Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where we explore the journeys that lead to success.
I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you
insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts who will share not just their expertise
but the milestone moments that have reshaped their journeys and led to significant achievements.
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milestones that mark the path to success.
Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me in this episode of Milestone Moments in Business
and Leadership. I'm Sheila Slick, your host. And today I have a special guest with over seven years
of work experience in the financial industry. Urmi Hossain holds an honors in finance and
obtained CFA charter in April 2023. Her profound passion for finance has fueled continuous learning
and exploration, particularly in the desire to teach finance and mentor girls and women during
her free time. Welcome to the show, Urmi. Hi, Sheila. Thank you for having me.
Thank you. Well, Urmi, with your impressive background in finance and your recent achievement
of obtaining that CFA charter, could you share that pivotal moment in your career that reinforced
your passion for finance that led you to mentor girls and women in this field?
Yes, it would be my it would be my pleasure. I think I had that pivotal moment couple of years
ago. And we were in a lockdown and I had a little bit of more time to reflect on myself and what I
wanted to do. And I always had this drive in me that I wanted to to give back. Like I always had
this desire that I wanted to give back. And I was like, I think I'm knowledgeable enough to help
other people. And so that's when I was like, you know what, I think I want to help with other
women. I want to mentor other women. I want to educate other women about the things that I'm
passionate about. So that's when I started to work towards this thing, just follow my
my meditation, my instinct and my curiosity to basically spread my message and to share what I
know to other other women who would who don't have the same tools to learn about finance or just
things in general. That's great. Because I think finance, budgeting money, it's such an important
aspect in everyone's life, right? Whether you're an employee or you're an entrepreneur, but not
everybody has your education, nor do they understand these terms very easily. What are some of the
challenges that you see over and over that you help with with the girls and the women you mentor?
Well, a lot of the women that I mentor, basically, very young women in their 20s who started
basically studying finance, and they just need someone with much more experience to share about
their own experiences working in finance and studying finance. So a lot of my mentors are in
their 20s, really like early 20s or mid 20s, who are just looking for someone who can guide them in,
you know, finding the right path. So a lot of the people that came to me, they were like, oh,
I want to study finance, but I don't know what are the opportunities out there in the job market. So
I share with them my own experiences. I also help other women who is not just related in finance,
but more about women who want to have leadership position. And I share with them, you know,
these are some of the things that you can do, you know, to, you know, advance yourself in your
workplace to improve your leadership skills. So I share those knowledge based on my own experiences.
So I have a lot of women coming from for these reasons, mainly.
So you're also the vice president of education at your Toastmasters club. You're working towards
becoming a distinguished speaker and a dynamic leader. Can you explain what Toastmasters is in
case someone in our audience doesn't know what it is and how your involvement with Toastmasters has
impacted your professional life and your ability to make an impact using your voice?
Yes, it would be my pleasure. So Toastmasters is a nonprofit organization that was created in
1924. And basically it's a nonprofit organization dedicated for people who want to work on their
public speaking skills. But what people do not know that it's not just about public speaking,
but it's about leadership as well. Indeed, the phrases that they use is Toastmasters,
this is where leaders are made. And this is where you get to learn a lot about leadership skills.
Because when you think about leadership, there are so many skills that come with it. You know,
you have one side is public speaking, then you have organization skills, then you have active
listening, you have critical thinking. So these are all of the things that you learn at Toastmasters.
And how it works is that every city, every area of your city has a Toastmasters club and you can
basically attend one of those meetings as a guest for free of charge. You just see how the meetings
are run and every week the clubs meet and you have speeches to deliver. Of course, this is a
structural program. So you know what you'll have to talk about, you know how long you have to talk
about, you know, the speech objective. And you're not just delivering speeches because you get to
receive feedback. And definitely, Toastmasters has helped me a lot in my own leadership skills,
because I can see that even at my workplace, I am much more confident in, you know, doing things,
I'm much more confident when it comes to talking to people, when it comes to standing up for myself.
So in that sense, it has helped me a lot. And of course, I think I have learned not just about
public speaking, but I think I learned about different series of skills that people are not
aware of when you join Toastmasters. And I think the great thing about Toastmasters is that when
you put it on your resume, it just shows to potential employers that you have a dedication
to invest in yourself and improve yourselves and become a better version of yourself. So I think
it just there is an added value for potential employers as well. Wonderful. So you're a strong
advocate for the philosophy of invest in yourself. Can you elaborate on how this belief has shaped
your career and your personal growth? Yes. I think every time we think about the word invest,
we always think about investing your money and enrich yourself from a financial point of view.
But I think investing in yourself, it's pretty much the same concept, but you're enriching
yourself with knowledge, experiences, a lot of learning. And that's how I like to see it.
And for me, investing in myself has translated in many things. It has been a lot of learning.
And it's not just going to a class and learning. It literally means anything. Like for me, learning
is going to Toastmasters. For me, learning is mentoring. For me, learning is about the
connection that I make with people. For me, learning is trying a new recipe, trying a new
workout course. So for me, that's what it means learning. And I think when you invest in yourself,
you're just increasing your knowledge. You're becoming much more knowledgeable. You're able to
help other people. And I think there's nothing better than seeing yourself as the best asset,
where you want to put all your time and effort just to be a better version of yourself. And so for me,
I always take each day as a learning opportunity. I try to read every day. I try to listen to a
podcast every day. I try to take time for myself, like going for a walk for my own mental health.
These are some of the things that I think are all related to investing in yourself. And I do think
we're our own best investments. So that's what it means for me, investing in yourself.
I love everything you just said. And as a mentor, so I served as a certified score mentor for three
years. I believe in giving back to our community. And a lot of people think that when you're a mentor,
the only person learning is the mentee. But when we do, you know, these mentorships,
it also gives you an opportunity to grow as well. So that continuous learning, that giving back
can not only make a difference in the life of the person that you're mentoring, but it also makes a
really big impact in your life as well. I agree. I agree. So you're described as dynamic, disciplined,
and determined. How do you think that these traits have contributed to your success?
So first of all, dynamic, I think because we live in a world that is ever changing. And I think also
this is the reason why I liked finance in the first place, because I think finance is very dynamic.
And I very well match with finance because it's dynamic, because my own personality is very
dynamic. And I like being adaptable. I like, you know, I like the change. So that in that sense,
I'm very dynamic. And I think it's very important no matter what you do, where you go, where you
work, to be very dynamic, because you will encounter different people from different, you know,
background, work background, educational background. So it's very important for you to be adaptable
and be open. And so in that sense, I'm very dynamic. When it comes to discipline, I think it's
more about my time management organization skills. And because I have such a busy schedule
on a daily basis, I have to make sure that if I want to accomplish my things, I need to be on a
schedule. I need to, you know, leave out the distractions. And this has been very important
for me because I do think that being disciplined is a trait that you need to be successful in life.
And for me, especially because I work full time, and I also studied at the same time,
for me being disciplined has been very, very important. And I've seen that, you know, when I,
you know, block the time to do my own things and accomplish things, I'm able to move forward.
And the last one, which is determined. So I like to describe myself as a go-getter. And if I want
something, I do anything to make sure that I get it. So I have, like, I always go back to my why.
And I know that to get something is never a linear path. And I'm very much aware of it. I know that
it can be a rocky path. You can have a roller coaster. There are so many things, you know,
there are bumpy roads. There are so many things and I'm very much aware of it. And I'm happy of it
because I think we need those bumpy roads to, you know, face the challenges before we can get to our
end destination. So every time, you know, I feel demotivated, every time I feel like, OK, I can't
do this. I go back to my why. So I'm very, like, focused oriented. I'm a very go-getter. So in that
sense, I'm a very determined person. I don't give up easily. So you have a full-time job. You're
studying and this is after the CFA. You're in Toastmasters. What's your next milestone?
So I do have a lot of things in my to-do list, my life to-do list. I would like to write a second
book. That's for sure. That's something that I would like to do. And also, I would like to give
a TED Talk. And this is why I've been part of Toastmasters because I want to be able to
deliver a good speech and make an impact and inspire other people. So those are my
two projects that I want to accomplish and put it as my milestone.
Those are great. Well, you're inspiring me today. Everything that you've said, I've enjoyed
listening to. So what one key advice, because we've gone through a lot, would you give my audience
so that they can take an action, take one step to move forward in their life today?
There are many things that I could definitely say. But if I have to choose one that I think has
helped me a lot is the power of connections. And I think for anyone wanting to work, let's say,
on themselves or leadership or anything, I think making connections and learning from other people
from their experience, it's a very good opportunity to be able to do that.
It's a good opportunity to feel inspired and to do something for yourself. I think you can learn
from other people, their mistakes, their path, they can guide you. And I think that's a good
starting point for anything that you want to start doing in your life. So I, because I like to mentor
a lot and I do believe in these kind of connections, I do think that connecting with people,
networking with the right people will help you to improve yourselves.
So where can we find your book? How can we connect with you?
My book is available on Amazon, and it's called the Discovering Your Identity, a Rebirth from
Interracial Struggle. And people can find me on LinkedIn. My name is Ormi Hosain on LinkedIn.
I also have a YouTube channel called Ormi Hosain. I have my blog called myways.ca. And I also have
an Instagram account called Orma Mia. So these are all the places people can find me.
I'll make sure to leave those links in the summary. And I will definitely connect with you.
I've already connected with you on LinkedIn. That's the platform I love to use. Thank you
so much for your time today and your insights. Thank you.