5. Owning Your Life: A Late Bloomer’s Renaissance with Yuniya Khan

Join me as I reconnect with an old friend and colleague, Yuniya Khan, to explore the meandering paths that lead us to fulfilling careers. Listen as Yuniya shares her transformation from a television and radio graduate to the founder of Uplift Global Consulting, revealing how she embraced her passion for narrative change concerning Africa and the African diaspora. Her story is a testament to listening to one's inner voice, the courage in risk-taking, and the impact of storytelling in challenging long-held perceptions. In our conversation, we open up about the struggles many face in aligning their careers with their true passions and abilities. We recount the emotional challenges of conventional employment, where initial enthusiasm often fades into restlessness and a sense of underachievement. This chapter is a nod to those feeling the weight of societal norms and serves as an encouragement to honor individuality in our professional and personal pursuits, including whether or not to have children. We celebrate the idea that life's potential for growth and connection does not diminish with age, offering inspiration and camaraderie to fellow “late bloomers” who continue to unfold their paths with each new chapter.

Yuniya’s bio:

With more than 20 years in international nonprofit and social enterprise spaces, Yuniya’s work has focused on youth development, education programs, entrepreneurship initiatives, and talent acquisition for nonprofit organizations. Originally from Guyana, she has lived and worked in El Salvador, Brazil, and South Africa.

A storyteller at heart, Yuniya is the founder of The Emerge Project, a multimedia storytelling initiative that aims to elevate the voice and impact of "ordinary" Black grassroots entrepreneurs and community leaders in South Africa and Brazil. She is also the founder of Uplift Global Consulting, which provides program management, storytelling, and partnership-building services to nonprofits and mission-centered organizations, with a particular focus on Africa and the African Diaspora. She currently leads Africa No Filter’s Storify Africa Fellowship, a narrative change program linking African journalists and content creators with international organizations and philanthropies who want to tell better stories about Africa.

Resources:
Facebook: @yuniya.khan or @upliftglobalconsulting
Instagram: @upliftglobal
LinkedIn
Uplift Global Consulting

Lisamcnees.com
Visit me on Instagram

Summary

• Creating meaningful lives with a 30-year friend. 1:13
• Personal journey, consulting business, and professional growth. 2:22
• Following passions, taking risks, and navigating unfulfilling jobs.4:10
• Delayed dreams, struggling in jobs that don’t fit, creating our own job. 10:29
• Trying to fit into societal expectations. 17:43
• Other people’s judgment of our choices. 19:57
• Feeling most like yourself through travel and maintaining connections. 25:12
• Midlife renaissance, late bloomer, and new beginnings. 31:25
• Cultivating curiosity, and creating our unique life takes time. 37:11