Rising ICON #56: Portia Obeng
What name do you prefer to be called?
Call me Portia!
What are your pronouns?
She/Her (I always say the lyrics to Meg Thee Stallion’s song “Her” when I share my pronouns, I’m her, her, her….)
Where did you grow up?
A little bit of everywhere. My parents immigrated to the States from Ghana and we moved wherever my dad went to school while pursuing his Ph.D. We lived in Montana, Texas, Illinois, and Maryland. They’ve lived in Maryland the longest.
What city are you currently based in?
The rapidly gentrifying Washington, DC!
How do you typically introduce yourself to new people?
I tell them that my name is Portia and I enjoy offering unsolicited advice to anyone who will listen. I especially enjoy telling people about good spots to eat in DC that aren’t on those boring lists or suggested by TikTokers who get paid to tell you the food is good when it’s not.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?
That I practice public speaking A LOT! People think I’m a strong speaker naturally, but that’s not the case. I rehearse and practice like I’m going on tour with Usher.
Who do you help?
For 1:1 clients, I mostly help professional women and business owners. Most business owners I help are coaches, consultants, or other service providers. For corporate clients, I help employees and I usually work with tech or retail companies.
What are you building now?
A new corporate offer to help companies that work with small to midsize businesses!
What were you building ten years ago today?
This is a good question. I think I was building one of my many side hustles. I think I was doing photography at the time and building a client list. I stayed with a side hustle!
What do you predict of yourself 10 years from now?
A beautiful life of freedom, peace, joy, and riches!
What’s a fact or statistic you wish everyone knew about your industry?
This isn’t a fact about the coaching industry, but one specifically about LinkedIn and personal branding. Only 1% of LinkedIn users make content. It seems like a lot more, but it’s not. Strengthen your personal brand and start creating content! Or repurpose the content you already have.
Why do you believe the work you do matters?
I started my business because I want to help women make more money and that starts with how they think about their work. If they don’t believe they make an impact, they won’t ask for the money they deserve. Countless studies show how communities thrive when women make more money.
Who is your mentor and what is the best advice they’ve given you?
Ms. Cookie is my life mentor! She’s wonderful and lives a fantastic life! Her best advice is, “Make sure you terrorize any room you walk into.” She had a long modeling career and she means that you should confidently enter each room (even virtual spaces). It’s OK if you have to fake it. Confidence goes a long way!
What piece of content about you or your company are you most proud of? (could be an article, an interview, an episode, research, or something you’ve published)
Oh boy! I create SO much content! This one is hard. I released a LinkedIn course and I’m proud of that because I promised myself that I would release the course and help more people. And I also like the affirmations I share because people enjoy them and find them helpful.
What publication do you hope to appear in next?
ESSENCE!! I grew up with Essence and used to have a subscription. I also want to speak about LinkedIn and personal branding at the Global Black Economic Forum!
Who would you love to be interviewed by?
Tamron Hall! I love her testimony and that she’s thriving on her own! God was looking out for her best interest.
If you had to give a TEDTalk tomorrow, what would the title be?
Girl, Stop. You Deserve More.
What award would mean the most to win?
I haven’t thought about this before. I’m not big into awards. I guess if there was an award for helping people. I’d enjoy receiving that award.
What makes zero sense to you?
Racism, sexism, and homophobia. I don’t understand why people don’t mind their business and worry about themselves. Imagine waking up every morning mad at a group of people who have done nothing to you. That’s wild! And probably a driving reason why so many people are miserable.
What’s a word in your industry you hope gets re-evaluated?
I can’t think of one.
What game are you changing?
How women talk about themselves and money! There’s no need to be humble. Being humble keeps you stuck and underpaid. You’re not bragging when you talk about your work, you’re making it easier for companies or clients to give you money to help them solve their problems.
What’s the next thing you’re a part of that you want to invite more people to participate in?
Enroll in my LinkedIn course and come to Black Woman Leading LIVE (https://blackwomanleading.com/retreat/)!
Where can we follow you online?
LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/portiaobeng/
My website: https://www.portiaobeng.com/
My course: https://www.portiaobeng.com/the-linkedin-glow-up-course
TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@portia.o
What’s one thing that makes every leader better?
Knowing how to hire people who know more than you in areas where you’re not as strong and developing your ability to coach and mentor.
__________________
We’re grateful to each Rising ICON for their transformative work. Thank you, Portia, for sharing your story!
LAUREL is a media relations partner for bold leadership. Through a publication, education platform and PR representation, we help leaders build effective strategies for scale and growth specializing in digital executive presence and go-to-market strategy for emerging brands. To follow along with the Rising ICONS series, nominate a leader or subscribe to our weekly emails below. To accelerate your own rise, get our free guide to visibility Force to ICON: the TLDR.
“I want to help women make more money and that starts with how they think about their work. If they don’t believe they make an impact, they won’t ask for the money they deserve. ”
Notice: It’s important for our readers to understand the origin of the interview content. The featured ICON contributed responses that were not edited from the original submission. All claims are made solely by the contributor and do not reflect the views of LAUREL or its partners. Thank you for supporting rising leaders. The future is bold.
