Isa Buencamino
Isa Buencamino is a Leadership Coach and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant dedicated to empowering women and minority executives to embrace their full potential. She founded What’s Inside Ltd. with the mission to help individuals find and achieve their purpose, emphasizing that success is often already within them. Through her initiative, Women of the World (WOW) Coaching, Isa works with clients across various sectors, focusing on leadership, culture development, and strategies for diversity and inclusion. Her approach encourages talented individuals to overcome barriers of clarity, courage, and confidence, enabling them to build impactful legacies. Isa’s passion for service, kindness, and growth reflects the values she believes are essential for empowerment and community impact.
If your business could have a mascot, what would it be and why?
It would be Michelle Obama or Loida Lewis- is that allowed? She represents beautifully what Women of the World Coaching is about. An empowered woman who empowers others. Who values being in service, humility, vulnerability, kindness, love, family and growth.
What strategies do you employ to maintain a healthy work-life balance while running your own business?
I employ a lot. My top 5 things I do to maintain a healthy work-life balance are:
- I exercise at least 3x a week
- I go on a date with my partner once a week
- I travel and go on a trip with my family once every quarter.
- I stopped doing red eye flights for work.
- I socialise with friends or colleagues at least once every two weeks.
When faced with unexpected detours on your business path, how do you pivot with grace and resilience, showing fellow women entrepreneurs the way forward?
One of my favourite mantras is this. There is no such thing as failure. You either win or you learn. Sure at a point of failure I feel bad including a slew of other negative emotions but with time I always find a way to pick myself up and try again and do it differently.
The other mantra I like that applies is this: If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got. And so try again but I will do it differently, learning from the failure and to innovate from there.
How do you measure the success of your business beyond financial metrics, such as customer satisfaction or community engagement?
My equally important measure of success is how much I enjoy my work and the people I work with as well as the positive impact we make on the lives of the people we work with and serve.
Can you share a memorable moment where you witnessed significant growth or transformation in your business, illustrating the impact of your services/products?
The first time that we were invited to bid because the organisation has heard about us and what we do. The most recent and notable opportunity was to bid for the Obama Foundation Leadership Program. We didn’t get the job in the end but we were so proud to be considered. The thought that maybe Michelle Obama (my dream mascot) would see our name on the list, even ever so briefly, makes me smile from ear to ear.
What role do you believe mentorship plays in the success of small businesses, and how have mentors influenced your own entrepreneurial journey?
I think the role of mentors is really important. When I started my business I didn’t know a lot of things and my learning curve was slow and as a result the pace of growth was also slow. With the support of mentors, it shortens the curve and mistakes are less.
What’s your work all about, and how does it make a difference in the world?
I founded What’s Inside Ltd. six years ago, driven by a desire to help others find their purpose, achieve it, and ultimately be happy. I believe that most of what one needs to succeed is already within them.
Recently, I have been focused on coaching across differences. As the founder of Women of the World (WOW) Coaching, I work with ‘minority’ executives, both men and women, across a range of sectors including Consumer Goods, Healthcare, Education, Construction, and Mining, in various parts of the world. Additionally, I consult on leadership, culture development, and strategies for diversity, inclusion, and equity.
The world loses out when talented people play small. Through my work I support talented individuals who otherwise lack the clarity, courage or confidence to play big – stay in the running and build powerful legacies.
Get in touch:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/isa-buencamino-agbayani-43b30a4/
https://www.weeklysparks.com/wow-stories-ws/isa-buencamino-the-trailing-spouse-plays-big
https://www.instagram.com/joinwow_/
https://www.instagram.com/isabuencamino/