Creating Your Own Space: How Damaris Melo‑Gyasi Built Her Path Forward

IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of The Women’s Leadership Mindset Series, architect, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and author Damaris Melo Gyasi joins Teresa K. Page, MBA for an honest and empowering conversation about dreaming boldly, rising from humble beginnings, and leading with faith and resilience. Damaris reveals the real journey behind her success — from growing up Pentecostal in São Paulo and watching her parents break generational limits, to trusting her calling even when her circumstances didn’t match her vision. She shares what it’s like to navigate architecture as one of fewer than 600 Black Women licensed in the U.S., the barriers she faced in male dominated firms, and the moment she realized she had to create her own space when the system wouldn’t make room for her leadership. Her insights on failure — “failure is elimination” — and her explanation of design thinking as a mindset for Women leaders are transformational. She also recounts a costly early career mistake that became one of her greatest lessons. This conversation is rich, vulnerable, and deeply inspiring. Damaris’s voice will resonate with any Woman who feels called to more, even when the path ahead isn’t clear. LISTEN IN AS DAMARIS DISCUSS: • Dreaming beyond your circumstances — refusing to stay confined by small beginnings. • Faith as a leadership foundation — how spiritual grounding fuels courage, identity, and vision. • Failure as design thinking — eliminating what doesn’t work to uncover what does. • Women of color in architecture — navigating bias, access, and leadership barriers in a male dominated field. • Creating your own space when systems don’t make room for your calling or capacity. WHO THIS EPISODE WILL BENEFIT MOST: • Professional Women navigating career transitions or reinvention • Women leaders seeking mindset expansion and clarity • Entrepreneurs ready to honor their calling and capacity • Authors and storytellers inspired by lived experience • Women of color advancing in male dominated industries • Women of faith who want to merge calling with leadership CALLS TO ACTION: • Download Damaris’s complimentary preview of her memoir, "Making My Way" at the following link: https://www.damarismelo.com/makingmyway • Find Damaris’ Memoir, “Making My Way: A Story of Grit and Grace”, available on Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Making-My-Way-... • Like, share, and subscribe to support Women’s leadership content • Comment your biggest takeaway from Damaris’s story! ABOUT DAMARIS: Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, in a working-class Pentecostal family, Damaris Melo Gyasi grew up shaped by faith, discipline, limited resources, and a deep desire to build a different future. Her journey took her across countries, languages, class systems, and spiritual seasons, eventually leading her to the United States, where she rebuilt her life and career from the ground up. Through her memoir and her work, Damaris speaks about her faith, resilience, belonging, identity, and what it means to keep moving forward when the road is unclear. CONNECT WITH DAMARIS: • Website: https://www.damarismelo.com • LinkedIn:   / damarismelogyasi   • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... ANNOUNCEMENTS: • Learn more and request a consultation to learn more about Teresa’s “Love The Success Factor Leadership Incubator” to elevate your organization’s senior and emerging leaders’ authority, innovation and cultural influence: https://teresakpage.squarespace.com/l... • Learn how to become a featured guest on The Women’s Leadership Mindset Series: https://teresakpage.squarespace.com/p...