Tayo Rockson is a three time TEDx speaker before age 30, a third culture kid, host of the tremendously popular podcast As Told By Nomads, and the CEO of UYD Management. Aside from those accolades, he's a truly great guy, and one of only two guests on Vehicles of Change that both Claudia and I knew. In fact, Tayo introduced Claudia and I.
I "met" Tayo when he interviewed me on his podcast. When you write a book, podcast interviews become part of your regular schedule. While I always enjoyed being on podcasts, I had never really connected with a host before. Maybe it was how surprised he was about my camel friend at the petting zoo, or the fact that he loved hustle of my favorite startup (my 8 year old son,) but the next time I was in New York I met him for coffee. Afterwards he said I had to meet this friend of his in D.C. that had the same energy and drive. My coffee with Tayo led to my coffee with Claudia, which led to our friendship, which of course led to the inception of Vehicles of Change.
Claudia and Tayo met during the Families in Global Transition Conference (FIGT) 2015 in Washington, D.C. FIGT is an NGO for globally mobile individuals, families, and those working with them. It promotes cross-sector connections for sharing research and developing best practices that support the growth, success and well-being of people crossing cultures around the world.
Claudia was the Director of Membership for the Board at that time and Tayo inspired the audience with a talk about his journey as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) living in different countries such as Sweden, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and others, before he completed high-school. Claudia immediately related to Tayo's talks as an Adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK) she left her home town of Austria at the age of 18 to embark on what was her version of global living and career. So many global nomads, like Tayo and Claudia have in common are commonalities like cultural awareness they create while immersing themselves in new cultures, learning new languages and understanding an economic and cultural ecosystem, unbeknownst to their “home culture” and country.
Claudia and I both like to talk and educate our audience around our passions. So it came as no surprise that we found ourselves speaking independently on Tayo's podcast. We both liked the positive and uplifting energy of the podcast host and those of you who may know Tayo, know he is a global connector across cultures and sectors. He took a chance on us ladies and e-introduced both of us two years ago. Claudia said she read over my website and bio, and had to meet me. In her opinion, I was not only is the best-selling author of “Elegant Entrepreneur”, tech entrepreneur, wife and mother, but I had that very special aura to herself she was curious to get to know. It all started over coffee at a French bakery in downtown D.C. Coffee turned into calls, calls turned into dinners and a friendship and business partnership was born. Little did we know back then that we would sit over fondue one day and start of what promises to be the road to create change for you and many others.
"Use your difference to make a difference." - Tayo Rockson
Tayo's company, UYD Managment strives help individuals and corporations leverage cross cultural differences and diversity and inclusion strategies to become market leaders in their industries. It embodies the quote he is know for, "Use your difference to make a difference." Tayo sees people's differences not as problems, but as possibilities for growth and collaboration.
Our interview with Tayo delves into the "why" behind his mission. The problem he identified and how he build a podcast and company to solve it, as well as how diversity and inclusion come into play in global policies around the world.
Watch Episode Two of Vehicles of Change to learn how Tayo’s experiences living in 5 countries & 4 continents helped him become a successful podcaster, 3 time TEDx speaker, & diversity & inclusion specialist.