Ep02 Emma (Vites) Patel, AI Agentic GTM at LinkedIn®: Leadership Development podcast

This leadership development podcast is brought to you by: Ovi Vasquez, Inspirational Leadership Keynote Speaker. Fatherless farm boy from rural Guatemala—Inspiring teams to peak performance. He challenges teams to embrace change and step into bold leadership through leadership culture. He grew up in a village off-the-grid, migrated to the U.S., learned English in two years, graduated from high school in three years, earned a B.A. in management, in two years.  Ovi has worked for Apple, Tesla, Salesforce, and Uber. He is a TEDx speaker, author, and a social entrepreneur. 

GUEST: Emma is the Founder of The Apprentice Project, an educational resource teaching young people how to get jobs. Author of 'The Graduate Bible', an amazing coaching guide for graduates and young people on how to get jobs and has worked for LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network for the past 12 years in London, San Francisco and New York.

Find our guest at:  https://theapprenticeproject.com
Find our host at:  https://www.ovinspires.com

Leadership Keywords: career development, LinkedIn strategy, subconscious mind, NLP, future of work, relationship economy, soft skills, adaptability, personal branding, AI literacy, mentorship, courage, emotional intelligence. 

Leadership summary: In this episode, Emma Vites Patel shares a leadership journey shaped by grief, self awareness, and professional reinvention. She explains how language, mindset, and identity influence performance and opportunity. Drawing from experience at LinkedIn and work with global professionals, Emma outlines why hiring now favors visibility, communication, and trust. Executives learn how relationship based leadership outperforms knowledge based leadership.

10 Takeaways on leadership
 ✅ Language shapes behavior and decision making.
 ✅ Leaders who master self awareness lead with clarity.
 ✅ The future of work rewards relationships over credentials.
 ✅ Curiosity, compassion, courage, communication, creativity, plus adaptability drive growth.
 ✅ Visibility on LinkedIn supports modern career mobility.
 ✅ Video content improves professional trust and recall.
 ✅ Courage means action during fear.
 ✅ Mentorship grows through shared value.
 ✅ Mental health discipline sustains leadership energy.
 ✅ Purpose emerges through reflection and service. 

5 Titles for leadership
 ✅ From Grief to Global Leadership: Emma Vites Patel
 ✅ Leading in the Relationship Economy with Emma Vites
 ✅ The Skills AI Hiring Still Values Most
 ✅ Courage, Language, and Modern Leadership
 ✅ Personal Branding as a Leadership Advantage 

5 Sound Bites for leadership
 🗣 “Changing language changes outcomes.”
 🗣 “Courage means moving forward during fear.”
 🗣 “Relationships now drive opportunity.”
 🗣 “Visibility shapes career access.”
 🗣 “Leadership begins with self awareness.” 

#OVinspires
 #LeadershipMessengers
 #leadership
 #community

Leadership Culture podcast
Management podcast
Business leadership podcast
Executive leadership podcast
Organizational leadership podcast
Transformational leadership podcast
Top Leadership podcast for managers 
Building High-Performance Teams podcast
Corporate leadership podcast
School leadership podcast 
Educational leadership podcast
Professional Development podcast 
Change Management podcast
Educational leadership podcast
Professional Development podcast
Corporate leadership podcast

Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:00.352)
Welcome everyone to this episode. This is going to be a special one because Leadership Messengers is about bringing experts who have an inspirational story and also lots of values to offer. Today's guest, it's a pleasure to introduce her to you because we already know each other for a little while. We met when I was in school, just a young student trying to make my mark in the world. And Emma Veidt is such a leader.

She invited me to see her office on LinkedIn, gave me a tour. We had great lunch. She showed me her book, The Graduate Bible, which is an amazing resource, not only for people who are students that want to land a career, but for anybody who is transitioning to a new career. So highly recommend that. But before I share with you a little bit about her formal vial.

We have kept in touch for the last few years and now interesting thing is we both have three little kiddos, which is an amazing thing. Let me now read to you her bio. That way you understand the overview as to how insightful and inspirational this journey is going to be. And hopefully you have a pen and paper ready because this would be amazing. Emma Weitz, it's the founder of the Apprentice Project, an educational resource teaching young people

How to Get Jobs. She is the author of The Graduate Bible, an amazing coaching guide for graduates and young people on how to get jobs, and she has also worked for LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network for the past 12 years in London, San Francisco, and New York. So everyone, let's welcome Emma Vites. Hi Emma, how are you?

I'm really good. It's a pleasure to see you again. The last time we saw each other in person was 2016. Long time.

Speaker 2 (01:52.578)
quite a while now. And I'm so happy that we are able to reconnect because you are such an amazing leader who continuously pour value into other people's lives. And now you agree to do this meeting is such a treat for me and for everyone listening. So I really I appreciate this opportunity. Trust me, I don't take it lightly. Let's begin with the questions so that way everyone understands your journey and hopefully learns everything along the way.

Good enough? Yeah. enough. Amazing. So please, Emma, tell us who are you now and who do you serve?

Yeah, so I love that question, by the way. So as you said, like I'm Emma Vights Patel. My day job is I work for LinkedIn and I'm very privileged to work for LinkedIn. It's an incredible company. It's the world's largest professional network. The mission and vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. So I actually look after 20 of our largest accounts and I assist them on their talent strategies. So how do they attract and retain the best talent?

Then I'm also a mother of three, as you said, but what my real true passion is in life is helping people get jobs, but not only that, but helping people identify their purpose and helping people identify their strengths. I feel like I have a very unique skill in that I'm able to just look at people and understand what they need to be doing with their life. And that's what I passionately work on in my spare time. So I have a company called The Apprentice Project.

And I've kept it going now for 15 years and I'm always just feeding educational content so that people can really start to understand the future of work, the skills that they need in the future of work and how they can improve. And then of course I wrote my book, right? And I'm in the process of changing the name. So I will let you know what the new name is. But really the whole point of the book is to teach people about how to get jobs in this landscape in the world of AI that we're in right now.

Speaker 2 (04:03.15)
Amazing, amazing. Thank you for sharing that. And Emma, as you know, our whole mission with this podcast is to help leaders who are developing other leaders find out information and inspiration to do just that. So please share with us, how was your journey growing up and how did you get to where you are now?

Yeah, it's so funny that you asked me that question because recently I had to go back home because I'm from a small town in North Manchester in the UK and I had to do a talk on how I got to where I got to. Because they're all so curious, like how did I do what I'm doing and you even I'd like pinch me most of the time. But I went from being quite shy, insecure person, honestly, like I had no confidence whatsoever, I would say.

And I went to university and I didn't have any clue what I wanted to do. And I remember putting on a form that I would do any job, but sales. And I've been in a sales career now for the last couple of decades. So it is quite funny that I wrote that at that time. But that's how clueless I was about what my strengths were, what my skills were and what I would be good at.

So I went along, I was in Manchester in the UK and I went along to a graduate recruitment assessment day. And I remember saying out loud to the person running the assessment day, I said, I want your job. And she was like, we'll have it then. And I said to her, look, I'll do anything but sales. And she went, no, I'm going to teach you how to sell. And so she taught me how to cold call. And I ended up being really good, like to my surprise as well, but I just was able to cold call. I was able to connect with people. I was able to sell.

Fast forward a year later, the managers from that small recruitment company in Manchester went across to Sydney, Australia, to copy the business model. And we ran assessment days, we were screening graduates for the competences found in good salespeople, we placed them into jobs and we trained them on how to sell. So that business model was quite unique at the time, took it over to Australia and they hired me as the first employee. And so I had this incredible opportunity in my early twenties to go over to Australia.

Speaker 1 (06:22.164)
and work for a brilliant company. I ended up doing really, really well. And a year after that, a guy, a very top entrepreneur in Australia approached me and said, look, we want you to run and set up a competition with these people. And I did, and it was an amazing opportunity. And then I got an, you know, had the chance to run a business in my early twenties in Australia, but I just couldn't live with the guilt, you know, like I

set up in competition with my friends and I just couldn't handle it. So I moved and shifted gears and I went to work for a client and I moved over to a software company, but it was the complete wrong culture fit. It was awful. And so at that point I was like, you know what? I'm just going to leave Australia. I'm just going to go back to the UK. My dad was a little bit sick. Didn't really understand how sick he was, but I just knew I had to leave Australia, right? So funnily enough.

While working for the software company, I won a voucher, $5,000 Westfield shopping center voucher, because I'd done well. And I walked into Westfield shopping center with the intention of buying a bag. And I walked past STA travel and it said round the world ticket for 999. And I had $5,000 voucher in my hand. And it was like, hold on, can I use this voucher here? And they were like, yeah.

So I ended up buying a round the world ticket and my plan was right, I'm going to leave Australia, I'm going to go back to England, I'm going to spend time with my dad and life's going to be great. Yes. So I get to Bali, I'm at the beginning of my travels, I'm two months in and I had the best night of my life. The next morning I get a phone call from my sister. Dad died. And you can imagine like my world just like

came shattering. Like my dad was my best friend. He was like the closest person that I had. Like I spoke to him every day. And, and I remember I went back to England and the funeral was just so weird. Like I felt like I was in another reality and I decided to keep traveling. So I kept going. Even though I was on my own, I was traveling South America. I don't speak Spanish or Portuguese. And I just carried on my travels and

Speaker 1 (08:44.694)
Interestingly, the universe really provided because I kept meeting all these meditation and mindfulness teachers. And so at the end of my travels, I feel like I was so enlightened. It sounds really weird, but I became a Neurolinguistic Programming Master Practitioner. I went to the library and I wrote my book, the first draft of my book in literally two weeks. Like the information flowed. I wanted to help people.

I wanted to help graduates, young people get jobs. I wanted to incorporate all that graduate recruitment knowledge that I had and pour it into a book to help people. And my dad, will never forget, like I remember one of the last things he said to me was, you know, I, I had this idea of the book, you know, a couple of years before that. And he was like, finished a book. And so I did. And, you know, and then I had this vision of, right, I want to set up a company, but

It's going to be similar to what I've been doing, but I want to incorporate coaching. And so when I go back to London, that's what I wanted to do. And I knew I needed to get a client before I set up a company and the universe again provided, and this is an amazing story. So I was on a social network called a small world, but someone in Australia had invited me on. And I took a look at startup.co.uk. I saw the fastest growth tech startup in the UK was a company called Huddle.

run by a guy called Andy McLaughlin. I messaged Andy on this, small world, and I saw that he was in San Francisco. So I pretended I was in San Francisco. I was actually in LA. I went, Hey, I'm in San Francisco. I'd love to interview you for my book. Can we meet? And he went, yeah. So I met him for coffee and then I looked on Facebook and this is years ago. This is 2011. This is not the time that we're in now. And I saw that he was connected to a

girl that I had just met in Buenos Aires and we had shared an apartment together for a month. And I was like, well, how do you know this girl? And it was like, oh, that's my best friend from university. And I was like, what? So I had this connection and I said to him, look, if I can go back to London and if I set up a company that does this, this and this, will you be my first client? And he went, yeah. And so I went back to London, I set up the apprentice project. I'd already won the fastest growth tech startup in the UK as a client.

Speaker 1 (11:04.886)
And then I had this privilege of meeting Beth James, who is the CEO of the Coaching Academy. She is the founder of the Entrepreneur Business Academy with James Kahn, who is a top entrepreneur in the UK. And she liked me and she wanted to partner with me. And the business was going really, really, really well. Like I'm not joking. I was very young and it went really well, then out of nowhere, grief hit.

that and I fell into a major depression. Like it was awful. I just couldn't work anymore. So that was the end of my business. just genuinely couldn't do it. And, it was really bad. So I moved in with my grandparents. I ran out of money and I remember my grandpa turned around and it was like, you've got to get yourself a job. And I said, look, what company like

And I worked for like nothing really makes sense because my mission and vision is helping people and connecting them to jobs. And then I thought that LinkedIn and I messaged the recruiter, this is 12 years ago. And I messaged a recruiter and I said, I only want to work for LinkedIn. What do I need to do? And the recruiter goes, come in, let us have a chat. And that was 12 years ago, as I said, and then I set a goal and vision. want to live in America. want to live in California specifically, because my sister, my older sister lives in LA. I have three sisters.

And I did it. I was number two in sales in Europe, right? Number five globally, I believe. And because of that, I got this incredible opportunity to move to San Francisco, which was in 2015. And I think that's when I volunteered the year up and that's when I met you, Avi, and that's when you came to meet me at the LinkedIn San Francisco offices. And it's just been such a privilege. Last 12 years, I've had this incredible

amazing hug from LinkedIn and you know, they've saved my life.

Speaker 2 (13:05.816)
That is quite the journey, quite unique. And I appreciate you sharing so many details about that, especially nowadays people talk more about mental health and I assume in the moment when you went through the griefing phase, you needed those resources. How was it for you? Do you use some resources to be able to prevail through that phase in your life?

Yeah. So I'm really glad you asked me that question because in 2016, probably shortly after I met you, I felt like I was going to tumble down the rabbit hole again, to be honest, because something else happened, like another grief incident. And that's when my life changed again. And so I was introduced to a woman called Dr. Amy Caget, who is based out of San Francisco. She has a PhD in positive psychology and she

taught me happiness. And so I've actually been working with her since 2016 and she taught me happiness strategies. And I know that sounds all like airy-fairy, but honestly, it's incredible how you can train your mind to think positively or to even just stay calm in intense situations. And that training has been the best training that I could ever encourage anyone to do because

You know, your energy when you walk into a room is what carries you. It's your energy that can get you a job. It's your energy that can get you a partner, right? And so working on mental health, working on energy and working on happiness strategies has to be the number one most important thing that I would ever teach and tell anyone in this day and age.

Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. And as you're sharing your story and your journey and everyone hopefully is looking at it from a perspective of listening to the message about the message and that way they can understand how you approach things, what was your mindset, what was your attitude about it in the moment. So hopefully they can replicate this or help somebody do the same for their lives. Right. Allow me to ask this question. Hopefully serves someone listening now.

Speaker 2 (15:13.568)
As you were growing up more in an educational journey, was there in a specific training or a formal education or formal education program or informal that you think truly was crucial to your growth?

Yeah, you know what, that's such a great question. And I was reflecting on that. And when I was seven or eight, like very, very, very young, there was poetry competitions at my school. And I used to love writing poetry, but I just remember I had to stand up in front of the school and speak and actually deliver a poem. And then I went on to go into the public speaking competition in my secondary school.

And I know in America, like England and America are very culturally different. So in England, this isn't a normal thing to stand up in front of the class and speak. But I know in America it is, because my kids now are American, right? And so I do believe this is where confidence comes from, just being able to stand on a stage or stand in front of like a whole school assembly and speak.

And then there was a couple of other things that happened to me along the way. So I was a member of something called Young Enterprise, which is a business scheme that the school put on. And it just so happened that I did the top exam. we had to do an exam, a business exam for Young Enterprise. And I think I was number one in the whole region and I was in the newspaper. And then, and then I studied business studies in my like when I was 17, 18 and that teacher, that was the only teacher that liked video school.

I was a bit, maybe I had ADHD that was undiagnosed. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I used to sit and write poems and songs while I was meant to be studying. And then sometimes I would stop the class and be like, I've written a song, can I sing it? And so I got thrown out the park quite a lot. But I look back at it now and I'm like, you know what, it all kind of makes sense as to why I am the way I am. I was, you know, to summarize the public speaking,

Speaker 1 (17:22.187)
The speaking in front of the whole school and the alignment to business helped me out a lot in my early careers.

amazing. Yes, no, that's amazing. Hopefully the leaders listening to this can apply these strategies and how they can in their own capacity, right? And this other question may sound a little bit similar, but just for us to get maybe even a more specific story. As you were going through your journey growing up, was there an influential leader maybe in education, maybe a teacher, maybe a mentor, somebody that truly,

like help make that impact in your journey?

Yeah, I think it actually happened when I was about 25. So remember I'd moved to Australia and I sat in a client meeting and my client was like, there's a woman that I want you to meet. And I was like, okay. So I met this woman called Alice Hemelay and that's when my life changed. So she was a neuro-linguistic programming practitioner, NLP. And I hadn't, didn't really know what NLP was and I thought it was a bit weird and it sounded like.

know, some people had said it's about manipulating people and had all this negative connotation. But I met her and I was inspired by her and she went, look, take my course. And it was a lot of money to do her course at the time, but just something within me was like, I have to do this. And that honestly, that week of training was the most inspirational transformational journey of my life because what NLP is, it's the study of the subconscious mind and how are beliefs.

Speaker 1 (19:03.148)
and how our reality is formed and shaped. so becoming consciously aware of how our subconscious mind is formed, the 96 % of what we do think and feel is subconscious. So being aware of, wow, it was my parents, it was my upbringing, it was the books that I read, it was the media that I watched, that all formed how I view the world. And it also formed a lot of self-limiting beliefs.

So, you know, I mentioned I was shy and insecure and I had a lot of issues, to be honest, and just being aware of and being able to consciously move past them and empower myself through language, like learning that, that was honestly the most transformational thing I could ever have done for myself. And I swear that is the secret to my success. I got out of my own way and I understood myself limiting beliefs.

I am not surprised because as I understand, one of the most world renowned speakers in the world is Tony Robbins and it's been said that he leverages NLP, Neural Linguistic Programming. I went through an NLP four day course with Dr. Matt James, 12 hour days, helped me see my value. Are there any specific modalities or things that you learned in NLP?

that you still leverage on a daily basis that you think a person who's trying to get to a new level or expand their mind or make a transformational aspect in their own life that you think like, hey, if I can tell you something about NLP, do this.

Yeah, okay, I'll give you one because Dr. Amar Kajay, the happiness coach that I work with, taught me something different, but it was so similar. And I was like, they're connected. Okay. So how do I describe it? The language that we feed our subconscious mind creates our reality. So there's a few words that you need to avoid. You need to avoid the words no, not, can't, but, should.

Speaker 1 (21:16.108)
and try and you need to reframe them. So rather than I'll try, I'll attempt. Rather than I should, I could. Rather than I can't, I am yet to be able to do it. Because honestly, that language feeds your subconscious mind, which feeds the reality that you see. So another way to describe it is we're all pressing billion bits of information every second. We can't possibly take it all in.

So our brain either deletes, distorts or generalizes that information, right? And so, and the deletion, the distortion or the generalization comes from our programming. And so, and then it chunks it down to a smaller amount that we can process. So knowing that we know that, let's start to empower and change the language that we feed into our subconscious so that we can start to see our reality in a way that we wanna see it. And I know that was like a five second.

of synopsis of what it is. hope that helped, but really just changing your language will change your life.

I love it and thank you for just making it concise. That way it can even become a short clip that anyone can consume and listen to and share with others, right? That's amazing. It did transform my life in that way where I became aware of so many things that I shouldn't do and things that I should do. Now, Emma, as I understand, these days coaching has become popular. You as a professional, I'm sure you've coached many people up.

this point too, and you may be open to coaching some more people. How does a young new leader kind of like filters out who would be the right coach for them in their growth as leaders, would you say?

Speaker 1 (22:58.998)
Okay. So, you know, if I was a new leader and I was looking for a coach, I'd be looking for someone that understands the future of work and how we're going through the biggest transformation in our economy that we have ever seen in our lifetimes. So for the last 100 years, we've been in what's called the knowledge economy, right? Where our intellectual labor has been the most important things and really hard skills were.

really looked upon as being the most important skills to have, and that was computer engineering and mathematics and this, that and the other. We're now entering a world where AI is replacing a lot of that, right? And we're entering into what we call the relationship economy. And so it's actually our soft skills, the human skills that are going to be the most important skills moving forward. And Anisha Rahman, who is LinkedIn's Chief Economic Opportunity Officer,

he breaks it down into the five Cs, which are curiosity, compassion, courage, communication, and creativity. And I'm going to add another C, which is change management, adaptability. And these are the most important skills moving forward in the age of AI. And so as a new leader, you need to be really aware of what these important skills are, and you need to be training.

your people and coaching your people on how they can optimize and highlight and improve on these skills. And the good news is there's learning everywhere. There's learning resources everywhere. LinkedIn learning obviously is an amazing resource. And, you know, it's the people with the growth mindset, with this passion for learning and who are adaptable that are going to succeed in this new world that we're moving into an economy.

Yes, that was very insightful. I appreciate you sharing the five Cs and adding your own, which, you know, because now from your expertise, you're like, wait a minute, this one could be the cherry on top, right? Yeah. That was nice. And Emma, the journey for you, it's been interesting. It's been obviously up and down, like most people's lives, but you've had amazing success. Did you, growing up, did you ever imagine you were gonna

Speaker 2 (25:19.106)
Get this far? What surprised you the most about your life's journey?

You know what? think what surprised me the most was I just felt the fear and I did it anyway. So there was so many times where I was just so afraid. Like, so for example, like in my early twenties, when I got that job in Sydney, I didn't want to leave Manchester. I didn't want to leave my family, but it was my parents. They said, look, this is going to be an amazing opportunity. think you need to go. And that was, that transformed my life. Then

when I was 25 and I met that Alice Hemile and I was offered that opportunity to leave what I was comfortable with and set up a competition. Like things that I didn't really want to do, but I did them anyway. And again, that was transformational. then traveling on my own for a whole year, like in places where I don't speak a language, I was petrified, but I just so happened I was living with a girl that had gone to South America and she was like, you'll be fine.

I was so scared. remember sitting on my bathroom floor, like crying, petrified. Like I did it anyway. And again, that was like massively transformational. And then, you know, going back to England and knowing deep down, I didn't want to be in England and not, I wanted to live in America. And, you know, then I started studying like the law of attraction and like meditation, mindfulness, the present moment, spirituality and.

I don't know, like all of those different things has just made it much easier to succeed. Like honestly, I feel just really lucky. just kept meeting teachers or mentors or people to help me at the right time. And there was a lot of opportunities that I missed and I not regret, but like there's a lot that I could have done differently, but I do think the common theme is courage, which I know is going to be one of the five C's, the most important skills moving forward. just felt the fear and I did it.

Speaker 1 (27:20.194)
Anyway.

Wow, that is amazing indeed. What is your why today, Emma? The others to you most.

Well, given that I'm so ridiculously busy, I've got a very demanding full-time job. have three little children. And I still ask myself, why every night when the kids go to bed, do I go upstairs and work on the apprentice project? Why do I want to help people? Why am I creating content? Why am I creating videos? Why do I coach for three thousands of people, which is not sustainable anymore really, but you know, just why? Because...

I think genuinely, like, I came from, like, I'm not the person that you would have thought would succeed or, you the girl from Manchester that now works for one of the best companies in the world and the Empire State Building. And I really feel like everyone was put onto this earth with a purpose. And from studying spirituality and from studying with great teachers, like, I love Kathy Heller. She wrote a book called Abundant Ever After.

she's got an amazing podcast. follow her. I love Gabrielle Bernstein. I found Kundalini yoga, which is really unique. at the end of my travels and Gabrielle Bernstein teachers and talks about that. And then of course, neuro-anaglostic programming, Tony Robbins, as you mentioned, like I have just come across all these amazing skills and amazing tools and strategies. And it, I just feel compelled and like that I need to teach this.

Speaker 1 (29:01.774)
to people because it can really help. And like ever since meeting Dr. Amy Caggier, like I can say since 2016, I've been very, very, very, very stable in my mental health, which is incredible. Because if you'd met me before that, you would know I was so up and down. And so I'm like, wow, I've really, I think I've, I've like, you know, I've found something here and everyone asked me, how do you have the time? Like three kids, I don't have any help. We don't have family around.

and how do I do it all and I'm able to find the time and I exercise every day and I still have time and I think it's because of all this stuff that I've learned and so I just want to share it and help people.

That's amazing. You have a great heart. If you had one message for those educators and leaders working to develop our next generation of leaders, what would your message be?

Stop teaching information and start teaching transformation and teach people that the world has shifted. And it's all about skills based hiring and the people that you teach now have to start learning the skills of the future, is AI literacy and the uniquely human skills that I mentioned earlier, right? The five C's plus the change management adaptability.

And they have to have a personal brand online. If you are not visible, you're invisible in this day and age, right? I'm selling now at LinkedIn, what's called a hiring assistant, which is an AI agent that recruiters are going to be using to screen and get people into jobs. So knowing that I know that, how can you be visible to the hiring assistant? And that is the LinkedIn algorithm has changed. So you've got to be visible on the platform. You've got to be posting videos.

Speaker 1 (30:54.264)
You've got to be building a personal brand. Everything that you've been doing, over the last, you know, 10 years since I've met you. That is going to be mission critical for people. But also changing the mindset and stop looking at this new world, the relationship economy with a negative lens. Look at it as an area of opportunity. This is the best time in history, I think, to be transferring your career if you don't like what you're doing because

you can just start to learn the skills that you need. And so it really levels the playing field, right? And so naturally an amazing opportunity for people, but they have to go in with a positive mindset.

without a doubt. Emma, we've gotten to the end of the main interview, but I would love for you to share where could people find out more about you and support your mission.

well, obviously you can find me on LinkedIn, Emma Vites Patel, P-A-T-E-L. And then the Apprentice Project is theapprenticeproject.com. And you can find my book, The Graduate Bible on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. And as I said, I will be changing the name soon, but not for a while. So you'll be able to find me right now.

That's amazing. And we're going to make sure to share those links in the descriptions on every podcast platform. Now, are you ready for some rapid fire questions? Would you share with us the first thought that comes to mind? Quick answer and hojkagi, our listeners gain even more value today from your story and message. If you're ready, let's do it. Okay. What's an accomplishment you're super proud of?

Speaker 1 (32:38.222)
I think writing the book, The Graduate Bible, is a big accomplishment for me.

That's amazing. Are there three books that you would recommend every leader should at least check out?

gosh, there's so many. Think and Grow Rich is an amazing book. Go with. Secret, know, anything to do with law of attraction. love all that. And Atomic Habits is an amazing book too. By James Clay.

Absolutely. In today's AI world, what is your go-to AI tool and why?

a boring, but I do love chat, GBC. I pay $20 a month now and I feel like it knows me and we've got a good relationship.

Speaker 2 (33:21.902)
Now, if someone needed a mentor, where would you suggest they could possibly find one?

Well, there's nothing better than meeting people in person, right? So I would recommend going to networking events and as many in-person events as you can. But obviously LinkedIn is an amazing resource, but you do have to be reciprocal. You can't just ask people for time. Like no one has time. There has to be a reason. Like, did you go to the same school? Do you have something in common? You know, there has to be like a reason for somebody to engage. Have you read their books? Have you read their papers?

You know, that kind of thing, right?

Yes. I don't remember exactly what was in your book, but I remember before I met you, I did so many notes and then I was showing you a look and I thought this and I thought that, so that was amazing.

Yes, exactly. that's why I was like, yeah, of course I'll meet for you. I don't remember. I've you like a few hours of my time. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:18.19)
that

Yes, you sure did. I will never forget that. What is a free educational resource that you think more people should know about?

Well, LinkedIn learning does unlock quite a lot of courses for free, which is amazing. you know, YouTube is a fantastic resource where you can learn a lot. you know, just type into chat GPT, like what are the best free resources for learning these specific skills? And it'll give you an answer.

Amazing. What is one life-changing hack that you would make sure you share with someone you deeply cared about?

changing your language, change your life. Avoid the words no, not, can't, should, but, try. Should, but, try.

Speaker 2 (35:06.978)
Yes. Now, are you able to name or share with us one or three songs that make you come alive?

Speaker 1 (35:21.018)
I love house, dance music. You know, I'm from Manchester, so this is like what we love. So there's a song called Good Vibrations and Marky Mark, I think it's just a bit of a cheesy song, but I love that. And I also love the final countdown. My God, you you put that on and you just get really excited.

I love that one too. Last one. What is your favorite snack?

has to be English snacks, I'm sorry, but American snacks are terrible. I love hula hoops, the original hula hoops and chocolate orange, terrorist chocolate orange. Two best snacks ever from England.

Amazing. I love this. Emma, thank you so much for such an inspirational journey and such an insightful interview that you shared with us. Are there any last thoughts you would like to share before we close out this interview?

No, I just thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure watching your journey over the last 10 years and seeing you succeed. And you're such a great guy and I'm really happy for you.

Speaker 2 (36:30.03)
Thank you. I take that to heart. I appreciate it. Well, everyone, this has been Emma Vides Patel, and please check out the links as we share with you in the platform's descriptions for this episode. This is Leadership Messengers podcast, where our mission is to help you develop the next generation of leaders. See you on the next episode.