Unspeakable Leadership

Hosted by Rohene Bouajram

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Unspeakable Leadership is a global conversation diving deep into the vibrant and dynamic world of women of colour in leadership roles. Join us on a rollercoaster ride where the host, Rohene, and guests share stories of navigating challenges, turning a serious journey into a joyous exploration with laughter, cringe-worthy tales, and empowering moments. Let's take a break in our day and revel in the reminder that the world needs women of color leading authentically. Tune in, buckle up, and embark on this thrilling adventure with us! Rohene Bouajram is an international speaker and 20-year educator and leader in the higher education space. You can learn more of her work on www.rohenebouajram.com.

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37 recent

June 11, 202635 min

Developing the Mindset to Dream Big & Build Boldly

What if the shift you are waiting for is not external, but internal? In this episode, Rohene Bouajram sits down with Nicole Allyson, a certified life coach and solopreneur, to talk about what it really takes to dream bigger, choose yourself, and step into an arena you define for your own life.Together, they explore the mindset shifts that help women move beyond people pleasing, rewrite limiting narratives, and reconnect with the inner voice many of us quiet over time.We cover:• The cost of living small and the moment you begin choosing yourself• Why mindset is a daily choice• Language patterns that keep us stuck and the “but to and” shift• How to connect your dreams to how you want to feel• What it looks like to walk into spaces without shrinking• Breaking free from mental cages built by fear, expectations, and systems• Reimagining what your personal arena can look likeThis conversation is warm, honest, expansive, and full of practical insight for anyone ready to build boldly.Connect with Nicole:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-allyson-50b774354/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleallysonlifecoach/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nicoleallyson10Website: https://nicoleallysonlifecoach.com/Connect with Rohene:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unspeakableleadership/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rohenebouajram?lang=enWebsite: rohenebouajram.comWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qbRx-8-dUms Resources mentioned in this episode:Free Resources: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resources

June 4, 202615 min

When “Good Enough” Isn’t Enough Anymore

In this season-opening reflection, Rohene Bouajram invites us into a personal exploration of what happens after we cross the line. Through stories of immigration, identity, and the emotional cost of shrinking, she reveals how survival can become a thermostat that limits what many women of colour believe they are allowed to have.Rohene reflects on inherited ceilings, inherited definitions of success, and the dreams we silence to appear humble or grateful. She shares the moment she realized that good enough was no longer enough and what it means to desire a life that feels expansive, aligned, abundant, and self-authored.This episode invites listeners to question the lives they inherited before they could consciously choose them, reconnect with the desires they whisper only in private, and begin imagining arenas built on truth rather than fear. Rohene closes with four powerful questions designed to help us move toward clarity, courage, and honest self-trust.This opener sets the tone for a season rooted in expansion, honesty, and the freedom to build a life that reflects who we truly are.Resources mentioned in this episode:Newsletter sign-up: https://www.rohenebouajram.comConnect with Rohene:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Book me to speak: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/speakingWebsite: https://www.rohenebouajram.comAccess resources to redefine your leadership:https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resourcesWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BtJQZDpTJL4

November 20, 202516 min

I Am Not the Problem, Neither Are You.

In this season-closing reflection, Rohene Bouajram invites us to release one of the most persistent lies many of us carry: that who we are is something to fix. Through stories, letters, and the wisdom gathered from this season’s guests, she explores the living practices of radical self-acceptance and radical self-trust as pathways back to ourselves.We hear what it truly means to stop rehearsing smaller versions of who we are and start choosing the line to cross next, thought by thought, memory by memory, step by step. Rohene shares pieces of her own journey, including the grief of staying too long, the courage to leave, and the sacred act of devoting herself to truth, joy, and alignment. This finale reminds us that desires are data, our bodies are an archive of wisdom, and our individual becoming is right on time.Resources mentioned in this episode:Letter to my future self: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W50R91BWtkLetter to my younger self: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rohenebouajram_letterstolilly-activity-7389650833426116608-jZbr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA3_LxMBYpNXcEAOCEyDg5fooYqV0LJc-UU Connect with Rohene:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Book me to speak: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/speakingWebsite www.rohenebouajram.com Access resources to redefine your leadership: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resources Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HGDNXxPfj0c?si=OiJVxlqFfTiX58v8

November 13, 202552 min

Decolonizing Mental Health By Returning to Your Body

The answers you’ve been searching for have been living in your body all along.In this conversation with Kay Thellot, an ethnotherapist and founder of Prensip Minokan, we explore what it means to decolonize mental health and its role in our leadership journey. Remembering that our healing isn’t something we have to earn, it’s something we return to. Kay shares with Rohene Bouajram how reconnecting with ancestral practices, movement, and the quiet wisdom of the body helps us reclaim the parts of ourselves that colonial systems taught us to silence.We talk about how fear can look like excitement, what it means to cross the line back to your true self, and why the body is both archive and compass for women of colour reclaiming their power in leadership roles. Connect with Kay:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kay-thellot-0300aa251](http://linkedin.com/in/kay-thellot-0300aa251)Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prensip.minokan/?hl=enWebsite: https://www.prensipminokan.com/ Connect with Rohene:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Website www.rohenebouajram.com Access resources to redefine your leadership: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resources Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OyBTHVaCa2o?si=FclnHElQovw5YCUG

November 6, 202539 min

Dare to be Ambitious: Redefine, Hold Joy, and Build Self-Trust

Ambition, radical self-trust, and intentional joy. This conversation between Rohene Bouajram and Bianca B. King explores what it means for women of colour to redefine ambition on our own terms. Leaving home at 13, later walking away from a successful corporate real estate career, and rebuilding from her “$38 moment” are all experiences that Bianca points back to as a series of catalysts to cross her line into the next version of herself. That experience fueled her mission to help women pursue success with joy, rather than burnout. Rohene and Bianca unpack the difference between ambition and perfectionism, and how women can reframe ambition as a source of self-liberation rather than pressure. This episode reminds us that success and joy can coexist, and radical self-trust is the bridge between ambition and peace. Connect with Bianca:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/biancahenryking/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pdambitious/Website: https://www.biancabking.com/  Connect with Rohene:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Website www.rohenebouajram.com Access resources to redefine your leadership: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resources Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NQwe3WUayMY?si=x949JvLHmJFYQKp5

October 30, 202535 min

Ancient Intelligence for Women Leaders in the AI Era

Ancient wisdom, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, meditation, breathwork, and shamanic healing can help women lead with clarity and confidence in the age of AI.Guest Leslie Ann Keeler shares how her journey through loss, cultural identity, and motherhood has shaped her leadership philosophy, integrating spirituality, neuroscience, and presence. Rohene and Leslie discuss what it means to balance technological innovation with grounded humanity and how community can serve as a stabilizing force in an AI-driven world. Listen for how practices like breathwork and nervous system regulation restore balance, deepen self-trust, and reconnect leaders to purpose. This episode invites you to reflect on the divine preparation behind every calling. It reminds us that ancient intelligence is the wisdom that keeps us whole and grounded as the world accelerates forward.Connect with Leslie:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslieannkeeler/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslieannkeeler/ Connect with Rohene:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Website www.rohenebouajram.com Access resources to redefine your leadership: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resourcesWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/X_U2hmT6LaQ?si=f6DoB0Q8uwPt1Hca

October 23, 202542 min

How Neurodivergent Women Lead Through Radical Acceptance

In this episode, masking, ADHD, neurodivergent identity, and radical acceptance take center stage as Ammara Wood shares her story of unlearning and rediscovery. She opens up about the years spent hiding her true self to survive in systems that were never built for her, and the liberation that came from choosing authenticity over approval. Through her lens as a late-diagnosed Black woman with ADHD, Ammara explores how neurodivergent women can reclaim their power by embracing self-awareness and self-compassion.Rohene Bouajram and Ammara Wood unpack what it means to “cross the line” from silence to radical self-acceptance and how that act becomes a form of leadership. There is an emotional toll of masking, courage required to stop, and organizational shifts needed to create inclusive workplaces.This episode is a raw, healing dialogue about identity, resilience, and the freedom that follows when we stop performing and start leading from who we truly are. Connect with Ammara:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ammara-wood/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blissfully_ndWebsite: https://paperbell.me/blissfullynd Connect with Rohene:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Website www.rohenebouajram.com Access resources to redefine your leadership: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resourcesWatch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRktD6YQ3cs

October 16, 202535 min

Comparison: The Thief of Courage + Visualization as a Tool to Overcome

Fear, comparison, and visualization take center stage in this conversation between host Rohene Bouajram and guest Urmi Hossain.Together, they explore how women of colour can break free from the silent race of measuring themselves against others and learn to cross the line into authentic leadership. Urmi shares how she transformed fear into an ally through daily acts of courage, intentional self-reflection, and the power of visualization. She opens up about her journey of unlearning comparison, manifesting purpose, and finding success on her own terms.This episode covers: the inner critic, cultural conditioning, and how fear often disguises itself as protection. Through stories of growth and resilience, Urmi shows that courage isn’t the absence of fear; rather, it’s the decision to keep moving forward anyway. Connect with Urmi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/urmihossain/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urmamio/Website: https://www.womeninleadership.ca/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@urmihossain Connect with Rohene:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Website www.rohenebouajram.com Access resources to redefine your leadership: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resources Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2a9cHrf_Xc

October 9, 202539 min

The Cost of Being The Nice Girl

What happens when being “nice” stops being a survival tool and starts holding you back? In this conversation, Rohene Bouajram sits down with Amira Barger, award-winning executive and author of The Price of Nice, to unpack the hidden costs of being “the nice girl” in leadership and life.We cover:Why “nice” often means silence, shrinking, or complianceWhy the opposite of nice isn’t mean, it’s nerveHow crossing the line can look like small, everyday acts of courageThe difference between your “authentic self” and your “chosen self”What it really takes to lead with boldness, especially for women of colorThis episode is both a mirror and a challenge: what’s the cost of your nice and what would it look like to practice more nerve? Grab Amira's book on her website, which currently has a special discount until October 28, 2025. Connect with Amira:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirabarger/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amirabarger/?hl=enWebsite: https://amirabarger.com/ Connect with Rohene:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Website www.rohenebouajram.com Access resources to redefine your leadership: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resourcesWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iigMiz6mS5k

October 2, 202510 min

True Leadership Begins with Crossing the Line

In this opening episode of Unspeakable Leadership Season 4, host Rohene Bouajram introduces the theme: She Crossed the Line.Rohene shares a personal story from her childhood in Zimbabwe—her first race, the struggle of undiagnosed asthma, and the defining moment when her mother’s voice urged her to keep going. From that experience comes a lesson that still echoes today: leadership isn’t about arriving first; it’s about finding the courage to cross the line.This season explores the lines we all face: rules, expectations, ceilings, promises, and invisible barriers. Then we're called to consider what happens when women dare to step beyond them. You’ll hear stories, reflections, and tools to help you redefine leadership on your own terms.In this episode:The origin story behind She Crossed the LineWhat “the line” means in leadership and lifeFour grounding prompts to help you reflect and take actionAn invitation to step into authorship instead of interpretationConnect with Rohene:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohenebouajram/Website: www.rohenebouajram.com Access resources to redefine your leadership: https://www.rohenebouajram.com/resources Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3rT517L7N60