Céline de Almeida has spent 14+ years inside finance, consulting, and high-performance environments — the exact rooms that produce the kind of leaders she now works to help close the gap between success and fulfillment.

In this episode, we go after the uncomfortable version of the leadership conversation: why so many companies fail not from bad strategy but from leadership models that quietly hollow out the people running them — and why that failure becomes existential, not just personal, in an AI-driven world where the old command-and-control model of leadership has nothing left to compete on except the human part it usually sacrifices first.

This isn't a soft conversation about self-care for executives. It's a hard look at what leadership actually has to become — structurally, not just emotionally — to survive what's coming.

To connect with Céline: https://www.celinedealmeidacoaching.com/

Join our Rooms: https://jointherooms.com/upcoming-rooms

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What does it really take to become known, trusted, and influential in a world where everyone is competing for attention?

In this episode, I sit down with Mark Stephen Pooler - the Global Profile Builder, founder of MSP News Global and TMSP Agency - to explore the art and strategy of building global influence. Having worked in media, PR, and storytelling, and interviewed people across the business and personal development worlds, Mark knows what it takes to bring other people's stories into the spotlight. But what happens behind the scenes? What does it take to build a platform, reinvent yourself, and build a career around making others visible?

We explore the difference between publicity and lasting credibility, why visibility matters for entrepreneurs, how to overcome the fear of being seen and heard, and what it takes to stand out in a saturated world. We also get into what he's actually learned after sitting across from hundreds of highly successful founders and public figures - the advice that surfaces again and again once the achievements are stripped away.

This is a conversation for entrepreneurs, experts, and leaders who want to move beyond simply getting attention, and build a reputation that travels.

To connect with Mark: https://contactmark.me/

Join our Rooms: https://jointherooms.com/upcoming-rooms

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Join us on socials: https://www.instagram.com/ispeakuplightup/, https://ispeakuplightup.com/contact/

Fashion is supposed to be one of the purest forms of self-expression - how we show up, how we move through the world, how we tell the truth about who we are before we say a word. And yet it's also one of the most polluting industries on earth, and one of the most quietly enslaving, chasing trends, chasing approval, chasing a version of ourselves the industry profits from us never quite reaching.

Yasmin Megerisi has lived inside that contradiction, across multiple countries and cultures, and instead of just critiquing it, she built something to answer it: Zilouet, a deep-tech engine powering identity-first retail - AI-driven, hyper-personalized, built to mirror you rather than sell you an idea of who you should be. In this episode, we go deep into that paradox, her personal journey into building it, what it actually takes to survive a brutal, resource-draining industry, and what she's learned about staying resilient when the building phase eats years of your life before it gives anything back.

Check more about Zilouet: https://zilouet.ai/

Join our Sustainable Fashion Room in Abu Dhabi: https://jointherooms.com/sustainable-fashion-room

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Sandi Saksena on reinventing herself after 40 - and living entirely on her own timeline.

Society hands us invisible deadlines: start your career in your twenties, build your business in your thirties, slow down in your fifties. Sandi Saksena ignored every one of them. At 44, with no office skills and no formal business experience, she walked into a room of 50 candidates and walked out with the job. Twenty-eight years later, she left that same industry, not because she had to, but because she'd outgrown it. Then she built a company of her own.

This episode isn't a career-advice conversation. It's a sit-down with a wise woman who has genuinely lived what she's talking about - timelines, boldness, energy, love, and what it actually means to build a life on your own terms, at any age.

If you are the one who is building business and life on own terms, you belong to our Rooms: https://jointherooms.com/upcoming-rooms

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Before Huta Heris had a formulation, a factory, or a single customer, she had to decide what luxury actually meant, and reject the idea that it has anything to do with time. Her brand is built on transformation, not waiting: impossibly soft textures, subtle fragrance, and active ingredients that work now, not "eventually." In this episode, she traces how that conviction became a business from earning credibility in an industry ruled by legacy houses, to crossing borders with a formula and a story, to the emotional weight of selling something as intimate as how a woman ages. This is a story about authoring your own definition of luxury, and everything that decision has cost and given her.

Check Heris Huta: https://www.herishuta.com/

🔗 Curious about joining a Room? Check here: https://jointherooms.com/longevity-room
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🔗 Get iSULU: The Art Of Impact: https://www.amazon.pl/iSULU-International-Expansion-Conscious-Leadership/dp/B0H6KLL8H6

After a bit over a year away, Light Up! With Val is back. This episode is different — no guest, just me, unpacking what actually happened during the pause: pivots, a geopolitical curveball, a new market, a relocation, and the slow, non-linear road back to clarity.

If you're in a season where you don't know what you're doing — testing, pivoting, still figuring it out — this one's for you. We talk nervous system regulation, self-belief, the story of starting without even a locker on a national team and ending up a World Champion, and what it actually took to rebuild not just the podcast, but the business behind it.

This is also where I share what's next: The Rooms, the magazine, and why sovereignty isn't a one-time decision — it's a practice.

🔗 Curious about joining a Room? Join here: https://jointherooms.com/longevity-room
🔗 Want the self-mastery tools: https://ispeakuplightup.com/scale-up/

What does it take to go from a promising engineering career to becoming a nationally recognized motivational speaker and leadership coach? In this inspiring conversation, I sit down with Lasada Pippen, a first-generation college graduate who rose from humble beginnings to transform not only his own life but also the lives of executive leaders and aspiring speakers across the country.

Lasada shares his journey of self-reinvention, from pivoting away from engineering to embracing his calling on stage. He reveals how structured thinking, drawn from his engineering background, blends with the art of human connection to create powerful communication. Together, we explore why voice and presence are essential leadership tools in today’s digital world, the most common fears that hold people back from speaking, and how to overcome visibility blocks.

You’ll also discover:

• The 4 Cs of impactful speaking and the key questions to ask before stepping on stage.
• How to manage nerves and negative feedback—and even turn them into strengths.
• Practical tips to be more present, confident, and influential in any room.
• Why mastering your voice is not just for executives, but for entrepreneurs, founders, and anyone ready to make an impact.

Lasada’s story is proof that your voice can change not only your career but your destiny. If you’ve been waiting for the moment to step forward, speak up, and light up the room—this episode is for you.

To connect with Lasada: https://www.lasadapippen.com/

Become part of the SilknWay Roadshow:

https://ispeakuplightup.com/the-silk-way-roadshow/

Want to become an international speaker, expand your business and mind, join us for 3-days Business Summit in a breathtaking Cappadocia:

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Today, we dive into one of the most dynamic and culturally layered regions in the world: the Gulf.

From the futuristic skyline of Dubai to the deeply rooted traditions of Riyadh and the strategic diplomacy of Doha—doing business in the GCC requires more than ambition. It demands cultural fluency.

My guest is Corina Goetz, a trusted advisor and expert in Middle Eastern business culture who has spent over a decade helping international companies enter the region with impact, integrity, and deep respect.

Together, we unpack:

• Why your handshake, dress, or choice of words could open doors—or silently close them
• How wasta (relationship capital) works, and how to build trust ethically in the GCC
• The key differences between Dubai, Riyadh, and Doha that brands must understand
• Crucial insights for women entering leadership or entrepreneurship in the Gulf
• Why hospitality isn’t just tradition—it’s strategy

Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, or global citizen ready to engage with the Middle East, this episode offers a real-world roadmap to navigating the Gulf with grace and cultural intelligence.

Tune in, take notes, and leave empowered to connect deeper and lead wiser.

Connect with Corina:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinagoetz/

Learn about the Silk Way Roadshow: https://ispeakuplightup.com/the-silk-way-roadshow/

Join us on this unique journey!

Some tools for Entrepreneurs to scale, as well as in-person events to join:

https://ispeakuplightup.com/

Get my Self-Mastery Journal To Master Your Mind And Shape Your Reality

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LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerievkim/