The Fractional Chapter Ends: Nkem Oghedo on Knowing When to Go Full-Time

**David Nebinski** (0:04)
Hey, friend, it's David Nebinski here in Brooklyn, here at the Portfolio Career Podcast, where we take ownership of your career and design a life that you want to live. This conversation is with Nkem Oghedo. We first got connected through the Chief of Staff world years ago, and this is the first time we actually got together in person, which was so fun to finally chat in person after many chats online. As a reminder, I host events for Chiefs of Staff in New York. You can learn more about my events at achievestaffpodcast.com, which is also another podcast, so check that out if you're interested in that kind of stuff. On this episode, we talk about Nkem's portfolio career, in particular around the fractional Chief of Staff work that she's done after her Chief of Staff role and some entrepreneurial efforts as well. And she has a really cool surprise at the end of this episode too.
So you can learn more about the podcast and my learnings through my newsletter at davidnebinski.com/newsletter.
So excited for you to build and grow your portfolio career. Here we go. Welcome to the podcast.

**Nkem Oghedo** (1:13)
Hey, David.

**David Nebinski** (1:13)
How are you?

**Nkem Oghedo** (1:14)
I'm good. I'm good. It's good to see you. Good to see you too.

**David Nebinski** (1:17)
In person.

**Nkem Oghedo** (1:18)
I know. Who knew you were so tall?
I know. You apparently didn't. No.

**David Nebinski** (1:25)
No. I mean, how many different Zoom calls and virtual events?

**Nkem Oghedo** (1:30)
Millions.

**David Nebinski** (1:31)
Yeah. It's just finally. I mean, hey, if you're listening to this and there's someone that you connected with, interacted with a lot during the pandemic slash post-pandemic, you still haven't seen them in person, hit them up.

**Nkem Oghedo** (1:45)
And respond to their email quickly. Yeah, you did.

**David Nebinski** (1:49)
Yeah, that was nice.

**Nkem Oghedo** (1:50)
Yeah.

**David Nebinski** (1:52)
So let's see here. Definitely want to talk about Chief of Staff role, transitions at Chief of Staff role, portfolio, course, fractional work, etc. But I was curious, it seems like food is a like, and meals is like a thing of passion of yours. What's going on with that? Like what's the story behind that?

**Nkem Oghedo** (2:12)
Yes, you know, I do love to eat. But outside of that, you know, I actually wanted to be a chef for a little bit as a young person.

**David Nebinski** (2:19)
Okay.

**Nkem Oghedo** (2:20)
But I'm a first generation American. My parents are Nigerian. I'm Nigerian-American. They moved over in the 80s. And I don't know how much you know about Nigerian-American culture, but we really have three options for jobs, lawyer, doctor, engineer. Okay. So when I said, I want to be a chef, they said, you can go in the kitchen to make some dinner if that's what you want to do.
But you know, I went down a different path. I studied engineering, got into consulting, and eventually started stuff. But, you know, I've always been just a lover of the culinary arts and the way that people tell their stories through food. I'm a big fan of Rachel Ray in my youth. And even when it comes to food media, I've always been, again, as a Nigerian American, someone born and raised in New York, I'm from Queens, in a predominantly black and diverse neighborhood. I was always baffled by the fact that our culinary stories were never really centered or told in public, in the mainstream media, even though they're so delicious. And so, yeah, I think about all of those things, food, culture, politics, social structures, sort of as one big blob in my mind all the time.

**David Nebinski** (3:29)
So it's like the thing that's just run in.

**Nkem Oghedo** (3:31)
Yes, it's like plantain, it's like politics, it's so many things that are happening up there.

**David Nebinski** (3:37)
And then, wait, then you said, so engineering was, so you said growing up there was only a couple of different paths, and then engineering is one, and that's where you started?

**Nkem Oghedo** (3:46)
Yeah, so I studied chemical engineering in college. Actually, because I thought I wanted to make makeup. So I thought I wanted to launch my own beauty line. This was before the Fenty Beauties of the world, and everyone had 40 shades.
There are very few options for darker skin folks looking to put makeup on. And so, yeah, I studied engineering to one, appease my Nigerian parents, but also to, you know, make some makeup. Yeah, okay.

**David Nebinski** (4:15)
And then, so then, like, I guess, fast forward a little bit. We got kind of connected through Chief of Staff work.