EDITOR’S NOTE:

I wasn’t born in America. 

I was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1988, shortly before the Soviet Union collapsed. 

In 1989, my family fled Ukraine as refugees: me, my older sister, my mom and dad and grandparents on both sides flew to Italy, where we lived for several months. To get by, my mom sold her jewelry and my dad cleaned windshields at red lights. 

Finally we won a Green Card to come to New York. And eventually, we settled in Chicago. 

Chimma Onuoha is also an immigrant. She settled in Canada and now creates content designed to help other immigrants acclimate to their new communities. 

I don’t know Chimma personally but her story is akin to my parents' story, which I think about often.

I think about how they uprooted their lives, their comfort and culture, everything they knew. I think about how difficult this was for them, how painful and disorienting it was, how courageous it was. 

I don’t know Chimma personally but I think we’ve been on similar journeys, as writers as well as immigrants. 

And now I’m honored to have her on for a Micro-Interview. 

In just 596 words, Chimma shares: 

• The book that laid the foundation for everything she’s accomplished in life… 

• How publishing on LinkedIn changed her writing style…

• How she balances parenthood and work… 

And much more… 

Enjoy!

Thank you, Chimma.

Let’s get started. 

1) “What’s your work routine?”

I’m a full-time stay-at-home mom, so my routine is built around my lovely kids.

My mornings are usually busy with getting the toddlers ready for school. My client calls are scheduled when the older kids are in school. 

In between “mummying” I post and engage on LinkedIn and my Instagram page where I share settlement tips for newcomers to British Columbia, Canada. I get to do some productive writing during my baby's afternoon naps and late evenings when my spouse is back from work and takes over babysitting.

The challenges of being a mom to three under-5-year-olds do not deter me because I have a vision board that reminds me daily about my end goal.

2) “What do you know about your work now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”

I got to know about focusing my writings to appeal to people’s emotions and write the way I talk when I returned to LinkedIn. 

Initially, my writings were more mechanical and not too expressive. I recently read my past LinkedIn articles and cringed. But now, I have learnt to keep them very simple and straightforward. Most importantly, I’ve learnt to use short sentences and lots of white space.  

I am still learning new ways to improve my writings. Learning is a continuous process.

3) “What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”

Investing in YOURSELF is not a waste of time or money. 

Sometimes, you need to pay for that online course or get a coach to make your life easier. You don’t have to do it yourself all the time.

This shortens your learning curve and saves you valuable energy while trying to figure it out yourself.

4) “What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your craft’s learning curve?”

I will attribute the entire success of my career to reading. I read anything and everything because knowledge is never a waste. I developed an interest in reading when I was 6 years old and my dad encouraged me with books and newspapers.

Because of my voracious appetite for reading, I’ve learnt so much about writing and coaching. Some of the strategies I incorporate in my coaching were learnt through reading what the experts wrote.

You don’t necessarily have to gain 10 years’ experience before you can teach others. 

The difference between the coach and the client is the interest in research and reading to find solutions to a client’s needs.

5) “What book has helped you the most over your career?”

When Donald Trump won the US elections in 2016, I never associated him with one of the best books I’ve read in my life. 

Think Big: Make It Happen in Business and Life, co-authored with Bill Zanker, laid the foundation for all I have accomplished in life. 

The book taught me not to let my humble upbringing limit my imaginations and aspirations. I got a full scholarship to study in the UK because I believed in my capability to succeed despite the fierce competition.

I got 3 job offers from top multinational companies at the same time after my studies because I believed I had what it takes to work for the best companies in the world.

I aspired to relocate to a first-world country and get dual permanent residency/citizenship and I achieved this by believing in myself.

6) “And your parting piece of advice?”

My life mantra is “You can be anything you want to be if you can step out of your comfort zone and conquer your fears.”

Dare to dream. And don’t just dream, dream BIG.