What does leadership feel like when you are the only one in the room?

Being the only woman, the only Black person, the only immigrant, the only young leader shapes not just how you show up, but how others experience your leadership. It is about navigating power, identity, and belonging while still being expected to carry the weight of leading.

In this episode of Lime, Listen & Learn: The People Leadership Lounge, host Abbiola Ballah is in conversation with Geronda Wollack-Spiller to talk about what it means to lead while being the only and what belonging really requires from everyone involved.

This isn’t a panel. We’re not here for perfect soundbites. This is a lime, a Trinidadian term that means to hang out, connect, and vibe.

Abbiola and Geronda talk honestly about the complexity of leading when your presence is both necessary and misunderstood. The conversation invites leaders to look closely at voice, access, and care, and to reflect on how the way we speak to one another shapes how we work together.

Grab your snacks and a drink. Come lime with us!

• Leading while being the only in a space
• Belonging as a shared responsibility, not an individual burden
• Curiosity as a pathway to understanding and trust
• Power, voice, and access in everyday leadership
• Holding both logic and vulnerability in hard conversations

As a queer Black woman, Geronda Wollack-Spiller (she/her) has become familiar with what it means to be "the only" and has made it into a superpower for understanding the true meaning of belonging. As a result, she helps leaders and teams implement actionable strategies for increasing belonging, enabling everyone to thrive, feel valued, and foster an inclusive culture that promotes growth. She lives in the beautiful state of Maine with her wife and three fur babies!

Learn more about Geronda’s work here:
Website | LinkedIn | YouTube

Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is a people leadership consultant, coach, and facilitator who supports directors & managers navigating the human side of leadership. She is the Founder of Phern Education Studios and the creator of the CLEARER Conversations™ Experience, a signature leadership program designed to help people leaders approach hard conversations with care, discernment, and intention.

With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, program design, and organizational learning, Abbiola partners with organizations across the health, education, philanthropy, and nonprofit sectors to design and facilitate people-centered leadership experiences that improve communication, support managers & directors through team dynamics, and rebuild trust. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she brings a global perspective shaped by long-term, cross-cultural work with leaders and organizations.

Learn more about Abbiola's work here:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

We often think of development as something leaders can give, like a training, a course, or a resource. But what if growth is not something to hand out, but something to cultivate?

What if the real measure of leadership is not in sending people out to learn, but in creating a culture where learning becomes part of the everyday?

In this episode of Lime, Listen & Learn: The People Leadership Lounge, host Abbiola Ballah is joined by Laura Jordan to talk about what actually shapes a culture of learning and how leadership can either support or quietly undermine it.

This isn’t a panel. We’re not here for perfect soundbites. This is a lime, a Trinidadian term that means to hang out, connect, and vibe.

Abbiola and Laura explore what shifts when leaders move beyond providing resources and start paying attention to how learning shows up in day to day work. They talk about the gap between theory and application, the role of emotional awareness, and why understanding people as humans, not just roles, matters when it comes to growth and development at work.

Grab your snacks and a drink. Come lime with us!

• Rethinking development as something to cultivate, not deliver
• Building learning into everyday leadership behavior
• Bridging the gap between theory and application
• Emotional awareness as part of learning cultures
• Understanding people beyond their roles at work

Laura Jordan has a MA in Psychology with a concentration in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Professionally, she enjoys turning broader strategic vision into practical reality. Her passion for onboarding and leadership development often connects her with organizational development projects. She loves networking and learning from others' stories. Laura is a proud military spouse to a test pilot and mother to two amazing children.

Learn more about Laura’s work here:
LinkedIn

Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is a people leadership consultant, coach, and facilitator who supports directors & managers navigating the human side of leadership. She is the Founder of Phern Education Studios and the creator of the CLEARER Conversations™ Experience, a signature leadership program designed to help people leaders approach hard conversations with care, discernment, and intention.

With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, program design, and organizational learning, Abbiola partners with organizations across the health, education, philanthropy, and nonprofit sectors to design and facilitate people-centered leadership experiences that improve communication, support managers & directors through team dynamics, and rebuild trust. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she brings a global perspective shaped by long-term, cross-cultural work with leaders and organizations.

Learn more about Abbiola's work here:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

When the plan falls apart, what do you do next?

You adapt. You show up anyway. And sometimes, you use the moment to name what’s really going on.

That’s what this week’s solo episode of Lime, Listen & Learn: The People Leadership Lounge is about.

No guest this time. Just Abbiola Ballah talking through the real weight many managers are carrying and what it looks like to start naming it out loud.

This isn’t a panel. We’re not here for perfect soundbites. This is a lime, a Trinidadian term that means to hang out, connect, and vibe.

In this solo episode, Abbiola reflects on what we often call imposter syndrome and why it might not actually be yours. She talks about the hidden weight managers carry and why hard conversations do not get easier but they can get clearer. The episode invites leaders to slow down, notice what they are carrying, and think differently about how they move through tension, silence, and misalignment at work.

This is not a quick tip session. It is a real talk moment for those leading in systems that were never built with them in mind.

So if you are feeling the pressure, avoiding a conversation, or just need someone to name what has been feeling heavy, come lime with me!

• Rethinking imposter syndrome as a learned response
• The unseen weight managers carry, especially those in the middle
• Naming what is happening instead of internalizing it
• Navigating hard conversations with more intention and care
• Showing up without needing to get it perfect
  

Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is a people leadership consultant, coach, and facilitator who supports directors & managers navigating the human side of leadership. She is the Founder of Phern Education Studios and the creator of the CLEARER Conversations™ Experience, a signature leadership program designed to help people leaders approach hard conversations with care, discernment, and intention.

With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, program design, and organizational learning, Abbiola partners with organizations across the health, education, philanthropy, and nonprofit sectors to design and facilitate people-centered leadership experiences that improve communication, support managers & directors through team dynamics, and rebuild trust. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she brings a global perspective shaped by long-term, cross-cultural work with leaders and organizations.

Learn more about Abbiola's work here:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Join the next cohort of the CLEARER Conversations™ Experience

We’ve been taught that good leadership means knowing what to do, having the right answers, and staying in control. But what if it’s less about being certain and more about being curious?

In this episode of Lime, Listen & Learn: The People Leadership Lounge, host Abbiola Ballah is in conversation with Emily Pantel, to explore the quiet pressure leaders carry to always have it together.

This isn’t a panel. We’re not here for perfect soundbites. This is a lime, a Trinidadian term that means to hang out, connect, and vibe.

Abbiola and Emily explore what shifts when leaders make room for questions, not just answers. The conversation moves through curiosity, trust, and vulnerability, and what gets in the way of connection when leadership is driven by fear of not knowing.

Grab your snacks and a drink. Come lime with us!

• Letting go of the pressure to have all the answers
• Curiosity as a leadership practice
• Trust built through small, consistent actions
• Vulnerability shaped by identity and context
• Creating space for listening, feedback, and self inquiry
  

Emily Pantel (she/her) is the founder of Self Over Should career coaching and astrology, helping overworked professionals build authentic careers by challenging what it means and takes to be successful. Focused on workplace culture reform both at companies and within ourselves, her overarching mission is to co-create a workplace cultural shift in which work is a channel for individual and collective prosperity. Over the past 13 years in HR at global organizations, Emily has served as a trusted leadership coach for new managers, seasoned executives, and entry-level employees alike.

Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is a people leadership consultant, coach, and facilitator who supports directors & managers navigating the human side of leadership. She is the Founder of Phern Education Studios and the creator of the CLEARER Conversations™ Experience, a signature leadership program designed to help people leaders approach hard conversations with care, discernment, and intention.

With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, program design, and organizational learning, Abbiola partners with organizations across the health, education, philanthropy, and nonprofit sectors to design and facilitate people-centered leadership experiences that improve communication, support managers & directors through team dynamics, and rebuild trust. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she brings a global perspective shaped by long-term, cross-cultural work with leaders and organizations.

Learn more about Abbiola's work here:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

What does it mean to lead with inclusion when the word itself is under attack?

As the language around diversity, equity, and inclusion becomes more restricted, many leaders are being asked to reframe, reword, or stay quiet. The language may be shifting, but the core values have not gone anywhere.

In this episode of Lime, Listen & Learn: The People Leadership Lounge, host Abbiola Ballah is in conversation with Minette Norman about the pressure to change how we talk about inclusion and what it means to keep leading with it even when the name changes.

This isn’t a panel. We’re not here for perfect soundbites. This is a lime, a Trinidadian term that means to hang out, connect, and vibe.

Abbiola and Minette reflect on what happens when language evolves but the work remains. They talk candidly about external pressure, internal doubt, and the tension leaders feel when asked to distance themselves from values they still hold. The conversation invites leaders to stay curious, grounded, and clear about what they are actually fighting for, even when the terminology becomes contested.

Grab your snacks and a drink. Come lime with us!.

• Leading with inclusion when the language is under scrutiny
• Navigating pressure to reframe, reword, or stay quiet
• Staying rooted in values when terminology shifts
• Questioning myths like neutrality and meritocracy
• Making small, intentional choices that create ripple effects

Minette Norman (she/her) is an award-winning author, speaker, leadership consultant, and former Silicon Valley software executive who spent decades leading global teams. Minette knows that when leaders create inclusive team cultures, performance soars, breakthroughs emerge, and innovation accelerates. As the author of The Boldly Inclusive Leader and the co-author of The Psychological Safety Playbook, Minette is committed to helping leaders unlock the full potential of the people in their organizations.

Learn more about Minette’s work here:
Website | LinkedIn

Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is a people leadership consultant, coach, and facilitator who supports directors & managers navigating the human side of leadership. She is the Founder of Phern Education Studios and the creator of the CLEARER Conversations™ Experience, a signature leadership program designed to help people leaders approach hard conversations with care, discernment, and intention.

With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, program design, and organizational learning, Abbiola partners with organizations across the health, education, philanthropy, and nonprofit sectors to design and facilitate people-centered leadership experiences that improve communication, support managers & directors through team dynamics, and rebuild trust. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she brings a global perspective shaped by long-term, cross-cultural work with leaders and organizations.

Learn more about Abbiola's work here:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

What does it mean to live the values you lead with, especially when it gets messy or no one’s watching?

In this episode of Lime, Listen & Learn: The People Leadership Lounge, host Abbiola Ballah is in conversation with Dr. Ruth Diaz naming this question many leaders avoid.

This isn’t a panel. We’re not here for perfect soundbites. This is a lime, a Trinidadian term that means to hang out, connect, and vibe.

Abbiola and Ruth reflect on what happens when the values you name at work are tested in real life. With family. With friends. In community spaces that do not come with policies, titles, or applause. The conversation explores courage, accountability, and emotional awareness, inviting leaders to consider what it really looks like to live their values in the places that feel most personal and complex.

We are not here to offer tidy answers. We are here to sit with the messiness.

Grab your snacks and a drink. Come lime with us!

• Living leadership values beyond the workplace
• Navigating discomfort in personal and professional spaces
• Moving beyond performative allyship
• Emotional fluency and recognizing harm
• Accountability as a long term leadership practice
  

Dr. Ruth Diaz (she/they) champions decency, like-mindedness, and holistic values in cross-functional teams and communities. Her work is recognized industry-wide for fostering diversity and belonging in VR culture. As an environmental storyteller, Ruth has created numerous captivating VR experiences, some of which are now owned by companies like Meta. Ruth is an innovator on conflict resiliency in XR. She is developing restorative justice XR tools based on her Deepen, Orient, Transform (DOT) model of conflict.

Learn more about Ruth’s work here:

Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is a people leadership consultant, coach, and facilitator who supports directors & managers navigating the human side of leadership. She is the Founder of Phern Education Studios and the creator of the CLEARER Conversations™ Experience, a signature leadership program designed to help people leaders approach hard conversations with care, discernment, and intention.

With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, program design, and organizational learning, Abbiola partners with organizations across the health, education, philanthropy, and nonprofit sectors to design and facilitate people-centered leadership experiences that improve communication, support managers & directors through team dynamics, and rebuild trust. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she brings a global perspective shaped by long-term, cross-cultural work with leaders and organizations.

Learn more about Abbiola's work here:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

What does it take to lead when legacy, not just results, is on the line?

In this episode of Lime, Listen & Learn: The People Leadership Lounge, host Abbiola Ballah is in conversation with Eli Angote to dig into a kind of leadership that does not always get talked about. Leadership rooted in purpose, not just performance.

This isn’t a panel. We’re not here for perfect soundbites. This is a lime, a Trinidadian term that means to hang out, connect, and vibe.

Abbiola and Eli reflect on what it means to build something that lasts, stay connected to your values under pressure, and lead in ways that feel aligned, not just impressive on paper. The conversation weaves through legacy, culture, care, and the often avoided realities of mortality, inviting leaders to think beyond outcomes and toward impact.

If you’ve been thinking about the kind of leader you want to be remembered as, this one’s for you.

Grab your snacks and a drink. Come lime with us!

This Conversation Touches On:

• Leading with legacy in mind, not just results
• Building cultures rooted in purpose, care, and connection
• Staying aligned with values under pressure
• Being trauma informed as a leadership practice
• Reflecting on mortality, impact, and what we leave behind

Elijah "Eli" Angote is a Kenyan-American entrepreneur and founder of TheBestNotary.net, a nationwide platform offering mobile and remote online notarization services across the U.S. Born in Nairobi and later moving to Michigan, he studied Computer Science, Economics, and Spanish before launching his career in tech sales and notary services. His business grew from a side hustle into a trusted network serving law firms, financial institutions, and professionals nationwide. Eli is also known for his passion for mindfulness, connection-building, and personal development.

Learn more about Eli's work here:

Website | LinkedIn

Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is a people leadership consultant, coach, and facilitator who supports directors & managers navigating the human side of leadership. She is the Founder of Phern Education Studios and the creator of the CLEARER Conversations™ Experience, a signature leadership program designed to help people leaders approach hard conversations with care, discernment, and intention.

With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, program design, and organizational learning, Abbiola partners with organizations across the health, education, philanthropy, and nonprofit sectors to design and facilitate people-centered leadership experiences that improve communication, support managers & directors through team dynamics, and rebuild trust. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she brings a global perspective shaped by long-term, cross-cultural work with leaders and organizations.

Learn more about Abbiola's work here:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

When urgency runs the show, leadership can start to look a lot like survival.

In this episode of Lime, Listen & Learn: The People Leadership Lounge, host Abbiola Ballah is in conversation with Rebecca Thomas as they explore the concept of urgency culture in leadership.

This isn’t a panel. We’re not here for perfect soundbites. This is a lime: a Trinidadian term that means to hang out, connect, and vibe.

Abbiola and Rebecca discuss how urgency can negatively impact decision-making and the importance of discernment in prioritizing tasks. The conversation emphasizes the need for self-care and setting boundaries, reframing urgency to prioritize personal well-being.

Grab your snacks and drink. Come lime with us!

• Leading on the people side, not just performance
• How urgency culture fuels anxiety and overwhelm
• The difference between urgency and importance
• Using discernment to decide what truly needs attention
• Caring for yourself as a necessary part of caring for others

About Our Guest:

Rebecca Thomas (she/her) is passionate about bringing a holistic and human approach to both life and business. Her education in leadership and coaching presence, matched with her corporate experience enhances her unique ability to engage with people and create effective change. She has successfully helped individuals and teams lean into their Smart Skills in order to create team dynamics that bring about results!

Learn more about Rebecca's work here:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Abbiola Ballah (she/her) is a people leadership consultant, coach, and facilitator who supports directors & managers navigating the human side of leadership. She is the Founder of Phern Education Studios and the creator of the CLEARER Conversations™ Experience, a signature leadership program designed to help people leaders approach hard conversations with care, discernment, and intention.

With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, program design, and organizational learning, Abbiola partners with organizations across the health, education, philanthropy, and nonprofit sectors to design and facilitate people-centered leadership experiences that improve communication, support managers & directors through team dynamics, and rebuild trust. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she brings a global perspective shaped by long-term, cross-cultural work with leaders and organizations.

Learn more about Abbiola's work here:
Website | LinkedIn | Instagram