I can say life is good…with perspective. I am my Mum’s only child, and she died when I was very young. It was difficult for my Dad to raise me alone. African cultural responses to grief and gender expectations led to decisions being made about who I lived with and where, so I didn’t live with him in my early years. The absence of both my parents had a massive impact on my mental and physical health, and I struggled academically. I was desperately unhappy as a child. I was reunited with my Dad in my teens, but my childhood experiences and unresolved, complicated grief robbed me of my childhood and true self.
Eventually, I went to university and got my first degree, and later, an MBA. After university, I worked in communications and in a number of sectors both in the UK and internationally. I was chugging along, making good money, although deep down I always felt called to do something else.
I moved back to the UK after working internationally for years, and the transition back into the workspace has been difficult. Although I have worked at very senior levels and been exposed to challenges, opportunities, and stretches I never could have dreamed of here in the UK, landing permanent,senior roles has been challenging. I’ve always made good money, and it’s weird not having access to money the way I have been used to.
As a woman of faith, I took a different perspective. I firmly believe that I am here for a greater purpose, to somehow use my childhood experiences to help girls like me heal and thrive. But I had been putting this off forever because I was too scared to do it and because I never had enough time, mainly because of work commitments. My Aha! moment was…what if doors were closing because NOW is the time for me to act and get to work on my calling? I heard Denzel Washington say that “without commitment you’ll never start, but more importantly, without consistency you will never finish.” I am now pivoting and dedicating my full time to getting my business off the ground, and to see where commitment and consistency will take Redwood, myself, and my family.
I am working full-time in my business, laying a strong foundation in terms of the basic structures and processes and working towards enrolling clients. I am also investing in myself with free courses such as the Rebel Business School and other sponsored opportunities to help launch and sustain my business.
I want to help girls heal by working with African fathers or fathers of African descent across Africa, Europe, the USA and Canada. I also want to provide support to schools to equip them to support female students who have lost their mums. My other aspiration is to build strong digital communication platforms where girls can access information on grief, their mental, physical, and cognitive health, and to help organisations that support abandoned/orphaned children and those that protect children and women from abuse. Personally, I look forward to achieving work-life balance and financial freedom so my family and I can enjoy the life we were created to live!
