Amervis López Cobb

Podcast Transcript: Rise Urban Nation with Amervis López Cobb

Introduction and Welcome

Taryell Simmons: Welcome back family to another inspiring episode of Rise Urban Nation podcast, where we elevate Black and Pan-African voices reshaping the future of entrepreneurship, leadership, and truth-telling. Today's episode is for every entrepreneur, every leader, and every dreamer who has ever asked themselves: How do I lead without losing myself? How do I build without burning out? Our guest today is an Afro-Latina powerhouse who has transformed adversity into impact. She is a bestselling author, culture shifter, and creator of transformational frameworks like IMPOWER and ENOUGH. Please help me welcome the one and only Amervis López Cobb. Welcome to the show!

Amervis López Cobb: Thank you, thank you! I am honored to be here.

Taryell Simmons: I was looking at your website and all the testimonials people give you. You are out here changing and saving lives.

Amervis López Cobb: I like to joke around and say it is like Les Brown and Brené Brown had a baby, and it was kind of like Simon Sinek, but a mixed-race Afro-Latina.

Taryell Simmons: That is a great one right there! Remind the folks how we got connected.

Amervis López Cobb: I hired a business coach, Kimberly Spencer, to help me understand how transitioning out of corporate into entrepreneurship would work so I could have an exit strategy. Kimberly, who is amazing and authentic, connected us through my publisher, Adriana Rosales of RMP Studio Publishing. Kimberly told me, "When you hire me, you hire my network." I told her I needed to get out there and promote my book, and she connected us.

Taryell Simmons: Your network makes it work. Kimberly is a wonderful ally with so much soul. I met her through the collaboration Rise Urban Nation does with Forever Media at a retreat for entrepreneurs and six-figure speakers.

From the Streets to Corporate Leadership

Taryell Simmons: For those who may not know you yet, take us back. How did your leadership journey begin, and what inspired your focus on psychological safety and trust-based leadership?

Amervis López Cobb: My leadership journey began as a teen mom on the street corner. Before I became a leader by title in corporate environments, I was leading my child out of the ghetto. I was born and raised in the Badlands of North Philadelphia. I led myself out of the hood and into corporate America. I wrote a book about that journey titled From the Streets to Corporate America six years ago after having an epiphany that my story could be someone else's healing guide.

Taryell Simmons: That takes real bravery.

Amervis López Cobb: People asked if I was afraid companies would not hire me if they found out who I was. I told them that if they do not hire me because of who I was, they are not the right people for me—it is protection, not rejection. As a teen mom breaking into corporate America, someone handed me a Microsoft Project guide and saw potential in me. I went to school at night, earned my bachelor's degree, project management certification, and MBA. Every time they gave me a ladder, I climbed it, often jumping onto jungle gyms so I would not lose myself along the way.

Amervis López Cobb: I built project management offices, relocated to Las Vegas for 15 years, served as VP of the local Project Management Institute chapter, and became a founding member of Latinas 100 alongside Adriana Rosales. When I attended a class on psychological safety, it gave language to everything I had experienced—both the rare times I received psychological safety and the overwhelming times I did not.

Discovering Psychological Safety and the Cost of Corporate Harm

Amervis López Cobb: The data shows women and people of color are far less likely to receive psychological safety, yet we are 4.2 times more likely to stay at an organization where psychological safety exists. Leaders have the greatest impact on psychological safety. People do not quit jobs; they quit bosses.

Taryell Simmons: Absolutely. Bosses determine whether someone stays productive or leaves.

Amervis López Cobb: I became a manager in 1998 at a Blue Cross Blue Shield subsidiary. Over decades in corporate spaces, I experienced the damage caused by leaders who fail to offer psychological safety. In the age of AI, our ability to connect with our humanity is what distinguishes us. Too many leaders rely on command-and-control, authoritative styles that do not work for today's five-generation workforce.

Taryell Simmons: My journey mirrors yours in many ways. Growing up in D.C., overcoming the school-to-prison pipeline, and later entering HR and corporate training, I realized leaders must do the inner work to heal themselves so they can authentically model what they teach.

Amervis López Cobb: A few years ago, I received a cancer diagnosis during a routine mammogram. God stopped me in my tracks. During 30 rounds of radiation and FMLA leave, I committed to emerging as a better leader who teaches others to lead with humanity. We cannot normalize harm in the workplace. When you break a leg on the job, OSHA laws and worker's compensation cover your healing. But when leaders inflict psychological trauma, those scars do not heal so easily.

The IMPOWER and ENOUGH Frameworks

Taryell Simmons: You took experiences that could have broken you and turned them into actionable frameworks. Can you break down the IMPOWER and ENOUGH frameworks?

Amervis López Cobb: The IMPOWER framework is designed for leading teams: Illuminate the path forward and define the North Star; Model the behavior and authentic leadership you want to see; Prioritize psychological safety above all else; Own your story, embrace accountability, and admit mistakes; Welcome and amplify diverse perspectives; Engage fully and lead with vulnerability; and Reflect, adjust, and disrupt unhelpful behaviors.

Taryell Simmons: That vulnerability allows teams to pair up strengths and solve real problems together.

Amervis López Cobb: The ENOUGH framework focuses on the leader within: Engage with your full self; Nurture your well-being because you cannot pour from an empty cup; Own your story and accountability; Understand your value and never let someone else's limited vision restrict your unlimited potential; Grow through challenges and discomfort; and Honor your voice.

Leading Major Transformations and Meeting Teams Where They Are

Taryell Simmons: You have guided C-suite leaders and rescued failing PMOs. What is a key project where you saw this work in action?

Amervis López Cobb: I led a massive casino opening in New Jersey involving 2,500 gaming machines, unwritten code, strict regulatory compliance, and over 50 departments. Sixty days before launch, we instituted daily check-in calls to identify roadblocks and collaborate on solutions. By treating everyone like human beings rather than machines, we launched on time. In the retrospective, team members highlighted how supported and empowered they felt throughout that high-pressure delivery.

Taryell Simmons: What specific ritual or habit anchors that success?

Amervis López Cobb: Starting every one-on-one meeting with four words: "How can I help?" As a leader, your role is to remove roadblocks, escalate issues, and provide clear direction rather than interrogating people for status updates.

Intuition, Amplifying Voices, and Final Wisdom

Taryell Simmons: What advice do you have for emerging Black and Afro-Latinx leaders building something new?

Amervis López Cobb: Trust your gut and never second-guess your inner guidance system. James Baldwin noted that you must decide who you are and force the world to deal with you, not with its idea of you. When I moved from Philadelphia to Las Vegas as a single mother of two, my analytical spreadsheet favored staying, but my intuition said go. Following my intuition completely transformed my life and career.

Taryell Simmons: Silence is not acceptance. Where can listeners find your books and connect with your work?

Amervis López Cobb: Connect with me on LinkedIn, visit my YouTube channel at @AmervisAuthor, check out my website at https://ascend-transcend.com, or email me directly at [email protected]. I also have upcoming books, including Leading with Psychological Safety and a new project on detoxing from toxic environments.

Taryell Simmons: Thank you, Amervis, for sharing your heart and wisdom with Rise Urban Nation.