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“10 out of 10”, “my life’s mission”, that’s how Lyndell Danzie-Black describes her ambition to empower Caribbean women economically. Lyndell is the CEO and Founder of Cerulean Inc., a training and business consulting company based in Guyana, and these words for other Caribbean women entrepreneurs: “Go. For. It.” It’s an honour to have her as this week’s guest on the Island Woman podcast with Dianne N Squires.

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I kept my notebook handy in this conversation with Lyndell because she has incredible insights. With more than a decade as an entrepreneur and more than two decades leading organisational transformation, Lyndell generates success for herself and other women. She co-founded the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Guyana, the first of its kind in the Caribbean and co-created the 25 Influential Women Leaders Award and Leadership programme, also in Guyana. We talked about her layered Caribbean heritage, her most important work now, and how building a business around service quality in Guyana has evolved from the early days to now, with the big oil and gas boom. She’s candid about the financial ebbs and flows of business and goes in depth into the difference between leadership and executive leadership.

Here’s the roundup of our conversation.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Lyndell Danzie-Black and her Caribbean roots
02:09 Lyndell’s big ambition: Empowering women economically
04:05 Daily rituals: Reading and continuous learning
05:43 Work with Cerulean Inc. and service quality in Guyana
09:05 Adapting to oil and gas industry opportunities
12:58 Building visibility through platforms and awards
22:02 Leadership versus executive presence
26:04 Women speaking up and cultural barriers
30:08 The role of collaboration and partnerships
36:58 Sustainable impact and succession planning
42:01 Balancing ambition and well-being
50:00 Key advice for Caribbean women entrepreneurs
51:48 Where to find Lyndell and her work

Connect with Island Woman
Follow the podcast, get direct access to upcoming masterclass updates, and secure private invitations for the Rooted and Ready 90-day program or the Island Woman Authority Suite by following our WhatsApp channel.
📲 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7lcdnEFeXrxlKuY31L
or email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com
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🔗Connect with Dianne N Squires
LinkedIn: @Dianne N Squires
linkedin.com/in/dianne-n-squires-a2389132

📈Work with Dianne as your strategic visibility coach
Email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com
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Connect with Lyndell Danzie Black and Cerulean Inc.
Telephone: (592) 226 4650
Website: https://www.cerulean-management.com/
LinkedIn (Lyndell Danzie-Black): https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndelldanzieblack/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeruleanInc/?ref=br_rs

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Dianne N. Squires is a Strategic Communications leader, Founder of Dianne N Squires Consulting (DNSC), and host of the Island Woman Podcast. Her work centres on elevating voice, visibility and impact for Caribbean changemakers.

#islandwomanpodcast #Caribbeanwomenempowerment #Caribbeanwomeninbusiness #ambitionandwellbeing

Longevity, legacy and what it means to be Coloured in South African hip-hop. We sat down with YoungstaCPT to get into the Cape Town scene, the next generation of rappers, and why it’s important to honour the greats who paved the way.

We also got into the Joburg media bias conversation, his Reebok deal, and the business of building something that lasts beyond the music.

Fresh off his first-ever South African performance at In The City, we sat down with Isaiah Rashad for a conversation that went beyond the music.

We spoke about his upbringing, the experiences that shaped him, and how his journey has influenced the artist he is today. We also got into parenthood, life as a father, and his experience being in South Africa for the first time.

From music and family to personal growth and connecting with fans on the other side of the world, we got to know the man behind the music a little better.

Dianne N Squires shares what she means by strategic visibility and why it’s important to help Caribbean women entrepreneurs manage their energy, achieve results and avoid burnout.
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In Barbados alone, the number of women-owned businesses grew by 6% between 2020 and 2025, but those businesses are still largely micro-enterprises, according to a national study by the Small Business Association of Barbados. This reality is reflected across the Caribbean; women in business mainly operate the “one-woman show”. That is why it is so essential that, as Caribbean women entrepreneurs, we manage our energy, including our visibility efforts, to make the most of that limited resource. It’s easy to get carried away with every new tool and platform to get seen, but we should be more focused on how, where, when, why and by whom we need to be seen to meet our business goals as women.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to strategic visibility for Caribbean women entrepreneurs
02:24 Micro enterprises and the energy drain of broad visibility
03:47 Setting clear business goals and success metrics
04:44 Identifying your target audience and value proposition
05:24 Crafting messages and choosing where to show up
06:11 Case study: Sian Cuff-Young’s evolving visibility strategy
11:46 Engagement and next steps for visibility success

Related episode: Don’t Waste Good Food | Sian Cuffy-Young Siel Environmental Services – https://youtu.be/c1SFPq8RrJ8?si=V7bYug5WOLsM0LAR

Connect with Island Woman
Follow the podcast, get direct access to upcoming masterclass updates, and secure private invitations for the Rooted and Ready 90-day program or the Island Woman Authority Suite by following our WhatsApp channel.
📲 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7lcdnEFeXrxlKuY31L
or email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com
—————
🔗Connect with Dianne N Squires
LinkedIn: @Dianne N Squires
linkedin.com/in/dianne-n-squires-a2389132

📈Work with Dianne as your strategic visibility coach
Email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com
——————-

Dianne N. Squires is a Strategic Communications leader, Founder of Dianne N Squires Consulting (DNSC), and host of the Island Woman Podcast. Her work centres on elevating voice, visibility and impact for Caribbean changemakers.

#islandwomanpodcast #strategicvisibility #protectyourenergy #Caribbeanwomenentrepreneurs #Caribbeanwomeninbusiness

Dianne N Squires shares 6 ways she is managing her digital media consumption habits to protect her wellbeing.

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Staying well is essential for realising our big ambitions. But as I explore in this episode, one thing can threaten that well-being: our digital consumption habits, especially on social media.
As a seasoned communications practitioner and consultant, my work in digital media has made me acutely aware of the impact of social media on mental health. Despite limiting myself to just two platforms – LinkedIn and YouTube – I can still find myself trapped in a cycle of consumption that can lead to anxiety and distraction.
“The temptation to scroll and scroll and scroll and get little snippets and tidbits of information is still present on those platforms.”
I discuss alarming trends, such as the high levels of anxiety and limited attention span associated with extensive social media use. Countries like Australia have taken measures to protect young people from these effects, highlighting a growing concern that applies to many adults as well.

Timestamps
(00:00) Why well-being matters when you are chasing big ambitions
(01:10) A career built in marketing, communications, and digital media
(02:08) How working in digital media doubles the exposure to it
(03:25) Why social media platforms make consumption hard to manage
(04:14) What countries are doing about social media and young people
(05:44) The mental health risks that still affect adults
(06:08) Why LinkedIn comparison culture is especially draining
(07:24) How scrolling destroys focus and fragments attention
(08:39) Tip 1 – Keep your phone out of the bedroom at night
(10:25) Tip 2 – Rebuild focus through reading fiction
(14:39) Tip 3 – Use journaling to process your own thoughts
(15:52) Tip 4 – Choose long-form content over short-form scrolling
(17:16) Tip 5 – Put the device down and move your body
(18:12) Tip 6 – Set timers to cap daily platform use
(20:08) The six habits Dianne is using to manage consumption
(20:37) Closing thoughts on ambition, well-being, and responsible use

Connect with Island Woman
Follow the podcast, get direct access to upcoming masterclass updates, and secure private invitations for the Rooted and Ready 90-day program or the Island Woman Authority Suite by following our WhatsApp channel.
📲 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7lcdnEFeXrxlKuY31L
or email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com
—————
🔗Connect with Dianne N Squires
LinkedIn: @Dianne N Squires
linkedin.com/in/dianne-n-squires-a2389132

📈Work with Dianne as your strategic visibility coach
Email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com
——————-

Dianne N. Squires is a Strategic Communications leader, Founder of Dianne N Squires Consulting (DNSC), and host of the Island Woman Podcast. Her work centres on elevating voice, visibility and impact for Caribbean changemakers.

#islandwomanpodcast #digitalwellbeing #digitalmediaconsumption #socialmediaconsumption #Caribbean

We’re back from watching JAY-Z in Paris, and we brought along friend of the show Menzi XL as our guest co-host to unpack the whole experience.

We recap the trip, the show, the moments in between, and everything that went down in Paris. We also take some time to get to know Menzi XL properly — his story, his journey, and a few stories from the vault.

And because this is The Sobering, we obviously had to talk shoes.

Paris stories, music, culture, sneakers and plenty of banter. Tap in.

Sian Cuffy-Young, Founder of Siel Environmental Services Limited and environmental engineer wants people to think differently about waste. Sian describes the work of her company to host of the Island Woman podcast Dianne N Squires as waste systems architecture. This follows the entire value chain of inputs and outputs to evaluate where waste can be reduced or used as a resource.

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“…sometimes it makes me feel weird even saying the word waste because it’s such a valuable resource that we can use for so many other things. So it requires us to shift the way we think when it comes to what we know.” Sian Cuffy-Young

Sian Cuffy-Young remembers being at the beach with her father at ten years old, having fun in the water until a “loaded diaper” hit her in the face (ewww!). Most of us would have left it there but for Sian, that was the catalyst for her path into environmental engineering and her advocacy, education and entrepreneurial work in waste management.

Her energy and absolute passion for this area are infectious and her drive has led to the development of the first ever Caribbean Food Waste Summit.

But how does she balance her big ambition for changing people’s minds about waste with staying well? She’s learned the hard way to give attention to both.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Shan Young and her work in waste management
02:57 Big ambition: Transforming how we think and act towards waste
03:42 Daily rituals for staying grounded and focused
04:44 Evolving waste management strategies and education
07:38 Changing corporate perceptions about waste and cost savings
08:17 The role of ESG and sustainability in waste management
09:54 Quantifying waste savings for businesses
12:23 Regional expansion and Caribbean focus
13:02 Specialization in food waste and accreditation
15:20 Food waste certification and its regional significance
16:34 Addressing food waste in hospitality and events
18:46 Rethinking food production and consumption
22:24 The pros and cons of visibility and advocacy
28:25 the importance of strategic visibility
33:16 The Caribbean Food Waste Summit: Purpose and goals
41:39 Sian’s scores on the Ambition/Wellbeing scale
46:56 The importance of staying well to achieve big ambitions
48:43 Closing remarks and upcoming events

Connect with Island Woman
Follow the podcast, get direct access to upcoming masterclass updates, and secure private invitations for the Rooted and Ready 90-day program or the Island Woman Authority Suite by following our

WhatsApp channel.
📲 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7lcdnEFeXrxlKuY31L
or email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com
—————
🔗Connect with Dianne N Squires
LinkedIn: @Dianne N Squires
linkedin.com/in/dianne-n-squires-a2389132

📈Work with Dianne as your strategic visibility coach
Email: diannensquires@diannensquires.com

——————-
Connect with Sian Cuffy-Young and Siel Environmental Services Limited
WhatsApp: 1-868-381-9937

Websites: https://sielenvironmental.com/

LinkedIn (Sian Young): linkedin.com/in/sian-young-0675a342 –

LinkedIn (Siel Environmental Services Limited): https://www.linkedin.com/company/siel-environmental-services-limited/?originalSubdomain=tt

Instagram: @sieltt – https://www.instagram.com/sieltt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sieltt/
X (Siel): https://x.com/limitedsiel

Caribbean Food Waste Summit:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caribbeanfoodwastesummit/
Web: https://sielenvironmental.com/food-waste-summit/

———————-

Dianne N. Squires is a Strategic Communications leader, Founder of Dianne N Squires Consulting (DNSC), and host of the Island Woman Podcast. Her work centres on elevating voice, visibility and impact for Caribbean changemakers.

#islandwomanpodcast #foodwastemanagement #Caribbeanfoodwastesummit #wastemanagement #Caribbean

It’s the parley way! We get into movies, sneakers, events and the new music that’s been keeping us busy. Throw in a whole lot of banter, random tangent and you’ve got another proper Sobering episode.

This week, we sit down with hemustbefabulous for a conversation that goes beyond the music.

We get into his inspirations, how he found his way into music, and the journey that’s shaped his creative identity. We also unpack the Smilano vs Skhothane conversation, his beef with Dukii, and the stories and experiences behind some of the discourse surrounding him.

Then we look ahead, new music, future plans, and what’s next for an artist still carving out his own lane.

Sober Soldiers, it’s the parlay way!

In this episode we get into the shows we’ve been watching, including our thoughts on The Odyssey, what’s been on repeat in our playlists, the latest sneaker conversations, and the events that have caught our attention. As always, one topic leads to another, and before you know it, we’re unpacking everything from music and film to the little moments that make the culture what it is.

Tap in