We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannan Ighodaro a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shannan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The 100 Plus Women of Virtue is focused on economic empowerment for women. Our mission is to ensure we support the next generation of female leaders across various industries. The story behind the vision and creation of the organization came about 10 years ago when I decided that it was important for me to use my voice and expand my leadership role. This allowed me to leverage and maximize more than 20 years of working with women in our community.

Oftentimes true leaders are marginalized due to their own insecurities, or the insecurities of others projected on them. I decided that I was not going to get comfortable with any of these scenarios. My organization seeks to ensure young ladies are mentored, loved, nurtured and given the support to bloom. I host a yearly empowerment conference to celebrate the accomplishments of these amazing women leaders. My philosophy is – A meaningful life can be nurtured when you are doing what you love, and you know within your soul you are making a difference.

Shannan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am first a woman of faith, a wife and mother. I am a first generation immigrant by way of the Bahamas. My background is in accounting, business, and public policy. I am CEO of a PR firm where I work primarily with C-Suite women. I work passionately to create public private partnerships that bring resources to underserved communities. I also work to empower women through my organization 100 Plus Women of Virtue. My work spans globally as an executive coach to women in Africa, Canada and the Bahamas.

I am a published author, speaker and creator of the Strategic Empowerment Wheel (SEW), a model I designed in 2018 to assist individuals in setting and facilitating strategic goals. I hold a B.S. degree in accounting and an MBA.

I am proud of my Lady Cares community program and it remains a testament of my love and passion for working in the community. What sets me apart is my ability to think strategically. It is also important for leaders to understand that nothing happens without a strategic plan and without a succession plan. Leaders know that being in a leadership role will require discipline and sacrifice, they also know that they cannot do it all by themselves. Having a support system is necessary.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

In life you need 3 things :abilities, skills, and knowledge to be successful
But, there is a 4th thing you need, and if you have it perhaps you don’t need the other 3.
That 4th thing is called support.

“I stand on principle and integrity period”. My success in part is due to my willingness to learn and to lead by example. I have had great mentors like Dr. Robert B. Ingram and Rita Boone-Fye. I am strategic and I align myself with likeminded women leaders. You become who you hang out with, and who you hang out with becomes attached to you, so be strategic and choose wisely. It’s what I call the algorithmic effect. This has helped me to secure my brand as a leader for women globally. I believe as a successful leader I have to look beyond the space that I am in. This global mindset will allow me to look at the world of opportunities around me. Imagine how successful we would be if we could just see beyond our limitations.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

As a strategic coach and advisor I advise all of my clients that a strategic mindset is important for success be it personal or profeessional. My proprietary Strategic Empowerment Wheel (SEW) brilliantly outlines this to help individuals accomplish goals.

It starts with the hub that is rooted in having a value system that serves as your core. Attached to this core are individual spokes that anchor you e.g. family, community, economics, education etc. Without a value system there is nothing that you can do that will bring you happiness. See attachment – Strategic Empowerment Wheel

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shannanighodaro.com
• Instagram: shannan_ighodaro
• Facebook: Lady Shannan Ighodaro
• Linkedin: Shannan Ighodaro, MBA

Image Credits

Strategic Empowerment Wheel (c) Shannan Ighodaro 2018