Take Small Steps with guest Author Leah Schanke

Live, Enjoy & Just Be

For my final interview of Season One of Creative & Resilient Voices, I sit with Ms. Celia Lloyd: strategist, coach, femtor, mentor, change leader and retired higher education administrator. This conversation highlights Celia’s quiet wisdom and grace as she explores her recent transition to retirement and what her next chapter could evolve into.   We explore the themes of:  ·      Bringing passion and purpose into the retirement years ·      Exploring the wide open space of structuring the day according to your needs ·      The realities of elder care and the importance of balancing self-care ·      The importance of not waiting until retirement to do the things you love and to take time for yourself   You connect Celia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celiaplloyd/ If this episode resonates with you let me know. Send me an email at Kenya@Kenyanyotalee.com [Kenya@Kenyanyotalee.com] About Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee is a storyteller, leader, and strategist whose work explores creativity, resilience, leadership, and the deeply human process of becoming. Through essays, conversations, and community gatherings, she creates spaces where women can reflect on their journeys, recognize themselves in one another’s stories, and step forward with greater clarity and courage. Read and subscribe: creativeandresilient.substack.com Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kenyanyotalee or send an email to kenya@kenyanyotalee.com or visit www.kenyanyotalee.com Subscribe to Creative & Resilient Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you listen. Your story matters. Your creativity in all its forms is sacred. Your resilience is your superpower.

Stepping Into Greatness

Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin is a licensed psychologist, executive coach, organizational consultant and co-founder of Dynamic Transitions Psychological Consulting [https://www.dynamictransitionsllp.com/], who specializes in leadership development, career advancement, and the psychology of high achievement.. In this episode of Creative & Resilient Voices, we discuss how her own personal struggles with imposter syndrome manifested as her focused work in helping professionals overcome imposter syndrome and perfectionism and ultimately stepping into their own greatness. This powerful conversation touches on: ·      How to challenge the narrative of imposter syndrome and perfectionism ·      Recognizing when you are stuck in a job ·      Knowing that “good enough is good enough” ·      Appreciating the lessons to be found in failure ·      And much more Lisa is also the co-author, along with her husband and business partner, Richard Orbé-Austin of the bestselling book Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZZHY1Z8/?bestFormat=true&k=own%20your%20greatness%20workbook&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-v2_k0_1_11_de&crid=3JH6OUD88KSBP&sprefix=own%20your%20gr]  and Your Unstoppable Greatness: Break Free from Imposter Syndrome, Cultivate your Agency and Achieve Your Ultimate Career Goals [https://www.amazon.com/Your-Unstoppable-Greatness-Impostor-Cultivate/dp/164604407X/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NpHGosvcben3S6V3Gpx9a9IKZuIA6ZKzIs6eYZNgRQ_GjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.vEkko2zP-W_D9HbphxF8oWXvMhmldeXfP_XU17mvOCU&dib_tag=se&keywords=Dr.+Lisa+Orb%C3%A9-Austin&qid=1776007241&s=audible&sr=1-2-catcorr]; and the more recently, Your Child’s Greatness: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Children without Imposter Syndrome [https://www.amazon.com/Your-Childs-Greatness-Children-Impostor/dp/1646047699/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ZZ0CSCU6DTLJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._A2EZqgO0rcPJ_-HopkPTjpi73UqK3G0TTH0vy1JaCJYKdoQuSs8bdFaoKMaggK8EtXaNuvfkSpYQmTfHsg0tGDqRJBOd0rkfsHzvjMkHeonCHsTLtV5owgY3ifLv4OlMkZ91EvPqEkEkmsBM86DIfMdR-UNWdloOAQ6-ALVgBbYhwBOnOeNTMa9V_EbQfwsF_vTUEmrpySnP5k6N8XRs1PV5bkJkBnmFhx9MhuKJgk.XhRdra1TVJo2X7txEyynD_4KRKsBi-oFdxQnUmG1ncU&dib_tag=se&keywords=your+child%27s+greatness&qid=1776008119&s=books&sprefix=your+child%27s+greatness%2Cstripbooks%2C135&sr=1-1]. Through her writing, speaking, and coaching, she helps people move beyond self-doubt and perfectionism so they can lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose. If this episode resonates with you let me know. Send me an email at Kenya@Kenyanyotalee.com [Kenya@Kenyanyotalee.com] About Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee is a storyteller, leader, and strategist whose work explores creativity, resilience, leadership, and the deeply human process of becoming. Through essays, conversations, and community gatherings, she creates spaces where women can reflect on their journeys, recognize themselves in one another’s stories, and step forward with greater clarity and courage. Read and subscribe: creativeandresilient.substack.com Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kenyanyotalee or send an email to kenya@kenyanyotalee.com or visit www.kenyanyotalee.com Subscribe to Creative & Resilient Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you listen. Your story matters. Your creativity in all its forms is sacred. Your resilience is your superpower.

The Waiting Room

How long have you been in the waiting room? Waiting to be ready. Waiting to be recognized. Waiting for permission. Waiting to be affirmed. Many of us tell ourselves the same story: Once I have more experience. Once I feel more confident. Once someone notices my work. Then the raise will come. The promotion. The better opportunity. But the longer I observe leadership and career journeys — my own and others — the more I see how easily readiness becomes a moving target. And how waiting for recognition or external validation can leave us in limbo, waiting for something that may never arrive. In this episode of Creative & Resilient Voices, I reflect on my own struggles with readiness and recognition, the hidden cost of waiting, and what changes when we decide to step forward before certainty arrives. Sometimes the barrier isn’t readiness, recognition, or permission. It’s the belief that those things have to come first. What might change if the next chapter of your life doesn’t begin when someone else confirms you’re ready… but the moment you step forward in faith? About Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee is a storyteller, leader, and strategist whose work explores creativity, resilience, leadership, and the deeply human process of becoming. Through essays, conversations, and community gatherings, she creates spaces where women can reflect on their journeys, recognize themselves in one another’s stories, and step forward with greater clarity and courage. Read and subscribe: creativeandresilient.substack.com Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kenyanyotalee or send an email to kenya@kenyanyotalee.com or visit www.kenyanyotalee.com Subscribe to Creative & Resilient Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you listen. Your story matters. Your creativity in all its forms is sacred. Your resilience is your superpower.

A Time of Wintering with Guest Janet Rossbach, Founder of Affinity Blueprint

Janet B. Rossbach, founder of Affinity Blueprint, is a changemaker, nonprofit consultant, and career coach with nearly three decades of experience in higher education and nonprofit leadership. Throughout her career, she has built vibrant alumni and affinity networks at institutions including the School of Visual Arts, The Cooper Union, Columbia Business School, Baruch College, Camp Rising Sun, and SUNY New Paltz. While she loved the work of building meaningful relationships and communities, Janet eventually realized that the realities of organizational life were no longer aligned with the way she wanted to contribute. She made the courageous decision to step away from her full-time role, launch her consulting practice, and later take a sabbatical to “rest, reflect, recover, and reboot.” Janet describes this time as a period of cocooning, a chance to release expectations, past models, and assumptions about success that no longer served her. It became an opportunity to listen inward and redefine what success truly meant on her own terms. As someone who studies leadership and organizational culture, I’m often struck by how much we glorify endurance. But what Janet models here is discernment, the wisdom to recognize when alignment has shifted and the courage to trust what’s emerging next. This episode is an invitation to create space for yourself. Even if a full sabbatical isn’t possible, consider taking a day. A half day. Even an hour. To pause. To listen. To reconnect with what ignites you. About Janet Rossbach Janet B. Rossbach is the founder of Affinity Blueprint, a nonprofit consulting practice focused on helping mission-driven organizations strengthen relationships with their communities and constituencies. A seasoned higher education and nonprofit leader with nearly 30 years of experience, Janet has built and led alumni engagement initiatives at institutions. Janet is also a NACE-certified career coach and nonprofit advisor who has consulted with organizations on volunteer engagement, membership strategy, and organizational change. Through her work and coaching, she helps professionals and institutions reimagine what meaningful connection and success can look like. Contact Janet Rossbach: Website:         https://www.affinityblueprint.com/ LinkedIn:          https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetrossbach/ Email:              Janet@AffinityBlueprint.com Where you can find Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee, host of Creative and Resilient Voices: Substack:         https://creativeandresilient.substack.com LinkedIn:          https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenyanyotalee/ Instagram:      https://www.instagram.com/kenya_the_pathfinder/# [https://www.instagram.com/kenya_the_pathfinder/] Email:              Kenya@Kenyanyotalee.com   Resources Mentioned: Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff Atomic Habits by James Clear Wintering by Katherine May   About Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee is a storyteller, leader, and strategist whose work explores creativity, resilience, leadership, and the deeply human process of becoming. Through essays, conversations, and community gatherings, she creates spaces where women can reflect on their journeys, recognize themselves in one another’s stories, and step forward with greater clarity and courage. Read and subscribe: creativeandresilient.substack.com Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kenyanyotalee or send an email to kenya@kenyanyotalee.com or visit www.kenyanyotalee.com Subscribe to Creative & Resilient Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you listen. Your story matters. Your creativity in all its forms is sacred. Your resilience is your superpower.

Take Small Steps with guest Author Leah Schanke

Leah Schanke, writer and Human Resources executive, shares her journey of pursuing her dream of writing professionally while working full-time, taking small steps. She explains how she is living in alignment with her purpose in writing historical fiction for children, while overcoming imposter syndrome in order to fully embrace the identity of a writer.  Leah Schanke is a children's book author whose multicultural heritage and interest in U.S. history inspire her to write historical fiction and nonfiction books for children with a focus on little-known but significant figures and events. Leah's debut picture book, FREEDOM AT DAWN, illustrated by Oboh Moses, launched April 2025. She is a PAL member of SCBWI, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and a member of the Authors Guild.  Resources Mentioned: Freedom at Dawn [https://bookshop.org/p/books/freedom-at-dawn-robert-smalls-s-voyage-out-of-slavery-leah-schanke/63ac5d34d21e2a84?ean=9780807524282&next=t] by Leah Schanke available Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble The Artist’s Way [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-artist-s-way-30th-anniversary-edition-julia-cameron/7f27745af1fe4ae4?ean=9780143129257&next=t] by Julia Cameron Contact Leah Schanke: Website:         https://www.leahschanke.com [https://www.leahschanke.com/] LinkedIn:          https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahschanke/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahschanke/] Instagram:      https://www.instagram.com/leahschanke/ [https://www.instagram.com/leahschanke/]   Where you can find Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee, host of Creative and Resilient Voices: Substack:         https://creativeandresilient.substack.com LinkedIn:          https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenyanyotalee/ Instagram:      https://www.instagram.com/kenya_the_pathfinder/#   About Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee is a storyteller, leader, and strategist whose work explores creativity, resilience, leadership, and the deeply human process of becoming. Through essays, conversations, and community gatherings, she creates spaces where women can reflect on their journeys, recognize themselves in one another’s stories, and step forward with greater clarity and courage. Read and subscribe: creativeandresilient.substack.com Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kenyanyotalee or send an email to kenya@kenyanyotalee.com or visit www.kenyanyotalee.com Subscribe to Creative & Resilient Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you listen. Your story matters. Your creativity in all its forms is sacred. Your resilience is your superpower.