Interviews&profile - Women of Rubies

In Editor's Choice April 24, 2023 By Esther Ijewere

Meet Omotoyosi Ogunbanwo, Fintech Expert, Women’s Advocate & Founder Of Synerge

Omotoyosi Ogunbanwo is on a mission to help women live their financial and career dreams through her newly founded organization, “Synerge”. A peer-to-peer community that provides a safe space for women where they can access resources, and find sponsors, mentors, coaches, cofounders, business partners, and investors to help actualize their dreams.

Omotoyosi is a Finance and Data Expert passionate about emerging technologies in consumer finance. She is the co-founder of two tech companies and a Senior PM at Amazon where she helps build products on the Fintech team. She also mentors tens of young women across the globe, helping them get into tech and scale their careers effectively. She believes women should use their network and resources in lifting each other.

The twenty-nine-year-old has a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Portsmouth, England, an MSc in Business Analytics from Texas A&M, and a Micro Master’s in Statistics & Data Science. She has invested in two startups and her goal is to continue expanding that portfolio over the next few years.

She has provided free mentoring to a lot of people over the last few years and assisted many of them to get scholarships abroad, relocate, upskill, and get remote jobs. Most of her mentees attend the best schools in the US, UK, and Canada. She equally supported scholarships for Nigerian women who are looking to go for their post-graduate program in the United States. In this exclusive interview with Esther Ijewere, omotoyosi shares her inspiring story and why she loves creating room for women to thrive and succeed.

Childhood Influence

I grew up in a family of 4. My dad, Dr. Olatayo, and mum, Mrs. Abiola Ogunbanwo and my younger sister who also doubles as one of my best friends, Simisola Ogunbanwo. I think my dad was one of my biggest inspirations to never stop getting educated. He constantly pushed and encouraged my sister and me to be our best versions and never stop learning. I always knew right from childhood that a Ph.D. was the least expected. My dad has a Ph.D. in Aquatic Pollution & Ecotoxicology, my sister is also in her second year of a Ph.D. in Blockchain Technology. I think everyone is waiting for me to start mine. He and my mum instilled in us the importance of going out of our way to help others.

Why I pitched my tent In the Tech Industry

I started with a degree in Finance and I always wanted to build a career in Oil & Gas Finance. The goal was to apply to the University of Aberdeen at 23 for the MSc in Petroleum Energy & Finance, but I couldn’t afford the tuition. So, I decided to go back to Nigeria, do my National Youth Service, work for a year or two, save up and move back to the UK. But they say man proposes and God disposes lol.

During my youth service, I met a friend in camp who told me she was going back to the US for her master’s in data analytics. After my youth service, I met another friend who told me he worked remotely for a tech company in the US and he did not have a degree as he only attended a tech boot camp.

At that point, I became completely intrigued and started researching what tech courses I could do in the UK for my master’s. I completely had my eyes set on going back to the UK until my friend I met in Camp encouraged me to come to the US and the rest is history they say.

The inspiration behind Synerge, our target audience, and the impact we hope to create with it

My biggest inspiration for Synerge came from my relationship with my friends and my mentees. Whenever my mentees meet my friends, they first say, ‘Omotoyosi, how do you make friends? How do you create such wonderful circles’? They further explain how hard it can be to meet people who are in your line of career. I do my best to link them up, but it is just never enough. I have met many women who complained about the same thing. And that’s why a lot of people take to social media. Because it’s so hard to make a genuine connection in the real world.

How Synerge works

As women, we want you to find sponsors, mentors, coaches, cofounders, business partners, and investors in our community. But we also want you to find a safe space where you can access resources to help your mental health. Synerge is the platform for that.

Synerge is a Peer to Peer platform on a mission to close the career, financial and mental health gap for women by professionally matchmaking them with business partners, investors, coaches, recruiters etc. Research has shown that having a community helps influence motivation which supports growth. We believe that even though we are a huge, growing community, humans thrive better in smaller groups. Which is why we have created the peer-to-peer community.

Every woman who is a part of our community is added to a subgroup with five other women. These women become your accountability partner for the year with quarterly check-ins from our team.

We try our best to match-make women in the same or similar locations because we don’t just want you to interact online, we want you to build and develop a solid relationship that thrives in the real world. Each community of women is unique and diverse. We encourage every subgroup to use their network and resources in lifting each other based on their needs.

Women developing their careers are paired together, women interested in real estate are paired together and women interested in financial literacy or expanding their businesses are paired together. Come to us, tell us what you need to achieve in the next year and we connect you with other women trying to achieve similar feats or who have already done it and can show you how to succeed. Whether it’s investing, career development, grad school, starting a new business, getting investors etc. We will pair you for success. We currently have a 4k+ waitlist and are onboarding and vetting slowly.

We have various clubs, where women can interact with other groups they are not paired with. We have the book club, the career club, the investor’s club, the sponsors club, and the mental health club – A diverse group of women who have offered their time, effort and resources to help other women. As we continue to grow and expand, we hope to provide all the resources that truly make us a one-stop shop for women’s development.

My role as the co-founder of Techavilly and Emerald

Techavilly was started by my friend Mimi and me during the Covid-19 lockdown. I had recently started a company and was providing free classes to a few women online. Mimi and I went to grad school together and ended up becoming close after graduation. Mimi started a similar company except her brand was focused on men and women inclusive.

One day I texted her, and I was like Mimi, we are doing the same thing, why don’t we combine resources? And she was so excited and said yes, I wanted to say the same thing. And because we are two completely different people with completely different skill sets, it made the partnership work easily. Mimi leads the direction of the company and I support her in any capacity she needs. She has many years of experience working with various Fortune 500 companies both at home and abroad and she is very skilled in operations. I am much more focused on strategy and finance.

And it’s the same with Emerald. My co-founders Charles and Tomide have skill sets that are very different from mine. Charles is very operations focused and I lead strategy and finance at Emerald. Strategy and Finance are my two-core skill sets even at my job.

My passion for providing free mentoring and tech scholarships

Mentoring is one of the few things in life I enjoy. Whenever I meet a dedicated young lady who needs help with direction or figuring out a path, I do my best to help in any capacity I can and I always introduce them to my network of friends and acquaintances who could provide support. It’s the reason why my mentees are always so successful after a few short months.

Challenges

I have worked for 3 Fortune 500 companies to date. I currently work as a Senior Program Manager Lead at Amazon. I am on the Devices Fintech team and I own aspects of a product. I think one of the biggest challenges as with any other job is knowing how to communicate effectively. I started my career in Finance and Data and worked my way to a Finance Manager position and now building products. And the skill sets required every step of the way has been different. But the skill set required to get me to the next level has always been the same – Be a great communicator and a great leader.

You always assume it’s so easy to get to the next level until you realize how hard it could be to communicate in a room with senior leaders from various regions and engineers from various regions. One of the first pieces of feedback I ever got from my first job after grad school was ‘Be a better communicator’. No matter how good you are at your job, you need to be able to communicate. I took that feedback and read a lot of books. And a few years later, I say it’s one of my biggest skill sets.

Other projects and activities

My main project right now is helping as many women as I can to be secure in their careers, finances and mental health. As Africans, we typically ignore the importance of mental health. We don’t talk about it enough and we like to pretend we don’t have a mental health crisis on our hands. I am advocating on social media the importance of building and stimulating your mental health.

What I enjoy most about my job

I truly enjoy building and shipping impactful products. There is nothing as satisfying as being a trusted decision-maker and seeing something new come to life or watching something become better for your customers.

3 women who inspire me and Why

Bozoma Saint John -Former CMO of Netflix. I followed her before reading her book and I see a lot of myself in her. Someone who works hard leaves no room for disrespect and gives back to her community of black women
Kimberly Bryant – Founder & CEO of black girls code – Kimberly is a black woman who used her 401k to start this company because she couldn’t find a diverse programming course for her daughter. She is on a mission to train 1 million girls by 2040.
Roxy Ndebumadu – Chief of Staff Trust & Safety @ Twitch and a Vice Mayor. Roxy is a young lady and an elected official who is the same age as me and always advocating for mental health and safe spaces for people of colour. She is using politics and tech for the good of her community.

How I use my influence in the tech industry to create room for other women to thrive

The best way to create room for women is by mentoring, sponsoring and providing them with opportunities. I continue to mentor and sponsor as many women as I can. It’s not easy because I get so many requests every day from mothers, fathers, aunties, and even boyfriends and husbands who say ‘Hi Omotoyosi, I have seen all you have done for other women, can you mentor my daughter/sister/girlfriend/wife’. The requests are non-stop and I do my best to filter and select but it’s never enough. And that’s why I am so excited about Synerge.

I can not change the world alone. But I can combine resources with other women and create a community where they can get the resources they need.

My co-founder is my friend and co-worker- Carolina. We met when we were both working in Silicon Valley California. I worked for Cisco back then and she worked for Tesla and now we both work for Amazon. She is a Software Engineer and one of the few female engineers I have in my life. We both saw the gap and came together to fix it. I lead Synerge and she is our CTO building our platform. Our partnership is perfect because her strong suit is engineering and mine is strategy.

What I wish to change in the tech sector

I think there is a lot of work to be done in AI. Historically, Bias has always been a part of tech and black people, especially black women have been on the receiving end of that bias. As Artificial intelligence is developed and implemented, we need to ensure the data being used to train AI is not discriminatory and does not represent people of colour, especially women of colour in a bad light. AI tools have perpetuated housing discrimination towards black women in the past. This is the reason why we need more women of colour in the industry to help in ensuring these biases are not included. I am currently working towards being an AI Product Manager.

Being a Woman of Rubies

I think what makes me a unique woman is my desire to change the world in every way I can which includes using my time and resources to help others. We live in a world where there are so many self-help books teaching us how to help ourselves, but no one trains us on how to help others. We need to learn how to help each other. And that’s why Synerge is here. Letting every woman know that you have something she can use to lift someone else. Our theme is collective work and responsibility. You will help someone in our community and someone else will help you get to the next level.

To a young woman having a hard time navigating the tech industry

It gets better! Keep learning, keep up the late-night study, give it your all and most importantly, sign up for Synerge so we can matchmake you with other women doing the same!

Join the Synerge group via the waitlist

Join Synerge LinkedIn group here

In Career Gems April 22, 2023 By Esther Ijewere

Latoya Jane: Canadian Rapper And Anti-bullying Advocate

Professionally known by her stage name ‘LaToya Jane’. She is a Canadian singer, rapper, songwriter, and professional dancer. Born in the rough neighborhood of Jane & Finch, in the Toronto area, music has always been a form of therapy for LaToya Rodney. Though she excelled as a musical artist, the trials and tribulations of her surrounding environment soon caught up with her.

Submerged by all the negativity encompassing her, LaToya was incarcerated for 18 months in a women’s facility in Toronto. It was while imprisoned that she found herself, her direction, and her purpose.

In 2014, LaToya won the award for Best Director at the Commffest Film Festival for Creature, a documentary about her time as a gang member in Toronto. The film’s impact helped LaToya become a prominent voice for at-risk youth. She worked as a mentor for boys and girls throughout the city and served as a keynote speaker at various events within Ontario.

Through LaToya’s courageousness and creative talents, she has evolved and uses her experiences to motivate, educate, inspire, and deter young people from the gang life she endured. After a short hiatus from music, LaToya is currently working on an EP. Her latest work reflects on the struggles, pain, betrayals, and sacrifices that she has experienced in life while still having faith to stay mentally strong.

In this interview with Esther Ijewere, Latoya shares her inspiring story, how she is using her platform to create change and inspire other women, and her role as an Influencer for TRACIE App.

Childhood Influence

I began my younger days as a fighter since Junior kindergarten, and I feel that it prepared me to be the advocate that I am today because through all the things that I do, I am, fighting for what I believe in

Why I pitched my tent in the music industry

My dad started writing me lyrics and teaching me how to Dj at age 3, and even when he was in jail he would teach me how to sing and Dj so I always practiced growing up, but when I went to jail the guards and the girls would encourage me to do it when I got out

What I learned from my 18 months of incarceration in prison

I was on the wrong path in life I went in for very serious charges, and what it taught me was that there was more to life than having no freedom, but I had to lose to gain.

My Toronto film school experience and its impact on my career

Toronto Film School was a life changer for me Since I was a little girl, my family, always told me to act or do stand-up comedy and I thought so too so when I went there I learned a lot of the techniques to act and I was the top student in my class but I never knew how competitive it was which was annoying, like one day someone hid my monologue so that I screwed up but I still aced it.

My latest EP, and journey in the entertainment industry

I released an EP at the end of 2018 and while I opened up for GZA from WU-TANG CLAN in Miami I got into a bad accident on the highway, I never really got to promote that album because I got into 2 more accidents in 2020 causing me to get a brain injury each it deprived me of a lot of things until this day, but by the grace of God I pulled it together to tell my story to inspire people to never give up no matter the circumstances

I also just got signed to a record label which makes my journey a lot easier in the music industry. You have to be tough and disciplined to be in this industry and I’m on the right track

My thoughts about the TRACIE App

It’s great. It’s the perfect tool for young Black people to finally have a professional defense mechanism, and I am glad to be one of the influencers for the App. The TRACIE app is a new and improved way to address racist incidents. The TRACIE app gives Canadian people of color the evidence and support that they need to create change.

TRACIE stands for Tracking Racism and Collecting Information in Education. TRACIE app is a useful tool to help students inform their principal, school, parent, guardian, or caring adult if they experience physical or verbal harm.

Challenges of my work

I have to ignore a lot, whether it’s family or friends I no longer talk to or just plain haters that are upset at my change. It used to be hard, but it got a lot easier

Other projects

I’m a Motivational Speaker which I do internationally, and also a film-maker.

3 women who inspire me and why

Lauryn Hill: she taps into her pain when she sings
My Aunty Janet: her strength makes her the rock of our family
Mother Mary: never sold out Joseph or Jesus

What we can do better as a society to support vulnerable women

We need to do more story sharing, and testimonials because having strong examples sit before them letting them know they reached where they are today through hard dedication, focus, and learning from their mistakes will motivate them to do better as well

How I am using my platform to #embraceequity

I am sharing some motivation of course!!

How I juggle my role as a mom, wife, and motivational speaker

God, the love, support, and motivation from my husband, my children, and my focus

Being a Woman of Rubies

Being wise with myself, loving myself, and now spoiling myself

In Inspiration April 19, 2023 By Esther Ijewere

Nonye Henrietta Umeh: Girls From Underserved Communities Are Disadvantaged In Many Ways

Nonye Henrietta Umeh is a multiple award-winning women’s leader, body safety expert, anti-GBV campaigner, author, and Child and Women’s Rights Activist. She is the Project Manager of Powered Voices, a community-based organization (CBO) focused on raising awareness of sexual gender-based violence(SGBV) and HIV-related abuses.

The CBO educates, supports, and provides resources for the masses to create healthier families and strengthen communities. The University of Maiduguri graduate is the Founder of Body Safety Academy, a social impact organization (SIO) focused on eradicating child abuse in our world through e-learning, media advocacy, and outreach campaigns.

She is a licensed Physiotherapist and a Fellow of YALI RLC, a programme that equips young African leaders with proficiency and resources to facilitate change in their countries. Henrietta has won several awards for her work, including the ‘Most 20 Outstanding Women Leaders’ in 2021 by YALI RLC Alumni (Nigerian Chapter) for her immense contribution towards ending gender inequality and advancing SRHRs in Nigeria. She also won the FIGHR Prize of Peace, a Legacy award in the category of Outstanding Giving to Women in 2022, and other notable awards.

In this interview, she shares her inspiring story with ESTHER IJEWERE, with a focus on the importance of teaching children sex education early.

Childhood Influence

Before I fully understood the concept of child advocacy, I stood up for the rights of the children around me. I remember I never tolerated bullies in primary school. I was that child who would always say ‘Stop that.’ ‘Don’t do that again.’ ‘That’s wrong.’ ‘I will report you,’ etc. It didn’t matter if I was the one being bullied or not, I faced them confidently.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t me with grown-ups. I was taught to respect my elders without a caveat. To me, that meant not speaking up when adults harmed or hurt me. That wouldn’t have been a big problem if adults conducted themselves appropriately and protected children.

My first experience with sexual abuse was at an open-spaced wedding; a family friend whom I trusted violated me in public. Those minutes I sat on his thighs were the most uncomfortable minutes of my life. I didn’t know how to react; I knew he was wrong, I knew his hands shouldn’t be caressing my prepubescent breasts, but I didn’t know the right actions to take. I wanted to fight for myself, but I didn’t know how. So, I sat there frightened and confused. This was my first encounter with a sexual predator. That day, I learned most adults should not be trusted.

In secondary school, I became less vocal, and rarely spoke up or defended anyone and this continued till my University days. In my heart, I believed it was the job of activists to fight for the oppressed, not me. After my graduation, I became interested in developmental work, because of my late friend. I volunteered for some NGOs, attended many pieces of training and I gradually began to find my VOICE again.

It has been a long journey, but my experiences led me here. When I look back, I see how far I’ve come and those I have impacted along the way. I’m passionate about the safety of children because I don’t want any child to feel the way I did; on the thighs of a supposedly trusted older family friend.

Powered Voices

At Powered Voices, I work extensively on projects that aim to create awareness of gender-based violence, HIV prevention, and treatment. I plan and ensure the execution of projects that reduce teenage pregnancies, prevent HIV, curb sexual abuse, encourage ARV uptake, and empower women and young girls. I have refined skills in case of management, safeguarding, community mobilization, SRHRs, trauma counselling, risk management, etc.

Many people living with HIV (PLHIV) experience different forms of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and they are forced to be silent because their perpetrators threaten them with exposure. Due to the high rate of stigmatization in Nigeria, PLHIV rarely shares its status with people.

They are scared they may lose their jobs, and be despised by neighbours, fellow students, or members of their religious and cultural institutions. So, they suffer, and sometimes their perpetrators prevent them from taking their antiretrovirals (ARVs) and they heed.

Young girls, especially from underserved communities, are disadvantaged in many ways. They hardly have role models to look up to and their families are impoverished. To survive, they unwillingly give up their bodies to older men for money. My work brings awareness and solutions to the struggles of PLHIV, teenagers, young children, and other victims of GBV. They are sensitized and empowered with the knowledge of their basic human rights so they can take charge of their lives, refuse and condemn violence, protect themselves, and become more in their communities. At the end of the day, they learn how to assess private and public resources available to assist them.

The Journey so far

It has been remarkable. I’ve grown, met amazing leaders, and campaigners like myself inspired others to become advocates and I’ve had different opportunities come my way. I’ve enjoyed every bit of my time empowering and advocating for the rights of the most vulnerable population. Last year, I collaborated with an International organization and 10 women from my community were given a scholarship for a three months intensive fellowship.

They graduated as SGBV Instructors on the 4th of March, 2023 and have already begun fighting against discrimination in their various communities. Advocacy is not for the faint-hearted, there are days you get tired and all you want to do is cry because of the injustice meted out to people and days you feel helpless because you lack the means to help someone desperately in need. In those trying times, your network of activists will lift you and carry those burdens.

My book and its impact on society

My book “My Safety Conversations” teaches parents and educators how to teach body safety education simply to children aged four to ten. It does this in a question-and-answer format, the answers are written in the voice of a confident child who has been taught body safety. It demystifies the shame and ignorance parents have about private parts and appropriate sex education.

It is a guide for adults to use on children. My book is a must-have for parents, guardians and educators who want to arm children with safety strategies to prevent sexual abuse. As you enlighten them using ‘My Safety Conversations’ you will be learning as well, there is intriguing and useful information for every parent intending to raise ‘safety conscious’ kids.

The inspiration behind body safety academy

Body Safety Academy provides coaching and consultation services on all aspects of child protection, sexual abuse, abuse investigations, risk assessment, exploitation prevention, etc. My academy is dedicated to enlightening and supporting families with well-mapped-out strategies to prevent child abuse.

Children are the purest creatures on earth; it’s disheartening they experience different forms of abuse, sometimes under the watchful eyes of adults who should know better. At Body Safety Academy, children are empowered with body safety education.

I want every child to be confident and aware of his or her basic human rights. I want every child fearless. I want every child in the world to know how special and beautiful they are. I aim to make every child understand NO ONE has the right to harm them in any way.

I want them to know they have a VOICE and it’s powerful. I am teaching them how to use their voices against the powers that seek to keep them downtrodden and in bondage. I want every child free from abuse. I want every child to know how to use the word ‘NO’ without feeling guilty.

I want every child to understand and apply ‘consent and boundaries’ in their daily lives. I want every child to know what to do in harmful situations. I want every child to have the knowledge, skills, and resources they can use when they need help. This is why I started Body Safety Academy.

My book my safety conversations

My Safety Conversations teaches parents and educators how to teach body safety education simply to children aged four to 10. It does this in a question-and-answer format; the answers are written in the voice of a confident child who has been taught body safety. It demystifies the shame and ignorance parents have about private parts and appropriate sex education. It is a guide for adults to use on children.

My book is a must-have for parents, guardians, and educators who want to arm children with safety strategies to prevent sexual abuse. As you enlighten them using My Safety Conversations, you will be learning as well; there is intriguing and useful information for every parent intending to raise ‘safety conscious’ kids.

Three Women who inspire me why

H.E Dr. Ameena Ali

She is a Medical doctor, humanitarian par excellence, touch bearer, a beacon of hope, and a global campaigner against sexual and gender-based violence. She is working tirelessly to ensure victims are saved and become empowered for themselves and their communities. Through her social impact organization (FIGHR), she has produced champions, instructors, diplomats, and ambassadors in human rights, SGBV, maternal and child care, mental health, etc.

Late Prof. Dora Akunyili

Late Dora Akunyili – She fought tirelessly to ensure Nigerian citizens receive the best in terms of food and drugs. She fought Nigeria’s drug counterfeit problems and WON even with threats to her life and family. Her team consisted of mostly female inspectors and Pharmacists, together they fought the menace of counterfeit drugs and came out successful thereby saving the lives of millions of Nigerians.

Alheri Magaji

An incredible human with a heart of gold. Through RADI, an NGO, she has touched the lives of the most vulnerable people in Kaduna State who have been incessantly attacked by Fulani herdsmen, kidnappers, and bandits. Alheri has worked tirelessly to provide healthcare, sources of income, housing, food, education (most of these children lost their families), clothing, etc.

Challenges

1. Families of victims rarely want their perpetrators indicted. Most believe the incident is shameful and want no further exposure.
2. Funding for projects. The projects and needs of the stakeholders surpass the funds received. This has influenced the number of beneficiaries and projects executed. This is one challenge that aims to hold us back but in such times we happily use our funds and continue to apply for more grants.
3. Ignorance about Sexual and Reproductive Health Education. The unawareness of bodily autonomy, the rights of children, and body safety are alarming.

Being A Woman Of Rubies

Just like the hardness of the ruby, my experiences have cultivated resilience in me. My imperfections remind me I’m human and I should be kind to myself. I make mistakes but I don’t let them weigh me down but use them as stepping stones to achieve my goals.

Importance of parents having the safe sex talk with their children

Every parent who grew up in homes where sex was a taboo topic must demystify the shame, fear and ignorance that was instilled. Unfortunately, this acts as an impediment to teaching body safety and sex education. A child who is armed with safety strategies to prevent sexual abuse will hardly fall prey to destructive peers or adults who want to lead them astray. There is this confidence ‘safety conscious’ children possess, you can almost see this expression “I am not one to be messed with”.

Do not for any reason prevent your children from obtaining it. A child becomes sensual at age three, body safety education should be started earlier with the correct identification and use of anatomical names of all their body parts, including the private parts. You can start body parts awareness and identification as early as a year old, although I started earlier with my daughter.

My students have achieved great success with their kids. When a child starts body safety early you will never hear them murmur, whisper or laugh awkwardly when the proper names of the private parts are mentioned. They will use these words in conversations when needed, freely and without shame. They will confidently reprimand and report anyone who attempts to touch them inappropriately. They will understand harmful situations and avoid them as much as they can. Give your children these keys by educating yourself about body safety via experts in the field. So you can teach your children comprehensive body safety education, this will consequently give your kids a fighting chance against predators.

At eight a child should already know about menstruation and the functions of a vagina. It is so sad most parents wait till their children start menstruating before they attempt to give them the ‘sex talk’. You think your kids haven’t been learning from adults, TV or peers in their school? I know a child who had sex at 13 because her boyfriend convinced her to, before then the only talk she was given was “Babies are placed by God in the stomach and any man who touches you will make you pregnant”.

When we spoke at length she said “I wish my parents enlightened me better. I wish they allowed me to ask questions, I would have waited. My boyfriend wouldn’t have been able to persuade me. We did it without protection, what if I fell pregnant or contracted diseases? I am so angry, he deceived me.

I had no business having a boyfriend without comprehensive information”. She has since broken up with the boy and is making wise and healthier decisions for her life. As a parent or guardian, you have the opportunity to educate them thoroughly before anyone strives to deceive them with wrong information. Always start with body safety which is for younger kids, then end with sex education which should be introduced at age eight.

Body safety nuggets

Body safety education is a lifesaver. For parents, guardians and educators who learn to enlighten children, their lives will never remain the same. Children hardly lie about sexual abuse but most have been shunned and condemned when they shared their stories. Never shut them down, blame them or insist they are lying. If you do, they’d handle issues without telling you anything next time and they will suffer greatly at the hands of sexual abusers. If your child can have any kind of conversation with you without feeling scared, you’re on the right track. These are somebody safety nuggets for your children;

Strangers are not the only sexual abusers in the world. Anyone can be one, including loved ones and people you know.
Your private parts are special and beautiful. They should be called by their correct names like the other parts of your body.
It’s okay for you to stand up for yourselves.
Look into anyone’s eyes as you speak to them.
You do not have to be around anyone whose actions make you uncomfortable, scared and confused.
When adults need help, they should ask other adults, not children.
Keep no secrets. Anyone who encourages you to keep secrets is a tricky person and should never be trusted.
Your body is your own.
No one should disrespect your boundaries. You have every right to protect it.
You have the right to scream and RUN away from unsafe people and places.
Don’t obey an adult who has tried to touch you unsafely. Your protection supersedes their desire to hurt you.
You have every right to use these sentences when you’re scared or confused;

Stop it, I don’t like it.
Don’t do this, again.
Don’t touch me.
I don’t want to sit on your thighs.
I don’t want to hug you.
I’m okay by myself.

In Entertainment April 22, 2023 By Women of Rubies

Aunty Esther’s Twitter Trend of Shame to Fame

In today’s world, social media has become a powerful tool for small business owners to promote their products and services. However, not everyone has the know-how to make the most of it. In this blog post, we’ll look closer at Aunty Esther’s Twitter Trend, the humiliation she received, and how it has pushed her into the limelight of blessings.

Who is Aunty Esther?

Mensah Esther Omolola, popularly known as Aunty Esther, is a shopper who goes to the market to get food and other household necessities for people who have no time for the market or do not like going to the market. She buys and sells foodstuffs from Mile 12 Lagos or other prominent markets and sends them to any location of her client’s choice. Her unique approach to marketing and sales has earned her thousands of followers and customers, as well as a fair share of criticism. Especially one from a particular influencer which has, in turn, moved her from grass to Grace.

She started the personal shopping business when she quit her job because of a deficit in salary. Before that, she had tried several failed companies until she thought of being a personal shopper. Thanks to social media, it started as something minor and has grown big.

Aunty Esther is always known to advertise her business under tweets with lots of engagement. It doesn’t matter what the tweet is about; she only posts pictures of her business and never gives any negative comments under any tweets. She is known to be a hardworking, resilient, and humble woman. One will describe her as the perfect example of a woman who sees dignity in labor. But as you all know, even while doing good, certain people find fault in it.

Aunty Esther’s Twitter Trend

It all started when a famous Twitter influencer, popularly known as B.G.M, made a tweet, and Aunty Esther, as usual, advertised her business. The Twitter influencer humiliated her for some unknown reason, claiming she threw insults at her before posting about her business. Aunty Esther was publicly shamed by a prominent influencer who not only called her out for cursing her but also called her names and urged her to stop promoting her business beneath her tweets in the future. It sparked so many waves that it trended on Twitter for weeks.

How the Humilation Turned to Blessing

No one was buying her excuse for the tweet, prompting people to defend Aunty Esther while shaming B.G.M. Not only did this singular act boost Aunty Esther’s fame, but it also helped expand her business. She received help from several people in kind and cash. Some even promised her a monthly salary till the end of 2023, a relaxation vacation package, and gained clients from A-list celebrities. She has used her newfound fame to promote her business further. Her story is the perfect definition of moving from grass to Grace.

Aunty Esther’s Twitter trend became widespread news, a learning guide for the young and old. What the enemy meant for evil, God miraculously turned around for her good. It is true what they say, “When it is time for you to shine, no man can be a stumbling block.” it was time for Aunty Esther to shine; she did in-ground style.

In Editor's Choice April 14, 2023 By Women of Rubies

Esther Ijewere: Multi-Award Winning Media Strategist & Founder, Women of Rubies

Esther Ijewere is a multi-award-winning journalist, author, entrepreneur, activist, and brand Influencer. She is passionate about advocacy, media visibility, and counseling on issues centered around women, family values, mental and emotional well-being, and sharing inspiring stories.

She is also the founder of Rubies Ink Initiative for Women and Children, an umbrella organization that covers several women and girl child-related projects including Walk Against Rape, Women of Rubies, Project Capable, and the College Acquaintance Rape Education outreach programme.

Women of Rubies

As a storyteller, she uses her Women of Rubies newspaper column and online platform to highlight the contributions of Nigerian-Canadian women. Esther’s stories often focus on the experiences of women, particularly those of Nigerian-Canadian women, and the unique challenges they face as immigrants in Canada. She has featured over one thousand women since the inception of the platform in 2015.

Author of two books

Esther Ijewere took her activism to another level by authoring her first book in 2013 book titled “Breaking the Silence” which is a guide to educating young women on the knowledge needed to survive sexual situations. The book also emphasizes that every woman is prone to being sexually assaulted at some point in her life and provides guidance on places to avoid and the existence of laws to protect against perpetrators.

The book has helped to create an avenue for people to come forward with their stories without fear of stigmatization and more than 50,000 copies have been donated, and it is endorsed by the Ministry of Women Affairs in Nigeria.

Ijewere Esther — Esther’s book is available for order via book.estherijewere.com

Esther’s fast-selling second book “How to Make Affirmations Work For You” analyses how to make affirmations work in your daily life, business, and relationships, and is available on Amazon, Selar, Okadabooks, and Worital

#GettalkingwithEsther

Esther is also the host of #GettalkingwithEsther, a syndicated Youtube and Instagram live online talk show anchored by Esther aimed at helping people find their voice and communicate their thoughts through words, and promote positivity on social media.

Vital Voices

She is a Fellow with Vital Voices Global Leadership USA and has dedicated her life to counseling and advocacy in these areas. She has toured over 20 secondary schools to provide counsel and share messages of hope, and frequently participates in public dialogues, panels, and roundtables to share stories, experiences, and insights on a wide range of topics affecting women and girls.

Awards and recognition

Esther Ijewere is a young leader who has received numerous awards. She is the youngest recipient of The Idea Builders Women Mentoring Women Award, winning Mentee of the Year in 2010 and the “Women Enterprise Award” from Vital Voices International & Exxon Mobil.

In 2012, she received the award for “Best Use of Advocacy” from her alma mater, Olabisi Onabanjo University. In 2016, Esther won four awards for her platform Women of Rubies, including “Young Person of the Year” , “Wise Women in Media” “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” and “Social Innovation Awards” awards.

She was recently nominated for the Universal Women’s Network – Women of Inspiration awards in Canada.

Esther continues to be recognized for her advocacy and leadership in the field of women’s rights and empowerment.

In Career Gems April 9, 2023 By Women of Rubies

IWD 2023: 22 Female Trailblazers Embracing Equity

These women have been able to break the barriers and are been celebrated for their accomplishments, recognized for changing narratives and making room for other women to thrive through their various endeavors.

In celebration of International Women’s Month, we highlight these women who are using their platforms to embrace equity.

Esther Ijewere

Esther is the founder of Women of Rubies, a newspaper columnist, author, public relations and media strategist, and women’s advocate. She uses her online platform as a storyteller to highlight the contributions of Nigerian-Canadian women across the country.

Her work as a community builder and activist has been instrumental in helping to bridge the gap between the Nigerian and Canadian communities, creating a sense of belonging and connection for those who have immigrated to Canada. As a gifted storyteller, Esther uses her storytelling skills to raise awareness about social issues and inspire others to take action.

Esther’s stories often focus on the experiences of women, particularly those of Nigerian-Canadian women, and the unique challenges they face as immigrants in Canada.

She also anchors a talk show, “Get Talking with Esther” an online talk show aimed at helping individuals put their thoughts to words, promote positive living, and find their voices

Esther recently authored her second book “How To Make Affirmations Work For You”, a self-help book to help folks disrupt negative thinking habits and build a new route in their brain for positive thoughts through daily positive affirmations. She is one of the 100 Most Influential Female Founders in Africa.

2. Brenda Okorogba

Brenda Okorogba is an award-winning service and learning experience designer. She has a gift for creating targeted public services and learning solutions that address relevant classroom, workplace, community, career, and business needs in advancing opportunities for equity-deserving groups in particular.

Her client-centered approach and dignity-informed methodologies have resulted in over $40 million in grants for nonprofits, small business owners, and startup entrepreneurs. Students have successfully secured more than $80.4M in college funding, transitioned into dynamic career paths, learned specialized skills, built positive personal identities, increased their social and emotional learning skills, and improved their leadership abilities.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of social-impact-driven Canadian Charitable organizations where she contributes her time and ideas on issues focused on gender equity and social inclusion, youth education and employment, workforce development, immigrant women, affordable healthcare, and housing.

2. Omoshalewa Onayemi

Omoshalewa Onayemi is a Tri-qualified lawyer licensed to practice in Alberta, Ontario, and Nigeria, she currently works at a global recruitment firm and handles all the commercial and legal operations of the business Canada-wide. She is a serial entrepreneur, a blogger, an influencer, and a career woman.

Omoshalewa’s passion for fashion and food led her into establishing businesses, @kz_by_shally, which is a one-stop hub for all things fashion and accessories, @the_yum_cuisine, a food blogging page where she also sells e-meal plans and e-recipes and blogs about all things motherhood from bump to birth and beyond, on her page @mumsaffair_ng

Shally O” as she is fondly called by many, is also a community personality who dedicates her time to promoting and creating visibility for Nigerian businesses in Canada through her platform @naijapreneurcanada.

3. Dr. Kelechi Okoro

Kelechi Okoro is a multi-talented, multi-award-winning, and versatile Medical Doctor with an impeccable track record in civic and entrepreneurial activities. She is a Sustainable Development Goals advocate, with a focus on SDG 3: Good Health and Well being and SDG 4: Quality Education, and SDG 5: Gender equality.

She Is the convener of the “Pay Attention to Her (PATH) project which focuses on menstrual, sexual, and reproductive health for women and girls, especially in underserved communities.

PATH is a project of Heal for Africa initiative, (HFAI) a Non-Governmental Organization “committed to transforming Africa one community at a time. Other projects by HFAI include “SDGs Tutor” to accelerate knowledge about the Sustainable Development Goals, “Heal The Slums” providing health, education, and advocacy for livelihood in underserved communities and “Help Free Zone” project, a Hepatitis sensitization, screening, and vaccination exercise.

Through her “Healthertainer” brand, She has recorded massive successes in effective health communications, reaching millions across various social media platforms, thereby increasing health literacy and influencing Nigerians and beyond to make healthier decisions. She has worked with notable international brands such as MTN, TECNO, Three Crowns, Arla Dano, Leadway Insurance, Dettol, GSK, Roche Diagnostics, Ariel, Etc

She also founded “Health Hub Africa” which houses top health influencers, innovators, start-up founders, and many other outliers in Africa, collaborating and creating innovative solutions in the health sector.

She is a Global Goodwill Ambassador for health and social development in Nigeria.

Outside the hospital and civic space, she also does public speaking, compering corporate events, and volunteers with other non-profit organizations to propagate other worthy causes.

4. Larmmy Ogidan-Odeseye

Larmmy Ogidan-Odeseye is a wife, mom, Senior Software Analyst, Business Strategist, fitness coach, real estate investor, and entrepreneur. The Obafemi Awolowo University-trained Zoologist is also the CEO of JeLarmmy Enterprises, JeLarmmy Homes, and the newly established JeLarmmy Travel companies.

Larmmy’s passion for issues centered on mental health nudged her to become a co-founder of HeartCafe, an NGO focused on mental health awareness. As a fast-rising Twitter influencer with over 50 thousand followers, Larmmy a.k.a Chelsea Godmother co-hosts a Twitter Space session called HeartCafe every Friday at 5 pm on her Twitter page with her co-founder/psychotherapist, Dedoyin Ajayi, through Heartcafe they have helped over 160 individuals receive free therapy sessions.

Larmmy is also a trustee of ProjectHope, an organization focused on philanthropy, providing skills acquisition platforms to individuals, scholarships, and community development.

This mom of three kids wears many hats. As a Nigerian living in the USA, she has a full-time job as a senior software analyst, two consulting side jobs in I.T., and was recently an Executive Producer for the short film “Mirror” currently streaming on Youtube.

5. Gusi Tobby Lordwilliams

Gusi Tobby Lord Williams, fondly called Lord T of Impact is the founder of one of Africa’s fastest-growing female volunteering networks “Girlhub Africa”. Toby is also a talk show host and a professional make-up artist. The young serial entrepreneur is very passionate about creating more opportunities for African women and is dedicated to her humanitarian service and believes women are a treasure trove of possibilities.

She started her career in the sector as a volunteer and Research Development Support Specialist with the United Nations Volunteers Corp through Girl Hub Africa, where she was responsible for facilitating volunteers training and recruitment for organizations, providing direct demand-driven technical assistance and corporate social responsibility services to private sector-led firms in Nigeria.

Through Girl Hub Africa, she has led over ten thousand volunteers across Nigeria, within an astonishing two years of starting from different works of life, with more than five thousand youths benefitting from this initiative through gainful employment.

The Law graduate from the University of Benin is a multi-award recipient. She recently received an award as the top 100 most Influential African, and she is a notable alumnus of the GOTNI leadership center.

Toby enjoys connecting young people to local and global opportunities where they can excel in their careers, personal brands, and their businesses and she is committed to strengthening organizational systems, building capacity, and fostering sustainable growth of young people through innovative volunteering and development support.

6. Ariyike Akinbobola

Ariyike Akinbobola has a Certificate in Child Protection: Children’s Rights in Theory and Practice from Harvard X and she also coaches Immigrant families relocating abroad on expectations and how to navigate their new reality she consults for aspiring authors who want to learn how to self-publish their books on Amazon.

Through her Ariyike Arise Initiative Africa, she has helped to fund the education of Children in disadvantaged communities in Africa.

In 2020, they donated one thousand facemasks to People in disadvantaged communities in Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria. She believes the world would be a better place if everyone did more for others.

In 2021, Ariyike Akinbobola became the first winner of the Immigrant Leader Award at the Universal Women’s Network Women of Inspiration Award.

As an advocate for Female Genital Mutilation abandonment in Nigeria, she volunteered as a digital advocate for UNFPA/ UNICEF and was recognized as the UNFPA / UNICEF Frown Award – Female Genital Mutilation Abandonment Advocate of the Year amongst other recognitions.

Ariyike also volunteers as a Literacy Ambassador for Project 99A in Canada and a Mentor with the Canadian Multicultural Group.

Her books, Beautifully Coloured and The Cost of Our Lives, both Amazon Bestselling books are available on Amazon. She enjoys spending time with her family, writing, dancing, meeting new people, and creating content on her YouTube channel. Ariyike is married with Children.

8. Nnenna Uboma

Nnenna Uboma is also an Analytics Senior leader and has over 20 years of experience leading high-performing analytical teams to develop industry-edge solutions in one of the leading financial institutions in Canada. Her passion for tutoring and coaching analytical professionals over the past decade made her a sought-after speaker at different conferences across the globe. She has mentored many successful professionals in Analytics.

The Amazon whose teenage daughter is the CEO of Beyond Math spends her spare time nurturing High School kids in Leadership and Entrepreneurship skills. Nnenna was recently recognized as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women.

Nnenna Uboma is the Chief Strategic Officer (CSO) of Beyond Math, It provides a strong foundation for STEM-based education and the capability to excel in a mathematical and quantitative discipline.

Beyond Math offers classroom franchising to undergraduate students empowering them on their first step into entrepreneurship. Nnenna is an Analytics Senior leader and has over 20 years of experience leading high-performing analytical teams to develop industry-edge solutions. Nnenna is known for her “Can do” attitude and ability to think out of the box.

Nnenna has grown a passion for tutoring and coaching analytical professionals over the past decade. She has mentored many successful professionals in Analytics Nnenna spends her spare time nurturing High School kids in Leadership and Entrepreneurship skills. She was recently recognized for her work at the 100 ABC.

9. Winifred Njoguani

Winifred Njoaguani is a multi-talented and experienced customer relations officer, a communication media creative, and an audio, visual, and text content creator.

The host of The Word of Wini Podcast, she is passionate about equity for females all over the world, creating content for female-based platforms like The Girl Power media.

10. Maryam Muritala

Maryam Muritala is an internationally trained Lawyer who was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2008. She worked in the Corporate Sector with various companies with a huge focus on Business and Technology law before relocating out of Nigeria. She is also a seasoned and Award-winning Entrepreneur, who has helped individuals launch successful businesses across five continents through Canada Vendors, a Business Development and Advertising Company using digital marketing tools to give structured visibility to businesses across Canada and the diaspora.

At Canada Vendors, they offer Business Development Consultations and Solutions, Advertise brands using digital technology, connect service providers with prospective clients, and host Business Networking Events. Between 2020 and 2022 during the lockdown, we interviewed 255 Small businesses across various communities in Canada offering support for successfully hosting BRAND EXPO in 2021 and 2022
Canada Vendors launched a mini-series on youtube in 2021 titled “THE ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY” spotlighting business owners across communities in Canada, so far we have interviewed entrepreneurs from Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Alberta.

The series is ongoing and they hope to spotlight more entrepreneurs across Canada.

11. Mariam Adeyemi

Mariam Adeyemi is the founder of TechaVilly, a technology training platform aimed at empowering the black community through skills and knowledge transfer. She founded the company alongside her college friend, Omotoyosi Ogunbanwo who is also a tech enthusiast and currently works at Amazon USA.
Techavilly was founded in 2020 and has trained over 10,000 black people from 2020 to date, helping them to fit into today’s dynamic job market.

Mariam has worked in reputable companies. She moved to the United States of America in 2017 to improve her skills to remain relevant in the job market. She got her master’s degree in Business Analytics from Texas A&M University in Texas and was privileged to work in companies like Samsung Electronics America and other mid-sized companies in the United States.

She is the first female EdTech (Educational Technology) founder to launch an educational communication app in Africa. She is committed to bridging parent-teacher communication while developing and transforming the child in the process. According to Mariam; The goal is to expand across African schools and integrate technology into the school curriculum. Discord App is gradually expanding, and penetration is improving. It is currently available for download on Google Play and App Store.

12. Deborah Ojo

Deborah Ojo started as a class teacher before she established DeborahHomes, a company she built on the core values of honesty and integrity spiced with an uncompromising stand on professionalism. The amazing entrepreneur who is also known for their strategic and focused approach is a real estate agent with RE/MAX, the largest Real Estate company in Canada.

With over 10 years of experience In the Real Estate sector, she has taught over 63 seminars and counting to minority communities on how to Own their piece of real estate free of charge as a way to give back to those communities and help women who have passion for the business find their path and earn a living.

Deborah Ojo has built a solid foundation of clients in her community through her p, professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to always putting her client’s needs first.

13. Omobabirin Adeola Osideko

Omobabinrin Adeola is a trained Accountant, chartered in Nigeria, the UK, and Canada, she works full-time with the African Development Bank in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, as a finance professional.

MINTA (Mummy In the Abroad) otherwise called by her fans, is a First-class graduate of Accounting and holds an MSc in Accounting from the prestigious University of London. Senior Director of Crystal Edge Professional Services (a training and branding consulting company), she is a personal development coach, branding expert and social media influencer. An international and TEDx speaker, she has spoken in different countries (online and offline) and has published six books and 14 e-books.

She has successfully coached over 10,000 people in personal development and branding. Over the last three years, Adeola has helped individuals and business owners build strong and reputable brands online and offline. She is also the founder of Coached By Omobabinrin, a Facebook community of over 20,000 members.

14. Iretioluwa Akerele

Iretioluwa Akerele is a Cybersecurity career coach and mentor who has a reach of over 40,000 people across her social media platforms. She is an advisory board member of Cybersafe Foundation and the founder of Cybarik Limited, United Kingdom, she also founded a Cybersecurity community named Cyblack for African Cybersecurity students in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Akerele uses her social media handles to support Cybersecurity beginners and enthusiasts. In the space of one year, she has provided three batches of cybersecurity virtual internships for beginners in the field. Iretioluwa is a cybersecurity specialist who is passionate about bringing topical issues in Cybersecurity to the forefront.
She co-hosts a monthly Twitter space where she uses her influence to provide opportunities to people interested in the Cybersecurity field. She won the Young CISO of the Year award and End-user advocacy for situational awareness in March 2022.

15. Nantale Muwonge

Natale is an award-winning digital marketing strategist, storyteller, and founder of Black Girl PR. She has helped 2,500 plus entrepreneurs increase their market share over the last two years. She educates them on marketing and digital PR best practices and provides them with an action plan to increase their visibility, so they reach more people to have a bigger impact.

Nantale created Black Girl PR after she suffered a car accident, the pandemic pushed her to get serious about her purpose, and she switched her focus to supporting Black women looking to make an impact beyond what we can conceive.

16. Monisola Bukola

Monisola is the founder and CEO of Sugartowndesserts, a fast-growing cakes, and desserts catering brand that provides custom cakes, desserts & chocolate-covered treats for all occasions and celebrations. The brand, which has since grown in leaps and bounds, is known for its unique tastes, colorful designs, and customer-centric offerings, which stand them out from the pack.

She holds a BSc in Statistics from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria. Monisola is revered for her commitment to excellence, eye for detail, and innovative ideas. In 2023, Women of Rubies named her among the Top 22 Inspiring Women to Watch. She has also been invited to speak at various conferences and events about her experiences as an entrepreneur.

Though the inspiring damsel faced numerous challenges when starting her business, however, she persisted and was able to overcome them through hard work and willpower. Her ultimate dream is to grow Sugartowndesserts, own her own bakery/dessert bar, and establish it as a leading cake & desserts catering brand across Canada. She is also looking to explore new business opportunities and give back to women who desire to impact society.

17. Blessing Timidi Digha

Blessing Timidi Digha has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Female Genital Mutilation. She is a community-based researcher with over 20 years of experience working on issues centered on Gender-Based Violence. She does a lot of counseling around Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and is very vast at the work she does.

Blessing works with individuals, communities, stakeholders, gatekeepers, organizations and most importantly, policymakers, using community mobilization and engagement techniques for social justice. She has played different roles in the success of different policies in Africa (particularly in Nigeria) and Canada, through high-level meetings, sensitization, training, and contributions.

One thing that makes Blessing happy is seeing young feminists she had mentored over the years make giant strides and contribute to the conversations, policies, and rights of girls and women globally. She works part-time with the Nigerian community in Canada providing support, client management, and referrals in a prominent non-profit organization, and works in the movie industry building and rigging sets.

18. Blessing Agu

Blessing studied Music at the University of Nigeria Nsukka because of her love and passion for music, she started singing at age eight. At 13, she became the choirmaster of St. Columba’s Catholic Youth Choir, and at 15, she became the church choirmaster.

At the University of Nigeria, she represented the Music Department at events within and outside the institution.

The American-based artiste is currently a graduate student in the Sacred Music Program at the University of Notre Dame, She possessed a Diploma and Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and has worked as a Vocal and Dance teacher at Lekki British School, a Lecturer at St. Gregory Diploma School of Pastoral Music, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, a dance teacher at Learning Ladder Montessori, and a faculty member at HYMNODIA (a reality show centered around the singing of hymns and worship songs).

Blessing has performed at musical concerts and corporate events and played lead roles in operas and operettas with the Comic Opera House, MUSON (Music Society of Nigeria), AMEMUSO (Abuja Metropolitan Music Society), and the Department of Music, University of Nigeria, and different parts of the world. The beautiful singer serenaded the audience with her rendition of the National Anthem at a recent event in Canada.

19. Reni Odetoyinbo

Odetoyinbo is a Nigerian-Canada-based financial content creator, she began sharing resources on personal finance and career development through her YouTube channel, xoReni, during the pandemic.
At 23, she purchased her first home, and her DM was filled with questions on “how she made it”, she then realized she could carve out a niche for herself in the Financial Literacy space.

Odetoyinbo credits the skills she developed at Schulich for kickstarting her content strategy journey. She left her marketing manager role at BMO to pursue her content strategy and speaking dreams full-time.
She was named among #YouTubeBlack Voices Class of 2022.

20. Chioma Ogamba

Chioma Ogamba is the founder and ChiefExecutive Officer of Kisha Immigration, a licensed Canadian immigration company located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The company before it became fully licensed served as a pro bono consultation and guidance service in 2016. Kisha Immigration is affiliated with the Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), and the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC). The organization renders services such as immigration and citizenship consulting, business immigration, citizenship and residency by investment, settlement consulting, and lots more.

Chioma Ogamba studied Applied Business Computing in the United Kingdom and graduated with First class Honors. The visionary amazon also got educated in four countries: Nigeria, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Being an ardent believer in personal development and never-ending improvement, she immigrated to Canada as a permanent residence, then acquired degrees in Canadian Immigration Consulting, Information Technology, and an MBA (Business administration), graduating at the top of her class with a perfect CGPA of 4.0/4.0 in all three.

21. Joyce Agbanobi

Joyce is the Technical Program Manager Lead at Microsoft with over 7 years + of experience in e-commerce sectors. She is also the Co-Founder of the Black Woman Paving Ways, a platform that aims at closing the digital divide and increasing the percentage of women in STEM, through building initiatives to help women upskill for the future and Matching newbies to their dream Mentors across different Fortune 500 companies.

She founded BWPW with her grad school friend Lola Quadri who is also in the tech sector. Black Woman Paving Ways was created in November 2020 and since then, they have helped 4,000+ women find their unique paths in technology, gain skills for the future, get matched to technical experts, and get their dream jobs.

The goal of her company was not only to bring women into technology but also to make sure they are uniquely skilled and indispensable in their roles. Joyce is passionate and committed to closing the gender gap for women of color in technology.

22. Nkechi Ahanor Wilson

Nkechi wears many hats, she is an award-winning celebrity wig artist, hair artist, and hair vendor based in Canada. A humanitarian, the convener of “THE EMPOWERED WOMAN SUMMIT”

Nkechi is a certified psychologist, a certified aesthetician, and a business mogul with a decade of entrepreneurship. She is a public speaker, lover of God and humanity, and passionate about empowering women all over the world using innovative technology and hands-on skill set and training to build a wholesome woman who could stand the test of time. Nkechi is the owner CACOSA brand, which consists of hair and Skincare, and Shoreline Pacific International.

In Inspiration April 8, 2023 By Women of Rubies

Meet Nike Folagbade, Convener Of Warrior Brides Network

Nike Folagbade is a Family Life Coach and Counsellor. She teaches and empowers both single and married people with godly and practical strategies — on how to build a blossoming kingdom relationship and marriage through Nike Folagbade International.

She’s a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Results Coach; an Associate of Family Systems Engineering and a Certified Emotional Intelligence and Anger management coach, and an SYMBIS facilitator, who helps engaged and married couples prepare for the ‘before and after’ of their marriages.

Nike is also the President of ‘The Life in the Ark Global Ministry (LIFA)’. Her signature course, Warrior Brides Network, has created a movement of single and married women (in over 10 countries) who are happily hosting God’s presence in their homes — while elevating their discovering purpose, and building their marriages. She is also the convener of the Love and Life Hub platform that equips singles with the right knowledge on dating, and other initiatives.

Nike has written seven books and she is a contributor to different media platforms across the globe. She was listed in the 2019 Edition of the 100 Most Inspiring Young People in Nigeria.

The multitalented amazon is also the Human Resources Manager at WORITAL, a top-tier book branding, and publishing firm owned by her husband, Fola.

In this interview with Esther Ijewere, Nike shares her inspiring journey as a Family Life Coach and why she loves bringing couples to a place of awareness and understanding.

Childhood Influence

While growing up, I lived in a neighborhood where most of their marriages were characterized by emotional neglect, physical and emotional abuse, financial irresponsibility, lack of affection, and communication breakdown. This raised concerns for me as I couldn’t understand why these relationships were average.

Beyond the issue of marriages, I also became worried about the toxic lifestyles, relationships, and poor choices made by many young adults. I often wished I could sit down with them and encourage them to be more intentional about their lives.

As I matured into my teenage years, I started to feel that there are a lot of roles that modeling and parenting play in how adults grow up to interpret love and emotional decisions.

I also noticed that I was easily drawn to reading newspaper columns, books, movies, and songs that explored love and relationships. My father was concerned about my lack of interest in current affairs and politics, as I seemed to always have my head buried in love-related matters. I had a natural inclination for writing on topics related to love, which only fueled my interest further.

While in university, I felt a strong urge to help people via writing and speaking, especially in the area of love and dating. I attended seminars, gained knowledge, and started blogging and speaking at my church, while also discovering more of my skills. I utilized various platforms such as WordPress, BBM, Facebook, and Twitter, which allowed me to reach thousands of people in 2013.

One of the ways that my childhood helped to build compassion in me is that, at a young age, I didn’t know how to process corrections. I always took every mistake, pain, sickness, failure, and criticism as rejection from life, so I began to seek love and validation externally. This spurred me into dating for the wrong reasons until I was able to truly discover myself. Now, when I’m helping people, I can see through the lens of their past and how it forms their decision now. I understand how childhood trauma can impact one’s mindset and love life and how important it is for one to heal to fully embrace love.

It’s been 10 years since I started and I’m so happy to have helped thousands of people to discover themselves, heal from past hurts, choose better relationships, make better marital decisions, and grow spiritually.

Inspiration behind Nike Folagbade International

It started with a strong burden in my heart. I wanted more out of life. I knew from a young age that I was meant to make a difference in people’s lives through my writing, speaking, and other means that I would discover as I continued to grow. However, I was unsure of how to take the first steps toward launching my career. I lacked the knowledge and understanding of how to build a platform, connect with an audience, and make myself visible to the world.

It started as a hobby with blogging in 2013 but the more I started to interact with people and real-life issues, I knew that I needed to get trained and certified. As I began to step into the relationship industry, I found the necessary training for my field and became a part of it.

I got certified in Emotional intelligence, Anger management, Family Systems Engineering, Master Neuro-Linguistics Programming, SYMBIS, and other coaching skills. I decided to intentionally build a coaching business and not just a hobby. Hence, I registered with Nike Folagbade International, to anchor my brand.

Now, we are focused on helping singles and married couples via coaching, therapy, group programs, counseling, mentorship, speaking, blogging, podcasting, authoring books, and other media.

My vision is to establish an institution that caters to families of all types, including singles, and engaged, and married couples. We aim to provide support for intentional parenting and healthy relationships. We have developed an online academy that provides training for individuals seeking to prepare for a healthy relationship and marriage here: www.loveandlifehub.com

As part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, our goal is to promote well-being and build stronger institutions. By nurturing whole and healthy individuals who are mentally, spiritually, and emotionally stable, we believe that we can foster better marriages and raise happier children—leading to a better society in the long run.

Managing my role as a Family Life coach, Counsellor, Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach, and SYMBIS facilitator

All of these roles fit in properly in my workflow. I use the skills I have acquired in my private sessions, classes, and programs while interacting with singles and married couples. I know when to deal with the emotional aspect and when to get personal or spiritual. It makes my work easier.

Save Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS) tool is also a premarital coaching tool that helps me work with couples on how to adequately prepare for and position well in marriage. I use it in my work with engaged and married couples and it simplifies my process and helps me discover the problems and solutions head-on.

I also use Family Systems Engineering skills and assessments to help married people too. I do all of these via www.nikefolagbade.com

The Journey so far

Having worked with people for over a decade, I have gained a deep understanding of various life issues and experienced a personal transformation. I have evolved and learned to embrace people and their individuality with honor.

As a coach, it is a privilege to gain the trust of people as they share their issues and navigate through life with my guidance. I have witnessed many transformational stories that are very humbling. Working with singles and married couples across more than 20 countries has been a privilege. My experience has shown that when people choose the right path and the right person to guide them on their journey, they can improve and become their best selves

Impact of Warrior Brides Network

Warrior Brides Network is a versatile membership-based community. It is a solution for women who want to grow their intimacy with God, and whose desires are to experience transformation in their lives and marriages. It was founded in 2020 and has cut across many families in over 15 countries of the world.

The network caters to women who have strived to no avail to make their marriages work. They have tried talking to their pastors, family members, friends, in-laws, and counselors, but have seen little or no changes.

Likewise, it is for women who do not feel loved, fulfilled, seen, and understood in their marriages; it is the ideal platform for women experiencing an unusual level of warfare and difficulty in their marriages.

It is a 12-week FAITH-BASED curriculum designed to help women experience emotional wholeness, discover their life purposes, elevate their identities, learn the wisdom for transforming their marriages (because every marriage has a unique blueprint), and then effectively parent their children.

We are focused on a 12-part curriculum that can be accessed via videos (for three months), community support, our signature assessment, workbook, prayer support, prophetic activation, mentors, guest facilitators, and other kinds of resources.

Notably, after the 12-week program, we have a community comprising all past members who continue to provide support, resources, and accountability for one another. Details can be found on www.warriorbridesnetwork.com

My perception of marriage as it relates to the Nigerian society

Many Nigerians are doing their best to prioritize family and make their marriages work, despite the pressure to marry early and have children as a sign of fruitfulness and family achievement. However, we must get some foundational things right. In my experience, issues around marriage are best viewed through this lens:

Childhood trauma, caused by emotional neglect, is a silent challenge faced by many people whose parents struggled to make ends meet and inadvertently neglected their emotional needs. Unfortunately, many parents have not been trained on how to parent effectively, leading to a large number of adults who are not emotionally whole. These adults may struggle in their marriages and become toxic, further exacerbating the problem.
Another issue is patriarchy, which involves subtle control and dominance over women, often manifesting through the expectation of submission. Due to this, many women feel disempowered by the limitations imposed on them by marriage. Also, toxic feminism can sometimes creep into households under the guise of equality and is susceptible to abuse. Therefore, we need to strike a balance between the true meaning of love and submission.
There is also ignorance. While more Nigerians are becoming open to knowledge, the percentage of those who actively seek to learn is still relatively small when compared to those who remain closed off to knowledge. This may result in a significant gap between the educated and the uneducated.
There is a dire need to create new stories with our marriages and stop using traditional and cultural scripts that haven’t worked effectively to build successful homes.
The government needs to also create policies that promote a healthy and balanced home environment, which can prevent abuse and manipulation.
Marriages are also breaking due to wrong priorities and wrong reasons for getting married.

We are doing great work in helping people, I believe that if we become open to knowledge and humble ourselves to deal with our emotional trauma, there will be progress.

The role of the church in helping young couples navigate their marital journey

The church can help young people navigate their marriage by providing the following structures:

Access to structured knowledge: Pre and Post marital counseling will be helpful if we take it more seriously. It has to be structured and professional—not just based on theories and experiences that are not holistic. At The Elevation Church (the church I currently attend), I have seen how such a structured approach benefited many singles and helped their marriages thrive.
A community that encourages young people to seek help, be vulnerable, and learn from theirs.
Spiritual support: Strategic prayers are helpful as usual, we should teach young people how to build their walk with God, and not just depend on pastors for spiritual survival.
Support for financial and mental help: This can include access to resources for building their business and achieving financial stability. Churches can provide platforms to make it easier for couples to access such resource
The church should encourage young people going through marital challenges to share their issues without shame. Young couples should also be encouraged to seek temporary separation and legal and governmental intervention when there is abuse without them facing shame.

This help can be offered through coaching, conferences, spiritual programs, and other structured opportunities.

Challenges

I have had my fair share of challenges, rewards, achievements, and space for improvement.

Challenges have come in the area of:

I have observed that many people need help but cannot afford it. In my program, I run scholarship schemes that allow us to raise funds to support those who truly cannot afford it. Through this initiative, we have been able to help many individuals experience the transformation they need.
We need to persuade those who can afford it to invest in their emotional and mental health, in addition to acquiring business skills, because money alone is not sufficient for a successful marriage. Many marriages suffer due to individuals making poor emotional choices that negatively impact their lives. While emotions are important, they can fade when faced with frustration, leading to impulsive decisions. It is crucial to teach individuals important skills like communication, understanding love languages, exercising self-control, and building strong values. These skills are necessary for maintaining healthy relationships, alongside prayer and spiritual practices.
As the business grows, I have had to experience refining and transformational processes in my life so I teach from a place of experience and research. Managing my team has come with a lesson too. Finding people who understand my work ethic and values is important for me but thanks to remote working, it has been easier to manage people from different locations when necessary. I also enjoy volunteering support sometimes.

Other projects and activities

I run various programs that provide support to both singles and married couples, including the Marital Breakthrough Hub for Matured Singles, the Love and Life Hub platform, the Warrior Brides Network, and the Young Couples Club, among others. Most of my programs for singles and married are found here www.loveandlifehub.com

In 2023, we will be running a tour for Warrior Brides Network and my spiritual ministry where we would be reaching out to men and women on repairing marriages, redeeming lives, rebuilding foundations, and renewing hopes.

Many marriages are experiencing difficult challenges and many spouses are losing hope, and their identities, and experiencing despair, hopelessness, and confusion. It is time for them to rise and experience emotional, spiritual, and marital liberty. We would be going across different cities and countries to teach families who need this intervention. It will be free and we seek partnership and support in every capacity.

Why I love my job

I find joy in the person I become when helping others. Meeting new people and guiding them out of their struggles and confusion brings me immense satisfaction. Witnessing their transformation as they engage in the solutions they need is a process that I cherish.

3 women who inspire you and why

The list of the women who inspire me is inexhaustible, but I will just stick to 3 for the sake of brevity.

Joyce Meyer inspires me greatly because she simplifies many areas that we struggle with in her books and other resources. We share similar visions too and I’m happy at how she has influenced my mind positively, especially with the book, “Battlefield of the Mind”.

Ibukun Awosika is another woman who I strongly admire. She has built a formidable business and brand and has managed to balance this successfully with her home and family life.

Debola Deji-Kurunmi is a constant source of inspiration to me. As a visionary woman, she demonstrates what is possible through her leadership style. She teaches from a place of personal transformation, and every interaction with her challenges me to improve my mindset and execution. She is a woman who is solid in spirituality, business, marriage, and influence.

To young women who are trying to find the right partner? What should they look out for

I would encourage women to invest time in themselves and not rush into pursuing love and relationships too early. They should focus on personal growth and become self-aware, as well as address any childhood traumas to achieve wholeness.

When it comes to dating, clarity is key. As such, they must reflect on important questions such as: What do I want? Who do I want? What are my goals? What are my deal breakers? What are my values?

Choosing a partner should be an intentional act, not solely based on the promise of marriage and money. Observe patterns and be deliberate with your marital choice.

Marriage nuggets

Marriage is about cleaving not about imposing your expectations. You need to leave your past, ex, and family and cleave intentionally without shame and secrecy.
Marriage requires communication for intimacy, friendship, and growth to occur. To pursue this, you need to be willing to talk and listen to each other. If you change your attitude towards each other from competitors to a team, you would view every conflict as an opportunity to troubleshoot your upbringing and your differences. Love yourself as a team. Be humble and teachable enough to make corrections.
Marriage is a trans-generational decision; you cannot just marry for yourself alone. Whatever decision you make should impact your children and their marriages. The change we desire in society starts from the family unit but many people don’t understand this. It explains why we hardly build a structure around our marriages.
Most people are still suffering from the trauma and patterns of their own families. You can be the one to change that cycle by seeking help and applying the necessary wisdom in your home.
If your marriage will work, it starts with your mindset and the decision to permit yourself to be responsible for it. Don’t always focus on your spouse only, be the change you want to see and things will start working well when you have the right mindset, heart, and actions in place.
Don’t suffer in silence, engage healthy third parties like professional counsellors, when needed. It is safer to engage a neutral help instead of friends and families.
Learn the right skills and be willing to implement them. Be patient to see the change you desire. Be content with your spouse, people keep thinking they will find a better love out there if they keep flirting. The grass may look greener on the other side, but focus on your home and make it work just like you would do for your business. Be willing to speak your partner’s love language, keep dating in marriage, and evaluate your progress periodically.
Be prayerful because marriage is warfare and you don’t always have to fight with words. Learn to deal with some issues in prayer and let God rule your heart. I think that some marriages will work better if there is an application of wisdom and a healthy faith life.

Managing my role as a wife, mom, and support system for several women

This has been a journey of reinventing myself every day. I believe that priority is seasonal and balance is based on what I can focus on per time. As a mom, I focus on quality time with my child and use it to connect, teach, impact, and pray with him. I also create a structure to teach, empower and lead people in all my expressions. As a wife, I manage my time with my spouse as I play my role in the home and with my spouse. It’s not perfect but it’s progressive.

I have also learned to delegate and outsource some work so that I do not get overwhelmed in the process. I take my time to rest when I need to, and I set time aside for personal retreats.

Being a Woman of Rubies

As a woman who is making society better through her work, programs, books, mentorship, and stewarding various assignments, I am refining hearts, minds, and homes. I actively engage many men and women and challenge them to be better than they are currently, and when necessary, work with them to repair their faulty foundations. I help people live healthy lives emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. For these reasons, I am a Woman of Rubies.

In Inspiration April 4, 2023 By Women of Rubies

4 Types Of Entrepreneurs: How To Know Which Type You Are

Your thoughts, experience, and career trajectory seem to be moving you toward various types of entrepreneurship, yet you wonder if you’re cut out for it. True, the potential rewards are great, personally and financially, but the pitfalls give you pause.

You may already know that more than nine of every ten new businesses fail, and you are appropriately sobered by that daunting statistic.

You’re a risk-taker. Your professional track record indicates a nonstop drive toward success. You don’t like the idea of operating successfully within an insulated bubble. Instead, you’re all about finding ways to contribute to solving real-world problems.

The 4 Primary Types of Entrepreneurs

If that sounds like you, consider the four most common types of entrepreneurs. Ask yourself some basic questions as you do your research, collect assets, and marshall your talents.

Since the overwhelming majority of entrepreneurs will choose to become small business owners, this category will be covered first and in the greatest detail.

1. Small Business Owner/Operator

Far and away, small business owners/operators are the most common type of entrepreneur. Small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) represent more than 99% of all entrepreneurial enterprises.

This type of opportunity is vastly appealing for many reasons, though enhanced freedom consistently ranks near the top. There’s no shortage of hard workers who prefer to be their own boss, and SMBs play a crucial role in keeping the economy healthy.

PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SUCCESSFUL SMB OWNER/OPERATOR

However, being your own boss is also something of a double-edged sword. Being your own boss means you are typically your sole source of accountability.

This is the primary reason “hard worker” should be considered the No. 1 non-negotiable characteristic before considering this as a career objective. If you’re not a self-starter, think long and hard before you begin investing in opening a new business.

Ask Yourself: Am I truly a self-starter at heart? Do others who know me well agree with that self-assessment?

There are several personality tests you can take, many of which are free and accessible online. Submitting yourself to the process can provide great insight.

You will need capital and a business plan, of course. But always remember that the primary asset you bring to any venture is yourself. Every successful enterprise starts with at least one tireless, indefatigable champion.

Another valuable trait common to the successful SMB entrepreneur is the ability to pivot and adapt to changing conditions.

The past few years have provided a hard lesson regarding what happens when an immediate need for flexibility encounters entrenched resistance. The three-month period of February through April 2020 represented the single most significant loss of business owners ever, with 3.3 million shuttering their operations.^[3]

In the 21st century, resisting change with a “We’ve always done it this way!” attitude just won’t cut it.

Ask Yourself: What is my immediate response when confronted with changes I did not anticipate? Do I tend to get more emotional than analytical?

An instinctive emotional response doesn’t preclude you from SMB success. Instead, you are merely trying to become more self-aware and make allowances for any weaknesses you discover.

For example, let’s say you know you tend to react much faster than you respond. Knowing this to be true about yourself, you could institute a self-policing policy to counteract this tendency. Anytime a decision is required in the face of unanticipated circumstances, you simply force yourself to go on a 20-minute walk before responding.

The final must-have personality characteristic for the would-be small business entrepreneur is persistence.

Many are familiar with the famous quote of Thomas Edison, who took a very different approach to his lack of immediate success:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

As a budding entrepreneur, you will undoubtedly encounter obstacles and setbacks. Keep your vision in mind as you move forward, adjusting expectations as needed.

Ask Yourself: How do I respond to frustration and failure?

Pay attention not only to what is being said but also to your emotional response to it. Do you get defensive? Do you immediately begin refuting the assertions?

2. Agent of Social Change

There’s a lot of interest in social advocacy. More and more professionals are not content with only earning a good living.

The sweet spot is finding work that harnesses your skill set and makes a positive contribution. Being driven by a cause more significant than oneself helps keep the fire stoked when facing setbacks.

PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ENTREPRENEURIAL AGENT OF CHANGE

If you find yourself relentlessly questioning established customs and practices that almost everyone else seems to accept, you just might have what it takes to be a successful agent of change. This is especially true when long-accepted behaviors come with a trade-off that causes serious downstream problems.

Ask Yourself: What am I passionate about? What opportunities might there be to effect positive change and simultaneously make a profit?

Are you aware of any downsides to the industry in which you make your living? What sorts of complaints do others make about your business?

Social entrepreneurs tend to pay close attention whenever they encounter issues that many will brush off as “someone else’s job.”

Entrepreneurs who seek to become agents of positive change anticipate opposition but are not easily dissuaded by naysayers. Instead, they sift through feedback, looking for any random pearls of wisdom they might have overlooked.

In short, this type of entrepreneur finds value where others might come up empty.

3. Innovator Within a Larger Company

For many mid-career professionals, working to effect mutually beneficial change within a larger company is a more viable option. This avenue is especially appealing to those who may not be in a position to take on the risks associated with solo entrepreneurship.

Possible innovations might include working with the C-suite decision-makers to partner with a local nonprofit, starting a foundation closely aligned with company products and services, or suggesting alternative uses for resources that might lie dormant occasionally.

PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF A LARGE-COMPANY INNOVATOR

Certainly, spotting areas of waste within any organization is an opportunity either to repurpose unused resources or at least reduce future supply orders. An entrepreneurial spirit keeps one eye on the bottom line while actively considering the welfare of its community.

Above all, a large-company entrepreneur will be equally skilled at cultivating relationships with executives and factory floor employees. The ability to form a coalition of supportive employees across an entire organization is a primary feature of this type of innovator.

Ask Yourself: Is my company making a positive impact on the local community? Which efforts am I personally willing to spearhead?

Beyond providing jobs and an expanded tax base, where can this company reasonably hope to make a dent without jeopardizing revenues? Is my company already participating in local efforts to improve sustainability, affordable housing, or overall quality of life? How can these efforts be augmented or enhanced?

4. Founder of a Scalable Enterprise

This type of entrepreneur starts a new venture with an existing exit strategy. In other words, the success of their startup is only the first step in a chain.

After the new business has launched, the founder works to shore up the stability of the “mother ship.” The initial offering is then available to potential investors looking to replicate its success. Ultimately, the founder may even plan to divest themselves and move on to another challenge.

Benchmarks for moving forward with a scalable enterprise would be a high margin of profit, pent-up demand for the product or service, and enthusiasm on the part of potential investors.

Silicon Valley, for example, serves as the most obvious case in point. Many of today’s technology giants started in someone’s garage or spare bedroom, only to scale up as revenue, interest, and market response grew.

PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FOUNDER OF A SCALABLE ENTERPRISE

Of all four types of entrepreneurs, seeking to be the founder of a scalable startup is almost certainly the riskiest. While you could easily have a great idea that hasn’t been exploited to its full potential, it’s a safe bet that competition will be intense and unrelenting.

Entrepreneurs who scale successfully tend to be that rare type who is equally adept at both right- and left-brain thinking. If not, they tend to have a partner with whatever skill set they lack.

Ask Yourself: Do I have an idea for a product or service that could significantly improve other people’s lives? Have I come up with something that is both innovative and unique? How might this concept play out in other markets?

Do I have access to the people and resources I need to pull this off? Have I found enthusiastic partners? Who is laying their money on the table? Am I willing to face intense competition and keep plowing forward?

Scalable businesses typically require more investment on the front end. As a business grows, the percentage of profit should go up.

Various Opportunities, Various Types of Entrepreneurs

Of course, these four primary types of entrepreneurs are not fixed and immovable.

For example, an innovator in a large company might one day cross over to founding their own business. Some entrepreneurs will do both at the same time. There are literally as many different paths to entrepreneurial success as there are innovators willing to dive in.

Start with a fearless and rigorous self-assessment. Be realistic about who you are and what drives you.

The challenges associated with entrepreneurship will require intrinsic motivation as you plan, pivot, regroup, and ultimately succeed.

Source: Kimberly Zhang

In Career Gems March 30, 2023 By Women of Rubies

15 Exceptional Black Women In Tech

These women are working their way to the top and constantly improving themselves. While bias and opposition exist in the tech industry, they rise regardless and allow their creativity, innovation, and contribution to the industry to speak for them.

These exceptional women of color have instilled the mindset that though the Tech pathway might be difficult to ply, they are willing to work as hard to stroll that path and leave an imprint for the younger generation to follow.

Here are 15 exceptional black women in tech we admire;

Aisha Bowe

Aisha Bowe is a former rocket scientist, entrepreneur, and founder/CEO of STEMBoard. STEMBoard has been recorded as one of America’s growing industries. Her enterprise empowers her student to pursue STEM careers.

In 2022, Bowe utilized Venture Capital to earn close to $2 million for LINGO; a coding kit that helps individuals practice technical concepts from the ease of their homes.

2. Bozoma Saint John

Bozoma Saint John is a former chief brand officer at Uber where she was responsible for projecting the stories of different riders and drivers in over 600 cities. She is also an authority in numerous fields such as fashion, sports, consumer packaged goods, sports, automotive, digital music, and entertainment.

Saint John worked as Head of Global Consumer Marketing for iTunes and Apple Music where she created policies to advertise their services and increase brand-loyal consumers around the world. Presently, she serves as a CMO on Netflix.

3. Damilola Odufuwa

Damilola Odufuwa is the CEO and Co-founder of Backdrop, a social network, and app that allows users to find and share beautiful spaces around the globe. She is a women’s rights advocate and tech executive whose work cuts across communication, women’s rights, and cryptocurrency.

Damilola is the co-founder of the FeministCoalition, an activist denomination consisting of young Nigerian feminists advocating equality for women in Nigeria, with a focus on financial liberty, politics, and education. She also leads Public Relations and Communications for Africa at the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance.

4. Annie Jean Baptiste

Annie Jean-Baptiste is the director and co-founder of Product Inclusion at Google where she promotes inclusion innovation across their corporation. From extensive research initiatives to communication and consultation, she spearheads movements that would ensure people from underserved users are considered during product setup procedures.

Jean-Baptiste is committed to enabling Google products to be useful to underrepresented societies, and regardless of the status quo or background everyone can thrive in the organization.

5. Dr. Adeola Olubamiji

Dr. Adeola Olubamiji is a Portfolio Professional – she is a Digital Transformation Leader and Additive Manufacturing subject matter expert, the Founder of STEMHub Foundation, Canada, the Founder of D-Tech Centrix Inc. Canada and USA, and a Real Estate Investor with over 10 properties within her portfolio.

Dr. Olubamiji became the first Black person to obtain a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan in 2017 and inspired us all through her humble beginnings and trailblazing journey.

Her passion is for helping others and she believes that people can’t be what they can’t see. As such, she founded STEMHub Foundation, Canada in 2017. STEMHub foundation is a Canadian Charity Organization that provides free hands-on experiments and unique learning programs that engage black youths in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), mentorship programs to visible minority professionals, and provide free industry 4.0 to professionals to pivot into the technology space in Canada.

6. Solape Akinpelu

Solape Akinpelu is a member of the Personal Finance Speakers Association and a certified financial education instructor. She is the founder and CEO of HerVest, an inclusive fintech and women-centered platform for underrepresented women in Africa. HerVest helps women to partake in credit, savings, and investments, especially smallholder female farmers in Nigeria.

7. Kamilah Taylor

Kamilah Taylor is the head of financial products engineering at Gusto where she develops robotics and mobile apps. Jamaica-born who resides in San Francisco is a public speaker, entrepreneur, writer, and engineer.

Over the years she co-authored books such as Swift For Good and Women in Tech. Kamilah advocates for the underserved to enter STEM fields.

Jewel Burks Solomon

Jewel Burks Solomon is the Head of Google for Startups in the Us and is committed to giving underserved startup founders opportunities to obtain Google’s products, best practices, and people.

Jewel’s role cuts across providing many more avenues into the technology invention ecosystem, thereby establishing a level ground of success for all. Her remarkable assistance in tech has won her various awards: Atlanta’s 100 Most Influential People, Ebony Magazine’s Power 100, and Forbes 30 Under 30.

Damilola Olokesusi

Damilola Olokesusi is the CEO and Co-founder of Shuttlers, Nigeria’s top transportation startup. Under her supervision, Shuttlers generated $1.6 million in seed allocation, with expansion projects across various African urban areas.

Damilola founded an all-female shuttle service, Shemoves sponsored by Ford Motors Company in 2020 that has influenced more than 600 female experts by imbibing learning as they commute.

Olatokunbo Ogunlade

Olatokunbo Ogunlade is a DevOps Engineer at Ventures Garden Group using her expertise in automation processes and cloud monitoring.

The computer science graduate from Olabisi Onabanjo University was a senior loan officer at Microfinance Bank Nigeria before transitioning into the tech industry by first volunteering at Eduaid as an education facilitator.

Tyrona Heath

Tyrone Heath is the Director of Market Engagement for the B2B Institute at Linked In. She is an exceptional B2B keynote speaker and marketer who creatively blends topics of diversity, equity, behavioral science, transformation, and inclusion.

Tyrona is also the co-founder of TransformHer, a committee that’s devoted to competent black women in tech. To stir development and facilitate growth, she connects with renowned authorities within her field like IPA, ANA, and Cannes Lions for research functions and marketing insights.

Honey Ogundeyi

Honey Ogundeyi served as the CMO of Kuda Bank before launching Edukoya, an educational platform created to help students prepare adequately for exams. Edukoya generated 3.5 million dollars in pre-seed which is one of the highest amounts attained for a women-owned startup in the edutech domain.

13. Mariam Adeyemi

Mariam Adeyemi is a passionate tech enthusiast committed to unlocking potential, transferring knowledge, and transforming lives through digitalization and tech training. She is the founder of TechaVilly, a technology training platform aimed at empowering the black community through skills and knowledge transfer. She founded the company alongside her college friend, Omotoyosi Ogunbanwo who is also a tech enthusiast and currently works at Amazon USA.

Techavilly was founded in 2020. Currently, it has trained over 10,000 black people from 2020 to date, helping them to fit into today’s dynamic job market.

Mariam Adeyemi Techavilly — Mariam Adeyemi

14. Joyce Agbanobi

Joyce Agbanobi and her team are trying to fix the gender gap problem in the tech industry through their Black Woman Paving Ways Initiative.

Joyce is an enthusiastic Tech leader who is passionate and committed to closing the gender gap for women of color in technology. She is a Technical Program Manager Lead at Microsoft with over 7 years + of experience in e-commerce sectors.

She is also the Co-Founder of the Black Woman Paving Ways, a platform that aims at closing the digital divide and increasing the percentage of women in STEM, through building initiatives to help women upskill for the future and Matching newbies to their dream Mentors across different Fortune 500 companies.

15. Yanmo Omorogbe

Yanmo Omorogbe is a driving force to be reckoned with in various sectors. After obtaining a degree from Imperial College, as a chemical engineer she served as assistant to the Minister of Power, Works, and Housing.

Yanmo transitioned to the private sector and afterward, into the tech industry. She a the chief operating officer and co-founder of Bamboo, a setting that enables Nigerians to trade assets on the US stock exchange market.

In Editor's Choice March 29, 2023 By Women of Rubies

Dr. Penelope Adinku: Ghana’s First Female Cardiothoracic Surgeon Named Best Cardiologist In Africa

Besides making history, Dr. Penelope Adinku has been shattering the glass ceiling that will shape the paradigms of young girls for generations.

In 2022, Dr. Penelope Adinku made history as the first-ever female cardiothoracic surgeon in Ghana. The young, gifted, and brilliant doctor continued to make history as she completed her first heart surgery successfully on a 6-Year-Old.

The amazing Doctor is yet in the news again, having been crowned as the 2022 Best Candidate in Cardiothoracic Surgery in West Africa. “Congratulations Dr. Penelope Adinku, Ghana’s first female Cardiothoracic Surgeon and a staff member of the National Cardiothoracic Centre, on being crowned the 2022 Best Candidate in Cardiothoracic Surgery in West Africa,” the official Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Twitter account wrote on their page.

This accomplishment paves the path for women in a quest to become cardiothoracic surgeons.

While challenges for women pursuing STEM programs could be daunting, Dr. Adinku has shown that it is possible.

“Dr. Penelope Adinku feels it has taken so long for Ghana to have its first female cardiothoracic surgeon because of the demanding nature of the specialty, which makes it difficult for women to balance work and family obligations,” Leading Ladies Africa wrote in their publication about the winner of the 2022 Best Candidate in Cardiothoracic Surgery in West Africa.

Source: African Leaders