Karimot Isiaka is a Certified Life Coach, Two Times Amazon Best Selling Author, a Personal Development strategist. She is the founder of Becoming More Academy, which is an online Academy where people learn different tools that help them improve in their personal development journey
She started her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 10 by selling fizzy drinks in tied nylons. She moved on to trying her hands on other businesses which she stopped after a while. However, as soon as she embarked on self-discovery journey, she discovered her passion for helping others become better and she started consulting on personal development at the age of 19 as Law student of National Open University of Nigeria.
As the founder of Becoming More Academy she has organized personal development programs such as, Becoming More Summit, group coaching sessions, Confidence building masterclasses, Empowering beliefs training. These programs have helped participant become better version of themselves and many are learning to live their life without limits.
She is known for helping individuals build confidence in themselves. She has done this through her coaching programs and also through her Best selling Book, ‘Confidence Within’. She is also known for helping individuals overcome limiting beliefs so that they can utilize their greatest potentials and live a life of inspiration.
She has volunteered for community services with several non-profit organizations because of her passion for humanity, Karimot shares her very inspiring journey with me in this exclusive interview.
Early Life
My childhood prepared me for what I do now. Although, every of my life experience has contributed to this preparation. I started as a confident child; I would say i was fearless. I approached events without fear and i confidently had conversations with people including strangers. However, this confidence and fearlessness began to fade away after a while. I almost got into trouble expressing my opinion on matters sometimes. I was either asked to keep quiet or told that I say things that are beyond my years, in such a way that made it look like it was a taboo for a child to be expressive. Speaking up against wrong done by an adult was turned to rudeness. I was painted too forward and I really began to think something was wrong with me. As a kid, I really was not my wonderful mother’s friend; she made it obvious that I was different in a kind of way she did not like. Truth be told, i did some things i and my siblings were asked not to do. I was just a child who does not follow instructions because they were given but because they were right and reasonable.
My life story is not complete without my childhood. My childhood is like my origin, and when everything changes, the origin remains the same.
Karimot!
I am a lady who is passionate about living for a reason. I believe it important we have something to live for. I call this something that gives one’s life meaning. I am the third child of five children. I was born on the 13th of May, 1996. I am Muslim and I am forever grateful to almighty Allah for this privilege. I love to write. I enjoy educating others in such a way that gets them inspired and transformed. I wake up every day with the desire to positively impact someone, even if it means just putting a genuine smile on someone’s face. My mantra is Become More.
Becoming more academy…
Becoming More Academy was inspired by the need to cater to more people on the subject of personal development. I remember I launched the Academy online in 2017 with a free online course on confidence building. This course was inspired by an undergraduate who was introduced to me by her friend and she needed help with building confidence. So I worked with her and I also got to realize that, there are a lot more people who need to fix their confidence and creating an online course for these people which they can take at a time they find convenient.
Apart from this, I also got to realize people want to learn a couple of things I know, so an online academy makes it easier for them to access these things. We have courses on writing, speaking, confidence building, self-discovery and other related subjects.
Starting my entrepreneurial journey at age 10
I think the greatest impact it had on my life journey is having the courage to start something new without knowing how it would unfold.
My book “Confidence within”
Confidence within is book embedded in so much value. It teaches readers how they can overcome low self-esteem and in turn build self-confidence. It is a book that shows how parents influence the self-esteem and confidence of their children. It shows how teachers, schools and the society at large have got a role to play in the self-confidence of every individual. It also opens the eyes of the readers to how I was able to bounce back and take charge of my confidence after going through so many experiences that crushed my confidence. It is even more interesting that it shows us how we can help others develop confidence in themselves. Every reader would be inspired to live with confidence from within, the book guarantees that.
Challenges
Challenges are beautiful if you ask me and they are normal when dealing with humans. Working with people who have given up entirely on themselves is a big challenge. Some people know they need help regarding an aspect of their live but they do not believe the growth they desire is possible. So I have to do a lot of work by convincing these people before getting to work with them.
Another challenge is the issue of trust. When some of the people I have worked with recommend me to other people, sometimes I notice they have doubts about whether to sign up or not for the program they want. Some people also believe I should offer my services for free since I am not selling a physical product.
Other Activities
I like to come up new ideas that i believe can help others make tremendous change in their lives. We have ‘Becoming More Community Stories’ where we invite people from different fields to share their inspiring stories with others, to get them inspired and also rekindle their hopes. This is a project that runs in a Becoming More Community on Facebook. I also hold trainings from time to time on several personal development topics.
I also would be starting a school tour later this year, to educate secondary school students on confidence building, I also look forward to training teachers and parents on how they can help student s and their children build confident. So, if you own a school, feel free to reach out to me.
Adding value
The greatest reward so far is knowing that I am contributing to making lives better. The feedbacks I get from people I have worked with sometimes make me look back from where i used to be and ask if it is really me that is helping people produce great results regarding their lives. I read emails and messages that say; I never thought I would be confident until I met you. Some people say they look forward to reading my posts. I remember a woman who reached out to me saying life is unpleasant; she later got to say she has realized that there is hope and life is beautiful when you choose to see the beauty. On my birthday someone said to me that, she blesses the day she summoned the courage to chat me up on Facebook. Some even pray for me. I mean, what can be more rewarding?
My organisation in 5 years
In five years, I see Becoming More as a bigger movement with footprints across the world. I see us raising leaders. I see us impacting the corporate world also. I see us becoming one of the most sought after human capital development firm.
Never giving up
I know giving up is never an option. However, there have been times I got tired. I have discovered that, being tired is a signal that i need to pay attention to something. It is either I need to take a break, or focus more on things I love to do which are usually work-related. I get tired, but I have to keep going. Giving up is equals failing myself, disappointing my creator who has placed this great desires in my heart. Giving up is not an option, instead I choose to keep going up.
Who and What Inspire me to be better
I would say life as complex as it appears to be, inspires me. I get inspired by people’s stories. The stories of Steve Harvey, Lisa Nichols, Sidiquat Akindele, Tope Fajengbesi , Remi Fagbohun, Chichi Umeseaka and many more have inspired me a whole lot. Remi Owadokun is a very inspiring lady who mentored me and continues to inspire me by the way she projects her greatness. She has impacted me a lot and has taught me to make myself proud. Making myself proud became a desire, and this desire inspires me to be better. My parents and my family inspire me to be better too. You know, wanting to live a better life than the one handed over to me is enough inspiration.
I am a Woman of Rubies
Being me makes me a woman of Rubies. By that, I mean being a product of many experiences. Choosing to be a blessing to others regardless of the circumstance. Choosing to stand even when there are reasons to fall. All of these makes me a woman of rubies.
Final words of advice for women
I advise every woman to be great. You are great when you help others. No matter how bad you think your circumstance is, there is always someone in a worse situation. Be a helper. Be yourself. Live your dreams without holding people’s opinion of you in high esteem than you hold your dreams. When you are afraid of moving, remember that not moving gets you no where. Thank you.
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