moremi, Author at Queen moremi

For the Woman Building Her Dream: Business Success in 2026

moremi — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:38:15 +0000

Happy New Year! It’s the 21st of January and already the fourth week of the year. And yes—we’re still allowed to wish one another a Happy New Year. It’s not too late.

I was in prayer the other day, and while praying for my husband’s and my businesses, the Lord gave me a powerful word.

He said to me, “In this season of business, what is going to work is a combination of the old and the new.”

I believe this is a timely revelation—not just for me, but for every entrepreneur reading this. Especially in this age of AI and rapid technological innovation, we’re all trying to keep up with the latest tools to improve our processes and serve our clients better. And that’s not a bad thing at all.

However, we must be careful not to spend so much time chasing what is new that we forget the old techniques and practices that worked—and still work. Keep this in mind as you plan your year.

The Bible says, “Have you seen a man diligent in his work? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mere men.” — Proverbs 22:29 (NKJV)

Scripture wasn’t speaking of “men” as a gender here, but of mankind as a whole—humanity.

So to the woman reading this, I’m wishing you much success this year.

2026 is our year. Amen.

The post For the Woman Building Her Dream: Business Success in 2026 appeared first on Queen moremi.

From Being a Talent Manager to Becoming The Talent! Lola Adamson is Fearlessly Fulfilling Her Purpose

moremi — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 06:00:07 +0000

If you are familiar with entertainment industry circles in Nigeria, chances are you may have at one time or another, met Lola Adamson, or at least heard her name.

Lola was well known as one of the best publicists and talent managers in the country, who worked with lots of big names in the industry including Tiwa Savage, MI, DJ Cuppy, and many others.

I “met” Lola back in the day when I used to work at BellaNaija as Assistant Editor and Business Development Manager. I met her via e-mail and phone calls actually. Something about her just really resonated with me even though I had never met her in person. Maybe it was something about her tone. I had spoken to my fair share of talent managers/publicists back in the day and for some reason, a lot of them had a tendency to sound really frantic (due to the nature of their job I guess, they were always under pressure to deliver). Lola always sounded calm, and I found that so interesting. Then of course I researched her and found out she was this really huge deal.

Anyways, I’d always admired her work from afar. Over time, I noticed she wasn’t as active in the industry as she once was and I wondered why.

So I asked her, and she graciously granted us this interview where she reveals personal details about the road to switching careers in her 30s, following her true calling, how her faith in God changed the trajectory of her life, and much more.

Hey Lola, where have you been?
Hiya! Hahaha, the question I’ve been getting a lot lately. Physically, I am currently in Los Angeles taking acting classes to perfect my skills and at the same time taking the steps to secure a better future .

For people who may not know who you are, please introduce yourself?
My name is Lola Adamson and I am an actress, a lover of life. A firm believer of first finding yourself (knowing your true identity), then finding your purpose and working your hardest to achieve it.

You used to be a talent manager/publicist in Nigeria at some point. Tell us more about this career path and why you deviated from that?
Oh wow, being a talent manager and publicist was a very interesting part of my life, it helped get me to where I am today. But it wasn’t something I was meant to do forever, and I think I always knew that, but I suppressed the feeling for a long time. I like to think it all happened for the right reasons.

I moved back to Lagos in December 2009 after completing my masters in England (I really don’t like using the word “moved back” because I lived there for just about 2 years, lol).

I decided to go into PR in 2009 and in January 2010 I set up my company. I met M.I in February with the hopes of being his publicist, but he said “No, I want you to be my manager” (I was honestly asking myself back then, “what did I do right and am I manager material?”). Turns out I was perfect manager material, Lol. And that’s how management came into my life.

The next 6 years after that was mainly focused on management and PR (I added tailored event production to my company services in 2017), big and small jobs, A-list clients and underground talents. I enjoyed it, but I always felt incomplete. I always thought there was more I could achieve as a publicist/talent manager but most of the things I tried to work on never seemed to pan out well for me. So as a typical Lagos hustler, I decided to add more to the mix of what I was doing.

I worked with Ndani as the social media manager and events coordinator from 2014-2015, started a blog and moved on to a vlog on YouTube later in 2016. I got a job with RocNation as the General Manager for Africa in 2015 and this brought me back full time into the music industry.

Months after I had stopped managing Cuppy in 2016, I started asking myself series of questions, “what’s really next Lola? Continue managing talents?” and not long after that, my boss from RocNation called to say, “Lola we just signed Tiwa Savage, that’s your next project?” and then I said to myself, “Well, looks like I’m still managing talents”, Lol.

I loved what I was doing but I wasn’t complete, and I had to feel complete and honestly, I thought feeling complete was doing what I have always wanted to do, be an actress, but I didn’t realize then that that’s not what I needed to fill the void within me, now I do. Only Jesus could fill that emptiness which when I did realize, made me complete and gave me the confidence and strength to go after my dreams.

January 1 2017, I woke up in my cold room in Birmingham and literally said to myself “I AM DONE”.

I had a minor argument with my dad 2 nights before. I started the conversation with “Daddy please, when the time comes, let my siblings do what they really desire to do and let’s just guide them. Remember how you didn’t want me to study theatre arts when I wanted to?” and he responded with “I did what a good father would have done, the industry wasn’t looking hopeful then and I wanted to protect you”.

What I was doing was trying to blame someone else for me not going after my dreams when in true context, I had every opportunity to go after it, I mean I was 33 going on 34, I had stopped asking my father for money years ago before that night (well he actually bought my ticket for the family vacation, let me not lie, Lol), I could have picked it up but I was scared and not confident that I could pull it off.

As much as I loved what I was doing, it always felt like a JOB and that wasn’t what I wanted. I decided to stop management and PR that very day, even before going back to Lagos. I turned down almost every offer that came my way that year. I continued with my vlog which wasn’t paying me and the moment I decided to add event production to my bag of talents, I was approached to handle PR for, and plan the entire 2-day musical showcase for Tolani in 2017. Handling the PR for that job was not so much an issue for me as I used it to explore a skill I had but never really put to good use.

The only client I had left as a talent manager was Tiwa Savage and that was via my contract with RocNation which I couldn’t abruptly end, and I was glad because working with Tiwa motivated me some more as it showed me a different side of her, a side that inspired me so much. Her work ethics. Tiwa does not play when it comes to her career and seeing first hand her passion to do things right and professionally motivated me to keep pushing myself.

How did acting come into the mix?
My dad is an artist and as the only child back then, I would always be with him in the studio, watching him paint, listening to music and dancing together, I had my mini canvas and paint brushes as well, it was perfect.

I grew up wanting to be an actress, a musician and a model (the triple threat, lol) but then I grew up and all that changed, lol. As a child, my dad would always show me magazines with models and actresses and tell me I had to eat right to get good skin, take my education serious so no one could say they made me because only God can make and break anyone.

I have always loved movies and everything involved in the process of making one, it has always fascinated me. The stories in some movies would have me pondering on certain issues for days, I would day dream about being in movies with Julia Roberts and Bimbo Akintola. I was actually in a movie Bimbo Akintola shot in 2017, and that blew me away. She’s such a fun person. It was a minor role, but I was such an excited puppy to be on set, the waiting didn’t even bother me, Lol. One time I had to wait till 4am before they shot my scene and I had been there since 8pm, lol. I would also picture being in movies with Macaulay Culkin, Whoopi Goldberg and a lot more. I still feel that way today. In fact the feeling is stronger and the pictures in my head are more vivid.

In my own weird way, I always held on to the desires of being an actress, but I wasn’t confident enough to chase it. I wasn’t getting the right support and I felt people would end up laughing at me, so I made myself believe there was no point chasing a dream that wouldn’t be a reality for me. A fantasy, that’s what I called it.

Before my decision in 2017, I would tell friends in the film industry I wanted to be an actress and honestly they didn’t take me serious, Lol. They literally thought I was joking and would say things like “Lola stop now, Lola music genius, Lola music guru.” All that didn’t help. Some friends like Seun Ajayi and Kunle Idowu (Frank Donga) gave me good support and pushed me to go after it, this was back in 2015 when we all worked together at Ndani. Seun pushed me to go for an audition which I did but never got called back for, lol. That didn’t make me feel good, I wasn’t confident enough and that made me think there was no point and I wasn’t good enough.

After I made that decision in January 2017, I spent most of that year going for auditions in Lagos, I cannot stress on how hectic that process is. I respect all the actors and actresses who go through this. When next I go for an audition in Lagos, I will be ready, Lol.

I would get asked at these auditions “ahh why are you here, leave this hustle for us now”, “all you have to do is call one of these producers and you will get a role”. My first thought was “do they know me?”As a talent manager I didn’t think I was well known. I couldn’t explain to anyone then how going through that process was important to me, I was ready to do the work, I really was not going to ask for favors, I had said to myself “if this is going to happen for real, I want to earn it.”

Luckily, I was able to book 3 roles that year, 2 of those were speaking extras and I was the happiest I had been in a long time. I got call backs and got roles, God was moving in my life.

Tell us about your ongoing professional acting training?
Ohhhh, it has been such an exciting experience, the main workshop I attend is Truth Be Told Acting Collective coached by Bojesse Christopher. First time I took his workshop was in September 2017 as a test run and I fell in love with his techniques, Meisner repetition and Stanislavski techniques. I knew I would always go back, and I did.

I also went to Identity Drama Acting school (Los Angeles campus) where I learnt some more skills added to what I learn every week at Bojesse’s workshop. There I learnt more about breaking down scripts, movement techniques, voice classes and so much more essentials. It has shown me the extensive work that goes into being a great, talented and skilled actor and that’s what I want to be.

Bojesse’s workshop is also like therapy for me. I started the workshop with a huge wall up, cut off on the inside, almost numb to feelings, stone cold look, it was a huge period of transition for me. But as the great coach he is, he challenged me and pushed me to be more vulnerable and open without holding back, when to suppress and when to let go. It has truly been a blessing and it helps my everyday living. My confidence boosted, I started looking people in the eye and not avoiding contact, when I get in front of a camera or people, I am not in my head thinking of what to say or do, I am there with them.

It’s all been such a life changing experience, I am always looking forward to going to class.

Will you be pursuing acting full time now?
Oh Yesssssss!!!!!

What were your family and friend’s reaction when you told them you wanted to take your acting more seriously?
From my past experience, I have learnt to speak with those who matter, whatever anyone wants to say, they are free to say. Everyone is different, we can’t all agree on the same things or see things the same way, it is humanly impossible. So, I focused on telling those who mattered and who cared, the rest just seem to have stumbled on monologues posted on my Instagram page.

My dad was still a bit worried when I initially told him I decided to drop management and focus on acting full time, I could hear it in his voice but the amazing father he is, he said I will support you in every way I can, I’ve got your back and he has. My dad rates my class performances, points out habits he notices, tells me to be myself and not feel anxious. Then he’ll say, I rate you 45%, do better next time, Lol.

That’s exactly what I want from people, I want you to be honest with me, don’t just gass me up and say “you go girl, you’re killing it”, when you’re thinking to yourself “she blinks too much, she should have paused a bit before responding” or whatever you feel should be worked on, don’t be a yes man or woman with me please. If you can’t be honest, I would respect you more for not saying anything or commenting on my post. I have had a few of those, some friends have DM’d me with their thoughts and areas they felt I could do better, and these are actually people I never thought would reach out, I respect that and always take on their advice.

I remember someone sending me a DM on Instagram last year saying “na wa o, you’re really taking this your acting serious”, my mental response was “no, I’m waiting for you to tell me what to do and how to live my life”, but I just responded with YES! Lol.

My mum is an original Lola cheerleader, lol. My super prayer warrior.

My best friends have been nothing but supportive, Oh My Lord. I am so blessed to have the close friends I have. They have been there, never backing down. My best friends Aj and Aramide send me money all the way from Lagos (isn’t it usually the other way around, Lol). My childhood best friend Grace lives in Manchester and at some point this year, she was sending me a particular amount monthly, like pocket money. She would call panicking, how are you eating, how’s your account, you just paid your fees, you just paid your rent, in-fact I will start sending you this amount monthly, Lol. I truly truly am blessed.

Did anyone ever discourage you from pursuing your acting career?
Not really, at least not boldly saying “don’t do it, you won’t succeed”, I could see it in their faces though and hear it in their voices. They didn’t believe in me, some would laugh, and some would say “okay don’t worry, I’ll let you know”, and of course I never heard from them again. After a while I thought that’s fine, I believe in myself and that’s enough, I am ENOUGH.

When did you first get saved?
First time for me was in 2013, I was slowly hitting depression. I could hear it knocking on my door but GOD!!!! I dodged a bullet, I was saved, I found Jesus, but I just knew Him surface level, I didn’t continuously seek Him when I found a certain peace. I would pray baby Christian prayers, I hadn’t learnt the true meaning of worship (I don’t mean just singing. Worship is our love expressed to God as a response to His grace towards us, and this covers many grounds). I was still doing certain things I shouldn’t have been doing, I was trying to eat my cake and have it, Lol.

How would you describe your relationship with God?
I don’t think there are any existing words to truly describe my relationship with God, I’m sure a lot of people will agree with me on this when it comes to describing their relationship with Him, words are not enough.

God is my everything, we talk everyday without fail. I have grown to love and respect Him more and more. It has not been an easy journey but worth every second and I appreciate it more each day.

I do not want to EVER want to do anything, take a step, make plans, eat, sleep, speak, anything at all, without Him, there’s just no point. He’s the foundation of everything and anything concerning Lola Adamson. And talking about Him just gets me excited, I am all smiles right now.

In what ways did your spiritual life impact the change in your career?
A whole lot! But at the beginning I didn’t realize that it was what was fueling my decision, my drive, my passion. It really was the push.

I was finally positively confident, I was starting to figure myself out and that confidence in me had risen to a point of me finally letting the thought of acting out of the cage I had put it in. The source of my confidence was Christ, it was His grace that was developing and shaping me into the Queen I was created to be. I am constantly working on it, I believe there’s more I haven’t explored yet.

My faith started building up from 2016. By 2017 I was attending church more frequently, praying on my own, going for night vigils and looking forward to it. I had cut a lot of things out of my life, I just wanted more of Jesus (I still do) and because of this, things were slowly shifting in my life. One of my closest friends who helped me a lot from 2016 is Lynxxx. Not a lot of people saw Jesus the way I did, I wanted to be around people who were hungry for His love and presence in their lives and were not ashamed to say it, that was my new cool. I don’t mean just going to church on Sunday people, lol. Some people thought talking deeply about God wasn’t cool and some said your relationship with God should be private, I mean how can you keep Him private? He said go out into the world and tell the people about Him and His promise.

Thankfully, Lynxxx for me was that one perfect friend, he still is and it’s always great when we link up (physically or over the phone), which is often.

As my spiritual life developed, I believed more in myself because I believed in my Savior. If I ever questioned anything in my life, I didn’t have to question the right things, it just felt right and didn’t feel like I was deceiving myself.

Do you ever struggle with self-doubt? If so, how do you handle this?
I did and in a little way I still do, it’s been a long battle but I’m winning now, lol. I didn’t believe people would accept me as an actress, I never should have let that get into my head, but I did. I fed the negative seed of “no one thinks you’re good, no one will accept you”, when I should really have been saying “I am great, I should go for this because this is what I was born to do, it’s not about people, it is about me and I am enough”. I put people’s thoughts and opinions first before mine and that was my first mistake.

As a talent manager I didn’t think I would get to the stage I did, every client was a surprise to me. I actually do not remember going after a client and selling my company and services, I was always approached. Wow look at God. Thing is I may doubt myself a little, but I do not doubt God, and that’s all that matters.

As a Christian, the way I handle it when negative seeds pop up in my thoughts is to first of all surrender it to God. We all know what those thoughts feel like, they don’t feel good and they don’t make you feel good. They make you feel negative about yourself or situation and that is no way to life a full life. Those are not my thoughts, they are not of God and therefore are not welcome.

What I do after is to speak to someone I trust, someone close. I pour out my feelings, I cry if I have to, I let it all out and I have been blessed with amazing people that when I speak negatively about myself, they respond with something positive and speak positivity into my life.

I would advise people to always open up to people close to them, could be a friend, family, Bible study partners, accountability sisters or brothers, people who will bring you back to the positive side. Not people who will feed the self-doubt with fear, doubt and worry. Figure out who is right for you and who isn’t, that helps. I have different people I speak to about different things; my accountability sisters have been a huge blessing in my life. I have never met these women face to face and we have all only been friends for a year, but it feels like forever.

What’s next for Lola?
That’s a great question. I say that because I don’t fully know, Lol.

I know what direction I am headed, what I want to achieve, I know what gets me excited, emotionally happy that I start to cry at just the thought of it. There is no prefect way/route to get there but there’s a perfect Father, God, and His ways and plans for my life are far better than my plans for myself.

There’s no doubt that I am meant to be an actress, I have never believed in it more than I do now. I also do not want to rush and make unnecessary mistakes or decisions along the way, it would be amazing to get called up for a role right now, but there’s a process, I don’t want to start half ready, so I am doing the work now.

I take life as it comes, one day at a time. It’s good to make long term plans but I don’t rely on those plans because we all know how life is, Lol. I rely on God. I have grown to appreciate the NOW, where I currently am because where I am today is connected to where I am going to. It’s no mistake that this is my path, I feel it and I am ready to face the tests and trials because most importantly, I know I am not running this race alone, God is always with me. I do not take it for granted, I pray for contentment and patience a lot because it is so easy to miss my old life of always having money when I needed it, spending how I liked, traveling when I want to, to now when my cash flow is limited. I have literally started a new life chapter, I have started from the bottom again and that’s perfectly okay. I knew there was more in life for me and I am sacrificing what I have to, to achieve it all. There’s a price to pay for everything great, your dreams, desires, passion. The questions are, are you ready to pay for it? How bad do you want it?

What advice would you give African millennial women who desire a career in the arts?
Please go for it. If you feel it deep in your gut, if it keeps you up at night, the slight thought of it makes your heart race and you can see the pictures so clearly in your head then please GO FOR IT.

People say you can do whatever you set your mind to, I didn’t believe it until I started chasing my dreams.

Africa is evolving daily, and our creative industry is one to look out for. We have so many talented people who feel chasing their dreams is a waste of time because their parents or someone said it to them that and they believed it.

Understand that you are who you choose to be, do not live life dependent on what others have to say about you. You have to make your own decisions.

If it seems hard at first, that’s because it is, and you have to work twice as hard if you do not have things easily handed to you. Never give up, do not quit, keep pushing. There will be days where you’ll feel drained and tired and you’ll probably scream and say God why, God when, God do they have two heads. That’s fine, scream, cry, but get back up and keep pushing forward.

Surround yourself with positive people, think positive thoughts. And most importantly, seek God and not just surface level, it has to be continuous and once it becomes a part of you, you will want nothing more than to be in His presence. I am a Jesus baby and it’s pretty hard to not include Him in everything I say and do. I really can’t believe I have become this person, I love it, lol.

Do you think it’s ever too late to pursue your dreams?
It is never ever too late to pursue your dreams. We all wish we started early, we say if we go back in time we would have lived life in our 20’s the smart way but I don’t mind because not everyone was created to start at a certain age. Our destinies are not the same, our paths are all different, they may connect but they are all different.

So, I say do not beat yourself up, it is never too late. What’s important is the journey and to finish right. When you realize you’re not doing what you were created to do, no matter what age, get up and start going after that one thing that brings all the joy to you and doesn’t feel like a job.

As a spiritual person, I’ll say this; This life is never without troubles, sadness, disappointments and tears. However, what distinguishes the people of God is their relationship with God.

***

Follow @lolaadamson_ on Instagram.

The post From Being a Talent Manager to Becoming The Talent! Lola Adamson is Fearlessly Fulfilling Her Purpose appeared first on Queen moremi.

How Didi Ajayi’s Move Back to Nigeria from America Changed Her Life Forever

moremi — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 07:15:33 +0000

If you have lived in Nigeria at least over the past 3 years, you may have noticed that ever since the economic downturn up until now, moving overseas has become more of a trend than ever before, due to the hardship experienced by many.

Many are fleeing the country to seek greener pastures in the Western world.

But Nigerian-American millennial, Didi Ajayi, actually did the opposite – she gave up a comfortable life in the United States to move back to Nigeria.

I recently caught up with her for a quick chat about her journey, and boy did she drop some gems! We all could learn a thing or two from her willingness to embrace the unknown to find a unique path for herself.

Read and be inspired.

BACKGROUND

Tell us about yourself

My name is Didi. By profession, I’m a lawyer.

I attended the University of Georgia where I got a degree in Psychology, and went on to Law school, and I got my JD. And then I moved back to Nigeria and went to Nigerian Law school and became a barrister at Law after doing the bar exam here. Then I started practicing.

I worked at a law firm here in Nigeria, but recently became an entrepreneur – I co-own a legal consulting start-up company. In my spare time I like to blog. Before I moved to Nigeria I had a natural hair blog that I was really into. And after I moved back to Nigeria I kinda wanted to document my experiences living in Nigeria, so I started a vlog series about this. I wish I knew the things that I know now, before I moved back. Like things I could have avoided or known about how to make my transition easier. I wanted to do the vlog for people in diaspora, who are considering moving back. Showing them what living here is like. Although there are some bad sides, there are lots of good sides, and that’s the reason why I’m still here.

Why did you move back to Nigeria despite having an amazing life in the US?

Although I’m American and grew up in the US, I was actually born in Nigeria.

My dad lives here, and half of my siblings grew up here in Nigeria. When I lived abroad, I used to spend some of my vacation time here in Nigeria.

Every time I visited, I really enjoyed my stay, and I saw that there was potential here even though some people didn’t really this. I would say I moved back because I’m a bit idealistic. Some people usually say I’m a bit too optimistic.

I had always been interested in moving back home. So my dad suggested that while attending Law school in Nigeria, if I was really interested in testing the waters and working here, I could look for internships at law firms and just see how it goes.

As fate would have it, I eventually ended up working at the law firm I interned at. I enjoyed my experience so I thought that since I had worked in the US, there was no reason why I could not do that here.

I think there’s something interesting about working in a developing county where everything hasn’t fully developed. You can actually be a pioneer and make you own stuff here, whereas in the US it’s a lot harder to do so. Here, there aren’t as many obstacles if you want to establish yourself. Also, there’s some certain level of comfort just knowing that I have family and people here that I really didn’t have in the US. Even though my mom and my sister are still in America, I decided to move back.

THE MOVE

On challenges experienced when she first moved back

I had so many! I think my moving back experience was kind of different from a lot of people that moved back here, as most were probably doing their NYSC.

In my own case, I moved back and went to law school in Abuja. I had never gone to to boarding school or anything. So being at the law school felt like living on campus for the first time, which was very different. It almost felt like I was going to high school not even college. I felt trapped at some point.

I was so used to having internet. On the first day I came into the country, I used up all my data because everything was running, all my apps etc. So I had to get used to that.

I was pretty much used to the people in a sense because I was coming home during vacation. But when I started working here, I didn’t realize that co-workers and people in general, would could care so much about details about your personal life. This took some getting used to, as I was accustomed to being a lot more private about intimate details about my life. It was a norm for me to keep my personal life very separate from my work life.

Those were the things that I think were the biggest things I had to get used to when I came back.

Making friends

I moved back in my late 20’s. I think that when you get older you are kind of like at this place in your life where you know what you want, and the kind of friends you need in your life. So making friends just becomes a lot harder and a lot of people have their own social circles so it was hard to integrate people’s social circles.

When I was going back to school, I found out that a lot of people were younger than me. People are taking that step earlier in Nigeria, unlike in the US. I worked before I went to the Law school in the US. So making friends was a bit of a challenge.

I think growing up in the US, the culture is a bit more open. You have more people opening up, sharing and talking. Just generally being ourselves. This is kind of the reverse in Nigeria – which kind of felt weird. I find out that as women here in Nigeria, we have to be a bit more guarded and less open. When I first encountered this, I didn’t like that feeling. But luckily I found friends who I could be myself with. It took a lot of time but I eventually figured it out.

On meeting the love of her life

In terms of dating, it’s funny because I met my husband basically the first day at school. So I didn’t really do much of dating.

I feel like my mom and aunties use me as an example to their friend’s daughters. They are like “do what DIDI did, move back, you will find your husband” lol.

I don’t know if it was luck or God because I totally didn’t see this coming.

The highest point of moving back

Definitely, meeting my husband was my highest point of moving back, I definitely would have never met him without moving back because he has actually never been to the US. He grew up in the UK.

I think that moving back made me discover certain aspects of my character – this is like the most adventurous thing I have ever done. It made me step out of my comfort zone in a way I was never capable of. I was always that type of person that when there’s a road map set, I follow the road map. E.g: Go to college, go to graduate school, work, get a job… and that would have been my story till the end of my life.

When I applied to Law school, I had no vision of the future. I just knew that I wanted to do this and see where it goes. My move back showed me that I am adaptable and that sometimes, you do have to step out. And sometimes a risk is worth it in order to get a bigger reward.

Also, it challenged me to have to step out in order to make major changes. It convinced me that no matter what the situation may be, I do have the capacity to make it, and even thrive.

ADAPTING

On getting used to Nigerian currency

I had to first of all, stop thinking in dollars. I used to convert everything into Naira, thinking everything was cheap. But the reality was that I wasn’t earning money in dollars, especially when the exchange rate changed.

I had just started working and the salary just wasn’t adding up to what I was earning in the US. In the beginning of 2017, I had to try to figure things out. I had to be a lot more economical and I realized that this was why everyone seemed to have a side hustle.

I realize that if you are doing only one thing, it’s kind of difficult to survive – and not only just surviving, but being able to afford some luxuries in life.

I feel like that’s why people have other avenues of income streams, especially if you are employed by someone else. It made me hustle more.

The currency difference made me be more economical in my purchasing choices.

Driving

I was really scared when I first started driving in Lagos. In Abuja, it was quite easier because the road was wider, but Lagos was scary. So what my parents did was to get our gate man to teach me how to drive from home to work and he taught me different routes. He drove like a Danfo driver so the driving was a bit aggressive, but he also gave me different safety tips. The next week, I drove by myself, and I was literally holding my breath because I was really wondering what I would do if something bad happened. But soon, I adapted just fine.

LEISURE

How she lets her hair down
I feel like Lagosians, out of all Nigerians like to have variety I n terms of having places to go, what to do, things to do. What I do for fun depends on my circle. Sometimes we go clubbing. I am kind of nerdy so I may just visit the museum, but I haven’t found a friend who would want to go, so I just go there myself.

I love nature, I feel like I have gone to the Lekki conservation center too many times. I love travelling – I’m from Awka Ibom state originally, so I will just go there or go to Port Harcourt in my spare time.

I like writing, reading and watching movies. My husband likes to play football so I will go and watch him play sometimes. I also like to do fun fitness classes and activities

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

On what advice she would give young women who want to own their own businesses

I am still at the inception stage of my business, so I try to have extra money saved up so that I can withstand not having money for a long time.

I have a partner so we work as a team. It is challenging when you first start out for sure. Even if you are working, you keep asking yourself, “where am I gonna get the time and the money to grow this business and also get clientele?”

My advice would be for you to just take on what you can handle and try to do it to the best of your ability. Do your works so well that people would be so impressed by the the standard and quality of your work , that they will keep coming back to you.

You also need to network. You have to get to know people and show them what you are capable of. Sometimes it may take offering services for free or discounted rates so that they can know who you are and see what you can offer, and then you can go from there.

CULTURE

Her thoughts on being a Black, African woman in Nigeria Vs. in America

Being a Nigerian woman in the US, I was relating with more White people, so I didn’t necessarily have an African experience – I had more of a Black American experience.

I would say that one of the major differences is that in the US, no one was really asking me about my personal life except my parents. There wasn’t that much pressure socially. But when I moved to Nigeria, there was a huge difference. I found that people just wanted to pry into your personal life, and I’m like “why are we having these conversations? Why am I being treated differently when I am single compared to when I’m married?”

When I got married, I was getting questions like “When are you having a child?” It was very weird that people that are not close to you are coming to you to ask such a question.

Certain words and actions people expressed when I first moved back to Nigeria, made me feel like women were not valued in the society.

Advice on moving back to Nigeria

Do your research, we are fortunate to have Internet access and you have Google. Also, reach out to people who have moved back. Visit before moving back.
Your mindset would determine how this goes for you. In addition to having a positive outlook, you also have to be quite open to possibilities.
Have fun. Try and enjoy it. Meet and mingle with people you probably normally wouldn’t interact with. Live in the moment.

Connect with Didi on social media (@afrocurlitan):

Youtube

Twitter

Instagram

The post How Didi Ajayi’s Move Back to Nigeria from America Changed Her Life Forever appeared first on Queen moremi.

Supernatural Encounters With Jesus: Anxiety Healing

moremi — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:35:00 +0000

As the year 2025 rolled in, I noticed I had begun to feel a mind-numbing anxiety.

And it wasn’t anxiety stemming from anticipation about the new year and what it might bring. No. This felt… different. It felt like I was wandering through a lonely airport, dragging heavy baggage that didn’t even belong to me.

These feelings were strange, especially because, in reality, I wasn’t worried or anxious about anything at all.

I felt this way for days on end—racing heart, light-headedness, gasping for breath intermittently throughout each day, and a gnawing sense of foreboding.

On one of those days, I was randomly watching YouTube when a sermon popped up. During the sermon, the pastor said, “There are some of you in this room, and you’re feeling anxiety that is not yours.” And I was like, “Wow, that’s me!

That night, I spoke to God about this misappropriated anxiety. And He spoke back. I had a dream.

In the dream, I saw myself getting ready for my morning road walks, just as I usually do in real life. I have a routine where, as I’m putting on my workout clothes, I ask my Google Nest to play my favorite upbeat song to help boost my energy for the long walk ahead. “Hey Google, play… by…”

Then I heard the Holy Spirit say:

“This particular song is the root cause of your anxiety. There’s a specific drum pattern in the song that is affecting your mind. The singer actually has no idea what impact the song’s composition and lyrics are having—because she didn’t write or produce it. They just gave it to her, and she sang it.”

When I woke up the next morning, I resolved never to play that song again. Not only that—I completely purged my workout playlist of all songs of that nature. And from that moment, the anxiety completely disappeared.

This experience taught me the importance of guarding my ear gates. What we hear has a profound impact on us. So be careful what you expose your ears to – it just could be the cause, or contributor of some feelings of unease you may be experiencing.

The post Supernatural Encounters With Jesus: Anxiety Healing appeared first on Queen moremi.

Brenda Palmer: The Journey of Yes, Radical Obedience & Finding Peace After Letting Go

moremi — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:38:47 +0000

When we first reached out to Brenda Palmer for an interview, I genuinely didn’t expect a response. Brenda has her hands in so many pies that we assumed it would be a stretch for her to even consider adding us to her already packed schedule. She’s a renowned preacher, producer, podcaster, and author, with a footprint on countless impactful projects and major stages. But in the midst of all that, she still made space for us.

There’s a saying that you should never meet people you’ve always admired from afar—but that couldn’t be further from the truth with Brenda. What you see is truly what you get. That resolute yet warm, honest, and humble spirit isn’t some carefully curated persona for the ‘gram—it’s who she actually is. We chatted over Zoom like old friends; she was disarmingly down-to-earth and present.

Brenda’s influence doesn’t come from her follower count or professional titles—it comes from the undeniable weight of her obedience to God. Her “yes.”

In this interview, I spoke with Brenda about her newly released book, The Journey of Yes: The Everyday Adventure of Radical Obedience, and the rollercoaster of surrender that’s marked her walk with God.

When you’re a preacher’s kid, there is an expectation that you have to do everything perfectly. Your parents are pastors, everybody’s eyes are on you. What was that like growing up and how did you manage those expectations?

I feel like I didn’t have as much of that. My parents were pastors and always served in some level of leadership even before they were pastors. But my parents’ church was smaller, so I did a lot of work. I served a lot. I was the oldest kid in the church.So, I don’t really feel like I always had that pressure. If I did, I didn’t really pay attention to it.

My parents were not always saved. So, they didn’t keep up with any facade. They are really down-to-earth.And I feel like I had a lot more freedom than most preachers’ kids. For instance, if I played sports growing up, I couldn’t miss church consecutively. But like if I had a game every now and then, then my dad would be like, “no, like go play.”

I think they fought for me to have a normal life because they recognized that they chose ministry. I didn’t. And so, I think they were really good at balancing that for me most of the time.

I think the tension for me came where I had to always share my parents. I didn’t get a lot of time with them because they were always serving.And I think not wanting to go into ministry was just because it consumed so much of our lives.

My parents never pressured me to go into ministry, and I’m really grateful for that because that kind of pressure has damaged a lot of people.

Do you think that not being pressured to go into ministry was instrumental to naturally arriving at your “Yes” to God?

I think so. I never really thought about it that way. Although my parents never told me “you need to be a pastor,” I think there was implicit pressure. For instance, I come from a blended family, and I’m the youngest of 10 siblings. Of the 10, I’m the only child they have together.

So I do think there’s a certain level of pressure that comes with that. I’m the child they had once they were saved. And so it’s like there is this unspoken but understood pressure, like “you’re the ‘good’ one, you need to hold it down, right?” I do think that played a role in my decision about whether or not I wanted to say yes to God, because it was my own decision.

I think at age 18, I definitely experienced a level of burnout because ministry was basically our life. It felt like we lived at the church. It was a small church, and they had a grocery store, a community center, and other facilities that fostered a close-knit environment.

We were always at the church. And at a certain point, I was like, “I’m tired of this.” And so I think by the time I turned 18, I was like, “Nah, y’all I can’t do it no more.”

So, I got a job in retail so I could work on Sundays because I was totally over it.I do think having the freedom and not feeling forced did give me the ability to take my own journey.

Ultimately, God was like “you’ll end up where you are supposed to be.” I’m grateful I got to experience a life outside just being completely focused on ministry because I think I value it more.

Let’s talk more about your journey of saying yes to God. Some people are dreamers, others see visions, and some people are more intuitive. How does He speak to you?

God uses my intuition. I have a knowing, and a sensing. Like I will sense that God is saying something and then kind of lean into that. I probably dream, but dreams are not a huge way I hear from God. The Lord will use dreams when there is a dire situation, and he’s like, “I need you to pay attention to this.” In those instances, I’ll get a dream and it’ll be very specific and very undeniable.

But for the most part, I think I get a sense of knowing and I noticed this is from God because it’s so far outside of my natural abilities. I think I’m naturally intuitive, and then I think the Lord just uses that and it’s heightened when it relates to spiritual decisions and stuff.

Let’s take it back to when you left your dream career to follow an unknown future. What headspace were you in at the time?

Well, I’ve had to do that a couple of times. I guess the first time I would say this happened was at the height of my career taking off.

So, I was living in LA, I was at the time working in production at The Potter’s House ONE LA, on a contract basis.

While working at TP as a producer, I started a production company and I took on a contract to produce a show with a popular political correspondent named Angela Rye. And it was during the 2020 elections and we created a show. We got Snoop Dogg to vote for the first time and we filmed it. I felt like I was finally entering a space of like, “OK, this is what I moved to LA for…and things are taking off.”

And then little by little, God started to remove me from those things. I left TBN, and took on a full-time job at ONE while still running a production company and producing The Same Room. And then we started In the Room.

When I took on the full-time position at ONE, I heard God say six months. And I was like, “no, he couldn’t possibly be saying that. Like this is my church. Like this makes sense.” I moved into a new apartment and in six months, I started to feel the transition.

I didn’t know where God was going to lead me. I thought I was going to move to Nashville because I really like Nashville and I went to visit Nashville and the Lord was like, “who told you that you were moving here? And I was like, “well, I thought like, this makes sense, right?”

And I ended up going on a fast and praying for the month of March with Stephanie. And we both had a conviction that at the end of the 30 days, God would make things clear.

At the end of the month on March 30th, I got a random LinkedIn message from a pastor I had never heard of, from a place I had never heard of. And he just says, “hey, I know this is a one in a million chance that you’ll respond to this. But we’re in the process of expanding our senior leadership team and kind of want to know if you or anybody you know is looking for their next.”

It was March 30th and I was like, “this is too random to be random.”

At the same time, I’m reading the message, Stephanie is calling me, asking me random questions. She’s just like, “how would you feel about leaving production and being a small groups pastor?” It was the weirdest combination of things happening.

For me, when we talk about hearing from the Lord in this instance, it’s like I was anticipating for God to respond to something that I feel like he placed in my heart. I got that message on LinkedIN, and then Stephanie asked a related question simultaneously, asking about being a small groups pastor.

Essentially, God had spoken through Stephanie, expressing his will to raise me as a pastor. But at the time, I didn’t know that fully.But it made me pay attention to it because random things like that don’t just happen to me. And so, I’m like, “OK, what are we going to do?” And I went to visit that church for Easter weekend. And when I got there, it was predominantly white.

And I was like, “what’s going on here?” And God’s like, this is where I’m sending you. And so, I got into the interview process, while asking the Lord what we would do. It was a very long interview process. It went on from like April, and I didn’t start the job until June.

From there, well, I watched God’s will unfold.

You asked me where my heart was, and what my thought process was like at the time? Honestly, I wasn’t excited. I didn’t understand why the Lord would move me from LA at the height of my career taking off, to what seemed like oblivion.

I didn’t know anybody. Logically, it didn’t make sense. And to top it all off, God gave the clear instruction “that when you move, leave LA in LA.”

‘Cos anybody who knows me knows that the typical me would move to that church, and every weekend, I would still be in LA taking jobs, because I’m not the kind of person who does one thing at a time.

I had thought about a strategy in my mind. I’m like, “OK, so it’s only a two-hour drive back to LA, I could take out some days to visit.” But God was like, NO. Leave LA in LA.

So, I had to walk away from The Same Room. My production company also became inactive.

Whenever I had doubts, God would give me signs that I was walking the right path. For instance, I was on vacation and randomly, Pastor Toure Roberts (PT) called me. He’s like, “Hey, I just want to check in.” I’m like, that’s random. And then he’s like “let’s FaceTime.” I’m like, “oh, this is crazy.” And it was the day after I had the final interview for the job.

I was a bit ambivalent about the opportunity and didn’t want to have too many expectations. So, my attitude was like, well Lord, we’ll see. And the Lord was like “No, we ain’t going to see. This is what you’re going to do.”

Five days later, I spoke with PT again, and this time, I’m crying. It was hard to walk away from ONE LA – they are my family. They are the only community I had for the most part in LA. So, it was difficult to have a conversation about why I was leaving. I felt like, “Hey, I don’t want to do this, but I feel like this is what the Lord is telling me to do.”

Then PT said something that I repeat all the time:

“Your calling is not a conference call. And if this is what you feel like the Lord is saying to you, then you’ve got to lean into it.”

He was extremely supportive, despite the fact that he would be taking a loss by losing me as a member of the team. I ran production during this period – from the pandemic all the way through to 2021 until I left.

PT said something else I’ll never forget: “This is always home. If it doesn’t work out, you can always come back.” And even throughout the journey, he was still pastoring me while I was at Centerpoint. If I called him or needed anything, he was always present.

That gave me some solace and reaffirmation that this direction was from God.

I took the job in June of that year, and by September, I preached my first sermon. And after preaching my first sermon, they added me to the teaching team. And so, preaching became like a normal part of my job, even though that wasn’t supposed to be my job. And so, the entire time, I thought the church was the assignment that the Lord was sending me to steward. But I later realized that he was using that place to reveal who I was.

Sometimes, God has to move you to a place that will place a demand on things that are in you that you have no idea you had. Because where I was serving previously didn’t have a need for “Brenda the pastor” or “Brenda the preacher.”

I was serving in production. That was the need.

God spoke to me, telling me he had to move me to a place to cultivate and call out of me, the things that I had been running from. And so, when I moved there, I made a decision that I was just going to say, yes. I wasn’t going to run.

I had no idea what that meant at the time, but I decided that whatever the Lord asked me to do, I would lean into it. And it turned out to be preaching. And then later it was going to be pastoring. And then the Lord was like, let’s go again. And I’m like, alright.

What did your friends think about this move? Were they like ‘OK, what are you doing?’ Or were they used to you doing this sort of thing?

I don’t think they were used to it, but I think even if my friends don’t quite understand, there’s a support we all have for each other to follow the Lord. They’ve witnessed my journey from the beginning. My friends have seen me running a production company, being a producer, to being a full-on preacher.

And I think like the Lord always uses Stephanie in my journeys of yes to be a point of confirmation at some level. Before I take the step, she’s going to confirm it. And she’s typically a person I lean on when I’m going like, “OK, this is what I think the Lord is saying.

Here’s what I think I’m going to do.” And she’ll usually be like, “girl, what? you need to go check again.” Or she’s like, “I sense that. It agrees with my spirit as well.”

So, yeah, I think my friends have been really supportive in all of my journeys of yes. Whether it’s like, “OK, you can stay here” or “I have a house in Atlanta. You can go stay there.”

They have been absolute lifeboats. When I would jump into the water and I didn’t know if I could swim, my friends would undergird my journey. Even if they don’t understand it sometimes, they’ve always been present and showing up.

In line with radical obedience, let’s talk about that time that you renounced your sorority membership. I saw all that controversy online and the backlash. How did you cope with that?

Yeah, so oddly enough, I was on an interview like this, for someone’s podcast. And I feel like that week God kept trying to get my attention, and I’m really observant about how the Lord speaks to me.

If there is a particular thing that keeps coming up in different conversations randomly, I’m like, “OK, I think the Lord is after something.” And this particular week, that’s what was happening.

Earlier that week, I was leading a leadership roundup for black voices who are a part of Circuit Riders organization, and they were giving testimonies about their college tours. And one of the testimonies given was from this girl whose mom and dad were in the Greek sorority/fraternity system, and she felt like God was telling her not to be a part of that life.

So, she made a decision not to pledge. As a result, her family basically cut her off. They were like, “only call us for emergencies.” And I’m like, nothing is that serious. That’s crazy! I didn’t think too deeply about it.

So that happened on a Monday. Fast forward to Friday, in that same week, I’m doing this interview, and the woman that’s interviewing me brings up an issue about denouncing or renouncing the sorority she’s a part of. And I got irritated immediately because we were talking about something totally different, and it seemed like such a random topic to bring up.

It was weird because in the process of her asking me about my journey, I almost mentioned that I was in a sorority and in college, God was asking me to walk away and I didn’t. And I don’t know why that was coming up because I never tell that story.

I think even when I publicly renounced my membership, people were like, “we didn’t even know Brenda was Greek.” Because it wasn’t something I talked about all the time, partially because I knew there was so much back and forth about, “can you be a believer and be Greek?” And I didn’t want to be in those conversations. I didn’t feel like I did anything to go against God, but at the same time, I didn’t want to talk about it. So, I never really mentioned I was Greek.

She relentlessly kept bringing up the topic. I don’t think she brought it up as many times as I heard it. But while she was talking, I started saying, “OK, God, what are you after? Like, why is this making me feel this way? Why does this keep coming up?” When we finished the conversation, I asked her what sorority she was a part of. In response, she mentioned that she was a Delta. And I was like, “oh, I’m a Delta.” And she was like, “oh, no, I’m going to send you a podcast.”

She then proceeded to divulge details about the demonic nature of pledging.

She said, “I literally asked an ex witch to read the rituals and the witch said there were commonalities and things that were in her ritual book…” She further disclosed that some pledge verbiage and wordings in the ritual book were verbatim. And I was shocked.

So, then I asked her to send me the podcast. She then mentioned that in addition to sending the podcast, she would also send me a renouncement letter already typed out, and all I would have to do is put my name on it. She’s like, “because we’ve got to get you out of there.” And I was like, “OK, cool.”

I never intended to listen to that podcast because I was thinking to myself, “it’s not that deep.” However, I was leaving the mall one day and the Lord was like, “put the podcast on.” So, I play the podcast while driving home.

About 20 minutes in, I was bawling because there were a lot of things about my pledge process that I couldn’t remember. For instance, I didn’t remember the oath or what we did in the Jewel Nights. So, I didn’t really have a lot of recollection of what I participated in. And Stephanie was the same way. We would talk about our processes all the time, but I just couldn’t remember the rituals.

At first, I was like, well, maybe it’s the Lord wiping it from our memory. But eventually, I realized that it was the enemy keeping it from us. After listening to the podcast, I wrote the renouncement letter, and sent it as soon as I got the chance to.

I repented, and it was crazy because as soon as I came out of covenant with it, God started revealing so much. I started remembering things I said and things I did. Every time I remembered, I would start crying. I was laying on the couch one day watching a sermon by James Aladirin. He was preaching about altars and covenants, and I fell asleep while watching it.

Then I had a dream. I had a vision of my grandfather – it was like a black and white picture – and he had on a uniform, which I would later find out was his “Shriners” uniform. I found out that my grandfather was a Mason.

Afterwards, I called my parents and asked them if my father was a Free Mason. I described the picture I had seen in my dream. And to my surprise, as I was describing the picture, my mom finished the sentence, describing the exact picture I had seen in the dream.

My dad also confirmed, stating that my grandfather was a 32nd degree Mason, which was one step from becoming a Shriner, which is almost the highest degree of masonry. There are only 33 levels in Freemasonry, and he was at the 32nd degree. After that revelation, so many things began to happen in my family. My dad randomly had a stroke. Then he overcame cancer.

I have a brother who has the same name as my father and my grandfather. And right before he stepped into his career, he had a failure of health, which nobody could explain. And I’m like, “hey, guys, I think there are some things here in our bloodline that we need to reverse.”

Also, I began to pay attention to every woman in my family – like, immediate family, sisters and aunts, and I uncovered a pattern – either they were divorced or single. There is not one sister or, like, female in my family that is married.

Steph and I say all the time: If there’s a pattern, there’s an altar somewhere. And and the moment God started revealing more things, my dad started having issues with his eyes and I’m like, this is demonic.

During the timeframe that we had begun to start seeing patterns that were running in our bloodline, all these weird things started to happen. My dad’s vision suddenly began to fail as well. I told my family that we could not pretend like this were all surface level incidents.

I soon came to a realization that these sororities, fraternities and the like, had more to them than was being portrayed. Why are these organizations strategically planted when we are college-aged? It’s because you’re in adulthood, and it’s the first major decision you make and usually at that stage, most people are not spiritually mature enough to ask questions.

The Greeks are the most lively people in the yard and you just want to be in a group that looks cool you know? Everyone wants to be outside having fun.

But nobody’s thinking like, “well, why are we actually doing this other stuff like taking off our shoes and going through a purification process before we kneel, and things like that? If all of this is normal, why is it secret?”

So, for me, renouncing my membership from the sorority was a step of obedience because it was what the Lord was asking me to do. This experience made me realize that we had all been deceived, and I felt like people needed to know the truth. So, I spoke boldly about it on a podcast.

And I think like I was a little jarred not by the backlash, but where the backlash came from. Don’t get me wrong. I expected to be fighting because I exist between faith and culture.

So, I expected to have a lot of conversations about my stance with my friends from the culture. Interestingly, they were actually the most understanding. Not everyone was accepting of my perspective, but they were understanding.

They were like, “I don’t know if I agree with that, but I feel you. You know what I’m saying?”

Oddly, I felt like I was fighting with the church on this matter, and it just did not make sense to me that most of the backlash came from the church. I mean they were doing opinion articles, podcast videos… it was just a lot.

In addition to the overt attacks, there was implicit condemnation as well. I noticed that people I had really good relationships with were kind of distancing themselves from me. And I recognize that it was also an attack from the enemy, because the entire time I was going through that, I was writing this book.

Due to the controversy, I was in the middle of regretting steps of obedience. But then, I was writing a book about how important it is to be obedient. It was a challenging time. I was like “Lord, I feel like you told me to do this. Now people are dragging me.” It was tough.

I was confused about why the backlash was so intense, as I was not the first person to have ever publicly renounced membership from a Greek society. Why was this going viral? I guess it was because I appeared to be a “pastor” who was speaking so publicly about the issue. So people were like, “I’m so glad that pastors are finally speaking out about this.”

In response to this notion, I was like, “first of all, I’m not a pastor, and if that’s why y’all are blowing this up, y’all should stop, right? During that period, I would see pastors do Instagram live sessions, expressing opinions along the lines of “oh it’s not that deep. You have a liberty. It’s not demonic.” Well, yes, it is.

Some of the Greek gods that are attached to these organizations are listed in scripture as idols that the Lord was not happy about his people serving. The scripture says that all things are from the Lord, to the Lord and for the Lord, for his glory. Now just ask yourself: Do things you do in these organizations edify God? Does this lead people to Jesus?

Do y’all think it’s a coincidence that pastors and bishops and leaders are engaged in these things? No, that’s intentional. Satan didn’t have to disrupt the church because most of us were in covenants with Satan unknowingly.

And there were just things that the Lord did not walk me into, even spiritually, because of that. Because God honors covenant, whether it’s with him or against him, He honors covenant. There are some things I didn’t experience until I came out of the covenant.

I think the Lord used that situation to also deal with idolatry in my heart. He’s like, “you’re cool with being obedient, but are you only cool with being obedient if everybody’s OK with it? How about the times when your obedience may cause backlash?”

Often times, we’ll say, “God told me to do this,” but we don’t actually believe it was God until someone else affirms it. But what if no one affirms that step of obedience? Does that mean it wasn’t God just because they didn’t understand it? Or can you trust that it was God—because you have a relationship with Him, you know His voice, and you’re learning to lean into it?

Something I always say is: People aren’t always going to get it. But just let your fruit speak.

That’s what you’ll find in the book. You’ll see me taking a lot of steps that, at the time, didn’t make sense to people. But later, they look back and say, “Oh, okay… we get it now. That was the Lord. Got it.”

For women who wish to say “Yes” to God, but feel overwhelmed about the idea, what are some small daily steps of obedience they can take, as they learn to lean on God?

I think the journey of yes is often portrayed as these big, massive steps—but really, it starts in your everyday life.

It starts with the simplest things. And honestly, I’d say those steps are radical too, because they go against what you’d normally do. Like something as small as paying for the coffee of the person behind you, even when you’ve got a million things to do and you’re thinking, “I don’t have time for this. I’ve already been waiting in this coffee shop forever.” But you pause, and you buy their coffee anyway—because who knows? Maybe they’ve felt unseen. Maybe they’re fighting for their life. And in that moment, God wants to use you to show up and demonstrate His love.

Sometimes we get overwhelmed because we think obedience has to look like something huge—like moving across the country, or starting a ministry, or preaching the gospel online. And sure, sometimes it’s that. But sometimes it’s just waking up and reading your Bible. That alone is an everyday adventure of radical obedience—because let’s be real, you want to grab your phone and scroll Instagram the moment you wake up. Yet today, you chose differently.

For me, the everyday adventure of radical obedience looks like waking up and asking, “God, what do you want me to do today? How can I live surrendered today?” And sometimes, it’s as simple as not clapping back when someone gets on your nerves. Just choosing to be quiet. That’s radical obedience too. That takes a lot of restraint. That’s a whole, “OK, Lord.”

What I hope you’ll see in the Journey of Yes is that—yes—sometimes it involves these big, bold moves. But God only trusts me with those because I’ve said yes in the little things. Like choosing not to go somewhere. Or choosing to forgive. I think a lot of us can start right there—just choosing to forgive the person who hurt us, and loving them the way God loves us.

In this season, for me, it has looked like having tough conversations. Figuring out why people are upset with me. Pursuing peace. Apologizing for things I didn’t even do—just because that’s what the Lord is asking of me.

That’s the journey of yes.

Even today, I have another podcast interview, and there’s something the Lord wants me to share. And I’m like, “I don’t want to talk about that. That’s my business.” And He’s like, “Great. Love that. Now it’s going to be our business. And I’m going to use it to set someone free.”

So, I think we’ve got to let go of the misconception that saying yes to God only looks like these huge leaps into the unknown. More often, it’s just waking up and choosing to say yes—in whatever way He leads.

Tell us more about your book, ‘The Journey of Yes.’ Who is it for? Is it for people who are already saved? Or is it for everyone?

I think the book is for everybody—like, that’s my heart. It’s funny because the publisher was like, “You can’t use the word ‘radical.’ People aren’t going to like that word.” And I was like, “I don’t care. That’s what it is.”

I think we’ve got to stop baiting and switching people—that’s the real issue. We sell them this cookie-cutter version of faith, and then they step into it and realize, “Wait, this is hard.” And I’m like, “Yes! Open the first page of this book and be like, ‘What is this?!’” Because we’ve got to stop sugarcoating the reality of walking with God.

So, I think this book is for anyone who’s trying to figure life out. Anybody who’s in that “What’s next?” season—which honestly, is all of us. What’s next for today? For my life? For my relationships?

Whether you’re saved or not, the beginning of the book starts with “How do I hear the voice of God?” Because I use that language a lot throughout—like “I heard God say…” So, I walk through the story of Samuel hearing God’s voice for the first time, and I break down practical ways we can become more aware of how God speaks—because He speaks to all of us.

I really think this book is for someone in transition. Maybe you just finished college and you’re wondering what’s next. Maybe you feel like God’s calling you to move, but you have no idea how to take that first step. You’ll see a lot of that in the book. And for someone who just said yes to Jesus and has no idea what that means or looks like—it might feel a little jarring at first. You might be like, “Wait… He’s going to ask me to do what?” But that’s real.

Even something as simple as starting my podcast—it felt like just a creative idea. But God used it to heal me, to deliver me from things I had never shared with anyone. I thought I was doing it to help someone else, and God used it to uproot stuff that had been dormant in my heart for years.

So, if you’re asking, “What does this journey of yes actually look like?” or “I just chose to follow the Lord—what now?”—this book is for you. Whether you’re a new believer, someone still figuring out what you believe, or someone who just wants a glimpse into what life with Jesus really looks like—I believe this book meets you there.

Honestly, I think anyone who takes the risk of picking it up will find something they need in it.

Can you talk about your passion for suicide awareness and prevention? Did this passion stem from any personal experiences?

Yeah, so I do have a personal story—I talk about it in the book. I moved to LA right after experiencing a deep betrayal from my pastor back when I lived in Chicago. And the way I dealt with it? Honestly, not well.

I’m getting better at it now, but I’ve always had a tendency to internalize things—often for the sake of protecting other people, but at the expense of myself. Like, “If someone else knew about this, what would it do to them?” So instead, I’d just carry it. But that ended up costing me my own sanity and mental health.

Because I internalized so much, there were a lot of things I never actually dealt with. And once I moved to LA, I started getting triggered. Reality began to set in—people had made their decision, and I had to start my life over. I hated that. I was angry. Really angry. I damaged a lot of relationships just because I didn’t know how to process the pain and hurt that I was carrying.

By 2019—about a year after everything happened—I fell into a depression so deep I didn’t even realize I had been lying in bed for five days straight. I had a roommate at the time—she’s one of my best friends now—and she knocked on my door every single day.

What I now have the language to describe is something called passive suicidal ideation. It’s that feeling of having nothing to live for, so you just stop living. I think if it had gone on much longer, it could have led me to take my life. I’d never felt so hopeless.

And because the hurt was tied to church, there was a part of me that felt like, “God, you left me out here.” Like, I made it through all of that… but now what? I was picking up the pieces. I couldn’t find a job. I was struggling. It just didn’t make sense. I had given up hope.

But my roommate didn’t stop knocking.

Eventually, I came to myself. I realized I’d been in that bed for five days, and I was like, “this is wild.” She was like, “Hey, you want to come out and watch TV?” Just something simple. “Whatever you gotta do—just come out of this room.” So, I took a shower, finally, and came out. We sat on the couch. Then she said, “You want to get ice cream?” I said, “Sure.” So we went to get ice cream. Then she’s like, “Wanna go walk around the lake?” I was like, “Okay.”

And the moment we got to the water, I just broke down. I started crying and finally letting out everything I had been holding in.

Looking back now, I obviously see it was my friend knocking, but that’s exactly how the Lord pursues us. And I carry a burden for that—especially for creatives. Because I think so many of us find our value in what we do. And when we don’t have the opportunity to do, we start to question whether life is even worth living. Like, “who am I apart from that?”

But one of my passions is to help people see the truth: The fact that you have breath in your body means your life already matters. Your mere existence is a contribution to this world. Even if you never do another “big” thing—just waking up and breathing is enough of an offering.

So, whatever I can do to amplify that message, I will. Because I’ve been the person who suffered silently, who didn’t have words to articulate what I was feeling. And now that I’ve started being vocal about it, I’ve seen how it gives other people permission to do the same.

There’s this misconception sometimes that because I’m a person of faith, I don’t struggle.

But that’s just not true. The gift of faith isn’t that I don’t struggle—it’s that I don’t have to struggle alone. Faith means I get to invite God into it. But that doesn’t mean the pain disappears.

It’s really a part of my mission—because I genuinely care. Whenever I hear about someone dying by suicide, it breaks my heart. I think, man, they must’ve felt like they didn’t have anyone they could talk to—anyone who could yank them out of that place.

And the truth is, sometimes suicide starts as a seed—planted by the enemy—that tells you your life isn’t worth living. If you sit with that seed long enough, if you meditate on that lie, you can end up making a decision that’s completely outside of who you truly are.

So, whatever I can do—however I can encourage someone—I want to say: There is so much better on the other side if you just hold on. Don’t give up in the fight.

I’ve been through so much, and I look back now and think, I almost didn’t live to see this. I almost didn’t live to see this book come to life and be released into the world. And that thought wrecks me in the best way.

So, every time I get to live a moment like this, I’m just like, Thank you, God. Thank you that I get to be here to see it.

Tell us more about your other activities, and how readers can keep up with you

Yeah, for sure. So, I have an initiative called Come Alive Collective, and it is really about creating spaces where people can encounter the Lord and build authentic community. It’s been beautiful to see how it’s all unfolding.

We meet every Monday. There’s also a virtual community that gathers a bit earlier—mainly because they’re on the East Coast or in other countries. I’m based in LA and we meet at 7:30pm PST, which, let’s be honest, is when most people in other time zones are already asleep. But we stream it on YouTube, so anyone can join.

If you go to Come Alive Collective on Instagram, there’s a sign-up link for the virtual group. That side of the community is led by three amazing leaders I’ve had the privilege of raising up. They rotate leadership, set monthly themes, and really just hold it down. It’s incredible to watch them thrive.

As for the in-person Bible study, I host that here in LA on Monday nights, and we also stream those sessions on my YouTube channel at I Am Brenda Palmer. We leave the replays up each week, and it’s been such a gift. So yeah—that’s happening weekly until the Lord says otherwise.

As for the podcast… I’ve been on a break focusing on all things book, I wasn’t sure about returning to podcasting. Life is full—like, I have 10,000 things going and I’ve been seeking the Lord on whether it’s something to return to or pause. I know nobody wants to hear that, but I really want to be sensitive to what God is saying about the podcast. I am excited to say we’re gearing up to shoot season 8 of “Life in Perspective.

__________

To get copies of Brenda Palmer’s The Journey of Yes: The Everyday Adventure of Radical Obedience, visit iambrendapalmer.com

The post Brenda Palmer: The Journey of Yes, Radical Obedience & Finding Peace After Letting Go appeared first on Queen moremi.

Modest Style Moments That Shined at the Tony Awards 2025

moremi — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 02:59:09 +0000

When it comes to red carpet fashion, the Tony Awards are known for celebrating creativity, elegance, and a touch of Broadway flair.

But this year, we were especially inspired by the women who graced the carpet with modesty, confidence, and style that didn’t compromise their values. In a world that often equates glamour with revealing, these stunning looks proved that you can be both fashion-forward and faith-filled.

Whether you’re dressing for church, a wedding, or simply seeking inspiration for your next elevated look, these modest fashion moments from the Tonys are worth bookmarking. Let’s celebrate style that honors both beauty and grace. Here are fave looks from the Tony Awards 2025 red carpet:

Award-winning actress and singer Michelle Williams exuded timeless elegance in a floor-length Bibhu Mohapatra dress. The sleek silhouette, subtle draping, and refined detailing elevated the look, while the rich fabric and impeccable tailoring made it a true red carpet standout. Williams proved that understated glamour can still steal the spotlight.

Danielle Brooks looked absolutely stunning in this outfit. Everyone is posting this photo but no one seems to be crediting the designer for some reason? Anyways, Danielle girl, we love you in this outfit

Audra McDonald brought regal sophistication to the 2025 Tony Awards in a custom Christian Siriano gown that beautifully balanced drama and modesty. The look featured a sculptural black sequin bodice with elegant coverage and architectural shoulder detailing, adding modern edge without revealing too much. A sweeping purple train flowed gracefully from the hip, offering a dramatic yet refined touch that stayed true to her signature poise. With her hair styled in a sleek braid and minimal jewelry completing the ensemble, McDonald proved that modest fashion can be both powerful and breathtaking on the red carpet.

The post Modest Style Moments That Shined at the Tony Awards 2025 appeared first on Queen moremi.

God Is Backing Your Story: A Prophecy for a Woman in Media Entering Film

moremi — Fri, 30 May 2025 10:04:29 +0000

Hey fam, a prophecy just dropped today, and it’s such a sweet one.

There’s a well-known Nigerian woman—she’s the founder of a media platform we all know and love—who’s stepping into the world of filmmaking for the first time.

The movie she’s working on? A feel-good love story with the kind of warm, fuzzy vibes that remind you of Christmas in Lagos. We don’t know all the details yet (it’s still pretty hush-hush), but there’s definitely an “if you know, you know”energy around it.

It also seems like she might be keeping her name low-key on the project for now. Maybe it’s nerves. Maybe she’s waiting for the right time. Either way, sis—if this word is for you—we just want to say: God’s got you.

We’re rooting for your success, and if you’re facing any doubt or confusion about any part of the process, may the Holy Spirit flood you with clarity, peace, and divine inspiration. You’re not just telling a story—you’re walking in purpose. It’s a prophecy God spoke, so it will come to pass.

Go forth and create.

The post God Is Backing Your Story: A Prophecy for a Woman in Media Entering Film appeared first on Queen moremi.

A Healing Miracle, Finding an Amazing Husband & Evolving in Christ: Oyinda Sanwoolu Shares Testimonies of God’s Love

moremi — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 01:42:58 +0000

God can do amazing things in our lives if we let go and let Him lead the way. Lawyer, HR professional, and serial entrepreneur, Oyindamola Sanwoolu, shares her faith journey with us, as she reveals how her walk with Christ has transformed and renewed her life over time.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, her story reminds us that “balance for better” is more than just a catch phrase. Damola reminds us that when we balance our faith in God with our human expectations, a beautiful thing happens – God takes the wheel and gives our situation a total makeover, and in the end, we are better for it.

When and how did you first gain an awareness about God?
I was born into a Christian home so I have always been aware of God. As a child, I had the sort of relationship that is expected of a child – I loved Bible club, the Christian videos etc.

My teenage years were a bit of a blur as I suffered a loss that disconnected me from the reality of God. So, I always knew God was there, but if we were going to have a personal relationship, He was going to have to catch my attention big time – I wanted my burning bush experience!

In 2011, I was to undergo a surgical procedure and I said to God, now is your time to show me who you are. I was radical about it, I didn’t know how He was going to do it , but I wasn’t having any surgery. A few months down the line, I travelled to the UK to have the procedeure. Two days before the scheduled surgery date, I had a routine consultation with the doctor where he talked me through the procedure and any questions I had ( my main concern was anaesthesia – what if I didn’t wake up!). Anyway, after the consultation, the Doctor looked at me and said he didn’t think undergoing the procedure was necessary any longer and cancelled. He cancelled the scheduled surgery!

That day was it for me. I was, and still am, in awe of a God that was willing to come down to meet me right where I am. A God that will do whatever it takes to prove Himself to you.

How has your journey with God been since then?
Have you ever heard the phrase “walk with Jesus and you will never walk alone”? This is what it has been for me. It hasn’t been the easiest or smoothest of rides and there have definitely been times that have caused to momentarily question my faith. But as I have continue to strive to grow as a Christian, God has consistently shown Himself to be an amazing father and friend – I have found joy in the midst of pain, stumbled on love in some very dark places and gained the confidence to be myself.

As a Nigerian millennial woman, were you ever influenced by societal pressure to get married by a certain age?
In my teenage years, I had it all worked out – get married at 24 and have 4 kids by 30. This was just what I assumed the natural progression of life was. This didn’t happen. I wasn’t even married by my 30^thbirthday. At about 25/26 most of my friends were getting married and having babies, there was definitely some pressure there but it wasn’t something I let influence me.

You recently got married, congrats! How’s newlywed life treating you?
Thank you! It has been a great journey so far. As I always say “we are learning everyday”

How did you meet your husband?
We met at Church. We were both on the launch team for a youth church and leadership team after inception. One day, he asked me to coffee, I said “sure,” we went to the café… the rest as they say, is history!

In what ways did your faith in God play a role in picking your spouse?
Honestly, I did not always use faith as a guide when choosing the relationships I got into earlier. So, I always say my marital destiny was special to God’s heart because He was constantly uprooting me from the wrong relationships – one day I’m in a relationship, the next it is over. I just knew in my heart that God wanted the best for me and that my husband must be a physical representation of God’s love for me. So I was always glad for His interventions!

One day, I was having a heartfelt sincere tête-à-tête with God about why I seemed to not be making the right decisions about my relationships. And God said to me clearly, that his desire for me was a relationship where we will both complement each other’s ministries – in God’s actual words “someone who you will do ministry together”. I remember laughing out loud and saying to God, as if the pool of eligible men isn’t small enough, you are adding ministry into it.

From that moment, it became more important to me to be with a man that was not only God fearing (because we all say we are) but someone who had a genuine heart for God, that you could see from his faith, ministry and worship.

You were once engaged years ago but that relationship did not lead to marriage. Can you tell us more about that?
It just didn’t. Marriage has never been the be all or end all for me. We were not right for each other and did not see the future that I wanted with him.

How did you cope in the aftermath of that relationship?
I was actually okay with. During our engagement, I was often filled with fear and apprehension because I knew in my heart that getting married to him was not the right decision for me. So when we did break up I actually felt relieved more than heart broken. Plus, my formula is give yourself a “crying period – and then move on.

How did you find the will and courage to give love a second chance?
I always said that I will never let one person or experience rob me of a lifetime of happiness. I think hidden in me somewhere was a fairy-tale I wasn’t willing to let go of.

In what ways have you evolved as a result of these experiences, and what valuable lessons do you feel you have learned?
The one key thing I have learnt is to be intentional about relationships. Be very clear, mature and reasonable on what it is you want from a partner. Don’t just see as things go, don’t ignore red flags and don’t settle! This applies to all areas of life – be intentional!

What advice would you give to any millennial woman who may be in a relationship but is unsure if their partner is husband material?
What is “husband material” Well, according to whatever your definition is, if you there are things that are making you unsure about a man, leave. Ladies please, we are not talking about petty things but things that you know you cannot come to accept or live with. No one changes in marriage, marriage actually amplifies everything – the good, bad and ugly!

What are some practical ways you would advise newlyweds to involve God in their marriage?

Let the Bible be your reference point for everything. For me, I have chosen a verse to guide my actions and thoughts. Proverbs 14:1 – The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
Pray together, be it the simplest of prayers.
Have Godly mentors. People that will guide you truthfully and not fail to admonish you when you are wrong.

The post A Healing Miracle, Finding an Amazing Husband & Evolving in Christ: Oyinda Sanwoolu Shares Testimonies of God’s Love appeared first on Queen moremi.

Overcoming HIV: A Millennial Woman’s Story

moremi — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 04:13:41 +0000

Ci Ci and I both attended The University of Georgia,in the United States. I met her at an undergraduate sociology class. Back then, I noticed that she always had an aura of quiet resilience about her. She may not have spoken much, but when she did, she spoke assertively-yet-calmly.

I recently reconnected with her randomly thanks to Uncle Mark (Zuckerberg)with Intagram’s friend suggestions feature. I remembered her from college and so I followed her and of course, proceeded to look at all her Instagram posts.

It was while reviewing her posts that I discovered that she was HIV Positive. I was quite moved by the fact that she was sharing her story with the world with no inhibitions. I was pleased to see that her assertive and resilient spirit remained unbroken, despite her predicament. And so I reached out to her to ask if she would share her story with us, and she graciously obliged.

I hope that by sharing her story, we can raise more awareness about HIV and help to mitigate the stigma against people living with the virus. I also hope that African millennial women can become more enlightened by hearing this firsthand from a fellow millennial woman of colour.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Ciarra. ButCi Ci is who I am. I am 30 years old, and I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have been HIV-positive since I was 20 years old.

What were your childhood, teenage years, and 20s like?

My childhood was very sad and chaotic. My parents were not in a good place when I was born and this cultivated an extremely dysfunctional environment. My teenage years were depressing. I didn’t want to be here anymore. This is when my suicide attempts happened because I was just that sad. In my 20s I learned a lot about myself and my expectations of others. My faith in God grew and I began to trust Him. Life has been so much better since.

Growing up, what were your aspirations in life?

Growing up, I wanted to be a dancer. I grew up during the time of music videos. I would study all of the dances they did in the videos until I knew them by heart. I wanted to get married to my prince in shining armor and have children. I wanted to live a normal life.

Have those aspirations changed now in your adult life? If yes, in what ways?

Yes a little. Well the dancer thing went out the window. For one, I can’t dance. So now, I just dance in the house for fun. I get the same kick out of it. About the marriage thing. I’ve been married before, in my early 20s and that didn’t work out. BUT I had the child that I wanted, so it’s a win. Being married and divorced so young matured me very quickly. I see marriage differently now and I am certainly taking my time with the next one. And normal? I realized that there is no such thing. So now, I just merely aspire to be the best CiCi.

What prompted you to get tested for HIV?

I was going to the clinic for a regular check up so that I could get birth control. That was always my concern – not getting pregnant. It was never not catching HIV because it wasn’t real to me at the time. They offered the HIV test and I was like, “Sure!” This one always comes back negative. So why not?

How did you contract HIV?

From a guy that I was sleeping with while in college. I had a time where I had multiple partners, so it’s always hard to just pin it on one person. I have a pretty good idea though.

What was your initial reaction when you first found out you had the virus?

I cried.

How did you cope with the news?

Actually, me and my mom cried for three days. On the fourth day, it was like why am I crying? Obviously I had this virus a few weeks ago and I was able to smile then. So what makes it different now? Because I know? I turned my perception around and began to educate myself about it so that I could learn how to manage it moving forward. I’ve been living since.

What was your family and loved ones’ reactions?

The men in my family were ready to go find the dude who gave it to me. That would have never ended well. So I never told them who. My grandmother was in denial at first. She wanted me to keep getting tested. The relationship between my father and I was a little estranged at that time. And I hear he didn’t take the news well. But there was always support and never a moment that they didn’t love on me. We often forget that I’m living with it.

Before your diagnosis, what was your perception of people who had HIV? In what ways has that perception changed now?

My perception of someone living with HIV was that they would look a certain type way. I know it sounds crazy, but I literally thought that I would be able to tell when a penis didn’t look right. People with HIV would somehow stick out. Think of the most ignorant thought in the regard to the virus and I probably had it. O, am I humbled now! It’s crazy because now since I’m actually living with it and experiencing it, I know I have the responsibility to adjust those perceptions people have. If I thought that way, someone else probably does too.

What are some major obstacles you have faced as an individual living with HIV? How are you overcoming these challenges?

HIV is more of a psychological thing for me. On some days, I find that I’m beating myself up for something that happened over ten years ago. So I have to check myself often to make sure my thoughts are not wandering off into negative self talk. I oversaturate my mind with positive thoughts and love.

From your perspective, what are some major misconceptions about HIV?

I think that people feel that they are invincible. Like HIV can’t touch them. When I hear this, I often like to point out that HIV can be transmitted the same way that others STDs are – and many of us have had an experience (or two) with those. Another major misconception is that if you sleep with someone who has the virus then you are going to get it. That’s not necessarily true. I mean, you have to be more careful, such as getting tested regularly and ensure the person with it is properly taking their medicine. I have been undetectable for years, making it like nearly impossible for me to pass it.

You have a son that is HIV negative. Tell us more about that

Yes. My Zionis the product of my early marriage. I love him so much! I worked closely with the doctors while I was pregnant to ensure that I would be undetectable at the onset of labor. They were wonderful. His father is negative, so I was the only threat to him. But, my medicine regimen worked and I was able to give birth to him through my vagina. He did not contract the virus from me and that makes me so happy. He proved to me that I can’t be dangerous to nobody else.

You are currently in a loving relationship. Tell us more about that

I just love him. He is so, so supportive of me in everything that I do. We are like this team and it’s feels good to experience that. He has never treated me any type of way because of the virus. He’s HIV negative and has taken the time to become educated about the virus. Again, I love that man!

What’s your advice for millennial women of African descent who are currently living with the virus?

Do not give up. Follow some people on social media who are living with the virus so that you may be inspired. Life goes on and this is not a death sentence. Yes, it may change how you move but that doesn’t mean you stop. You are not alone sis, there are soooo many of us out here.

If you could turn back time, what would you do differently?

I would have loved myself earlier. It was because of this lack of self love that I was just out there doing stuff. Dumb stuff.

What advice would you give young women today about protecting themselves from the virus?

Make wise decisions, ladies. We don’t often think in moments of passion, the effects that they could have on our life. When you have sex, especially unprotected sex with someone, you are trusting them with your entire life. Looking back on the guys I entertained, I wouldn’t trust them with my dog now, you hear me? Use condoms at all times. Treat everyone as if they have HIV and aren’t taking their medicine. You know, if you are in a monogamous relationship, the rules change up a little bit. But remember again, your life is in their hands. And do you trust them like that?

***

To learn more about Ci Ci’s journey, follow her on Instagram and read her blog: Healing Is Voluntary

The post Overcoming HIV: A Millennial Woman’s Story appeared first on Queen moremi.

#WCW Coach Ndali Modebe is Impacting Lives Positively through the Louis Love Nest Foundation & Project STEAM 2024

moremi — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 22:04:08 +0000

Coach Ndali Modebe is on a Mission! Through the Louis Love Nest Foundation and Project STEAM 2024, Ndali and her team are bringing global expertise to empower communities with health, nutrition, knowledge and essential skills. From feeding over 400 children in Anambra to free STEAM training with international coaches, her integrated approach is transforming lives.

We had a chat with her about her advocacy work, and she shed some light on all the amazing work she is doing.

Enjoy!

What is iodine deficiency, and why is it considered a major public health issue worldwide?

Iodine deficiency is a significant public health issue because iodine is essential for producing thyroid hormones, which regulate growth, brain development, and metabolism. A lack of iodine can lead to developmental delays, goiter, and cognitive impairments, especially in children and pregnant women. In high-risk communities, this deficiency can prevent entire generations from reaching their full potential, impacting productivity and economic growth on a larger scale.

Can you explain how iodine deficiency affects both children and adults, and what the long-term consequences are if left untreated?

For children, especially those in their formative years, iodine deficiency can lead to severe developmental issues, including reduced cognitive ability and stunted growth. Adults may experience hypothyroidism, fatigue, and, in severe cases, heart problems. The long-term consequences can be intergenerational, perpetuating cycles of poverty and diminished health, which is why public health initiatives like salt iodization and education are crucial for prevention.

How prevalent is iodine deficiency globally, and are there specific regions or populations that are more affected?

Over two billion people globally are iodine-deficient, with many facing moderate to severe deficiency. Regions with iodine-deficient soils, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of Europe, are most affected. Rural and low-income communities are particularly at risk, where access to iodized salt and fortified foods is often limited.

What are some common symptoms or signs that someone might be iodine deficient?

A common visible symptom is goiter, or a swelling in the neck, due to thyroid gland enlargement. Other signs include fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, dry skin, and cognitive sluggishness. Because many remain asymptomatic, awareness and preventive measures, like the use of iodized salt, are essential.

What steps is your organization taking to raise awareness about iodine deficiency, especially in high-risk communities?

Coach Ndali: Through the Louis Love Nest Foundation, we’ve committed to outreach initiatives that offer both immediate relief and education. Since July, in collaboration with the Sir Sam Modebe Foundation SSMF, we’ve conducted monthly sensitization programs across Anambra, reaching between 200-300 street children monthly and feeding over 400 children in October. This outreach also targets the promotion of iodine awareness, while supplying families with nutritious food and the knowledge to incorporate iodine in their diets.

Additionally, our Project STEAM 2024 initiative has brought together over 17 international coaches from Canada, the U.S., South Africa, Ghana, and Nigeria to provide free training in STEAM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and skill acquisition. This October, we are reaching youth in high-risk communities, equipping them with essential skills for a brighter, self-sustaining future.

I want to take this moment to commend my parents, Prof. Ifeoma Modebe and Sir Sam Modebe, for their unwavering dedication to humanitarian work in Anambra State. I am equally grateful to Barr. B. N Oneh for helping me hatch and develop this initiative and to our sponsors — Francis Osaji of System Digits, Hon. Igwe Nike, and Oreoluwa Afe — for their generous contributions to support what we do.

A heartfelt thank you also to each of the coaches who dedicated their time to Project STEAM 2024; their expertise and guidance have been invaluable to the success of our mission.

How can individuals ensure they are getting enough iodine in their daily diet? Are there specific foods or supplements you recommend?

Simple choices like using iodized salt can make a difference. Other iodine-rich foods include seafood, dairy products, eggs, and seaweed. In our outreach, we encourage the use of iodized salt and the inclusion of these foods whenever possible.

Are there any misconceptions about iodine deficiency that you’d like to address?

A major misconception is that iodine deficiency only affects developing countries. This is a global concern, even in developed nations, and everyone needs iodine daily. By dispelling these myths, we stress that iodine intake is vital across all ages and regions.

What role do governments and policymakers play in tackling iodine deficiency, and are there any key initiatives or programs that have been particularly successful?

Governments are crucial, particularly through salt iodization policies and public health initiatives like the UNICEF-Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) Elimination Program, which has partnered with countries to promote iodized salt. Continued investment in these initiatives is essential for long-term impact.

How can schools, communities, and local organizations get involved in supporting World Iodine Deficiency Day?

Schools and communities can partner with us to organize workshops, distribute materials, and equally with governmental institutions/health organizations for greater outreach. Local advocacy for iodized salt and nutrition education can also help raise awareness.

Looking ahead, what are some of the biggest challenges in eradicating iodine deficiency, and what gives you hope for the future?

Challenges include ensuring accessibility to iodized salt in remote regions and maintaining public awareness. However, the dedication we’ve witnessed from our monthly outreach in Anambra, our collaborations with institutions like Enugu State Young Farmers Associations and Ephesus Gatherings that leant us their platforms to address the youths ensuring the success of Project STEAM 2024, makes me hopeful. Through these collaborative efforts, and with continued support from dedicated leaders and partners, I believe we can build stronger, healthier communities.

The Louis Love Nest Foundation and Project STEAM 2024 are creating a legacy of positive change through nutrition, health, and education — one community at a time.

I want to take a moment to wholeheartedly commend my parents, Prof. Ifeoma Modebe and Sir Sam Modebe, for their unwavering commitment to humanitarian work in Anambra State. Their dedication has inspired countless lives, and I am immensely grateful to them for setting such a remarkable example.

I also want to extend a special appreciation to Barr. B. N Oneh for collaborating with me in bringing this initiative to life. This project would not be where it is today without her input and support.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our generous sponsors—Francis Osaji of System Digits, Hon. Igwe Nike, and Oreoluwa Afe—for supporting and believing in our mission. Your sponsorship has been invaluable in helping us make a difference in the lives of so many.

Lastly, to all the coaches who took the time and energy to contribute to Project STEAM 2024, your dedication has been instrumental. Thank you for your expertise and commitment to empowering communities across the globe.

Here’s the list of coaches and their topics for Project STEAM 2024:

Fafali Mathis – Cybersecurity (US Navy Veteran)

Essential cybersecurity practices to protect personal and business information from digital threats.

Kenneth Eze (ENSYFA President) – Agro Business Strategies for profitable agribusiness, focusing on sustainable and local farming models.

Austin Areh (Founder, Wildflower PR) – Speech Communication for Business Owners Techniques for impactful business communication to build brand reputation.

Coach Ndali Modebe (Project STEAM Coordinator) – Project STEAM Recap

Weekly collaborative session to review progress, set goals, and share insights within the B3I network.

Barrister Bonita N. Oneh (Legal Adviser to the National Youths Council of Nigeria, Enugu State) – Human Rights Emergencies Legal steps for handling urgent rights issues.

Don Francis Osaji – Digital Marketing & You. Introduction to digital marketing tools and tactics for audience engagement.

Komla Elikem (US Navy Veteran) – Cybersecurity (Advanced)- Advanced cybersecurity, including risk management and defense strategies.

Professor Ifeoma Modebe – Iodine and Nutrition Part 1. Nutrition’s role in health and productivity, tailored for professionals.

Mercy Umoren – Project Management. Principles for organizing, executing, and evaluating business projects.

Kelechi Ogoke – Co-Host Frankly Business Podcast

Digital Marketing -Strategies for using digital platforms to enhance businesses

Coach Ndali Modebe – DAME Media And PR Solutions – Branding on a Budget- Building a strong brand image with minimal resources.

Coach Ndali Modebe – First Aid & You – Life-saving first aid techniques, including CPR.

Uzoamaka Abia (Madam Jazz) – Social Selling Techniques for selling through social platforms to engage customers.

Coach Ndali Modebe – Customer Service Pro – Comprehensive customer service strategies for client satisfaction.

Moremi Elekwachi – Good Practices of Content Creation; Best practices for creating compelling content.

Coach Ndali Modebe – Why Reset Sunday and Having a Mindset Shift Can Boost Productivity. Importance of regular resets to maintain focus and avoid burnout.

Ambassador Davisha Johnson – Home Garden Hacks – Small-scale gardening tips for sustainable food security.

Johannes Andries Deysel & Sean Allen – The Future of Creativity. Exploring Web3, AI, and NFTs in the creative landscape.

Coach Ndali Modebe – Business Web Model Part 1 & Iodine and Nutrition Part 2. Nutrition’s role in health and productivity, tailored for professionals.

Coach Ndali Modebe – Business Web Model Part 2. Developing a structured approach to networking and business growth.

OreOluwa Afe – Intro to Digital Transformation. Basics of digital transformation and applications for AI tools like ChatGPT.

Final Words

We are deeply committed to starting a powerful movement built on knowledge and love. Our goal is to inspire every person and community across Africa, by helping them realize their true potential. As we work together, we recognize that by harnessing our resources and talents, we can significantly boost Africa’s GDP, creating a stronger economy for all.

We believe that by sharing wisdom and showing kindness, we can create a brighter future for everyone. Together, we will strive to make Africa a place of greatness, where dreams can come true, and everyone has the chance to thrive. We won’t give up; we will keep pushing forward until our vision becomes a reality. Together, we can change the world!

A Warm Thank You To QM

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Queen Moremi Blog. It is always a pleasure to collaborate with you as a Coach in Project STEAM. I truly appreciate the incredible opportunity to be interviewed on your blog once again.

Now, let’s get everyone hyped!

Should we announce our next project yet? ANTICIPATE!!! ANTICIPATE!!! ANTICIPATE!!!

Together, we are making a difference, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Follow Instagram @ndalimodebe @louislovenestfoundation @projectsteam24.

YouTube @ndalimodebe

Whatsapp\Call +233209087166

Email: projectsteam@outlook.com

www.damemediasolutions.com

The post #WCW Coach Ndali Modebe is Impacting Lives Positively through the Louis Love Nest Foundation & Project STEAM 2024 appeared first on Queen moremi.