Before she founded the Global Legacy Institute, Angela Tennison decided to follow and support a person who ran for the presidency: Barack Obama. When he was elected, Angela soon found herself in the White House serving as an aide and became the first African-American woman to serve as the White House Usher, a role where Angela had the opportunity to manage staff, logistics, and operations. After seven years of service in the White House, Angela spent the last part of her political career as the first and only Leadership Development Director at the US Department of Education. Today, as the founder and CEO of the Global Legacy Institute, Angela develops and coaches leaders, helping them leave powerful legacies in the world. Beyond her work at the Institute, Angela is on a bigger mission to have courageous conversations on systemic racism.

In this episode, Angela and I discuss what it takes to move the needle of racism and bridge our biggest divides in society. We discuss her journey and how searching for purpose helped Angela know she was on the right path. We define what it means to be courageous and highlight why it’s okay to not know every step of the way in life’s journey. We also discuss how you can participate in a movement and the impact of having deep conversations on systemic racism.

“Having human moments with others and sharing our humanity is what’s going to shift the conversations, the systems, and what’s really possible.” – Angela Tennison

This week on Shift-Starters:

• Angela’s journey into the White House and what kept her going
• Encountering the fear of “What if I don’t?”
• How being in service to something great served Angela
• The Samurai game and how we often fill the blanks of our self-worth
• Responding to the call of service and how the killing of George Floyd impacted Angela and her mission
• The map is not the territory and why it’s okay to not know every step of a big mission to start some shift
• Confronting impostor syndrome and the importance of trusting your voice and what you have to say
• How service to a cause can serve ourselves while serving our mission
• The power of conversations in moving the needle on systemic racism
• What it means to play your part in a mission or a movement
• The 50% rule and why I seek other leaders who I don’t agree with all the time
• What courage means and its role in doing work

Related Content:

• What if I can’t?
• What does it really mean to *do* you? With Erin Hatzikostas

Connect with Angela Tennison:

• The Global Legacy Institute
• Angela Tennison
• Angela Tennison on LinkedIn
• Angela Tennison on Instagram
• Angela Tennison on Facebook
• Angela Tennison on Twitter
• Email: angela@angelatennison.com

Let’s Start Some Shift!

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