She pivoted her firing into a brand new business, on the spot. In this episode of The Happy Black Woman podcast you’re in for a real treat…it’s the story of how Dr. Monikah Ogando became a leading business coach and instructor as well as the CEO of her own business. It wasn’t your typical journey. She had been teaching a course for her employer all over the country and felt she was very successful in corporate America. But when she was called in to a meeting that she believed was going to be a positive one, she was actually fired. The company intended to hold on to the intellectual property she had created, but she hadn’t signed an intellectual property agreement. So she kept her training course as her own, struck a deal to be a consultant with the company to continue the trainings for them, and started her own business on the spot. Hear her tell the story herself, on this episode. [Tweet "From Fired to Focused: How @MonikahOgando turned being laid off into a successful business"] Facing cancer and starting a business at the same time. When Dr. Monikah Ogando was fired from her job at a high level financial planning company she pivoted the rejection into one of her greatest opportunities. But there was another big problem. She’d just been diagnosed with cancer and didn’t know what impact that might have on the fledgling business she was starting. How would you handle that? Would you have the strength, confidence, and resilience to fight both of those battles at the same time? Listen to Dr. Oganado’s explanation of how it happened and glean some principles of mindset and belief that you can apply to your own journey. “You have to decide if you’re going to live or die.” When Monikah was diagnosed with cancer her head was spinning. Then she got fired from her corporate job and that same day began her new consulting and speaking business. It was a tough week. In the back of her mind her health situation loomed. She made her decisions in a non-committal way many times because she wasn’t sure if she’d actually be around to enjoy the fruit of her labors. That’s when a mentor said, “You have to decide if you’re going to live or die. Because the things you do will be different if you intend to live than they will be if you intend to die.” That moment of clarity gave Monikah the ability to set aside her fears and fight the cancer, with every intention of living to care for daughter and build her business. Hear the whole story on this episode. [Tweet ""Instead of making fear your enemy, make it one of your trusted advisors" - @MonikahOgando"] How an introvert CEO keeps herself going. Very few people who meet Dr. Monikah Ogando would think she’s an introvert, but that’s how she describes herself. When she’s in her role as CEO of her company or coaching and training, she’s outgoing, friendly, and engaging. But that’s her business role. She steps into those shoes because it’s her calling, her passion. But as a true introvert she needs time alone to unwind, regroup, and rejuvenate for what lies ahead. How does she do it? It all comes down to the way she manages her weeks and protects her weekends. She sets boundaries and guidelines that serve her health, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. That way she’s ready to go when Monday comes again… ready to fulfill her calling. You can glean some valuable tips from Dr. Monikah on this episode, so take the time to listen. There is nobody coming. God sent you! There’s something about modern culture that pushes us toward depending on others or hoping for a circumstance to turn out fortuitously in our favor. But Dr. Monikah has learned that hoping doesn’t get the work done. Hoping doesn’t accomplish things. Hoping doesn’t fulfill dreams. As a result she’s developed a short saying to remind herself to go for the dreams she’s got inside. “There is nobody coming. God sent you!” The idea is that she shouldn’t be looking for someone or something to rescue her. Instead, she needs to understand