Culture and Leadership Connections Podcast

Nselaa Ward – Not Afraid of No

March 01, 2021 Marie Gervais Season 4 Episode 5
Culture and Leadership Connections Podcast
Nselaa Ward – Not Afraid of No
Show Notes

Bio for Nselaa Ward

Madam Nselaa Ward, Juris Doctor, is a Business Architect and Black Lives Matter and Women's Rights Activist. Currently, she is the Chair of the International Black Business Agenda and CEO of Ni’ Nava & Associates, a business architect firm she started in 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Episode highlight

As a black female, Nselaa Ward was always told she was not valuable. Listen in on how she broke away from the negative messaging and assimilated the positive parts of her life to shine as a successful attorney, activist and business architect.

Links

Email: nselaaward@gmail.com 

Website: http://www.ninavafirm.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nselaaward

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nselaawardfanpage

Quotes

“We can't erase the trauma that we’ve experienced but we can transform it.” 

“People that are afraid of hearing no are often afraid of saying no as well.” 

“We all know that, right now, in this country, calling the police can mean a death sentence for a lot of people of colour.”

Takeaways

Childhood Incidents

Since Nselaa was seven, her mother was addicted to crack cocaine and got paralyzed after being shot over a drug deal gone wrong when Nselaa was 11. Nselaa grew up surrounded by people who were in the drug and sex work industry, and she became a sex worker at the age of 12 going by the name Caramel.

Influential Groups 

Nselaa grew up in a primarily black community, being constantly reminded that as a chubby black woman, she was not valuable. As a sex worker, she tried to make sure she was being valued by her clients.

Nselaa spent a lot of time around people addicted to crack cocaine. From them, she learned not to be afraid of rejection and to persevere against all odds, which helped her in becoming an attorney. 

Temperament and Personality Influences

Nselaa says that she was a talker as a child, and could go on for hours on end. 

Cultural Epiphanies

Growing up in a black community where her sentiments and opinions were echoed, Nselaa found, through her travels, that the rest of the world held different views. 

More Great Insights! 

Nselaa’s business architect firm helps SMEs to take their businesses to the enterprise level. Reach out to Nselaa on her website, social media or by texting +1 404-410-0200. 

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