Success Isn’t Accidental: How Positioning, Access & Visibility Shape Your Career with Elaine Walker

Why do so many capable, hardworking people still miss out on the opportunities they deserve?

In this episode of the Career Labs Podcast, we unpack a powerful truth: success isn’t accidental—it’s intentional, positioned, and strategically built.

Joined by Elaine Cunningham-Walker, a globally recognised education strategist and founder of Everything’s Education, we go beyond surface-level career advice to explore what really drives success in today’s world.

This conversation challenges the idea that hard work alone is enough. Instead, we dive into the critical role of access, positioning, perception, and intentional action in shaping your career trajectory.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

•  Why performance alone doesn’t guarantee opportunity 
•  The hidden role of access and networks in career progression 
•  How to position yourself strategically in the rooms that matter 
•  What it really takes to build credibility and influence 
•  The importance of consistency between your personal brand and real-life presence 
•  Why success must be designed—not left to chance

🚀 Key Insight:

Most people are working hard… but playing a game they don’t fully understand.
 

This episode will help you see the game clearly—and start playing it intentionally.

This episode is sponsored by MyCareerLabs

Transcript

Why Opportunity Is Not Fair

Femi 0:17

I've been thinking a lot recently about why so many people, good people, capable people, don't get the opportunities they deserve. And it's not because they're lazy, it's not because they are underperforming, and definitely not because they lack ambition, but because they're playing a game they don't understand. A game where access matters, where positioning matters, where perception often matters just as much as performance. And now here's where it's interesting. When it comes to our children, we don't leave things to chance. We research schools, we build strategies, we invest time, energy, resources because we understand that their future needs to be engineered, not hoped for. But when it comes to our own careers, we improvise. And that's why I'm really looking forward to today's conversation because today's guests operate at the intersection of access, strategy, and intentional positioning, not just for individuals, but across institutions, countries, and entire ecosystems. Elaine Walker is a forward-featured multi-award-winning education strategist and the founder of Everything's Education, an organization that has impacted millions globally. She works with some of the world's most prestigious institutions, from lots of group universities to leading independent schools, helping them attract, nurture, and retain exceptional talent, particularly from underrepresented communities. But beyond the accolades, what really stands out is how she thinks. This is someone who understands that success is not accidental. It's designed, it's positioned, and it's built deliberately. So today we're going to unpack what that actually means. Not just for education, but for your career, your growth, and how you show up in the rooms that matter. Elaine, welcome to Career Labs.

Imposter Syndrome And Self Grace

SPEAKER_00 2:09

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for having me, Femi. And as you were you were introducing me, I was thinking, wow, I need to meet this person.

Femi 2:17

You know what? Before I go into the question, that happens a lot where sometimes I was listening, I watch sports a lot and I was watching this interview of Coco Goff, the American tennis player. And she said sometimes she looks back at her career herself as she has this imposter syndrome. And when people are reading of her achievements before she starts a tennis match, she goes, Who achieved that? Who achieved all of that? Is that me? And I imagine in a lot of people you meet and yourself, sometimes you take a step back and you go, Did I do all of that?

SPEAKER_00 2:48

Yes, and I think sometimes our family, our community almost belittle what we do, and that for somebody to reiterate what you've done, you can say, actually, I've got every right to put my chest up high because I did that. Nobody else is doing that. And I think that we don't give ourselves enough grace at the time. We don't. We often downplay ourselves so that people don't feel intimidated. But it is what it is. I did it. These are the fruits. These are, as the young people would say, these are the receipts. I did it. Yes.

Femi 3:22

And it's one of those we don't we measure, we don't meet, we keep measuring ourselves by ourselves. We keep looking at others and you don't know everyone else's story. You don't know where they came from, you don't know their background, you don't know their starting point. So we look at everyone else's finish point, we don't look at their starting point because it's all relative, and you don't realize that to have come from the background you've come to to get to where you are. It may not be Jeff Bezos or Ilion Moss, but it's a huge achievement for you. But you keep looking at this other person, and we don't all start at the same place, so we should give ourselves a bit more grace and sometimes just take a step back and look at how much you've done and congratulate yourself.

Turning Chaos Into A Plan

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Yeah, I think you're, you know, I know before we move on to other things, that's so true. I was having lunch with a group of friends yesterday, and one particular friend said to me, She can't believe that she's at the table talking about trusts and where to put her wealth because she came from drinking Lambrini in the park where bailiffs were coming to her house because her mum wasn't paying the bills or couldn't make ends meet. So now she's talking about trusts and where to put her wealth. She said, Wow, I have really come a long way. And she's sitting and she's we were having lunch at the ivy, she's sitting in the ivy, like that was non-existent. But you know, God places us in positions where we can be an influence and we can have access. So we thank God for that. Yeah.

Femi 4:46

And that takes me to my very first part of this podcast. So you said something there that I think is really important. This idea that success isn't random, it's built. Let's go deeper into that because I think a lot of people hear positioning but don't understand what that really looks like in practice. Tell us a bit more about that.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

I think with success, people equate success to how many letters you've got after your name. And success can look very different for different people, right? A success could be that I'm not I'm in a different space from where I was yesterday. That's success. That's progression. And so I think what you have to do is, like you rightly said, success is intentional. What they are the intentional habits that you are building on every single day to be that version that you wrote down about yourself. You know, the scripture tells us to write the vision down. What have you written about yourself? Who do you want to be? Because that comes with a plan. And you cannot tell me, people say, oh, you know, I I'm a Christian, I believe in Allah, and you know, that you know, things just happened. No, nothing in those scriptures just happened. There was a clear and distinct plan. God knew that Adam was going to mess up, so that's why he brought Jesus Christ in the New Testament. He knew that there was going to be this and there was going to be that. That's why he had to raise him from the grave. Like, you cannot tell me that this God never had a plan. Right from the beginning, there was a plan. When the world was in chaos, and I don't want to turn this into a preaching segment, but when the world was in chaos, he said, let there be light. He put things in order. And a lot of times, people want to create success from chaos. It is impossible. Put yourself together and ask yourself what are the three things that I need to work on to get myself right in the next 90 days to position myself for the next thing that I want to happen in my life.

Femi 6:45

That is so true. And I know we weren't going to make this a preacher session, and but I was going to just pivot quickly and say, I think one of the challenges as well is you get lots of church leaders who they preach a lot, but sometimes they don't let people understand. These are some of the most driven individuals you would meet. They are organized behind the scenes. Sometimes you get the sense that they they preach a lot, but they don't help people realize there is some serious planning and intentionality they go in to grow their ministries and their churches. So people look at it and go, oh, they pray a lot. They do all of this a lot, but they also work hard and have a strategy as well.

SPEAKER_00 7:23

They also do marketing. Church is a business. Church is a business, it's an organization full of people. You must understand how to do organizational structure. You must understand how to have a vision and a mission in your like we pray a lot, yes, but we must also be practical in ministry. Yeah. So I get really not frustrated, but I get really worried when I see a church leader who emphasizes on the spirituality and not on the practicality of your walk with Christ.

Femi 7:55

Yeah, so much. That's so true. That's so true.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Yeah, that is.

Femi 7:58

So coming back, what you're sort of describing here is starting to touch on something bigger, which is access. Because I want to talk about access, because I know this is something you're passionate about. Because for many people, it's not just about what they know, it's about what they're exposed to. So let's talk about that. What are the rules of this game of life when it comes to access that most people don't see? Because a lot of people like to think I just work hard, but access is just as important.

SPEAKER_00 8:24

Yeah, I think more. I think it's really important to understand who's around you and understand this stage that we're on called life and what you're trying to achieve. And sometimes access it means that you have to position yourself in a particular way, and that doesn't mean showing up fake, it means understanding the access that you're trying to get into and position. Let me give you an example. Um, I had a client who had a child with dreadlocks, and the dreadlocks were not neat, and I don't have a problem with you having dreadlocks, but I have a problem with you not keeping it neat. Now, if you want to go into certain rooms, you can you won't lose your identity. You can still have the dreadlocks, but let it look neat. Walk in with your dreadlocks, but it's all plattered down in a way that they go, Oh my gosh, your hair looks so stunning, rather than the hair looks interesting. Now, we know that when somebody says your hair looks interesting from a particular demographic, it doesn't mean it looks interesting, it means it's a hotness. And I I think we also need to understand the colloquialisms that are happening in those demographics. And sometimes we don't know how to read the ring, and we it's something that must be learnt and must be studied. Um and and and and that's how we get access. And sometimes, you know, I walk onto certain calls and people expect me to their presumption is I will behave a particular way, but I don't. They're confused. That's what we're here to do. We're here to disrupt the narrative because I'm not going to behave how you're expecting me to behave. I have had the same exposure as you, and you're going to see that show up. And there's nothing wrong with the exposure, it's what you do with the exposure that matters.

Femi 10:16

Yeah. Yeah. So it feels like part of what you're also saying here is you've got to be present. You've got to be aware, read the room. When you're in a room, you've got to be able to read the room. So how you show up to the room, and just as important is reading the dynamics in the room, the non-verbal and the verbal communications going on to make it clear that you're not just a passenger in these engagements, you're hearing and you're listening visually and audibly as well.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Absolutely, absolutely. I think that a lot of times we fail to see the subliminal messages, so the non-verbal messages, in the fact that somebody could be saying something with their lip but actually meaning something very different. You know, the Bible speaks about um your heart, your your words say a lot of things, but your heart is very far from me. So a lot of times you can see the condition of people's hearts in things that they say, but also in the way that they structure their face, the way that they move towards you. It's real so important. And so I found myself being very quiet in rooms just because I want to study people, and sometimes I don't even say who I am, just to see how people will react. And then I then I put my accolades on the table, and they're just like, Oh, you know, that's interesting. And I want us to go back to what you were talking about access. So I was on LinkedIn recently, and uh there's a lady who's reached out to me a couple of times, and she has set up an organization that gives access, well, wants to champion access or advocate for access. I looked at the board, slightly confused, because there was nobody that looked like us on there. If I want to be really candid, I'll say there was nobody black on the board. And I'm thinking, how can you be championing access when you have nobody who's got a lived experience of being denied access to be able to champion access on there? That's so weird to me, you know, because people want to jump on a certain narrative, but they don't really understand what they're talking about. But yeah.

Femi 12:19

So and this comes back to saying it and doing it and your actions backing up what you say as well.

Why Adults Stop Being Strategic

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Absolutely, absolutely, totally agree with that.

Femi 12:30

Yeah. And this is where I thought so there was something you said that showed me that when you said in the room, you you listen and then you put your accolades on the table, which tells me that you can be quite you're very strategic in you're very thoughtful, um, if I use that word. And I find it interesting because when it and this I'm gonna sort of bring it back a bit, when it comes to children, parents are incredibly intentional, strategic. We try to be strategic, we try to be focused. But when it comes to our own careers, we're not as intentional to that self-same level of thinking. Why do you think that is sort of in your you know experience? Because a lot of us are we try to be ex for our kids, we try to be really strategic, but on ourselves sometimes we're not as strategic with our careers. And I know you're someone who's quite strategic in everything you do.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

I think that's because of where some people are coming from, they feel like it's too late for them. But I don't believe it's ever too late. I don't believe it's ever too late. They think that's too late for them, so they're gonna concentrate on the next generation. But if you are not, if you're not the example that the next generation can look at and say, I want to be like you and better, then what are we doing here?

Femi 13:40

It's okay for the children, it makes sense for the children to see you as your best self, but also understand that they're meant to build on your foundation to take it to the next level. It's almost not fair, but it just doesn't make sense for you to be completely disconnected on strategic and expect the children to go from a zero to a hundred. It doesn't make sense.

SPEAKER_00 14:01

Children do as we do, not as we say. So what are they seeing you doing? I had a parent tell me that a daughter doesn't like reading. And I said, Do you like reading? And the mum said no. I said, Therein lies the problem. Daughter doesn't see you reading, you don't have a good attitude to reading. Why should she? You don't? Why should she? Because she has to. I said, and so you never had to? It's weird.

Femi 14:22

Or even have to. Yeah. Because we should all be reading, yeah.

Credibility Is Integrity Plus Delivery

SPEAKER_00 14:26

She said, she reads when she has to. And I said, okay, we need to do a whole 360 on your mind towards reading. When you can do that, then you can talk to your daughter about wanting to read.

Femi 14:38

Yeah, yes, absolutely. So let's pivot for a bit. You're operating in rooms with institutions, decision makers, leaders. And I think for a lot of our listeners, these environments can feel distant. Let's make it practical. What does it actually take to build credibility and influence at that level or any level? What does it take? Oh, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_00 15:01

What does it take? I think it takes integrity, it takes being a doer of your words. So a lot of people have seen me do things that how did you get that done? I don't worry about that. I've got a little black book that works for me. And I think when they see that you're also a person of influence, it's quite easy for them to bring you in the circle because I'm I'm not coming from a place of bragging, it just is what it is. Yeah. And so when they see that, they've never seen that in a person of colour before, unless you have been given a job title and you have studied to show yourself approved. But hey, how about you want to meet the first lady of this country? Okay, let me get that sorted for you. That's not just done by anybody. You want to meet this king and it's done for you. How did you get that sorted? Don't worry your head about that. I got it sorted. And so that has become that's where I've built my brand. And that a lot of people come to me because if you want to go into Africa and you want to mix with the black demographic and you want to know how to speak to them, she's your woman. And I know there's a lot of people trying to do what I do, but they don't do what I do. It's okay. I see them on socials all the time. Some of you say that I'm doing private one-to-ones, I'm onboarding the family. And and I'm saying, even what you're saying doesn't make sense, but that's okay. You do you and I'll do me. Mel Robin says, let them and let you. Let them. Whatever they want to do, they should do. But there is a unique assignment that God has given me that I need to walk into. If I start to look at them, I get distracted from the assignment.

Femi 16:37

That's so true. That's true. It's uh it's that intentionality, isn't it? And being and being clear on your purpose, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Absolutely. And I think a lot of people are not. I was speaking to somebody this morning and she said, you know, there's so many people who are just haters, and I said, they're they're haters because they've not understood the assignment that has been given to them. You only become a hater and you see that other people are doing better than me because you've not understood what you're meant to be doing. When your eyes are fixed and focused, you don't have time to be looking at what anybody else is doing.

Femi 17:10

They become distractions, they're just distractions.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

Exactly that. Exactly that.

Femi 17:15

And the same goes in some way, even for those who are chairing and celebrating you. It's okay to acknowledge them as well, but even them as well, it's like a runner. You don't see a runner stop in the middle of the run, start high-fiving everyone. They're focused and they're pressing on towards the mark. You have to press on. And the haters and the celebrators, you're the man or the woman in the arena, and you're the one who has to press towards the mark, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 17:41

That's so true. That's so true. So I will continue to press on to the mark. They can high-five everybody when they've gone past the finish line.

Femi 17:48

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

It's like the story of the hare and the tortoise that just came to mind. You know, the hare was busy doing all kinds of jokes. The tortoise was just gradually going, gradually going, gradually going, fixed on the assignment, which was to finish the race. And before the hare knew it, the tortoise was miles ahead of him, and he couldn't make up the time. And that's a lot of a lot of people are busy looking at what everybody else is doing. Focus on you, as I say. Focus on you, do you? Yeah.

Femi 18:19

Yeah, absolutely. So you've also been very intentional about how you sort of position Africa, not just as a place, but as a narrative in your story and your goal. And I think this is where it starts to get more interesting is a lot of people are still thinking locally, but the opportunities are global for all of us, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Do you know what? I was on a call the other day, and this person was like, Oh my god, I'm going to Africa. I'm like, okay, there are 55 countries in Africa. What we're not going to do is treat us as a monli. And if you're somebody who follows me on LinkedIn, I talk about this all the time. I was on a Zoom with a headmaster who used to be head of geography in his school, and then he's talking to me like, oh yeah, but Africa is just like the north and the south of China. No, it isn't. China's a country, Africa is a continent. Big difference. So if you want to do business with Africa, you're doing business with 55 individual countries or have their own dialect or have their own currency or have the way they do business. And so you cannot tell me that there's no way to make money.

SPEAKER_01 19:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

The way to make money in Africa is to find a solution to a problem. You made your money. Because there's so many problems there. Find a solution. And I know people that are getting wealthy from little basic things like somebody will how to make a proper um reusable plastic bottle. And I'm like, huh? But that is a thing. They've made their money out of it. There's a lady I know who's known as the water lady. Why is she known as the water lady? Because everybody was drinking water out of bags, and now everybody's drinking them out of bottles with proper labelling.

Femi 19:56

Find a problem and provide a solution, and people will pay you for it. That's all it sounds simple, but that's pretty much business, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 20:06

That's pretty much business. And people sometimes overcomplicate business. And people come to me, they've got and I'm like, okay, so what's your ask? And is all these things? And I'm like, okay, what are you trying to achieve? And I'm what you're the reason why Amazon was put in place was because there was no logistics company that could take books from A to B. That's why Amazon started. Facebook, there was no way of connecting your friends and your families digitally. That's how they started. WhatsApp, there was no way of sending text messages that you were paying for, that you weren't paying for. Really simple ideologies, and yet you're out here making your business as complex as possible to the point where you don't even understand what you're doing. That's why I changed part way I changed my business model. I was like, we offer this, we offer this, we offer this. And I'm like, the reason why nobody's signing up is because you've got too many choices. Break it down into three things spot analysis, hourly rate, or monthly retainer. Which one is it gonna be? And then people go, Oh, so what can you do for me? We do whatever you need us to do. You don't go to a law firm and say, Oh, I've got to do this, this you pay a retainer and then whatever your problem is, they solve it for you.

Femi 21:18

Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

It's it's not rocket science.

Reinvention Through Loss And Recovery

Femi 21:22

Yeah, absolutely. May you put it that way. So behind all this, there's also a personal journey for you because no one arrives here without moments of uncertainty, challenge, or reinvention. Was there a point for you in all of this? Because everything's like you're all put together, you're displaced. Was there a point where things were not so clear and you had to get here?

SPEAKER_00 21:43

There's been quite a few points. I think one of the first points is when I decided that I didn't want to go down the conventional route. Um, you know, I got into dentistry and I moved from dentistry to chemistry with management. Then I said I was gonna be in a Accountant started doing that, and I was like, this is not what I want to do. Went through a divorce, and that's when the education came up because I started to see statistics. Single black woman raising two black boys. What does that look like? Went on to do what I did with that. And then um I think what was a real pivotal moment in my life a couple of years ago was losing so many people in such a short space of time. And yes, we had COVID, but that was COVID, and I lost in the year 2021, I lost my really good cousin. Then I thought, you know, I'm okay. And then five months later I lost my gran, five weeks later I lost my mum, and then went to bury my gran, and my grandfather died five days later, and and then another cousin who loved dearly was in a freak accident and died on the spot. That was a lot. That was a lot. And I thought, you know, I'm just coming out of that. Went on a health journey, went from a size 22 to a size 10, and then um was involved in a car accident, and that shook me, shook my faith, shook my ability to be there. I went from walking, running to not being able to do anything, and that made me really look at life differently. Even now I'm still in rehab, and I know God is I'm gonna get back to walking, being a better version of who I was before. I'm even beginning to see it now. But that really shook me, and what that allowed me to do was to see who was around me, to see the condition of people's hearts, people's mind towards me, and where God was taking my business. And I always thought I was gonna be like this, but then God was calling me in two separate directions. And one of the directions I told God I never want to go in that direction, which was to mentor women and to gather women because women are a lot, they are a lot. I'm a woman, I know we can be a lot, okay? But yeah, that allowed me to see the condition of people's hearts. That changed a lot about me, you know, and I've learned a lot, and it's it's made me look at things differently, and I I'm even more intentional now than I was before.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Femi 24:20

Those those moments that just make you realize that you can't take anything for granted. You can't.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

And that's when I realized that you know, and a lot of things have gone on that I've just like I never want to rely on anybody, I just want to rely on God and then rely on the empire that I've built.

Femi 25:50

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's it's your faith and and your God, your faith and the pa and the power he has put within you.

SPEAKER_00 25:58

Yeah. You know, the Bible says some trust in chariots, but we trust in the name of the Lord. Literally, that scripture has been so real to me. Okay. So literally, that scripture has been so real to me and so prevalent that we shall trust in the name of the Lord. And it there's another scripture that says, they that that know their God shall do exploits. And so you say you're a believer, but you're not doing exploits, I don't understand.

Brand Mistakes That Quietly Block You

Femi 26:27

Yeah, there's a disconnect. There's a disconnect. Yeah, yeah. So just to come back a bit to also positioning, so success is a lot about competence, but sometimes it's about how you're perceived and how you present yourselves. What are some subt subtle mistakes people make that can sometimes disquietly disqualify them when they're actually quite capable?

SPEAKER_00 26:51

I think that the art of not using social media properly as well. So they will present themselves with one thing on social media and you meet them in real life, and you're like, this isn't the person that I thought.

Femi 27:02

Not rhyming. It's not rhyming, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:06

And then also thinking that they have to keep up with the Jonesins when actually all you have to do is keep up with your assignment. Yeah. You were never designed to keep up with the Joneses. That's that's a lie from the pit of hell, right? Because sometimes you start running a race that was never yours to run in the first place.

Femi 27:23

And it can be tiring. It can be tiring.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

And you know it's tiring because the Bible tells us, and I'm I don't want to keep quoting the Bible, but that's where I come from. The Bible tells us that his yoke is easy. So if you're tired, there is something that you're carrying that is you've not given everything to him.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

So I always say to people, yeah, I always say to people, you can wake me up and I can come up with an educational strategy for your child. It is something God has given me. You can't take it away from me. When I see people trying to do the same thing, and I'm just like, go ahead. I'm not competing with you. You can't compete where you don't compare. Simple.

Femi 28:01

Yeah. So what what they do that disqualifies them sometimes is is their brand management is when you meet them in person and what they proceed. So there's no consistency between who they say they are and who they are.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

Yeah. Because branding is is really about what people who people say you are when you're not in the room. Exactly.

Femi 28:22

Exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:22

So how many people are mentioning your names in rooms that you're not in, you've not even stepped into? And I've been in positions where people have gone, oh my gosh, I was in this meeting, and I said, Do you know this lady? You need to meet this lady. And I'm just like, oh, thank you, Jesus. And and and and and your your reputation should definitely precede you, should go ahead of you.

Networks Merit And The Gatekeeping Trap

Femi 28:45

And the way to do that is to put out good work. It's to put out good work that speaks for you. So you put out good work, not superficial work, not shoddy work, work that your name is on it, and people trace it back to. It's an educational strategy. It's it's support, it's it's placing a child with an institution and the child thrives, and they go, Yeah, that's got Elaine's work, Elaine Walker's blueprint all over it, and that is part of it as well. That is so powerful. So let's talk honestly. How important are networks in comparison to merit?

SPEAKER_00 29:21

I think that networks are good to merit, but you also have to make sure that whoever's bringing you in from the network is not gonna be embarrassed by your behaviour because they could bring you in to put you up in terms of merit, but if your behavior then they look at you sideways going, why did I even bring this person in? You're gonna find yourself outside of that network.

Femi 29:45

So true. And successive topic, but that's something that even within our community is a big thing, and that's why for a lot of a lot of people, you don't do this because I know you, you are a door opener, but a lot of people gatekeep too much because they are so worried that they're the only ones there and they would lose everything they have if they bring someone else in.

SPEAKER_00 30:06

Yeah, yeah.

Femi 30:07

And you see other cultures in a workplace, once one comes in, they open the floodgate for everyone else to come in. But we as a people, we gatekeep so much more, and it's something we probably need. There's two parts to it. We need to be relaxed a bit and open the door for others like you do, but we also need ourselves when people open the door for us to make sure we deliver and we deliver value so we can do that.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

So you need to when you are opening doors for people, you also have to be operating a very heavy spirit of discernment. That's and I've been in that position where I've opened doors for people and they've basically almost ruined relationships that I've introduced them to because of their bad behaviour. So now I'm like, God, do you want me to introduce that person? I want it to bear this kind of fruit. And if God is saying no, I'll just be like, Oh, you know what? I reached out to them, but they said not right now, but you know, maybe you can reach out to them on socials and get in touch with them. That's a very nice way of kind of skiving on out of it because we know whether it's our own or whether it's other people, that there are some people that just got bad behaviour.

Femi 31:15

Absolutely. And sometimes and then there's the others where sometimes if you think this person is almost ready, I need to help them a bit, they've got the right attitude, the right spirit, but they need you not just to open but also to package in on them, you need to help them and support them on the journey till you go, yeah, you're fine now. And then at some point, the person you hand them over to knows as well this person stands for themselves.

SPEAKER_00 31:39

Exactly, exactly.

Femi 31:40

They're not associated, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, you're absolutely right. You also have to make sure that the person that you're introducing to the network is ready to receive the weight of that network as well. Yes, you know, yes, and that's one thing that there's people that I've introduced to certain networks who weren't ready for that network. And so, what has God has given me is the gift to be able to say, do you know what? I'm gonna mentor you, package you, so that when you're presented to that network, you're speaking the talk, you're walking the walk. Well, you already look like part of them, you belong there.

Femi 32:13

You belong there, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:14

Rather than the person going, oh my god, how did I get here? You can't have it.

The First 90 Day Access Play

Femi 32:17

So sometimes you have to, sometimes if they're the right person, you have to disciple them for a bit. Well, I like that word, disciple them for a bit. Disciple them, and then when they're ready, they can then go out and create their they can then go out up to you. That makes a lot of sense, yes. So for someone who feels like they're outside the room, what would you suggest is the first strategic move they could they can or should make? Have you got any tips?

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Contact me. I think the first strategic move is to just look at yourself and be honest with yourself and give yourself ticks where you've done well, where you need to do better. Say I need to do better, I want to improve here, I want to improve there. And you know what? Write a wish list. Who do I want to meet in the next 90 days? And what do I need to do to get myself there? You know, a lot of people talk about generational this, generational that, but they're also generational habits. There are things that we keep doing the same way and expecting different results. That is a madness.

Femi 33:20

And this is one where I think I'm gonna take a free coaching lesson from you now. I'm gonna steal it. I've met, I've had quite I'm one of the things I'm learning to do is I've met people like you sometimes, or people who I know are quite in the right rooms, and sometimes after the initial engagement or two, how do you nurture it and how do you get it to a place where I suppose maybe how do you move from transactional to relational? How do you move it?

SPEAKER_00 33:51

Try and get informational, yeah.

Femi 33:53

So how do you move it from that first one? Because sometimes for some for some people, get it into the door and that first engagement is fine, but it's how do you sustain it? How do you nurture it? How do you sustain it to something more?

SPEAKER_00 34:05

I think you have to be intentional. So for me, for example, I have two types of client. There are some clients that I'm just moved that I need to help this person, whether they can pay me, they can't pay me, because there's a scripture that says, cast thy bread upon the waters and ye shall find it after many days. I know that I'm pouring into them, but there's gonna be a reward somewhere down the line. And so when we go from transactional to transformational, that is because I usually send them a link that every week we are going to meet and we're gonna make this happen and that happen, and this is the homework you need to do. This is what I need to do. This is what we're gonna make sure that we do this and we do this, and within 90 days, it's like always having a coach, right? That we have to be intentional, nothing under the face of the earth just happens, even with people who are presumably on a level higher than you. Nobody's that busy, lads. A little bit of my South London came out there, but nobody is that busy. I think if the person really cares about you, and if you really want this to happen, you will make an effort, and the person will see that you're making an effort and will go, you know what, let's set some time aside. I might not be able to do it every week, but I can do every month or every two weeks. And let's let's sit down, let's see what you're trying to achieve.

What Elite Parents Do Differently

Femi 35:24

Yeah, fantastic. That makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 35:26

Yeah.

Femi 35:26

So, what can sort of professionals learn from how high-performing parents approach school placements? Is there anything you've seen that when you've met some high-performing parents who place this their children? What can some professionals learn from school?

SPEAKER_00 35:38

They start from early, they have a plan. They have a plan. They know why they're going to that institution, they know what they want to get out of that institution, they have a plan. You plan for everything else, but you don't plan for your children's education. What? What are we doing here? And then you wait till university and you start scrambling. Meanwhile, the people that you're up against, they've been doing this.

Femi 36:00

Yeah, yeah. And I can tell from experience, there's some people who have been, they've mapped out everything. Sure, you can call them anal, you can call them.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Tiger parents, whatever.

Femi 36:09

But the tiger parents, but the fruits are seen at the end because these are the children who are topping all the metrics.

SPEAKER_00 36:17

And even if they're not topping all the methods, you know what? One of my friends used an amazing term, I love it, on Instagram the other day, no, on LinkedIn, and he said, you know, this attitude of spray and pray has got to stop. I was like, not spray and pray. But it's true, a lot of times we do some things, but we don't have a structure. For example, if you know you want to lose weight for a particular time, there are things that you have to eat, things that you cannot eat, things that you do every day to make sure you get to that target. Sometimes we don't even want to do it, but we've got to do it. And habits, consistency is habits, yeah. And a lot of these parents know how to network, they know how to network like mad. And so it's is it should be studied.

Femi 37:07

Yes, it should be studied.

SPEAKER_00 37:08

It should be studied. And so, yeah, you know, one of my friends said to me when my children were little, she's like, How come everybody likes you? I said, Because I talk to everybody. I make sure I go to the coffee morning, I make sure I go to this. Hi, hi! I can do it. That's how I was trained, yeah. But if you want to be there and carry your handbag and sit in your car, that's fine. But your child is not going to be invited to all the play dates, mine is, because the parents know me and they're happy with me. So before your child is invited anywhere, they have to be happy with you, the parent. Because once they're okay with you, they know the child is of good stock.

Femi 37:47

Yeah, exactly. Because they're thinking, I can see you've you are the manifestation of the child you're raising. So if you are a certain way, they know the child should be that way. Exactly. Yeah, yeah.

Protect The Assignment And Your Inputs

SPEAKER_00 37:59

Exactly. Yeah.

Femi 38:00

So we're starting to round up very quickly, and there's one thing I wanted to sort of get so from you is purpose, faith, and assignment to dig into that. Is how do you balance ambition, impact, purpose without losing clarity of without losing clarity?

SPEAKER_00 38:17

I think sometimes you do because you get swayed by what people say you should do, but it's always good to go back to the initial blueprint. What was the blueprint? What was the assignment you were given? And that assignment will always bring you back to what clarity looks like. If you look at the definition of clarity, it's something that's quite simple, quite transparent. And sometimes we overcomplicate things, that's where we lose the focus and we listen to what other people are saying. What was the assignment that I was given? And I think that also is important to start doing things one thing at a time because if you continue to do your assignment correctly, the impact will come, the fame will come. All of those things to stick to the assignment.

SPEAKER_01 38:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:00

And if you stick to what you're meant to do and what you're meant to do, you're not going to be derailed and you're not going to be looking at anybody and you're not going to lose focus. You're always going to be clear about what you're trying to achieve. For me, my my outcome, my assignment has changed along the years, but it's always been one thing to make sure that people are positioned in certain institutions to raise leaders of the future. That's always been there.

SPEAKER_01 39:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:28

It might it might have been articulated a slightly different way. You know, there's genius in every child, and you know, you can't. The methods might change, but the core core is I'm building leaders of the future. It's just that now the vehicle that I'm using has changed. So before, education was only thought as being maybe in this institution, but actually now education is more broader. So maybe I'm good at academia, but I'm amazing at football. That type of education is what I'm gonna drive after. I'm amazing at art. I'm gonna go into the art industry, I'm gonna do this because that is my gift.

Femi 40:10

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 40:10

Yeah.

Femi 40:11

This has been very powerful, very practical. And I want to bring it back to the listener right now as well. So for someone listening to this who feels capable, but they feel overlooked or stuck on an clear, what's the first shift they probably need to make?

SPEAKER_00 40:25

They need to surround themselves with people who are going already where they want to be because there's no point having naysayers around you. That's gonna affect your mental space and it's not gonna allow you to move. Um, I think that's the first thing they need to do. They need to identify who is where I want to be. Then how do I get in the room with them? How do I network? Speak to somebody like me, have a strategy session with me, sit down and look at your strategies. Do I know how to network effectively? If I don't, what books do I need to read? What if you don't like reading or you're not that what audio books do I need to listen to? What YouTube do I need to watch? What podcast do I need? What am I filling my mind with? Absolutely. Because if you're filling your mind full of rubbish, you're going to become a product of that rubbish.

Femi 41:17

That is so important. That's why the whole social media regulation that governments are looking at with our children, but even for us, it's so important is you are a reflection of what you put into you. Now I can tell from you that scripture is very important to you because you've as we've been speaking, it wasn't by choice, it was just flowing out of you that you were saying these scriptures. And that's because you intentionally fill yourself with scripture. That means it goes to your spirit, body, and soul, and it comes out, it comes out to you, and it comes out to your soul because you are feeding it in. So the things you put into ourselves that are important, and the people we surround ourselves with are very important. So that also then means you need to identify who do I want to be? What am I trying to achieve? Because then that helps you understand the kind of people you are looking for.

SPEAKER_01 42:06

Okay.

Femi 42:06

I want to be in, I want to become a property investor, who are the property investors. I want to be I want my children to be high-performing students. Who do I know as parents whose children are high performing parents, uh high-performing students, and then you become friends with them and then you or you associate to them and they show you what good looks like and then you start to model. You cannot become what you don't see. You cannot become what you there is no model for you. You cannot become what you've never imagined because then it's accidental. You may be lucky and come across someone who takes you under their wing, but if you're not intentional, you will just be accidental. And if you're lucky, lucky, but if not, you won't. So that makes a lot of sense that you have to surround yourselves with the right people who would then help you. Yeah. That is so powerful. So you spoke a bit about books, podcasts, as they finished. What what are you reading or listening to that's inspiring you at the moment?

SPEAKER_00 43:05

Do you know what? There's a book that I bought. I there's I tend to start reading books and and then I'm reading like two or three books at the same time.

Femi 43:14

God, I'm so happy I found you. I'm so happy I found you because I've when I was much younger, when I read fiction a lot, I would always finish it. And I'm trying to go back to reading fiction because it's just good for you. But I'm more because of what I what we do, I'm more of a sort of personal development, self-help, and I read a lot of books. And sometimes they can be quite hard to read cover to cover. You get something inspiring, and then you put it down, then you come back to it. Yeah. So I'm glad I met someone like you who sometimes has three, four on the go. And I may finish it, I may not finish it. Yeah. But I'm always reading it and picking stuff up for me.

SPEAKER_00 43:51

Picking stuff up from it. So there's a book that I started reading called Bimbo. And one of my Nigerian friends is like, why did I read this like it was a name, Bimbo? And I was like, No, it's Bimbo, as in the title that people give to women, and it's by a lady called Ashley James, and it talks about all the different labels that women go through and what they have to, the hoops that they have to go through before they find their identity. And I started reading that because I, you know, I'm all about, and I hate this word, women's empowerment, but I'm all about understanding why women do what they do. And then I came across this book on LinkedIn called How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps. And it's by Jake Humphrey. No, it's by Richard Harpin, and he is a billionaire. And I started reading his little excerpts on LinkedIn, let me get this man's book. And you know, I I I don't always like those nine steps to six figures and all of that, and but actually, I think this man has got something to say, and even if he's just writing a book to become an authoritative voice, I think he's got some good things to say because he's built and scaled businesses. Then there's another book that I was happening to be on Amazon and he would talk about the Bible, and I was read and and I saw this book which I started reading yesterday, which I started reading yesterday, called Operating in the Courts of Heaven, granting God the legal rights to fulfill his passion and answer our prayers. Because I was asking God, I've been praying. About this thing for some time, what is happening? And there's a scripture that talks about when Daniel prayed, but the prince of Persia was stopping the angel from coming down, right? So I need to understand, like, Lord, I can trust you for a parking space at a supermarket. I'm trusting you for a couple mil. What is happening? So therefore, I need to have it.

Femi 45:35

Why is it not being answered? Why is it us quickly?

SPEAKER_00 45:37

Is there is there because I kind of need the money like yesterday, Lord?

Femi 45:41

Yeah. So I kind of need Angel Michael to kind of step in and fight some battles to clear the way for them to come in.

SPEAKER_00 45:47

And so sometimes, and that's why I talk about our faith being practical. Sometimes we pray and we pray and we pray and we pray and we pray, but there's something that we need to do as well. Yeah. A friend of mine made me laugh, and she talked about you know, black churches and white churches, and she said the black church would be using tongues, be assured, calling the ushers, and a white you go to a white church, they go, In the name of Jesus, come out. And that's the deliverance right there. How am I approaching this? So that's why I started reading I started reading it yesterday, and I thought, you can have all of those things, but what's your spirit man being fed, Elaine? Yeah. So, like you said, at least you've got to feed your soul, your mind, your body, and also what am I eating? You know, how am I being healthy in this journey? Yeah. And I always say to I I always say to people, you never see people who are unhealthy on a stage talking about money, do you?

Femi 46:46

It's everything, it's uh because I was I I one of the books I read was uh The World's Greatest Salesman.

SPEAKER_00 46:52

And uh making me go on my Amazon now.

Find Your Why And Where To Connect

Femi 46:56

Yeah, and one of the things he said was that he said was that I and he spoke about I am God's greatest creation, but I will watch everything that goes into me. And when he said it, it was said, even the thing I eat, the thing I drink, the thing I think, the thing I read, I will guard everything that comes into me so that I know. Because and that's about being present, not just mindlessly consuming anything that comes your way, and and so you're so right. The thing you eat is just as important because studies are starting to show that there is brain food, there's actually food that is good for your brain, blueberries, etc. So you really have to be intentional. High-performing people watch everything to become high performers. Exactly. Fascinating. It has been an amazing time with you, Elaine, to get your time here to share. I'm sure if we did this, we can go on for hours and hours. So I'm gonna leave the floor to you before we leave. If there was one message you had to leave to the listeners that uh you would give them about this be strategic, positioning, walking in these rooms, having a plan, being intentional. Is there one message that you hold tight that you would like to just leave as one piece of advice?

SPEAKER_00 48:16

Wow, being intentional. I think that what is really important is understanding your why. That will make your intentionality authentic, integral, and strategic. Anything else will just be quick, a quick fix. So yeah, I think that's the advice that I would hear.

Femi 48:36

I hope that's a good answer. It is find your why. That's the thrill, that's why you wake up, that's what get that that's what keeps you going. And sometimes your why doesn't have to be have to be some grand thing. It can be as simple as I just want to be good to others and be a good role mother for my children and make sure they have the great and as simple as that. And it doesn't always have to be some It doesn't have to be big.

SPEAKER_00 49:00

Do you know what I was watching on Netflix and the story of Gordon Ramsey, and he said the reason why he makes so much money is because when he was growing up he had holes in his trousers, he was living in a council flat and his mum was working three jobs and it was not nice. And he said the fear of him ever going back to that kind of life is what drives him. That's his why, and that's a billionaire that you're talking to.

Femi 49:25

Yeah. And that that's a why that sometimes we should not be ashamed of. I just want to be financially successful in a clean, in a in an ethical, honest way. I want to be financially successful, and sometimes in a way that can be quite clarifying, because then it because sometimes trying to find some bigger purpose when you just want to make money, sometimes I just want to make money is as long as it's honest, is a simple one, is a simple one.

SPEAKER_00 49:50

Very simple one.

Femi 49:51

And keep it moving and get on with implementing it.

SPEAKER_00 49:53

Keep it moving that part, sir. That part right there.

Femi 49:57

All right, Elaine. Thank you so, so much. You've been a blessing, you've been a gift for you to pour out. Um so sort of supporting, praying that your mission, your goals continue to flourish and um abound, and you do great work. And um, I'm sure we'll be inviting you more because you've not we've not even scratched the surface of what you have to offer. I speak to you a lot, and I know that there's um there's uh there's so much we've not pulled out of you yet. So thank you. And uh so where can people find you? People want to find out more about you, want to retail to you, want your health services.

SPEAKER_00 50:32

If you're somebody that that is on TikTok, I used to go on TikTok just to laugh at the videos, but I've actually realized it's actually a really good tool. So you can find me on TikTok, Elaine C. Walker. Um, if you are on Instagram, you can find me on Instagram, Elaine C. Walker, um, you can find me on LinkedIn, Elaine C. Walker, you can find me on Facebook now. On Facebook, I have two names, one with spelt with a Y and one spelt Elaine Cunningham Walker. So if because I've never really taken my Facebook that seriously, because it's been more of a connecting ground. So if you want to reach out to me on on any of those, but if you want to respond straight away, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, in that order, you can get a hold of me. You can join my education community, you can join my women's community. I'd love to meet you. Let me know what your story is and how we can help.

Femi 51:23

Brilliant. And we will put some we will put her contact details in the description as well for you to access her. But a blessing. Thank you for having. Thanks, God bless us. Take care.

SPEAKER_01 51:33

Bye.