Turning points in our lives can reshape our perspectives and lead us to profound insights, as Nkechi Nwafor-Robinson and Gaby Mammone explore in this engaging discussion. They dive into the significance of recognizing both monumental and subtle turning points that define our journeys, emphasizing the lessons learned through adversity.

Gaby shares her personal experience of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and how it transformed her approach to life and empowerment.

Nkechi reflects on a pivotal moment in her corporate career that shifted her focus from titles to service, highlighting the importance of leveraging personal experiences to inspire and uplift others.

Together, they encourage listeners to embrace their own turning points, trusting that each experience carries valuable lessons that can contribute to a greater purpose in the world.

Takeaways:

• Turning points in life can lead to unexpected insights, resilience, and growth.
• Empowerment comes from understanding the lessons hidden within our turning points.
• Embracing adversity can help us discover our true purpose and impact on others.
• The act of serving others during times of waiting can enrich our experiences and lives.
• Recognizing that titles do not define our worth can lead to greater fulfillment.
• Sharing our stories of struggle can inspire and empower those around us.

Have an empowering story to share on an Empowering Bytes episode? Submit your request, for a chance to be a guest.

Find us online: https://linktr.ee/nkechinwaforrobinson

Great day, amazing human.

Welcome to the Empowered in my Skin podcast, where our mission is to help 1 billion people in this world think in more empowering ways.

Empowered humans empower humans.

So you are in the right spot to become a lead domino for empowerment today.

My name is Ingke Chi.

I'm not only your host, but I am a vibrant, optimist, obsessed success to bring you empowering content.

With each episode, we will be bringing you content, alternating between longer episodes with featured guests and shorter episodes called Empowering Bites, where I'll be joined by my co host, Gabby Mamone.

So if you're ready, let the show begin.

Great day, amazing humans.

Yes.

Welcome to the next episode of Empowering Bites.

And I am here with the lovely, the amazing Gabby Mamone.

Yes.

You know, I never told you, but every time you see the opening, when you say yes, I just want to belt it out and do these hand judges.

Did you say, wasn't Alicia that said yes?

Yeah.

Yes, exactly.

So fun.

I love it.

I love it.

Somebody else told me that their daughter, because she's, I guess, always listening to the podcast, says, hi, amazing humans.

Or so.

Yes.

Right.

That's influence.

We did an episode.

There is influence.

There you go.

Back to episode 299.

Yeah, there you go.

All right.

So today.

Today we want to talk about turning points.

Okay.

Now, sometimes people think that turning points are monumental parts in our life, like graduation, moving to a new city, getting married, maybe becoming a parent.

These are all definitely turning points in our life, lives, but there's also so many more.

And so I would love to have a really great conversation about turning points and really what impact, what lessons that have changed our lives.

And what's the lesson in these turning points?

Let's talk about that.

Defining our paths.

Who's starting?

You're going to share a story.

Do you want to start?

No, you can start.

Okay.

I mean, there's.

There's so many turning points.

Sometimes when we're in the heat of it, we don't understand, you know, why is this happening?

Or why me?

Or I can't believe it.

And we may not always find the lesson, but then you do, and that becomes a turning point, and that gives you wisdom.

So the first thing that came to mind for me was I remember when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 20 years ago.

Can you believe it?

Congratulations.

Thank you.

I did.

I celebrated.

I celebrated my 20th anniversary actually this year.

And I remember, though, jumping on that pity bandwagon of why me?

You know, and I was actually silent from my employer at the time and extended family and friends.

And I remember being in a place of sorrow, of why and sadness and embarrassment and all the things that came with that.

And, you know, I don't, I don't wish it upon anyone to keep it silent, but I know why I did.

And then there came a point where I realized I needed to tell my family.

And then I, shortly after that, told my friends, and then shortly after that, I told my employer.

And that, that whole thing, you know, probably took about five years before I really became open about it.

And then I started being more involved with the Ms.

Community.

That was my turning point.

I remember going to.

Yes, I, I remember going to an event with other people.

You know, I'm doing air quotes now for people listening like me.

And I remember not wanting to feel sorry for myself anymore.

I didn't want to cry.

I didn't want to be worried about my.

My life being shortened I, or altered.

I just wanted to live and achieve my dreams and be all that I could be.

And that was my turning point, when I had that mental capacity to really change my mindset because I, I had no control of being diagnosed, but I had control of how I was responding to my diagnosis.

And once I was able to, to really differentiate the two, that's how I shaped my future.

And it was unexpected, but yet I really had that turning point.

And, you know, now I can say that I feel like Ms.

Has given me more than it's taken away.

Of course, adversity.

We take more out of adversity than mercy takes us.

Right?

Yeah.

And Montel Williams has a quote that I'm adapting now, which is Ms.

I may have ms, but Ms.

Does not have me.

Yeah.

Right.

And so, you know, when we take a look at moments in our life, these, these moments that we don't necessarily understand why.

What's the insight?

What's the lesson?

And yes, I've had many lessons, and one of the lessons from that was I needed to empower people.

I needed to inspire people with my story that my life may be altered, but I'm still a fantastic mom, and I'm a great speaker, and I'm a wonderful coach, and I help leaders get on stages.

And so I have Ms.

Big deal.

My lesson in all of that is I, I, I was given these cards so I could use my voice.

And, and so turning points in life allow you to really see things differently.

Yes.

Thank you.

So what about you?

What's the turning point that you had in your life?

Oh, gosh, I Have I have a number?

Oh, do I have I.

So I'm trying to think like one.

That was really a callous for where I am on today.

So I think what I'm gonna match you.

Yeah.

Because what I love the thread of this.

This purpose to be of the purpose, this episode to be like, if I start to think about intention is the thread is really about.

There are turning points that get you closer to the understanding of.

Of your calling or your purpose or however.

And I think you can have more than one purpose, but something like the thin net, the thing that lights you up, the thing that you know that you are on this planet to do, and if you don't do it, the world is missing on something.

Like, I do truly believe that that is kind of what you started to unlock, because I'm pretty sure it's after that you became a motivational, like a speaker and your business and all and your kindness project all opened up from that turning point.

Right.

It started to unlock the purpose, your legacy that you are leaving and depositing.

So mine, I'm going to say is.

Is what I.

Is.

Is what has.

Now my understanding has been my.

Has created my position in corporate, you know.

So for me, it was the shedding of an experience that I had that led me to the shedding of titles because I thought titles mattered.

And this one experience, which I won't go into all the details of it, but essentially I was applying like I was.

There was this executive role that I wanted at one of my.

My organization.

And it would have taken me from senior manager into the executive, into the.

Like, into the executive level.

I thought the job was mine.

I thought it actually should be mine.

I actually had walked with that level of ego.

And when the job, I was like, how dare they post that role?

And through that journey, fear in hindsight, What I see now is I had this other opportunity popped up which kept me at the same level.

And even though I was in the interview process for that executive role, I think I went what I thought was the safe bet I had this other role where they were saying that we want you, and if the job, if you want the job, it's yours, you know.

And so I went that route which then pulled me out of the running for that other role.

And here's the thing, that role that I took, that lateral role was one of the best things that ever happened to me in my life, you know, and it was such a great role to me.

I felt elevated, like it elevated me as a human being.

And.

And then I slowly was able to shed titles because titles doesn't matter.

I think what matters is that you are in spaces and places where you can drive, impact, influence in others, lead from a place of passion and desire to just make the space better.

You know that.

And I think if all those things are true, you are what you would call in the seat of enjoyment, you know, and, and then I recognize the more that I took value in what I was doing, the value in others increased around me.

Right.

Like, you know, and I slowly, like you, realized that I was suddenly entering into the, I'm going to call it the, the, the walls of service.

Like, I started to really understand the power of service.

Right.

Like serving from my own human.

It's not just about giving money, but it's also about serving others from this place of selflessness.

Right.

Like, you know, where you, you recognize a need and you are leaning in to help solve for that need, you know, in some shape.

So I had this great ability because I had this capacity at the time, because I knew I could, I knew that I could do much more.

And I was in this role that didn't demand that level of capacity for me.

So that you leveraged all that capacity to pour into others.

If, does that make sense?

Oh, yes.

And I love that.

Walls of service.

Like walls of service.

That's amazing.

Yeah.

And so then I, I, I did that for about two and a half years.

And here's the catalyst.

So if you, if you, if, if you were to follow my career, every role I've gone to, even the one I'm in now, I was tapped.

Yeah.

I've never really had to go on the hunt to apply.

God has gifted me with this, this, this career journey that has enabled that.

And, and I realized that that other role that I was seeking at the time was kind of breaking that mold because I actually had to, I wasn't tapped for it, I was going after it.

And I, and, and, and so the lesson one that I'm going to share right now is I had actually now, in hindsight, I had no idea what I was going to do with that role when I got it.

And I think that that's, and when I think about leaders in positions like if you don't know what you're going to do with the role when you get it, other than like drive business outcomes.

Yeah, yeah.

But if you don't know who you're going to become in that role or what, you know, what are you, what, what, what service are you going to give that platform, especially if it's an elevated platform, what are you going to, how are you going to serve on that platform?

Then I don't think you're ready for that role.

Like, this is all in hindsight.

And so two and a half years later, minding my own senior manager business, I get this call from the V, from the VP now that was in seat where that role existed and said to me, the job is vacant.

Now again, it's yours.

Do you want it?

Yeah.

And so like if you.

Again, if you think about the thread here, it was tap.

Yeah, yeah.

Extended the role, you know, and that, that was my trajectory.

And so when I realized the power of that, I think the lesson for me, the turning point for me is there's power in the weight.

Yes.

There's power in the right weight.

There's power in the weight.

And when you are waiting for what you hope to have open up in your life for you, serve.

Yes, serve the walls of service.

Because I truly do believe services are.

Is the rent that we pay for our time here on Earth.

Yes.

In that, that, that energy of service where it's not about you and it's about the people around you.

And mind you, I had a girlfriend at that time that really helped me open up.

Like, I, I don't pretend to have gone into all that wisdom and all this by myself.

It's through, you know, the people that, you know, my friends that I had that were, you know, bold enough to really tell me something about myself.

Then there was my building, my relationship with God, and then there was surrendering myself to something that my life, that there was a pull for me as a human to do in this world and being obedient to whatever that was, you know.

Wow.

Yeah.

So that I know that's a big turning, but that big turning point burst so much, it burst empowered in my skin.

It birthed the whole philosophy that I started to drive in corporate that I literally fired myself as.

And I don't mind saying my employer at the time was TD Bank.

I fired myself as the a TD bank employee.

Me in teaching fired myself as a TD employee and I rehired myself deployed.

I now I deployed myself to td.

It's a very different mindset.

And so in deployment, when you're deployed to somewhere, you're the intention, the objective, everything about that deployment is to make the space better.

You're there.

And so every conversation, every email, every elevator ride, every text message, every meeting I had, I was deployed into those moments.

And then suddenly that's where I went from Good to great.

I started greeting people with great day.

And then it was eventually, great day, amazing.

Then all the.

And all of that happened.

And yeah, it wasn't.

It was just so natural and so organic anyway, and so all of that.

So.

And then, you know, empowered.

My skin was born.

Then suddenly I'm a public.

Like, these things just don't happen.

Right?

Like I'm a public speaker and then, you know, hosting workshops and, you know, being.

Speaking on panels and being featured on tv.

Like Changing Lives one.

Like there's that turning point.

And.

Yeah, so I believe.

And so to anyone that's listening to this, Gabby, and, And I asked for Grace because I know I took up a lot of time, space with that story, but, you know, to anyone that's listening to this, has there been a turning point?

And sometimes I think it feels fearful where you turned away from it and really, truly you just needed to lean into it or you're in it, but you don't realize that you.

You cross into that turn.

Like that you're in that turning point or you haven't maximized the turn.

Right.

Like, I just want you to think about, like, sort of your life trajectory and what.

What was the.

What was that turning point?

And did you.

Did you turn enough in it to understand the lesson that you are supposed to get from it and now give back to the world?

You know, I think that that's.

That's how you close the loop on that experience.

And for, again, anyone listening, I truly believe that your turning point will provide you with resilience, perseverance, wisdom.

You can then, like you said, be part of these walls of service, and you can share that wisdom and knowledge with others.

So embrace these turning points.

Sometimes they feel uncomfortable.

We don't know why.

In the moment, we just don't understand the results.

But we just have to trust that there is a lesson in our turning points.

There's a lesson in every.

Everyone's turning point.

I know this is another episode that we did, but it's like, don't let, don't waste.

Don't waste the hurt.

Yeah.

Turn.

You know, don't.

There's something there that the world needs and, and.

And you're the only person that.

That can deliver it.

That's the thing.

Yeah, that's the thing.

I love it so much.

Yeah.

So thank you for tuning in.

We love you.

We know you love us.

And, and this is at the point of the episode where we have to.

Say, I make end and I'm Gabby with one B and we're out.

Bye.

Bye.

There you have it.

I trust you are feeling more empowered in your skin.

As the late Dr.

Maya Angelou said, when you get, you give.

When you learn, you teach.

So it would mean so much for us at EIMS if you would share this episode and tag us or teach an insight that you took from today's episode on your socials and tag us.

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See you soon.