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KRISTINA TIEKEN : 7 NASTY WAYS YOU TOTALLY LIMIT YOUR HAPPINESS

I hate to break it to you, but if your life seems extra awful lately, you could be the reason why. I couldn’t figure out what was leeching the enjoyment from my life until I researched happiness. The realization that I was the reason for my long bouts of self-pity was shocking. Let me tell you, that knowledge was eye-opening and left me feeling distraught and frustrated.

Instead of dwelling on how miserable I felt, I decided to figure out how to rid my life of my nasty bad habits and find true happiness.

  1. Resisting change

Change is inevitable. Although it’s scary, change is such a positive part of your life. Fighting change traps you in a land of no progression. You remain stagnant, with no means to better yourself.

Change isn’t the problem here – your resistance to the inevitable is! Go with the flow and don’t be afraid to embrace trends and welcome new ideas. The fastest way to understand change is by getting involved and helping getting into the swing of things.

  1. Living in the past

People stuck in their glorified past miss out on all the incredible opportunities of the present. Six years ago, I was a skinny, confident, determined and unbeatable ballroom dancer with a six-pack. The more I look back at what I was, the more awful I feel about myself and my circumstances now. I realized it’s time to start loving myself for who I am at all times, instead of who I was int he past.

Choose to look at your past fondly and move on. Remember the lessons learned and the memories made, but choose live in the moment.

  1. Waiting for the future

There’s nothing wrong with looking ahead and planning for the future, but saying, “I’ll be happy when…” stops you from finding satisfaction in your life now. No matter how you finish that sentence, that long-awaited moment will never bring the happiness you’re seeking.

Instead, focus on being happy now. The future is unpredictable

4. Pessimism

Pessimism makes you (and everyone around you) miserable. Negativity only contributes to your self-pity and makes you feel worse. And honestly, nobody wants to hear you complain about how terrible your life is.

Shake off the negative and stop letting bad vibes define you. Look for the good things (no matter how small they are). Change your attitude by remembering everything isn’t as bad as it seems, and look for the light at the end of the tunnel.

5. Staying home

Staying in with your cat every weekend keeps you from an adventurous life. You’ll convince yourself that your life is a bore. If being boring is your personal goal, then you’ve met it, but most people want to be likeable and interesting.

Get up, go out, get dressed up, try something new and strive to be the dynamic character you’ve always wanted to be. Have courage and treat each day as a clean slate. Have the confidence to break out of your comfort zone every once and a while.

6. Envying

Constantly comparing yourself to others is exhausting. There will always be a “cuter” couple, a “thinner” woman or a person who seems to have unlimited funds for amazing trips.

7. Get over it.

Start pointing out the things you love about yourself. You’re just as good as everyone else and constant comparison only makes you feel (and appear) less like the amazing person you are. Who knows, someone may wish they had your life because you’re unaware of all your blessings.

Lastly, Being ungrateful : Grateful people are happier than those who aren’t. Count your blessings — it’s not a waste of time. Even the most miserable person on earth can find something they’re thankful for. So, express your gratitude, one thing at a time.

Once you understand the ways you’re killing your happiness, break those bad habits. Psychologist Timothy Pychyl said, “Breaking a habit really means establishing a new habit.” Give it a try. What do you have to lose… your happiness?”

Source: Family Share

 

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#INTERVIEW | “GROWING UP AS A CHILD, I WAS SURROUNDED BY STRONG, INTENTIONAL, WOMEN” – FRANCESCA URIRI

Francesca Onomarie Uriri is the Founder of Leading Ladies Africa, a women empowerment non-profit that celebrates the lives of African women, and promotes gender inclusion. She equips African women with the skills they need to succeed in life and business through effective mentoring, organizing capacity building events and showcasing the achievements of successful women to inspire others. In this women’s month, she presents LLA’s 100 Most Inspiring Women List 2017, and also tells NIKE SOTADE what drives her passion to assist women

Tell us about yourself, education, family, career path
I’m the Founder of Leading Ladies Africa, a women-focused, registered non-profit that promotes Leadership, Inclusion and Diversity among women of African heritage. I am also a Public Relations and Communications Consultant, working out of the Nigerian office of a global PR Agency. I have nearly 12 years experience in media strategy and management, perception management, image consulting, perception and crisis management, and event planning and management. I’ve got a wide assortment of interests, which include reading, watching Crime & Investigation, writing, eating, travelling and meeting people.

I come from a small, close-knit family; made up of my mom, and older brother. Sadly, my father passed on two years ago, but I’ve got a small circle of friends and relatives who are the next best thing to having a large family. Education-wise, I did all my schooling in Lagos – Nigerian Navy Primary School Ojo and Malu Road, Nigerian Navy Secondary School Ojo, and the University of Lagos. But because I was a military child, and my father moved around a lot, I’ve seen quite a bit of Nigeria, and travelling personally has also helped me visit some of the most incredible places in the world.

How did you found Leading Ladies Africa?
Leading Ladies Africa was created initially to be a platform that inspired women with the stories and achievements of other women. But as the vision grew, it became clear to me that raising a generation of female African leaders was important, if not essential. I realised that the task of transforming Africa, and reshaping the cultural and socio-economic narrative would be impossible without women. So the challenge was, how do you raise women to see and think of themselves as leaders? What skills do they require? How can they learn from the experiences of other women, leading in the fields of governance, enterprise, advocacy and business (corporate professions)? As we’ve grown these are some of the issues we’ve created solutions for.

What’s your perception of the African woman and your vision her?
If I look at the women in my family – my mother, my aunties, cousins and friends – I see strength; strength of character, and the power of vision. The African woman is strong, bold, driven and an incredible multi-tasker. I say this, not because it’s a cliché, but because it is true. From the Tomato farms in Kano Nigeria, to the tea plantations in Kericho, Kenya, from politics, to business and civil society, women are putting in the work and are achieving great results. If I even speak from a personal perspective, the women within my network are focused, and are making consistent, measurable impact in all fields of endeavour.

So the African woman is indeed the one who is building sustainable structures with the bricks life has thrown her, and I celebrate her for that.

To what extent have you been able to network among women such that you could profile 100 at a go?
That’s a great question. The list itself, took about four to five months to compile, and remember that it was done in conjunction with YNaija in commemoration of International Women’s Day, so we definitely didn’t do it alone. That being said, the LLA platform is very strong on profiling women who are doing incredible work across board, so we constantly have our eyes and ears out on who’s doing what and when. In addition to that, the list started with about 300-400 names, but passed through a rigorous vetting process, which included reviews from our partners and those within the women empowerment space. We wanted to be sure that the list was a reflection of the core LLA values of promoting Leadership, Inclusion and Diversity.

You also sit on the board of the Future Project, what are the objectives of the organisation?
The Future Project is an organization that is building empowered citizens across Africa, with a special focus on Leadership, Enterprise and Advocacy. They are also the organisers of the hugely successful The Future Awards Africa – one of Africa’s most prestigious awards ceremonies; it identifies the brightest and best young Africans and deploys them as role models; to inspire a generation of Africans to hope and to believe in their capacities to change their countries. I am particularly honoured to serve on the board, because it has opened up my eyes to see that the only way to truly build and transform Africa, is to raise a network of empowered and knowledgeable citizens, who are equipped to lead and run enterprises.

You are a very busy woman with many things to accomplish. What keeps you going in the face of challenges?
Oh wow. The first thing is prayer. I go through challenges like everyone else, and sometimes, I get overwhelmed by the pressures of the things I have to achieve, and life in general. So I make it a point of necessity to pray at least once or twice every day, and to study my Bible; luckily, I have the YouVersion Bible App on my phone, so it’s easy for me to tune out and get a word that uplifts and directs me. I find that praying calms me down – mentally and emotionally, and causes me to think and process things better.

I also have what I call my “inner circle,” friends I can call on at any time of the day, who help me think through or pray through some of life’s challenges. My mentors also help me process challenges, especially professional and personal ones – because they’ve been there before and can understand where I’m coming from.

And lastly, I’m passionate about the things I do. Passion fuels the vision. So the days when I’m dejected and discouraged, I remember that God is the author of the vision I run with, and so He will ultimately show me the hows and the whens. Not always easy to do, but ultimately rewarding and fulfilling.

To what extent have you been able to empower women with the LLA project?
We empower women through a variety of ways – our editorial content, specialized events and workshops, and mentoring programmes. Our content creates a platform where women can learn about other women doing incredible things, and connect with them, so they collaborate and achieve even bigger goals. We have quarterly specialized events and workshops called the “Power Talk Series,” where women from specific career and professional backgrounds have the opportunity to learn, be inspired, and connect with one another. These workshops also train women on specific areas of business and career like funding, capacity building, scaling and all of that. We’ve recorded success stories of women going off to start their own businesses, and improve their careers after attending the workshops, so for us, that’s a way to measure impact.

Any experiences in life that made you become so passionate about women issues?
Growing up as a child, I was surrounded by strong, intentional, women who juggled a lot of things but seemed to succeed at them all – at least to varying degrees. My mother for instance, practically raised my brother and I single-handedly in our early years, because my father was in the military and was away a lot. As a grown woman now, I see how difficult and challenging that would have been, but somehow she made it work. And as I grew up, I found that I was drawn to the lives of purposeful, powerful women, who used their influence for something greater than themselves, who were not afraid to be different and chart their own course. Women like Benazir Bhutto, Gail Devers, Funmi Iyanda and even Princess Diana. There was something almost defiant and proud about the way they chose to be themselves, and express their gifts to humanity. All of those experiences would subliminally create a passion for female and gender issues.

My late father, also played a huge role. As a girl child, I was never told that there was anything I could not do. I was encouraged to climb trees, go racing with the boys, play soccer, and essentially do the things that came naturally to me. He encouraged my brother and me, to speak our minds frequently and honestly, without fear. So growing up under those circumstances sort of re-enforced to me that women can do anything they set their minds to.

In starting Leading Ladies Africa, the goal is to encourage women to become leaders in whatever sector or sphere they find themselves. To build capacity, and the skills that require them to participate in conversations on nation building and socio-economic transformation.

Who are your role models?
I have several of these – women that I know and even, some that I don’t know. So it will be a disservice to mention some and not the others. But any woman who is making a consistent and deliberate change to society and humanity is my role model.

What motivates you?
Love for what I do. Results for the work we put in. Success stories of women who’ve gone off to achieve monumental things after encountering LLA. Stories of women making change and shattering boundaries globally. Support and affirmation from my friends and family. And God.

You are looking ever young. Tell us your beauty routine.
Oh, thank you! First, I look the way I do, mainly due to genes, we have this Benjamin Button scenario playing out in my family (lol). That being said, I walk for an hour three times a week, I try to exfoliate my skin thrice a week, I drink loads of water and I try not to use makeup frequently, so my skin can breathe. Lastly, and perhaps, more importantly, I try to declutter my mind, laugh from my heart and find new ways to preserve and nurture my joy and peace of mind.

What’s your message for women in this women’s month?
Live your dreams out loud in full colour. Start now; don’t wait for the perfect time or perfect moment – it’ll never come. Become the person that you seek others to be to you. And learn to be intentional and disciplined about achieving your goals and visions.

Culled from : Guardian

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CATHERINE KUPTA : THE POWER OF PERSONAL BRANDING

In the article, renowed writer  Catherine  Kupta stated that in her opinion, the reason why we see so few highly successful women at the top is that women are not as aware as men are of the power of personal branding, whether it’s self-promotion, projecting confidence or strategic networking. She then gives seven tips for success based on her discussions with over 150 highly successful women.

We hope these tips make your journey to the boardroom smoother and shorter.

Enjoy!

  1. Speak out at meetings

In general, women tend to speak up less than men in meetings and wait to be asked a direct question before they speak. While this can be polite behaviour, it can be misinterpreted. People might even think that you lack ideas or confidence or talent. You have to learn to join the business conversation and confidently express your ideas if you want to be successful.

  1. Stay “on brand”

Highly successful women know what they stand for and are authentic and consistent in the way they present themselves at every touch point too, whether it’s participating in meetings, leaving a succinct voicemail message on the phone, composing an email or attending corporate events.

  1. Don’t under-market yourself.

Humility may be a virtue but women can take it too far! One global study of male and female leadership found that most women tend to downplay their accomplishments, while men tend to promote their accomplishments. Highly successful women don’t leave career success to chance. They learn how to promote themselves and figure out a way to do it that’s authentic and effective. After all, if you don’t market yourself, who will?

  1. Fake it until you make it

Women are notorious at feeling that they’re not ready for a new assignment or promotion unless they can check off every box in the skill set required for the position. Highly successful women often tell me that they forced themselves to go after stretch assignments even if they weren’t ready. Sometimes you need to “fake it until you make it,” to get over the initial jitters and until you feel confident in a new role.

  1. Be visibility minded

Many women are visibility challenged and are not well-known outside of a very small network. Talent is important, but visibility separates those who are wildly successful from those who are just doing okay. That’s because there is a “visibility premium.” If you’re well-known, people think you are better than others who are not so well- known. She must be good because she’s well-known in the company is how the thinking goes.

  1. Pay attention to style

Women are scrutinised more in the business world, so you might as well turn it into an advantage! Realise that your clothes, hairstyle, office, even your make-up convey “messages” to others. You want to convey the right message for your organisation but have your own style. For most career women, there’s one important message your image must convey; you must project authority.

  1. Take a power pose

Poses such as standing tall, leaning in towards others or expansive hand gestures convey high power. Crossing arms across your chest or crossing your legs convey low power. Highly successful women try to use high power poses to underscore the words that they use.

Source: Source: Catherine Kaputa at http://www.hrzone.com

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#PROFILE| MEET MARY JEAN TREOLAR, SOUTH AFRICAN LEADING JEWELER

Mary Jean Treolar is the Founding Director of three Jewellery brands and a partner in a Interior and product design company. She has a Bsc in Interior Architecture from the University of Pretoria. She started MARY JEAN in 2014.

MΛRY JEΛN is a South African brand of fine, handmade jewellery inspired by the beauty and simplicity of the bold, geometric patterns and meaningful symbols found throughout – and unique to – the African continent. The brand designs and manufactures fine handmade jewellery that is inspired by patterns and symbols found across the African continent. Each symbol has a meaning behind it and so all the handcrafted pieces have within them a story and a uniquely delicate yet bold design.

Having grown up in a creative family that has an incredible love of geology and semi-precious gemstones, Mary Jane went on many remote family holidays across Southern Africa where she and her sibllings would dig for and find their own gemstones. Her father then taught her how to cut, shape and polish them. She started her  first jewellery brand called ‘The lucky bean range’ that still currently supplies jewellery exclusively to the luxury safari industry.

During an interview with Lioness Of Africa, she said;

MΛRY JEΛN Jewellery came about April 2014, out of a desire to develop a personal brand where I could design truly unique, quality handcrafted and African inspired jewellery that could run alongside my other brand, as well as challenge me as a designer and manufacturer.

Mary Jean Treolar is skilled in Jewellery Manufacturing, Jewellery Design, Interior Architecture, Product Design, Concept Art, and Interior Design.

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UWANMA : 5 SEXUAL MISTAKES MEN MAKE”

OAP Uwanma Odefa is out with a new Vlog where she shares her thoughts on love, life and everything in between, and this time she is listing out the 5 sexual mistakes men make.

She says:

There are some universal mistakes most men make when it comes to sex and pleasuring their partners. We don’t expect him to be a porn star expert, but there are some common mistakes most men make when it comes to sexually satisfying their partners. And because men are sensitive especially when it comes to their sexual prowess and expertise; tying their manhood and ego to it, we women will often shy away from making corrections. We also would not say anything for fear of being labelled a slut.

Well, I’ve taken it upon myself to share these mistakes based on experience and research. Share it with your man if you can’t tell him and with your friends; you never know who you’re helping. And remember, regardless of what I say or what anybody says; it’s your life so do what makes you happy

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TEN MILLION BOYS AGAINST VIOLENCE

Morna International Children’s Foundation in collaboration with GreenLeaves Connect Development Initiative has launched a project tagged: “Ten million boys against violence” on the 8Th OF March, 2017 in Ikotun, Alimosho Local Government area of  Lagos state. It was a Seminar for young boys in Secondary and Primary Schools with over 250 boys in attendance.

This is a long term project on all forms of violence against women and girls in Nigeria. The project was conceived Out of our concern to end violence against women and girls and violations of their human rights which is an is common problem globally. The focus is on young boys and Youths; to catch them young.

Ten Million Boys Against violence is going to be in the form of campaigns, rallies, seminars and workshops in every quarter of the year and would spread across every state in Nigeria.

 

Bukola Afolabi Ogunyeye

Executive Director / Founder

MORNA International Children’s Foundation (MICF)

Phone number: 08175625915

Email: info@mornafoundation.org

Website: www.mornafoundation.org

ABOUT MORNA INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION (MICF)

MICF is a registered Non- Governmental Organization. She campaigns against Child Abuse, it’s prevention and assist Victims of Sexual Abuse and promotes the rights of the Nigerian Child. Her vision is to build a word where Children are respected and protected from all forms of abuse.

 MISSION STATEMENTS

  1. MICF’s mission commits to nurture and empower Children on their fundamental Human rights.
  2. To provide public awareness on the current state of Child abuse and neglect in Nigeria.
  3. To spread programs that focus on advocating prevention and early intervention in Child abuse and neglect through public education.

ABOUT GREENLEAVES CONNECT DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (GCDI)

  GCDI is a registered Non-Governmental Organization focused on youths and women empowerment, Child abuse, and the sustainable development goals.

She also promotes the rights of women and girls in a Patriarchal society like Nigeria.

 

 

 

 

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MO ABUDU, FLORENCE ITA-GIWA & MORE AT BETTY IRABOR’S 60TH BIRTHDAY SOUL TRAIN THEMED PARTY

Betty Irabor, Editor in Chief celebrated her 60th birthday with a soul train themed party and it was a night to remember.

Betty Irabor was joined at the event by her husband Soni Irabor and daughter Sonia Irabor.

The party had so many celebrities and socialites including Rita Dominic, Stephanie Linus, Michelle Dede, Dele Momodu, Prof Pat Utomi, Olu Jacobs, Joke Silva, Tony Rapu, Nkoyo Rapu, Florence Ita Giwa, Hakeem Belo – Osagie,  Mo Abudu, Ruth Osime, Chief Medina Ibru, Jimmy Shonuga, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Victor Okigbo, Funmi Victor-Okigbo, Nkiru Anumudu among others.

Ozzy Agu, Meg Otanwa, Azuka Ogujiuba, Dr. Vivian Oputa, Eku Edewor, Peace Hyde, Monalisa Chinda and more were also spotted at the event.

The party which was hosted by Bovi had unforgettable moments like Musical chairs competition, Lip Sync Battle, and eventually a 70s inspired dance-off.

See the photos below.

The Fab Guests!

Betty Irabor

Lanre DaSilva-Ajayi & Tara Fela-Durotoye

Ndidi Obioha & Stephanie Linus

Michelle Dede & Rita Dominic

Mo Abudu & Ruth Osime

Mo Abudu, Ruth Osime & Nkiru Anumudu

Stephanie Linus, Azuka Ogujiuba & Aisha Igbinovia

Nkiru Anumudu, Mo Abudu & Ruth Osime

Monalisa Chinda

Sonia Irabor

Rita Dominic

Stephanie Linus

Beverly Naya

Liz Osho

Dr. Vivian Oputa

Meg Otanwa

Omoyemi Akerele

Vimbai Mutinhiri

Peace Hyde

Azuka Ogujiuba

Vanessa Banigo

Michelle Dede

Ozzy Agu

Time to Boogie!

Photo Credit: Genevieveng.com

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CHUKWUNETA OBY | MOTHERS : THEY DESERVE OUR UNDERSTANDING

Our lady also doesn’t seem to understand that the woman was widowed when she was barely 33 years of age and had seven children to cater for!Another lady (who lives in the US) tells me that she has often had to go for therapy over there-to enable her deal with what she claimed was her mum’s cruelty to her-as a young girl.

According to her… her mum would always throw her out of the house and ensure she stays hungry for days. She downplays the impression that she was a wild girl, to whom domestic chores is alien. She would rather call on the boys in the neighbourhood to help her shift the furniture in their sitting room for an emergency ‘disco’ session, once her mother steps out of the house. And that’s even on the days that she elected to stay at home, otherwise, she’s known to leave home to wherever ‘it is happening’ for days.

All these were happening in an era when shame would almost kill a mother, whose Ada (first daughter) is not as homely as the other good girls in the neighbourhood.Two sisters, whose parents divorced, are still nursing some deep-seated resentment towards their mother.

According to them, she left them with their dad when they were barely 10 years of age. And she never looked back. The younger one has outrightly refused to deal with her and the older one does so with obvious aloofness. Their angst is understandable but it also helps to spare a thought in the direction of that woman.

I was told that the marriage began to nose-dive when the years began to roll by without any fruits of the womb. And his meddlesome female relative began to dictate what happens in their home. She’s alleged to be the type that, if there was an outing, would send the man’s wife to the back seat of the car-as she occupies the front seat.Things began to deteriorate so much so that by the time the children arrived…it was like “she dared give birth to girls only!”

The marital ‘nose dive’ continued until the extended families decided to divorce them-traditionally. In those days (in some Igbo tradition)…the woman is told to leave her husband’s home with just her clothing.

I suspect that it’s probably in a bid to ‘stay strong,’ without her girls, that she went so far away and tried rebuilding her life. Those who are in the know also said that she was an exceptional mother-to her girls.

Over the years, one has come across a lot of ladies that have unimaginable resentment towards their mothers, for either what they did or failed to do.In their rights, their feelings are justified but it should also occur to us that most of our parents raised us the best way they knew how. If there is anywhere motherhood is sacrifice, it is in this clime!

Nobody sets out to be a bad mother to the best of my knowledge, but circumstances “arm-twist” people. Some of these women had so much on their young shoulders and probably couldn’t be the super-mum that every young girl idealizes.

You can handle this better by resolving to be, to your own children, everything good that your mother is/was not. Not by burdening your soul with resentments. Some people travel abroad and suddenly realise that their mothers didn’t try at all.

Advanced societies have support institutions for the family, but here, the “straightening out” is done with cane, tongue-lashing and maybe…hunger!I remember those days when I would go play without doing any house chores. My mother would use silence and hunger to straighten me out. I would be the one hovering around the woman with lines such as‘’Mama, did you call me?’’ ‘’Mama should I do this or that?”, anything to make the woman have mercy.

My prayer remains that every lady experiences motherhood…if only to realise that it is not easy at all, especially with a ‘handful’ of a child. These are women we know nothing about their emotional issues, who are operating in a culture that has idealised them into super humans.

“Forgive your mother, not because you don’t have a right to be upset about the way she has handled some things in her life and in your life. Forgive your mother because until you do, there will always be a void in your heart-’’ Iyanla Vanzant.

Culled from : Guardian

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#INTERVIEW | “I STARTED MY FIRST FORMAL BUSINESS SELLING MAKEUP WHILE I WAS DOING MY MBA”- TALE ALIMI, BUSINESS COACH

Tale Alimi is the CEO/Lead Coach of Tale Alimi Global. A foremost entrepreneurial thought leader, business coach and strategist, she is on a mission to raise a new generation of entrepreneurs that would bring about change and transformation. To achieve this, she has written a book titled UpLevel to guide business owners. She tells NIKE SOTADE about the upcoming book launch and more

Tell us about yourself, education, family and career-path
Family wise, I was born into a close-knit military family. My Dad was an Airforce officer. I grew up with a lot of discipline and structure, which has stayed with me till today. Education- wise, I have a first degree in Accounting, an MBA and numerous certificates in business and technology including a certificate in personal coaching from the Coaching Academy United Kingdom. Career-wise, I have worked in multiple sectors of the economy especially in consulting and Technology, which equipped me for the work I do as a business coach. I have also ran several businesses, some have become successful and some have failed!

You are so passionate about doing business and raising entrepreneurs. What experiences in life prepared you for this mission?
My academic qualification in Accounting and Business administration equipped me with the business skills. I have always been business inclined because I saw my mum start and run several businesses growing up. I started my first formal business selling makeup while I was doing my MBA and it helped me with my expenses during the MBA. My second business, which was in fashion retail, was also inspired by case studies on the MBA like Kate Spade and Tory Burch who have built successful fashion brands.

Also, my business failures and experience, combined with my career working in a consulting organization helping people start and grow successful businesses, has fuelled my passion and given me the requisite skills to work with high achieving aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs who want to succeed.

You’ve spoken to over 5000 business owners in the last five years, from your own experience with them, what have been their major challenges of doing business in Nigeria?
The major challenges I hear continually are capital and infrastructural challenges which makes it challenging especially for entrepreneurs in manufacturing. The recent rise in foreign exchange is also a major challenge because imported goods now cost three times their former price, and this is a big challenge for an import dependent country like ours with 70 per cent of the population living below a dollar a day. I believe this has encouraged a lot of inferior goods to come into the Nigerian market. The positive side to these challenges is that a lot of Made-in-Nigeria products are getting appreciated because we have begun to look inwards.

You are also on WFM for the same purpose, what’s your content for radio and what time do you go on air?
I used to host a show on WFM 91.7 called The Entrepreneurs Journey, which was focused on interviewing successful entrepreneurs and drawing lessons from them that would be applicable to aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs. Truthfully, I did the show for myself also because I wanted to demystify entrepreneurship for myself and the common man who has gone through struggles starting a business or was afraid to even start. The show was put on hold because we could not secure a sponsor despite promises from major Organizations. This was due to the tough economic climate in the country. I plan to continue educating and informing entrepreneurs using free to air mediums like Youtube.

Tell us about your new book Uplevel. What motivated you to write it? Is it only for business start-ups or for everybody in business? Do you address men, too?
Uplevel is a book for everyone who is tired of living a mediocre life and ready to Uplevel and live to their highest potential in life and business. The book is for both men and women and everyone who is on the journey to live their best lives and profit from it. I also decided to write this book because it was a long road for me to find my own niche in life and business and it came after several false starts, mistakes and failures. The book is the guide I wish was available to me when I was on that journey and I hope it will be a guide for the reader to help them find their niche, share their story, build their tribe and profit from their passion. The book launch workshop is taking place next week Saturday at Trends House, Remi Olowude Street, Lekki Phase 1.

You were also a renowned shirt-maker with the Recreation Shirts label? What happened to the label? Have you been able to take it to the next level?
Interesting question. I got into shirtmaking like I explained earlier because I was inspired by fashion retail case studies during my MBA. At the height of the business growth and expansion, I got an investor in the business. At some point, I had to walk away from it because we had a misunderstanding. I shared the story and lessons learned in choosing business partners and understanding your strengths in detail in my new book Uplevel.

If you’re not doing what you’re doing now, what else would you be doing?
I really like what I do and I think my life is still going to unfold in several dimensions. I will probably be a full-time writer and business show host because I am intricately a story teller and I like to curate people’s stories and lessons and analyse them in a way that other people can learn from them and make their life and business better.

Going by your write-ups, you’re known for your boldness, tenacity and can-do spirit. What keeps you going in the face of challenges?
My faith in God and understanding that I am here on this earth for a higher purpose. When I am discouraged, I pray and ask God to encourage me. I also listen to people who motivate me and have succeeded against all odds, which keeps me going.

How do you unwind from your busy schedule?
I love exercising! I try to work out six times a week. I jog sometimes, do aerobics and core training. I used to play lawn tennis, but I have not played in a while. I also love to spend time with my family and my eight-year-old son. I am a sort of foodie, so fine dining is something I hope to do more. I am also some sort of geek so I am constantly reading and researching.

Who are your role models?
Sincerely I have so many locally and internationally because I am constantly learning and growing. And the truth is they have changed as the seasons of my life have changed. The number one person I turn to these days is God. This is very important because I can get unbiased and Divine counsel from my Creator. I also seek counsel from Mrs Adenike Ogunlesi, Founder of Ruff& Tumble and Dr Enase Okonedo, Dean of the Lagos Business School.

Culled from : Guardian

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NABFEME AFRICA LAUNCHES NETWORKING EMPOWERMENT NON-PROFIT FOR FEMALE EXECUTIVES IN MEDIA

One organization taking female empowerment beyond the usual “talk and no work” fluff is the National Association of Black Female Executives in Music & Entertainment, Inc. (NABFEME).

On the 8th of March, 2017, marking the International Women’s Day 2017, the NABFEME Africa team launched the first chapter of the organization right on the rooftop of Maison Fahrenheit in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event which had in attendance some of the biggest names in the media, fashion and entertainment industry provided a platform for female executives and other stakeholders in these industries to network and have progressive conversations around the interests of African women.

The opening address was given by the founder of NABFEME Johnnie Walker, former Vice President of Def Jam Records and Head of Black Music at Dreamworks. who recounted how the NABFEME dream was birthed also talked about how NABFEME AFRICA will address the peculiar issues of the Nigerian media and entertainment sector.

Next was Chichi Nwoko, General Manager of Kwese Free Sports TV and Executive Producer at Hey, Whats on. Ms. Nwoko serves as the Network Leader for NABFEME AFRICA and she spoke on the importance of NABFEME to women in the media and entertainment industry in Africa and how the organization will help raise the profile of female executives in the industry.

She also informed the gathering about the different training, networking and career advancement opportunities NABFEME AFRICA has in place for female professionals in the entertainment, media, fashion, health and finance industries including the annual NABFEME International Women Leadership Summit which holds later this year.

NABFEME AFRICA will also launch new chapters in Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa later in 2017.

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