In this episode of The Ginni Show, I talk with designer Rasheeda Gray about her personal journey to finding a career with purpose. Today, she’s going strong as the Founder and Lead Designer of Gray Space Interiors. But, it took her 25 years to realize that this was what she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing. 

Today, you’ll hear what took her so long to figure it out. She shares her ultra-relatable desire to please others before taking a chance on her own dreams, and what it feels like to carry that responsibility on your shoulders. She also talks about the importance of exposure to the arts for young people, and how a single assignment when she was in the fourth grade helped her recognize her need for creativity. She’s also got some advice to share about overcoming fear for other creatives who are looking to break out and try something on their own. 

What You Will Learn:

• Understanding the duality of a bonafide Gemini (2:14)
• The chance encounter that connected her to her eventual career path (4:48)
• How she’s paying it forward to young people of color (7:56)
• When her creative past caught up with her future career (11:18)
• Why she waited 25 years to follow her purpose (12:25)
• Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs (19:16)

Resources from this episode:

The Personality of a Gemini, Explained | Allure

Not Your Parents’ Career—Or Is It? Parents Exert Significant Influence On Kids’ Career Choices | Forbes

Connect with Rasheeda Gray:

Gray Space Interiors

Let’s connect:

Instagram: @theginnishow

Twitter: @theginnishow

Facebook: @theginnishow

LinkedIn: Ginni Saraswati

Website: ginnimedia.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's guest is Interior Designer Rasheeda Gray. I first met Rasheeda over a year ago when I interviewed her for a project with Architectural Digest. Something about her “always on” business persona stuck with me. It’s clear that her work is very much a part of who she is.

So, wasting no time, I started by asking her what she thought about the concept of professional and personal duality.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So often, we long for an escape. We find ourselves in a place that we always aspired to be, yet, we feel as if something is missing. If we are lucky, we may find ourselves in a different location and be overwhelmed by a realization or inspiration that might lead to a fundamental change in our mindset or our lives. But regardless of where you go to search for the solution, you will always find it in one location - within yourself. We just need to believe in our capabilities, reflect on our past achievements, take action, and hope that we will have the perfect cheerleaders to support us along our journey.

On this episode of The Ginni Show, I speak with Karen Gamba, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of ExV Agency. She’s a philanthropist, traveler, Sci-fi fanatic, and overall girl power guru. Karen is an eternal ex-pat and travel fanatic, and she is here to share some of the life-changing awakenings she experienced in different locations around the globe. 

What You Will Learn:

• The experience that changed Karen’s life trajectory (02:23)
• Karen’s first step she took to act on her realization. (08:17)
• The power of looking inward to move forward. (10:38)
• How failures and rejection are just course corrections to help us get back on track. (13:02)
• How Karen’s mother reminded her to be grateful for everything that makes this life so beautiful. (17:30)
• If you sign up to do something, go all the way. You never know how close you are to the next breakthrough. (21:08)

Connect with Karen: 

• Website: agency.com/">exv-agency.com
• LinkedIn: Karen Gamba

Let's connect:

• Instagram: @theginnishow
• Twitter: @theginnishow
• Facebook: @theginnishow
• LinkedIn: Ginni Saraswati
• Website: ginnimedia.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adversity comes in many shapes and sizes. It’s something we all experience and deal with differently. Some face it head-on, others do so more tentatively. Whatever it is, and however you handle it, there’s always a lesson in the things we go through. Sometimes the lesson is easy to understand and other times it takes some serious soul searching. But once we figure it out, it makes everything we went through worth it.

Alex Molden, former NFL player turned leadership and personal development coach, processes adversity by finding an advantage. He believes that our life experiences teach us how to be resilient and grow as individuals. On this episode of the Ginni Show, Alex shares some of the adversity he experienced as a young football player and how he leveraged it to learn about himself and ultimately become a better person. Listen in as he breaks down what it means to be intentional, know your character, and be cognizant of your environment.      

In this episode, you will learn:

• About Alex’s life-changing experience at a bowl game at just 19 years old (2:25)
• What it felt like for Alex to score a touchdown at the time (4:55)
• Why Alex came back a better athlete after his adversity (7:08)
• How Alex trained when physically unable to be on the football field (9:14)
• How Alex practices being the person he wants to be (11:40)
• About Alex’s transformational moment after he retired from the NFL (15:47)
• Alex’s take on the Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscars ‘incident’ (18:12)
• What an incident with his abusive step-dad showed Alex about his character (19:54)
• What Alex believes to be the most powerful and unstable influencer (21:31)

Some questions I ask:

• How did you manage to change your perception of seeing this low point in your life as an opportunity? (6:58)
• What was that like, the transitioning from one city to another? (12:47)
• As an influencer, with many people looking up to you, would you say that there are certain things that other people value that you don't? (22:18)

Connect with Alex Molden:

Website: alexmoldenspeaks.com/

Twitter: @alexmolden

Instagram: @alexmolden

Let’s connect:

Instagram: @theginnishow

Twitter: @theginnishow

Facebook: @theginnishow

LinkedIn: Ginni Saraswati

Website: ginnimedia.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Ginni Show, I speak with Mitra Manesh, a gifted thought-leader, storyteller, and Mindfulness Educator. She’s a teacher, coach, trainer, podcast host, and consultant who helps people approach living and working from a place of mindfulness.

Mitra’s life is a story about resilience and finding beauty in chaos. She was a young adult in her home country of Iran when, in 1980, she was forced to flee when the government collapsed. Her nature proved itself at that moment as she carried her weary feet through trauma and into an uncertain future. No matter the circumstances, she learned to face the unexpected with courage and find ways to embrace whatever life presented. You’ll hear her heartfelt memories of Iran and the two most impactful travel experiences that have shaped her warm and mindful attitude about life.  

What You Will Learn:

• The experience that shaped Mitra’s resilience (1:50)
• A beautiful memory of a mysterious encounter she had in Iran (5:21)
• How to pivot when the places we love change (8:59)
• A lesson in inclusion and the importance of lunch breaks (12:54)
• Looking at cities a little differently to forge connection (15:47)

Connect with Mitra Manesh:

Website: https://www.mitramanesh.com/

Let’s connect:

Instagram: @theginnishow

Twitter: @theginnishow

Facebook: @theginnishow

LinkedIn: Ginni Saraswati

Website: ginnimedia.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think about your late teens and early twenties. What did your life look like? Well, this episode’s guest, Anna Ratala, was interning in Brussels and then running for elected office in her hometown. Anna knew from a young age that she had been born with an entrepreneurial spirit. She also knew, having grown up in small-town Finland, that she wanted to experience a world outside, and completely different to, what she’d always known. It’s these two things that brought Anna around the world - first to Brussels, then Singapore, and finally to her current hometown, New York City. 

In this episode, she talks to me about her earliest travel experience, her first venture into the entrepreneur world, and why she’s never looked back. Join us as we discuss cool bosses, election slogans, New York City rats, and so much more!

In this episode, you will learn:

• About Anna’s childhood growing up in Finland (0:37)
• How Anna ended up in Brussels at such a young age (11:16)
• About Anna’s experience running for elected office in her hometown (13:00)
• What brought Anna to South East Asia and how she ended up making it her home for eight years (17:14)
• How Anna “started-up” in the start-up world (19:02)
• What Anna thinks the key to being a successful entrepreneur is (23:51)
• About Anna’s first experience of NYC and why she said it felt like home (24:47)

Connect with Anna Ratala:

LinkedIn: Anna Ratala

Twitter: @AnnaRatala

Instagram: @AnnaRatala

Let’s connect:

Instagram: @theginnishow

Twitter: @theginnishow

Facebook: @theginnishow

LinkedIn: Ginni Saraswati

Website: ginnimedia.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.