Becoming the Kádàrá Woman: Breaking Free from Expected Paths

Lola

00:00 - 00:43

Hey there, welcome to a special episode of the Kadara Woman podcast. If you're joining us for the first time, this podcast is dedicated to amplifying the untold impact-driven stories of remarkable African women making waves across the globe. I'm your host,Lola Soyebo Harris. So today we're doing something different. If you've been listening from the beginning of the season, I had shared that I would do some special episodes reflecting on the amazing conversations I'm having with these women. And with six episodes in, it just sounded like a great time to pause and reflect. And so instead of doing a guest interview or guest interviews, we're going to just take time to look back on some of the conversations we've had to date.

Lola

00:44 - 01:22

And so over the next two weeks, I will share my thoughts, my light bulb moments, and some thought starters for you. For the first part of this conversation, I am focusing on three episodes from season two. These episodes share a powerful connective tissue of women who left traditional corporate jobs and took huge leaps of faith into entrepreneurship. It's essentially a deep dive into how they broke free from expected paths. I have been so moved by the conversations I've had with these three incredible women on the podcast. Ukonwa Ojo, Ayesha Chidolue, and Joy Aboderin. Each of them heard a call.

Lola

01:23 - 02:03

to do something different, something that aligned more authentically with who they truly are. And you know what? They answered that call, even with all the fears, all the uncertainties, and yes, even with those golden handcuffs that can sometimes make it hard to leave behind what's familiar. And their journeys might just illuminate something important for your own path. So first up, my conversation with Joy Aboderin. She was our guest for season two, episode six, and she talked about how she spent 13 years as a corporate accountant before building her thriving personal styling business called Potential U and recently launching Potential U Academy.

Lola

02:04 - 02:07

But let's start at the moment where she had to take the first leap of faith.

Joy Aboderin

02:09 - 02:30

I remember in 2003, coming home in the middle of the early hours of the morning, and God just telling me what he wanted me to do. But finance and accounting was all I'd ever done. I'd been in finance since I was at university, because I had my first part-time finance job when I was in university. So God told me what to do, but obviously I was scared. That was all I'd ever

Lola

02:30 - 02:34

done. Joy didn't jump immediately either. She took a thoughtful approach. Listen

Joy Aboderin

02:34 - 02:51

in. So I did a course at the London College of Fashion as a personal stylist. probably one of the most prestigious fashion colleges in the world. I came on top of a class, I loved it. So I started styling my PAs, I started styling friends, and I saw how it made women feel really confident.

Lola

02:52 - 02:53

But she still didn't jump then.

Joy Aboderin

02:54 - 03:16

So in 2007, actually, I wrote my letter of resignation in fair interpretation. And then 2008, the 8th of February 2008, I left my office on the 13th floor, packed up my box to take a leap of faith. I sold my house as well to start my business because I just wanted to

Lola

03:17 - 03:48

I think it would be quite scary walking away from a successful career in finance into fashion styling. She had the vision, didn't act immediately. And we see this in Ukonwa and Ayesha's journeys, by the way. But the whispers didn't come just once, but several times. So I know it may feel or seem like my life experiences are going to keep reverting back to the podcast. So let me just warn you, that's probably where a lot of my experiences are going to come from. But this platform has truly been the most challenging thing I have ever done.

Lola

03:49 - 04:10

And yes, the whispers to do this haunted me over several years. I'll save that entire story from idea to lunch for another day. The point is, how many times have the same idea shown up in your mind? How many times have you talked yourself out of doing anything or taking action? How many times have you made a few steps in pursuit of this idea only to freeze along

Ayesha

04:10 - 04:10

the way?

Lola

04:11 - 04:27

I think walking into anything new is just going to be scary, period. And walking away from a successful career in finance to pursue fashion styling is definitely no small leap. But I love how Joy addressed the reality of fear, and she didn't pretend it wasn't there.

Joy Aboderin

04:28 - 04:55

I don't think that you completely overcome fear. There's something that says, feel the fear and do it anyway. I don't think as a human being, you're not fearful. I think that you just have to follow what you believe God is telling you. So I wouldn't say that when you take a leap of faith, when you trust God, you don't have fear. I believe you have fear, but your faith is anchored in, God told me to do this, I'm going to do it. But I don't think fear is completely eliminated.

Lola

04:56 - 05:26

Ah, good old fear. Some folks have mastered how to move with this. I heard a great metaphor about fear that has stuck with me, and the person likened it to having a crying baby in the backseat of your car. You don't stop driving because the baby's crying. Instead, you figure out how to soothe the baby. It could be with music, it could be with singing, or you could just wait it out if you're strong enough. But the point is that you still keep moving the car, right? And I think that's exactly how we should carry fear.

Lola

05:26 - 05:59

Acknowledge it, but don't let it stop us in our tracks. And while it's not quite the same skill, I actually remember when I had to decide to leave the food industry where I had built my expertise as an engineer for 15 years and venture into this unknown world of private equity and real estate. At the time, I didn't even have a marketing career on my radar. I was simply going to transfer my engineering skills plus my newly acquired MBA into an operational role instead. But it's evolved into more since then, and today I'm now a marketer.

Lola

06:00 - 06:29

But it's something that I definitely did not plan. And it's definitely quite scary to leave something you've known and invest that time in to go start something new and uncertain. But Joy's response reminds us that you address the fear spot on. You feel it, and then you move through it anyways. And so it also begs the question, which I'm sure you probably heard a couple of times, which is, what would you do if you knew you could not fail? What mindset shifts would you actually need to go through to help you drive through that uncertainty?

Lola

06:30 - 06:42

And speaking of uncertainty, it doesn't mean you cannot be deliberate in your approach to entrepreneurship. Here's an example of how Joy shares her feedback confidence and how she connected it to her deeper purpose.

Joy Aboderin

06:43 - 06:52

And when you go to the creator, he will tell you why you were created. I think that is important to connect with your creator, to know why you were created.

Lola

06:53 - 07:24

You see, we are all created for a purpose. I truly believe that. But it's also up to us to get the clarity on what that is. And then of course, follow through with it. So the idea of connecting with your curator to understand your purpose really resonated with me. In my mid-30s, I started feeling this restlessness that I couldn't quite put my finger on. And instead of sitting still long enough to listen for those whispers that Joy talked about, I did what many of us do. I chased external achievements. I pursued an MBA and threw myself into it completely.

Lola

07:25 - 08:01

Like I was actually a mom at the time of two kids under three. I was still working a professional job at the time, but I also ran student organizations, won awards, made the dean's list, and then graduated top of my class. I literally just checked every single box of conventional success. But when I finally had that degree in my hand, the emptiness was still there. I was still missing something. It was like all the accomplishments didn't fill the void. But that's because I hadn't aligned them with my deeper purpose. I was pursuing what seemed impressive rather than what was genuinely mine to do.

Lola

08:03 - 08:39

But you know, don't get me wrong. I think there were some moments that were meaningful in my journey. And if I had to look back, what I crystallized was that I was searching for something that really wasn't there. I learned a couple of things about myself, but those things that I had learned in my graduate years had always shown themselves in my undergraduate years and even the years before that. And the tools I needed to keep moving on my own path were already presenting themselves, I just wasn't paying attention to the right voices. I believe that's what joy means when she talks about connecting with your creator.

Lola

08:39 - 09:12

It's about getting quiet enough to hear those reoccurring whispers that have been there all along. I'm still on my path to discovering my full purpose, but I've learned to be more intentional about the things that take up the most of my time and energy. Therefore, I am confident I'm aligned on my own next steps. And the clarity doesn't come all at once either. But when I listen to the whispers, my whispers, instead of drowning them out with busyness and achievements, each step forward feels more aligned and more authentic for me. And it doesn't even mean that I've figured out everything.

Lola

09:12 - 09:31

If anything, I'm far from it. But like Joy said, I am learning to listen to the reoccurring whispers and I'm following through with them. And so we transitioned to the next person I want to talk about, which is Ayesha. So with Joy's journey, she told us about how she went from corporate accounting to entrepreneurship.

Ayesha

09:31 - 09:32

Well,

Lola

09:32 - 10:14

Ayesha's path, she knew that upfront, but she still had to discover where she would have the most impact. Aisha Chidolu was our guest in season 2 episode 4 and her story shows us how personal experience can become the catalyst for meaningful change. Aisha transitioned from corporate law to building an immigration law firm that's now touching lives across the globe and she was recently recognized on the Inc 5000 list, also top 10 in law firms. So what I found fascinating about her journey was how she recognized the impact she could have by addressing a need she witnessed firsthand in her own family.

Ayesha

10:15 - 10:36

And then my younger brother, so his path to a green card in the United States was very difficult. And, you know, it's hard to watch a member of your family. see everybody else as a U.S. citizen and that person doesn't have their status and just seeing the struggle, it just really made me realize outside of myself what it looks like to be an immigrant.

Lola

10:37 - 11:14

Aisha's story does have a different flavor. She was working in corporate legal when she recognized an opportunity to make a meaningful impact through immigration law. And Aisha also initially explored immigration law because her business clients started asking her about it. But see, it didn't really crystallize for her until she saw her brother go through his own immigration challenges. Safe to say, the whispers were already beginning to happen, but the mission became deeply personal for her. And sometimes our callings could come through witnessing other's struggles. Aisha saw a need up close in her family and realized she was uniquely positioned to address it.

Lola

11:15 - 11:48

I have to say, starting this podcast was personal for me, simply because I was looking for stories of women who looked like me, who had similar origin stories like me. And I look, I love Oprah like the next person who was inspired by her, but I also couldn't fully see myself in her. And this is not about skin tone, y'all. As an avid podcast listener, I was looking for stories like the ones that I got to share on this platform. And when I couldn't find them, I figured I would create the platform. So to say that each conversation to date has been inspirational to me would be an understatement.

Lola

11:48 - 12:23

I am learning and I'm evolving through the wisdom of these women. And I cannot wait to just keep talking and keep having these conversations. And so my question to you would be, if there was something where you have always been the go-to person to solve certain problems, could you have a unique perspective on a problem just because you have a VIP front seat to the issue? Do you wish that there is someone who had a solution for it, but could that person be you, maybe? Anyways, moving through Aisha's story. So we learn about the clarity that comes quite early in her journey.

Lola

12:24 - 12:40

She's always wanted to be a lawyer. Very few people actually have this clarity this early. But even then, with all the markers of success, there was still doubt, right? She was still searching for something. And Aisha talks about the power of partnership in pursuing her purpose. Because

Ayesha

12:40 - 13:11

I remember when we started, at the time, my husband hadn't joined me. It was just kind of me doing this. But this is when I said, oh, I'm going to do immigration. And he had ideas about how to do it, or what we should do. And again, because he has that background, it's like, I think this is how we should market it. Because my husband runs the entire marketing show. And, um, I was like, I'm, I'm kind of fed up. Like this stuff is stressing me out. Like I do all those things. Nobody's showing up and the phones are not ringing.

Ayesha

13:11 - 13:48

Like, yeah, I'm exhausted. And I know my husband said to me, I know that it's hard for you to believe it. You know, my husband has always had so much faith in me, by the way, even when I was a dazzled photography, he would come with me like on the weekends and help me be my assistant and be my, my carry my bags. And it's, again, my husband's a Nigerian Igbo man that's very, very Igbo. Shout out. We're going to shout him out, yes. But he is wonderful and understands that marriage works in partnership. And I know he told me, he said, I know that I don't have any right to tell you to not quit, but I still believe in you.

Ayesha

13:48 - 13:54

I still believe in this. If it doesn't work this month, then you can quit.

Lola

13:54 - 14:30

So the way Ayesha talks about the support of a husband was refreshing. Culturally, I feel like we need to hear more of these stories when societal norms are challenged in terms of what a marriage should look like. As you have sensed, she got emotional as she recalled her husband's support. And it gives you a deeper understanding of their true partnership. And so today, together, they've actually built something quite incredible. They've grown from two to a team of 52 people. My takeaway from this was both simple and profound. I need to fasten my husband more. Ayesha was onto something powerful.

Lola

14:30 - 14:58

Sure, my husband and I go to church together and sometimes we pray together. There's clearly room to become even stronger spiritually in our partnership. And this was just one of the suggestions on how to do it. I also resonated with Ayesha's dangerous prayers where she asked God to shut every promising interview door if she was meant to continue on her own entrepreneurial path. I don't know about you, but I've done the dangerous prayers before that Ayesha talked about.

Ukonwa

14:59 - 14:59

And I

Lola

14:59 - 15:33

think that happens only when you fully surrender to your faith, whatever that may be to you. And sometimes you may not even know what sign you need to see, but I think that's part of the prayer, right? Asking for clarity so you understand when you do see those signs and you understand them. Right? So I know one thing that helps me decide between the myriad of ideas that pop in my head is to ask myself, which one will I regret the most if I don't do it by the end of my life? Yes, I know it's a quite dramatic conversation to have in my head, but it does actually help me clarify what I care most about.

Lola

15:34 - 16:01

So again, question, how do you discern between ordinary challenges that should push you through versus signs that you need to change direction completely? And how do you find clarity? And is there a specific moment of surrender that you've experienced that actually changed everything for you? Last, I'd like to just share how Ayesha talked about how she manifested her visions, because I think that's equally important in one's quest to finding their purpose.

Ayesha

16:01 - 16:37

I think laser focus because if you listen to everything that I've talked about, it's about laser focus, whether that was taking the bar exam, whether that was making pivotal changes, whether that was implementing something we learned, you know, whatever it is, you know, it is basically not not just stopping at dreaming or saying, you know, I would love to do this. But the thing is, in manifesting what you want to do, because I do believe in manifestation of what it is that you desire, whether that's you as a Christian or whether that's you just channeling the universe, whatever route you want to call it.

Ayesha

16:37 - 17:10

But I believe that when you put things plain on paper and say, this is what I want to do, And you can physically see it, whether you're writing that down on a planner. In our own house, we had a vision board in our bedroom that we looked at every day. Your mind and your prayer points subconsciously prepares you and plans you to do the things that would inch you closer to your goal, which is, oh, you're looking at that. You want to accomplish that. You want to build a six-figure business. You want to build a seven-figure business, an eight-figure business.

Ayesha

17:10 - 17:11

But you're sitting down here.

Lola

17:13 - 17:43

Ayesha shared some concrete steps she took to stay laser focused on her vision, made sure her husband was on board, and then she was disciplined with her execution. So fun fact, I actually just fell in love with vision boards last year, which is when I made my first- okay actually it was three because again, you know I told you I had a lot of ideas in my head. Anyways, Ayesha is so right about the power of manifestation. There's something to be said about looking at the goals you want to accomplish every single day. And here's the thing, you don't even have to do a vision board.

Lola

17:43 - 18:17

For some folks that I know, they personally just make a prayer list of what they want to accomplish in whatever timeframe, and they digest that list every single day. For me, that clarity was having a vision board, you know, also just the secondary exercise of understanding the motivations behind those goals. And I accomplished the ones that I had a clear understanding of my motivations. And then the ones I didn't accomplish, if I look back now, it's because they were still tied to external vanity metrics. And in case you're wondering, starting this podcast in 2024 was a big goal for me.

Lola

18:18 - 18:50

So here's what I hope that you also take away from Ayesha's conversation. Even when you have the clarity of what your calling will be at a very early age, it doesn't mean the path to accomplishing it will be without doubt and fear. However, if you stay the path, it would become clear along the way. And that's what happened when Aisha went from corporate law to starting her own law practice that initially focused on business and intellectual property law, but finally finding the one where she could have the most impact, which was immigration law. All right, one more conversation.

Lola

18:51 - 19:23

And this is the one with Ukonwa Ojo, where we talked about her heritage, her early childhood, we touched on her remarkable successful period in corporate America, and then we ended with her new journey into entrepreneurship. Ikoma has built this incredible career as a global marketing executive at companies like Amazon Prime Video and MAC Cosmetics. And she's won awards to show this, right? But deep down, she always knew she was meant to be an entrepreneur. It was hard for me to narrow this down to a few nuggets for the sake of this episode. But see, let's see.

Lola

19:24 - 19:29

Maybe I should actually launch that newsletter. Anyways, let's start from what usually holds some people back.

Ukonwa

19:30 - 20:01

Being in America was, I would say, several decades in the making. We started about... Everybody in my family was an entrepreneur. And I was the weird one. The weird one child. Yeah, I was the weird one. And so I always knew that I would go back to being an entrepreneur. It was just a matter of when. The only thing that they don't tell you is you have golden handcuffs. So the more successful you are, the harder it is to walk away.

Lola

20:02 - 20:35

So those golden handcuffs are real. For listeners who are successful in their current role, you're comfortable, there's prestige, and of course, the financial security is also there. And these are all hard things to let go of. But you see, what I love about this part of my conversation with Okonwa is that she described the moment of clarity. Notice that it wasn't something that happened overnight for her, but it happened over time. And she's also part of the Henry Crown Fellowship, which focuses on going from success to significance. So she knew that there was going to have to be more that she was called to do.

Lola

20:37 - 20:56

So for me, as I build this podcast, I'm also aware of the golden handcuffs that may keep me from diving in fully. But here's the thing. Everything has its season. For now, it's OK that I still work my 9 to 5 while I build this media company. And I'm OK with that. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't wish I could take care of my podcast baby all day.

Ayesha

20:56 - 20:56

day.

Lola

20:56 - 21:28

If you're someone who is deciding on how to exit a corporate environment to pursue a calling, Know that what works for one person may not be what works for you. And if anything, understand the motivation for each move and be sure to seek the clarity you need to keep you on that chosen path. The one thing that I appreciated from my conversation with Akoma was also her humility as she transitioned into becoming an entrepreneur. She had to confront one of those realities of what her decision will require.

Ukonwa

21:29 - 21:58

I would say the hardest thing is, and I think I've shared this with you before, is the biggest thing is you have to learn to take your eagle, put it on a plate, and eat it. every day. Because you come from being a corporate executive, you have massive teams, massive budgets, sometimes billions of dollars. Can

Lola

21:58 - 22:35

you imagine going from the CMO of Amazon Prime to sitting in a distribution warehouse because you needed to get clothes for a fashion shoot? In Ukonwa's case, this was for I Don't Eat It, which is one of her three ventures that she recently launched. And I think Putting your ego on a plate and eating it daily, as she said, is exactly what one needs to do to transition from the corporate world to that of uncertainty in the world of entrepreneurship. I also think that it's equally imperative that one gives themselves grace through this transition. After all, there's a lot of unknowns on this path to entrepreneurship.

Lola

22:36 - 23:08

I'll give an example. I knew that building out this podcast and media company was definitely going to be challenging. After all, I don't have anything from my background to inform me of my steps, apart from just talking, I guess. But marketing the podcast has been even more challenging than I expected. As you may know, I am a brand marketer by day. And so it's safe to say that I know most of the rules of engagement when it comes to marketing. However, what was humbling for me was realizing that, yes, I may know the things I should be doing, but the tools and resources I have aren't nearly the same.

Lola

23:10 - 23:41

I remember being quite frustrated that I hadn't done certain things in season one, like sending out press releases for the launch. I couldn't just email a team to create drafts like I would at work. And it was quite frustrating having all these plans and yet not having the time or the resources to execute them. But then I also realized this podcast baby was going to grow at its own rate and not that of the corporate adult that I was comparing it to. So to combat my limited PR execution, um, I decided I would attend podcast conferences this year.

Lola

23:42 - 24:11

That has been great. That's been a great experience for me because I get to learn from industry experts. Network with other podcasters, but I also organically promote the podcast to folks who are genuinely interested in the content that I'm producing. So think about it, if you are someone who's currently mulling over this decision to leave a corporate job, other than replacing your income and making sure that you have enough for a reigning day, have you also factored in how you strategically replace some of the resources that may just disappear once you are no longer backed by a corporate brand?

Lola

24:13 - 24:23

And as you embark on this journey, you'll probably change your definition of success. Actually, Cohen talks about this in our conversation. And she also relates that to destiny.

Ukonwa

24:23 - 24:59

My destiny has almost been like floating in a river, where the river has momentum and it has current. If you actually flow with the current, you can get to your destination. but with a lot of joy and without a lot of surfing. And so I've learned that the easiest path in life, actually, following your destiny, is following the current. What is hard is knowing that you're supposed to be doing something else.

Lola

25:00 - 25:36

So to summarize what she said, Following your destiny is like floating in a river, floating like the current. I love this metaphor the first time she said it, and I love it again just hearing it. Think about it for a second. If you've ever gone on a lazy river and you're just going with the flow, eventually you'll get to your destination if you trust the process. In this case, the currents are carrying you, right? I think this is a great depiction of what destiny should feel like. You're not in opposition of it. If anything, you're trusting everything that you are, and then some, and then trusting God created you for a reason, no matter how small.

Lola

25:37 - 25:56

It will all work out in the end. And that's what I think about this podcast journey. It's going to be like a river, except I'm going through some rapids as I learned the ins and outs of podcasting, but I digress. And so to wrap up this segment about Okonwa, let's talk about her reflection on legacy.

Ukonwa

25:58 - 26:41

So for one, they're basically like, OK, you've had a very successful career. But as you look at the next few decades of your life, what is the legacy that you want to be? And for some people, it's one and the same. The career that they're in, they're already on the track to leave the legacy. But I knew that that was different. I knew that, yes, I was successful in what I was doing, but there were a couple of things that, like, God had made clear to me that he wanted me to do. And I knew that if I waited till the end of my life and I hadn't done them, I would really regret not saying that.

Lola

26:42 - 27:20

Indeed, what is the legacy you want to leave? How many times does this question pop in your mind? What dreams do you have buried in you that are yet to come to life? How many times do you think you are supposed to be on a different path, but yet you stay in the same place out of fear or worse, lack of clarity on the way forward? But more importantly, what are you doing to get that clarity? I think a ton of listeners like me grapple with these questions from time to time. And for me, I hope that by the end of my life, I can look back with no regrets and be proud that I did everything I dreamt of doing, explored all the places I was curious about, and tried everything that made me wonder.

Lola

27:21 - 27:50

I also think that if you believe you were created for a purpose, then you have to believe that you already have the tools within you to pursue that calling. That one thing that keeps you up at night. And if you're like me, you probably have multiple ideas floating in your head. So here's what I hope you take away from Cohen's episode. Even at the pinnacle of your own success in corporate America, there will be some whispers telling you to get on your own path. And ultimately, you decide if that's something you want to do and can live with by asking yourself if this is indeed the legacy you want to leave.

Lola

27:52 - 28:36

And so as I reflect on these three different journeys, I'm also struck by the powerful common threads that run through these stories. So let's go through them real quick. One, the persistent call and the fate response. All three women described how their purpose kept calling them, sometimes for years before they even fully responded. Joy first heard this in 2003, but didn't fully act on it until 2008. Okonwa knew several decades before she actually made the move. And Aisha felt pulled towards immigration law years before she actually pivoted her practice into it. Here's what's remarkable. It's that they were all grounding their decisions in faith.

Lola

28:37 - 29:20

Their faith wasn't just a comfort during uncertainty, it was also the very compass that guided their decisions. This is teaching me that true callings don't typically fade away. They might get quieter when we ignore them, but they keep knocking until we finally open the door. But it's up to you to open the door. Number two, courage through preparation. So none of these women pretended that fear wasn't part of their journey. If anything, they didn't let it paralyze them and found ways to prepare themselves thoughtfully. And they acknowledged it, and they moved through it anyways. It's not about being fail it or just moving on afraid, but it's about being faithful despite the fear.

Lola

29:20 - 30:02

Joy took courses and styled friends before launching a business. Ayesha built her practice part-time when she used to match her corporate income. And Ukonwa consulted, trusted advisors, and prayed extensively. Their journey showed that transformation can be courageous and wise, filling the fear while taking smart steps forward. And it's not about waiting for the perfect conditions, because A, they never actually happen, but creating enough stability to still make that leap sustainable and make it make sense for you. Number three, support systems and connections. Each woman emphasized a crucial support that carried them through their transition. Ayesha highlighted her husband's partnership in both business and spiritual practices.

Lola

30:03 - 30:50

Joy discovered the power of networking with like-minded women. And Ukonwa relied on her family and fellowship community. Again, the stories remind us that transformation often requires new connections with people that you don't know, right? Some of these people can also see where you're going, not just where you've been. And sometimes the most powerful support could come from the most unexpected places. And finally, integration and flow. Rather than abandoning their past experiences, all three women brought valuable aspects of their previous careers into their new chapters. Joy's corporate background helped her with serving professional clients. Ayesha's legal foundation transformed into an immigration practice, and Okoma's marketing expertise powers her entrepreneurial ventures.

Lola

30:50 - 31:34

And when they aligned their purpose, each person described the sense of flow, that feeling of being carried along by something just larger than themselves. And I love how Ukonwa described this, like floating in a river with the current. Nothing in their journeys was wasted. Everything was repurposed. Think about that for a moment. Alright, so I am reminded that breaking free from expected path isn't about being reckless and abandoning your responsibilities. If anything, it's about courageously aligning with who you truly are and what we are here to contribute in the world. These women show us that on the other side of fair lies, the life we're truly meant to lead.

Lola

31:34 - 32:11

And as Ukonwa said so beautifully, I trusted God, which is the next chapter of my life. And I haven't had to miss a beat. I've got to build something completely new. And I actually didn't lose what I had before. And Ayesha encourages us to stay laser focused on the dream and on our purpose. And Joy reminded us that our confidence comes not from external validation, but from knowing our intrinsic worth. See, your path isn't going to look like Ayesha's, Joy's, or Ukonwa's, and it shouldn't. Your journey is uniquely yours. But perhaps the stories have highlighted something for your next step.

Lola

32:12 - 32:41

As you go about your day, I hope you take a moment to reflect and ask yourself, what are the persistent whispers that you've been hearing that might be calling you towards a more authentic path? Where in your life do you feel flow? And where do you feel the constant resistance? What parts of your current identity would you bring forward into this new chapter of yourself? Who are the people who see the potential and support your growth? And what small step could you take today towards that greater alignment into your own purpose? Thank you so much for listening to me today.

Lola

32:41 - 33:05

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode. This was new, this was different. So please send me the DMs on social media, or you can email me at connect at kadaramedia.com. And next week, I'll share my thoughts on the other three women we've had this season. Until next time, remember that your Kadara moment of clarity may have already happened and all you need to do is embrace it.