Tag: capacity building

3 friends speak about personal growth — StoryVox Podcast

I asked three of my friends who I know are living intentionally to share how they build capacity in their lives, and how it changes them. I also asked them to share their top tip for effective capacity building. Listen Now.

Another episode of StoryVox is out

 Listen Now

Episode 3 of the second season of StoryVox is a follow up to the Capacity Building Episode that aired 4 weeks ago. I encourage you to listen if you have not.

I asked three of my friends who I know are living intentionally to share how they build capacity in their lives, and how it changes them. I also asked them to share their top tip for effective capacity building.

My friends

Anjola Coker is Houston Texas-based digital artist, poet, and Storyteller. In the less than 2 years we have known each other, I have been inspired by her creativity through poetry, art and film.

Toyin Ajilore introduces herself as a child of God, a warrior who sits at the intersection of education and entrepreneurship. She teaches young people to be leaders as a lecturer at the Department of Geology, University of Ibadan, and develops young entrepreneurs through ONE Foundation, formerly known as the Grassroots Business Hub, an entrepreneurship foundation that trains new business owners in Nigeria to take their business to the next level.

Samuel Osho is a multi-faceted genius who currently works as an engineer in Canada. He is skillful with words as an award-winning public speaker and writer and website designer.

How we recorded

It’s a social distancing world, so we couldn’t have them present at the studio, but we utilized WhatsApp, Skype and self-recording to make this happen and I’m so excited for you to listen and learn from this.

Jump in Now

Thank you for listening. I’d love you to share this podcast with friends. All episodes are edited to utilize as little data as possible, so tell them they can listen online or on their favorite podcast apps.

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Listen Links

Apple
Spotify
Google
Buzzsprout
Download the .mp3

It’s available on most podcast platforms. Just type StoryVox Podcast.

If you love HeirWalk and StoryVox so far and want more, I invite you to join my mailing list.

It’s okay to panic… at first — StoryVox Podcast

This happened 16 years ago. But the details are as fresh as yesterday. I was in the second class of Junior Secondary School – what Americans would call 7th grade.

I was ready to represent my class as a lead speaker in a school debate with the 6th grade /JS1 class – our juniors. I cannot remember the topic but I do remember being excited and preparing so hard for it —I researched, gathered and practiced my points with my uncle at home until I felt as ready as anything. Set to beat ‘em all!

But on the D-day, standing before the large audience of students, teachers and the principal, as the lead speaker of my team, my confidence and enthusiasm disappeared instantly, because after the last syllable of my very impressive opening speech, my tongue locked itself.

I froze. Could not get the next word out. No. For several awkward moments, I struggled, my mind racing through the points, unable to voice them out. Everyone watched in anticipation, ostensibly praying that I would find my voice. My teammates must have been boiling furiously.

To be clear, I did not forget what I had to say. It was just that the words got stuck under my tongue. What you would call a stutter. Each second felt like a heavy weight on my chest.

Hmm… I wish I could tell you I recovered. I didn’t.

After a while, I couldn’t bear the audience’s piercing looks and wide mouths any longer. I walked off the stage, and wept sore at the back of the hall. With the lead speaker gone with all the major points, I learned my team lost the competition. Because of me. So it was a shameful loss because everyone expected us to beat the class junior to ours.

The shame was so unbearable that I did not return to school for the rest of the semester.

I vowed to myself —I would never speak in public again.

We all panic.
We all doubt ourselves.
We all have weaknesses.
And we all want to make an impact in our world.

Today on StoryVox, using one of the worst ordeals of my life, I’m sharing why it’s okay to panic. Why it’s okay to doubt yourself —at first.

And why it’s not okay to stop there.

Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

“And because God gives us the opportunity to panic at first, we must then give God the opportunity to dispel the “I can’t” in our minds and show himself faithful.”

Listen Links

Apple
Spotify
Google
Buzzsprout
Download the .mp3

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It’s available on most podcast platform. Just type StoryVox Podcast.

What does Capacity Building Mean? – StoryVox Podcast

During my early childhood, my family lived on the topmost flat of a three story building. It had a good view of the street so my brother and I would sit in the front veranda and imagine great things. As we watched hundreds of cars pass by our street during rush hour, we would let our imaginations soar.

We would play a game of identifying and counting make and model types of the cars that passed by, imagining what kind of car we wanted when we grew up. Sometimes, we had one or two neighbors join the fun. I remember wanting at least three cars – one for my wife, an SUV for family outings on the weekend, a coupe for personal use.

We had dreams of building houses on the waterside or on a rich landscape, with stones and layered brick. I remember wanting one that had a study overlooking the front porch, multiple bedrooms and a studio among other beautiful things.

I even drew an architectural plan of t.boy world as I called my dream home, which I believe still lies in my old room in my parents’ house (well, if my stuff hasn’t been cleared).

For all the dreams we had, one question we did not think about in that moment, and understandably so, was how do we get there?

I’ve always been a dreamer.

My many adventures in life have shown my desire to make a positive impact around me. But in my few years of living, I have realized that the bridge between dreaming and doing is capacity building.

Capacity building is an intentional process of gathering resources, forming relationships, developing or strengthening skills and processes that empower you to deliver your mission effectively and adapt for sustainability in a fast-changing world.

If you’re familiar with the Bible, you’ll remember the illustration Jesus gave about a builder. No reasonable person will start building a house without figuring how to finish it. Capacity building is thinking and planning and building so you can actually live in that house.

So I recorded an episode (What does Capacity Building Mean?) on the StoryVox Podcast

It’s out now and you can listen to it here

In the episode, I shared a few insights on Capacity building and two simple ways to prepare you to build individual capacity from this day onward.

Coming up with this episode has been a slow and painful process, partly because a lot of what I spoke about is a work in progress for me. But then, the purpose of StoryVox is to share insights on the process and provide inspiration for your own journey.

So I’d really love to hear your thoughts on how you are building capacity.

First, listen to the episode.

You can Download the mp3 here

It’s also available wherever you listen to Podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio etc)