Meet Nyam Adodoadji | Writer + Sabbatical Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nyam Adodoadji and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nyam, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I graduated from college, I planned on going into non-profit or ministry work; however, through a series of events I ended up working at a tech start up in Silicon Valley–very different than what I had imagined for myself! That job was the start of multiple burnout cycles throughout my 14 year career as a product manager in tech.

Then, with forceful vengeance, 2020 and the inception of the pandemic compelled me to confront my life with harsh clarity. This moment of confrontation happened in February 2021. Staring at my computer screen during my remote job, I felt the weight of my 14 year career pattern of crushing workloads, unsupportive managers and multiple burnout cycles.

 Was my life just going to be one debilitating job after another until I died?

 This question propelled me into a year-long process to plan a one year career break that changed my life trajectory.

After my sabbatical in 2022, I knew that I couldn’t go back to being a full-time employee. Whenever I searched for jobs, none of them resonated with me. As I pieced together freelance work, I accepted that I needed to create the type of work that I wanted to see in the world. Having experienced the transformative impact of my career break and seeing the rampant burnout in my industry, I decided to create a business where I could support other corporate professionals in navigating career transitions via intentional sabbaticals.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business is new as I launched it about 7 months ago, but even in this short amount of time I’m proud of the internal and external impact that I’ve had. After experiencing so much burnout and misalignment in my career, I’m committed to creating a business that is rooted in my well-being and authenticity, and in turn partnering with my clients to cultivate those elements in their lives. To honor this commitment, I consistently need to make clear, and sometimes hard, choices about what I do or don’t prioritize in my life and business. As an example, as a new business owner, I’m also still working another job for financial support. It could be very easy for me to work round the clock with the justification that I’ve got to grind to get my business off the ground. Rather than doing that, however, I’m very intentional and strategic about the time, energy and focus of my business, and I’ve given myself permission to build it more slowly in order to support my sustainability.

Through that lens, I’ve been enjoying cultivating an intimate client base and community. For example, I’ve been humbled to hear folks share how via workshops I’ve hosted they gained clarity, courage and resources to transition out of damaging work environments, plan their own sabbaticals, embody their values or create side projects that energize them. Through my newsletters, writing, reflective workshops and 1 on 1 sessions, I’m getting to help people redefine their relationship to themselves, their work, their rest and their thriving.

This work is so invigorating for me because I’m integrating spiritual, leadership and creative gifts that I felt I needed to hide in the corporate world. No longer seeing them as deficits, I now see them as differentiators for my brand and business. In the same way, I want my clients and community to unearth their own unique brilliance and joy, and via that process, shift paradigms around work, success and rest.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There’s so much I myself am still discovering about Atlanta! To eat, I’d take them to my absolute favorite restaurant in the city, Del Bar in Inman Park. Without fail the food, ambience and service always provide a great experience. We’d also go to Poor Calvin’s and Bomb Biscuit. We’d have to check out the Beltline and the aquarium as the Beltline gives such a great sense of the city’s energy, and I find the aquarium peaceful and magical. From the historical standpoint, the King Center and Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Library are must visits, given the tremendous legacy of both King and Carter. Finally, I’d also want us to visit the High Museum as well as local house concerts to enjoy a bit of the creative landscape of the city. The house concerts I’ve attended here have been such gems!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many folks that have contributed to where I am now! I’ll group them together as the coaches who have supported me throughout the years in different capacities. Most directly related, Roshida Dowe (https://www.roshidadowe.com/) was my sabbatical coach, and her story gave me permission and imagination to choose something different and more expansive for my life. I’ve also worked with spiritual, leadership, communication and business coaches. Each of them stretched me to expand my vision for my life and take active steps towards making it possible.

Spiritual – Erna Kim Hackett (https://www.liberatedtogether.com/)
Leadership – Tracey Gee (https://traceygee.me/)
Life & Transition – Nadia de Ala (https://realyouleadership.com/)
Communications – Nako Adodoadji (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nakoadodoadji/)
Business Coach – Christine Job (https://www.flourishintheforeign.com/about)

Website: https://www.nyamadodoadji.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shespeakssoftly/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nyamado/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NyamAdodoadji

Other: For my writing and creative work: https://shespeakssoftly.substack.com/

Image Credits
Karen Santos