(Bonus Episode) Live from Encanto: Rebuilding Workplace Confidence with Idara Ogunsaju
In this special live bonus episode of RISE Urban Nation, host Taryell Simmons and co-host Zeke Corley sit down at the Encanto Experience with Idara Ogunsaju, founder of The Antorge Group and author of The Confidence Talk: I Said So, to explore how workplace systems erode confidence and stall leadership pipelines for women. Idara shares how her proprietary Confidence Ecosystem Framework™ helps enterprise leaders identify structural barriers, reduce turnover, and build confidence-sustaining cultures that drive measurable business outcomes. This powerful conversation also highlights the importance of culturally rooted professional development, community-centered spaces like Encanto, and the future of leadership transformation grounded in equity and impact.
RISE Urban Nation: Own Your Story. Scale Your Impact. · Taryell Simmons, Zeke Corley, Idara Ogunsaju
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Show Notes
Recorded live at the Encanto Experience inside Marathon Barbershop on Imperial Avenue, this bonus episode brings together culture, community, and corporate transformation. Taryell Simmons and Zeke Corley host a powerful conversation with Idara Ogunsaju about rebuilding confidence in women within enterprise systems and shifting organizational structures that silently erode leadership potential.
Idara, founder of The Antorge Group, explains how her Confidence Ecosystem Framework™ examines how structure, culture, and growth systems either sustain or diminish confidence over time. Through system-level transformation and change management expertise, her firm partners with enterprise leaders to eliminate systemic barriers, fuel sustainable advancement, and strengthen leadership pipelines.
This episode also explores the significance of the Encanto Experience as a culturally rooted professional development space that centers creators, community leaders, and changemakers. Special thanks to Brooke Collins for organizing Encanto and to Marathon Barbershop for hosting this live recording in a space rich with culture and art.
If you’re watching on YouTube, take a moment to notice the artwork behind us. If you’re listening, links to Encanto and The Antorge Group are included below so you can experience the movement next year.
Learn More
- The Antorge Group: https://theantorgegroup.com
- Instagram: @anthorgegroup
- Encanto Experience: https://www.kpbs.org/events/2025/10/17/experience-encanto-two-day-art-stroll-and-artisan-market
- Marathon Barbershop – Imperial Avenue
Listen to Idara’s previous feature on RISE Urban Nation to hear more of her personal leadership journey.
Episode Contributors
- Host: Taryell Simmons
- Co-Host: Zeke Corley (Same Business Different Day Podcast)
- Guest: Idara Ogunsaju
- Music: Will Maker
- Production: RISE Urban Nation Media
Special Acknowledgment: Brooke Collins (Encanto Experience Organizer)
Venue Host: Marathon Barbershop, Imperial Avenue
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