Set 3 - Rep 2 with Alicia Steele

Episode Summary

Alicia Steele has come a long way always having served as her goal! 

Starting off as a journalist, moving through H.R. to finally becoming a data analyst, Alicia shares with us her journey on this episode of the Metric Mate Minute Podcast. Now, Alicia is a Senior Data Analyst for a software company where she’s building analytics capabilities on a global scale. But that isn’t all about her, she is also passionate about group fitness and entrepreneurship. In 2020 she started Black Owned And Hiring with co-founders Jasmine Whaley and Shedika Williams. Black Owned and Hiring is a job searching platform for the BIPOC Community. 

Tune in to catch all the jewels Alicia has for you! 

The Metric Mate Podcast_Set 3 - Rep 2_Alicia Steele: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

The Metric Mate Podcast_Set 3 - Rep 2_Alicia Steele: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

M-T:
What's going on, everybody! This is your boy Brother M-T, and we're here with another Metric Mate Minute Podcast. On the Metric Mate Minute Podcast, we cover leaders from all over the world telling you about how they do what they do, why they do what they do and how staying fit keeps them in their best mindset. Let's go!

M-T:
What's going on, everybody, man? Welcome to another Metric Mate Podcast. This is your boy Brother M-T. And we're here as we are every week with another fascinating and amazing guest man, my girl, Alicia Steele. Man, she is absolutely phenomenal. And I'll bring y'all some of the best guests every week. You could deny it if you want to, but we know the truth. The Metric Mate Podcast brings you some phenomenal people. And of course, I had to make sure that this was always the same. It's never going to change. We want to bring that positive energy. We want to bring that awesomeness to you want to make sure that you have everything that you need to push forward and be your best, be legendary, be great. All of those things, all of those adjectives, we want to make sure that we equip you with what you need to do that. And this young lady right here, I've known her since I was a young tyke, a young tiger in the jungle trying to see what's going on. And she has grown and become such a phenomenal woman. I am super proud of her. And I am even more honored that she would decide to be a part of this journey and be a part of our tribe. So I always try to give as much information about these people as I can. But that's not my job because I don't have that knowledge. They know more about themselves than I do. So. Alicia, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for being a part of this. Thank you for coming on with us. Please share with the community a little bit more about yourself, what you do and why you are so awesome.

Alicia Steele:
Oh, thank you for having me. I appreciate it. And you were too kind. Yeah, we have known each other for a very long time since we were young youngins. But I like to say that I'm a multi-passionate person, a multi-passionate professional, so I always have my hands in different things. So right now, I guess my day-to-day is I'm a data analyst and I didn't start off in data science and data analytics. I actually started off in H.R., as you mentioned, and actually I started off as a journalist.

M-T:
OK, yeah, break it down for us.

Alicia Steele:
Yeah, I did! I started off as a journalist, so I went to undergrad for journalism at UGA, University of Georgia, go dogs! And I quickly kind of figured out that I didn't, when I graduated, that I didn't love it. There wasn't something that I was, like, super passionate about. But I recognized very quickly that there were a lot of different skill sets that I can take in the ... other areas. That's kind of how I transitioned into H.R. If from having a communications background, I worked in H.R. in different fields and parts of the business. So I worked in campus recruiting. I worked for hospital at one point. I also worked in diversity inclusion space for a while and I loved it and kind of probably back in like 2015 I started noticing that there was a gap in H.R. in talent acquisition with a data piece and there was a gap with professionals specifically being able to look at the data and look at metrics that they were generating and analyze it and be able to present that to executives and be able to present that to different stakeholders. And so me recognizing that and me kind of having an analyst position at a consulting company at that time, I was like, you know, this is probably something that I can do because you always kind of have to think about how you can add value, right, you want to think about how you can add value in your position. And the wheels kind of got turning in about 2015-2016 with the data stuff. And I continue to work in H.R. and in 2019 I got a really big job basically leading, building a hotel acquisition practice for a consulting company owned by Porsche. And I was tasked with building out their whole talent acquisition team. So it was a big, big role and I still kind of had the data stuff in the back of my mind. And so during that same time, I started taking more formal classes on data stockings and data analytics and stuff like that. So I learned a bunch of different software and tools and all that stuff. And right around that time, I mean, a year or so later is when the pandemic hit. And I lost my job due to that, due to the pandemic back in March, 2020. And initially, I was devastated because who wants to lose their job, right. And we're in the middle of a pandemic, things are unstable, nobody knows what's going to happen. But I kind of looked at it as an opportunity to really take a step back and say, what is it that you want to do going forward? Right. like I couldn't be in a funk for a year. I was like, you know what? This is a great opportunity for you to go back to what you said you wanted to do, which was in my 2015-16. And I had already started taking those formal classes. I was like, just keep doing this, I keep doing this, stay the course and see what happens. During the pandemic, I was taking formal data classes, I was accepted into a fellowship, data science fellowship, which is luckily is free and is taught by the head data science professor at Harvard. And I was so grateful to get the opportunities and like, where else am I going to, I'm not going to go to Harvard. So where am I going to get opportunity to engage with this level of expertise and for free? So I went through the application process, got accepted, and that was something that really kept me busy during the pandemic. And then I sat down probably back in maybe like August or sometime like that, August 2020. And I was like, OK, well, you have to be intentional about everything that you do going forward.

And when I say intentional, I wrote it down. I prayed over it. And like this is these are the specific things that I want in my next career and my next job. I was very intentional about it. Like anything that comes up that doesn't align with what you said you wanted, is not for you. And I had people in my LinkedIn coming for me. We have this position open. We have a VP of H.R., we have, ... A lot of people would be happy to accept, but it didn't align with what I wanted and it didn't align with what I told myself that will make me happy. So I was like, you know, I appreciate these people reaching out to me and seeing the value in me, but I have something different for myself that I want. So I was very intentional about that. And back in the end of the year in December, I just happened to apply for a role that I thought was perfect for me at a computer software company and the process took about two weeks and I was hired. So what I do now, I am a data analyst, I'm a senior data analyst for a computer software company. And what I do is I'm building out the analytics capabilities for their talent acquisition team on a global scale. So is what I pray for, is what I was very intentional about, I'm still with an H.R. I'm still within the talent base. But I'm just now on the on the data side building that out to help my stakeholders be data literate in a set.

So that's what I do day to day, my nine to five, as I call it. So when I mention that I'm a multi-passionate professional, I really mean that. So doing my whole H.R. career and all that, I also taught fitness classes. I'm a fitness instructor. I taught for about six years, different platforms, so I taught indoor cycling. I also taught cardio and strength classes, I taught boot camps. And I've also done some personal training. But my passion within fitness is definitely grouped, group fitness, group training. I think just because I like to reach as many people as possible in a short amount of time. So personal training is like it takes a lot sometimes. So, the group thing is what I really gravitated towards. So I did that for about six years and right when I got that role at Porsche, I said, a lot of things happened in that time. And so I stopped teaching and I'm definitely going to get back into it. Just things have to be aligned. And I have some things in the works that I'm going to work on from a business perspective. So, yeah, top is that I'm still into that. I still work out. I still, fitness is a part of my life. Like, it's not something that I just did for money, which was nice, but is actually a part of my day-to-day life. I work out about five days a week. And even with the pandemic, I have a bike at home, I have weights at home and all that stuff. So I'm still covid safe. And then another thing that I'm doing, so I'm kind of entering into the entrepreneur's side of my life right now. And so I'm working also on building a employer rating platform specifically for black people and the black experience and black professionals. And so we're right now in the beta phases. A young lady reached out to me back in 2020 with the idea and she said there is a gap. And think about it like Glassdoor, right, there's a Glassdoor for black people. Right, because we want to be able to showcase and highlight companies that have safe working environments for black people because our experience is very different from other people. Just the nature of living in the US, right, our lives, our history. Everything is different. And so you go on Glassdoor because you want to just get some insight into working at different companies and kind of like see what their culture is like. But there's nothing specific to the black experience and that is what we're doing. The company or that the platform that we're building is called Black Owned And Hiring and it's two is kind of like two prong or two different pillars. So one side of it is creating a space for black owned businesses and businesses that want to hire black talent. So you don't necessarily have to be a black owned business, but we're creating a platform where they can come on and say, hey, we are committed to our hiring black talent. And we are committed to creating a work environment where they can also thrive, right, and then on the other side is we have partners or I guess people who want to subscribe to it to go on and look at different job openings and also do research on companies who are hiring and who are, the biggest thing is for us is that you have to be committed. You have to this ... All that kind of stuff like allyship, like you have to be committed and you have to put your money where your mouth is in order to partner with us. And I think it's it's a great opportunity for companies to hold themselves accountable because we're going to hold them accountable. And it's also a really a great tool for people to come to us, to trust us, because we all had experiences working in corporate America and it's very different. And so when we create a space and a platform for organizations and companies to say, yes, we're committed to hiring black people, and yes, we're also committed to making sure that we have inclusive hiring processes, we have a space where people can be themselves. So it's holding them accountable and then having the trust from our subscribers to know if they're getting the best of the best. So I've been working on that. So my role in that is I'm a strategic advisor and I'm also doing the data analytics for the companies so we're in the beta stage and we're working. I do probably about like 10, 15 hours week of that. So that's another thing that I'm doing. And I'm also in a data science fellowship, I think I mentioned about getting in set to that. So I'm still in that until February and I think that's it. Well, I also, sorry I told you, I'm multi-passionate and I do a lot of things, but I was applying for grad school and which was another thing that I was doing during the pandemic. I'm like doing as much as you can, like you're not doing you're not working full time. And this is an amazing opportunity to just do everything, like do everything that you have on your list, like do it all. So I applied to grad schools and I got accepted to a couple. My number one was Mercer because they have a business analytics, massive, master of science in business analytics. And so I was kind of going back and forth. I don't want to get an MBA or don't want to get MSBA. And I decided on the MSBAs as I was accepted. I was supposed to start in January and then I got my job and I was like, you know, I like to do a lot and I'm flexible and I like to stretch myself, but this might be a little bit too much. So I diverts, I'm starting grad school January 2022 and that's it. That's all I got.

M-T:
Wow. First of all, wow. While we were talking I was like, oh, I got a couple of days and I was like I to be surprised. Don't say you, I want you in the podcast. Are you serious?

Alicia Steele:
I'm serious.

M-T:
Girl, are you?

Alicia Steele:
I don't know, sometimes. I really don't. I'm just, I like I'm driven and I think one of my purposes in life is to be of service to other people and so I can't be of service to other people if I'm not my best version of myself. So I'm constantly working on improving myself in different ways, whether that's through education, whether that's through networking, whether that's through fitness, and making sure that my temple is intact and the best it can be. And then also from a nutrition perspective, making sure that I'm putting in the right types of food in my body, that's going to keep me going. So that's that.

M-T:
Yeah. Killer! That's all I can say, she is a killer. She is out here killing the game. Jeez, what else can I head ... I was like, hey, She decided, hell I'm doing this and I'm doing that and I'm going back to grad school. Oh, yeah. I got a fellowship and this and the business which we support entrepreneurs all day long. Course, Metric Mate get ready for the pre-sales, we out here, so.

Alicia Steele:
Absolutely

M-T:
Oh, but yo what? I was taken aback because of course we do the pre conversation. Everybody doesn't get to see that. That's what I talk to my guests and we renew our familial bonds as we already have. And she was telling me about everything that she was doing. She was going through the list. I already knew she was going a lot because that's just what she does. And then is like, let me drop a couple more bombs on your podcast so y'all got some exclusive content. I'm just as surprised as everybody else. And I'm like, yo, girl.

Alicia Steele:
Yeah, yeah.

M-T:
I need to pull my plane up because I'm nosediving compared to you. Super high.

Alicia Steele:
Is not for the faint of heart, is not for the faint of heart.

M-T:
Oh that is real. That is real. But the fact that now that is out there, now that the community knows and is no longer a far-fetched goal, is no longer something that you have to feel like you have to be exceptionally extraordinary, which you are. You are exceptionally extraordinary. I thought you were exceptionally extraordinary since back in the day, you know, and that's why I was so excited when you contacted me to get you on this podcast to share your story, but I had no idea it was going to be like superhuman type stuff going on out here. You're surviving the pandemic. I used to be a spin coach. I'm going to get that then I'm going back to grad school. I'm starting a business. I started a new job. I'm in a fellowship, like, come on, leave some for the rest of us. What are you doing?

Alicia Steele:
Now that you say it like that, because, you know, when you're in it, you don't really think that you're doing a lot. But when you say it like that, I mean, it does sound like a lot, but it's all for a greater purpose. It is all for an end goal. And like I mentioned, like, I want to connect with people, but I want to be of service to people, whether that's through business, whether that's data or whatever it is, I want to be able to serve people. So it's a lot, but I'm doing it, you know, and I'm here.

M-T:
You doing it, doing it and doing it well. Doing it, doing it and doing it well, I love it. Yo, that is, that is off-the-chain. I had like some questions in my head that I was going to ask, which you completely blew those out of the water. So I'm just going to like pull whatever I could pull right now because I've got so many things floating around from everything that you said. You drop so many jewels inside of there too. Like it was like I'm telling you about what I'm doing, but here's a little breadcrumb. You know, here's a little low, for real quick, let me give you this diamond that you could take with you, jeez, like that, give me a second. Let me take it back by Alicia Steele right now. Like for real. Yo that is off the chain. That is off the chain. So dive it in at the beginning, aiming journalism. You move to H.R. and now you're doing data analytics, data science. What did you see in the industry. You talked about what you saw in yourself. What did you see in the industry that allowed you to be able to see these pivots, take them and utilize your transferable skills and continue to move on until you found a place where you feel comfortable?

Alicia Steele:
Yeah, so and I think I mentioned this, a little spill, but I saw a gap. I saw a hole right in, I kind of saw into the future or saw what the progression of not just my role that I had at that time, but I saw where it was going. Right. And the thing about like data is now everybody is into it. Like now everybody is like we need data. We need data. We need to be able to understand it. We need to be able to present it in a specific way and all that. But back when I got the notion in my mind that wasn't a thing, right? It was a little, they were kind of tapping into it a little bit. But I worked for a big consulting company that had the ability to be able to curate this stuff, but they weren't really tapping into it. So as I mentioned, I saw a gap and I saw where things were heading and I kind of started to put the steps in place to be able to kind of pivot and go that route. And so I'm always kind of thinking about, like, what's the next best method? Maybe not the next best thing, but what's the next ... thing that's going to be big or that I can kind of leverage my skill sets that I have and then move into. And I would encourage people like especially when you're working in corporate like you want to obviously be adding value, but you kind of want to be a couple of steps ahead. Right. So you do your job, whatever your specific job is at that time, but then be thinking a couple steps ahead like, well, what's going to happen in two or three years? Like where are we going to be in two or three years and what skill sets am I going to need in two to three years to be able to continue to be successful? And so as long as you're continuing to think a couple steps ahead, I think that be super beneficial. And that's kind of how my brain has always worked. And I'm not saying it's a good thing because sometimes it can create a lot of anxiety. But my mind is constantly like, OK, what's next? What's next? And so one of the things that has worked for me to kind of structure my brain because I need that structure is I write things down and I put specific times on them. So, for example, like if I want to, one of a good example is I needed to renew my fitness certification and I didn't need to, but I was working at a particular place. But I needed to for me. I wanted to make sure that I kept that up to date. I wrote it down. I was like, OK, at Q3 when we were in Q1 at that time when I did it, I was like by Q3, you need to make sure that you have to, renew your fitness certification. So I think it's important to put times on things like put a specific date that you want to happen so that you can kind of back into it by keeping by doing different steps. So I'm a big believer in writing it down. You don't have to do like a cute vision board and all that kind of stuff if you don't want to, do something simple, write it down. And if you're a spiritual person, prayer or not, that's you and your business. But I am a spiritual person, so I will pray over it. And I have conversations with God and I say, if this is not for me, it's not for me, but usually it is. I write things down. Going back to your original question is looking at whatever industry is that you want to be in or that you're currently in and thinking about ways that you can add value that may or not already exist.

M-T:
Wow. Wow. Yo look, let me get back to what she said, but just and point out all of these jewels that she's dropping on you right now like she's giving you prime cut VVS Diamond, emerald cut like jewels right now. Like, seriously, some of the most valuable information that you can get. You've got to write down your goals. You've got to have smart goals. They got to be specific. They got to be memorable. They got to be attainable. They got to be relevant to what you want to do because she was talking about the relevancy. She had jobs coming, but she was like, no, I want this job. That job is not specific to what I want to do, is not relevant to where I want to be going into the future. And then she put time-bound, which is a part that a lot of people miss, is having a time bound goal. And I just I'ma achieve this when I achieve it, it's like, yeah, OK, then I can be a professional swimmer when I get 60 if I want to because I got more time. When are you going to make this happen?

Alicia Steele:
Right.

M-T:
If you wait that long to get to the money. You can't wait that long to get to your passion. You need to be able to say by this time I'm going to do it. And this is not the type of situation where it's like, OK, if I don't get it done by that time, then I'm down on myself and I beat myself up and I feel like I'm a terrible person. But if you don't, you set a new time and you grind a little bit harder than you'd be last time because you know, and in loving yourself, if you gave it one percent or not and then you make it happen.

Alicia Steele:
Yeah,

M-T:
That's life. That's she's dropping jewels. Here's one. Here's one. Let me get another one. Let me talk someone over my head. Let me throw one behind the back to you. She's got so many jewels in this short time that we've been having this conversation and sure. This little bit of information that she's giving you about herself. And these are things that she follows. This is something that I appreciate about our community and the people that we bring on is that we're not just giving you theory. We're not giving you what we learn from somebody else. We're not out here Gary ... or all these other folks. These people are doing these things. They're taking advantage of these opportunities. They're looking for places in their lives where they can improve and do better and then taking the time to make sure that it happens. And like I said earlier, you have completely like blown my mind wide open because I knew you were remarkable, like period. I've always thought about that. And like for this to be the manifestation of those thoughts is like, yo, she's killing again. I can't wait to see you in another ten. Like we've got to do another interview for real because I know.

Alicia Steele:
It's going to be crazy.

M-T:
It's going to be insane. And both of us will be in a completely different place, we should have many stories to be able to share with each other. And we're probably gonna do this interview from a yacht, one of yours or mine.

Alicia Steele:
Hey, I claim it!

M-T:
Where we go meet at? Jamaica? I'll make sure my assistant brings out my equipment so we can go ahead and do this interview. So you saw where things were headed and you not only decided to get a position going in that direction, but you also decided to start a company that gives access and abilities in that direction, utilizing that data. How has that experience been for you?

Alicia Steele:
It's been something like I've never experienced. You know, I've always known that I wanted to be an entrepreneur in some way. I did not know how that was going to manifest. Honestly, transparently, I thought that I would open up a gym or do something along those lines, which is still something that is very real.

M-T:
Because she does so much and she has so many thoughts and she execute so well that I believe is going to happen.

Alicia Steele:
Yes, that's still a real thing. But I don't want to take a step back because the CEO of this is not me, but I was brought on very early. The young lady reached out to me and I was like, yes, we're doing this. So I think the biggest challenge in this is that we're starting from scratch. Usually when you work for another company, there is a platform already there for you just to kind of get on and do the business the way that they do business. But in this case, it's a beautiful thing. But it's also challenging because we have to create everything. We're creating different even just from a business perspective, like we're creating our decks, like we think about the small things, like we didn't have decks, we didn't have any type of website, we didn't have any marketing. We didn't know what kind of companies we needed to partner with. We didn't know where our data was coming from. We didn't have a database. We didn't have anything. And so when you're working for another company, you already have all that stuff. But when you're creating your own, you're starting from the ground up. And I think that's the part that has been the challenge. But then it's also like this is an opportunity for you to do things exactly the way you want to do it, that's going to benefit the audience that you want to see, the audience that you want to reach. I would say that was probably the biggest challenge, but it is great because no day is the same. Like when you think you have a whole plan and then the next day you're like, OK, that's not going to work, actually. And then working with different finding the right people to partner with, that's a big piece of it as well. But it's great. And I think when we get to the other side, when we start seeing the fruits of our labor and which are actually having a positive impact in people's lives, I think it's all going to be worth it. But right now, we're just like trying to get everything in place, like trying to make sure that we have the right people in place, making sure that we have the right contacts, the right partnerships, the right people that we want to reach. So it's definitely a challenge. And I always knew that it would be difficult. But now I'm like it. And I'm like, OK, now I see what people are talking about. And I see, like, it's really hard work, especially when you're working full time as well. So but it's doable. And I don't want to discourage anyone from being an entrepreneur or anything like that, but just know that it is work and every day is going to be different and every day is an opportunity for you to do it better than you did it the day before.

M-T:
Love it. Love it. No. And we're definitely not saying that it's not doable because we both have jobs and we're both out here grinding it out. So, no, definitely takes your passion into that where it's at. And that's definitely a positive thing. But one thing that we can dispel is that a lot of people say, oh, if you're going to be an entrepreneur, you just got to jump off the boat and see if you can swim is like, no, I got my nine to five boat, literally kick my feet around a little bit, maybe go take a lap combat, get on the boat. But the boat is right here, man, because you got to be able to take care of all of your basics. You got to be able to do that for you to be able to expand your mind and release your mind to think about all this other stuff and be as creative and as passionate as it involved as you need to be being an entrepreneur. Because, as you said, there's ups, downs, there's trials, tribulations. You can have a plan one day, the plan completely changes. And this is a speedboat is not a ship like these companies that are already out here that you might work for where it takes a long time to pivot. It takes a long time to change. It's got to go up the ladder. And all this, in entrepreneurship, you are the ladder. Is that what you want to do? Do it!

Alicia Steele:
Yeah, exactly.

M-T:
Yeah. You got to make sure it's the right decision. So moving into this entrepreneurial space, you've been affected by the pandemic, which you gave us all about that. So I'll rephrase that question for you. But you've been affected by the pandemic. You were realigning your professional career and then starting a new endeavor. And it's just the beginning of 2021. So everybody else was kind of like bogged down in what 2020 was. How did you continue to move forward, pace yourself and then come out ahead of the pack coming into 2021.

Alicia Steele:
Oh that's a great question. I really think it's a testament to me. I think it's not trying to big myself up or anything like that, but I am.

M-T:
Go ahead hype yourself up. Hype that head up. I got you too, girl, you're killing it.

Alicia Steele:
I know. So I am a resilient person, just I always have been. And there are a lot of things I haven't mentioned, but there are a lot of things I went through a few years ago that really could have just dumped me and I could have just quit. And quitting for me is not an option. Like in the terms of maybe like quitting a job, it's not right for me, but just quitting in life is an option for me. And I know that what may be happening right now is not going to be like this forever. And I have strong faith. I think that's another thing, is that I truly believe that I have a purpose in this world and there's a reason that I'm here. And who am I to give up on that? Like, you know, who am I to, if I have been given an opportunity to be here or be alive and be healthy by the grace of God, who am I to give up on that? I have no right to give up on that. And that's just how I live my life. I'm resilient. And things are always going to happen. You may have a plan for your life. Let it go, because it's not going to happen that way. Like, really, like, you. People are like, you know, in that state you should have plans, but you have to understand that you are not in control. And I understand that one hundred percent. I am not in control of anything that I'm doing. Right. Yes, we have free will, but God is in control for me, maybe not for everybody, but for me, God is in control. And once you let go and understand that things are not going to be perfect, things are not going to go according to how you've planned your life and you. Except, you're flexible in the way that you, you can make pivots and you're flexible in the way that you navigate your life, I think people will be much better off. So I just I'm resilient. I have a strong faith. And I think those are the things that have kind of helped me kind of stay afloat. And then I look at things as opportunities versus like an adversity or struggle. So when I got laid off, yes, I was devastated initially for a day or two. And then I was like, OK girl, OK, now what are you going to do? Like, all right. This is an opportunity for you to do what you want to do. So use it. So I kind of like I kind of frame it in my mind more so as an opportunity than something negative and so when you put that kind of positive energy on it, the perspective changes.

M-T:
Yo, look, all my guests come on and they drop all types of knowledge. They give a plethora of information. But Alicia is out here dropping bombs out here. Bombs they exploting and it's nothing but jewels inside the bomb, there's like all over the place. You are literally the epitome of the superhuman people that everybody believes are out there doing all of this stuff. You are your mindset, your thought process. The steps that you take to analyze the things that are going on are the things that you're doing. Listeners, look, take this information and use it. I tell you all this on every interview that I try to make sure that everyone is aware of when these jewels, when this information, when there's these positive affirmations are being dropped and this is no different, like she is giving out solid gold bars right now. Like, if I could turn this into a rap song, I bet you will go triple platinum like for real. I don't understand. So rewind this, replay it, give it a couple listens and realize that though she is an absolutely phenomenal woman, she is a person, she is a regular person. She is a happy, caring, positive energy, energetic type of person. And you have the opportunity to be just as phenomenal as she is. And she's giving you the blueprint. She's giving you the information, she's giving you exactly what you need to do. And at times, it is difficult to maintain a lot of what she's saying. That's no different for anybody. We're all human. We all just regular people. But if you continue to strive to do it, if you fall off the wagon and get back on, if you're running down and you stumble and you decide to get back up and keep running, then eventually you will get to the end goal. You will get to the finish line, you will achieve what you want to achieve. This is nothing but a one foot in front of the other type situation. And she is a testament to this. And I'm going to stop blowing your head. I told you I would do that but I'ma get back to my question.

Alicia Steele:
I'm a regular girl. I'm a regular girl from Decatur, OK? No matter what kind of position you're in, no matter where you're from, whatever, like you can be phenomenal. You can, like, divide that. So I'm just saying that to say that I'm a regular girl, like I'm not from, like, any special place or anything like that. I'm from Decatur and, you know, I'm just regular like everybody else.

M-T:
Let's be real. You know, I'm saying like you a person like everybody else. But you are definitely an exceptional person at the top of the heap to be. Let's just be clear.

Alicia Steele:
Okay, I'll accept that.

M-T:
Please do take it in with everything that you are and continue to carry with you as you move forward. Please, please. I'll give you that one.

M-T:
The Metric Mate team has been working tirelessly for years to be able to bring you a platform that allowed you to see your self-training data in a whole new way, that we're proud to say that we're finally at that place. The Metric Mate Smart being the first device in the Metric Mate line up is available for pre-orders on our website at TheMetricMate.com. So take your time, go over there, check out all of the information on our smart apparatus and get in line to be one of the first people in the world to have a Metric Mate Smart that can help them, more efficiently and effectively, achieve their fitness goals, their life goals, we achieve in all goals. We might even may help you achieve professional goals. You could take us in to your boss and he would be like man, you must be very smart. We're going to give you a promotion because you use Metric Mate so go ahead and kick us out of TheMetricMate.com. Again that's TheMetricMate.Com to pre-order your smart mate today. We also have a made-in polo shirts, we got crewneck shirts for you to be able to work out in, got hoodies coming, got face masks. Well, if you just want to support The Metric Mate movement as we continue to work, grind to the offer the community a beautiful platform that nobody else is able to touch nowadays. Check us out at The MetricMate.com. Can't wait to see you there.

M-T:
So you talked about your involvement with fitness, you talked about how that was a big part of your life leading up to the pandemic and how you will go back to that. But how has maintaining fit that soul, mind, body and spirit helped you continue to be a leader, continue to be a thought leader and continue to trudge your path into the future of whatever industry you deal with?

Alicia Steele:
Yeah. So I want to talk a little bit about my journey into fitness and then we can move through that. So my fitness journey, I started off just working out by myself just for my general health, and I noticed that I felt really good. And when you feel good and you start to see changes in your body and you want to kind of keep that up, I just kept with it. Like, this is probably like right after college graduation, I got really serious about it. And so I was working out on my own just for my own health. And then I started noticing the changes in my mood as our noticing the changes in my body, which was great. Who doesn't want to look good? And then I started realizing that there are so many people who maybe want to start, they want to start a fitness journey and they want to get into shape or for whatever reason. And then a couple that with me being of service, because I keep saying and going back to that. But that's truly what I mean. And so I was like I wrote it down. Years ago, I was like, I want to get into fitness as an instructor or personal trainer or something along those lines. And so I started off personal training first, and then I quickly realized that I liked group fitness. And so I started teaching group fitness. But in order for me it is, it's about looking good as well. But for me it's really about general health, right, like exercise. Everyone knows this, but exercise really creates changes in your body, even from a chemical perspective and hormonal and all that kind of stuff. So if I go too many days and I don't exercise, I'm feeling down in the dumps. Right. And I think the pandemic really disrupted that for a lot of people because they're used to going to the gym. They're used to doing their group fitness classes and things like that. But what helped me was that it was already ingrained in me that I didn't need a gym for that, you know like you can go outside for a run, you can go outside for a walk or whatever it is. But for me, it's about setting aside time where I know this is my time to focus on me and whether that's 30 minutes, whether it's an hour. But make sure that you set a specific time. When you give yourself that time, you give yourself that 30 minutes, you give yourself that hour, because what you're doing is you're creating a routine and your body is going to start getting on track with that routine. And once you get out of that, it's like OK now. We don't feel good about this and we don't like this. So basically creating a routine has been helpful for me. And then I also know I have a list, it's in my head. I didn't write this one down. This list is in my head. But there are about six things that I do for myself every day. And there are some of them are so simple. One of the things is making sure that I move my body or that I exercise. So what I mean by that is I have a trampoline. And if I'm busy, busy, busy with work, I know that I got five minutes. I'm getting five minutes on my trampoline. I'm getting on that trampoline. I'm jumping for five minutes. But just to move your body. So that's one. So I have a list of six things, but one of them is exercise and to move. And I think it's important to create some type of structure or some type of routine that will that, will help you. And during the pandemic, I went through a lot. I know we're still in it, but initially, I went through a lot of the different emotions just because the world was up in arms, like just things were so unpredictable and so unstable. And I went to a lot of different emotions. But one thing that I knew that I could control was what I did with my body. I could control what I ate. I could control if I exercise or not. I could control if I was hydrated. Those are the things I could control. And so I did those things. Everything else, whatever, whatever happens is whatever happens, but I made sure just to control what I could control. Anything else, don't worry about it. And then another component is that I was going to therapy. And I want to encourage and I'm not sure the exact audience, but I want to encourage everybody. If you're not in therapy, go because it is so helpful. And it wasn't like anything that was super traumatic that happened or anything like that. But it was like sometimes you need to talk to people about things that maybe you don't want to talk to your family about. You don't want talk to your friends about or you need to get some actual real advise, you know what I mean, some from a scientific perspective, maybe like so I think therapy also helped me just kind of, to kind of understand my own thoughts and understand why I do the things that I do, whether it's good or bad. Right. You want to get some perspective on why you operate the way you operate, so going to therapy, making sure that I kept up with my fitness routine really kind of kept me in a sound place. And I think it's also important to mention that I take ten minutes a day to just breathe. That's it. I just add, I breathe, just breathe 10 minutes a day. You know how got your Apple Watch or your whatever kind of smartwatch or whatever you have and it tells you to breathe. I used to ignore that. I'm going to be one hundred percent. I used ignore it and stop the notification. Like I don't want to breathe but then I sound crazy, I take ten minutes to breathe and you will be surprised at what just taking that ten minutes to breathe will do. It'll help you clear your thoughts, it'll help you calm down if you have anxiety or anything like that. So taking ten minutes to breathe deep as, that has been like even out of the fitness stuff, even out of the nutrition of stuff that I do, breathing has been really, really, really beneficial for me.

M-T:
I love it. I have nothing else. Nothing else. Like kill it. Kill it, girl, is freaking kill it. That's amazing. Yo, take this. Community, take it, take it with you, put it in your bag, keep it close to you because yeah, no she is, she is definitely dropping a lot of great information. So with all of the jewels that you drop, with all the information that you've given, I ask my guests this every time and I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to find some summary of everything that you put together. But overall of the phenomenal things that you've done, all of the amazing thing that you've done, your career, your life, your progressions, your changes, your regressions, drop on the community, your one whole diamond size, Jim Jones, Dipset, chain size jewel that you can give that kind of just has been consistent throughout your entire journey and everything that you've been through. What is that, give that to the community.

Alicia Steele:
Oh just one? This may sound really just simple, but always be open. And what I mean by that is when I kind of alluded to it previously, but it means to be open to opportunities, to be open to ideas, to be open to the idea or the notion that things can be different. And I'll give a good example of this. This was years ago, and I was on a date, not going to say any names, anything like that.

M-T:
Let's protect the innocent.

Alicia Steele:
Yes. I was on a date and the guy asked me, where do you see yourself in five years? And that is one of my pet peeve questions. And I told him I was going to answer it. And the reason why is because if I look back over my professional and even just my personal life, that whole five-year thing, it doesn't exist for me. So if I would have said I want to do X, Y and Z in five years and I wasn't always open to things being different or maybe my path having to change or pivot, then I would not be where I am right now. I would not have gotten into fitness. I would never be a fitness instructor. I'd never be in data science. I would never be even in the H.R. Talent space. I would never have achieved these things. And so I say that all to say always be open, right, like just be open because you don't know if you are hindering yourself from what God is blessing you with or what God's path for you. You know that. And so it's great to have aspirations and it's great to set something up for yourself, but be open to things having to change and be open to there being something better or different ....

M-T:
You know, drop the mic. If I don't pay so much for this golden mic, I'd drop it by now.

Alicia Steele:
That that's nice mic.

M-T:
You know,

Alicia Steele:
That's nice,

M-T:
You know that's the jewel. That is a really clear, really transparent, very well placed and delivered jewel right there. Be open. You never know what's going to happen. You never know what opportunities may bring. And if you are, there's a reason to be focused. There's a reason to have a plan. But as we talked about earlier, if you don't meet that plan or if their plan changes, that does not mean that you need to beat yourself up. That does not mean you did not accomplish or achieve. That just means that your path is different than whatever you set out in your mind that you feel like you need to do. And there's nothing wrong with that. I graduated from college saying, hey, I'ma go and work for corporate America and then I'll be a CEO of a company or C suite somewhere, whichever way they want to put me. And I have three letters on my title for somebody else's company, for somebody else's dream, I will be fulfilling somebody else's passion that they had. And I would do it at a very high level because I prepare myself with the skills to be able to do that. And as Alicia said, if I wouldn't have been open, if I wasn't keeping my head on a swivel to understanding what the landscape was changing to look like, I wouldn't be in network security right now. I wouldn't have the certifications that I have. I wouldn't have gone across the businesses that I've gone across and gotten the experiences that I've gotten, which have led me to be a business leader now, have given me the skills and the acumen and the foresight and opportunities to learn so that now when we're moving forward with Metric Mate, myself and Braxton Davis, we can take our combined knowledge and build this platform to be everything that we want it to be. But without being open, without keeping your head on a swivel, without seeing what the future is and telling and what the Stones and the mystics and the ancestors are telling us, then I might not have had an opportunity, and Alicia's saying that for herself as well. And you've heard everything you've done she's doing. You've heard things that are probably not even on her resume yet. So you've got the full gambit of what she's accomplishing just in 2021. So that doesn't mean that if you don't set a goal, you won't get there. If you don't set a goal as long as you know your why, which that's another huge jewel that she drops, she knows her why. She wants to help people. She wants to make the world a better place by helping people as she wants to be her best self so that she can help everybody else become their best selves, because the best leader, the best teacher is by example. And that's one thing that I got from the pre... summer's program and Morehouse shout out Master Master Chief Hutchinson, for being so dope about all this stuff. But citizenship, scholarship, leadership by example every day, you know, saying there's enough snake oil salesman and theorist and all of those people out there that is like, yo, I'ma teach you how to make ten million dollars in two days. And they and they got fifteen bucks and they account right now shout out Clubhouse, all of them yankee people out there doing anything and being mad a clubhouse, but I'm going on and do my thing, but.

Alicia Steele:
I like Clubhouse, I'm new to it, I'm new to it, though.

M-T:
Okay, as long, I'm say this about Clubhouse, this is a ....

Alicia Steele:
Ok,

M-T:
Clubhouse. No, I'm promoting y'all now. I'm not saying it's out date you some of the people on there because it's an open platform and now they're being more accepting of having more people on there, because I think I looked on there last time. I had like five invites to give out when I first got on. I have one. I can invite one person and that was it. And that that made it more selective group. But now they're starting to expand their reach and their base. There's a lot of people going on there with the snake oil. saying hey, I can easily get you 15, lose 15 pounds in a day and a half by drinking the juice ... telling you on this clubhouse group real quick. It's like, yo, what? That's not how life works. But clubhouse is an excellent venue for the people that do and want to share. They don't necessarily want to make an Instagram video. You don't necessarily want to go through and take your time to do all the production and all the stuff that goes into something like that. But you have a message to share from your experience or you have an opportunity to share. A quick story about Metric Mate is that I was recently in a clubhouse group where I got the opportunity to talk to investors about what we're doing on this entrepreneurial venture. And from there, I got at least ten people that have deep pockets or have relationships with deep pockets that we're like, yo, we love what you're talking about. Either keep up the good work, which is encouragement, which if you have entrepreneurial friends out there, encouragement is one of the best things that you can give honest encouragement, honest encouragement. Whether they doing something dope, take a second and tell them they doing something dope, because the nights and the days getting lonely as hell when you're building something from scratch and a lot of people don't understand.

Alicia Steele:
I need some of that right now as well, so.

M-T:
I'm hypeing that head up real quick. Can you play this interview for yourself. We like when he was over there really hypeing me up, I, she out here. But I did get a chance to do that. And some people were encouraging, very encouraging. I have a myriad of questions. And so that gave me the opportunity to test my chops, run through my presentation, answer some questions that I never possibly hadn't heard before. And then I got a couple of interested investors that I'm communicating with right now through clubhouse, you know, so for the people that do, it's a great avenue to be able to get your ideas and your words out there and then to be able to communicate back and forth with individuals that are interested in what you're talking about for the people that don't look out for them, because they will also be out there trying to sell you this miracle juice and trying to get your money, as they always do on all of these social media platforms and on clubhouse there's no way to really trace them or get to them or see that face, is like whatever avatar they put up or whatever voice they decide to use. That's all you know.

Alicia Steele:
Yeah I didn't think about it like that.

M-T:
Yeah. So as long as you're selective about where you go and you know and understand who's running that room and who's actually having that conversation, and you've seen some social proof, which I'm not a big proponent of social proof because you don't always need that to be awesome. But in a situation like social media world and Internet world, social proof helps you, helps your credibility. Whether I'ma believe you more about what I need to do on my fitness because I've seen you six-pack. So it's like, well, shit, if she say I need to get out in ten minutes and get on my trampoline real quick, then I buy a trampoline real quick, guess where at.

Alicia Steele:
Get your trampoline, I'm wit. I'm telling you, I love my trampoline. Get it.

M-T:
So but that's the verification side that you have to do. Trust but verify is a phrase that I learned going through engineering and that I take into my life and everything. And I think everybody should trust but verify, you know what sources are saying, you know, what things resonate with you so you can trust it. But make sure you go back and verify the data, verify the analytics. Every graph is not built the same. Graph theory is a thing for a reason. So make sure that you're taking advantage of all of these resources that the Internet provides, not just to perpetuate your falsehoods and your thoughts and try to just stay in your own lane, but to also verify what you're thinking and elevate if you're not going in the right direction and do it in a way that's comfortable for you. That's what it's all about. That's what it should be here for. So Clubhouse, appreciate you all for making a platform like that. Y'all saw in the gap, decided to build something to fill a gap, see a need, feel a need, as they say it on a movie, at a cartoon movie that I love so much I can't remember the name right now, but that's what y'all did. So we appreciate you all. But let's find a way to kind of minimize the flu gazy that's being floated around clubhouse right now. I heard a few of you saying, yeah, but, girl, I appreciate you. You are amazing. Hopefully, everybody will be able to take what you said today and move forward and live a better life and spend that five dollars to get that pre-order of the Matric Mate ... As well.

Alicia Steele:
I want to do it. I am one hundred percent.

M-T:
Yeah,

Alicia Steele:
I'm with it.

M-T:
That's what it's about. That's what it's about. So, Alicia, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my being here,

Alicia Steele:
Thank you!

M-T:
You have just solidified your amazing place in my soul for the remainder of my life. And like I said, we're going to come back together probably sooner than 10 years. But definitely once that rocket ship that your own star has taken off, we're going to come back together and we're definitely going to have to do an update to let people know that this is not just something that we're talking. This is not just something that we're throwing out there. This is something that we're living every day. And we want to make sure that they know that we share this social proof that maintaining that positive attitude, maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit, maintaining your goals and continuing to drive forward is all you really need to do to reach whatever heights you want to reach. So thank you, beautiful. You are phenomenal.

Alicia Steele:
Thank you.

M-T:
Without a doubt. Without a doubt. Community, this has been another Metric Mate Podcast man. Appreciate you all for joining us. You do not have to spend your time with us. We know that. We appreciate it with everything we know that you coming here is a privilege for us and we're hoping that we will return that privilege to you. And you continue to come back and join us. This should be your boy Brother M-T. Alicia, before I get out of here, all we get to do this meant tell the people where they can find you, man. Where they can keep following you and see what's going on with you on a day to day for real.

Alicia Steele:
Ok, so I have transparency moments. I'm super private person. Personally, I'm trying like I have to. I'm getting used to like, of course I'm on social media, but I really don't like it. But if you want to find me, I do. I'm very big on LinkedIn. So LinkedIn is Alicia Steele, A L I C I A, last name is Steele. S T E E L E. You can buy me on there. I will connect with most people so long as you have like a real profile. I'm also on Instagram. It's Alicia, ... With two ls and that's kind of it. I'm on Twitter and all that other stuff. I don't really, I'm not really active but I'd say LinkedIn and Instagram.

M-T:
That's enough. That's got to give it all to them. You know, they look if they want to find you, they'll find you. You know, they'll connect with you on LinkedIn. They'll continue to be a part of your journey and a part of your tribe and hopefully let you know, like I'm letting you know, how amazing you are and that you're doing a great job and killing it out here. So.

Alicia Steele:
Thank you.

M-T:
That's what we're here for. That's what we're here for. Yo, this has been another Metric Mate Podcast, appreciate you all for being here. We talked for a good minute, so go ahead and make sure that you check this episode out all the past episodes and we'll be coming out with new episodes. Man, like we said, the Metric Mate Smart Pin is going, is on sale on the website. We're doing our pre-sale for our crowdfunding campaign is coming out later on this year. Five bucks you locking in your early bird price. So everybody get in there because it's just going up after that because we are in business to make money. We're in business to make you feel good, we in business to help people, but we in business to catch a check, too. So go ahead and get the early bird. Get in there, because once the prices go up, it might not come back down. That's all I gotta say. This has been another Metric Mate Podcast. Man, appreciate y'all, until next time, it's ya boy Brother M-T, peace!

M-T:
Man, thanks everybody, for joining us for another Metric Mate Minute. We appreciate everybody that comes through and shows us love in the Metric Mate community. Make sure that you stopover at TheMetricMate.com to find out more information about the podcast, about what we're doing, any of our blog information, the transcript of the show and just to show us massive support. Also, remember to follow us on social media at Metric Mate. Check us out, y'all. Peace!

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Get to know Alicia Steele

Alicia Steele is a Senior Business Professional based in Atlanta with a background in People & Culture and Data Analytics.

She strives to bridge the data literacy gap afflicting businesses by leveraging the power of data analytics to solve organizational issues. As the Senior Data Analyst for Medallia's Global TAQ team she is building out analytics capabilities and automated reporting solutions. Alicia is also passionate about doing work that is meaningful, impactful, and equitable for all. 

Her personal passions are Social Justice, Health/Fitness/Wellness, and Entrepreneurship.

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciajsteele/ 

Key Take-aways: 

• Get to know your transferable skills and other industries you can apply them to.

• Black Owned And Hiring have two pillars: first, create a space for black businesses that want to hire black talent; and second, have partners that want to do research about black companies that are hiring.

• One cannot be of service if one’s not in the best version one can be. 

• Always think two or three steps ahead.

• Write down your goals as specific as possible and set deadlines. 

• In entrepreneurship, no day is the same! 

• Take 10 minutes a day to breathe. 

• Be open.

Resources:

• Connect with Alicia through LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciajsteele/ 

• Get to know more about Black Owned And Hiring on their website: https://blackownedandhiring.com/ 

• Follow Black Owned And Hiring on LinkedIn to get the latest updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/black-owned-and-hiring/

• Look for all the new stuff The Metric Mate has for you on their shop: https://www.themetricmate.com/shop-metric-mate