You are the asset
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Casey: [00:00:00] Well, hello there. And welcome back to the purpose map podcasts. This is Casey Berglund, your host, and the founder of we're the end. Well, today I have an incredible guest on to share about how. You are the asset Aliyah Aluma doesn't she have a rockstar name? Aliyah Aluma is one of the most fascinating humans.
Casey: I think I've ever met. She is very brilliant. And I think a living example of the embodiment of a multi-faceted being, and she owns it. She knows that that is her superpower. That is her gift. She has. Interests and awarenesses at the intersection of art design, fashion, tech, cryptocurrency, and so much more social justice.
Casey: Uh, I don't know. She is amazing. [00:01:00] And I can't wait for you to hear her story in this episode so much is revealed about what it is that makes you, you. Through a Leah's story. I felt quite inspired to own my multifacetedness to own my, um, the parts that I sometimes shy away from hide from, uh, like for example, growing up on a farm and some of the unique experiences that come from that perspective.
Casey: Um, moving through my own trauma to, you know, learning about nutrition. And I feel like she inspired me to really look at all of the different parts of me and the ways in which, um, my upbringing and interests and natural gifts can come together through hyperlink. You'll learn more about that. In this episode, she shares her story from [00:02:00] growing up in a low income home with a single mother and what she learned about her own creativity out of necessity, to being a gifted.
Casey: To studying in university, uh, literature and getting into crypto art and how she consistently creates jobs for herself through being who she is and owning all of her different parts. This episode is bound to inspire you to really look at your life from this perspective of connectivity. And to see what the threads are among everything that you do and everything that you are enjoy.
Casey: I can't wait for you to meet Aliyah. Here we go. Let's dig in.
Casey:
Casey: Thank you for being here in this, in this cute little phone booth, [00:03:00] in-person at work nicer.
Casey: We're going to get a little toasty in here
Alia: as all. Great people
Casey: do. Exactly. I love it. So, um, we just pulled the card before digging in and it had these themes of like death. How did that impact you?
Alia: It hit me. It hit me hard. I have been thinking so much lately and I know you and I have recently spoken about how I've like, decided to like, let things go.
Alia: And I'm using like doors and walkways and streets as portals. And I'm like really like acting like or acting as like a vessel moving forward. I want to, um, move forward with my best self, my positive choices. And I want to leave behind all of these negative things. And there's a lot of things that I've been grappling with, like holding on, because I have these affordances from certain things, or I have these connections kind of like in like work.
Alia: There are a lot of good things about certain work positions that I'm in that I'm like, oh, I really love this. I don't want to give [00:04:00] this up. But then there are things that I'm like, oh, I tread this. This is making it so difficult to enjoy the things that I love and I've been grappling with. Do I give that up?
Alia: And I do have other opportunities and other things, but it's like the moving on period. So I think that's really interesting. Um, but I got that because I've been dealing with this for a long time and like, what do I let go of once? Do I stick to what do I carry forward? Um, so that's
Casey: yeah. And when, when we were speaking about doing this episode together and talking about this overall theme of value worth, um, getting paid currency, like the intersections of all these things and women, and when we were talking, we kind of came up with this overall theme of a discussion based on like you are the asset.
Casey: And when I first looked at this card, I was like, every time I felt like every time I sat more fully [00:05:00] into my authenticity, um, And my fullness and wholeness. And every time I like pull these different parts together in my being, um, it's like a past version dies. And I think there's something to that card for me that is, is connected in with this topic of like being the asset, being valuable, being worthy and in our like evolution or growth, or I do this with my hands, this sort of circling motion, this upward spiral.
Casey: I feel like that's how growth is. And we're like circling around these different patterns, uh, letting go of what doesn't serve, letting go of past identities, letting, letting the ego die a little bit in order to be more expressed. So, yeah, it's kind of like, we have slightly different takes on the card, but I feel like they
Alia: intersect too.
Alia: I definitely feel like they do intersect. And when you [00:06:00] made the comment about. Um, it's like a part of you guys are passed out for something like you because you become a new person. I have noticed that there are these like trends in my life where everything changes so much, that it's almost like I am a completely different person.
Alia: If I do not recognize myself, the people around me are not the same, the way I present myself as not the same. Um, It's just even sometimes the way I speak or like the vocabulary that I start to adopt or how I work, vocabulary grows the cadence of my voice. Like everything actually changes. And I do feel different.
Alia: And people often say that if I run into people from a past life, or like a few years prior, oh, you're so different now, or you've changed or you've grown, or you've tried so many interesting things, but it's, um, it's kind of funny to always have people be like, oh, I've been watching the whole time. Yeah.
Alia: I've always looked, I've been watching what you're doing, what you're going through. And it's weird because you think that you do it alone. Like so much of it. You think that like, there's no one else around you that you're just having these moments and changing, but people are [00:07:00] always watching and people are always seeing in a different way.
Alia: They're like being inspired by it or they're learning from it. But at the same time, it's, it's like they, this distance that grows between you and those people when like people can observe you changing. Whereas when you are the person changing yourself, you're only looking at the things that you want to bring with you.
Alia: So it's, it's weird. It's like your past life always looking in and like you reminded, I dunno, there's a little,
Casey: yeah, totally. And, you know, When we first met since we first met, like, you are someone that I think is so interesting because you do have all these different parts that you bring together and, and even, you know, like we've only connected three or four times, really these three times in person, this is the fourth.
Casey: Yeah. And, um, yeah, every time I connect with you, I feel like I learn about a different part of you and also about a different part of your [00:08:00] path that you're on. That is like constantly evolving and growing. And I guess I'm curious, Hm, could you give an example of how that patterns may be showing up right now, like this, this pattern of, of growth or exploring different sides, um, and maybe like letting go, you started to speak about it.
Casey: I guess when we first talked about the card, but,
Alia: um, goodness. So I guess a lot is changing. Like this last year of my life was probably one of the most difficult. I went through a lot of different changes and a lot of things that I didn't have as precedents to deal with or things that I hadn't dealt with in a very long time.
Alia: It just was a lot of interesting challenges. I, I do feel like a completely different person, but some of the examples I guess, would just be something that was really big for me, was transitioning out of being a student. I did two [00:09:00] undergrads and a master's and then now I'm not doing anything. I'm not taking classes anymore.
Alia: That was a really big, strange identity thing. I was like, should I just do a PhD because I know how to be in school. Right. I know how to do that. And taking over the new identity of not being a student was really difficult because a lot of my self proclaiming value came, I think, from. My academic success.
Alia: So that was really big. And then trying to find that same feeling or that interest in other places, right. When you're sitting in a classroom, at least for me, I know this isn't the same for everybody, but when I'm sitting in a classroom and I'm learning something new, I'm going to crazy excited about everything.
Alia: And then I'll have, I'll read something and I'll get an idea. Not an idea will lead to another idea. And another one and another one. And it's like, I'm living with this constant mind map inside of my head and seeing all of these different things and how all of these things are connected. And I wasn't getting that in my everyday life.[00:10:00]
Alia: So I was like, is his life inspiring? Are there things here? So that was also, um, so that was a challenge finding interest in the things around me. So I spent the last year really working on that and I. Some of the other changes that I went through were just career finding things that I liked, finding things that I found valuable.
Alia: And then also finding places that viewed me as valuable. And I understand that. And a lot of jobs, like a lot of jobs are set up so that multiple people can do them so that people can be replaced. And that is a successful work model and capitalism, but I never really loved that. Like if I enter a workplace and I'm just one of the, like one of the cogs in the machine, I'm like, what am I doing here?
Alia: This isn't, what's gonna bring me life. It's funny because this last year, all of the jobs that I've taken are actually jobs that were created for me. [00:11:00] So they're not jobs that existed prior to me being in that space. So, whoa,
Casey: that just gave me tingles that that feels like, yep. That's, that's a point to double click on what I heard you say is that everything that's come to you more recently has been created for you because of you being an asset.
Casey: You know, and, and I guess I also have been thinking a lot
Alia: about, um,
Casey: just value worth, et cetera. When I think about a human being an asset, it's a Europe priceless asset. Like you can't put a dollar number on you as an asset and the different things that you bring to the table. And of course, um, it is tied into you being you and, you know, embodying all your, all of your intersecting parts and being like uniquely.
Casey: Unique, um, allows you to bring something to the table that does create value that then gets paid for, right. But you as a [00:12:00] being are, are priceless. And I think this, this is super interesting, this piece around like all of these opportunities that you've received have been created for you. So tell us about them,
Alia: right?
Alia: So I always like to tell people that you can do anything with what you know, and if you need to learn something, you learn it, right. You have all of these different skills and everything that you're capable of doing is able to contribute to any field in a different way, right? Like you can be useful anywhere.
Alia: You can be an asset anywhere because of what, you know, you just have to remind yourself what's in you. What you've learned, what you let skills that you have. And essentially my. Life the course of my life is finding opportunities without really looking for them. But it's because I am putting forward a type of energy that a lot of people don't put effort into introducing to people that they think might not be significant or they think, I don't know, maybe the [00:13:00] better way to say it is.
Alia: I don't think that there's such thing as an insignificant moment. There's no such thing as somebody that is just not going to matter. Like, even if it's just a ten second interaction that ten second interaction could change your life, that could change their life. That could change your perspective. That could completely set the course of, I don't know, just events that are going to happen.
Alia: That leads you somewhere else. Consider everything to be significant. So be present in everything, like show up and put in the effort, because that comes back to you, that energy always comes back to you. So, um, an example being what, uh, what are the jobs that I have right now is as a creative director of technology and arts that I work with designing, like everything.
Alia: Like I designed the inside of venues and I designed clothing and I work with like crypto and all of these different things. It's this very interesting job that was created just because of
Casey: the, you work with crypto within
Alia: that crypto and digital assets and stuff. Yeah. That's [00:14:00] so cool. Yeah. W what is interesting is I, so this was that I don't need, am I able to say where I work?
Alia: I don't know if I should,
Casey: um, maybe don't unless you've checked with them. I don't know.
Alia: So I, um, this is not a venue in the city, but I was there as a guest and it was my friend who was applying for this job as a hostess and this venue. And I didn't know anybody there, but I asked our server who the manager was and she introduced him, brought him over.
Alia: And then I acted like I had known him my entire life. I was like, oh my goodness, how are you? I haven't seen you in so long. Do you remember my friend? And I introduced them and said, she's looking for work here. And we started talking about how wonderful she was as a person. He loved it. The manager just ended up playing along with it.
Alia: And he, and then he was like, what's your name? I like introduced myself. And he wanted my number. He's like, I want you to apply as well for at the time it was a different position. [00:15:00] And when an opportunity like that happens, I always just take it. Even if I, even if it's like, like at the time I didn't need to be working as a server.
Alia: I was working for the university of Ottawa. I was fine. I didn't need that. We're also going into the lockdown. I was like, what, what was I doing? Yeah. And, um, I was like, okay, the opportunities here, you might as well take it. And it's here for a reason. And if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But I'll never know if I don't, I don't take it.
Alia: So, um, I gave him my phone number a couple of days later, I got a phone call and he's like, are you in the area? Can you come in for an interview? And I said, sure, I can be there in a few minutes. I'm literally just a few shops down, but I don't have a resume or anything with me. He was like, that's okay, just come on in.
Alia: So then I sit down with another manager and he's like, do you have a resume? And I was like, no, well, you know what, I'm just going to tell you about myself.
Casey: That's a fat ass.
Alia: And he was like, okay. So then we like sat down and I was chatting and, and, um, [00:16:00] he was like, okay, well, we have a couple of other interviews today.
Alia: And I was like, how many spots are available? He said one or two, but I was like, okay, well, I'll be waiting for your call confidence. And, um, he laughed and he's like, yeah, we're probably going to hire you. So. Um, like a couple of days later, I get a message from him being like, do you still want this job? And I was like, absolutely.
Alia: Yeah. And then I worked for five days and we went into a lockdown and everything closed. So I started working with food apps in the back. So it was only ever me and the managers working and I was running like the Uber eats, skip the dishes, stuff like that, just helping out. It was my social interaction.
Alia: Every like I live alone. So I was like, this is, this is actually quite nice. And then through those conversations, they started to learn things about me that they had no idea about because they've never seen a resume. So they had no idea what I was actually studying in university. They had no idea what my interests were.
Casey: What were those things I learned about you that were fascinating
Alia: while doing my [00:17:00] master's? Well, they learned that I had studied in Hong Kong that I had studied in England, but I lived in Italy for a substantial amount of time. And that I just traveled throughout Europe and Asia doing different things, having different experiences and, um, different places that I'd worked in skills that I'd picked up, like, like working, um, for fashion week when I was in Hong Kong or working as a fashion photographer, I did a lot of fashion work when I was abroad.
Alia: And, um, so that gave me a lot of very interesting stuff. In regards to like fashion photography and mentorship and large-scale events. And what goes on in that kind of world. When I was working in Italy, I was working as a muralist in a hotel in exchange for Ruben. Cool.
Casey: Alrighty. I've learned so many more things about you keep going, because I think those specifics are important to like, to really like showcase how you bring these different parts together.
Casey: So keep going, what else did they learn about
Alia: you? [00:18:00] So there was some things like that. And then I was doing my masters, but I was doing my masters in all the classes were taught in French and in Spanish. And yeah, because I had applied to the university, I applied to a bunch of different universities and I applied to the university of Ottawa because I was kind of seeing this person for awhile who was living in Ottawa.
Alia: I'm like, okay, this is like my fourth choice school. And like, if at all fails, I'll go here. And it was the only school that I applied to in Canada. So because of COVID, I was like, okay, I'm just going to do this. This is the best option. And it ended up being the best option because they offered me a scholarship for the entire thing.
Alia: And then they also offered me work while I was there. So it ended up being the best choice. And then they also paid for me to learn French because prior to being a student there, I didn't actually know how the French whoa. And what were, what were you studying there? I was studying world literature and culture.
Alia: And it was just the way it happened, where, um, I think one year a majority of classes would be in English and then the next year they'd be in French because it's the Capitol university and my year just happened to be most [00:19:00] things in French. So I had to learn French. I'm sitting there listening to classes like, okay, I got this, but I did study Spanish in my undergrad.
Alia: So that was my saving grace. And, um, while I was there, every single thing felt like it was made for me to be a part of. So I was assigned to different TAs or to different professors to do RA work. So to do different research and to one professor. Um, assigned ego criticism and research, which was amazing because that was one of my independent hobbies.
Alia: Second, I had never told anybody about that. So the university didn't know you could criticism. It's just being able to critique the world and social processes, literature, art, film, um, and just like anything through an eco critical lens. So having like that, like a profound awareness of how whatever is created, impacts the environment.
Alia: So I did a lot of research on that and I had been researching that independently prior. So I have this mass [00:20:00] collection of information already and all these textbooks in my home that I just read out of my free time. And I can just tell them to this person. So I was like, that's amazing. And then the other person I was assigned to was an art history professor.
Alia: So I was like, this is perfect. These are my two interests. So it was just the easiest work possible. And it was a really good way for me to build relationships with them because in a way I seemed like really well versed in these fields. I mean, I guess I should be in art history having a whole degree in it, but it was, it was just, I dunno, that was very nice.
Alia: And then I had the opportunity to write whatever I wanted for my master's thesis. And while everybody was studying, like, um, they'd pick a certain book and they would write their paper about that or the author of that book. I thought to myself, why can't I capitalize on this opportunity a little bit more.
Alia: So instead of studying. Like, I don't know, book or film, just one. And like speaking about that cultural significance, I was like, I want to study [00:21:00] business literature. Okay. And because of the like literature and world culture class, I could, you know, I was like, okay, now how can I niche this down a bit? And I was like, okay, I want to study crypto culture, crypto art culture.
Alia: So that relates to my art history practice and then business literature, capital literature, theories of capital, all of that will relate to the literature aspect of this degree. So I, in a way, gave myself a soft business degree and decentralized currencies.
Casey: Pardon my language. What was the pole to the business side of it?
Casey: Like that decision to like, you know, what, what, what was it about you that made you. I think to yourself, like, I'm not just gonna pick apart a book or a film. I want to like, pull this other element into it. Where did that urge come
Alia: from? Um, two different places. So I grew up in a financially unstable [00:22:00] environment.
Alia: Like I, when I, um, you know, it's funny. So just yesterday I was having a conversation with somebody who expressed that they are struggling to enjoy life while making $45,000 a year. They just think it's not enough money. And I heard that and I was like, okay, I can kind of, if you have a very luxurious lifestyle, of course, but it reminded me.
Alia: And I'm always reminding myself this, that when I grew up, it was my brother, myself and my single mom. And we survived on an average of 12 to $14,000. Wow, which is really, really not a lot. We lived in low-income housing, everything that was given to us, um, everything that came into our home was pretty much donated.
Alia: It was, we always had things from the food bank. I never had clothing that wasn't secondhand. I, um, didn't even, I've never, even until I was an adult until last year, I didn't even have a bed that wasn't second hand. Like every single thing in my life had just been passed down and it was fine. Like, I didn't know anything different.
Alia: So [00:23:00] now if I, if I had to radically reduce my quality of life and survive on $14,000 a year, I could because I know how to. Um, but I think about that. And then I think about how my mother should be going into retirement. Right. But we'll have to work for the rest of her life because she didn't have those financial skills.
Alia: Whereas my father, he migrated here. He didn't start university until he was 27. He's been a majority of his life living in a refugee camp, under a dictator and all of these terrible things in Uganda. Um, but he did have good times. Like it wasn't like all bad. Um, but because of that, he started a lot later in life, but he still set himself up so that he's going to retire.
Alia: Like he has the skills, he decided to learn those things because he knew what it was like to have nothing. And I've always really followed that model that my father set forward. He's always been adamant on learn as much as you can learn what education, but learning about the things that are going to keep you alive.
Alia: So I was like, I have to be financially literate because [00:24:00] I have a mother who I need to take care of, but I also want to make sure that I'm taking care of later. Like I don't want to be in that position for myself and I never want to be in that position again. So I I've been working since I was 13. Like I've had two jobs since I was 13 years old, continuously.
Alia: And I just, I can't even imagine not having that. So even if I have a good contractor, a good job, I'm always working in other little projects because I understand that exactly. And by doing that by always having worked for so long, it's taught me the value of my time to what I'm bringing to my life. And I always think how many hours of my life did I have to give, to be able to afford this, or to be able to do this thing.
Alia: And I have always thought I want to be able to afford things without having to get. So many hours of my life training time. Exactly. Exactly. So I just, I really want it to be financial literate, and I'm like, if it's only going to happen, if I do it for myself. So, [00:25:00] um, I started learning as much as I could. I became very interested in it.
Alia: And then when I got into university and was studying art history and markets, I became super interested in business as it relates to the movement of goods, but like luxury goods, because it's very unregulated and there's a lot of crime in that area, which is super interesting, but there's also billions of dollars.
Alia: That's moved every single year through an art market that nobody is following. So I'm like, what are people really buying? Like what is going on? And then ended up learning that a lot of transactions are hiding other things and it's just so much happened. And I became super interested in the world of, um, like finance and goods.
Alia: What money can buy, I guess what it's studying and then
Casey: cryptocurrency, because of the, like exactly. Yeah.
Alia: All of the goods kind of. Yeah. So behind the scenes, how I ended up interested in cryptocurrency was because I was studying art law. I was interested in becoming a lawyer actually, and I [00:26:00] wanted to go into art law and I was still might, but I was thinking about the forgery market.
Alia: There is a massive forgery market where people just sell. And foraged and fake goods and it's huge. And it's like, it's almost more organized than a traditional art market. And so I was like, okay, what would happen if an artwork could not be foraged? And I started researching that and I was like, what kind of world could exist that didn't have our crime or all of these things.
Alia: So, because I was looking for a way to avoid our crime, that's how I came up or that's how I ended up on NFTs. And then I entered into this app club house. Yeah. And then I was just like, whoa, this is everywhere. So I started learning a lot about it and then meeting different people, having different conversations, learning the technology.
Alia: And that's what made me super interested in tech as well. So, um, and then I was like, I'm going to do my master's research on this. I'm going to learn as much as I can because at one point in life, [00:27:00] somebody told me if you were a student, the world will always help you. Like, you can literally introduce yourself with hello, I'm a student.
Alia: I would like to learn this. Can you offer me this opportunity? Like this experience people like, yeah, of course, like people are so willing to help students. I'm like, I'm going to take like, I'm going to use this. So I introduced myself to as many people as I could people leading markets, people doing research at MIT, people, working at Sotheby's people in all of these different areas.
Alia: And I was like, teach me as much as you can. I'm I'm doing research on it. And it grew into this big thing and kind of. Like changed my life. It's like a fully, entirely changed my life. And every opportunity that I've had since has been because of the research that I did there, but it was totally out of the box.
Alia: And my supervisor, I had one supervisor who was just not on board. She did not like the idea. She thought that it was a waste of time. And even express that she thinks that this is culturally just [00:28:00] irrelevant. And I was like, I disagree. Um, and I put the work forward the second year, proved it. First reader did not approve it, which was her to the person who thought it was irrelevant.
Alia: The second reader was like, this is amazing. And I was like, thank you. And then it not for everyone. Exactly, exactly. That's exactly what I was thinking. You know, not everyone's going to like me, but if somebody is challenging this so aggressively, there's gotta be something. There is also something I thought I was like, you know what?
Alia: If I'm not facing some kind of adversity, I'm not doing something. Worth while,
Casey: so, wow.
Alia: Okay. Sorry. That was a lot,
Casey: but this is also part of your gift, like already, um, as I'm hearing your story, I'm like you just get more and more fascinating to me. And where this started was you were talking about this venue and this job opportunity and how you were working on apps behind the scenes, like skip the dishes and door dash and [00:29:00] spending time with the managers and just telling them about yourself.
Casey: And they're listening to you, like, like we're listening to you right now and they're probably have their jaw dropped, like, who is this human, you know, like you just shared so much about, you know, With $14,000 a year and having a sibling and a single mom, and the perspective that your dad offered versus your mom.
Casey: Like, I just want to like highlight that those, the upbringing that you can, that's such a part of your multifacetedness that makes you an asset. You know, it makes me think about how, like, I don't think I've ever told my listeners this publicly, how I grew up on a farm collecting course here in for a living like our family did that because estrogen comes out of the urine of pregnant horses and it makes post-menopausal drugs there.
Casey: You have it, you know, but it's something that I don't talk about. And the people I share that with, they're like, um, What, like that's [00:30:00] fascinating. And I feel like I just had that experience with you where it's like talking about your upbringing and these things that you grew up in, like, you have this way of seeing the silver lining, like when you were talking about your family making little money and always having your needs met, what I, what I witnessed in you was like, and so I know how to live with Lidl.
Casey: I know how to manage that. There was a gift in that. And, um, I also wanted to change that for myself moving forward. And, and that's like one nugget of wisdom from your, your story here, but then the way that you sort of followed your interest in curiosity, and you said something at the beginning, like a one-liner that was like, if you don't know what you can learn it,
Alia: something like that.
Alia: You can do anything with what you know, and if you don't know something, learn how well and
Casey: talk about live a living example of that, you know, like, like what you said about, um, Making best use of being a student and being [00:31:00] like, I'm a student. I want to learn everything I can about this. Um, there's such wisdom there and like, uh, I'm so glad that you just shared a little taste of your multifacetedness.
Casey: I know there's like an infinite amount more, but bring us back to where you are, like working in this venue behind the scenes with the managers and they're just learning
Alia: about, yeah. So they're just learning about me, they're learning all these things. And, um, they be having like wildly interested, I guess, and the things that I'm saying.
Alia: And there was a chef that used to work in this place who was from Montreal and it was honestly his intervention. I think that did the most because him and I spoke the most and I didn't realize that he had kind of a bad attitude relationship with a lot of people there, but I just thought it was a great, as I thought he was so fun and so interesting.
Alia: We had similar jokes, we understood things in a similar way and we really bonded. And so I told them a lot about when I was sitting and ended up teaching him a lot. And then one day the owner of the [00:32:00] venue, I didn't even follow the venue on social media at this time. So I didn't know what they were looking for, that they had needs that needed to be met.
Alia: But, um, the owner of the venue was looking for somebody who knew about crypto and crypto art, because they were interested in making some sort of crypto advancements and investments and creating their own crypto art. And they were also looking for somebody who knew about art and like are artists in the city because they were going to design their venue extension and they needed help.
Alia: So, um, I had no idea that these things were things that this person was looking for. And then the chef actually, who, who he no longer works there was, I feel like it's okay for me to that, but the chef, um, Told the owner to message me personally and ask some questions. And I had never really met this person, like ever, like I had one conversation with them.
Alia: I made a joke and they didn't laugh. And I was like, all right, maybe not. So they messaged me personally and they were like, Hey, can I talk to you about some [00:33:00] things? And I was like, like, what? Like, what are the things? And then he's like, I'd like to talk to you about crypto art. And I was like, what would you like to learn?
Alia: And he said, why essentially, no, nothing. So then I did something that I always do. And I didn't realize until like, probably last year that I was actually like the quality of the work that I was producing, because it's always been the standard that I've held for myself. So he asked me two simple questions.
Alia: If I could just sit down with him for like 20 minutes and introduce him to like what crypto is to see if there was any way the venue could be a part of that world. And what I did is I put together like a little. Document. So it was, I think like almost like eight pages actually. And I put all of these definitions, I defined crypto.
Alia: I explained the stages of it, so that, because I was like, I honestly have no idea what this person knows. So I gave this background information so that they had foundational understanding of how crypto came into being, um, terms that people are using. If they're going to go and navigate the space websites that are super [00:34:00] beneficial, marketplaces, how to list, like all of this stuff, it was essentially a manual, an onboarding manual on how to get into the world of NFTs and crypto, and then pages of examples where similar venues had been using crypto and that venue could use crypto.
Alia: And you just did this before. The thing of it, exactly. He like messaged me on the Tuesday. I. Made this for him by Sunday. And then we had the meeting on Monday or two, like the next Tuesday or something. And, um, I also, even though he didn't ask this question about looking for artists, because I went to the venues, Instagram and saw the post, I was like, oh, well, I actually work another job.
Alia: I have a job as, um, a QT BiPAP conscious curator. At organization in the city as well. And I'm contracted out to different venues to make sure that they're curating with like absolute consciousness and with this awareness of the art and the artist and the people around them, so that we're diversifying art and really using it as a tool to make people better in community stronger.
Alia: So I have this [00:35:00] list, cause
Casey: I'm like, of course you have another job.
Alia: I'm like, who
Casey: would be a better person for that? Nobody like they create that job for you to
Alia: in a way, bring it back. So. So anyways, I have this list. I've been building this list of artists in the city, and then I read a little bio about them, so that there's kind of like a catalog that I can show the different venues I go to and how to utilize the artists that are currently in your city and the local artists.
Alia: So I went through and based on the criteria that they were looking for, I just put together lists, put some images in that document and then, um, a description about the artists. And then also like, and I shaped the description in a way. So I said, if you approach this artist, this is how you describe their work.
Alia: These are terms that you would use. Wow.
Casey: Like for what, for what purpose? Like, like why do you feel like they would need
Alia: that? [00:36:00] Um, like. Yeah, harm the percent, exactly. To not bring any kind of harm to that person to be conscious, um, when they were speaking to that person. And then I'm also under the assumption that a lot of people, the reason that calc yeah.
Alia: The reason that Calgary doesn't have a vibrant art scene compared to other places is just because people don't know. Interact with are truly interact with the vocabulary. So I was like, here is like making this as easy as possible. I want the world to be a better place. So I just make it as easy as possible to be a good person.
Alia: So,
Casey: but talk about like adding value too, right? Like, like no wonder these abundant opportunities come your way, given the value that you add to every moment, you know, it's not just these job opportunities or these people that you want something from. Like, you're not, you're not, I don't feel that energy from you at all.
Casey: It's just like, how can I, how can I basically solve a problem for them and make their life [00:37:00] easier? Which, which to me is like from a business perspective, that's all business is, is like solving problems and getting paid for the value that you bring, you know? And so just the way that you naturally sink around, like, Hmm.
Casey: Oh, what might they be wondering about and how can I make it easier for them, even before I get on that first meeting, like that's offering such value that like, of course, uh, I feel like the universal law of reciprocity is inaction by who you are.
Alia: What I like to say is live impactfully, always leave an impact, do something that is going to make an impact.
Alia: And I, um, I, that kind of relates to the concept of hyperlink that I want to talk about in a second, but to just wrap up this part. Um, so after I did that, I presented that into me at the time. I really didn't think anything of it. Like this was the quality of work that I'd been creating my entire [00:38:00] life.
Alia: And that actually wasn't even the best quality work that I'd done. Like I, so I. Send it to him. And then the next day, or that week we had the meeting and he was blown away, fascinated. And there was another colleague that was there in the meeting as well. Cause he wanted to learn what I was talking about.
Alia: And then at the end of the meeting, the owner sits down with me and he's like, I want to give you a job to do all of these things. Just control all of these things. Cause I guess I had also forgot to mention this, but together, a little example of if the venue did certain things where they could be in a year and three years and then, oh my God, I was like, I want you to do this for us.
Alia: So just pick a job title and a and a salary and then come talk to me. Whoa. Yeah.
Casey: And okay. You honor your own boundaries. And I feel like that's an interesting place to be in to, especially like for a women pick, pick a job title and a salary, you know, like many people, I know many women, I [00:39:00] know that would put them into a frenzy, like, oh my God, what number do I throw out there?
Casey: Like, how did you go about
Alia: that? I did a little bit of inquiring to see what other people in the venue were making, just because I, I don't want to be some random person that comes out of nowhere and said, I want to make more than every manager here. So you probably could have in that moment probably. But, um, I did suggest arrange for the.
Alia: The skills that I was going to be doing, the things that I was going to be doing, I did suggest a range. And, um, I don't want to say anything bad. Like I definitely, they came back with a lower offer, but then I learned what other people were also making and realized that everybody was kind of making lower than I expected.
Alia: So I was like, okay, maybe I'll, this will be like a cup. This'll be like a year. I'll like, try it out. But I, when I got the title and I realized that in a lot of ways, the title is a really big thing to have in business. So like the creative arts and technology director and that title has now [00:40:00] gone to do so much for me and has led me to the current position I have, which is essentially like.
Alia: Chief creative officer of an app that is coming into like coming into being like re being remodeled. But then also it's going to have a tangible aspect and all of these different things. And it's going to be this big, large scale project that if done properly is probably going to project my life into a completely different direction, but in a way that I couldn't even imagine.
Alia: Right. So, um, but I also, under this title I was kind of, or in this position, I was kind of like, I could do whatever I want, which was really cool. I could propose an idea, I'd get a budget and then I would just do it. So I was like, okay, well, there are a bunch of things that I would really like to learn how to do and a bunch of things.
Alia: And I would like to do and have all my resume. And I just explain how it could benefit the menu. And then did all of these school things like designing a clothing line. And like, I don't know, just doing a bunch of interesting things, learning [00:41:00] how to do all of these different, like computer things, running an e-commerce thing, training other people to do it for me, like all of this stuff.
Alia: So I'm like, I have given myself so many skills that I'm confident. If I wanted to start my own business at this point in time, I'd be absolutely fine. I
Casey: feel like you, you have such natural business skills and business mindset, you know, like, like I love how you're like, okay. And you were the asset and a job was created for you.
Casey: So that's like the first part. And then you're kind of like, what do I want to learn and how can I pitch it in a way that is a win-win that in a way that adds value to them and shows them that this is for the good of all, you know? And, and what I love about that is you're not leaving yourself off, you know, away from the table kind of thing.
Casey: Like I think, I think a lot of women in particular can be sort of self-sacrificing and then over-give because they want to maybe have their own value or worth validated from outside of them [00:42:00] or, um, or the opposite kind of think about like, what do I want and how, and, and almost be selfish about it and forget that like, To have impact is to add value to others.
Casey: And you're getting paid for transformation that you create for others. And what I hear from you is that you just have this, it doesn't even sound like you think about it. It's sort of this natural integrated way of being like, what do I need out of this situation and what do I want to learn? And how could this add great value to this company that I'm investing my time and energy into and getting paid from.
Casey: And you know, when, when you talk about like, yeah, of course I could run a business someday. I'm like, um, you kind of already are. It's just under the structure of being an employee. And like you, you do have contracts too. So you are a business owner a way in essence,
Alia: Um, so that, yeah, that brings us back to the, the idea of impact, like those little things, like taking that time to learn those skills in the [00:43:00] workplace and not just be complacent with what you have to do every day, I think is super important, but then always remembering the things that you've learned in the parts of you that you can bring forward that make you an asset.
Alia: But in a way that just is kind of, I think that because I've been working on for so long, like you mentioned, like it, like, I don't even think about it. It's just this natural thing. And with, I want to make this kind of impact. And so it's the framework that I, I look at life with. Like, it's just, it's just there.
Alia: It's, it's been conditioned. And I think that that's like a habit that anybody can learn how to do. They can find in themselves. The ways that they're an asset. And a lot of the things that have made me really successful are the passions, the interests, the things that a lot of people might not have encouraged, like making art or studying art, things like that have allowed me to see the world in a very interesting and creative and empathetic way.
Alia: I think empathy is really, really huge. And I do think that I was a bit lucky in this way when I was in high school, that our word, like we had a word that [00:44:00] embodied what it, I dunno, like what we wanted to represent as a student body and as a staff. And it was the word empathy. So our school was really focused on figuring out ways to be empathetic.
Alia: And we had so many different people in our school and, um, People from different backgrounds from different countries, but then we also have people with different abilities and different economic values and all of these things. So it impacted how you interacted not one space. And I was a bit of a warrior back then where I remember having, I don't know I'm going off on a tangent, but I promise it's going to come back.
Alia: I remember having this teacher, we, there was a class, it was a psychology class and like 80% of the class failed the test and the teachers sat down. I made all of the students go around and say like, what is your dream? And then tell them why they wouldn't reach that dream because they didn't do well on that test.
Alia: Did not vibe with that. And, um, I expressed how, at the time, I hadn't even been familiar with like, like what a safe space was that I hadn't really [00:45:00] formally educated myself on like safe practices and safe spaces and stuff. I was only like 15 or 16 and I stood up like actually stood up in the classroom and then started schooling the teacher for what they were doing.
Alia: And I was like, do you know the lives of any of these people individually? Do you know, like what anyone is going through, what anyone has to deal with? And I just like went off and at the time I was also exhausted because I was working two jobs, playing a sport, trying to do all of these different things that I had as many skills as possible, so that I could go and do things with my life.
Alia: And I did have the advantage of being rather gifted in school. So I understand that, um, Like, I dunno, like I didn't get scolded from teachers the way other people did where my confidence was destroyed. And so I'm like, you know what, I'm going to take advantage of the position I'm in and the privilege that I have to understand the material in the world, the way I do.
Alia: And I'm going to defend the people who can't. And I just like stood up in this classroom and I was so upset and I realized in that moment that, [00:46:00] um, the only reason I was able to do that was because of the things I had, the things that I learned, things that I'd been subject to. And then I be like made sure to remind people to be conscious of everything that they're learning, every skill that they're getting.
Alia: Like when you see somebody stand up for something, notice like how they did it, notice what they're saying. Um, nobody stands up with other voice shaking a little bit. Like, no, nobody thinks that it's going to happen. Um, but like making yourself an asset, but is also. Someone that is going to consider other people.
Alia: Like, I think that if you are living intentionally, you have, the only way to live intentionally is to be intentionally connected to everyone, I guess, to remember that. Living as an asset. I'm not started. That moment is what started having me work with kids in what was called, um, the, like, I think the developmental learning area or something where, um, they just struggled more in different areas for different reasons.
Alia: And I spend a lot of time with people in [00:47:00] like, like there are different classrooms. So I'm saying like, people who hung out in those rooms, I know if you haven't been to that school, it's like hard to understand where there are just like these rooms where people would come. And I understand now that they're kind of like, they were like safe spaces.
Alia: They were places where you could get extra help on things. And I would actually skip class and go down and hang out in those places because I didn't need to attend those classes. And it's funny when I look back on it, because 75 classes, if you missed 75 classes, you're kicked out of school. And every Sunday I started Mr.
Alia: Around 70. Wow. But I was down there helping like different people and that I was doing different things and I was working all of this stuff. Um, and something that I always wanted to like show people was how they already knew what they were struggling to address. Um, and it was just the way that it was being presented to the most, making it difficult.
Alia: And even now with like a lot of women in the workplace, especially, and newcomers and outsiders, people who are like outside of Canada, like they come here. Um, there's that like that, [00:48:00] I dunno, that idea that they just inherently won't understand because people tell them if they don't understand it's different.
Alia: Like, you know what I mean? When you're always conditioned and you're like taught to think that way of yourself, that's who you are. So I am not essentially like, yes, I will teach people like new skills or something if, if they ask, but I essentially teach people how to do what they already know how to do.
Alia: I remind them that they're already capable and, um, that embodiment of. Um, seeing yourself as an asset and seeing all of your skills as useful and your perspectives as useful. And that leads to the idea of, of hyperlink of hyperlink skills, which is something that I learned from hyperlink cinema, which is this idea that I just like, it follows a hyperlink.
Alia: If you're learning something and you click on the hyperlink, it takes you somewhere else, like immediately. And then when you're there, you learn that thing. And like, it just, it shows that there's this connectivity between everything, but then also it makes the world seem so much smaller because [00:49:00] you can go from one thought to another thought that is from a completely different place, a completely different city, a completely different country, completely different frame of reference.
Alia: And we, as people can do that too. Yeah.
Casey: Well, I mean, this conversation is a great example of that, you know, like, like truly, and I think. I'd never heard of this term hyperlink in relation to like being a human, you know, and, and hyperlinked skills. I've never used that languaging, but, you know, I will often like talk about the thread through all of your you're allowed to have these like multifaceted parts and there's this thread that connects them.
Casey: And it's you, you know, and one thing I love about you is, is how you own your hyperlinked skills and your creative mind and your way of seeing things in your, your capacity to like learn in all these different directions you own. And [00:50:00] stand in it and, and that's like really cool because I know some incredible smart, creative humans.
Casey: And I I'll speak from what's I guess, true from what I witnessed. It's mostly in women where they'll get on there, they'll get in their power around their creative mind. And then it's like, they'll catch themselves and shrink and apologize for like being too much or going in too many directions. And, you know, and it's like, what if this is your gift?
Casey: You know, like I just learned recently that, um, I've always had this thing. My throat gets really flushed and red and my jaw gets all, it's like patchy red spots when I get passionate. And especially when there's like a potent truth, that's coming out of me and my mom has it too. And it's like, but my throat turns all patchy and red, you know?
Casey: And it's kind of like, Ugh. And I used to just like. Feel that heat in my body and then apologize and sort of shrink and be [00:51:00] like, oh yeah, sorry, my throat. Or like wear turtlenecks to cover it up. And then we learned that. Actually, this is part of my superpower. Like this is a physical representation of me speaking my truth and being in my power and everything shifts when you own the thing.
Casey: And I feel like you own the, the hyperlinking, um, essence. You, you know, like this conversation is an example of that.
Alia: Uh, well, thank you. And to go to your common, when you said that you feel like you shrank or you feel like you're just like, um, there's this idea that sometimes you start to feel like you're too much and that that's something that's carried in a lot of women.
Alia: I think that that's a really important thing to take note of because people will tell women all the time to calm down or you're like, you're being a lot right now. Or like, whoa, that's a lot. That's like that's too much. And it actually really bothers me. It's like, I'm excited about something. I am passionate about something.
Alia: I have these [00:52:00] ideas. I have something inside of you. There's like an energy you should be saying, thank you. You add energy because you clearly don't have it. Yeah. I heard that my entire life, like when I was younger, I was always told that I was just like too loud. I was too much, there was too much going on.
Alia: And for a long time it really did. It made me feel smaller. It really made me feel bad. And I thought there must be something wrong with me if I can't just be composed and be this like little quiet, normal Bessel. And like for a long time, I have this idea that, um, like, like the elegant, classy, sophisticated woman was just the like really quiet, mysterious person.
Alia: And then, yeah. And then I was like, what the heck? Like I can do so much. And I've started to learn now as an adult. When people tell me that I'm too much or I'm a lot. It's because they either feel intimidated or they feel like threatened by it by some [00:53:00] way. Or they feel insecure that they're not comfortable enough to be at that place.
Alia: Oh yeah. It's not about you. Exactly. It's never about, it's never about you. Like, if you are passionate and like creative and big and doing whatever, like do it take up space, like actually to take up space and let your ideas take up space too. And like, say things. And if somebody doesn't understand you, like a lot of I'm misunderstood all the time.
Alia: Like a lot of people will misunderstand me. I, even, when I was younger, a lot of people thought that I was just this like weird, strange person that had these weird ideas. And I just, I did. I spent a lot of time by myself, spend a lot of time. Quiet. Because nobody was there to talk to me about those things.
Alia: But then as I grew and traveled and met other people, I was like, okay, there are people in the world who were like me. It was just the people around me that were not helping nurture that. So take up space, be big, be that hyperlink self. And to go back to that hyperlink point, uh, quickly, it's this, um, [00:54:00] we don't realize how all of the things we learn are valuable, even if they're not things that we learned in a classroom or in a workplace.
Alia: That's a really big thing. Like a lot of my big skills that I got that I had early on in life came from having to learn how to survive on so little, like I am, I can't remember the exact quote, but it was in this film called takeout girl. And, um, it's about this family that is struggling. They own a Chinese food restaurant and they make a comment about how.
Alia: The people with the least are the people that like people who are trying to figure out how to survive as the most creative and like very intuitive. And I do agree with that in a lot of ways. Um, especially seeing my little brothers who grew up mostly, uh, like their young lives so far, they grew up in Uganda.
Alia: So seeing them interact with anything as like a toy or something creative or interesting was, is just amazing. But because I didn't have things, I couldn't, if I needed something, I can go out and buy it. Like I had to make it, I had to figure out how to use [00:55:00] it. I had to like, even like Halloween costumes, I used to make my own Halloween costumes at a very young age.
Alia: Like I was eight years old. The first time I sewed a costume together, um, I. I don't know, but I still had these really big dreams. And like when I was 13, I wrote and directed a musical and I was like, I think I can do that. I want to do that. But I remember like I was like writing plays and practicing and doing all this stuff.
Alia: And I was also, I think, because I had little was really good at convincing people to just give me experiential opportunities. So, um, like charming myself. Like I wanted to be an actress so bad. And when I was eight, I convinced the theater, the city theater to let me join
Alia: Um, I did those things because like, as a kid being able to talk to, I had to talk to a lot of adults and I had a single mom. And because of that, I was going to places that she had to go. So I was always interacting with [00:56:00] adults. I was going to like different jobs, doing different things, cleaning houses with her, doing whatever, but I was meeting so many people.
Alia: So at a very young age, I was like trying to talk to adults very high level. And then that impacted my life. So anyways, the point of this. You have all these skills. If you're sitting down at home and you're journaling, okay, you are a copywriter, you have those skills, right. You don't realize that like you, like, you can do it.
Alia: You can write if you're sitting down and you're reading books, like, like this is something I always noticed in readers. People will read like people who read like 50 books or more a year. Yeah. You know what a book is supposed to sound like. Yeah. Like you could edit novels for a living, like you could go through and like, you can understand grammar.
Alia: Like you could do all of that because your hobby is reading. Oh my God, I'm just
Casey: having this hit right now. You know how I told you the other night when we were connecting over what we're going to talk about here that like, like you're obviously super creative into the arts and film. And I was like, I'm not really a film person.
Casey: Like I don't, I don't really know much [00:57:00] about that world, but like I just had this hit that my favorite movies usually have a character. Who's a genius. Um, a genius and they're huge. They usually have some sort of trauma or pain that they like move through. That becomes part of their genius. I'm thinking about like, I don't know, even just like the Queen's gambit on, you know, like she's like a chess player and she's a genius, but then also there's like struggle in there.
Casey: Uh, I don't know, Goodwill hunting is like a genius mathematician or whatever. And I think about how, you know, early in my twenties, I became obsessed with like purpose and like, what are, what are people's special gifts? And, and it's like, those things don't seem connected, but of course they are like, my favorite thing about my work is helping people to see like their like natural gifts that literally nobody else has.
Casey: Well, of course, of course I would like those [00:58:00] movies. Of course I would, you know, and, and totally came from a place of like being bullied in school and a small community and like crying outside of the school. And I remember like just my tears stopping one time and feeling like all kids deserve to feel worthy and you know, and then it's like, literally it's pulling out people's like gift and shining it back in their face.
Casey: And showing that I feel like you do the same thing. You're doing this in this conversation, right? Like you are worthy, you have gifts and they're in these like unexpected places. So I just, I'm just vibing with what you're saying here.
Alia: No, I really liked that. You say that, but yeah, like noticing that, noticing the things that you love, the things that you do, how that is actually impacting who you are in other places.
Alia: And just realizing that everything is connected, like your moments are all connected, your hobbies, your interests, the things that you're doing that seem unrelated to your workplace. What happens like, especially for people who don't like their [00:59:00] workplace, what happens if you bring the things you love into that place?
Alia: I call it
Casey: decorating the cage,
Alia: decorating the cage. I like that. Sorry to interrupt. That's like visualizing what you said. Um, my like ideas and hobbies, like sticking to the cage. Well, anyway, but yeah, so you can, and that's why, and that's why I always say you can do anything with what, you know, And a lot of ways, like, obviously, like I'm not about to do brains for a treat or something because I know how to hold a paintbrush, but I mean, it helps if I want help.
Alia: Yeah. If I want it to learn how to, like, if I went to med school and I like ended up becoming a brain surgeon, I'm sure that my, my, my like delicate detail with a paint brush is going to help me with a scaffold like off, you know? And it's like, everything is related and connected. And like, there's just, I don't know.
Alia: There's just this divine connectivity in the world and in yourself with the world that people don't see. And every time somebody says, oh, I can't do that. Or I'm not [01:00:00] interesting. I'm like, that's just because you haven't met somebody, who's brought that out of you yet. Right. And like a lot of people, I am, there's this quote where it's like a good leader.
Alia: Is somebody who inspires you to like work harder, but a great leader is somebody who inspires you to, um, inspire yourself to do what you care about or something like that. And like this idea that so many people, so many bosses will say, oh, like good job for like cleaning that area or something like, like, I'm just thinking, like, if you're like working in a store and you stock a shelf a box and be like, oh great job.
Alia: But shelf looks amazing. But like a really great leader is going to see that that person who is willing and like volunteering to decorate those shelves, I don't know. Maybe they just like take note of like the skill that they needed to be able to do that. Be like, wow, that was great. Organizational skills.
Alia: You're super amazing time management. Um, you're you have like a really good eye for making everyday mundane things look stylish on the shelf, like [01:01:00] compliment what's happening. Like not cause you know what I mean? Like that, like the thing for the workplace, but the thing for the person that makes that person, that person.
Alia: It can seem so little, but it's actually like, A big thing to do, to tell people, to notice the qualities of people that make them good at what they're doing.
Casey: Totally. And it's like, what's the thing that you're doing underneath what you're doing. And what's the thing you've been doing underneath what you've been doing this whole time.
Casey: What's the thing that you did underneath what you were doing when you were a little kid, when you were like making something out of nothing, what were you actually doing? What was that thing? You know, and I think the world needs this message right now. There's a lot of people in change going through big transitions, big awakenings job losses.
Casey: I don't know, as an entrepreneur, I've gone through like big pivots over the last seven years. And especially since COVID-19, and it's like kind of challenged me to go deeper into the truth of self, you know, deeper into the thing underneath. And I just feel like you've inspired me big time. And I'm [01:02:00] certain you listener.
Casey: Just to, to like own all these different parts and start to even, even if it's not clear, like what the connection is, what the thread is, what the hyperlink is to
Alia: start asking like,
Casey: huh. What is the connecting factor among all these things that I do. And ask that question, like you said, when you're journaling, when you're walking down the street, you know, like I caught myself walking down the street today, which also is, uh, a sign of my, um, just how my life has shifted and changed and how grateful I am now.
Casey: Like my state of being now, I caught myself walking down the street being like, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Like thank you. Thank you. Thank you for these like white pants I'm wearing today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to meet up with you, you know, like in this space and thank you.
Casey: Thank you. Thank you. That we met randomly at a pub late at night, and there were no tables left. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you for these moments [01:03:00] of, of beauty. And I feel like that attitude. That like reverence and gratitude for each moment. Like you really bring that to the table and bring that out of, out of me too and bring that to the listener.
Casey: Um, yeah, I think that just, just helps with being able to see or open up to seeing what the strengths or the hyperlinks are that, that make people truly each person, truly an
Alia: asset. I agree with you. And I think it's super important to be like grateful and optimistic and too. Um, not to romanticize life, but to see everything is valuable, everything that happens to ship the hardship.
Alia: Exactly. And I know that there's a narrative where it's like, everything is a lesson and I don't necessarily agree. I don't think everything has to be a lesson, but I think that everything has to be experienced and you have to accept that that thing has happened and whatever has happened. You make a choice based on like what [01:04:00] to do next, or like be present.
Alia: Don't push things away. Don't ignore things, like be attentive to everything that comes into your life, even if it's a negative thing. And as that negative thing is impacting you and you're going through it, um, find the things that help you get through things, you know, really build those skills, build that resilience.
Alia: Resilience is a massive thing. And I think that if people, um, just, I don't know, Understood resilience also as an asset, as a skill, they could market that and as themselves in a workplace as well, like I would hire somebody who's resilient because they know how to problem-solve like resilient. If you've gone through a lot, if you've had adversity in your life and you say that I am resilient well, that is also saying that you know how to solve problems.
Alia: Totally. You know, how to cope with massive changes, things going on, you know, how to adapt. So everything that you've gone through makes you an asset, everything matters, see how it goes, like good relationships, bad relationships.
Alia: we know what
Casey: those are. Like,[01:05:00]
Alia: it's really important. And then also, as you mentioned, like you've gone through really big changes and like career and all of these different things, uh, What is second to say, as you've gone through all of these changes, and you're like growing as a person, you're probably going to have to learn new things.
Alia: And I think that a lot of times people can become quite afraid of asking for help or asking for questions or asking the right questions and they can start to feel like, what if I look stupid? What if I look dumb? And this is something that breaks my heart, because if you don't know something that is an amazing opportunity to learn something.
Alia: And I think what needs to happen and like what I started doing so that I could feel comfortable asking questions and being in different spaces, because I thought to myself, I am not, um, I'm not here because I like the narrative change [01:06:00] narrative. Um, I'm afraid to look stupid to, I am proud to look curious.
Alia: I'm proud to look interested and that completely changed my. Perspective and how I was able to ask questions and get opportunities. And there's also this quote from Oprah, where she says, you have no idea what you could get. If you don't ask for it, you don't know the opportunities that could come if you don't ask for them.
Alia: So I really embodied that. Like, I am going to ask for that opportunity if I can get it okay. Then I'll ask for something else or I'll find a different opportunity. That's fine. But I won't know if I don't try. Um, but yeah, I am proud to look curious that I think is a really big thing. And. That also gets rid of this giant blockade that stops so many people from advancing and learning new things and anything like in any skill on a different scale, in a different place, just like you can have no prior background knowledge, but be there because you want to [01:07:00] learn something.
Alia: And then for this to be successful, you have to stop comparing yourself to the people around you as well. Comparison is like the biggest killer of joy. Like you can not. Well,
Casey: because if, if you're the asset, you're going to be your biggest asset by claiming and owning you. And so there is no other, you, there is, there's nothing like what are you comparing?
Casey: Like apples to oranges, right? Like it's not, it's not a valid, you haven't lived that other person's life story. Like I haven't lived your life story. Right? Like, I didn't grow up with a single mom. You didn't grow up on a farm in like small town, Saskatchewan. Right? Like you can't be me. You can't compare to me.
Casey: I can't compare to you. And here we are together, like fucking lifting each other up and being in the same space where we get to each be in our power in each own our gifts. And I think that that's key too. It's like, where are the people that can see you for who you are and can fan the flame of who you are and support that and lift it up, you know,
Alia: You should always be building your community [01:08:00] and building your tribe, your group of people that is going to support you or your parents are going to support you.
Alia: Um, I'm a grammar. I was going to say something else. Um, I don't know. Maybe it'll come back to me.
Casey: Well, this has been such an incredible conversation. I feel like, um, well, I feel like it honestly, We could have 10 more, probably going deep down rabbit holes that we touch the surface on today. You know, I feel like the, the gift of the hyperlink, the connectivity of all these different parts was very present with us today.
Casey: And I feel very blessed to honestly like learn of course, even more about you in this conversation. And I'm excited to continue that path. And thank you for spending
Alia: this time with me. Absolutely. Thank you for having me and for asking so many engaging questions that like really bring this out of me. I don't talk like this with everyone.
Alia: So this feels really nice [01:09:00] to have an opportunity like this. Well, our,
Casey: uh, our listeners are really lucky to
Alia: hear your story. Thank you.
Casey: Thank you so much for being here and listening. It's time to integrate. What are you taking away from this episode that you can implement in your daily life? There were so many themes that popped through. And this moment, I'm thinking about what Aaliyah said about how, if you journal, if you write, like you're already a copywriter that just hit me, you know, think about these things that you do naturally day-to-day that are interests to you or that you want to learn more about.
Casey: And how could those natural tendencies apply to value that you can add in the. How you can create impact. I'd be curious to hear from you what popped for you, what you learned from this [01:10:00] episode and how you maybe are seeing your life and your gifts and your multifacetedness a little bit differently. I feel pumped to, uh, pitch myself for things that maybe I wouldn't in the past, after listening to Aaliyah story, what does that for you?
Casey: What's your source of inspiration from this episode, that's all for today. See you next week. Take really good care. Bye-bye.
