Dr. Linda Amoh: How I’m Turning Invisible Talent into Unstoppable Leaders
In a world where highly skilled immigrants are too often overlooked and undervalued, Dr. Linda Amoh is on a mission to change the narrative. As a high-performance coach and founder of ApexGrowth Coaching Ltd, she helps professional and working immigrants reclaim their confidence, rebuild their identity, and rise into leadership — not by blending in, but by standing boldly in their brilliance. Through her signature THRIVE program, Dr. Linda is equipping the underestimated with the mindset, strategy, and voice to be seen, valued, and promoted in every room they enter. Her philosophy: “No Human Race Left Behind!”
What motivated you to assist immigrant professionals?
I have been an educationalist for over 2 decades, and I enjoy doing this. However, there are several reasons why I have proposed to support Professional and Working Immigrants to succeed. Firstly, I am naturally kind, helpful, and I take great delight in seeing people succeed in every aspect of their lives. The other rationale that has given me this drive to change the lives and trajectory of many Professional Immigrants is that I am one. Over time, I kept meeting people from different parts of the world who are Immigrants just like me (originally from Ghana) with great potential, who were struggling to break through the career glass ceiling to fulfil their fullest potential, while others were flourishing. They were pursuing careers far below their qualifications and abilities, and they felt stuck. I was wondering what the issue was. Could it be due to their accent, skin colour, or their qualifications? I became obsessed with it and started probing into this issue. After many years of research, it became evident that many Professional Immigrants are suffering from Brain Waste (underemployment) due to many factors, including the lack of confidence, mindset misinformation and the lack of expert guidance to help them navigate their new home.
Furthermore, my personal experiences have granted me the empathy and expertise to support this group of people. As an immigrant, I know what it feels like to leave everything familiar behind to start over, to prove yourself again, to wonder if you’ll ever be fully seen in your new environment. I have suffered from underemployment, discrimination, and have been undervalued. At one point, I was highly qualified, but I questioned my worth simply because I didn’t feel like I belonged. There was a time when I was at my lowest ebb and stuck in jobs below my expertise, feeling very frustrated and not knowing what my next steps were. I realised that I wasn’t alone! Far too many talented people were quietly shrinking in places where they should be shining. I even met people who thought they were doing very well and excelling in their careers, but anytime I mentioned they could achieve far beyond what they are now, they felt stunned. Generally, many people tend to forget that there is always room for growth, and when one is not growing, that person is shrinking. These experiences and discoveries lit a fire in me. Then I connected with incredible and extremely successful people who are millionaires and billionaires, some of whom are also immigrants, to impact and change my life through mentoring, training and coaching. The worth of knowledge they empowered me with, which is also the roadmap to their successes, is mind-blowing and transformational. So you see, I feel I have a responsibility to share my story, learnings and knowledge with the world. Finally, as part of my philosophy, I believe that race, ethnicity, socio-economic background and other extenuating circumstances should not be a barrier to fulfilling one’s true potential. Everyone has the right to achieve and meet their greater self to become who they were born to be in a moral, ethical and legal manner. Hence, my mission is to support Professional Immigrants to break barriers beyond borders to fulfil their dreams to go from surviving to truly thriving.
Was there a moment when you realised confidence matters just as much as skills?
Yes. Inner power and confidence matter a lot in life if you want to succeed, but it begins with a particular type of mindset, and they changed everything for me. Just to share one of my experiences and an event which happened several years ago. I remember on one occasion sitting in a room full of high-level professionals, and I had something valuable to share, but I held back. Not because I didn’t know what I was talking about, but because I didn’t feel like I belonged or I would be noticed. That was when I realised: skills will open the door, but confidence is what certainly helps you walk through it and own the room. That is why I coach both on mindset and strategy because confidence is built, not born. The great news is: it can be learned!
What are some struggles immigrants face that most people don’t see?
There are so many challenges and struggles that Professional Immigrants face, which are unseen by the world. These include hitting an invisible career glass ceiling, cultural shock, limiting beliefs syndrome and self-doubt. Other struggles include feeling overqualified but undervalued, Isolation, credential issues, visa pressure, imposter syndrome, and the list goes on …… Immigrants do not want to just find a job. They want to feel seen, respected, and worthy in unfamiliar systems. There is often a quiet grief involved in starting over, and a constant tension between wanting to succeed and not wanting to lose your identity in the process. It breaks my heart to announce that many incredible, experienced and highly-qualified immigrants have completely lost their identity, worth and feel undervalued due to their status as immigrants. There are doctors delivering fast food, accountants cleaning, and teachers sweeping the streets.
How does your THRIVE programme help people?
Just to give you a snippet, my THRIVE programme is a transformational and unique coaching system. It is a step-by-step roadmap for long-term immigrant transformation. It is designed to elevate the mindset, identity and impact income. It is built on real-world strategies and deep human reflection. The purpose of this formula is to help Professional Immigrants break limitations, rebuild their confidence, and create a fulfilling, purpose-driven life in a new country with clarity, community, identity, and wealth. We focus on mindset rituals, identity work, strategic networking, and even financial empowerment for long-term legacy. By the end of the programme, my clients don’t just feel ready, they’re taking action, being promoted, starting businesses, and showing up powerfully in their lives than before.
You talk about “brain waste” — what does that mean in real life?
Brain Waste is the non-recognition of the skills (and qualifications) acquired by a migrant outside of the country to which they have relocated. It prevents them from fully using their credentials, expertise and skills to their fullest potential. It also includes when highly skilled, highly educated immigrants end up in jobs far below their qualifications. Often because of bias, lack of networks, or low self-belief. Imagine a doctor driving a taxi or an engineer working a minimum wage job. It is sad to say that this is reality, and it’s not just a personal loss; it’s a societal problem. Brain waste steals potential, productivity, and progress. My work is about reversing that. Helping people to reclaim their value and rise into roles that reflect who they truly are.
What’s one mindset shift you wish every immigrant could make?
One mindset shift I would like to recommend to Professional Immigrants is that background is not a barrier; it is a brilliance. I wish more Professional Immigrants believed they are not “behind”, they are equipped. Their story, their resilience and their journey are leadership and that is strength. You don’t have to become someone else to succeed — you need to become more and a bigger version of who you already are.
How do you help people feel like themselves again after moving countries?
As humans, we rebuild identity from the inside out. Many clients come to me feeling like they have lost themselves because they are caught between cultures or unsure of their worth. My system is thorough and has depth. The formula involves uncovering their true purpose in life, what truly matters to my clients, who they want to become, and what’s been holding them back. Then we design rituals, mindset tools, and life strategies that bring them back to alignment. The goal isn’t just to adjust. It is to reclaim and redefine who they are in their own terms.
Why is emotional health so important for success?
Emotional health is crucial for success because if your mind is at war, your goals do not stand a chance of being realised. Emotional health is the foundation of confidence, clarity, and resilience. You can have the qualifications, but if you constantly feel like an outsider or live with internalised fear, you’ll keep playing small. That’s why my coaching starts with emotional grounding, because success without stability is fragile.
What do companies often get wrong about supporting immigrant talent?
The problem is that most often, a lot of companies refuse to perceive and value Professional Immigrants as Global Talents with valuable experiences and skills to offer. They do not acknowledge or are oblivious to the devastating impact of brain waste on the individual, the company and the economy as a whole. Companies assume that technical support is enough. So if someone has a job, they’re fine. However, Professional Immigrants often need cultural confidence, emotional safety, mentorship, and visible career pathways.
These incredible and rich talents need to be nurtured and strengthened. Undervaluing people leads to dehumanisation, which tends to crush down their confidence, self-worth and dignity due to their immigration status. Apart from the devastating impact of brain waste on individuals, it also hurts companies and the country as a whole.
For example, Lighthouse Reports (2024), highlights that ‘When teachers are working as nannies despite overcrowded classrooms, doctors cleaning bedpans in short-staffed hospitals and engineers delivering food on motorcycles despite crumbling infrastructure, this is a huge problem. The report further reveals that across Europe, there are millions of migrants who are over-qualified for jobs. This brain waste phenomenon leads to billions of Euros in lost wages annually and leaves gaping holes in many sectors already struggling with labour market shortages.”
In the USA, the adverse impact of brain waste can also be revealed. Lost wages of underemployed migrants cost the country nearly $40bn each year. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion framework cannot just be about recruitment; it has to be about retention and recognition too. You see, undervaluing global talents is costly indeed. That is why I work with individuals and companies to help them build programmes that truly empower immigrant talent to contribute and lead.
What do you hope people remember most about your work?
The core of my service is RESULTS through transformation and a deeper connection with my clients. Therefore, I would like people to remember me for the journey I helped them embark on. To take ownership of their own lives and create the outcomes they deserve because I gave them the tools to rise, speak up, and lead so that they can create a life they are proud of. I want them to remember the special and magical moment when they saw and felt their true worth again to meet their greater selves because I reminded them of who they truly are beyond titles, barriers, or borders, and they took action to make a change in their lives happen. If people walk away saying, “I finally believe I can thrive beyond borders despite the barriers, so I am going to take massive action and do whatever it takes,” then I have done my job!
