Lissa Appiah

Certified Career Transition & Job Promotion Coach | Career & Leadership Development Workshop Facilitator | Speaker & Trainer | Canada's Top 100 Black Women to Watch of 2022

Are you an introverted leader or founder who is delivering results yet still not getting the recognition, opportunities, or visibility you deserve? You are not alone.

Research shows introverts with a bachelor’s degree earn $290K less over their careers than extroverted peers, and $760K less with advanced degrees. Workplaces often reward visibility over quiet impact.

It is no surprise that 65% of senior executives view introversion as a barrier to leadership, and only 6% believe introverts have the people skills to lead teams. Without an intentional personal brand, introverted leaders and founders are often overlooked.

I know this struggle firsthand. As an introvert, I once believed I had to act extroverted to succeed. Everything changed when I built a personal brand rooted in my strengths. I earned five promotions in under eight years, and later, as a founder, went from avoiding visibility to becoming a LinkedIn Top Voice with a profitable personal brand.

Now, I help introverted leaders and founders do the same through The Introvert Leadership Method and The Brand Visibility Accelerator. These proven systems help you be seen, attract opportunities, and earn more without acting out of character.

💡 With these systems, you will learn how to:
✔ Position your résumé, LinkedIn, and personal brand so your value is clear and compelling
✔ Build influence and visibility without draining your energy
✔ Communicate your strengths in interviews, negotiations, client conversations, and stakeholder meetings
✔ Attract opportunities and step into roles or business growth where your quiet expertise is recognized and rewarded

📈 Client Results:

“Shortly after working with Lissa, I received a job offer exactly aligned with the role I was seeking.” — Anna Savelyeva, Director of Programs

“Lissa’s program gave me the tools to land new roles, negotiate better salaries, and not sell myself short.” — Linda Adwoa Aidoo, Certified Finance Professional

“Her coaching gave me clarity, confidence, and opened doors to new opportunities I never thought possible.” — Grace Udodong, Founder, Oasis Youth Care

🏆 Featured in: The Globe and Mail • Fortune Magazine • LinkedIn News • CTV News

👉🏽 Ready to turn introversion into your advantage and claim the opportunities you deserve, in your career or your business?
📩 Message me here on LinkedIn or book a discovery call at weapply.ca

Founder, Career & Leadership Development Workshop Facilitator

We help organizations develop and retain talent through career and leadership development workshops or programs. As a Workshop Facilitator & Keynote Speaker, my signature presentations are: 

"Building with LinkedIn: Mastering LinkedIn for Career Success"
"Brand You: Unlocking the Power of Personal Branding to Stand Out in Your Career"

All our workshops and coaching programs are customized based on your organizational needs.

I spent $2,500 trying to fix my LinkedIn.  
The problem wasn’t LinkedIn.
 
Years ago, I hired a copywriter to write 8 posts for me.
 
Result: barely any engagement, no visibility, 0 clients.
 
After investing in so many things, I came to a hard realization.
I wasn’t lacking strategy.  
I was hiding.
 
I didn’t think my stories had much value. 
As an introvert, visibility felt uncomfortable, so I tried to outsource it instead of owning it.
 
That’s what most coaching programs don’t teach you.
Visibility only works when you’re willing to be seen.
 
The shift I needed wasn’t better copy or hacks. 
It was deciding my story mattered and learning how to show up in a way that felt natural to me.
 
That shift helped me build a personal brand, grow to 65K+ followers, become a LinkedIn Top Voice, and build a 6-figure business.
 
Not by being louder.  
But by being intentional.
 
If you want growth but visibility feels overwhelming, this masterclass is for you.
 
February 28 at 12 PM ET.  
How to Overcome Fear & Show Up on LinkedIn as an Introvert.
 
Register here: https://lnkd.in/gR5hn48S

I help introverted leaders land $150K+ roles & attract their 1st client on LinkedIn | Bilingual (EN/FR) Executive Coach & Personal Branding Consultant | Top 20 Career Coach & Top 20 LinkedIn Top Voice in Canada

I’m tired.
Every year, it's the same story. 

Around International Women’s Day, invitations from women-supporting organizations land in my inbox.   
  
They often share a common goal: advancing equity and closing the gender pay gap.
  
Yet, paradoxically, when it comes to compensating the speakers, panelists, and mentors they recruit ... there’s silence.   
  
Some truly don’t have the budget at all, and I completely understand that.   
  
But others have made it a practice to expect women to offer their expertise without pay.
Perpetuating the same cycle they claim they are trying to break.   
  
If we believe women’s voices matter, we should fund them.
If we believe in closing the gap, we should stop recreating it.   
  
I’m at a crossroads because this isn’t about saying no to purpose.
It’s about saying yes to alignment.   
  
Pay women for their work.

I used to think visibility was for “louder” people.

 The ones who always knew what to say.
 The ones who never overthought a post before hitting publish.

Turns out… that’s not true.

Most of the introverted leaders I work with don’t lack ideas.
They lack permission—to be seen, to be heard, to take up space without feeling fake or forced.

And honestly? I’ve been there too.

That’s why I’m hosting a free live masterclass on February 28 at 12 PM ET:
Brand Refresh: How to Overcome Fear and Show Up on LinkedIn as an Introvert.

This isn’t about becoming louder.
It’s about becoming clearer, more intentional, and more confident—in a way that actually feels like you.

We’ll talk about:
 • How to stop letting fear and overthinking run your visibility
 • How to shape a personal brand that feels authentic (not performative)
 • How to use LinkedIn to attract opportunities without burning out or pretending to be someone you’re not

If you’ve ever thought:
 “I have something to say, but I don’t know how to show up…”
 This is for you.

You don’t need to be fearless to be visible.
You just need a strategy that fits who you are.

Join me on February 28 at 12 PM ET for my free masterclass, where I’ll share more of my story and the exact strategies I used to build my personal brand on LinkedIn as an introvert. 

Register here >>> https://lnkd.in/gR5hn48S

View event: Brand Refresh: How to Overcome Fear and Show Up on LinkedIn as an Introvert

Brand Refresh: How to Overcome Fear and Show Up on LinkedIn as an Introvert

Designing Work-Optional Lifestyles for Women & Couples with Dynamic Financial Plans | Financial Consultant for Executives & Business Owners in Sports & Tech | Financial Wellness Speaker

Somewhere between building a career, managing a household, and making a thousand decisions a week, your financial life got complicated. And nobody handed you a manual.

By most measures you're doing everything right. But there's this voice in the background that doesn't quite go away. Am I leaving money on the table somewhere? Do I even know what I don't know? 

You have accounts, maybe an advisor, maybe a spreadsheet you keep meaning to update, but nobody has ever looked at how it all fits together. And that's the part that bothers you most.

You could spend hours researching it yourself. A lot of women do. But you have a hundred other things that actually need your attention.

That's where I come in.

I'm Renee Cohen, CFP® and founder of Nexa Wealth. I work with women in their 40s and 50s and their families who plan alongside them who are ready to stop guessing and start knowing that nothing is falling through the cracks.

I don't hand you a plan and disappear. We work together as life keeps moving - through decisions as they come up and priorities as they shift. Because a financial plan that sits in a drawer isn't really a plan. It's a document.

You don't have to become an expert. But you will understand every decision we make and why. Being in control doesn't mean doing it alone. It means having the right person in your corner.  My clients come to me carrying a lot of uncertainty. What changes isn't that their life gets simpler. It's that they finally have direction and someone to think it through with.

If any of this sounds familiar, I'd love to talk. Reach me here or at nexawealthplanning.com.

Not ready to talk yet? I put together a short guide called The Financial Blind Spot Blueprint — it's a good place to start if you want to see where the gaps might be. You can grab it in my featured section.

Renee Cohen, CFP®

There’s a point where financial advice stops feeling helpful and starts feeling annoying.

Not because it’s wrong.
But because it’s asking you to look at things you’ve been able to avoid so far.

Early on, simple rules work.
Save this.
Invest that.
Don’t overthink it.

But then life gets more fuller.

Your income changes.
Your time gets tighter.
And suddenly your decisions don’t just affect you anymore.

That’s usually when “just tell me what to do” stops working.

Because you can feel it:
An easy answer doesn’t quite fit anymore.
A checklist skips over the part that actually keeps you up at night.

When I talk about timing, trade-offs, or how one move affects three others, some people want it simpler.

A shortcut.
A rule they can follow without thinking too hard.

And that makes sense.
Simple feels efficient.

But once the decisions get bigger,
simple isn’t enough anymore.

You don’t want more information.
You need someone who can sit in the gray with you long enough to help you see what matters right now. 
You want to make a choice
and not spend the next six months wondering if you missed something.

That kind of guidance isn’t loud.
It doesn’t come with hot takes.
And it isn’t for everyone.

But when it’s right, it changes how decisions get made not just once, but over and over again.

If this felt familiar, you’re probably already in that season.

→ What’s a decision that used to feel simple and doesn’t anymore?

Renee Cohen CFP®

Helping women build the kind of wealth that means work becomes a choice | Founder, Nexa Wealth

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The one question I always ask before I ever look at someone’s numbers.

And it’s never about returns.
Or which account they’re using.
Or even what their long term goals are.

Before I open an account statement, I want to know one thing:

What does this money actually need to support right now?

Because the same balance can mean totally different things depending on where someone is in their life.

If you’re building something new, you don’t need the same setup as someone who’s craving steadiness.

If your income goes up and down, you don’t need the same plan as someone with a predictable paycheck.

And if you’re carrying a lot of responsibility, the last thing you need is more decisions to manage.

Sometimes the money technically exists,
but it isn’t actually usable yet.

A retirement balance can look reassuring, while doing very little for the decisions life is asking for right now.

That doesn’t mean anything is wrong.
It just means some of the money was built for later and today needs something different.

Until that’s clear, the numbers don’t really help.
They’re just numbers.

Once it is clear, the plan usually feels simpler. 

Not because life is simple, but because the noise stops competing for attention.

That’s when decisions stop feeling reactive.
That’s when trade-offs start to make sense.
That’s when people stop second-guessing every move.

The plan doesn’t magically get easier 
but it stops taking up so much mental space.

And that’s usually the real work.

Not running the math.
Figuring out what actually deserves your attention in this season.

Money works best when it’s tied to real life, not a set of rules.

That’s why I never start with the math.

→ What does your money need to support right now?

(That question alone usually tells us more than any spreadsheet ever could.)

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The Battle

Lissa Appiah

Renee Cohen, CFP®

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

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