Jayzen is excited to welcome Sharon Smith-Akinsanya to the show. Sharon is the CEO of an incredible agency based in Minneapolis that helps Fortune 500 companies attract and retain top diverse talent in their organizations. She brings amazing stories of her career, including her years working for Prince, all with valuable insight and advice.
What’s the best career advice? Find a hole and fill it. Achieving that career breakthrough is not about waiting for a reward, it is about showing your value. What is the need that my department, my company or the industry has right now that I can fill? How can I show my talents and passions in a way that benefits my project team and be recognized by the right people? Is there a need that my company has that might be a lateral assignment, but shows commitment, expands my skill set and gives me exposure to new opportunities? Getting to the next level is about finding and/or creating the opportunities that propel your career forward.
Sharon has built a career out of creating opportunities that use her passions and talents to meet the needs of the marketplace and her clients. She’s a master of networking and knowing when and how to both leverage and nurture her network.
Guest Bio
SHARON SMITH-AKINSANYA
is the CEO of Rae Mackenzie Group™—an award-winning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) marketing firm—and founder of the People Of Color Careers™ Social Hiring Network. With over 20 years of experience in the DEI space, Sharon has advised Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and top employers including U.S. Bank, Midco, Andersen Windows & Doors, Thrivent, Make-A-Wish® America, Best Buy, Target, Verizon Wireless, and more to help them build more authentic relationships with Communities of Color.
In her signature candid but accessible style, Sharon busts down workplace obstacles, addresses the fears that keep many leaders stuck in silence, and shares a proven path to transforming and preparing organizations to be COLORFULL.
Her book, COLORFULL: Competitive Strategies to Attract and Retain Top Talent of Color is loaded with insights from leaders committed to breaking the cycle. COLORFULL offers simple steps for creating change from the top down, helping leaders to overcome their concerns about doing or saying the wrong thing, and demonstrating first-hand accounts of why it’s so important to Lead Out Loud. COLORFULL is the easy-to-digest DEI marketing playbook leaders have been waiting for. Sharon is the founder of People Of Color Careers™ Social Hiring Network, the place for Professionals of Color to connect directly with recruiters and hiring managers from the nation’s leading companies and land their dream careers. PeopleOfColorCareers.com is the only social hiring network working directly with CEOs and C-suite executives to eliminate barriers and bring real change.
Links 
To learn more about Lead With Your Brand and the Career Breakthrough Mentoring program , please visit : https://www.leadwithyourbrand.com
To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop at your company, visit : https://www.jayzenpatria.com
Please connect on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayzenpatria
To catch up with our guest, Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, check out:
Sharon's official site: boldlysharon.com
Sharon's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoldlySharon
Sharon's FB: https://www.facebook.com/sharonsmithakinsanya
Sharon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonsmithakinsanya/
Sharon's IG: https://www.instagram.com/boldlysharon/