Hacks and Hobbies with Junaid Ahmed
Nov 5, 2026 · 40 min · 10 segments
- How Shay’s healing journey helped her find her voice—and a new direction for her work. - Why effective leadership starts with curiosity, listening, and making space for others. - Signs that…
Sha SparksGuestJunaid AhmedHostNow, it reminds me of when the pandemic first hit and I was daily attending these Zoom meetings, and I think, being like I was in the similar boat that you are, right? Not being able to speak my feelings, speak my thoughts.
Not that I'm still not, but I'm further along in my journey because I was able to share some of those stories in these safe rooms, so have you, like these communities.
Now, Shay, talk to me about what you learn in those decades of leadership that most high achievers don't understand until it's too late.
Because what you're sharing is, you know, you... started started to own your own leadership and most high achievers you know they're still grinding they're still working on their own self on the things that they think is the thing people are looking for so talk to me about what you learned in those decades
yeah that's that's great uh great question so to own the leadership was really just asking um Not even asking.
I had automatically been put in that position and all of the places I've ever worked, people just assumed that I was either the owner or the manager or the one in charge.
Even though at times I was in the back of the salon, people would walk up to me and be like, well, you're the owner, right? I'm like, no.
What about me makes you think I'm the owner in the back of the room here? But whatever it was, I finally was like, again, well, what if they're right? And so I just started to take on the ownership of curious exploration.
And so when they would approach me of, oh, you're the owner, I would say, I'm not, but how can I help you anyway?
Yeah.
You know, what else could I do for you? I might not be able to answer that question, but I could point you in the right direction.
And I feel like that is it for leaders, right? When we get so focused on the daily grind, like you mentioned, we get focused on the to-do list and the point blank statements.
Hmm.
rather than being curious with the questions, being curious with what else is going on.
Like with my dad, here he had been abusive, manipulating, controlling, things like that.
But then when I asked, so what else was going on with you? Then it changes the dynamic.
And so as leaders, the best thing that we can do is when we're working in the grind, is allow space, even if you're asking for yourself, so you don't get the burnout of, okay, what else can I do for me? Like, what do I need in this moment? Do I need to reach out for someone to support me in this? Do I need to take a break? Do I need a rest? You know, what is it that I need so I don't get burned out? And I think as years in the past, I think leadership was more about barking orders rather than asking questions.
And so to come from a place of this curiosity exploration, as I like to call it, you're really just opening a door of opportunity for connection to be built, for community to be built, for a conversation that may never have happened.
It changes that dynamic, right? You being asked, hey, are you the owner of this salon? Like, no.
But you having that curiosity, your interest in what they're looking to do, I think speaks louder than anything else, right?
Now, it reminds me of when the pandemic first hit and I was daily attending these Zoom meetings, and I think, being like I was in the similar boat that you are, right? Not being able to speak my feelings, speak my thoughts.
Not that I'm still not, but I'm further along in my journey because I was able to share some of those stories in these safe rooms, so have you, like these communities.
Now, Shay, talk to me about what you learn in those decades of leadership that most high achievers don't understand until it's too late.
Because what you're sharing is, you know, you... started started to own your own leadership and most high achievers you know they're still grinding they're still working on their own self on the things that they think is the thing people are looking for so talk to me about what you learned in those decades
yeah that's that's great uh great question so to own the leadership was really just asking um Not even asking.
I had automatically been put in that position and all of the places I've ever worked, people just assumed that I was either the owner or the manager or the one in charge.
Even though at times I was in the back of the salon, people would walk up to me and be like, well, you're the owner, right? I'm like, no.
What about me makes you think I'm the owner in the back of the room here? But whatever it was, I finally was like, again, well, what if they're right? And so I just started to take on the ownership of curious exploration.
And so when they would approach me of, oh, you're the owner, I would say, I'm not, but how can I help you anyway?
Yeah.
You know, what else could I do for you? I might not be able to answer that question, but I could point you in the right direction.
And I feel like that is it for leaders, right? When we get so focused on the daily grind, like you mentioned, we get focused on the to-do list and the point blank statements.
Hmm.
rather than being curious with the questions, being curious with what else is going on.
Like with my dad, here he had been abusive, manipulating, controlling, things like that.
But then when I asked, so what else was going on with you? Then it changes the dynamic.
And so as leaders, the best thing that we can do is when we're working in the grind, is allow space, even if you're asking for yourself, so you don't get the burnout of, okay, what else can I do for me? Like, what do I need in this moment? Do I need to reach out for someone to support me in this? Do I need to take a break? Do I need a rest? You know, what is it that I need so I don't get burned out? And I think as years in the past, I think leadership was more about barking orders rather than asking questions.
And so to come from a place of this curiosity exploration, as I like to call it, you're really just opening a door of opportunity for connection to be built, for community to be built, for a conversation that may never have happened.
It changes that dynamic, right? You being asked, hey, are you the owner of this salon? Like, no.
But you having that curiosity, your interest in what they're looking to do, I think speaks louder than anything else, right?
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