Don’t Wait for Permission: How Top Performers Stay Human and Keep Climbing

Championships are rarely won by talent alone—they require communication, trust, and shared vision. In this encore archive episode from Season 2, Coach Dora Mendez revisits an essential conversation with Angela R. Lewis, former pro basketball player, coach, author, and Head of Operations at Speaker Hub. This episode unpacks what it truly means to navigate professional transitions, manage cross-border teams, and combat the isolation that often accompanies senior leadership roles.

This episode is specifically curated for professionals of color, community leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs who are looking to strengthen their executive presence without sacrificing their well-being, losing their authenticity, or waiting for systemic permission to take up space.

Key Themes

• Sports as a Leadership Sandbox: Moving from the basketball court to international business ops by trusting your ability to practice and learn.
• Imperfect Action: Embracing professional challenges when you only have a portion of the skill set fully figured out.
• Redefining Community: Overcoming isolation in fully remote or highly specialized corporate roles by leaning into local and organizational service.
• Everyday Influence: Recognizing that the most crucial person you lead every single day is yourself.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Welcome & The DNA of Winning Teams
• 03:09 - Behind the Mission of Coach Dora LLC
• 07:01 - Angela’s Journey: From Basketball Court to Global Operations
• 10:21 - Career Advice: Rocket Ships, Risks, and Sheryl Sandberg
• 11:54 - Moving with Imperfect Action
• 13:24 - Redefining Community as an Act of Service
• 17:28 - How Service Looks Different for Everyone
• 19:14 - Leadership is Self-Influence, Not a Title
• 20:35 - Where to Connect with Angela R. Lewis
• 21:45 - Coach Dora’s Final Reflections & Closing Resources

Ready to dive into a community built on growth and psychological safety? Follow the show on your preferred streaming platform, leave us a review, and share this episode with a peer who needs these insights today. Explore our accessible coaching frameworks at CoachDoraMendez.com.

@NBA @WNBA

Transcript

00:00:00:05 - 00:00:32:02
Coach Dora Mendez
Welcome back to the Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Dora Mendez. Today we're bringing you a special encore presentation from our archives, a conversation from season two that feels relevant now more than ever. As we watched the intensity of the NBA playoffs see elite athletes, coaches compete on the world stage, we're reminded that championships are rarely won by talent alone.

00:00:32:04 - 00:00:59:20
Coach Dora Mendez
If you follow the show and you follow me, you know that I am a native New Yorker, so I, I couldn't I could not not do an episode about the Knicks winning the NBA championship. Teams that rise to the top are the ones that communicate effectively, trust one another, embrace their roles, and stay committed to shared vision. The same is true of leadership.

00:00:59:22 - 00:01:43:04
Coach Dora Mendez
Whether you're leading a business, a nonprofit, a school, a community organization, or simply leading yourself through your next chapter. Success depends on many of the same principles that drive winning teams resilience, teamwork, adaptability, service, and the willingness to keep going. That's why I'm so excited to revisit this powerful conversation with Angela R Lewis. Angela is a former professional basketball player, championship winning coach, author, and head of operations at Speaker Hub, a global platform that helps leaders expand their visibility and impact.

00:01:43:06 - 00:02:18:29
Coach Dora Mendez
Throughout her career, she has Coach and mentored hundreds of athletes, empower young women through sport, and built leadership communities across education, nonprofits, and entrepreneurial spaces. What I love most about Angela's perspective is that she doesn't see leadership as a title. She sees it as influence. She believes leadership begins with curiosity, grows through service, and is strengthened when we're willing to step into opportunities before we feel completely ready.

00:02:19:01 - 00:02:52:19
Coach Dora Mendez
In this episode, Angela shares how basketball opened the doors that transformed her life. Why community begins with serving others and how the lessons learned on the court continue to shape her approach to leadership today. We also explore what it means to lead without waiting for permission while taking risks create growth and how every one of us has the ability to influence others in a positive and meaningful way.

00:02:52:22 - 00:03:09:09
Coach Dora Mendez
Whether you're a coach, entrepreneur, executive, educator, athlete, nonprofit leader, or someone looking to strengthen your leadership skills, there is a wisdom in the conversation for you. Roll credits.

00:03:09:11 - 00:03:34:06
Coach Dora Mendez
Hello and welcome to Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Dora Mendez. I am the founder and CEO of Coach Dora LLC. Our guests will be entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community leaders that drive social impact. It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be.

00:03:34:08 - 00:03:59:03
Coach Dora Mendez
If you're ready to build stronger teams, lead with greater confidence and create meaningful community to service. You're in the right place. Before we dive into the interview, we have some powerful resources to share with you today. To transform your leadership by learning how to coach. Coaching is something that most people think is really exclusive.

00:03:59:03 - 00:04:26:04
Coach Dora Mendez
It's something that's just for executives. But really, we believe that it's something that should be accessible to everyone. So we designed a course. If you've been feeling pressure of expensive leadership programs, courses that can run close to $1,000 per credit, you're not alone. I hear from so many professionals who want to grow, lead with confidence and make an impact.

00:04:26:06 - 00:05:07:10
Coach Dora Mendez
But the price tag and time commitment make it feel out of reach. We believe that coaching should be accessible. That's exactly why I created. Transform your leadership and exclusive Growth Mindset coaching course designed to give you true leadership breakthroughs. Without the hefty price tag for only $97. You'll get to receive access to a program that delivers real transformation and as little as five hours a self-paced video course.

00:05:07:13 - 00:05:50:15
Coach Dora Mendez
You'll get traditional leadership program information, a workbook, and a handy I promise sheet. And at the end, you'll get a certificate of completion so you can show off your professional development and your accomplishments. So this normally takes weeks. And we intentionally build a practical, efficient and deeply impactful course inside the experience. So you'll get these tools and framework in our Coaching program that will help you lead with clarity, communicate with confidence, and step into your next level of influence without sacrificing your time or your budget.

00:05:50:17 - 00:06:17:21
Coach Dora Mendez
If you are ready to become the leader people trust and follow. This is your moment. The link is in the description. You can get it on our website in our courses tab. CoachDoraMendez.com. Leadership transformation is right there for you. We'll have a link to our resources here in the description. And if you're new to our channel we're so glad you're here.

00:06:17:21 - 00:06:54:02
Coach Dora Mendez
Don't forget to hit like, share and subscribe to this Building Leadership Community podcast. Click on that notification bell so you never miss an episode. And if you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, be sure to follow the show. Share this episode with someone who could benefit from these leadership insights today. Now let's revisit this inspiring conversation with Angela R Lewis.

00:06:54:04 - 00:07:01:13
Angela R. Lewis
Dora, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Thank you for that introduction. That was really, really kind of you.

00:07:01:15 - 00:07:19:06
Coach Dora Mendez
I meant it genuinely. I'm so blown away that you agreed to be on our little show. And I wanted to ask you if you could begin. We always ask every, guest to begin by sharing, their leadership story, their career trajectory.

00:07:19:10 - 00:07:48:00
Angela R. Lewis
Sure. So my leadership story encompasses three big areas basketball, education and then entrepreneurship. So I was I am six on one, and I played this tall since I was 12 years old. And I was really, like, uncomfortable and very, sure of myself. And at a young age, I wasn't very confident by any means, and someone asked me if I could play basketball.

00:07:48:04 - 00:08:10:03
Angela R. Lewis
It was my first. Coach. Luther Coil, asked if I could play on the team or what I didn't know is that team was a traveling team, and that team gave me the opportunity to leave Saint Louis, Missouri and go beyond the places that my family had gone. And that ultimately led to me getting an NCAA Division one scholarship and playing professionally in Germany and same part of the world.

00:08:10:04 - 00:08:39:25
Angela R. Lewis
And so after I finished playing, I started working with youth programs and also nonprofits, really opening the doors of access with college tours and afterschool programs and entrepreneurship camps and those entrepreneurship camps. When I was executive director of a nonprofit called nifty, we ever had these entrepreneurship camps. And that's what really changed my life, because I started to see that there are all these people who are creating the lives that they want, and they're all these different types of businesses that exist.

00:08:39:27 - 00:09:01:24
Angela R. Lewis
And that led me to publishing books and speaking, which led me to creating an agency. And through that podcast, through that as the PR agency that led me to Speaker Hub, and now I'm head of operations at Speaker Hub, and I helped lead our team of over 30 people who are all based in different parts of the world.

00:09:01:25 - 00:09:10:13
Angela R. Lewis
So I'm very grateful that basketball opened up the world to me and helped me to meet some unbelievable people.

00:09:10:15 - 00:09:43:05
Coach Dora Mendez
I want to well, thank you for sharing that. It's an incredible journey that you been on, and I guess I want to just follow up a little bit with, with nifty. Because as a, you know, as a young or as a new, entrepreneur myself, I could have used something like that, when I, when I was younger and there's so few women of color in C-suite roles in the, in the US.

00:09:43:05 - 00:10:17:12
Coach Dora Mendez
So, your entrepreneurial spirit and what you've learned really, I'm so glad you're putting it to, to use in terms of sharing with, with, with the next generation of leaders. Can you tell us, what advice you would give to the next generation of leaders who are interested in, you know, starting a business or, you know, just even asking for that promotion or are unsure about, where to take their career.

00:10:17:12 - 00:10:21:13
Coach Dora Mendez
What what advice would you give young young women?

00:10:21:16 - 00:10:43:29
Angela R. Lewis
I would say stay curious. Follow your curiosity. One of my mentors when when I was in my late 20s, early 30s, I asked, like, I don't really know, should I get an MBA? So I do this. And he said, just follow your curiosity and let that open the doors, and then be willing to have conversations and ask questions about, oh, why don't you do?

00:10:44:02 - 00:11:00:09
Angela R. Lewis
How does it work? And the last thing I would say is go for it. Go for it. I listened to the audiobook Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg, and she said, this stuck with me. She said, when you get a chance to take a seat on a rocket ship, take it. Even if you don't know if you can do the role.

00:11:00:09 - 00:11:21:25
Angela R. Lewis
Like, I never worked in business operations before in this way with Speaker Hub, and because I had an agency, I had the skill set. But I've never been in a role and manage these many people before. But the see the opportunity and took it. So take the opportunities. If even if you don't feel like you're ready because you can learn anything.

00:11:21:27 - 00:11:28:25
Angela R. Lewis
So just be willing to learn something new and take the opportunities and figure it out. Once you get there.

00:11:28:27 - 00:11:54:17
Coach Dora Mendez
I love that, sort of lead with curiosity. Follow curiosity. I just think that that's just great advice. And then I also like I want to just, elevate what you said about, not feeling ready because often times, no one's ever ready. Never. You know, I know.

00:11:54:19 - 00:11:55:12
Angela R. Lewis
Because you can't.

00:11:55:14 - 00:12:18:03
Coach Dora Mendez
I don't think anyone could ever be ready. Right. So I just think I just want to elevate that for our listeners and viewers because, if you don't take the chance, this is what my business Coach had told. Told me, you know, I'm a Coach. I have a Coach because I believe in it. And you've been a Coach, but actually of like a sport.

00:12:18:06 - 00:12:34:18
Coach Dora Mendez
My business Coach has said move with imperfect action, because as long as you're moving, you are. You're advancing and you won't know it's if if you're going to succeed or not, you won't know unless you take the chance.

00:12:34:21 - 00:12:52:02
Angela R. Lewis
You're absolutely right. Either you're gonna learn something. Are you going to learn something? So it it makes sense to just try. And if you read a job description and you can do everything that's listed, don't apply for that. Apply for something else because you already know how to do everything.

00:12:52:04 - 00:12:55:03
Coach Dora Mendez
No challenge. No. Yes. Hey, I love that.

00:12:55:04 - 00:13:13:03
Angela R. Lewis
Take the challenge. Take the risk. Every role I've ever had, I haven't known how to do it. And I think some of it comes from having played sports. And I know what it's like to not be able to make a left hand layup. But say you practice and you get better and they eventually you can do it without even thinking.

00:13:13:08 - 00:13:24:26
Angela R. Lewis
So know that you can grow and learn anything. If there's a role that you want, go after a goal after the things that you want, even if you don't necessarily know how to do them yet, and trust that you will learn.

00:13:24:28 - 00:13:51:09
Coach Dora Mendez
So, so I'm going to transition to our next community, our next conversational prompt. So this is Building Leadership Community podcast. And here I always ask folks what community means to them and how, you know, how do you build it? How do you leverage community? Because as our tagline says, it's it can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be.

00:13:51:11 - 00:14:02:12
Coach Dora Mendez
So can you share? I mean, you, you know, a lot of your wisdom. You you have a lot of wisdom. Can you share with our listeners and viewers what community means to you?

00:14:02:15 - 00:14:30:04
Angela R. Lewis
Community, to me, means service. Find a place to serve. Find it. If you are looking for anything, serve and give. Give it away. So if there's someone who's looking, I'll give you a prime example from my life. I moved to Dallas, Texas recently and I did my role as speaker hub. It's 100% remote. There's no one else in the US besides me, so I don't have colleagues.

00:14:30:04 - 00:14:49:26
Angela R. Lewis
And so I need colleagues and I love sport. And so I found out about an organization called Women in Sports and Events, and I decided to apply to be on the board and to serve in the organization. I have friends and colleagues and I'm, you know, involved in sport. And so now I have community, but it was through service.

00:14:49:28 - 00:14:57:21
Angela R. Lewis
So find a way to serve, to get your community. And your community can fill your soul.

00:14:57:23 - 00:15:40:25
Coach Dora Mendez
I love that service. Community means service. Soundbite I love that community means service. So so I guess I want to elevate that for a second, because I serve on a board of a organization called synergy. The, later this season will be interviewing the executive director of that organization. And they help, children, in fact, people throughout their lifespan with intellectual disabilities and, developmental disabilities, and that has, it's it's hard.

00:15:40:27 - 00:16:11:07
Coach Dora Mendez
But that has really been rewarding for me. And but I, I have found that people are reluctant to serve, they're reluctant to serve or so how do how do we and and and I have found that sometimes people don't have that sort of like, legacy of service or. I mean, I grew up in a, my both my parents were of service.

00:16:11:07 - 00:16:38:00
Coach Dora Mendez
My father was in the military. My mother was an activist. So I so I, I was going to protest when I was a baby. I mean, you know, like, so I, I when I got to college and I met people who didn't vote, I didn't understand it. So I was always very civic minded. And I was surprised at how many people, you know, didn't like, like it didn't have that connection of like, serving.

00:16:38:03 - 00:17:03:19
Coach Dora Mendez
I mean, I grew up and that was all we did. It was all everybody did. So, I was shocked in, that other people didn't have that, like, volunteer service, like, so how how would you sort of address that? How were you Coached? Oh, Coached that because sometimes I had to learn to stop being judgmental because I used to like, really judge people and be like, was like, I don't understand, why don't you serve?

00:17:03:21 - 00:17:28:18
Coach Dora Mendez
And so how how do we address that? Because I agree with you. I think community is service. And, you need something kind of outside yourself sometimes to help, you know, you're not your job. You know, just something a little bit outside yourself. So could you share? You know, what would you do? Like if you encountered someone who, like, just is really, like the service part is not there.

00:17:28:21 - 00:17:48:26
Angela R. Lewis
I would say service makes a difference for everyone because of the life experiences I've had. It makes sense that I would serve in this way, but my mother was never on a board. My mother didn't do anything in my community, but every time someone walked up and ask for change, she would give it to on the neighbors down the street.

00:17:48:26 - 00:18:08:01
Angela R. Lewis
We we run a house. They have a basketball hoop in the backyard. So all the kids were over there playing basketball. Every every time there were a group of kids, mom was cooking and making sure all the babies have food to eat. So service is gonna look different. For some people, it's serving your family. I'm a big proponent of take care of the people closest to you first.

00:18:08:03 - 00:18:26:21
Angela R. Lewis
So you don't want to be someone out there in the world doing all these things. But the people closest to me don't have access to me, you know? So I think it's important for us to serve, but it's going to look different and take care of the people right next to you. That's really important.

00:18:26:23 - 00:18:53:17
Coach Dora Mendez
So I, I, I like what you said because, it's similar to sort of what, I kind of learned, which is I would have people say, well, I'm not a leader, I'm not. And, and leadership looks different. And I was like, well, you you are don't don't think of yourself. Don't you know, it is good to have your military, but don't downplay the fact that you you are who you are with me.

00:18:53:17 - 00:19:14:07
Coach Dora Mendez
You. Here we are doing this thing. You are a leader and have confidence and I. I really like that service is looks different and, serving in different ways. And sometimes people don't even realize the kind of community they're building, the leadership they're taking in, the service they're doing. So I really appreciate you lifting that up.

00:19:14:10 - 00:19:34:27
Angela R. Lewis
Oh, you're welcome. You're welcome. Oh, your when you mention leadership and some people don't feel like leaders, I used to think I was like that. I used to think the leadership was a title the head of this or the president of that. But the truth is we lead ourselves daily and we're the most important person that we can lead.

00:19:34:29 - 00:20:05:15
Angela R. Lewis
And even if someone doesn't have a title, you can still have influence. And ultimately, that's what makes someone that's what determines if someone is a good leader or not. If you actually can influence someone's behavior, hopefully in a positive way, then that creates leadership. So we all have at once someone, even if it's not in a professional setting or in a in the community, but you're leading somebody yourself and maybe hopefully others will.

00:20:05:17 - 00:20:09:18
Coach Dora Mendez
I like that. So leadership, is in a job title.

00:20:09:25 - 00:20:12:06
Angela R. Lewis
And it all.

00:20:12:09 - 00:20:35:25
Coach Dora Mendez
So I'm going to with the few minutes that we have left, can you share with us how people can learn more about you, how they can follow you, what your social media handles are? And we will be sure to put that in the description of this episode so that, if you're listening, you don't have to pull the car over.

00:20:35:27 - 00:20:36:12
Angela R. Lewis
Please do.

00:20:36:14 - 00:20:45:14
Coach Dora Mendez
So, if you're listening in the car to pull the car over, but we will add it in the description so you guys can click. So you share with.

00:20:45:14 - 00:21:05:16
Angela R. Lewis
Us so you can find me on LinkedIn. Angela R Lewis, the R is very important. There are a lot of us out there. So Angela our Lewis on LinkedIn Angela R lewis.com the Angela Lewis on Instagram so you can find it. I would love to chat about all things leadership, teamwork, communication.

00:21:05:19 - 00:21:37:26
Coach Dora Mendez
That's wonderful. So before we wrap up I just want to share that, again, how grateful we are for you to join us today. And you know, I want let's continue building incredible community. One meaningful episode at a time. I know you and I will continue to stay in touch. And, I ask everyone to continue to follow building Leadership community podcasts for more inspiring content.

00:21:37:28 - 00:21:42:01
Coach Dora Mendez
And let's lead together. Thank you so much, Angela.

00:21:42:01 - 00:21:45:03
Angela R. Lewis
Thank you. Dr.. Thanks for having me.

00:21:45:05 - 00:22:24:24
Coach Dora Mendez
Oh, what a powerful conversation, Angela. Lewis reminds us that leadership is not reserved for those with titles or positions of authority. Leadership is influence. It's how we serve, how we show up for others, and how we choose to grow through every opportunity and challenge that comes our way. Whether your leadership journey is unfolding in business, education, athletics, nonprofit work, community service, or your personal life, the lessons Angela's shared about resilience, teamwork, courage and community are timeless.

00:22:24:27 - 00:22:54:25
Coach Dora Mendez
Her story is powerful. Her story is a reminder that meaningful impact often begins when we step forward. Before we feel completely ready. If that conversation inspired you, we would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and let us know! Your biggest tip takeaway from this episode. What leadership lesson resonated most with you? We read every comment and we will personally reply.

00:22:54:27 - 00:23:35:08
Coach Dora Mendez
Be sure to like, share and subscribe and follow the Building the Community podcast so you never miss future conversations with leaders who are making a difference in their organizations and community. This sharing the episode helps us with that YouTube algorithm and helps us continue growing community of leaders committed to learning, serving and creating positive change to learn more about Angela our Lewis, connect with her at Angela R lewis.com and subscribe to her YouTube channel at the Angela R Lewis for more insight on leadership, personal growth and creating impact.

00:23:35:11 - 00:23:49:27
Coach Dora Mendez
Thank you for spending time with us today. Keep building stronger leaders, stronger team and the stronger communities. I'm Coach Dorr Mendez and this is the Building Leadership Community podcast. Until next time, be well.

00:23:49:29 - 00:24:19:07
Coach Dora Mendez
You've been listening to Building Leadership Community. Watch on YouTube @CoachDoraM. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts, follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube @CoachDoraM. Visit me on the web at CoachDoraMendez.com. Hosted by me, Dora Mendez. Produced by Dora Mendez and Dylan Rogers. Graphics, editing, and sound mixing by Dylan Rogers.