Ep. 183: Akosua Dardaine Edwards – It Starts & Ends with Self, Self-Belief, & Self-Love

In honor of women’s history month, today’s guest is here to teach us to stop listening to the voices of other people! They force us to do or be certain things that aren’t authentic with who we are. It’s only when we get real about who we are and why we are here in this world----and listen to the voices within us---that we can truly function with compassion and self-love.

Akosua Dardaine Edwards is happy to share the lessons she has learned on her journey, based on the foundation of self-love and self-belief. Akosua loves working on the ground level with people of all ages, seeing the transformation firsthand. She is an author, TED talk speaker, and a fantastic truth-speaker. I’m thrilled to meet up with my new friend Akosua today and introduce her to you!

YOU have a story to tell

Have you ever felt alone and like a failure? Akosua was going through a rough patch in life, and her definition of success was linked to material things and a certain lifestyle. When she “lost it all,” in the human sense, she was left with just herself---a situation that she found difficult to navigate. To deal with this, she ran away to Uganda. It was there that she realized who she really was and why she was here. This led her to the realization that we all have a story to tell, which became the basis for her wildly inspirational TED talk, “There is power in your story.”

TWEET: At the end of it all, WE have to define what makes us joyful. #chasingdreams @akosuadedwards

“Not enoughness”

Have you encountered those moments of “not enoughness?” Fighting against it takes work every day, doing the work faithfully, and being courageous. Akosua says, “You have to be willing to fail, because failure is just an opportunity for you to know that this is not where you are supposed to be.” You have to know WHO you are----not who you THINK you are. Akosua’s message is that you can’t define yourself by what you do for a living or what you own, and don’t ever let your life revolve around things that are fleeting.

TWEET: “Not enoughness” will mash you up! #chasingdreams @akosuadedwards

If people lived in their truth . . .

What if we all lived in our truth? The potential is mind-blowing! Here we are, forcing each other to do certain things and live in certain ways, which only causes people to hide themselves in addictions and so many other things. If we all lived in our truth, social ills would change, people would change, and SO many issues would be eliminated. Besides all of those reasons, whether or not you live in YOUR truth affects your mental health. Akosua shares how she finally learned to honor the voices within herself.

TWEET: Do not be afraid of yourself and spending time with yourself. #chasingdreams @akosuadedwards

Guest Recommendation: ONE action for a dream chaser to take--”Start it. Stop talking about it. Just start anywhere and stop making excuses----say YES.”

Become a Patreon supporter of Chasing Dreams to see an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview with Akosua!

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE:

[:32] Akosua’s TED talk topic[4:39] “Not enoughness”[9:22] How to fight against “not enoughness”[11:57] Losing everything----and being OK[15:22] Why you can’t let TV tell you what to value[18:47] Defining what makes you joyful[21:44] If people lived their truth . . .[24:17] No limits on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc.[25:32] How moments of failure make us feel[27:07] How living your truth affects your mental health[33:37] ONE action for a dream chaser

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

www.aimeej21.com/episode183

In honor of women’s history month, today’s guest is here to teach us to stop listening to the voices of other people! They force us to do or be certain things that aren’t authentic with who we are. It’s only when we get real about who we are and why we are here in this world----and listen to the voices within us---that we can truly function with compassion and self-love.

Akosua Dardaine Edwards is happy to share the lessons she has learned on her journey, based on the foundation of self-love and self-belief. Akosua loves working on the ground level with people of all ages, seeing the transformation firsthand. She is an author, TED talk speaker, and a fantastic truth-speaker. I’m thrilled to meet up with my new friend Akosua today and introduce her to you!

YOU have a story to tell

Have you ever felt alone and like a failure? Akosua was going through a rough patch in life, and her definition of success was linked to material things and a certain lifestyle. When she “lost it all,” in the human sense, she was left with just herself---a situation that she found difficult to navigate. To deal with this, she ran away to Uganda. It was there that she realized who she really was and why she was here. This led her to the realization that we all have a story to tell, which became the basis for her wildly inspirational TED talk, “There is power in your story.”

TWEET: At the end of it all, WE have to define what makes us joyful. #chasingdreams @akosuadedwards

“Not enoughness”

Have you encountered those moments of “not enoughness?” Fighting against it takes work every day, doing the work faithfully, and being courageous. Akosua says, “You have to be willing to fail, because failure is just an opportunity for you to know that this is not where you are supposed to be.” You have to know WHO you are----not who you THINK you are. Akosua’s message is that you can’t define yourself by what you do for a living or what you own, and don’t ever let your life revolve around things that are fleeting.

TWEET: “Not enoughness” will mash you up! #chasingdreams @akosuadedwards

If people lived in their truth . . .

What if we all lived in our truth? The potential is mind-blowing! Here we are, forcing each other to do certain things and live in certain ways, which only causes people to hide themselves in addictions and so many other things. If we all lived in our truth, social ills would change, people would change, and SO many issues would be eliminated. Besides all of those reasons, whether or not you live in YOUR truth affects your mental health. Akosua shares how she finally learned to honor the voices within herself.

TWEET: Do not be afraid of yourself and spending time with yourself. #chasingdreams @akosuadedwards

Guest Recommendation: ONE action for a dream chaser to take--”Start it. Stop talking about it. Just start anywhere and stop making excuses----say YES.”

Become a Patreon supporter of Chasing Dreams to see an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview with Akosua!

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE:

[:32] Akosua’s TED talk topic[4:39] “Not enoughness”[9:22] How to fight against “not enoughness”[11:57] Losing everything----and being OK[15:22] Why you can’t let TV tell you what to value[18:47] Defining what makes you joyful[21:44] If people lived their truth . . .[24:17] No limits on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc.[25:32] How moments of failure make us feel[27:07] How living your truth affects your mental health[33:37] ONE action for a dream chaser

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

www.aimeej21.com/episode183

www.aimeej21.com/patreon   Become a Patreon supporter to see more from Akosua!

Akosua on Facebook

Akosua on Twitter

Akosua on Instagram 

Akosua on LinkedIn

Akosua’s Website

Akosua on YouTube

TWEETS YOU CAN USE: 

TWEET: Failure is just an opportunity to know that’s NOT where you should be. #chasingdreams @akosuadedwards

TWEET: I needed to know who I really am and why I am here. #chasingdreams @akosuadedwards

https://youtu.be/gdrXEwW5WUk