Joy Is At The Center Of Motivational Speaker’s Work

Bose Akadiri is a Motivational Speaker and Corporate Trainer and the Founder of Goal and Grind. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BOSE AKADIRI.
Bose Akadiri is a Motivational Speaker and Corporate Trainer and the Founder of Goal and Grind. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BOSE AKADIRI.

Joy Is At The Center Of Motivational Speaker’s Work

By Tia Carol Jones

Bose Akadiri is a Motivational Speaker and Corporate Trainer, who offers keynote speeches, corporate workshops and shares inspiring/actionable tips on joyful, holistic living through social media. She believes that joy is the foundation, not just the reward when it comes to goal setting.

Akadiri created Goal and Grind because she was asked how she made the transformations in her life. Originally from Oklahoma, Akadiri moved to Chicago 10 years ago, with no job and no network. She said it was very strategic and very rooted in joy.

Akadiri described Goal and Grind as a place of joy. She has a five-step method where people get grounded in their own joy, and build goals from there. She said people don’t have to wait to accomplish a list of things to get to joy, they deserve to have joy immediately. 

Akadiri facilitates three kinds of workshops. Her staple workshop is the Vision and Goals workshop. The majority of her clients who attend that event are women, but there are some men who attend. It is the one event that is open to the public.

“It’s really for people who want to make a positive change in their life and are ready to go after what I call their dream life,” she said.

The Elevator Pitch and Beyond workshop starts from a place of joy with their goals, personally and professionally, and learning about the intentions and skills that go along with that. The goal is for attendees to craft an elevator pitch and start to brand themselves professionally, in order to get the role they want. 

The attendees also learn how to build their network. Akadiri said companies ask her to come in and do this workshop for rotational analyst or intern groups and early career groups, because it positions them for strategic growth.

Akadiri said that organizations and teams are drawn to the work she does with Goal and Grind because she provides an outside perspective with a new twist and new flavor, and she is sharing a proven methodology in an inspiring and positive way. She said she creates an environment of trust and strategic career planning.

“When companies bring me in, then that shows employee retention, employee engagement, and it really strengthens their talent pipeline,” she said.

Akadiri said that listening to what companies are providing to their employees helps her connect and engage with her corporate audiences. That way, what she brings is additive and not duplicative. She said what makes her workshops stand out is that she takes the time to tailor portions to her specific clients, by having very strategic conversations with them so she can provide the right tools. 

“The things that no one teaches you when you are in school, I bring that to the table and empower their employees, empower them in a way that they feel confident and they are clear when they are talking about their career aspirations,” she said.

Akadiri looks at goals from a holistic approach, which includes personal, professional, health and financial. She said it’s all interconnected and by seeing how the dots are connected, it empowers a person to make goals that make sense and supports each other in those areas. For example, if a person know that they will have a lot going on in their personal life in one quarter, they can ensure their professional goals and other goals they are working on happens in a different quarter. That way, everything comes together in a nice, holistic way.

Akadiri said that change is inevitable. She said by recognizing where a person is and where the team they are working with is, they can navigate transitions like leadership changes, restructuring or cultural shifts in the workplace. She added that when a person understands their own strengths and what they bring to a team and are open to the change also helps. She said when people understand their strengths and the strengths of the other people on their team, they can come together like a beautiful puzzle.

Akadiri said that she wishes people knew that joy is the foundation of goal setting not the reward. She said when people use joy as the foundation, they can build more meaningful goals.

“I am on a mission to make sure everybody know that they deserve joy right now and that it is the foundation of goal setting,” she said.

Akadiri also has a Finish Line Fridays on her platforms where she encourages people to reflect on their wins and how the week went. She said she does that because when people reflect in their wins, it is much easier to compile them at the end of the month or end of the quarter and create joy-based, intentional goals.

Akadiri is launching free resources, courses on building a personal brand, how to answer  interview questions and how people can network their way into a job, as well as negotiating. 

For more information about Goal and Grind, visit www.goalandgrind.com. You can also find Bose Akadiri and Goal and Grind on LinkedIn. She is also on Instagram and YouTube.


Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

100 Black Men of Chicago, Chairman David Day