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

Hi Aïcha, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Be a mountain or lean on one” is a Somali proverb. What I love about this, is how it’s so empowering when you’re on the road to self discovery and improvement – whether for yourself, your family, or your community. There are times when the journey gets tough and it’s hard to imagine pushing through. In those instances, if you want to succeed, you have two options: either stand firm and see the situation from a higher perspective – like a mountain – or if you’re not able to muster the strength, find someone you can lean on until you regain your strength. I think it takes true wisdom and strength of character to know when to do one or the other.

What should our readers know about your business?
Start in the Beginning (SITB) has a mission to right what I believe is an egregious wrong: incredibly gifted people – predominantly BIPOC and women – remaining stagnant or being passed over for opportunities because they either don’t know their value and/or don’t know how to communicate their value.

At SITB, we help ambitious people who “feel stuck” learn how to understand and confidently articulate their value so they can expand their influence, land their dream opportunities, and accelerate to the next level. Through our 1:1 coaching, group coaching, and corporate/team workshops, we teach professionals and entrepreneurs how to transform themselves with clearer messaging of their story and powerful public speaking training.

What sets us apart is that while our curriculum is research-based, it’s not just theoretical and has tangible results. Our clients have gotten greater clarity around their value, resulting in landing speaking engagements, more press, and landing promotions. Personally, clear messaging around my value is what took me from working 2 full-time jobs making less than $30K annually, to landing every six-figure job I’ve interviewed for. I’ve also leveraged my story to land multiple dozens of speaking engagements, including a TEDx, over the last decade. I want others to know there is power in their story, and they can land their dream opportunities too.

We imbue our coaching with a lot of empathy because we understand how difficult the journey can be. We also acknowledge that not everyone has the financial resources to invest in coaching, so we started offering free content on Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms. We also developed a free eBook to help people identify what makes them special – this is often the first and most rewarding part of our process.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We all have that one person who is our biggest influence and inspiration. For me, that’s my mother, Anna Sidibé, who I want to dedicate this shoutout to. When I was 7, she made the courageous decision to immigrate to the U.S., from Senegal, in pursuit of the American dream. For three years, my mother took any work she could, providing for us nearly 4,000 miles and an ocean away, hoping to save enough to reunite us.

Those years apart are what made me who I am today. Keenly aware of her sacrifice, even at that young age, I realize that we are all a product of the decisions and sacrifices that were made before we had the agency of decision-making. As a result, fortitude, commitment, and resolve were imbued in me: my mission is to never let her spirit of sacrifice go unrecognized or unrewarded.

Website: www.sitbstudio.com

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

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sitbstudio1/

Other: Get your free “Know Your Value” Guidebook here:https://www.sitbacademy.com

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.