points that I need to be talking about. It's usually sixty seconds in length. Mhmm. They do a wonderful job putting it out there, editing it, and making it pretty, but it's still up to me to record that video. So when you talk about time again, I guess I'm gonna go back to your time question Yeah. A little bit. Because there is time on my schedule allotted for that social media recording time. And Okay. Mhmm. Now I will also be also transparent in that there is not always joy for me. Okay? Tuesday. I mean, I'm just gonna be right? Like Yeah. I I I I I value honesty and transparency. And I and I Me too. I keep it real. So Mhmm. Like, sometimes I have time start scheduled on my calendar to, you know, do my social media recordings. And And you're not feeling it? Minute. I'm not I'm not finding joy, and I don't do it. Now I don't have anybody to blame, but me. And I go back to them, and I'm like, guys, I just didn't do it. I plain and simple. I didn't do it. Find a work around. I I don't know. Regurgitate some other old videos. I don't know. Make it work because I I didn't. Because they are like, we have to have a new video every single day. So what I try to do is, you know, do a bunch of recordings, you know, and just just hand it to them. Just sometimes it doesn't happen. So, you know, they get on me. But, yes, social media is and I will say to you, that it does work. You know? Consistency, just being out there, branding, like, all of it, it does work. So, yes, through social, I do get a lot of opportunities and people, you know, like, messaging me or whatever different things. So yes. So there's that there's that avenue that clients come to me. But I will also say that leverage who you know. Leveraging it. Now you can look at that as networking. That billboard is becoming a little but you can also think of it as, like, who in your orbit is like, you don't know and and we have a tendency as humans to make up things in our minds what other people are thinking. And Yeah. You know? And and you, like, like, we are doing a disservice to that person that we are assuming what they are thinking and feeling. So don't do that. Like, don't do that. And in fact, instead, I say, create space for them. Create space for that conversation to happen. What if that looks for you like you're having some tea with somebody, great. If it looks like for you that you're gonna have a Zoom chat with somebody, great. If it looks like you're gonna have a walk take a walk with somebody and have a walk chalk, great. Whatever that looks like for you, make that happen. Because I promise you the low hanging fruit, which are the people in your just your immediate orbit, they're gonna need your help, whatever you specialize in. I promise. Because we bring people into our lives that you and you we connect to. We need them or you need that. There's some some synergy that's happening between us. Right? So those people that are in your orbit, that's the first thing I would say. If if there was people out here that are like, you know, as entrepreneurs or even as solopreneurs, we go through a wave of, you know, of, like, of business and clients and stuff like this. And normally, our waves are like this. Right? We're up to five, and then we're, like, straight down. Like, I don't have any clients. I don't know what's going on with my my my pipeline is dry. I don't you know, all the Yes. Absolutely. Wild. Yes. Right. So and or we're, like, way up, like, so much work. I have so many clients. I am so overwhelmed. Like, oh my god. I'm gonna have to hire people. Right? Like, all the like that. Right? So instead of, like, shooting up, shooting down, you need to ride a wave, create a wave that's much more manageable for you Mhmm. In a way to do that. And I know we are diverging from our short storytelling topic. But but I think this is important because maybe your audience is entrepreneurs and, you know Mhmm. And so I think the way to do that is those folks that you are like, oh, but I've known this person for five years. They don't need another marketing person. Like, we don't know that, and you don't know that. So have I say, create space for that person and have a conversation. And you never know when that conversation might go, but do that. So use those people in your orbit, and I believe in this effect. I call it the ripple effect. So you have some, you know, people in your orbit. But the people in the orbit that you have your conversations with, that is going to lead you to ripple. That is going to ripple into other conversations or wherever you want to lead that to. Right? You you but the basic premise of it is that you want to grow the amount of people that you're getting exposed to. So I had this conversation the other last night when I went to an event and I was talking about advertising. And I was like, you know, you know, what's the what's the ROI on advertising? Is it worth it? Should I be putting, like, some money into, you know, ads, digital ads, and x y z? And this person that I was having a conversation with was like, there is no amount of dollars that you can spend that will, weigh the amount of the what you weigh in meeting people. Okay. Sure. Mhmm. In person. Mhmm. People are people buy people. Yes. People do not buy ideas. People do not buy products. People buy people. And so if we remember that promise, then it is it behooves people, entrepreneurs, to say, I much rather put my bucket of money towards things, events, places that there's people to people connection. That makes sense where you're connecting with people heart to heart, mind to mind. And I like that call out as well of of giving people grace and space because it's not just the people that we're meeting for the first time that we create stories for or fill in the blank of what we think they're thinking. We do this with those closest to us, with our our siblings, with our friends. And even there, I like to challenge myself to think if I am preemptively deciding how they are going to respond to something, I'm not giving them the grace or space to be growing in this life because all of us are learning new things every single day. So even though we're encountering now and this is who I am, we can encounter each other tomorrow. And I may have just had a revelation last night that just changes the way I'm looking at the world. And so it's it's helpful when we are giving people that grace and space to just meet people where they're at today in the now. And and I love your call out of just don't just assume that they don't have room for you or that they don't have space. Reach out. Ask. There there's no harm in that. So and plus, I think a lot of us in this world are sometimes waiting for others to reach out to us. And and so we go through these just like you were saying, the ebbs and flows, we do that also with reaching out and waiting to be reached out to. And so sometimes we just have to be the bold ones that reach out, and we just have to just move forward. So I appreciate that a whole lot. Thank you. Yes. Yes. It's so important that we do it. Right? Because Mhmm. With this AI world that we're coming into, it is gonna become more and more important to have those, you know, like you said, reaching out and those moments. Here here's another thing now, and I will go there and then you can back to your questions. But, I will say this, and I trust be guided by your intuition. There's that voice inside you that always tells you exactly what you need to know. And if we start listening to it and getting attuned to it, I promise you that we, us, and even I will be a much happier human being. Right? So I think and this is my daily practice. So in the morning, I wake up and I get very, very attuned to what my inner voice is telling me. And I've done it, and it's taken me a lot of years of practice to do it. But now I'm very, I can get into a very quiet space and just very be mindful of listening to it. And, yes, I do and and, yes, I will be very transparent that's part of my daily ritual. But in that in that, in that practice, there's always thoughts that come to me about how can I be helpful? There is somebody out there in the world that needs something. How can I be helpful to them? And always, there is an answer. So I will get thoughts about so and so, you know, needs, something from you. And I would just give you a very quick story. So the the other day, I'm sitting there in my quiet space and thinking and contemplating and having it, and having my inner dialogue. And this thought comes to me that my friend that I haven't spoken to, oh my gosh, in, like, years, just just the thought came to me that you should reach out to your friend. And I was like, why would I reach out to my friend in in years? Okay. Well, that would be great. I would then reach out to my friend because I just wanna see what my what my friend has been up to. I so I get done with my my my daily practice. I come downstairs. I get my phone, and I actually, you know, text my friend and say, hi. It's been a long time. I know I'm a voice from the past, but I just wanted to reach out to you and say hello, and then I'm thinking of you. Very simple, very text. Mhmm. This person, friend, has writes me back almost immediately and was like, so good to hear from you, Neha. You wouldn't believe this. But, like, what they had a very serious conversation with their boss the, the previous day, and the very serious conversation led them in a tailspin about who they are as a person, which happens. And they were in a real complete funk. Let's just just couldn't think left to right. And the fact that I reached out and was like, hey. How are you doing? How is everything? And we had a, like, a, like, a, like, a very long text exchange. I the at the end of the text exchange, the person was like, I am unbelievably grateful that you reached out right now. It it it set my day in a different direction Because I gave them some things to do. Right? And I was like, if I didn't practice that, if I didn't listen to that voice, if I didn't follow through, yes, it was up to me to follow through with the voice that I heard, I don't think I would have changed my friend's trajectory for the day and maybe even trajectory for the next couple of days and not and and make an impact on that person, right, with a simple text a simple text. So imagine if you were to really listen to your own voice and what the power of that could be and the impact that you can make. Mhmm. Mhmm. I wholeheartedly agree, and I very much think that we should always reach out when someone falls on our hearts or our minds because we don't know, to your point, what impact we can have just by reaching out. And worst case scenario, nothing happens. Oh, okay. Great. Nice to see you. Best case scenario, you've really helped change their day. So I love that. I love that. Thank you. Mhmm. Yes. So on the PQ podcast, we like to talk about the and really showcase also what we find most valuable out of our portfolio of professional equity, meaning our our skills, our knowledge, our experiences, our education, and our network or my preferred term, community. Networking just never sat right with me, that term. But, out of those things, what do you feel is most valuable most valuable to you at least right now in your life? So all of them. No. I'm just kidding. No. It can be. It totally guarantees you. Yeah. I think they're all important. But, I, you know, I I know. You asked me to think about this question. I I I I guess I'm gonna go with my what my gut tells me. I I it's community for me. It it all it that's where it started, and that's where it's always gonna continue to grow. If you so so I'll I'll I'll use my own example. Yeah. I have a I have a business about for speakers and storytellers. So I wanna make sure those people that don't feel like they have a confident voice have one, and we and we work on procuring that and practicing that. So I am starting a network of people called storytellers table. And we it's a monthly gathering in person, and we get together. I have I invite a CEO to come and talk about their experience, their story, and we have a great fireside chat. And then we open it up to the audience, and they are able to get up and share a bit of their story. And when I tell you that is the most powerful part of our event, People are so engaged. Now let me give you a telltale sign. If you are in a virtual a live setting, a in person setting, and you see people in their spot, they're seated, and they're like this. They're leaning in to your conversation, you know, whether they're in a on a table or just in the sitting in chairs, and they are coming a little bit forward. Shoulders come forward. Their head comes forward. Their eyes are becoming a little bit more open than you're used to. Those are your tell tell positive signs. You have hooked your audience. You have captivated them. You are engaging with them. The opposite is, my friends, if you are in an audience, virtual or live, and you see you're starting to see your audience, eyes going downwards, Their their backs are going back towards their chair. They're scooting themselves back in the chair like this, going away from you. Signs, my friends, signs that your audience is not engaged. So let me give you another quick story about this. I was asked to give a keynote talk at a technology, place, not in in not in the state that I live in, outside of the state. Yeah. And I'm well prepared with the organize the organizers about what we're gonna talk about, and it's gonna be about its story and how people can use it. Great. Awesome. Wonderful. We get I get to the event. The talk starts. I'm talking. I'm about seven minutes in to this thirty minute keynote. I I'm I'm just going at it. We're talking. I'm just in it. I'm in it. I'm in it. Right? And this is what I start seeing from the audience. Uh-oh. Oh, no. Mhmm. Oh. And then the kiss the kiss of death that starts to happen. Oh, I was gonna say, once that phone oh, no. This is this is seven to nine minutes in. Okay? Alright? Alright. Yes. And I was like, okay. So I I see what's happening, and I I just stop. I pause. I stop what I'm talking about, and I look out into the audience, and I'm like, hey, guys. Maybe I missed something here. You tell me what do you wanna talk about today. I I I I you know, maybe I missed the queue. Maybe I misread it. But you tell me. What's what's on your hearts today? What's on your hearts and what's on your minds? Now it took some more for me because they didn't trust me. Right? Like, I didn't establish that trust or that connection point with them because I'll you know? But I did start seeing a little bit of the uncrossing of the arms. I started they started going, was she for real? And then they started was like, well and I was like, please, you, kind sir. What what is it that you have in your mind? What when you came to this to this talk, what did you want to hear? And he's like, well, I really wanted to hear, you know, how stories can apply to me when I lead a team at my business. And I'm like, great. So I unclipped my I had a I was mic'd. I I asked the organizer, say, can you give me a handheld, please? Handheld microphone. They handed it to me. And I was like, hey. Can you also give me a barstool, like, something to sit on? For the rest of the time, I sat on a barstool with handheld mic, and then we had some handhelds going around the room, and we had the best conversation about what they needed. Right? So going you've got to know who your what your community wants from you. You've got to know that. So for me, a storyteller's table, this is what the community wants. The community wants a nurturing, safe place that they can get up, talk without being judged, without being like, I I have so many ums and ahs, and I oh my god. I can't remember what I said, or I I don't know what I'm doing. None of that happens here because it is a very I I make it very clear that this is a safe space. And they get up and they are able to talk, and they are able to hear themselves speak sometimes in the most honest and real way that they themselves haven't heard them speak because that's what we do in the first hour. We really help them to hone in on that. Right? What is in your heart? And then they talk. And if they're open to it, I give them a little bit of coaching, you know, move this around, you know, change this here. If you opened it with this, and they're like, And that's the magic. Right? That's that. Because everybody in the room feels it. So that's yeah. So, anyway, community. Community is the most important thing you can do. The most important thing you could do. And value it and use it because there's nobody nobody more able to build that community than you. Nobody knows it more. Nobody understands it more, and nobody is more capable of doing it than you are. Your own community. And I like that you shared not just the community, but also your skill set for being able to read the room. So it's it's you you did sneak in more than just one, which is great. I'm here for it. But and I think that's a crucial point too because when you are building community, you do need to be able to read your people, read your audience. And speaking from the neurodivergent viewpoint, that's not always easy to do. There's sometimes we we do miscalculate or or misjudge how we're being how we're reading the room. But those are are to your point, there are signs that you can learn. You can learn to look for cues, you know, like leaning in or asking questions or or I like the their eyes open more, you said. Or Yeah. Or the opposite. If they're looking down at their phone or, like, how long is this conversation gonna like, okay. Now you know you're losing it. Like, do something to change. So I like that you highlighted your skill set in that even while talking about community. And and I totally believe that that, yes, all of those aspects of professional equity are valuable, but I love that that you you're sharing that community because community really is something where even when we're maybe my skill set isn't as strong. But is there someone in my community that can help me learn that skill or that can teach me that knowledge I didn't know or give me some experience? So I love that. Thank you. Right. Absolutely. Like, lean in. Right? Lean in. I mean, just when I say and I use this metaphor a lot. When you lean into a conversation, you're really opening up. It's almost like an invitation. You're saying, I I am inviting you to come in and either teach me or I'm inviting you to to share. Right? So I love that metaphor of of leaning in. It's it's got it says so much without, like, you know, going into Yeah. All of it. Yeah. I I agree. Now when it also comes to developing ourselves professionally or otherwise, I think all of us at some point are going to run into challenges. Are there any obstacles or challenges that you have in your life experienced and been able to circumnavigate or knock down the wall or overcome that obstacle that that you wouldn't mind sharing with us? Oh my god. Where do I start? No. Yeah. Look. Here. I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna be transparent because that's what I know. Right? There is obviously an obstacle when you when I was working in corporate America of being a woman. And not only that, but being a woman that, you know, didn't fit into one category or another category. And and and there was a, you know, the third category. You know, I worked for Starbucks and there was the third home, the third place. I mean, so I always thought of myself as like the the third the third person or the third. Right? So anyway so there was that. And and navigating that was challenging because and, again, this goes back to you have to know your voice. You have to know exactly your story and your personal brand of why you are in that space. And I didn't always know that. So I was not always the first that raised my hand when I had a really good idea in the meeting, or I was not always the person that, you know, that would have meetings with people and share because I didn't know what that meant for me. So overcoming that obstacle was a really big one. The second one, the big one I can always say is COVID. COVID, like, really derailed what I was trying to do, what I was becoming, what I what I was trying to build. I didn't know the the right direction that to to go in, how to navigate COVID. And and, I because of that, I just it was it was it was hard. Like, I will say, like, it was, like, like, breakingly hard to to understand who I was because the pre COVID version of me was different than what we're seeing now. And perhaps better. Sure. Yes. Okay. Let's go there. That's fine. But that bridge in between those years, those COVID years were very difficult. And to the point that, that I ended up having to seek, you know, professional therapy because when when when your identity gets broken down and this is why I always talk to people that, are going through an AI change, you know, because their jobs are being affected or there's some process change, culture shift that's happening. How do you navigate that is, again, going back to finding your voice, finding what your story is, finding what your personal brand is. It has everything to do with that. And so for me, when COVID broke down down for me because the whole world stopped and I didn't know where I would fit in, I ended up, you know, going to see a therapist for a year, Jason. I saw a therapist for a year. Twenty twenty two, I spent on my that white couch. Oh, I love that couch. But really breaking it down to the very, very fundamentals of, you know, what I was taught. Well, we were all taught when you know, as children, you know you know, we are a product of our environment and then the people that that bring us up. Right? I mean and so what does that mean for me now as a full fledged adult and as a mother, as a wife, as a all of that and as a professional? Right? And so breaking it all down and then rebuilding it brick by brick by brick. So it's it's that was probably one of the biggest barriers that I had to overcome. But I will say, I, I am more confident and more comfortable in my skin and who I am and how I say things than ever, ever, ever, ever before. So I believe, sincerely, every challenge, every barrier, every obstacle, everything that we deem as a failure is every step in the right direction to success. Absolutely. It's it's another step on our journey. And I love that that you're helping to normalize. I'm I'm always here for conversations where we talk about therapy because this is something too where we need to make sure that that mental health and therapy and and all these are really normalized and and put out there so that people recognize that there's no stigma attached or we're we're getting rid of stigmas because this is something that that builds us up and helps us to do more in our life. So I I appreciate you sharing that as well. That's really awesome. Yeah. Well, you know, I I I don't I don't think I don't think we can have a conversation without being honest about the challenges of who we are. Right? Because it defines every single part of what makes you, you. And I I, you know, because if we don't accept and love those parts of us, nobody else is gonna accept and love those parts of us. Yeah. So we owe it to ourselves to make peace and love and hug and care on on that person, that little person inside you that's hurting or has been hurt. Because nobody's childhood is perfect. If if you meet that person, please let me know, and I'll be like, oh my god. I have found God. You know what I mean? Like, you know? So but the version of your childhood that you, you know, that you that you got to live is the most perfect one for you. Mhmm. And that's it. That is it. And make peace with that. You know? And and and and then once you do, once you hug and say, you're okay, your story blossoms. Mhmm. And and the journey continues and goes into new paths and new territories, and that's the exciting part of life for sure. Are are there things that you do to continually raise your PQ to continually develop yourself professionally? Yes. I do I I I will I, I read a lot. Like, I read a lot of books. Mhmm. And I, both fiction and non, because I feel like the, like, the fiction, you know, which is not true, it it takes you to another world sometimes. And I there's creativity in there. And I and I I love I'm I'm a I'm a wordsmith, so I always love to hear authors put together things and weave together the story. So there's that. So I read a lot of books. I do read a lot of books. I'm I'm much more of a reader than I am like a like a viewer of Okay. Of So videos and movies or Yes. And TVs and movies that I've never I just never been that person. I I do go to a lot of events. And and and and and the in some in the in the professional capacity as well, I get to because because I am a public speaker and I'm a public speaking coach, I go to places where people are speaking. You know? And I and I learn about different styles and techniques. Although, there's always a fundamental core to it. But, I I I will also share a a different, a hack, you know, for people that are listening to this that are interested about learning more how to speak better. You know, when you are there's always three parts to learning how to speak better. And I know this question has we I just went way off base. But I just wanna keep I'm here for it. Give your audience this. Okay? There's always three parts to how you think about public speaking or you know, because first is the mindset. Right? Eighty five percent of people deathly afraid of public speaking. I'm talking about more afraid of hitting you hit by hit by lightning or bit by a snake. Like, they're like, again, I'd rather be in the casket than speak at the in in front of the podium. Right? I mean, seriously, we've all heard the signs of the whole thing. Right? So mindset shift. Right? How do you start thinking about it as more than a performance? This is what people start thinking of it as a performance. And when you start thinking of it from a performance perspective, you start thinking, I'm gonna be judged. People are not gonna find value to what I'm saying. They're gonna think that I'm this or that. I'm gonna start I'm gonna forget what I have to say, all of the things. Okay? So shift the mindset from performance to a conversation. This is a conversation that I'm about to have with somebody. And start thinking of it to yourself, or we're sitting or I'm standing in a roomful of friends, dinner guests. Okay? So mindset shift, number one. Number two, start using simple language. People get on a either a a meeting, a board presentation, I've heard it too many times, or they're on a stage trying to do all of this language that is not in their daily vernacular. Right? And you can instantly hear it. You can hear it. I can hear it, and everybody else in that room can hear it too. Use simple language. If I am having tea with you, which, you know, as you know, I'm a big tea person. If I'm having tea with you, you are not gonna talk about, well, my equilibrium is all wrong. It's all off today. Like like, yeah, you could say that, but I'm like, oh, really? I'm just off. Like, I'm feeling really off today. Doesn't that sound a lot more approachable and relatable to you? Right? Okay. So use simple language. Break it down to the most elemental value of it, and then we'll find that it's a lot easier to remember. Right? And number three, when you are putting together a a a meeting or presentation or talk on a much higher on a on a stage on a stage level, even on a on a TEDx, level, Always always bring in a story. Every single point that you have that you wanna say, convey, relate to an audience has to be anchored with the story. Has to be. Right? So if I say to you today, your three points to how to break down a good public speaking is, you know, mindset shift. It is use simple words and use anchor with stories. Now I could've went I spend a lot more time. I could've anchored all of those three points with stories. But if you don't have the time, repeat, repeat, repeat. Okay? Yep. I like it. Yes. But that's that's that's something that, you know, the audience could take away. Absolutely. Thank you for that. I love that. Also within each show, I love for my guests to be able to spotlight anything that they would like. So is there something you would like to shine a light on? Oh my god. Find yes. Find your voice. It's what we've been talking about the whole entire time. And and I've went through you can you establish a daily practice, but find that voice. And you can find it. It's already there inside you. But speaking is not a talent. Speaking is a skill. And in this AI world that we are swiftly going into, and it is a frontier because we don't know what's happening next, you're going to need to communicate more than ever. And you're gonna be you're gonna have to like, listen. We are going now we may not like it, but we are going into the world of AgenTex. Robots are coming if they're not already there. What are we as humans going to do with that? And I will tell you my my thing in this is, my focus in this is that we humans are still the top of the creed. Okay? We are still there. You're still gonna have to direct the robots. You sure will. Yeah. At a company and you've got five different agent agents working for you, the human is still gonna have to be like, okay. Agent one, you're gonna you're doing this in agent two, agent three, age who are the right agents to bring in? Why why and even in your home, you're gonna have agents. So what are the agents going to do? Yeah. Your your car is gonna become an agent. Right? Like, you're gonna go into the restaurant. You're gonna be talking to an agent. On and on and on. What what is your voice in this? How are you gonna find your voice and how you communicate better than the other people? That's the game changer here. And and in so doing, you gotta be able to define who that is. And working with, you know, you know, me with, I'm a public speaking coach or or or doing it on your own, fine. But focus on this. Join a community. Join a community like you've talked about. Right? Learn something new. You know, either you've I am I like smaller communities like storytellers table, which produces a safer, more nurturing environment because you're gonna need that as you start practicing what your voice is. So I recommend that. Find something like that for you. Build that for you. You know? Or join storyteller's table. That's also great too. We welcome you. But That's a great segue. How do people find storytellers table? Oh my god. Yeah. So go to my website, neha n e g a n d h I dot com, which is n e h a n e g a n d h I dot com. You'll find all about Storytellers Table there. We we do our events in Metro Atlanta, but, you know, well, it's gonna expand because, you know, we can see the need, and it's gonna happen. But what you know, it's it's a great place, like I said, to find your voice. Every single one of us has a story. Find yours and be able to speak it out loud because I promise, like I started out with, if you don't do it, somebody else is gonna make up a story for you. Thank you so much for your time, your wisdom, and your advice, Neha. I really appreciate this conversation. And to our audience, I would just say if you've enjoyed this conversation, please like, share, subscribe, and leave a positive review. That goes a whole long way, and be sure to connect. And remember also that unlike our IQ or our EQ, we can really easily raise our PQ every single day. We just keep learning, building, and connecting. Until next time. Thank you.