We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alicia Hemphill. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alicia below.
Alicia, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
As a Black female Vice President in the world of technology and the proud owner of Ebonyopoly, a platform dedicated to celebrating Black achievements, I’ve had the privilege of firsthand experience with the profound impact of confidence and self-esteem. However, my journey towards nurturing these qualities has been a gradual and transformative one.
To cultivate my confidence and self-esteem, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery, beginning by fully embracing my identity as a Black woman in the technical industry. Often, I found myself as the only person who looked like me in a room, but I soon realized that this distinction was a potent strategic advantage. My unique background and experiences gave me a creative and diverse perspective that set me apart from others. As I learned to trust my instincts and act on my ideas, even in the face of differing opinions, both myself and those around me saw the inherent value of my distinct viewpoint. What was once perceived as a potential weakness had transformed into a source of strength, allowing me to draw inspiration from my identity and bring my authentic self to every professional endeavor.
Moreover, I granted myself permission to set ambitious goals and relentlessly pursue my dreams. In the pursuit of my aspirations, each step carried an inherent element of risk, as setbacks, disappointments, failures, and losses are all became integral parts of the journey. I came to understand that these challenges often concealed invaluable lessons crucial for future success. Therefore, to achieve my ambitions, I learned to treat both positives and negatives as indicators of progress. I shifted my focus from the outcome to the journey itself, recognizing that every milestone I reached, whether it was earning my degree, securing a position at a tech firm, or launching Ebonyopoly, added another layer of confidence to my self-image. These accomplishments not only validated my abilities but also solidified my unwavering belief in myself.
My journey towards confidence and self-esteem has been marked by self-acceptance, the courage to pursue ambitious goals, and an unwavering commitment to viewing setbacks as opportunities for growth.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a combined Vice President of a Consulting Company as well an Entrepreneur. I launched Beyond the Limitations to express my unwavering commitment to help other achieve personal and professional excellence. I share the strategies. mindsets and habits that have transformed me to overcome barriers and transform my life to rise in my field. I learned early in my career that obtaining and sharing knowledge, wisdom and action benefitted myself and others. At the heart of Beyond the Limitations lies a dedication to education as a catalyst for personal change. Through a rich tapestry of workshops and personalized coaching to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge essential to excel in their chosen fields. Beyond the Limitations empowers individuals to unlock their full potential, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
One of my flagship initiatives is to leverage games to teach young children about their unique place in American history – Ebonyopoly “The Reconstruction Era”. This game is bringing communities together to know their strength and learn the power of collaboration to cultivate others’ lives. Community is a child’s first learning lab about themselves and how to contribute to the world around them. Integral in the formation of the game is that we first need to see ourselves in the fabric of the past in order to be inspired to contribute to a countries future.
Ebonyopoly has been featured in news outlets, including NBC, Fox and CBS news.
We recently launched our newest initiative to bring “The Ebonyopoly Experience” around the country. We are bringing celebrities. community leaders and others together to an event to where the properties and lessons literally “come to life”. This engaging experience is designed to captivate and teach the importance of community, history, responsibility, entrepreneurship and investing.
Additionally, we host a variety of educational experiences including workshops about Black History; discussions with African American entrepreneurs who have achieved great success in their respective field; business networking opportunities with corporate sponsors – all while playing Ebonyopoly!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
In my journey, three qualities that were impactful in shaping my path to success are: resilience, developing courage and effective communication. Resilience refers to the ability to bounce back, recover, or adapt in the face of adversity, challenges, or setbacks. This capacity helped me to stand and face difficult situations during difficult times. I learned not to avoid difficulties but to effectively navigate and overcome them. Resilience has allowed me to persevere through challenges and setbacks, reminding me that setbacks are often stepping stones to greater achievements.
Developing courage is foundational for a successful career or owning your own business. Learning to be courageous to stand up for the right idea or course of action set me apart from others who simply continued the status quo. Courage must be demonstrated with the application of an action. I learned to translate my complaint into courage to implement a new policy, change the organizational structure or to introduce a new way to learn history.
I also coupled this with the ability to hold Courageous conversations to confront challenging, sensitive, or uncomfortable topics openly and honestly. These discussions often involved addressing issues such as bias, discrimination, inequality, or personal conflicts. While these conversations can be difficult, they are essential for personal growth, building stronger relationships, and fostering positive change in organizations and society and engendered trust in my organization. Once I established trust by honest communication it laid the foundation to effectively communicate about vision, organizational missions and garner support for goals and objectives.
For those at the early stages of their journey, my advice would be to prioritize the development of these qualities. To cultivate resilience, embrace adversity as an opportunity for growth, and maintain a growth mindset. In terms of courage, practice active listening, seek feedback, and engage in public speaking to refine your skills. Lastly, commit to effective communication by staying curious and being passionate about building strong teams and organizations. These are hard skills to commit to developing but I promise you they are worth it and will help you whether you have your own company or work for one.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We are actively seeking people and groups to collaborate and continue the discussion of how to garner the power of our history to teach, inspire and build leadership in our youth. We would love an opportunity to work with traditional and non-traditional schools, historical scholars, minority owned business, bookstores, independent distributors and museums and African American historical sites.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alicia-hemphill.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ahemphill1
- Other: Ebonyopoly “The Reconstruction Game” www.ebonyopoly.com
Image Credits
Madison Truscan Photography
