Second Stop on the Delicious Naija Food Tour? Ibadan
Delicious Naija is back with a trip to Ibadan, ‘the city at the edge of the savannah’ – capital of Oyo State. After a visit to Mapo Hall for a good dose of history, Bunmi is off to visit with her good friend Saka. Yes the very same warm and funny Nollywood actor & comedian Saka is Bunmi’s first host. They visit the lush Agodi Park & Garden and then move on to have a meal that is always in the same sentence with Ibadan. You guessed right: Amala! But the trip isn’t complete without making a meal traditional to Ibadan and so the MAGGI Star of this episode, Grace Obagunwa, teaches us how to make the local Ishapa soup. This mother, wife and teacher tells us the perks of being on good terms with your mother-in-law, one of which is learning traditional recipes like Pounded Yam and Ishapa Soup! The food journeys of Delicious Naija can always be watched at 7:30pm Saturday on Africa Magic (Family), at 5pm Sunday on NTA and at 5:30pm Friday on Arewa24. But if you can’t get to these, that’s okay – there’s Facebook, Instagram & Youtube to keep you updated! Go watch! Sponsored post
First Stop on the Delicious Naija Tour? Port Harcourt
Food is never just food. Our food represents generations of knowledge, health choices, livelihoods and culture! Delicious Naija is a new series from MAGGI that’s exploring food and culture from all parts of Nigeria; right from the Tuwo-eating North to the Periwinkle-crushing South. Everyone from the foodie to the lover of cooking to instagram hashtagger will enjoy this series. Bunmi will take us on a taste adventure to meet the women and men who are making a difference with their cooking in their families and communities. Sandra Ekweseli of Cool FM Port-Harcourt gives Bunmi the best Rivers State welcome possible: Bole & Fish. Watching them eat the Port-Harcourt specialty from Bole King is enough to make your mouth water. After a visit to Isaac Boro Memorial Park, Bunmi goes on to learn how to make the local dish, Onunu & Fresh Fish Peppersoup, from our MAGGI Star – Judith Udala. The warmth in this family is beautiful to watch and we can’t wait to try our hands at making this Port-Harcourt favourite! The food journeys of Delicious Naija can always be watched at 7:30pm Saturday on Africa Magic (Family), at 5pm Sunday on NTA and at 5:30pm Friday on Arewa24. But if you can’t get to these, that’s okay – there’s Facebook, Instagram & Youtube to keep you updated! Go watch! Sponsored post
Union Bank celebrates its rich heritage of women in banking at International Women’s Day 2017
Union Bank, one of Nigeria’s longest standing and innovative banks, celebrated International Women’s Day 2017 themed Be Bold for Change, with an event held at the bank’s Head Office in Marina, Lagos. The event featured a panel discussion which was moderated by Dr. Anino Emuwa, with participants such as Ifeoma Fafunwa, Chief Creative Director, iOpenEye Ltd., Achenyo Adachaba, Head, MitiMeth, Tayo Oviosu, Founder, Paga, Temie Giwa-Tubosun, Founder, Life Bank and Adenrele Sonariwo, Director, Rele Gallery. Union Bank celebrates its 100th year anniversary this year and this was for them a celebration of all the women who have contributed to its rich heritage in banking in Nigeria, and all the women building the legacy for the next 100. Other guests were Emeka Emuwa, CEO, Union Bank, Simi Nwogugu, Executive Director, Junior Achievement Nigeria, Oyinkan Adewale, Chief Financial Officer, Union Bank, Bikiye Graham Douglas, Spoken Word Artist, Lola Cardoso, Head, Group Corporate Strategy, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, Head, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Communication, Omotola Oyebanjo, Head Communications and Media, Union Bank among others. The event was also held to commemorate the first-year anniversary of the Women Empowerment Hub (WEHUB) an initiative created by Union Bank to motivate, connect and provide support to its women. The initiative was born out of specific internal needs identified which include mentoring and networking opportunities. Sponsored post
Nkem Okocha: I started Mamamoni because of my experience as a young girl
[bctt tweet=”@mobilewomenbiz brings investment to Nigerian women residing in urban and rural slums” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Nkem Okocha is the founder of Mamamoni, a social enterprise that empowers poor rural and urban slum women with free vocational/financial skills and micro-loans. She is very passionate about lifting women out of poverty and her company aims to break the cycle of poverty in Nigeria. Since 2013, she has impacted and empowered over 4000 women in several rural/urban slum communities and given out over 100 micro-loans. Nkem Okocha is a Tony Elumelu foundation Entrepreneurship Programme Alumna, a Young African Leaders Initiative Alumna and LEAP Africa 2016 Social Innovator. Can you tell us about Mamamoni? Mamamoni was born out of my experience. As a young girl with a widowed mother who had no skill and no source of income to take care of her four children, feeding and going to school was a challenge for the family. I wanted to empower the poor women I saw in my community and other communities I visited. Mamamoni’s aim is to help poor women generate livelihood income and also provide capital for those who cannot access finance from commercial banks because of barriers like collateral, transaction history etc. Mamamoni’s web platform enables socially conscious individuals to invest in low-income women by lending to them to fund their businesses. [bctt tweet=”@nkemokocha started Mamamoni to break the cycle of poverty in Nigeria” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How were you able to get partners and supporters for Mamamoni? I was able to get partners and supporters for Mamamoni when people saw our genuine commitment to lifting of low-income women in different communities. How do you identify women and children to assist? What is the process of getting help though Mamamoni? We identify low-income, rural or urban slum communities through our website and networks then go empower the women in that community. Growing up was tough for you, what advice would you give to anyone going through challenges be it financially, emotionally or physically? I will tell them to stay strong and commit to a purpose that brings joy to them. Regardless of what challenges you may be facing, stay focused and be determined to succeed. Where do you see Mamamoni in the next 10 years? We hope to have empowered over 10,000 low-income women across 20 states in Nigeria through our FinTech platform. If you were made Minister of Women Affairs for a day, what are the two things you would do? One thing will be to ensure every Nigerian woman no matter their economic status has easy access to credit to help them start or scale their business. The second thing will be to ensure all Nigerian girls goes to school and gets an education. [bctt tweet=”Every Nigerian woman should have easy access to credit to help them start/scale their business” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What is the one thing that will always make you smile? The expression of joy in the face of an economically empowered poor woman. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Nkem Offonabo: I visualize the woman I want to become
[bctt tweet=”Creating beautiful & functional spaces come easy for Nkem Offonabo founder of HomeWorth Interiors” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Nkem Offonabo is a seasoned banker, youth empowerment advocate, humanitarian, content manager and ultimately an entrepreneur who believes that passion can thrive into a great business. She is passionate about décor, personal development and wealth creation. With an innate love for aesthetics, creating beautiful and functional spaces comes so easy for Nkem. This was the drive for starting her company HomeWorth Interiors, a business she gradually is turning to an empire. She hopes to have a home gallery filled with all things luxury living, fashion accessories and collection of arts. Nkem Offonabo is making the world more beautiful one room at a time. Please tell us about your company and how it all began HomeWorth Interiors Concept Limited is a registered company that specializes in Interior Design, Furniture and Furnishing. Our unique product assortment ranges from custom-made furniture, upholstery, window and floor treatment, lighting, soft furnishings to exquisite bedding ensemble. We also offer bespoke home improvement advisory services to meet the needs of our clients. It was born out of an innate passion to create beautiful and functional spaces that reflect individual taste and style. Over the years, this passion has thrived into a business and was later incorporated in 2016. We recently launched HomeWorth Cleaners to the already existing business line, commercial cleaning services for both residential and corporate organizations. [bctt tweet=”Nkem Offonabo: I believe that one’s home or office space is a reflection of their personality & lifestyle” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How do you ensure you deliver excellent service to customers? I relate with my customers on a personal ground. I believe that one’s home or office space is a reflection of their personality and lifestyle. For us, design or business consultation starts with a preliminary meeting with the client, to understand their design preferences, through the life of each project. They’re carried along to ensure that our collective ideas are translated into the final outcome. What’s your source of inspiration for your designs? It most times feels innate but I get inspiration from places and spaces, colors and patterns. A pattern in a fabric shop could spark an inspiration for a design. I am constantly saving images online and in magazines for color and design inspiration. For most minimalist projects, the client and I come up with an idea from personal choices which will be developed to a final outcome. [bctt tweet=”HomeWorth Interiors aims to work on job and wealth creation for Nigerians and African beyond” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] You run a multi-service company, what other services are you likely to add on in the nearest future? We want to be a full-fledged home services provider. We plan in addition to home decor and cleaning services, to include home moving services where we help people moving houses to carefully transport their items or belongings to their new homes or offices. Our long-term strategy is to establish a factory, where home furnishing accessories and related products (like bedding, mattresses, etc) will be manufactured locally in Nigeria. This is working in line with the Federal Government local content mandate which will help in job and wealth creation for Nigerians and Africa beyond. What is your golden rule in business? You win. I win. We all win. Can you tell us more about your CSR initiative, Energizing Lives Foundation? Energizing Lives Foundation for the less privileged is a non-profit organization focused on youth between the ages of 12 to 25 years old. It empowers youth with the mission of raising global influencers through an academic, capacity building and community based projects. Our three major platforms are: Project Decorate, Project Save2School, Project Acquire. In June, 2016, we partnered with Heritage Home Orphanage, Ikota, Lagos for our flagship project tagged “Project Decorate”. We decorated the living room of the orphanage home, to create a conducive ambience for recreation and learning. We intend to replicate this project in more orphanage homes and schools as part of our community-based projects. Our next project is centered on academic empowerment of the young adults. We intend to partner with another orphanage home(s) to sponsor some orphaned youths through school (from secondary to tertiary institution), provide them with job opportunities or skill acquisition, and monitor their progress until they are well able to contribute and positively impact the society. We are looking to partner with The Living Fountain orphanage, Oniru, Lagos on this project. It is a combination of two of our platforms, Project Save2School and Project Acquire. We have more details on this on our Facebook page. How will a typical day with Nkem be like? I start each day with some quiet time with God, a review of my daily to-do’s and a lot of multitasking between my day job and my hustles; engaging clients, organizing the vendors to ensure delivery of design projects and writing on my blog crownmusings. What is your favorite piece of house furniture? My all-time favorite piece of home furniture would be a mirror. Besides being a tool of admiration, a mirror acts as a reflective tool to question and evaluate oneself. In my mirror, I see the reflection of a woman crafted in the image of God, beautiful in His eyes and visualize the woman I want to become. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Osayi Emokpae Lasisi: I desire freedom and confidence for young moms
[bctt tweet=”MoneyMaking Mommies creates online courses to help moms get comfortable with technology” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Osayi Emokpae Lasisi is the self-proclaimed queen of helping you get attention and make money online. She is the convener of the MoneyMaking Transition Online Conference and host of the MoneyMaking at Home podcast, where she interviews experts from all over the world and helps moms with online business skills. Osayi is also the author of the “Billionaire Mindset (for MoneyMaking Mommies)”, and “7 Days to the MoneyMaking Good Life”. As founder of the MoneyMaking Mommies Academy -now with over 2000 members, Osayi helps women to develop online products that make money. In this chat with SLA, Osayi takes us behind her MoneyMaking brand and shares tips based on her experience. As a business largely based online, what tools have you employed to grow your numbers? I do speaking engagements, and social media marketing. In my experience, speaking engagements have been amazing. Whenever I’m invited to speak, I’m able to share my love for what I do with the audience. It also gives me an opportunity to connect with people, and to invite them to work with me. I’ve always been a great speaker. I enjoyed being part of the debate team at Temple University, and for many years since relocating back to Nigeria people have told me that I need to go on the radio. So when I got opportunities to speak I knew that I needed to take advantage of it and use it to grow my business. From your experience, what’s one way Motherland Moguls can get attention online? Social media marketing is the best way to engage with fans and get attention online. Social media is amazing because you can segment people and send targeted messages to those that are interested in what I have to offer. Not only is social media marketing more precise than ever, it is also extremely affordable. Find the best option that suits your business and roll with it. [bctt tweet=”Osayi Emokpae Lasisi is teaching young Nigerian moms how to generate income online” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Tell us more about the MoneyMaking Transition Virtual Summit. The MoneyMaking Transition Virtual Summit was the first of its kind in Nigeria. It was a 6-day online conference targeted at helping moms transition from employees to business owners so that they can spend more time with their family. Some of our speakers were Dr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe, of LAPO Microfinance Bank, Mrs. Tewa Onasanya of Exquisite Magazine, Stephanie Obi, Bankole Williams. We had over 1400 people register, and between 400-600 people participated online every single day. My approach to the virtual summit is not very different from the norm. The main thing is that I enjoy interviewing people, so those who are invited guest experts enjoy the interview and are willing to also invite their friends. Those who participate and attend the event learn from the interviews as well, without having to spend an arm and a foot. Participants were thankful for the opportunity to learn, and their hope was resurrected, during a time in Nigeria when many people were discouraged. I’ll be having another virtual summit in April. In what ways do you generate revenue from your MoneyMaking venture? We create online courses to help women (moms specifically) get comfortable with technology (using the internet etc.). These virtual summits help us to get the message out there and to help bring knowledge from all over the world to women here in Nigeria. [bctt tweet=”Being comfortable with creating websites spells freedom to Osayi Emokpae Lasisi” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Why did you think it was important to teach moms how to create online stores and get comfortable with the internet? Not so long ago I was asked to resign from my job, and it was challenging. But after I got over being hurt I went and created a website and started selling a product. That helped me to regain my confidence and make some money while I figured out what I wanted to do next. Being comfortable with creating websites and using the internet spells freedom to me -I can be anywhere making money, just because I have the ability to create a website and sell my goods and services. That’s the kind of freedom and confidence I desire for young moms like me. What was surprisingly easy about hosting a virtual summit from Nigeria? I was surprised that people were willing to use their limited internet access (data) to watch these videos. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Nigeria’s women’s bobsled team: We are just three regular girls who have now made history
[bctt tweet=”When you are the first person to do something, there is no blueprint ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] No African country has represented the sport of bobsled at the Winter Olympics, but that’s about to change thanks to three women aiming to represent Nigeria. Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga are shaping history to become Nigeria’s first women’s bobsled team. Seun, Ngozi and Akuoma are established athletes and are engaged in many hustles. Ngozi has background work experience in the mortgage industry and is now a full-time student pursuing a Doctoral degree. Akuoma is the brakeman for the Nigerian Women’s Bobsled Team and also works as a healthcare recruiter. Seun is the driver of the team and also currently a chiropractic student. Seun is studying for a dual degree of a Doctorate of Chiropractic from Texas Chiropractic College and a Masters of Science in Exercise & Health Science University of Houston Clear Lake. Teamwork and support have been integral in giving the women of Nigeria’s bobsled team confidence as they work towards success. Why a bobsled team? How did you decide to come together to do this? Seun: After realizing that my participation as a brakeman on the United States women’s bobsled team had grown to be far larger than me, I knew this was something I had to do. I noticed my ability to potentially empower and positively influence millions of people resided in my decision to give back to the country of Nigeria. I knew I possessed the resources and connections to get it done. The sport of bobsled was looking to grow and the continent of Africa had never been represented in the sport of bobsled. Once I finalized my decision to take on this mission, I knew I would need teammates so I reached out to these lovely women, Ngozi and Akuoma. [bctt tweet=”I noticed my ability to potentially empower & positively influence people – Seun Adigun” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Ngozi: Bobsled chose us! Well essentially Seun chose us to be apart of her amazing vision and from then on we made the decision to embark on an experience that would grow beyond us. Seun (who is also my former coach) and I have our annual lunches, at this one particular she brought up bobsled. Honestly, I needed something new and refreshing. I had just made the decision to hang up my spikes and had come off of a trying season competing for Nigeria in track and field attempting the Summer Olympics 2016. So when Seun presented this option to me, I was stoked and pleasantly surprised. Still, this didn’t become reality for me until we actually had our first practice and touched Seun’s wooden self-made sled, “The Mayflower”. Akuoma: Bobsled came out of the blue for me. I was familiar with the sport being that a coach of mine had been involved with the sort. My participation came out of Seun Adigun asking me to join this mission. I accepted and I was the third piece to the puzzle. How has been your experiences as African women in sport? What unique challenges have you encountered? Seun: So far the experience has been very rewarding as we have been receiving endless support and positive energy as we take on this task. The most challenging thing so far has just been navigating the unknown and doing it fearlessly. When you are the first person to do something, there is no blueprint for the optimal plan of action —you just have to trust God and work through the process one step at a time. Ngozi: As a Nigerian-American woman, I have been embraced by my teammates and by other aspiring athletes, Nigerians and just women in general. Challenges will always come when you are embarking on something completely new but we have adapted very well. With With us all being women with very high demand schedules, there have been some challenges in accommodating everything but we do quite well. Also, the learning curve of learning a completely new sport has been challenging but we aim to conquer. Akuoma: My experience has been the same as it has always been. Growing up I had always been active in sports and so have many other Nigerians that I grew up with. So being a Nigerian girl in a sport was pretty normal. I think the biggest challenge with this sport in particular, is that there isn’t a lot of awareness. So taking myself along with everyone else I know on this huge learning curve has been a bit challenging. [bctt tweet=”I had always been active so being a Nigerian girl in a sport was pretty normal – Akuoma Omeoga” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] So far you’re yet to practice on snow or with a bobsled, how confident are you in securing a place at the Olympics? Seun: I have spent time on ice as both a brakeman and a driver —and that is the most important thing. As the driver, the success of the team resides in my ability to drive the sled from the top of the hill to the bottom. I have already successfully completed two driving schools this season on two separate tracks over the course of three weeks. With that, I can now compete in a race on either of these tracks, putting us in position to start the qualification process. This is a great confidence boost for the team because we now have something to look forward to. Our confidence is additionally fueled by our relationship with one another. We trust each other and that has taken us a long way in accountability and commitment. Our wooden sled has given us the opportunity to simulate sled conditions bringing our chemistry together and reproducing race scenarios. Ngozi: I think there is much to be said about mental preparation as this plays a big part in physical preparation. Although we have not yet been on ice, we have the perfect mentor to take advice from (Seun) as she was in the same
Olubukola Adebiyi: The solution to poverty is to bridge the gap between the less privileged & the privileged
[bctt tweet=”Be completely focused and committed to your passion against all odds. – Olubukola Adebiyi” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Buzzing with a powerful and uncompromising energy, the social enterprise, Jakin NGO is a place that has become home to many who don’t have much that they can proudly call their own. Bearing at its core a commitment to improve the everyday lives of society’s most vulnerable, Jakin serves as space for transformation; it serves as a training ground. It is a place where hope meets education; where dreams meet technology. Jakin is for many, a temporal refuge away from home. Olubukola “Bukky” Adebiyi, the President and CEO of Jakin, fully embodies Jakin’s commitment to serving humanity. Her service and commitment to change are championed through her passion and optimistic ambition to see Jakin serve even more people. Bukky is fully hands on as she not only obliges to her role as CEO but trains, serves food, greets, advices and lives the passion for her calling each and every single day. How would you describe what you do? As is described in our mission statement, I work with vulnerable groups to overcome health, economic and educational hardships. Our group targets are by majority orphans and vulnerable children, women —mostly widows, people living with HIV, people living in slums and hard to reach areas, particularly youth. What inspired you to get involved in this particular field of work? It’s my passion to put smiles on faces. By the grace of God, I realized that the “less privileged are simply those who lack the privileges of the privileged.” The solution to poverty is to bridge the gap by creating a conducive, secure and encouraging platform for the “privileged” to share their resources with the “less privileged”. What do you think has been your greatest contribution to your work? My life and my time! Your work can be challenging considering the fact that you are dealing with the vulnerabilities of people’s lives, what keeps you motivated? It’s the joy that breaks forth in the life, faces, and households of the beneficiaries that keep me motivated. Once they receive any form of assistance, they seem to light up with some immeasurable hope that tomorrow will be better. Thereafter, they seem to have a new drive to survive, despite all the odds. Most of the time you can hear them thanking God for remembering them for good. Can you please share with us a great story of success? Jakin has been in operation for 13 years, and yet we have never held a single fundraiser or partners forum. Nevertheless, we have over a thousand individuals, corporate and faith-based partners here at home (Lagos, Nigeria) and abroad that help keep us operational. All our projects till date always record outstanding success. We have over 6,000 orphans and vulnerable children, and over 2,000 vulnerable families including youth, widows, and people living with HIV, that are receiving support from 17 different projects that we have. How do you ensure that you maintain a level of commitment and integrity from your employees and the individuals that you supervise throughout the whole year? Consistency with our organizational values of transparency, integrity, humility, passion and the fear of God make that easy. I make my adherence to these values the first example that others follow. [bctt tweet=”The less privileged simply lack the privileges of the privileged. – Olubukola Adebiyi” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] In your line of work, what are some of the things that you do to begin the year well? I make sure I personally start my year annually with rededicating my life to God and seeking His direction for the year by fasting and praying for the most of January. We normally have staff prayer meeting on the first work day of the year before commencing with general meetings, reviews of the last year, and other activities. Our annual training happens in that first week as work plans are completed by each department, in line with the organization’s yearly budget. Most implementation commences skeletally in January while the majority kicks off in February. How do you ensure that all your departments are working in line with the goals that you set forth as an organization? The organization is well structured. We have an organogram headed by a six-member Board of Directors that meet regularly. The office is also run by a management team comprising of all departmental heads who ensure that all members of staff are working in line with organizational goals and objectives. What word of advice would you have for a young woman wanting to do what you do? Have a clear vision of your passion. Be completely focused and committed to it against all odds. Start small, be transparent and always give feedback to your partners. Encourage your helpers and supporters. Above all, walk closely with God. [bctt tweet=”Start small, be transparent and always give feedback to your partners – Olubukola Adebiyi” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What is the best part about being a boss lady and owning that power of freedom? It teaches you humility and fear of God. You can’t afford to abuse power because it’s a privilege. How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance? I spend the bulk of my work life serving humanity so I make sure all my spare time is spent with my husband and children. Also, I enjoy being at home with my loved ones. I am blessed with the support of my husband. How do you de-stress and/or unwind from a long day of work? I watch TV, cook, dance to gospel songs and enjoy my time with lovely kids. I go out once in a while. Here is how you can support and learn more about the work of Jakin NGO. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Natasha Bassey: I want to be better and to make others better
[bctt tweet=”I try to add value to someone, somewhere, somehow each day – Natasha Bassey” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] At a time when most young ladies will give an arm and foot to work in one of the biggest Telecomm companies in Africa, this #MotherlandMogul took a wild leap and it is taking her places. Meet Natasha Bassey, PR woman, trainer, network marketer and a multi-business owner. Outside working in Telecomm, Natasha has experience in the show business industry. SLA contributor Priscilla Omoruyi caught up with Natasha Bassey and she shared her experiences and life work with us. How long were you in the Telecomm industry? I spent approximately 3 and half years in customer service and customer relations. My job was to attend to customer issues and try to resolve them as quickly as possible while at the same time trying to empathise with the customer and reassure them that the would get the most time effective response to their issue. What prompted you to leave and strike it out on your own? It initially started when I was diagnosed with medical issues that affected my hearing. I had also just completed my second degree in sociology and felt there was no better time to move on to new things. What are the challenges you face as a network marketer? For me, the greatest challenge isn’t even the recession. It is the close-minded nature of people to new ideas and better ways of doing things. I find overcoming that get rich quick mentality of instant gratification here and now a huge challenge. [bctt tweet=”Natasha Bassey’s greatest challenge has been people’s resistance to new ideas” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Money in itself is, after all, a byproduct of the mental process, so if that process is shunted in any way then there will be issues. You are into a lot of things, how do you handle them? I am usually able to handle all my businesses with my phone which I have turned into a mini office. I seriously need a personal assistant, though. The truth is that handling so many initiatives does take quite a bit of juggling. But the willingness and drive are fueled for me by my determination, I want to be better and to make others better. I wake up each day determined to take it one day at a time, one decision at a time. I try not to do everything but focus on the most important and rewarding things. Above all, I try to add value to someone, somewhere, somehow each day. What are your best and worst moments? For this, I would like to borrow a phrase we use in network marketing. There are no good or bad experiences, only learning experiences and this knowledge has really changed the way I think. [bctt tweet=”Natasha Bassey: There are no good or bad experiences, only learning experience ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] The truth is no person or event has the power to make or break you, you are the only person who can. Interestingly another great thinker Brian Tracy said this, successful people make every decision right. This means that whatever decision the person takes in that time, whether “good” or “bad”, the person makes it work out right. If you could go back in time to change something about your work and business, would you? My mother always used to say hindsight and the ability to look back at our choices is a good but can only be achieved in retrospect. I believe all my actions and experiences brought me where I am today, I honestly don’t feel I would change anything. I say this even though I sometimes look back at the time and energy I put into getting my second degree and wonder if I should have put in that much. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Toyosi Ogunmekan: The warrior #MotherlandMogul
[bctt tweet=”Toyosi Ogunemeka is a Sickle Cell warrior whose start-up answers shortcomings in the healthcare system” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Toyosi Ogunmekan is a “warrior”! Yes, she is a Sickle Cell warrior who got involved in business because she noticed shortcomings in the healthcare system. Instead of getting beaten by the system, Toyosi decided to roll up her sleeves and make an impact. She started a business in medical technology, Toyo Medical Techs where she provides a range of healthcare products used to diagnose, monitor or treat a disease or medical condition. It includes medical devices, information technology, biotechnology, and healthcare services. SLA contributor Ugochi Obidiegwu caught up with her recently to understand her drive. What led you to start your business? After my post graduate in biomedical engineering, I fell in love with the idea of applying engineering principles to medicine. As a regular hospital visitor, being SS, I was very dissatisfied with our Nigerian healthcare system. I felt we needed to do a lot more technologically to meet up with foreign standards. Hence, the birth of Toyo Medical Techs. What has been your experience as a woman and SS in your line of business? Every business, especially at the start-up stage is very stressful and challenging. In my business, I have to do a lot of running around and drive long distances. There are days I feel overwhelmed and break down, there are also days I get comments like “I love what you do, keep it up” and that just makes my day. It’s been a bitter-sweet experience so far and I’m excited for what is to come. [bctt tweet=”Nigeria needs to do a lot more technologically to meet up with foreign standards – Toyosi Ogunmekan” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What is the impact of your business activities on your health? Doctors advise their sickle cell patients to avoid all forms of stress, but I don’t know. Maybe it’s an “SS-thing” we tend to be very stubborn and still act like we can do it all. Maybe we are trying to prove we’re not as weak as people think we are. Well there are days I suffer the aftermath of over stretching myself. I also thank God for family and friends who tend to “scold” me when I’m over doing it. Some 2/3 years ago I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis of the hip (it’s a common complication in sickle cell patients). My doctor recommended I do a lot of physiotherapy, avoid standing and sitting for too long, etc. But you know Lagos and all the traffic, sometimes I sit in traffic for hours! And when I get home, the pain I usually experience from that hip! OMG! It’s unexplainable. Still I’ve been able to understand my body and figure out how to balance my health and work. What’s your advice to others with your health challenge? My advice to other warriors is for them to be religious with their medications, avoid as much stress as possible, stay hydrated, understand their bodies; know when to slow down and join support groups. I run an awareness page on Instagram @thewarriorstoryng where I share tips and stories of other warriors to inspire others. I’m also a member of the Sickle Cell Aid Foundation (SCAF). From your entrepreneurship experience, what would you advice someone about to start? Be passionate about your dreams and don’t let anyone make you feel like you can’t do it. When one client says no, it doesn’t mean you should be discouraged, move on. And most importantly, pray. [bctt tweet=”A lot of people are ignorant and think sickle cell warriors don’t live long – Toyosi Ogunmekan” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What myths about Sickle Cell disorder annoy you? A lot of people are still ignorant about the disorder and think warriors don’t live long. There are a lot of warriors that live up to 90+ What are your plans for 2017? Hmmm… to stay healthy, get that beach body, I pray. I want to keep creating awareness on sickle cell disorder and keep pushing my business forward. Want to see women you know featured on SLA? Tell us what amazing things women are doing in your communities here.