Growing Through The Madness

S1 E7: Growing Through Jobs: From "I Can" to "I Thrive" Ft. Pelumi Ogedengbe

• Abi Tobi • Season 1 • Episode 7

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You can do many things. You shouldn’t build a career on most of them. This conversation with Pelumi is a field manual for moving from “I can” to “I thrive,” charting the route from Accounting & Finance into Business Analysis & Product Management.

We start with truth-telling: how to notice the signals that a “good” job no longer fits and turn that discomfort into a plan. Pelumi breaks down his introspection process—listing energizing tasks like presenting, structured problem solving, and cross-team collaboration—and how that led him to BA work implementing ERP systems, integrations, and SDLC-driven projects. He shares the immediate shift that happens when your day matches your strengths: motivation rises, ideas flow, and results compound.

From there, we get tactical. Learn how to translate hidden experience—process changes, system migrations, informal leadership—into clear project outcomes for your resume and LinkedIn. Hear why the market buys proof over potential, and how a focused bootcamp plus targeted practice can help you speak the language of product and project roles. We also dig into interview identity, shifting from “aspiring” to “practicing,” and the application strategies that boost conversions: where to apply, when to apply, and how to get warm referrals.

Beyond career change, we talk about sustainability. Pelumi shares the systems that make a full life possible: delegation, time boxing, non-negotiable family time, and creativity as fuel through live drumming at church and events. His three Cs—Communication, Creativity, Curiosity—act as a compass for product work and a filter for opportunities. 

We close with AIDRR's mission: helping professionals convert learning into offers through positioning, strategy, and a forthcoming tool that maps skills, personality, and motivation to tech roles.

If you’re feeling stuck, consider this your nudge to design a path you can love, not just survive. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a pivot, and leave a review with the one change you’ll make this week.

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SPEAKER_04:

So about four months before I got let go, I was I already started my journey of introspection. I already started sitting down at home and saying, you know what, call me, you hate this job, you know that. But right now you need it because you need to keep body and soul.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean you need to eat.

SPEAKER_04:

Cut body and soul intact. And Canadian bills don't respect nobody.

SPEAKER_02:

Hi guys, welcome back to Going Through the Madness. My name is Abby, and I'm your host. Please, before we continue, don't forget to like, subscribe on the podcast and on YouTube. If you have any constructed feedback, please DM me. Don't spell my market. Just like I'll take it, but like just DM me. But please support me. Thank you. And today we have the amazing palumi. So how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_03:

I'm doing very well. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_04:

Not truly honored to be here. Yeah. I don't take it for granted. So thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

So what did you do this week? What was did you do anything fun?

SPEAKER_04:

Uh this week I actually traveled all week for work, so I wasn't in the country. So I was a bit I was in Boston.

SPEAKER_02:

Boston. Yes. You tried your they're always making us about their seafood and your food.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, I did. Clam, clam. I went to some restaurant called Clam Sharks or something. So yeah. It's pretty good. Not bad. Yeah, it's pretty good.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Actually, before we continue, do you want to tell people how we met? How did we meet? Do you remember how we met?

SPEAKER_04:

I actually do. Funny enough. So a mutual friend of ours is getting married.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So if a goal also he invited a bunch of us, we went to Toronto Island.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, we did go to Toronto Island.

SPEAKER_04:

Went to Toronto Island. So I met you. I met a few of his other friends as well. So it was like a little bachelor party. Yes. I guess. I'm imagining if a bachelor party is women that came to love him. Yes, yes, I'm joking. But yes, that was where we met. That was the first time we met. Yeah. And then obviously we we then realized that I know your cousin.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Yes. And then that was how he was. And then you were also classmates with another mature friend. Yes. As well. Oh, okay. You can meet people anywhere. You can connect.

SPEAKER_04:

Literally. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Are you watching any before we go into the serious stuff? Are you watching or listening to any podcast or any movies or shows?

SPEAKER_04:

Yes. So to be honest, these days I don't really have a lot of time to watch movies. But like at times when I'm I know, I know. But usually when I'm working because I'm I'm a night owl, so usually when I'm working at night, I'll usually be playing. I'm following, like I started the MCU timeline series. Yeah. Right? So Avengers. Oh, Avengers, like the MCU timeline. So I started watching that, or maybe it's watching me. Depending on how we end up. You know, like at least I have a plane in the background and working. I'm working, or it's just you start playing. Yeah. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So wait, are you re-watching?

SPEAKER_04:

Some of them I'm re-watching. Some of them I'm just watching. Yeah. Right? Some of them I haven't quite watched before. Yeah. But some I'm re-watching. And since it's been a while. So I watch that. And then for podcasts, I mean I'm a football guy. So I do listen to like soccer podcasts sometimes when I'm driving, to be honest. Like which one? Football. Like I listen to ESPN. But a lot of more times I spent more time like listening to a couple like more startup on Focus Podcasts. So like Why Company already have a podcast, a pretty good podcast. There's um Startups for the Rest of Us by Rob Wallin. And there's another one called Um Startup Ideas Podcast. I forget the name of the guy. So a bunch of like those kind of I listen to I just on my drive. That's when I listen to podcasts.

SPEAKER_02:

That's nice. Okay. I do have a friend. I don't know if he still has it. I have a friend who does a soccer meetup and they do like a podcast. And he and his friends will just talk about interesting. I should connect you guys because maybe he's super passionate.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, maybe. I I'm not necessarily sure, not sure that I'll appear on the soccer podcast.

SPEAKER_02:

No, not okay, but just to know that there will be a lot of people.

SPEAKER_04:

No, yeah, that would be good actually. It'll be good. Yeah, I'll love to. I'll love to. Yeah, I like listening to people's takes on like different teams and or my own personal club that I support and stuff. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That's good. That's me. What am I watching? I watched a weird movie on during the week, and it's called Wasp. Like the insect. Yeah. And it's on prime.

SPEAKER_04:

On prime? Like wasp. I think I might have I might have seen it. I might have seen wasp. Wasp. I can't say it. Idea is what matters. I understood. I understood what you were trying to say. That's what I matters.

SPEAKER_02:

My mom's people will say idea is what needs.

SPEAKER_04:

That's what ideas need.

SPEAKER_02:

Um yeah, it's it's creepy. Like, but I enjoyed it. I like odd things.

SPEAKER_04:

What genre was it?

SPEAKER_02:

Thriller. It's psychological thriller.

SPEAKER_04:

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02:

I enjoyed it. It was like maybe maybe max 10 people, including extras. Interesting. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_04:

So low, low budget-ish.

SPEAKER_02:

It didn't feel too low budget. It was still well. It must be pretty good, right? I was like, oh. Okay. Yeah. So that was. And then, oh, I stumbled upon a new Nigerian channel on YouTube. It's called Cruise. And they do a lot of interesting things. So sometimes they'll bring one I watched, they had siblings. Um, half siblings, sorry. And they asked questions like, Do you think mommy loves you more? How did you feel when Dalitz? Oh, I see. Interesting. Interesting. And then there was another one that I saw where they brought new parents and they were asking questions about the dynamics of their relationship. That has changed. Do you think I'm more protective? Do you think this? Do you think that? And they have speak dating as well. It's very authentic. Unlike a lot of things that we see online, it's so authentic. I like it. I hope they grow. That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_04:

That's amazing. I'll check it out. Yeah, Chris is quite sure. I'll check it out. Yeah. Let me write it down so I have to check it out.

SPEAKER_02:

Sorry?

SPEAKER_04:

I'll write it down so that I can check it out.

SPEAKER_02:

Please write it down. Okay. So what did you want to be when you grew up? What was your childhood dream?

SPEAKER_04:

Well, at least when I started being aware of being something when I grew up. Like what I'm trying to say is like I don't necessarily remember like what I wanted to be when I was like what I thought of when I was like 10 or below. I don't necessarily remember that. But I know like when I was more like in middle school or like high school, middle school and high school, I wanted to become an investment banker. That was actually my dream. Yeah. Okay. Wanted to become an investment banker.

SPEAKER_03:

Funny enough.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. I didn't see that coming. Are you surprised? Yes, I didn't see that coming. I didn't see that coming at all. I was just expecting to say something different.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Because like in our culture, Ninja culture now, it's you're one of those four professions. I don't remember our parents ever saying investment banking. Yeah, definitely not. So where did you learn about that?

SPEAKER_04:

So I remember like when I was in grade nine, going into grade 10. So I remember like then obviously I come from a family of engineers. My dad, my brothers, they're all engineers. And obviously, naturally, my dad wanted me to go into sciences.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Right? So for high school. And I remember like, you know, my the CEO of the school then who knew me personally. Yeah. I knew my family personally. You know, we went to a meeting with her and you know, we looked looked through my grades. And then that's when we discovered that this young boy, science is annoying. It's not strong. It's not strong for that. So don't, don't, don't push what is not his interest.

SPEAKER_02:

So in your high school, they used to do that, right? My high school used that to have less than a lot of.

SPEAKER_04:

Exactly. So they exactly. So they assessed my strengths, and that's why I went into more social sciences and business courses. So, and I loved it. Like from grade 10. I used to read 400 page business books. Just like I remember when I was doing my Cambridge exam. So like I did like Cambridge um GCSEs, like, you know, back in the day. I would go through it twice. I loved business books. Do you get? So it was through all of that that, you know, investment banking came about because now I was more in business rather than like sciences. Do you get?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So grade 10 would be like SS1? No, yeah, but I was trying to think of the age.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, at grade 10, I was. Wait. 15? 15? 14, 15? 15. Okay. 14, 15, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02:

So like before 15, you're just coaster.

SPEAKER_04:

Uh-uh now.

SPEAKER_02:

You just had I'll be anything. Anything you want me to be.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, honestly, I don't necessarily know that I I remember having any particular dream. At that point in my life, I was still going through a lot of self-discovery. I didn't necessarily understand myself. I was young, I was vibrant, I was a kid. It's good.

SPEAKER_02:

At least your parents did not for you to say, oh yeah, you need to know what you want to be.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, I was a kid. Now I was a kid. I was just I was I was just growing through life. At that point.

SPEAKER_02:

So what was your first job?

SPEAKER_04:

Like first actual job? Like actual job. In life? Yeah. So my first actual job in this world. In this world. So my first actual job, I worked, this was when I was in 200 level.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

I worked at a at a um an oil and gas servicing company in VI. I don't know if you. Are you from like VI? Lagos. Oh, good, good, good. When this is where like Church Gate Towers was new. So I had we had an office in there, an oil and gas servicing company. I was doing like more a lot of like more finance analysis, right? And admin.

SPEAKER_02:

Have you ever done any other type of work?

SPEAKER_04:

Oh yeah, I have.

SPEAKER_02:

Like what? Okay, tell me more about that.

SPEAKER_04:

So, like my first job in Canada, for example.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, your first job in Canada.

SPEAKER_04:

In Canada, I worked, you know how you walk into like Walmart or big stores and somebody comes to try to sell you a credit card?

SPEAKER_02:

So you're one of those people.

SPEAKER_04:

Uh no. I don't run um, yeah, that was me. Yeah, I don't, I don't run. I start shit at every time. You know, I'm a CU boy. I went to come to university, so start shit at everything with pride. Yeah, that was my first job. That was my first job in Canada. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Did you like it? Was he was he like did he didn't learn one or two things?

SPEAKER_04:

For me, I was very focused about what I was going to learn from it rather than liking it. At that point in my life, I was hyper focused on I want to learn from this. And so for me, I picked up a lot of sales skills. Right? And that's the same thing. Oh yeah, oh 100%. Because it's a lot of selling. Because I'm selling to people who do not want these things, to be honest. And I'm a black guy, right? As you can see, right? Trying to sell credit cards to white people.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Right? Is not really giving scam. To be quite honest sometimes, right?

SPEAKER_01:

No, it's giving scam.

SPEAKER_04:

I faced all sorts of things from honestly, from the not so pleasant um experiences.

SPEAKER_02:

So was this in Windsor? This was in Windsor.

SPEAKER_04:

This was in Windsor, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02:

So Windsor is also not very um diverse.

SPEAKER_04:

Exactly, not very diverse. So like I face a lot of those things, but for me, it really helped me to grow such that all of those things that today don't face me. Like rejection, because you know I met as I rejected. It was a it was the order of the day.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, you make up sometimes you just wake up like this as you have something to resume, because I even got into the several.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, exactly now. So, like for me, like at that time, I learned a lot of managing rejection live and direct. Because I'm trying, I bring it to you, you tell me no, I'm not interested. Straits, you know what I'm saying? Oh, don't move next, don't move close to me. I've I faced all of that. So I learned a lot. So you see why I said I said I was I was hyper focused on what is what was I gonna learn, right? Especially in terms of like mind, the art of selling and all of those things. So that was what I personally was mostly focused on for that job. To be honest, at the point when I did that job, I didn't need to, right? I'm thankful, of course, thankful for my parents. Yeah, I did not need to do that job, but I wanted to. I hit the camera. I hate the mic. But I wanted to, because I knew that it was gonna be essential for me embedding myself into the Canadian work culture. Yeah. So that was my first job. That's probably the I've done, I did that, I've done that one, and then after that, I worked as a cashier for another like three months, and those are the pretty much non-corporate work.

SPEAKER_02:

But you don't use it too.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course, yes.

SPEAKER_02:

So we'll talk more about that. We'll talk more about that. I'm talking more about that one. So you just mentioned that you went to Cabinet University and then you came here for your master's, you went to Windsor. I was surprised to know you to know you went to Windsor, sure.

SPEAKER_04:

Really? Why?

unknown:

I don't know. I don't, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

I I have my to be honest, I have a reservation about it.

SPEAKER_04:

What reservation is this?

SPEAKER_02:

Because you know, I grew up in Alberta halfly, not fully, you know, but I went to undergrad there. And you know, when you're in Alberta, you're really reading your books. Like we were all studying and all of that. And these people moved from Ontario because we're all a bunch of engineers. We just thank God for the grace of God. That's what I'm saying to say.

SPEAKER_04:

Wow.

SPEAKER_02:

That's it.

SPEAKER_04:

Interesting. So every time I hear Windsor, I'm like, ah, wow, bad name. Interesting.

SPEAKER_02:

But it was, I I guess, yeah. Yeah. But like, I'm sure you had a great experience at Windsor as well.

SPEAKER_04:

I did. It was a good experience. Honestly speaking, it was great education, yeah, right? Great people. I'm still very good friends with a lot of my like my Windsor people. Yeah. The thing about Windsor is it's a small town. Yeah. You get you get within 15 minutes, you finish the whole town.

SPEAKER_01:

I've been there once.

SPEAKER_04:

See, it's very small. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? So you you build a lot of bond with a lot of people, which honestly I appreciate it. It's not it's not a basco, to be honest with you. It's not it's not a basco.

SPEAKER_02:

No, I guess, yeah, I don't think it's a basket. I have friends who went to Windsor who are doing great things. So I know it's not a basketball, it's just a repetition of some of the men.

SPEAKER_04:

I guess, yes. I I I mean, I don't know those men. You understand what I'm saying? Yeah, we are I deal with only the rubber intels, so we don't do, I don't know what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_02:

Not really so. But like, what do you think the difference was between when you moved from Nigeria? Covenant is a really good school, Covenant University. I think that there are okay, there's a few sets of people that I always have a second look at when for people who moved from Nigeria. So people went to Covenant, people who worked at PWC Lagos. For some reason, they always to me, I'm not saying there's not a general, but the standard.

SPEAKER_04:

It's okay. We understand.

SPEAKER_02:

That's how but like what was the transition like going to school in Covenant University and coming to Canada and going to Windsor. What was a big culture? And what were some of your culture shocks?

SPEAKER_04:

Covenant University is first of all an incredible school. Because if you kind of think about the founder, Bishop David Edipo, aside as being a pastor, he owns multiple businesses and into multiple vendors, ventures, right? So it really pushes our mindset to dream big and want more and everything. So like we had literally a course that was just entrepreneurship development, right? So we'll have things like fashion shows in school. People will spend, like some of the, some of like some of the brands that you hear, it started right from school, right? So there's a there's a lot of that, a lot of giving expression to your talents, finding your talent. We'll have trade fairs where you source for everything outside of school. We had a lot of that. I mean a lot, and they supported a lot of like do business in school. For example, I I owned a clothing line in school.

unknown:

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

How do you know you doubled into my sister? I mean, I've doubled into different different things. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I I had a clothing line, the white collar clothing back in school. We're making corporate wears for um both men and women because in Common University we only wear corporate.

SPEAKER_02:

Wait. Like in the evening when you're chilling.

SPEAKER_04:

No, in the evening when you're chilling, you can go and wear a t-shirt and stuff. Okay. But as long as you're stepping out of the hostel to like go to school and stuff, right? For classes. For classes. Classes and church must cooperate. And church. Yes. Must wear corporate. Must. Like it's wild.

SPEAKER_02:

You get in trouble if you don't.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes. So that was the other part of it. It was very strange. Okay, it's like a honestly speaking, yeah. It was it was a bit too, and again, I feel like they have great intentions. But you know how they say something about like how when people have power, they mis they abuse it. A lot of like, you know, housemasters and people that were enforcing the values of the school were now abusing it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Unfortunately, because of how they like I can't tell you like some of some of the experience, I'll tell you two. Yeah. Just two. Only two.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

I can never forget. One time we were in an exam hall and they had this rule of oh, you you shouldn't wear pencil trousers, right? Because it was too tight. They felt like it was not decent enough, blah, blah, blah, blah.

SPEAKER_02:

Pencil trousers. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, for men. For the guys. Yeah, yeah. So for the guys. And you know what they did? I can never forget. I was a 20-year level, I was actually taking a finance exam. Finance 201 or 202. I can't remember. Right? I can never forget. And they came in, asked us to stand up, right? The the this was the I've forgetting the registrar at that time. And they came for folks that were wearing those tight pencil trousers. Remember when like the tight pencil trousers were raining? And they cut it like from here all the way here. Like such that your boxes were trained. And we had to finish the exam, right? And you walk back to the hostel, which is what I'd tell you about a seven-ish minute walk. You walk as everybody's looking at you back to the hostel that way.

SPEAKER_02:

That's very embarrassing.

SPEAKER_04:

So do you get like I feel like again good values, but the enforcement abuse of power. That's one. Another one I can never forget. I think there was news of maybe somebody had weed in one of the hostels. And again, during exam time, they came to wake us up at 3 a.m. in the middle of the night.

SPEAKER_02:

As for your criminals, I don't guess brought everybody outside the hotel.

SPEAKER_04:

Outside the hostel to search the entire hostel.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, so some of those experiences are over the top. Again.

SPEAKER_02:

And these are the experiences that don't even make it to the media. Because I have you heard of some big things.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh yeah. There are different things. I can't be done telling you there may be several, right? But again, you know, even amidst all of these things, the values. I remember I can never forget one time we had a chaplain, Pastor Victor, God bless him, wherever he is. You know, he really understood it. He moved away from the from the culture of oh, you must come to helping us see reason why we should come. And guess what? It was during that time that people stabbed. So stabbing is like not going. People stabbed church less. People stabbed programs less because they felt valued. They saw the value in going.

SPEAKER_02:

But they were not forced.

SPEAKER_04:

They were not forced to go. At that stage in my life, honestly speaking, if you had told me, oh, let me pick between Harvard and Covenant University, even though that's tough, Shah.

SPEAKER_02:

I was like, girl.

SPEAKER_04:

I was like, in terms of the education, for sure, Harvard. But I'm not sure that I will be the man I am today without a Covenant University. Do you get it? Because again, the value system, if you allow the value system to grow through you, you will kind of get it. In terms of the education, of course, Harvard is just you know different and you know, the kind of people you meet, different stratosphere, right? But in terms of the value system for 16, 14, sometimes year olds, honestly speaking, it helps.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

I'll be really honest.

SPEAKER_02:

No, I I I I I see it. Like even in the movie industry. Did Simi go to Coven?

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, she did. A lot, there's there's a yeah, there's yeah, yeah. Simi went a shit. There's a lot of them.

SPEAKER_02:

There's a lot of like a lot of people that went to Coven and they are doing like their names are just everywhere. And I was just like, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_04:

It's not is not fluke.

SPEAKER_02:

No, I don't think it's a fluke. It's definitely not fluke. There's something in the water, and whatever it is is good. Yes, yes. But it's it's a few.

SPEAKER_04:

Again, again, the the yes, I oh 100% line. And the and the enforcement people just abusing power. Abuse like off camera, I would gist you. But real serious abuse.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, oh so, like, did you feel like when you moved to Canada and you went for your master's means or did you feel like you had some freedom to live? Or were you more like a good boy?

SPEAKER_04:

Um just I had I felt like I had some freedom, yeah, but honestly, I was already groomed. My value systems had been formed. So unfortunately, or fortunately, there were some things that I could not do. And I'm not saying I was a goody two shoes, I wasn't, right? But there were some things I could not do. My value system had already been formed. Right? I came to Canada as an adult. I was what, 21?

SPEAKER_02:

You were still very young.

SPEAKER_04:

Right? I was still very young, but my value system had been formed. Some way, some shape or the other, my value system had been. I was again, let me repeat, please, to the camera. I was by no means perfect, far from it, but my value system had been formed.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. So it wasn't like you you'd it was okay. It was not like you're just like whatever. This is the same thing.

SPEAKER_04:

I I I wasn't just long twenty. No, no, no, no, no. I was I was pretty, I was pretty serious about life.

SPEAKER_02:

Because you know they say that as a young, if you're when you're young, if you don't do certain things, when you're older, yeah, you will now be 40, you'll not be misbehaving and things like that. So that's why I asked that question.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, not not not necessarily at all.

SPEAKER_02:

And I think it depends on your personality as well because personality is more like, oh no, I want to get things done, blah, blah, blah.

SPEAKER_04:

Then you would yes, that matters as well. Yes, but value system, I feel like is the that foundation of it. Yeah. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So where you go to school, actually, what I'm learning is that where you go to school actually matters.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Deciding to go pass through the school, whether you're going to do your master's or you're going for your undergrad, there will never be any situation that is perfect. So you've mentioned two things now. One was at your first job in Canada while you were selling credit cards, and the other one was at Regimans University. Sorry. I'm so sorry. Covenant University. And what you've done so well in those two situations is that you took whatever best you could take and whatever lesson you could take, and you use that to build your life. You know that there were I know we've said Covenants was a great school. And there's also there were I'm sure there were also other international students that worked doing the credit card selling. But I'm telling you that some people would have just focused on the bad. Some people in Cognac will have just said, it's so horrible, and they don't they don't take all the and they do, and and that's it. Like your life will not be as elevated, you know what I mean? Like, so that's a good thing. So whatever your situation, just there's always something good. There's no there's no perfect, there's always and there's nothing perfect, nothing's perfect. Don't drink that Kool-Aid that oh, you're gonna be, you're gonna one day you wake up, everything will just be nope. Life is not like that. Just life is just not like that. Life doesn't work like that. So, okay. You did banking and finance. No, you did accounting or banking?

SPEAKER_03:

Banking and finance for bachelor's. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

I was actually surprised to know that. And you didn't have a master's in accounting, accounting and finance. So I didn't know that we were in the same field.

SPEAKER_03:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

And I literally found out a few days. I was like, wait, what?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. I told you, remember, I I wanted to be an investment banker. Yes. So that was why I focused on finance.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So and so we have one commonality. When I was a kid, I wanted to be in finance. So I was one of those weird people. And I did this when I was six.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh wow. Okay, yeah. That's different.

SPEAKER_02:

But it was it's a long story, but today's not about me. And anyways, that's how I got into accounting. But you, unlike me, I stayed through to the course. I'm still in finance. No, I don't know if there's anything. I mean, I've done different things. I've done like different roles in finance. I've done tax, I've done operations, like everything. The whole tenure.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that.

SPEAKER_02:

How did you move from accounting? Did you ever work in accounting? You worked in accounting in Jeria.

SPEAKER_04:

Here as well.

SPEAKER_02:

And here too.

SPEAKER_04:

I actually mostly worked in accounting here.

SPEAKER_02:

So what how were you able to move from accounting to PM? How did you transition? What made like what was the thing that made you feel like, oh, I could do that? I want to do that.

SPEAKER_04:

Like so the biggest thing for me was the realization of the fact that accounting and finance was not for me.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, did you crush your heart?

SPEAKER_04:

No, no, no. Were you relieved? Yes. You like it? I was relieved, yes. So, like, comedy. Why is it what kind of it's not bad? It's a fantastic field. No, for real. It's an incredible field. But unfortunately, not all fields are meant for you. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. There's a reason why you're not in marketing. Or there's a reason why you're not a software developer. Do you get what I'm saying? The fact that you could do it doesn't mean it is right for you. Or doesn't mean it is best suited for you. So I started working in accounting. So I guess pre I I'd done a bit of work for Intuit. I worked for Intuit for a little bit. I was like an accounting systems analyst for them. Was a lot of over the phone helping small businesses manage QuickQuBO, QuickBooks Online. Yeah. Help them onboard it, help them manage it, all of those kind of things. Then I went on to I left Windsor and I motive Toronto. So I started working initially for Sheraton, downtown Toronto. I was doing accounts payable for them. Right? But after a few weeks, I I was doing accounts payable and I got the job through a contract. I was the one processing the invoices that was being sent by the contractor to get paid for me.

SPEAKER_02:

And they were taking half of your paycheck. Of course.

SPEAKER_04:

They were paying me half of what and I'm like, so I told them like I want more money. And uh you know, unfortunately, I was told that my skills were no longer appreciated.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and they let you go because you spoke up for yourself.

SPEAKER_04:

So I was let go, got to have it six weeks after. I got another job. I was working at a film finance company, right? Film finance company, I was doing a lot of like financial analysis and auditing. Right. So I was auditing film, film, filming budgets, like how much they spent and everything, so that we could help them get tax credits, depending on the state where they shot it, find all the loopholes so we can get them the most tax credits they could get. So for example, I remember one time we were celebrated in the office. Oh, we got this company, the film finance company, they spent$100 million on the movie. We got them back$11 million in tax credits, right? We held the check, everybody was celebrating. But that's when I realized that this is$11 million, how much is entering my account from it? That was my first reaction. Like, okay, that's crazy. And again, you've done financial analysis, you've done auditing. The bulk of that job, you're on the screen. Looking at spreadsheets. Rolls and rows. I was losing my damn mind.

SPEAKER_02:

It sounds like you were.

SPEAKER_04:

I was losing my damn mind. See, Abby, I was losing my mind. Oh damn. So that's when I realized that. Yeah. That's when I realized, again, for somebody like you, it might be your person, but I'm a bit more expressive.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

I need to I need to talk to people. Yeah. And I need to see things a bit more tangibly to find a bit more fulfillment in it. Right? So during that experience was when I realized that I'm miserable in this job. Miserable. Some days I will go, I say it's like numbers are coming out of the screen and looking like this. Like matrix.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, I'm so sorry. Fam. It sounds painful.

SPEAKER_04:

It was painful. So after nearly a year, yeah, I was getting, I was again told that believe me. Unfortunately, you are great. Unfortunately, your skills are no longer required. But before that. Before I left, like maybe three months before that happened, or maybe even five months before, I already started seeking us and saying, you know what? What do I need to do? Where would I find fulfillment in the job? So I started writing down the most mundane things. I would love to do presentations. I would love to speak. I would love to be meetings. I would love to do this. I would love to do that. The most mundane things. So about four months before I got let go, I was I already started my journey of introspection. I already started sitting down at home and saying, you know what calling me, you hate this job, you know that. But right now you need it because you need to keep body and so.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean you need to eat.

SPEAKER_04:

Cut body and soul intact. And Canadian bills don't respect nobody. So I started my journey of introspection and I started like, you know, whiteboarding my mind and on paper. One of the things that I enjoy doing, right? I'm like, I like to do presentations. Because again, when I was doing my masters, I was always put forward to do presentations because I was always, it was easygoing for me. It wasn't a struggle for me. I was great at presenting, right? I would like to do this, I would like to do that, I'd like to, I'm a logical thinker, I like to solve logical problems and stuff like that. And I like to see like things that are tangible. I need to see it and almost feel it to feel the results. So I already started that journey of introspection to identify the things that I want to do in a job. Started speaking to people, you know, about different roles. That's how I had already come about IT business analysis back then. So for me, I'm like, oh crap, this role has everything that I'll be looking for. Right? So that's where, you know, before I got let go in that last finance role, right? I already took a bootcamp training. Right. That pretty much ended as I was ending my tenure there. So I remember that day when I was let go. Unfortunately, I got into my car. It's actually funny enough, it's the same car that I brought today. I got into my car then and I shed a tear. But on my drive home then, I remember just thanking God. Honestly speaking, I was just thanking God because I could feel like a shift was coming personally. I just knew it.

SPEAKER_02:

It was like it I'm sure it must have felt like, oh, I can imagine it must have felt like a huge way to do it.

SPEAKER_04:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

Because you know when you're in a place when you want to leave a job, but you can't.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, you're just stuck. I feel stuck, yes. Yes, exactly. You just feel stuck. You guess exactly. And at that at this point, my own father had told me that the moment you're done with that your master's degree, one dollar of my money you're not going to see again. Oh, so zero points, no zero minus support.

SPEAKER_02:

You're the only person that said somebody was telling me that usually like they will go on family vacations and stuff. Once they're done on not even once they're not undergrad, their dad, their parents are like, oh, they're in expecting family vacation. The dad is like, you are me and my wife, you guys bring your money if you want to join us.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, facts. So I had zero support. So and I knew I couldn't go back to my dad and ask for anything at that point. No.

SPEAKER_02:

So you have to just come back to Nigeria? No. No.

SPEAKER_04:

No, no, oh, no, no. I wouldn't have gone back either. Yeah, Niger is a different conversation. So, you know, I'd done the course and I'd finished the course, shed the tear, said thank God for again this weight lifted. Six weeks after, right? You know, obviously a lot of applying. My girlfriend, now wife, then actually joined me in like doing applications for me because she came visiting Canada from the UK, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. For sure, for sure. She stood by me like through those tough times. Really, really, really did. Pick wisely. Yes, yes, yes, please. So, and then after six weeks, I got my first tech role. The first tech role, there's a business analyst, I was helping an organization out in Oakville, right? Or the first official tech role at least. I was helping them to implement new ERP systems. So at that time they were implementing Sage Interact and they were building like a lot of integrations with like Nexonia, which is the expense system Salesforce, which I'm sure you've probably heard of, the CRM system, and a bunch of other things, to just helping to automate their systems. And I loved it. Oh my god, I love this so much. Like at midnight, I'll just be working. Nobody asked me for this, maybe next morning, you know. I'll just be working. When I left after six months because I got poached by a different company, my manager cried. Yes, we're still friends till today.

SPEAKER_02:

That's a testimony. Yeah, you're preaching.

SPEAKER_04:

Like legit. It was the it was just a different world for me. Work no longer felt like a chore. It was sort of that hockey stick movement. You know, there was a down path, and I just because I found my own path.

SPEAKER_00:

Your own thing.

SPEAKER_04:

I found my own thing. Right? There's a massive difference between, and again, if you're especially if you're coming from a Christian household, you're told you can do all things, and absolutely you can. But not all things are expedient, not all things are for you. You don't have to do all things.

SPEAKER_02:

Because also, I'm going to go back to that notion. I I grew up in a Christian household as well. But it's that thing where they make you feel like they always say this thing, you're so special. So anything, and I don't necessarily agree with it. I just feel like no, you have to figure it out. That's that's just what it is. You just must sit down and figure it out.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, and I'm not necessarily wrong, but they extrapolate it into their own the way they grew up. Our fathers were stuck in roles for 30 years because they knew that they could do it. But you see, being able to do it and enjoying doing it are two different things. And if you want to find the best growth in your career, what I personally recommend is don't just find something you can do. Find something, don't just find something you can do, find something you can be really good at. Something you would enjoy doing is mostly gonna be something that you're gonna be good at doing because you enjoy doing it, so I get fresh ideas, fresh inspiration comes for finance. My sister, it was not coming, it was nothing was coming. So people love it so much. Yeah, right. I have minded. I have I have good friends that love it. That audit thing I spoke about. Oh my goodness. I have friends that love it.

SPEAKER_02:

I did income tax audit for like three years. I was miserable. When I say miserable, I would not have survived three years.

SPEAKER_04:

No, I would not have survived three years.

SPEAKER_02:

I was like, I have to get my CPA. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_04:

I was on that journey. I was on that journey. I was gonna do my CPA and my CFA. I'm happy you didn't do it. Oh, I'm glad I did not do it. I'm telling you. Imagine. And that's what a lot of people do not realize. Finding the path that is right for you, you'll find a lot more success.

SPEAKER_02:

And I like what you said about sitting down and thinking about what I am good at. I did that exercise at some point, and one of the things you you can do, or you can you guys can learn from this is first of all, sit down, write down what are the things I'm great at that comes naturally. What are the things that I can do?

SPEAKER_04:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, you hated those exel expressions. I hated them.

SPEAKER_04:

They need it to go as soon as possible. Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

And then also like some things that maybe they're in the middle. Maybe yeah, I can I can cope with it. It'll work. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Good point.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And then another thing you can do is ask people around you. Yes. What do you think I'm good at? What do you think I shine naturally at? And that would give you a better direction.

SPEAKER_03:

100%.

SPEAKER_02:

I think one extra thing that I did was in 2022. I learned it from a friend was I was now I was like, okay, I kind of know what kind of job I want. I said, what kind of company do I want to work for? And I wrote down everything I wanted. Love that. And I did not get, I did not apply to company.

SPEAKER_04:

I didn't have those things. Yeah. Good. I was like, I'm not doing it. That's amazing. Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah, that's amazing. That's great.

SPEAKER_02:

And I feel like that this is you've really shared a lot of great lessons and a lot of things that people can actually use now. So I think that I want you to tell us about you also are a career co-proach. Yes. And tell us more. And you have a company, and it's called Ad.

SPEAKER_04:

ADAR.

SPEAKER_02:

ADAR. Yes. Yes. I'm sorry. Yes. You have a company called ADAR. Can you tell us more about ADA?

SPEAKER_04:

So ADAR is brand new, right? We're a pretty new company. I started this because maybe, you know, I've been doing career coaching for years, right? Both personally, and then I joined, I was joined Skillhat, right? Helping their career coaching program, right? So I did a ton, helped a ton of people to get into tech roles, right? And again, this all started from my own personal experience of okay, that introspection, finding the right role, and you know, finding the fact that there's a lot of like non-technical tech roles that you can do. And honestly speaking, you can make serious bags.

SPEAKER_02:

You can get your bag.

SPEAKER_04:

You can get your bag, like quite literally. I'm telling you. So, you know, through that, I started helping people with like market positioning, positioning yourself right in the market, selling yourself through your resume, through your LinkedIn and all of that, right? Um, so I've been doing that, you know, with Skillhart for maybe three and a half years, and I'm still supporting the Skillhart program. But now I've started my own because a lot of, because again, I create content. So a lot of people reach out to me, they're pulling me oh, I need help, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I started doing it more hands-on. I'm like, I can't say no to everybody. You get what I'm saying? And some of these people, they've gone to like take courses in different places, but they're not finding conversion. So that's when I started ADAR. So, ADAR, what we do essentially is to help people actually get those roles through number one, resume preparation. Your resume has to speak right for you. Unfortunately, the way the market is, let's say you, for example, you're trying to get into a tech role, let's say project management, right? Or product management. Unfortunately, the way the market is set up, recruiters are not necessarily looking for the market doesn't permit product or project aspirants. No. What you're gonna have to do is you're gonna have to realize, okay, what are the things, what are some of the projects that I've run? And if I looked deeply into your experience enough, I'll point out times when maybe they were changing the accounting system. Where they said, Abby, oh, can you help lead this? Or Abby, can you help drive this? Or when maybe they were changing some processes within your organization. They said, Abby, you know, you're gonna be taking the lead on this project. Some of those things are maybe even outside the scope of your work. Right? They're not necessarily in your spreadsheets moment. It's not your job, but they ask you to lead it. So now what I help people to do is let's highlight specifically those things and draw them out as your project management experience, for example. And then based off of that, sell you to the project management field. Do you get now that you've gained the skills about how to manage project management the right way and joined with the things that you've done in your existing roles that are most marketable? So we help them with resume building.

SPEAKER_02:

I was gonna ask that. So like literally, you're trying to tailor the existing experience to the type of job that you're looking to.

SPEAKER_04:

Exactly. After they've gained the skills.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Because you know, if you're trying to get into tech, for example, you have to understand how software is built or how software is implemented. So you have to go get the skills first.

SPEAKER_02:

So when you say get the skills, you mean do courses or do get working?

SPEAKER_04:

Do courses. Most importantly, do courses. You know, for example, like in your work, you might never come across the term SDLC.

unknown:

No.

SPEAKER_04:

Even though you've probably been in, you've probably, if you if you've helped to like do any part of like an it's like a migration of a system, you have probably been involved in the SDLC. What SDLC? It's actually software development lifecycle. And any you probably if you kind of think about how projects, how software projects are implemented, it goes to the SDLC. But again, you won't have known that without having learned it. So sort of semi-formally. Yeah. At least, right? Do you get? So after they've done the courses, they've done trainings with like boot camps like Skillhat, Skill Dev, you know, and and a lot of other great ones out there. Now they need to find conversion. So we help with again resume building, we'll help with like LinkedIn preparation, like actually marketing you properly. We help with a lot of like job application strategies. When are you applying? Where are you applying? How are you applying? All of those things. And then we'll also help with like interview readiness. Now, how do you sound? Like, for example, you now, you've been doing finance for 10 plus years. It's very difficult to now say, okay, Abby, just come and sound like a project manager.

SPEAKER_03:

It's very hard. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Because you don't see yourself that way. So we help a lot of like just even that mindset of if you've done the courses, you've had a bit of the skills, just if you understand the fact that I am now a project manager. That's what I'm trying to get now. I am now a project manager. This is who I am. This is who I am now. You don't have to have become before you are before you are it. Do you get? Because you already have the skills, you've already gained this, you've gained the knowledge. Do you get? So now we help them with essentially finding, getting better conversion from all those courses that they've done, right, into actual jobs. So that's our core offering. However, again, remember from my experience of like introspection, we're actually building out our own software solution, right? Where we're helping people to identify what those what their strengths are, those things that they're good at, right? And our hypothesis right now is tied to three things. Number one, your existing skills. For example, you, you've worked in finance for 10 years. We need that.

SPEAKER_02:

It's more than 10 years, right?

SPEAKER_04:

Right. More than more than 10 years plus, right? Yeah. You know, one, your existing skills, two, your personality. What kind of person are you? Right? And then three, your motivation. So we're taking those three things into one to analyze for students and then using that to spit out and say, hey, Abby, we think you're great at these five things. And based on these things, here are the most translatable roles in tech specifically for you. So that it helps you to just do that mapping instantly.

SPEAKER_02:

Maybe I'll come when it's ready, please. Can I for sure? Let me let me be your, I don't know, give me your tech.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, of course, of course. I'll reach out to you. No, for real. Yeah, no, no joke, no jokes.

SPEAKER_02:

Sometimes I'm like, what should I be doing? Am I very sure?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Or at least when you've been somewhere for 10 plus years, you want to get maybe let's say you want to consider other things, you know, making that, making that next step. You want to make sure because you're not hungry. You're not desperate either. So, like a role that is going to, thank God, right? A role you're going to has to be right, has to feel right. So that's essentially what we do, right? And then obviously through that experience, we point people to the right, you know, places to get the education or to get the knowledge, and then they can come back to us for the career coaching and then all the way to landing jobs. So that's what we do.

SPEAKER_02:

So if somebody wanted to, you know, book a time with you guys, what do they do? Do you have a social media page? How can they find you on LinkedIn? Should they reach out to you directly or should they reach out to the company directly?

SPEAKER_04:

Reach out to me directly or on LinkedIn, on TikTok or Instagram. Same name, Kalumi, Ogiding Bay, everywhere. I don't do, I don't do, I don't do the I don't do no fancy names. Yes, please. Can put it, yeah, put it on on screen. But we also have a website called adar.com, so aidr r.com.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's an amazing that would be so amazing, especially like I do feel like a lot of people in in our age bracket in that place where they've done something for so long, and they're like, I don't know if I want to keep doing this. It's not like they hate it, but they don't know, and they're trying to figure it out. I feel like something like this would help.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

I believe something like this would help.

SPEAKER_04:

So yeah, this this this yeah, that's one target audience. We also have to think about the generation after us, the Gen Zs, the younger people. A lot of people are not sure what to actually get into.

SPEAKER_02:

True. Because I also remember after school, though I knew I wanted to be a CPA and you wanted to do accounting, but I didn't know what in accounting. It's broad. And I did direction. This is where I've done all parts of accounting, like everything. I think I've done every corner of it, and I know what I don't like. So, for example, I don't like the transactional stuff. I don't like the I don't like the transactional. I can't do fun, I don't like financial reporting either. Like I already already know what I don't like, but I had to go find that out.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, by trying.

SPEAKER_02:

By trying. And sometimes you don't know. Sometimes you don't know until you try. You have to try. Like you try, and then you're like, this is love for me. But everything you're saying is like you don't have to be stuck somewhere. You have a choice.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

And a choice is not that you go to your job and go and quit immediately. That was nobody say you should do that. Use wisdom, apply wisdom. Please talk to people, get cancelled, do your whiteboarding, make sure that you're more intentional, introspection.

SPEAKER_04:

And like you know, you know how they say experience is the best teacher? Yeah, unfortunately, not very true.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, you don't think so?

SPEAKER_04:

Not very true because you could have hurt yourself along the process.

SPEAKER_02:

That's true. I mean we mostly do.

SPEAKER_04:

Because for example, like, imagine someone who had be f was pushing down the finance path. Imagine my story now, pushing down the financial path. No, I'm not taking filiophone, but taking no for an answer and everything. But if it's just not for me, you know how like potentially it could have hurt my mindset, like getting unfortunately let go after let go, after let go, after let go, and that could just drown you while you could have learned from somebody else, talk to somebody else, speak to a coach, let them help you. So, experience, while it's a great teacher, it's not necessarily the best teacher. You can learn from other people's stories because you could get hurt in the process. But if you do that introspection and speaking to other people earlier on, right, you can have a bit more guided experience rather than just that's true, that's so true.

SPEAKER_02:

So you seem like you have a really busy life, you are a husband, you're a father, you have a nine-to-five, you have your own company, you're a content creator. Yes, and you also support skill hands, yes.

SPEAKER_04:

Only one person, and I'm in music as well.

SPEAKER_02:

So you're in music, you also play the jobs. So, wait, how are you managing your life? How are you managing and juggling all these different things? You ever ask? How are you and managing relationships because you still you're still a son? I don't know, you have siblings, you're still a brother, you are still your friend. Yes, so all these plenty rules, just you, how are you managing like honestly in your life with all these things?

SPEAKER_04:

It's to be honest, it's not very easy. It's the grace of God, first of all. But I think a few things that are helping me more as I learn, because again, I'm still new into a lot of these things, but as I learn, the one biggest thing that I'm really starting to learn is the art of delegating. Right? So, for example, content creation. I initially started out, you know, editing my own videos and stuff. Just not scalable.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, you don't have the time for that.

SPEAKER_04:

I don't have the time for it. So, what did I do? I got somebody to be strictly just editing my videos. So all I have to do is sit in front of a camera for five minutes and show the video, and that's it. So gets me gets that done really quickly, I don't have to worry about it. Right? Also, my company, I've been very thankful to a set of like incredible people who support the vision, right? Who help in like strategy and execution. We have staff, we have a couple staff, right, that are actually like you know, paid and everything. Besides that, just people who have come on board, who even you know in the meantime, while we can't give them what they're really worth, they've been so drawn to the vision and really helping to support the business. So that also helps, just to having supportive people to help drive things, and then I time box a lot. What's time box? So just time boxing my activities. So I have like blocks of time in my calendar. Yeah, I have time blocks or I do tie time box or whatever, whatever you want to call it, right? A lot, right, in my calendar to do specific things. Because that's the only way I these days that's the only way I I I keep saying. Yeah. So anybody who wants to really speak to me about career, I tell them, please, please, let's not do a an informal call. Let's schedule it. Let's schedule in my calendar so that I know that because I I, you know, because because of the nature of my all things that I do, context switching sometimes can be crazy. And I try to manage that. So, but if I have a booking, then I know to switch to the right context for the person, right? Also, I have set days when I don't do all of this crazy work where it's time with my family. So we have my wife and I will have set dates where it's our dates night. Yes, please date nights. Yes, date nights, we don't mess with those. So we go sometimes we just chill around or hang hang around. I do the same with my son to spend a bit more quality time with him, but also I mostly get him ready for school in the morning, so that also helps to like bonding moments. Yes. Yes. So do you take him to school as well? Yes, I do. Yes, I'm mostly the assistance. So that helps like the bonding moments because like the way my wife and I, like, we're also like we have we know our strengths and what we're greater than when not greater. So my wife is a morning person. She's my wife can be up by 4 a.m., 5 a.m. I feel sharp. That's not me.

SPEAKER_02:

She's like, I want to talk now.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, that's not me. So she does night time with my son. Because she's a morning person, so she she sometimes goes to bed earlier. I am a night owl, so I do mornings with my son. Do you get? Because he he will usually sleep till like seven. But that's around the time I wake up as well. Okay. So I do I'm a night owl, so I I do work till pretty late at night as well because I need a bit, I just need time right now to grind. Strategy is not gonna do itself, neither is execution gonna do itself. So I need time to actually hands on the blocks for now, while I'm building, until I'm able to delegate more, right? And get a bit more time back. But, you know, so again, delegation has been huge for me. Again, time blocking has been huge for me. And just being intentional about spending specific family time, for example, weekends, right now as I speak, family is like mine, because I have my siblings and their kids and everything here as well. So they always come. My house is like a family house, so they always come, yeah, usually on weekends. I'm the last.

SPEAKER_02:

You're the baby, but yes.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, that's cute. Yes, I'm the last. Everybody comes over with their kids and family, so we spend a lot of time. Sometimes I'm still like on my laptop looking, and still, but I'm still spending time. I'm there, I'm present. Do you get I'm still spending time talking to my nephews and my niece and everything, so okay, that's good.

SPEAKER_02:

And you guys have a it really takes a village, right? I believe in that. So you guys are really using your village and community um building, you guys are really using your village and your community for you. Yes, that's good, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

But I also know that it's it can't be easy because it's not it's not because I also like I'm also into a bit of real estate. Well you are yeah, yeah, so and especially one particular property, like I'm very I'm still a bit more still still still a bit too hands-on with that one. So a lot of communication with tenants and blah blah blah blah blah blah and everything. So again, just trying to dedicate out more.

SPEAKER_02:

And manager, like it's it's I don't know how you're able to God continue to give you that strength. But how do you chill? How do you spend time to relax and to have a good time and just not be in this home?

SPEAKER_04:

Craziness. Sometimes it's just intentional vacation, like where we actually just get out of the country. Like out. Yeah, right. That's one way. That's probably the most effective way, to be honest with you. Where we just decide that, you know, anything work don't want to do for that period. That's that's often how. And then those date nights, those intentional dates nights and stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

That's so do you have any like time block for like I'm just gonna watch a movie today? Or is that just the date that's with the date night?

SPEAKER_04:

Usually with our date nights, my wife is not really into movies as such. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02:

So no, I just said movies.

SPEAKER_04:

But sometimes, some sometimes, yeah, sometimes. But like, like me, I just say I want to watch a movie. Ah, I'll not lie to you, my sister. You won't watch it. No, not that. Like, I used to do that before, but at the stage where I'm at at this moment, that's usually a bit more difficult to come by, to be completely honest with you. Again, I do it while I'm still working, I will be watching the movie. So I I what I try to do is I try to work in a bit of more of a relaxed mode rather than be stuck. I don't like being chained to a desk, so I would be working on my laptop, on my laptop, or my lap, and watching a movie. So it's not as high tension.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it's stressful. Yeah, I get what you mean. And I actually wanted to say something, it skipped my mind, but I do like how hands-on a number of millennial fathers are these days because I mean, maybe people that I know as well, it's like, oh, they're very involved in like taking care of their kids, getting them ready for school, drop some pickup. Yes, I love that learn from people, okay? You should be hands-on with your kids. 100% supportive.

SPEAKER_03:

It's a formative age, 100%, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

It's very, very needed. Um, so music, because we talked about you being a drama boy.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, I am.

SPEAKER_02:

So tell us more about that. Is that like is that also like an escape for you? You did say that you're very expressive and like a form of expression as well, right?

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, yes, 100%. For me, it's uh form of my expression. I express myself a lot, you know, through you know, maybe one thing I didn't say earlier. When I did my introspection, I tried to break down my specific skill sets. I break them out into three main buckets: communication, um, creativity, and curiosity. Those are my three C's. That's actually why I'm in product management. That's actually what got me from business analysis now into product management, right? So, creativity, my biggest form of it is music, right? I play the drums and I've been fortunate enough to play for some big gospel artists or some well-known gospel artists. Dulce Oyekon, Sumisola, Sinat. You know, thankful to God, right? For that. So to say the least, I'm no, I'm not bum at it. I like to I like to think I like to think I'm I'm I'm decent at it enough, right? But yes, it's an escape for me. Sometimes I, you know, that's some sort of things I use for social, you know, you know, get out there, meet people. I go, I play at weddings, I play at birthdays. Oh, yeah, I play at weddings. I have uh there's a I'm part of a wedding band that I, you know, you know, yeah, I I go when I'm I'm able to.

SPEAKER_02:

I didn't know this. My friend is getting married next weekend.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh if I if I knew if you knew, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I know the band should probably do, we should probably do better marketing and stuff, but yes, I play as a part of a wedding mask. So for me, that's some sort of my social escape as well. I get to meet people, talk things outside of work and stuff like that as well. So yeah. And I obviously I heavily I play at my at my church, the house operates. So you know you guys have to. Yes, I do.

SPEAKER_02:

I actually I think I knew that because I know that's where FA goes. Yes. And that's where you all met, right? Exactly. Okay, that's nice. Anyways, tell me, thank you so much for joining the podcast today.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

I know you're really busy, so I was actually a bit like, I don't know. I was a bit like not sure how it would work, but I'm really thankful that you took time out of course to join us here.

SPEAKER_04:

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

How can people find you? I I know you said it before, but just say it again.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, so you can find me on Instagram, on LinkedIn, or on TikTok. Just type Palumi Ogidingbe. I be will probably put on screen. I will. Or if you're curious about you know what we're building, go to aidr.com, adar.com. You can find all our services. You know, if you want to speak to me through there as well, you'll be able to speak to me or any of our other coaches.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, thank you. Thank you so much, Pelumi. It was great having you. We had, I think we had a great conversation. Yes, we did. I think there's a lot of lessons to be learned. Even I was like, ah, we're like welcome.

SPEAKER_04:

Hey, come through because

SPEAKER_02:

But I always like to do cheers for the episode. So thank you. And cheers.

SPEAKER_03:

Thanks for the milk tea. Cheers, I appreciate it. Bye. Thank you, right.

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Abi Sanni

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