🏆 When Being the Smartest Person Isn't Enough | Afftene Taylor

🏆 When Being the Smartest Person Isn't Enough | Afftene Taylor

What happens when the thing that has always defined you suddenly stops working? Afftene Taylor grew up in Bessemer, Alabama, where academic excellence was expected and college was always part of the plan. As valedictorian, she arrived at Duke University confident in her abilities—only to discover she was surrounded by students who had been the smartest in their classrooms too. In this episode of The Forté Effect, Afftene shares her journey through identity, self-doubt, resilience, technology, accessibility, and innovation. She opens up about navigating moments when grades, titles, and achievements no longer provided the answers, and how those experiences helped shape a career building products used by millions. Host Instructor Forté and Afftene discuss: * Growing up in Bessemer, Alabama * The impact of GEAR UP and educational opportunity * The culture shock of arriving at Duke University * Self-worth beyond grades and accomplishments * Breaking into technology * AI, coding, and the future of work * Why access and exposure often matter as much as talent * Lessons for students, professionals, and career changers This conversation is a powerful reminder that success is not about being the smartest person in the room—it's about continuing to grow when you're no longer the only one. The Forté Effect: Where technology, creativity, and the future of work meet. #TheForteEffect #AffteneTaylor #DukeUniversity #WomenInTech #FutureOfWork #CareerDevelopment #Leadership #Accessibility #Technology #BessemerAL

“It’s Time to Go Home.” — Jodie Minor on Leadership, the White House & Returning Home

Former White House National Security Council Human Capital Director and Army veteran Jodie Minor joins Forté for a powerful conversation about leadership, war, purpose, reinvention, and returning home to rural Alabama. From Iraq combat zones to Capitol Hill and the White House, Jody shares the moments that changed his life — including the experience that made him walk away from power and return home to serve his community. This episode explores: • Military leadership and emotional intelligence • Combat, grief, and purpose • Rural healthcare and community rebuilding • AI, workforce disruption, and the future of work • Education, teachers, and small-town values • Leadership without titles A deeply human conversation about service, sacrifice, and what happens when calling becomes bigger than career. Hosted by Forté. The Forté Effect — where technology, creativity, and the future of work meet.

Project Management Without Tech

Project Management Without Tech? From Bessemer to Boardrooms | Katrina “KC” Dada, PMP What does project management really look like outside of tech? In this episode of The Forté Effect, Forté sits down with Katrina “KC” Dada, PMP — Senior Project Manager, engineer, wife, mother, and proud daughter of Bessemer, Alabama — for a conversation about leadership, reinvention, purpose, and building what’s next. KC shares her journey from chemical engineering to becoming what she calls “the people’s engineer,” why project management is really an act of service, and how leadership often begins long before the title. We explore: * Project management beyond tech * Pivoting careers into PM * Leadership without a formal title * The power of community and legacy * Why “leaning in” changes careers * Balancing ambition, purpose, and family * What it means to build a real future in motion One of the most powerful moments in this conversation: “I never saw myself as a career engineer — I always saw myself as the people’s engineer.” Whether you're navigating career transition, curious about project management, or building what’s next, this conversation is for you. The Forté Effect — where technology, creativity and the future of work meet. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & iHeartRadio 📺 Watch on YouTube @TheForteEffect #ProjectManagement #Leadership #CareerPivot #FutureOfWork #WomenInLeadership #PMP #Bessemer #TheForteEffect

Project Management Without Tech

Project Management Without Tech? From Bessemer to Boardrooms | Katrina “KC” Dada, PMP What does project management really look like outside of tech? In this episode of The Forté Effect, Forté sits down with Katrina “KC” Dada, PMP — Senior Project Manager, engineer, wife, mother, and proud daughter of Bessemer, Alabama — for a conversation about leadership, reinvention, purpose, and building what’s next. KC shares her journey from chemical engineering to becoming what she calls “the people’s engineer,” why project management is really an act of service, and how leadership often begins long before the title. We explore: * Project management beyond tech * Pivoting careers into PM * Leadership without a formal title * The power of community and legacy * Why “leaning in” changes careers * Balancing ambition, purpose, and family * What it means to build a real future in motion One of the most powerful moments in this conversation: “I never saw myself as a career engineer — I always saw myself as the people’s engineer.” Whether you're navigating career transition, curious about project management, or building what’s next, this conversation is for you. The Forté Effect — where technology, creativity and the future of work meet. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & iHeartRadio 📺 Watch on YouTube @TheForteEffect #ProjectManagement #Leadership #CareerPivot #FutureOfWork #WomenInLeadership #PMP #Bessemer #TheForteEffect

What Everything Changes: From Corporate to the Classroom| Quee, CEO of 6 Nineteen Freedom

What happens when everything you’ve built in your career suddenly changes? In this episode of The Forté Effect, Forté sits down with Shquila (Quee) to explore leadership, unexpected transition, and rebuilding with purpose. After 25 years in banking and financial crimes, Shquila shares how she moved from corporate leadership into entrepreneurship with 6 Nineteen Freedom and into the classroom as a fifth-grade teacher. This conversation highlights: trusting the process owning your blueprint navigating career change choosing peace, alignment, and purpose  “Feed your focus. Starve your distractions.”