Outlier's Edge Podcast with Niiamah Ashong

Hosted by Niiamah Ashong

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995

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Outlier's Edge Podcast is a live coaching podcast where we come together in conversation to work through the challenges and apply the gifts of being a unique tribe of high-performing, high-impact entrepreneurs, changemakers, and leaders who choose to play a bigger game of impact, influence, and income than we've ever play before. What's an Outlier? An Outlier is a high-performing, high-impact leader who often is: One of the Only: Thrive in systems/environments that were not designed to have someone like them succeed, One of the First: Thrive doing things no one else has ever done or dares to even try One of a Kind: Thrive on their unconventional and independent terms regardless of what others around them are doing THIS IS A PODCAST FOR PEOPLE WHO: - aren't afraid of "playing small", but are scared of "thinking medium". - Are exploring new frontiers in society or their field - Are at the top of their field or business against typical odds and expectations from others like them, - Are taking an independent and unconventional approach outside of the status-quo - know that their mindsets, limiting beliefs, and other internal struggles are actually shared with other leaders who stand for a new vision of the future and change the world for those they lead HOW EACH PODCAST CONVERSATION IS GOING DOWN *Part 1- Your Journey* Features the unique stories of a different trailblazing leader as we explore the *inner* journey they went on as they were creating the outer results we all got to see. *Part 2 - Your Edge* Since this group of people are already out on the edge, traditional information doesn’t always serve them. They need new insights and perspectives, and the best way I know how to do that is through coaching. Each guest will have the option to play on their edge and get coaching around a challenge or a possibility they are working towards. I'm playing on my edge here as well. I have typically reserved coaching for my high-performing, high-impact clients as closed door sessions. It keeps my clients safe, and it keeps me safe. *But safe doesn't change the world.* Join us as we choose to be both safe AND brave by showcasing the impact coaching has to help us achieve belonging, possibility, and inclusion. Time to play at a higher level! *** Bonus since you made it this far *** Here's a special gift to support you for 14 days in navigating what lies beyond YOUR edge as a high-impact, high-performing leader https://outliersedge.com/oeguestpass

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 21, 202651 min

Coaching a Consultant Go From 1,000 Owners to One Institution | Andrew Frazier | Ep 1013

"We cannot solve high-level problems from the low level and hope it trickles its way up." — Niiamah Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Andrew Frazier. Andrew wants to do for small business growth what the credit score did for banks. He has the framework. He has seventeen years and a thousand business owners behind it. He is still pitching one advisor at a time. This session goes after the gap between the size of the ambition and the size of the entry point. What you will take away: Clarity is rarely the bottleneck. Courage is. You already know the path you are avoiding. You cannot solve a high-level problem from the low level and hope it trickles up. Match the entry point to the outcome. Every plan built entirely around you has a ceiling shaped like you. How do I becomes how do we. Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Live 02:00 - The credit score for small business 05:05 - What would make this life-changing 06:07 - Not clearer. More courageous 11:50 - This is not the edge 16:08 - Nobody in an emergency needs to understand 22:38 - Don't go after the giants 25:17 - What governs the institutions 39:39 - What level are you prepared to lead 43:58 - Does it need to be you Enter Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community

August 20, 202649 min

Coaching a Podcast Host With 300 Guests Fill His First Room | Ed Brenninger | Ep 1012

"The act of invitation is changing the world." - Niiamah Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Ed Brenninger. Ed has built a forty-year career on introducing people to people. Approaching three hundred unscripted conversations with local leaders nobody has heard of. He wants one percent of the world taking personal initiative in their own communities. He has never once asked any of them to host him. This one goes at the ask, the product underneath the format, and what has to change in the design when the number you picked is bigger than your calendar. Waiting to be invited is a decision, not a strategy. You are not selling the format. You are selling people being seen. If it only works when you are in the room, it is a schedule, not a movement. Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Live 01:00 - Three hundred strangers, no celebrities 03:07 - One percent of the world 13:33 - What would make this life-changing 16:23 - You are not selling conversation 20:06 - This vision is too small 24:14 - You are not asking people 25:27 - Niiamah introduces Ed out loud 32:06 - Invite yourself to the first 44:50 - Do not become the bottleneck Enter Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community

August 19, 202653 min

Coaching a 24 Year Coach Replace the Leads Google Took | Jae Gruenke | Ep 1011

"Leads just plunged, and you know, without a parachute, and I can't find a way to get lift again." - Jae Gruenke Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Jae Gruenke. Jae has spent 24 years teaching runners to stop fighting their bodies. First-timers to Olympians. Then search changed, and the leads stopped. This session is not about leads. It is about what happens when a master loses the felt sense of her own business, keeps translating herself down to be understood, and starts making every decision from a defensive crouch. Three things you leave with: - You cannot steer a business you can no longer feel. Get the sense back before you pick the tactic. - The method you sell is the method you are refusing to use on yourself. - Being found is not a gift. It is a move you have not made yet. Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Live 05:39 - What would make this life-changing 06:56 - Your business as your body 09:28 - The cliff in November 2024 11:01 - Not really is not zero 20:08 - Gates of the Greats 30:46 - AI erased what mattered most 32:58 - A gift outside her control 37:52 - Learning to speak runner 51:33 - Out of the crosshairs Enter Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community

August 18, 202648 min

Coaching a Keynote Speaker Double His Bookings to 24 | John Livesay | Ep 1010

"You no longer have to play their game." — Niiamah Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and John Livesay, the keynote speaker they call the Pitch Whisperer and author of The Sale Is in the Tale. John came in wanting to double his keynotes. What surfaced was the position underneath the number. A leader who says yes to almost everything because he does not believe the next one is coming. This session goes after the gap between the game you brought and the game actually available to you. Three things you leave with: • The goal you name out loud is usually one level too low • The genius people pay you for is the one you never turn on yourself • Imposter syndrome is an altitude reading, not a defect Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Podcast 01:17 - The self-esteem roller coaster 07:05 - Invisible, interesting, irresistible 13:25 - He wants to double keynotes 14:39 - Bureaus, referrals, and the block 22:14 - Answering the question too low 23:45 - Fifty requests, not twenty-four 29:56 - Never let himself think that 34:46 - The imposter voice shows up 41:20 - The quest is on Enter Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community

August 17, 202643 min

Coaching a Founder Who Reached 90M People Finally Gather Them | Marc Champagne | Ep 1009

"If he's not getting anything out of this, it is work only." — Niiamah Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Marc Champagne, author of Personal Socrates and host of Behind the Human. Marc has put his work in front of ninety million people. He does not count a single one of them. This session goes after the gap between reach and return. What happens when a leader builds something enormous and receives nothing back from it. Why the mind ends up choosing the direction instead of executing it. And what the unscalable move looks like when the scalable one is quietly draining you. What leaders take from this: - Reach is not return. Millions touched, zero gathered. - Refusing to count what you built means every goal restarts at zero. - The move that does not make sense on paper is usually the one that pays. Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Live 02:29 - Where Mental Fitness Came From 09:31 - The 250 Million Goal 11:22 - The 90 Million He Discounts 13:40 - What Do You Lose 17:15 - Give Your Mind a Rest 18:13 - Heart Fitness Enters the Room 25:25 - The Mind Runs Everything 29:53 - How Often Do You Gather 39:57 - Artist Inside a Business System Enter Marc Champgne's World: Konect Continue into Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community

August 16, 202659 min

Coaching a Series B CEO Fix His Co-Founder Problem | Len May | Ep 1008

"If we're in a foxhole together, you have my right side. I never ever ever have to worry about my right side." — Len Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Len May for a live coaching session. Len built a company to find root cause. Genetics, biomarkers, real prevention instead of another pill. Then he spent years treating a symptom inside his own leadership team. This session covers what happens when equity fails to produce ownership. What a partner actually is, as opposed to a person you like. And why the same conversation, repeated for years, is never a communication problem. Three things leaders take from this one: - Equity does not buy ownership behavior. If you keep re-incentivizing, the incentive was never the issue. - If you have to check your right side, you do not have a partner. - The conversation you keep having is the diagnosis. Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Live 03:38 - What Len Is Building 19:47 - Naming His Own Root Cause 24:12 - How Can I Help 36:43 - The Question Nobody Asked 37:47 - Partner Or Employee 43:20 - The Foxhole Test 51:44 - Treating A Partner Like Staff 54:10 - Push Versus Pull 58:05 - Raise The Bar Enter Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community

August 15, 202641 min

Coaching a Top 100 Broker Stop Doing $50 an Hour Work | Greg Viti | Ep 1007

"It's not that you're perfect 100% of the time. It's that when you step out of integrity with yourself, and you're aware of it, you go in and you clean it up." — Niiamah Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Greg Viti for a live coaching conversation. Greg can create demand anywhere. He walks into a hardware store and leaves with business. He has a seventy-unit building in play, and family money is circling a high-rise. He is also still writing his own contracts. This session goes after the reason the cheap work never leaves a leader's desk. It is not time. It is not the absence of good people. It is comfort. What you will take from it: Why you keep the work you are best at, and why that is the exact work that has to go The difference between operations and administration, and why naming the role wrong installs your own ceiling Your constraint is not opportunity. It is how much can move through you. Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Live 00:51 - The business is already waiting 02:05 - Hard to help through gloom 03:36 - The friend who coached him young 06:27 - Building a team now 09:30 - Feedback is a gift 17:47 - Letting go of control 21:07 - Fifty dollar an hour work 21:47 - Handing the paperwork to Susan 23:15 - Operations is not administration Enter Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community

August 14, 202648 min

Coaching a Poet Fund a $100K a Week Show | J Mase III | Ep 1006

"Ask for what you want, not what you think you can get." - Niiamah Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and J Mase III. J Mase is a poet, filmmaker, and immersive world designer building a ten-year project. The music is written. The workshop is staged. The money is not there. This session gets into what happens when a leader keeps applying for funding instead of asking for it, and what it costs to size your vision to what someone else can already picture. What you take away: - Why the size of your ask gets decided before you open your mouth - How to build the world before the money arrives - What one project big enough to hold all of you does that five good ones never will Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Live 02:48 - What A Cultural Worker Is 12:08 - What Would Make This Life-Changing 18:00 - One Project, Ten Years 26:15 - A Hundred Thousand A Week 29:30 - A World Of Mundane Lives 32:39 - Model The Future Now 33:30 - The MacKenzie Scott Ask 35:15 - Have You Actually Asked 52:34 - Build The Audience First Enter Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community

August 13, 20261 hr 16 min

Coaching a Caregiver Expert Rebuild After Losing Every Client | Elaine Sanchez | Ep 1005

"You have the one thing that AI will never have. You're actually human." - Niiamah Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Elaine for a live coaching session. Elaine has spent decades helping caregivers carry what most people never see. Then the funding disappeared and the business went with it. This session is about what happens next. What you'll take away: - Three customers is the same as zero. Name the one who pays. - The care that stops at your customer never reaches the person writing the check. - Fun is not a reward for later. It is the signal telling you where your leverage already is. Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Live 04:40 - What would change everything today 05:00 - "I want to be human" 12:34 - The business that disappeared overnight 19:04 - Three customers, no named buyer 32:55 - Where the care goes cold 43:13 - "I'm stuck" 49:36 - Rebuilding in COVID was fun 59:50 - Like digging post holes 1:06:11 - The doors already open Enter Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community

August 12, 202648 min

Coaching a Four-Figure Speaker Build a $50K Offer | David Reich | Ep 1004

"I think you're playing for the middle of the road right now, and you're getting middle of the road results." - Niiamah Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and David Reich for a live coaching session on the gap between being good in the room and getting into the room. David has performed magic since he was twelve, taught at Harvard and MIT, and has a TED talk. He still cannot bring himself to ask for a real fee. What you take away: - Every conversation you enter as the seller is a request. The reversal is one sentence long. - Hedging your bets is how you guarantee the middle of the road, in pricing and everywhere else. - Confidence you only feel after the sale is confidence that never gets you hired. Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast, hosted by Niiamah Ashong, Founder of Outlier's Edge and Sherpa of the World of Difference. On this podcast, you'll join other high-performing unconventional leaders and entrepreneurs (aka Outliers) as they talk about leveraging what makes them different to make a difference in the world. --Check out the video episode on YouTube !-- Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to Outlier's Edge Live 00:43 - The magician who went corporate 06:23 - Candid, authentic, and vulnerable 11:10 - Why haven't I heard of you 15:23 - Spray, pray, and carpet bomb 18:11 - Take me to twelve years old 22:47 - Every room he walks into 26:15 - Selling from the wrong seat 32:34 - You are in the seller position 36:18 - Playing for the middle of the road Enter Outlier’s Edge World: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website | Guild Community