Building Potential U: Joy Aboderin's Purpose-Driven Journey from Accounting to Fashion 🇳🇬

Lola

00:00 - 00:41

Hey there, welcome to the Kadara Woman podcast where we amplify the untold impact-driven stories of remarkable African women making waves across the globe. I'm your host, Lola Soyebo Harris. So you know those moments when you know you need to make a change in your life? Well, today's guest, Joy Aboderin, had exactly that feeling. After 13 years crunching numbers as an accountant, Joy heard a call to do something completely different. But here's the thing, she didn't jump right away like most of us don't, right? What makes Joy's story so compelling isn't just her career pivot, but how she's managed to turn her passion into a thriving, personal-styling business that truly impacts women's lives.

Lola

00:42 - 01:20

Her story is about having the courage to build a life that actually lights you up inside. And she shares the moment when she finally took that leap of faith, the unexpected challenge she's faced, and how she's also built this global brand that's still evolving after 17 years. I think you'll be fascinated by Joy's approach to confidence, identity, and how she's also viewed her work as so much more than just fashion. She truly believes that every woman should see herself through God's eyes, which is so wonderfully made. So, settle in for a conversation about courage, purpose, and creating a life and business that aligns with your deepest values.

Lola

01:21 - 01:30

I can't wait for you to meet Joy Aboderin and learn how she built Potential U. Hello. Hi Joy. How are you? I'm

Joy Aboderin

01:31 - 01:39

well, thank you. How are you? I'm good. You look good. Thank you. I have to quickly rush home and scrub up. Thank you for the invitation.

Lola

01:39 - 01:45

Oh no, thank you. And I love your top. Is that a top or dress? Yes, this is an African designer

Joy Aboderin

01:45 - 01:45

called Heath.

Lola

01:46 - 01:46

Oh my

Joy Aboderin

01:46 - 01:49

goodness. Nigeria inspired. It's wonderful and colorful.

Lola

01:50 - 02:15

Oh, I'm loving it. And you know, I love the yellow on there cause that's my favorite color. Um, and so I just saw that immediately. So now I'm going to have to, I'm going to have to get the name of this designer. Okay. For those of you who are listening, we're probably wondering what we're talking about. There will be some screenshots somewhere so you can see this beautiful top and I'll put the name of the designer in the show notes just because I'm sure the fashionistas will want to know. Um, but joy, thank you for being here.

Lola

02:15 - 02:29

Appreciate you being here. Um, and usually the way I love to start these conversations is from the beginning. I love to ask people where they're from, the African heritage, to be more specific. And then how that has affected the woman that you are today.

Joy Aboderin

02:29 - 03:10

Okay. Brilliant. Well, as you know, my name is joy and my heritage is Nigerian. My dad is from Lagos is Sally core to be precise. And then my mum is from Abelkota, so that's my ethnic origin. I was born and bred in London. We went to Nigeria when I was about two years old, lived there till I was about seven, eight. I have very strong memories of Nigeria, very pleasant upbringing. And then we came to London and I've been here ever since. So I consider myself a British Nigerian because most of my life has been in London, but very strong Nigerian upbringing.

Joy Aboderin

03:10 - 03:15

So I can cook the food. I understand Yoruba. Et cetera, et cetera.

Lola

03:17 - 03:43

No, that's all good. I love it. And you mentioned, um, living in Nigerian and coming to the UK or to, to London. That's shown up in certain ways, but just growing up as a teen and your formative years and all that stuff. So we'll probably delve into that in a second. Just knowing what you do, I'm just going to preempt this question a little bit, but do you remember your childhood dreams? Like what you wanted to do when you were growing up? Ah, that's

Joy Aboderin

03:43 - 04:16

interesting. Well, I had my sister, there are four of us, four girls, two together, and then there's a big gap, and then there's the two youngest. So my sister and I, we used to travel a lot as children. So back then, we used to have paper tickets in the 80s. And so we'd have all these tickets and old tickets and flights and all these documents. And I think I thought I was going to be a herosess first. And then I think when we came to the UK, I wanted to be an athlete. I loved athletics, loved it.

Joy Aboderin

04:16 - 04:44

I used to watch all the Olympics, all the games. I was a really fast runner, 100 and 400 meters. But being of Nigerian heritage, church was on Sundays, athletics training was on Sunday, and you know which one won. It wasn't athletics. Yeah, I'd say my formative years was definitely and then as a young woman, an athlete.

Lola

04:45 - 04:48

But you didn't end up in any of those fields. You ended up becoming an accountant.

Joy Aboderin

04:49 - 05:13

Yeah, I was an accountant for 13 years. In our family, they're very academic as most Nigerians are. So I remember my dad throwing me up about five years old saying, okay, you will be an accountant. This one will be a doctor. This one will be that. So I became the accountant. I have quite a logical brain. Um, yes, I became an accountant, worked in the city with top firms and I was an accountant, head of finance for 13 years.

Lola

05:13 - 05:24

Wow. And then looking back in your childhood, was there any time when, did you have like a favorite memory about clothes or style that maybe have hinted towards what you're doing today?

Joy Aboderin

05:24 - 05:58

Yeah, I think it was my mom. My dad used to travel to New York to buy us dresses, really gorgeous, gorgeous dresses. and my mom was always well put together. No one could come into the house without her wig or her lipstick on. She always carried herself with confidence and self-esteem, not in an overpowering way, but in a really confident way, even from her nightwear to her party wear. She had a school, the way she dressed for school, and she just exuded such confidence and such presence. So I think that was where it started from.

Lola

05:58 - 06:06

But when did you become fully aware of it or when did you know that you were going to become a stylist? Okay. So

Joy Aboderin

06:06 - 06:40

I've worked in the city, traveled to the States, trained people older than my parents, worked in three different time zones, worked on godly hours, had to leave my family and come back for deadlines and all sorts. And in 2003, I just felt I moved into a new place. I didn't get any time to enjoy it because we worked with three different time zones. India, I'd be there very early. UK and then America, I'd be the first in the office and the last in. So the Americans would book meetings at their five o'clock, which was my 10 o'clock.

Joy Aboderin

06:40 - 07:08

So I didn't have a good work-life balance at all. And it just became monotonous. So 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 done. So what I thought was, OK, let me do a course.

Joy Aboderin

07:08 - 07:43

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 top of a class, I loved it. So I started styling like my PAs, I started styling friends, and I saw how it made women feel really confident. And I love the relationship between fashion and confidence. It wasn't about vanity, but it was letting a woman see her identity as God's creature, God's creative, just wonderfully made and I just loved it. So then I had a brainstorming gathering with some of my friends.

Joy Aboderin

07:44 - 08:24

We met up and we talked about it, but I was scared. And I remember in 2008, God reminded me again after just being frustrated with where I was. And he said, I told you what to do in 2003. So in 2007, actually, I wrote my letter of resignation in fair interpretation. and I gave it to them at work. They didn't want me to leave, so they paid me. I stayed for a little bit. 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.

Joy Aboderin

08:25 - 08:41

I sold my house as well. to start my business. Cause I just wanted to be free and not have that financial burden and potential you style academy was birthed in March, 2008. Wow. 17 years ago. 17 years ago. So, so

Lola

08:42 - 09:07

wow. Okay. Let's, let's unpack that. There's a lot in there. All right. So you're, you got the initial, tug in your heart in 2003, you obviously ignored it. But you're taking the class, you're taking the course, right? Right then. Yeah. But you still ignored it, even though you're taking the course and you're on top of your class. Yeah, definitely. I was scared. I want to be very clear about how clear the sign was, and you still ignored it.

Speaker 4

09:07 - 09:08

Yeah,

Lola

09:08 - 09:08

I

Joy Aboderin

09:08 - 09:17

was scared. Single woman living by myself, financial responsibility, mortgage, car. That was all I'd ever done, you

Lola

09:17 - 09:17

know. And I

Joy Aboderin

09:17 - 09:23

also think the Nigerian heritage upbringing of what you're going to leave finance to do what? Fashion.

Lola

09:23 - 09:25

Exactly, exactly.

Joy Aboderin

09:25 - 09:27

I'm sure both things were niggling in my mind.

Lola

09:28 - 09:40

Yeah, exactly. And then 2007, you write the letter, then corporate UK or corporate London does what they does best, throw some money at this, let's solve this problem, which of course any normal- Which I

Speaker 2

09:40 - 09:40

still-

Lola

09:41 - 10:07

Yeah, most people will take it, but they're still there tugging at you. And then you decided to make the leap in 2008, which I love that. So is there anything, I guess, before we even get into that, the fear, because I think there's something to be said about how you overcame that fear, right? Actually, let's even talk about that. How did you overcome the fear? Because it sounds like you overcame it and then you now sold your house as well. So you did more. I don't

Joy Aboderin

10:08 - 10:38

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. And I believe God was telling me. I can't say that there was no fear at all, but I just did it anyway, trusting that God would make a way and trusting that it was a God thing. It wasn't a me thing. So I wouldn't say that when you take a leap of faith, when you trust God, you don't have fear.

Joy Aboderin

10:38 - 11:13

I believe you have been, but your faith is anchored in, God told me to do this, I'm going to do it. Does that make sense? And I think that the practice of that helps you to fear less. But I don't think fear is completely eliminated. So for example, there's certain things God has asked me to do. in 2022, I wanted to get into lecturing. You know, I lecture at university, fashion colleges, etc. God had told me to do it. Was I fearful when I first started? A little bit, but not as fearful as I was in 2008, because I'd been in the practice of trusting God.

Joy Aboderin

11:14 - 11:32

But I don't think fear completely eliminates. I think that you just have to trust that you're hearing God and you always want to hear God. So even with every client, I style every client I work with everything that I believe that's an opportunity. I have to put God in it because yeah. Yeah. I love that.

Lola

11:33 - 11:33

I love that. I

Joy Aboderin

11:33 - 11:36

don't think fair ever goes. I don't think they're really ever goes.

Lola

11:36 - 11:44

I agree with you. And I think you're right about, it's like a muscle you build, you just build your faith muscle. So when it does come, you can overcome it. It's like,

Joy Aboderin

11:44 - 11:44

yeah.

Lola

11:45 - 11:50

I shouldn't say working out, like I work out all the time, but it's like working out. You can

Joy Aboderin

11:50 - 12:03

carry heavy weights. I used to do like a two and a half kgs. Then one of my mentees said, sis, you need to do a five kg. So now I do a seven kg. I started at two. I went to five. Now I can do seven

Lola

12:03 - 12:03

on a

Joy Aboderin

12:03 - 12:04

good day.

Lola

12:05 - 12:31

But it's all about pushing yourself, about building the muscle. So that's a great, great, great analogy on just practicing your faith and still moving even though there's still fear. I love that. And I'm curious to know if there's anything from your corporate life, your accounting life that even informed how you run your business today from a risk-taking standpoint, just in general. Was there anything you could pull from there that helped you become a stylist?

Joy Aboderin

12:31 - 13:06

Definitely. I think that if I hadn't worked 13 years in the city, I wouldn't be able to run my business as successfully as it is today. And the word of God says don't despise the days of small beginnings. When I first started in the city, let me give you a laugh, one of my first emails was to the head of Saudi Arabia. I wrote the email in red and in capital letters, fresh from university, where laptops and things were not that popular back then. Do you see what I mean? That was like in the 90s, in the late 90s, early 2000s, late 90s when I graduated.

Joy Aboderin

13:06 - 13:34

And so I learned that that shouting, I learned that you shouldn't write a text in red. I learned many skills that I would say are really transferable. But what I would say is most importantly, I learned how to communicate with people how to be professional. Most of my clients are professional women. We style leading women, professional women, executives, C-suite clients. So how you interact with them is very important, understanding that they're time poor and

Lola

13:34 - 13:34

being

Joy Aboderin

13:34 - 13:41

efficient, being professional, being on time. So there's no way that my city days have not benefited me exponentially. So

Lola

13:42 - 13:42

I'm

Joy Aboderin

13:42 - 13:48

very grateful for it because I learned a lot of skills from there that are very transferable into business.

Lola

13:49 - 14:14

No, I think that's good that you tied the beginning to what you do now, because I think that's, and you said it best, right? It's, everything is all part of the, it's all part of the big puzzle. It's all part of what makes you who you are. Nothing's necessarily wasted. You're supposed to go through that. Now, he might have wanted you to get out of in 2003, but you know, you finally got out of it five years later. So. Do you remember your first client after you quit? Not the guys you were helping. Definitely.

Joy Aboderin

14:15 - 14:23

Definitely remember her. Definitely. I was just going to say just that. My top two clients are accountants. which I think is so amazing,

Speaker 4

14:23 - 14:23

C-suite

Joy Aboderin

14:23 - 14:24

accountant. So

Speaker 4

14:24 - 14:25

I was just

Joy Aboderin

14:25 - 14:29

thinking about that the other day, the irony of life or how life just comes back, you

Speaker 4

14:29 - 14:30

know?

Joy Aboderin

14:30 - 15:08

So yeah, I remember my first client. I very much remember it. I left my office on the 8th of February, 2008. And on the 11th of February, I had a new client. My friends had already put the word out. And I remember working with this lady. She was a single mom, divorced. She just wore all black. She was really, she was kind of just quite down on herself. And by the time I'd finished working with her, she'd metamorphosized into this beautiful butterfly, shoulders back, confident, feeling good about herself. Her testimonial was fantastic. And I thought, my God, and I'm going to get paid for this.

Joy Aboderin

15:09 - 15:28

And I thought, yeah, that's why I do what I do. See who you are through God's eyes and helping you to blossom into who God has called you to be. You're not meant to be hidden. You're meant to shine as a woman. And as a stylist, I see it as a privilege and an honor to be able to bring out the best in women. So yeah, I will never forget my first client.

Lola

15:29 - 15:30

Oh, that is such a touching story

Joy Aboderin

15:31 - 15:31

though. Yeah.

Lola

15:31 - 15:32

Wow. It's quite

Joy Aboderin

15:32 - 15:34

emotional actually, yeah.

Lola

15:34 - 15:35

Are you still connected

Joy Aboderin

15:35 - 15:39

to that client? No, I'm not. But she was itched in my mind forever and ever.

Lola

15:39 - 16:03

Cause she was the first. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That is such a beautiful story. So you talked about, um, going through the long, was it London college of fashion? Correct. That's okay. And then you talked about launching your business. Was there any other challenge that you faced in that first couple of days, couple of weeks, couple of months, what was something that you had to overcome? Yeah.

Joy Aboderin

16:03 - 16:17

Yeah, definitely. I think that, And I'm sure we'll cover what the lessons I've learned. I've got many lessons because I also teach entrepreneurship at university. I also taught at London College of Fashion, which happened last year on my birthday. So yeah,

Lola

16:17 - 16:18

I'll share

Joy Aboderin

16:18 - 16:18

that with you

Lola

16:18 - 16:18

as well.

Joy Aboderin

16:19 - 17:00

You taught in the school that you went to? Yeah. So a little story. I never work on my birthday. I think I got that from my A-levels teacher. So I'm always at the spa, at a retreat. But I got invited to lecture at the top fashion college in the world. And they happened to ask me to do it on my birthday. I hesitated and my husband said, excuse me. And I did it and it was absolutely remarkable. It just felt so, it felt like it was a confirmation of a prayer. I'd asked God, I'd love to lecture God, but I'm not going to do anything about it.

Joy Aboderin

17:00 - 17:28

Let your will be done. That was all I did in 2022. And by August that year, I got contacted by University to lecture. And I just thought to myself, I thought it was a prank. So I checked the university website and it was the university lecturer, head of department. And so last year when they asked me to lecture there, I felt it was God saying you're going in the right direction. And I felt so honoured by it as well. Yeah, I'm really blessed by it. So I was very happy to work on my birthday that day.

Lola

17:29 - 17:57

Oh my goodness, that gave me goosebumps. And it's funny, I do have the same philosophy about my birthday too. I mean, I still work in corporate America, but I take off the day because it's my day. But it's funny, I always knew that I'll make an exception if it was my own thing. So it's just a very different, I have a different philosophy. I don't know where it came from. So I do relate with you saying, I'm not working on my birthday, but I'm glad your husband stepped in and said, excuse you.

Joy Aboderin

17:59 - 18:02

This is what you've been praying about. What are you talking about?

Lola

18:02 - 18:08

What are you thinking about? Exactly, exactly. But I love how full circle that is. Wow. I wasn't expecting that.

Joy Aboderin

18:08 - 18:34

Yes, yes, yes. So I think that, and I hope that you'll also ask me about what I've learned in business because I've learned many lessons. And one of them is have one foot in reality and have one foot in your dreams. I had two feet in my reality and two feet in my dreams. And the challenges were when I first started in business, I thought my community would support the business,

Speaker 4

18:34 - 18:35

like

Joy Aboderin

18:35 - 18:57

my church, my friends. And I remember six months in that didn't happen. And I also remember within the first two weeks of being in business, being interviewed on radio and none of my friend listened. It was probably about one o'clock, two o'clock. And I was so upset, it actually made me cry. And then something clicked in me and said, Joy, when you were in the city, were you listening to the radio? No, you

Speaker 4

18:57 - 18:57

weren't

Joy Aboderin

18:57 - 19:34

listening to the radio. All your friends are in corporate. They're not listening to the radio. You need to get out and start networking. So I picked up myself. I started networking in Mayfair, in central London, in the city, finding communities of women that were also in business, women that were also like-minded. And that really helped my business. So it pushed me out of my comfort zone, but it also allowed me to grow. You cannot expect your family and your friends to support your business. You have to find your own audience, your own clients, and you have to get out of your comfort zone.

Joy Aboderin

19:34 - 19:51

The networking is fundamental in business. absolutely fundamental. So that was a big lesson. Networking and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Don't build a business based on your family and your friends. Look for your target audience and step outside of the box.

Lola

19:52 - 20:17

No, I love what you said there, because I think that's such a fundamental thing. I think a lot of people have this, oh, my family's going to support you, but you shouldn't be building to that. If they support you, great, but that's not the model. There was something else you said in that story, and you said you snapped out of it, right? It clicked. How did you get to that moment where you kind of had to undo the self-talk and pull yourself out of the sadness?

Joy Aboderin

20:17 - 20:51

Yeah, so I can't remember what happened. I remember the room I was in. I remember how I felt. And it must have been God, because I think sometimes you have to ask yourself the questions. When you were in the city, where are your friends? None of your friends run a business. When you were in the city, were you listening to Radio Girl? You better, and I wasn't, I didn't have time for that. I was in meetings, I was in calls, I was working. Do you see what I mean? So it could have been God that did it, but I had to, I think you always have to put yourself in the other person's position and try, and I can be objective.

Joy Aboderin

20:51 - 21:04

I think I'm quite objective like that. And I thought, actually, all of my friends are in the city. They're all working for people. They're not going to be listening to the radio, get in a group where people are also running businesses.

Speaker 4

21:04 - 21:05

And that's

Joy Aboderin

21:05 - 21:05

what

Lola

21:05 - 21:05

I

Joy Aboderin

21:05 - 21:12

did. So I started joining networking groups. It's a big investment, but it's very necessary to grow your business. Yeah.

Lola

21:12 - 21:37

Yeah. That's, that's another good advice on, on running your own business or another thing I wanted to ask about is also. Maybe, and I'm trying to think about the best way to position this, but, you know, looking at what you probably had in mind for potential you 17 years ago. and where it is today, how would you talk about the vision from how you started and what it is now? I know you have some new projects

Joy Aboderin

21:37 - 21:37

coming

Lola

21:37 - 21:37

up.

Joy Aboderin

21:37 - 22:02

That's interesting. I think that I probably have to go back to my business plan. One thing I would say is in the beginning, you always overestimate your income and underestimate your expenses. So try and do that the other way around. A good business needs investment. from everything, from everything. And also, depending on your target audience, your quality is really important. Does that make sense?

Lola

22:02 - 22:03

So the

Joy Aboderin

22:03 - 22:39

best card, the best website, you know, networking groups that you have to join. So I would say that in the beginning of my business. But I would also say that in business, you also have to learn to pivot. You're not a tree, so you have to adapt. So for example, we have streamlined our services, looked at what's successful, looked at what's not successful. But also in COVID, I remember my husband used to say, we think very differently and it's very helpful. because it helps me to see things 360. And I remember before COVID, they'd been saying to me, you know, I have your services in online.

Joy Aboderin

22:39 - 23:25

I was like, no, I like styling my clients in person. There's nothing like it. And then COVID landed. And we had no business. And I remember my late mentor, God rest his soul, he used to always say, in times of crisis, you either crumble, or you get creative. Thankfully, we chose the latter. So we started running style masterclasses online, virtual, signed up to Zoom package, professional package. And we started running masterclasses on wearing colour. how to sort out your wardrobes, Brand would send us pieces, would show pieces, and it was great. Bring your favourite drink, I'd come in with a song, I'd have a clothes rack of clothes, and it was just a really great, vibrant community.

Joy Aboderin

23:25 - 23:42

And then from that, We then started offering all of our services virtually. So every service under potentially umbrella colour analysis, wardrobe detoxing, wardrobe management, online shopping, body shape analysis, everything is now available online.

Speaker 3

23:43 - 23:43

And that was

Joy Aboderin

23:43 - 24:16

because of a time of crisis. So you have to learn to adapt in business. You have to learn to pivot. Because if we just start with in-person, you wouldn't have a business. And it's opened us up. So prior to COVID, I would travel to clients now. We could just dial into Zoom. It's half the price of meeting in person. And I get to start clients. I've got a client in New York that I'm working with tomorrow. The last time I was with somebody in Morocco, the Middle East. So I would say that learning to pivot in business is very important.

Joy Aboderin

24:17 - 24:56

Also, learning to streamline your services is important. I think when we first started, we had 12 services. Now, I think we have like four to six services. So that's what I've said. I've learned a lot in 17 years. But I would say those really stand out. Learning to pivot is very important. Knowing what's happening, adapting with the economy. learning and so during COVID I did a course on online styling so I'm always learning. This year I did another course on public speaking because I'm always invited to speak. Always fine-tuning, adapting your skills, development. I had to stop myself from booking a course in April.

Joy Aboderin

24:56 - 25:19

I was like Joy, it's okay to have times when you're not doing something, it's okay. Just finish this course, you don't need to book another one, you know, so I think that business, you have to adapt, you have to, otherwise you will be, you will expire. So yeah, so even tomorrow, I'm online, Friday, I'm in person with a client. So yeah, I think it's very important to have those offerings.

Lola

25:20 - 25:50

Yeah. Wow. So I love that. So the takeaway there was that you're always going to be learning. You always have to be ready to pivot. And sometimes it could happen because of a crisis. In this case, it was a crisis, which was COVID, but it opened you up to the world, literally. And it also made you streamline your services and you just became a better business because of that. Um, so on the flip side of that, I would imagine that everyone doesn't love all your suggestions at first, right?

Speaker 4

25:50 - 25:50

Yeah.

Lola

25:51 - 25:52

How do you deal with that?

Joy Aboderin

25:53 - 26:25

I think I read a book by Rachel Rogers. I think her name is called, we should all be millionaires. So I'm very much when I'm driving to the client, I tried to listen to books on audible. So I bought the book and then I listened to it as well. And she talked about streamlining your services, but also increasing your prices. And obviously not all clients were happy about that. So I lost some clients, but my real clients stayed with me because I wasn't charging enough. We weren't charging enough. And then that's also allowed us to have a bigger team.

Joy Aboderin

26:25 - 26:27

So we're now a team of eight.

Speaker 3

26:27 - 26:27

So

Joy Aboderin

26:27 - 26:55

I've got assistants, I've got tech because I'm not good at tech. Yeah. And I think it's really, really important to to charge what you're worth and to know your worth in the marketplace. I've been doing this for a long time, nearly two decades, and I'm good at what I do and it should be enumerated accordingly. So yeah. So I think that was probably a big change. Yeah, that was a big change. And that all happened around that COVID time.

Lola

26:55 - 27:09

Right, right. But on the style side though, I'm sure there are times when people just don't, maybe they're resistant to the change. So maybe you're asking them to wear a certain color and they're like, no. Yeah.

Joy Aboderin

27:09 - 27:18

I think that one of the things I can say that God has really blessed me with In nearly two decades of being a stylist, I've probably had less than five challenging clients.

Speaker 4

27:19 - 27:19

I think

Joy Aboderin

27:20 - 27:52

that everything that I believe starts with how you think, starts with your thought. And I think that by the time clients book my services, they're ready. So we never ever style a client without booking an initial style consultation. You fill out a questionnaire. And then once you fill out the questionnaire, you book some time with me in the diary for us to just discuss who are you as a woman? What are your goals? What are your challenges? What are your aspirations? Style is about creating a wardrobe around the woman that flatters her colours, flatters her shape, but complements her lifestyle.

Joy Aboderin

27:52 - 28:15

So, for example, if you're a busy mum of two, I'm not going to dress you like a glamorous single 20-something-year-old in heels, five-inch heels. So, understanding the client and listening, listening more than your speaking, is very, very important. And while they're having that conversation, you're writing down who the clients are. Something simple as, I don't want to wear purple because that's what my mum was buried in,

Speaker 3

28:16 - 28:16

or

Joy Aboderin

28:16 - 28:44

I don't want to wear green because that was my school uniform I was bullied in. So I know I'm not going to pick an outfit for her in those colours. Understanding that you've got wide fitting feet and you're not going to wear narrow heels, you need a block heel. So listening to my clients, I believe, eliminates the challenges. And I'm not saying they're not challenges, but I think that understanding the woman is really critical when it comes to styling. It's not really about the brand and the labels. I don't really care for things like that.

Joy Aboderin

28:45 - 29:02

I care about the woman. Who are you? Where are you going? What is your lifestyle? And let us create a wardrobe around your lifestyle that flatters you, suits your personality. Are you edgy? Are you modern? Are you Afrocentric? Are you Bohemian? Are you Gothic? Do you see what I mean?

Lola

29:02 - 29:03

So it's

Joy Aboderin

29:03 - 29:12

very much, about the woman, that's the most important part. And I always want to hear who she is first and I never style her otherwise without knowing that.

Lola

29:13 - 29:39

So I have a bunch of questions on that and I love how intentional you are about your clients. I guess the first one on that is, have you seen just, and I know you probably have, because you work with clients all over the world, have you seen a connection to the woman's style based on her culture, background, and how that's influenced how she shows up even to these sessions, how that influences her confidence, her power. Is it arbitrary?

Joy Aboderin

29:40 - 30:12

No, definitely. I think it's even important. I always say, don't dress for where you are, dress for where you're going. So between now and September, we're styling clients for spring, summer. So all my clients, I know what all their plans are. I know what weddings they have. I know where they're working. I know if they're client facing. I know if they're in board meetings. I know if they are traveling. So you then build a wardrobe around it. So for example, last week I have a client going to Dubai, working in Dubai. I know that how I dressed her, she's not going to wear a knee length dress.

Lola

30:13 - 30:13

You know, she's

Joy Aboderin

30:13 - 30:26

going to have a blazer. She'll have full sleeves, full trousers. So culture is very, very important. is very, very important. So those are the details that matter and making sure that you respect the culture of where my clients are going.

Speaker 4

30:27 - 30:27

That's

Joy Aboderin

30:27 - 30:47

very important. So I always start every conversation with a blank slate and understanding who the woman is and where she's going is very, very important. So you have to respect culture. whether you're British or whether you're American, dressing clients that way. Because if you respect the culture, people are more open to receiving you, they're more receptive

Speaker 4

30:47 - 30:48

to whatever you've

Joy Aboderin

30:48 - 31:04

got to say. So yeah, I have a lot of clients in the Middle East that are expats in the Middle East, that travel to the Middle East, that live in the Middle East, that are Middle Eastern as well. So the modest fashion is very, very big now as well. So yeah, that's very important.

Lola

31:04 - 31:17

That leads me to my next question then, because we're in a very trend driven industry, fast fashion, all that stuff. How do you balance staying current with the trends while encouraging your clients to be authentic to themselves?

Joy Aboderin

31:17 - 31:50

Yeah. Most of my clients don't want trends. My clients are 30 upwards, 35 upwards, I'd say probably. And so what they really want is a timeless wardrobe that they can wear. again and again and again. Yesterday I wore a pair of loafers that I'd worn for like 15 years because it's a timeless piece. It's spent money buying it but it's timeless. You can wear it again and again. You have a few clients that want some trends but my rule is don't spend a lot of money on trends. but invest in timeless pieces. A timeless piece is something you can wear for at least 10

Speaker 3

31:51 - 31:53

years, a decade.

Joy Aboderin

31:53 - 32:21

And it's only if you get bored of it, you can resell it. The value will still be there. And fast fashion isn't great for your pocket and it's not great for the environment. It's nice to have pieces that you can resell. Today, as I was going out, I had a skirt that was too small and I resold it. You know, there are lots of websites where you can recycle things. So I really encourage my clients to invest in timeless pieces and to spend less on trends.

Speaker 3

32:21 - 32:22

And I think

Joy Aboderin

32:22 - 32:27

most women, established women, 40 upwards, don't necessarily want trends. You want timeless pieces.

Lola

32:28 - 32:52

Yes, we do. I think I'm going to speak for, I mean, I'm so excited. I mean, I would like to say I have a pretty healthy sense of my color, but this is just fascinating just hearing you talk about what you pull out of your clients. I'm very intrigued. Okay, so let's switch gears here. So I know you also have an academy coming up soon. Do you want to talk about that? What inspired you to do that?

Joy Aboderin

32:54 - 33:02

Ever since I was lecturing, I really enjoyed teaching. Before that, actually, I was a Sunday school for seven years.

Lola

33:03 - 33:03

And when I

Joy Aboderin

33:04 - 33:32

was, yeah, I was at Sunday school and I loved it. I was always very creative. My kids, you'd call me creative. So I'd bring in like a Kirk Franklin song and would think about it, would listen to it. So it was very, I loved the youth. And because I wasn't, I was probably about 10 years older than them, so I could relate with them. They were in their teens, I was in my 20s. I loved teaching, I loved the impact it had on them. And I still have some of them as my mentees today, they won't let me go, even though they're in their

Speaker 3

33:32 - 33:32

30s and I'm in my

Joy Aboderin

33:33 - 34:10

40s. I always loved teaching. And then during COVID, I remember actually, when God gave me potential you, he gave me something else, but there's no way I've been able to do both. So in the middle of COVID, a friend approached me to do training and everything. So we started recording videos and that, and it was very easy because when you've mastered something, it's easy to share it. Does that make sense? Yes. it's very natural, like you could ask me anything about styling and I'll just be like that. So we did, we did record some videos.

Joy Aboderin

34:11 - 34:46

And then I remember, then I started lecturing in 2022, December. And then I remember just really enjoying it. So I've lectured at five other institutions since 2022, fashion colleges, universities. I'm currently an associate lecturer at university. where I do like one or two days a month, which I absolutely love. And then I just enjoyed being able to share my knowledge. So then I got approached by lots of young women wanting to go into fashion, and then I started training them. And then I just put the course together and I thought, come on, come on Joy, you can do this.

Joy Aboderin

34:47 - 35:11

So I just felt like this is the time to now launch it. So Potential You Academy is a place where you are equipped, educated and empowered to style your clients with complete confidence. So it's for aspiring personal stylists. It's for creative lifestyle and fashion content influencers who want to crank up and improve their styling skills.

Lola

35:11 - 35:12

Yeah,

Joy Aboderin

35:12 - 35:17

so I'm very proud of it. I'm very grateful to God, and I really enjoy it as well,

Lola

35:17 - 35:17

because

Joy Aboderin

35:17 - 35:49

it's not just theoretical. So when I was at college, everything was theoretical, but with Potentially Style Academy, half of the modules are theoretical, half of them are practical. So if you learn about colour, you will have a client that you will be practising that on, because I think the world of styling, it's good to understand tones, textures of colours, but it's also interesting and important to implement it with real life clients. So I've made sure that the course is practical and theoretical, which I think will really help the students.

Lola

35:49 - 35:50

So yeah,

Joy Aboderin

35:50 - 35:52

potentially your academy, check it out. Very excited.

Lola

35:53 - 36:24

Yeah, we'll be sure to put the link in the show notes, but that is very exciting. But you were already doing pretty well for yourself. You had the business has been running for over a decade. Then you had your lectures that you're doing, you're doing all the speaking events. And then the academy, you said you were teaching these ladies how to style and you put a course together. But even in that moment, did you know that you should... Because you know how sometimes you get an idea and you're like, maybe this is a one-off. How do you know to put gasoline on the idea, basically, to just make it...

Lola

36:25 - 36:33

Like, how did you come up with... How did you feel confident to still build it out to what it is today, what you're about, you know, what you're launching? I

Joy Aboderin

36:33 - 36:48

feel like because God had told me what to do in 2003, and I've not been able to juggle both, it's almost very similar to what I was told to do then. And also, I set aside a lot of time to put the course together. And

Speaker 4

36:48 - 36:48

I

Joy Aboderin

36:49 - 36:54

needed a fraction of it because I was just flowing. It was so easy. It was so effortless.

Speaker 4

36:55 - 36:55

And

Joy Aboderin

36:55 - 37:16

I've been on many courses. My course is amazing compared to what I've actually been for and paid for. But I think what really struck me was that it related to what God told me to do back then. It just wasn't the right time. But also in doing it, it flowed very naturally. It was just very easy. And the testimonials, the feedback has been really excellent. So yeah.

Lola

37:16 - 37:21

So to be clear, what did he tell you to do back then to have a course? To

Joy Aboderin

37:21 - 37:21

have

Lola

37:21 - 37:26

an academy where we teach. To have an academy. So you got that vision that early.

Joy Aboderin

37:26 - 37:32

Yeah, when I got Potential You, I also got that. But running a business is a lot of work. I

Speaker 4

37:33 - 37:33

think

Joy Aboderin

37:33 - 37:49

now that we're in our 17th year, you have a rhythm, you know everything. And also I pay for a lot of automation, which is fantastic. I have two assistants that help me as well. And it's it's easier because I'm not in the building stage

Speaker 4

37:49 - 37:49

by God's

Joy Aboderin

37:49 - 37:51

grace, we're in the flowing stage

Speaker 4

37:51 - 37:51

and we're in the

Joy Aboderin

37:51 - 38:31

overflow stage in Jesus name. So doing something like the academy is a great addition and extension of it and in the words of late Maya Angelou she said when you learn teach. And I believe I've learnt for nearly two decades, and I really enjoy teaching. I enjoy, and for me, the definition of success is being able to make a positive difference in the lives of other people. So we've done that over the years with paying clients, but I also want to empower the next generation of stylists, the next generation of creatives. And I see it as a real privilege, and I'm really excited about Potential Youth Style Academy, very excited about it.

Lola

38:31 - 39:00

Yeah. I'm excited for you. And you know what, and what I'm hearing from just listening to your story is that you've had all these bits along the way that just reaffirm what you're supposed to be doing, the teaching, how it showed up early in your life, the vision, how it showed up early. when it even shows up. And there's something you said earlier, which is about, it just flowed out. And it reminds me of a conversation I had with another guest who's also a friend. She was actually our first guest of Konwa Ujo for this season two.

Lola

39:01 - 39:11

She said, you know, when you're aligned to your purpose, it'll flow like the river. It'll just flow. It doesn't mean you're not going to hit rocks along the way, but it will, it'll flow through. So I could even see it. Yeah.

Joy Aboderin

39:12 - 39:17

That's the title of her week. to kind of fine tune the course. I'm not going to lie. I think I finished it in one day

Lola

39:17 - 39:18

because

Joy Aboderin

39:18 - 39:50

it was already there from COVID. It was already very, and it's what I do day to day with clients. I was surprised by it and it just flowed. I was just like, God, Yeah, it was just very, very, yeah. So yeah, I'm very grateful to God. But also when I finish teaching my students, I thoroughly, I'm on a high. I'm not depleted. I'm not exhausted. I enjoy it. And the same thing with styling as well. Yeah, it just gives me this energy, this joy that I believe that it's a good thing, you know.

Lola

39:50 - 39:50

Yeah.

Joy Aboderin

39:50 - 39:53

Yeah. So I'm very excited about it. Yeah. Very excited.

Lola

39:53 - 40:01

That's exciting. Wow. So and you already talked about it being different just based on your own experience. So it's launching when?

Joy Aboderin

40:02 - 40:04

It is launching first week of April.

Lola

40:05 - 40:21

Yes. Okay. We're going to make sure we put the link out there for sure. Thank you. Yes. We're going to share the news. Who knows? I might take a class. Actually, no, I'm not doing that. I take a lot of classes too. I'm kind of like you, what you were talking about, you know, you just take, I just, I just delve into, but anyways,

Joy Aboderin

40:21 - 40:29

myself, I was like, Joyce, stop. Let me do another course. Finish this one that you're doing. You haven't finished. You still have two more modules left.

Lola

40:29 - 41:01

Yeah. It's an active, active brain at work. All right, so we're going to switch gears here. And I think you already touched on a bunch of this already, but I still like to go into the mindset behind the woman, right? We've talked about just being self-aware, how you catch yourself and you kind of become objective and realize, okay, maybe this is why this happened or this didn't flow this way. So I'm curious to know when you have those negative voices or the voices saying you can't do this or you shouldn't do this, how do you quiet that down?

Joy Aboderin

41:04 - 41:12

Hmm, I think this is going to sound really bizarre. I don't think that I have a lot of negative voices.

Speaker 3

41:14 - 41:14

I

Joy Aboderin

41:14 - 41:48

don't. I don't have imposter syndrome. Yeah, I've never experienced it before. I don't get it. No, so I don't struggle with negative voices, but I also think it's important. And I'm not saying I've mastered this. I think I've gone back a bit, the voice that you listen to and the first voices that you listen to and what you feed yourself. So what I hear is really empowering thoughts. and God says who I am, when I wake up in the morning, what am I feeding myself? I'm not going first on my phone. And I'm not saying I've mastered this.

Joy Aboderin

41:49 - 41:50

I feel like I've slipped, to be honest,

Lola

41:51 - 41:51

because there was

Joy Aboderin

41:51 - 42:02

something that I think it was Nicky Gumbel that said that he puts his phone in another room. And I used to do that. I need to go back to it because my natural instinct is to go on my phone.

Lola

42:02 - 42:03

So

Joy Aboderin

42:03 - 42:30

putting it in another room, making sure I have my devotional in the morning. One of the intentions I had this year was to read my Bible. And normally I have a devotional and I didn't want to have a devotional this year because I wanted to just read my Bible. But the funny thing is I went on a women's event and one of the ladies there had a devotional, but in the devotional, you have to read three scriptures. So I have a devotional, I read the three scriptures. And then when I'm doing my morning stretch, I'm listening to gospel.

Joy Aboderin

42:30 - 43:02

When I'm having my morning shower, I'm listening to gospel. I think what you feed yourself is what speaks to you. So I can't say I struggle with negative thoughts. I think that would be disingenuous, but I also believe it's a God thing. I don't think it is normal, but I also think that even things like social media, I don't think those things help people, but I see as very much a make-believe world. I don't think it's the real world, so I don't let it, I don't take it in. Does

Lola

43:02 - 43:02

that make

Joy Aboderin

43:02 - 43:38

sense? Yeah, I think what you feed yourself really matters. But I also believe that God has given me a peculiar gift or a peculiar way of thinking where I don't think negatively about myself because I'm a child of God. And God says I'm wonderfully made. He says I'm the apple of his eye. He says that before he knitted me together in my mother's womb, he knew me. I'm loved by God. So I'm not gonna let those things define who I am. I'm a child of God, so it's his voice that I'm listening to. So no, I don't struggle with that.

Joy Aboderin

43:38 - 43:46

And I'm not saying I've not had times of challenges, Lola, because I definitely have had them in times of singleness,

Speaker 4

43:46 - 43:47

in

Joy Aboderin

43:47 - 43:58

times of waiting on God for things. But I feel like one of my favourite scriptures, one of my favourite stories is David and Goliath,

Speaker 3

43:58 - 43:58

not

Joy Aboderin

43:58 - 44:30

for the grandeur of it or for him beating Goliath, but just because he said, the same God that delivered me from the hands of the lions will deliver me from Goliath. I think that sometimes we have temporary amnesia where you forget what God has done before. The same God that did it before is the same God that will do it again. So I feel like with experience and with time, I've seen God prove himself. So I go back to what he's done before, trusting that he can do it again. Yeah, I don't know if I've answered

Lola

44:30 - 44:59

your question. No, you did, you did. Actually, it made me think about what you'd said earlier. So, because you were very clear about where the fear was coming from, even when you hesitated, it was fear of how I'm gonna pay my mortgage, fear of how I'm gonna take on my responsibility, but it wasn't a fear of, I can't do it, or I'm not capable. It wasn't a self, it wasn't a self-induced fear. It was more of everything else you had to manage in making that decision, what would happen, what could suffer or what you'd have to sacrifice.

Lola

44:59 - 45:13

And so I think that's... So yeah, I can see how if that's never been your premise because of how you conditioned your mind, because of what you feed it, it's not going to be what holds you back in that realm. Yeah,

Joy Aboderin

45:14 - 45:19

but I also think as human beings, it's incumbent on us to do the work.

Speaker 4

45:19 - 45:20

So for

Joy Aboderin

45:20 - 45:48

example, God told me to do this, I'm sitting on my laurels, I'm not doing any courses, I'm not developing myself, I'm not networking, I'm not pivoting. There was years ago, you know, the fruits of the spirit, God says that, what is it you need? And for me, it was patience and gentleness. And I think you think that God's going to plonk these things on your head. No, it's going to put you in situations that will make sure that you exercise your patience. So I feel like as human beings, whether you have faith or you don't have faith, you have to do the work.

Joy Aboderin

45:48 - 46:21

You have to do the work. That means doing the courses. That means developing your skills. That means networking. That means styling clients. That means listening to your clients. So I feel like those things coupled with God makes you confident in what you're doing. You see, people ask me to speak about things I'm not good at. People ask me to speak about DEI. I'm not going to speak about DEI because that's not my area of expertise. but I'll refer you to somebody that I know that's in that field. But you put me in the area of my expertise and I will flourish because God has put me there.

Joy Aboderin

46:21 - 46:40

God has given me the skills. I've developed the skills and it's what I'm good at. So I have confidence in my area of expertise, of styling, of confidence, of business. So staying in my lane and staying in what I believe God has given me helps me to have confidence in that.

Lola

46:41 - 46:45

Wow, that was good. Yeah. Wow. Okay. I mean, I think we've tackled

Joy Aboderin

46:45 - 47:08

the mindset here. Yeah. I just thought I mentor now as well, because I think everything starts with the mind, how you think, how a man thinks. How are you thinking? Where are you getting those thoughts from? If you're thinking negatively about yourself, what are you watching? What are you listening to? Whose voice are you listening to? What are you feeding yourself? Do you see what I mean? It's

Lola

47:08 - 47:08

coming from

Joy Aboderin

47:08 - 47:24

somewhere. There's some things I'm not gonna watch. I don't follow a lot of people on social media. I'm not gonna follow things that are negative. I'm not going to follow things that are not feeding my soul or feeding my spirit. You get at what you put in. So

Lola

47:24 - 47:38

yeah. Yeah. Wow. So I'm curious then, you know, this, this part of you that seems so natural and you sound very confident, did any of it have to come from your African heritage? Do you? Oh, I

Joy Aboderin

47:38 - 47:38

think so. I

Lola

47:38 - 47:39

think

Joy Aboderin

47:39 - 47:55

it's the Chimamanda that says that Nigerians have a natural confidence. I think so. I think that it must come from there. I think it's inherent, but also saying that, If I think about my siblings, I think two of us have it

Speaker 4

47:55 - 47:56

and two

Joy Aboderin

47:56 - 48:33

of us don't have it. But I think that confidence for me comes from God in knowing my worth as a woman, without anything, without any of the accolades, without any of the achievements, without any of it. just me knowing I'm a child of God gives me that confidence because he says who I am. I will say it was definitely a God thing and the Nigerian thing. You definitely have this confidence that they don't have two heads. You can do it. There's nothing you can't do. There's absolutely nothing you can't do. Um, yeah, I would say Nigel and be Nigeria.

Lola

48:35 - 48:53

I love it. I love it. All right. So one more question before we transition or maybe two more, um, you know, you've talked about running your business, teaching, being a mentor, speaking, how does joy not get lost in all of this? How do you, how do you come back to you? I think I am

Joy Aboderin

48:53 - 48:54

me

Lola

48:54 - 48:54

when I'm doing those

Joy Aboderin

48:54 - 48:55

things.

Lola

48:55 - 48:57

No, but how do you take care of yourself though? Like

Joy Aboderin

48:57 - 48:59

how do

Lola

48:59 - 48:59

you?

Joy Aboderin

48:59 - 49:28

So I've always been a get on and do it sort of person, but I would say my husband, definitely. So he's a very chilled guy and I'm not chilled at all. But what I find in marriage is that you start to rub off on each other. And I think he's given me some of his chills. So for example, during the week, I'm always go, go, go, go, go, always. And I make no apologies for that. But on the weekend, I used to always be go, go, go, go, go as well. But actually, on a Saturday, he likes to chill.

Joy Aboderin

49:28 - 50:01

And I was just thinking, what, you're just sitting down doing everything? I just didn't really get it when we first got married. I just didn't understand. But you know what? It's funny, we have a birthday party on Sunday. supposed to go dinner on Saturday but you know I had to reschedule Saturday because I thought I need one day of the week to chill and that was definitely not something I would ever have done and I think you need that time to just relax and to just chill. And also I take holidays a lot. And on holidays, I make no apologies for just switching off.

Joy Aboderin

50:01 - 50:28

I contact my clients. I was like, this is when I'm going away. If you need anything, I'm not a doctor. Let me know what's going on. I'm going away. But when I go on holiday, I really go away. But I also try to have something called a Sabbath rest, at least one day of the weekend, where I don't set my alarm clock, where I wake up and I study the Bible in chunky bits. I plan for the week and I just relax. I go to the gym. I use the sauna. I use the steam room.

Joy Aboderin

50:28 - 51:08

I try and do that at least once a week. And I think that's very important. One of the things I teach when I talk about entrepreneurship is learning to rest. Learning to rest is very important. Even with my assistants, you have to have a break because I realized that when you have a break, you come back better. You come back recharged, you come back rested, you come back re-energized, invigorated. So I'm learning. I don't think I've mastered it yet, but I try to rest at least once a week. So even things like I go to evening service so that I can, rest and not have an alarm clock because every day is always go, go, go.

Joy Aboderin

51:08 - 51:27

So having a stab at rest either on a Saturday, if possible, on a Sunday is very important because you have to take, it says that the race is not to the swift. It's not about speed. It's not about speed. And I'm learning that, but I'll definitely say that came from my husband, learning to chill a bit.

Lola

51:28 - 51:52

Wow. I love that. Okay. That's good advice. So before we go to the lightning round, I have to ask, do you have a favorite styling session or maybe you have two that just bring you joy every time you think about it? It might have been the transformation of the woman. You talked about the first client, but I wonder if you have other stories where you just had a favorite styling session that you did, the way you put the person

Joy Aboderin

51:52 - 52:08

together. I have one that's etched into my memory forever. I must say I enjoy my styling sessions with my clients because it's always fun. Sometimes I bring my boombox and we play music. It's always fun. It's always a great atmosphere. It's always joyful. It's always

Speaker 4

52:08 - 52:08

the

Joy Aboderin

52:08 - 52:45

fun part because the wardrobe detox can be challenging sometimes, because clients want to hold on to the old them and I'm telling them to let it go. But the shopping and the styling part is always fun. But one memory that sticks with me forever was a lady that contacted me. She was given like an end of life. She had four illnesses, including cancer, quite a few serious illnesses, but she wanted to be styled. She was in a wheelchair and it was nowhere near me, so I'd gone far away. I did the research, looking at wheelchair access, touching fabrics,

Lola

52:46 - 52:46

making

Joy Aboderin

52:46 - 53:11

sure that she was comfortable, but she felt really special and really seen. It's quite emotional because she's no longer here. But when she sent me the testimonial, it made her feel seen and loved and whole and cared for. And that was like her end of life. And I just feel like I'm grateful that I got to be a part of that.

Lola

53:12 - 53:17

Wow. That is an impactful story. So thank you for sharing

Joy Aboderin

53:17 - 53:18

that.

Lola

53:18 - 53:18

Wow.

Joy Aboderin

53:18 - 53:45

Okay. One of the outfits, she wanted to wear it on a date with her boyfriend. And it was just really lovely that she wanted me in that process, but that I took a lot of care to make sure that everything was easy for her, but that she felt absolutely beautiful as a woman. And I think every woman should feel like that because that's what Grodd created us to be as women. Um, yeah, so that, that, that will always stay with me.

Lola

53:46 - 54:21

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think it's a perfect way to segue into the fun part. I like to call these the quick questions, lightning round. It's the joy behind the business in this case, that's your name. So, so it's, it's, you know, there's no wrong answer, whatever comes to mind and we would just zap through them. I would try to follow my own rules here. All right, so what is your personal mantra, words that you live by? And you dropped a lot of scripture quotes, I mean, but I don't know if you have one specific one that just keeps you going.

Lola

54:21 - 54:21

Okay,

Joy Aboderin

54:22 - 54:26

Psalm 46 verse five, God is within her, she will not fail.

Lola

54:26 - 54:46

Oh my goodness, that's one of my favorite quotes. I mean, scriptures, yes. I love Psalm 46. Perfect. Just that whole chapter. Wow. I got a little excited there. Yeah, I love that. I think it's, I love it. It's actually on my wall. Ah, amazing. Yeah, it's on my vision board. Yeah. Okay. What matters the most to you?

Joy Aboderin

54:48 - 54:50

Oh gosh, that God is pleased with me.

Lola

54:52 - 54:53

That God is

Joy Aboderin

54:53 - 54:53

pleased with me?

Lola

54:54 - 54:54

Yeah,

Joy Aboderin

54:55 - 54:55

ultimately.

Lola

54:55 - 55:01

And along those lines, what's your greatest fear? That I don't hear

Joy Aboderin

55:01 - 55:01

from

Lola

55:01 - 55:01

God and

Joy Aboderin

55:01 - 55:04

I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do. But

Lola

55:04 - 55:04

that

Joy Aboderin

55:04 - 55:24

doesn't... scare me because I feel like God confirms things. I feel like God confirms what he asked me to do. So even things like having, I've not worked on my birthday and being asked to lecture at the most prestigious fashion college on my birthday is confirmation. But I always want to make sure that I'm doing the will of God.

Lola

55:24 - 55:49

Yeah. Yeah. I like that. I like that. Yeah. Um, if you could describe yourself as a Kadar woman in three words, what would you say? Confident. passionate, purposeful. Ooh, I love that. Good, good, good. All right. And since you're always learning, I'm going to ask you, what are you learning like now? What new skill are you developing now?

Joy Aboderin

55:49 - 56:03

Well, I joined a public speaking course, as you know, in January. Oh. Because I get invited to speak quite a lot. And I just wanted to fine tune my skills and to see if there's anything I could learn. So I'm doing a public speaking course at the moment.

Lola

56:03 - 56:11

Oh, you know, I'm going to pause for a second. I think that's a great thing you just highlighted, which is just because you've been doing it doesn't mean you can't get better at it. Exactly.

Joy Aboderin

56:11 - 56:12

Exactly.

Lola

56:12 - 56:12

You can

Joy Aboderin

56:12 - 56:33

always enhance your skills. You can always learn something new. There's always something to learn. So yeah, I never just sit on my laurels because I want to be better. And I want, yeah. So yeah, so that's the course I've done this year, but I am trying to not book anymore. Well, we're, we're in Q1. I don't know. You

Lola

56:33 - 56:33

have a long way

Joy Aboderin

56:33 - 56:53

to go. Oh, you know, we have the launch coming up in April. So I want to not, I want to focus on that. I don't want to try and do too much. And I think that's part of joy trying to rest as well, because rest is not natural to me. Does that make sense? Yes, it does. Yeah. Always doing something. It's okay to chill.

Lola

56:53 - 56:57

A lot of us, a lot of us are in that, in that space of always doing something.

Joy Aboderin

56:58 - 56:58

Yeah.

Lola

56:58 - 57:06

Um, okay. Mary and Martha. Yeah. All right. So do you have a favorite book or quote that's influenced who you are? Ooh,

Joy Aboderin

57:07 - 57:07

book.

Lola

57:10 - 57:11

What book would I say has

Joy Aboderin

57:11 - 57:22

impacted me most? I'll quote, it could be a quote. I'll quote. This is by Martin Luther King. Whatever your life's work is to do, you should do it so well that the living and the dead can do it no better.

Lola

57:22 - 57:23

Ooh.

Joy Aboderin

57:24 - 57:25

Yeah,

Lola

57:25 - 57:25

that's

Joy Aboderin

57:25 - 57:28

Martin Luther King, yeah. He said

Lola

57:28 - 57:28

that?

Joy Aboderin

57:28 - 57:29

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Lola

57:29 - 57:30

Whatever

Joy Aboderin

57:30 - 57:35

your life's work is to do, you should do it so well that the living and the dead can do it no better.

Lola

57:36 - 57:38

Wow, I don't think I've ever heard that quote.

Joy Aboderin

57:38 - 57:39

Yeah, I love that.

Lola

57:39 - 57:40

I love quotes. Yeah, the

Joy Aboderin

57:40 - 57:47

quotes I have are quite, they're not popular ones, but that's one of my favorites. I shared that recently, actually, on my social media,

Lola

57:47 - 57:58

yeah. I love that, and I love quotes, and I've never, wow, that's good, okay. Oh, this is a good question. If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?

Speaker 3

58:00 - 58:00

Ooh.

Lola

58:02 - 58:03

And how old is she, by the way?

Joy Aboderin

58:05 - 58:09

She's probably about 12. I'd say that you're good enough.

Speaker 2

58:10 - 58:11

Because

Joy Aboderin

58:11 - 58:36

I didn't enjoy my teenage years. I'd say that you're good enough. Why don't you enjoy them? I don't know. I feel like as a firstborn, there's a lot of responsibility on you and a lot of burden on you as a firstborn. I will just let her know that she's good enough. And I don't think I felt the way I feel now. in myself, so I'll tell her that she was good enough, definitely, and give her a big hug.

Lola

58:37 - 58:52

Aww. Little joy. Oh, okay. If you were going to speak to any woman that's listening now and she felt trapped in a career and she felt trapped in a career that no longer serves her soul, what would you tell her?

Joy Aboderin

58:53 - 59:25

I would say that know that you're wonderfully and beautifully made by God. God created you with a purpose in mind. Take some time to discover what that is. Take some time out, pause, take some time away. I say to my kids that when they make a table, they make it for a reason. They do a stress test. They put weight on it. They check the fabric. There's no way on God's earth God's going to make you without a purpose. So take some time out to find out what it is, to hear from him and follow it.

Joy Aboderin

59:26 - 59:36

And you will feel fear, but do it anyway. There's definitely something wonderful that God has asked you to do and do it. It's inside of you. It's inside of you.

Lola

59:38 - 59:38

and the

Joy Aboderin

59:38 - 59:38

world needs it.

Lola

59:39 - 59:48

Well, I think it's a perfect segue into the last question, which is looking back on your own journey, what would you say about destiny and pursuing your purpose?

Speaker 3

59:52 - 59:52

Ooh.

Joy Aboderin

59:55 - 1:00:15

I would say that my purpose is in God. I think once you find God, you'll find your purpose. And I believe I'm walking in his purpose. I always want to stay in tune to it. I always want to be guided by him, but everyone's purpose is in God because he's the creator.

Speaker 4

1:00:15 - 1:00:17

And

Joy Aboderin

1:00:17 - 1:00:20

when you go to the creator, he will tell you why you were created. I

Speaker 4

1:00:21 - 1:00:21

think

Joy Aboderin

1:00:21 - 1:00:26

that is important to connect with your creator, to know why you were created.

Lola

1:00:27 - 1:00:50

Wow. That is an amazing place to end this conversation. And I just want to say thank you, Joy, for just sharing how your faith has led you to make all these decisions and pivot along the way and be confident as you take the next step. And wishing you the best with the launch with the Academy as well. But I just want to say thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for making time. It's been

Joy Aboderin

1:00:50 - 1:01:09

a real pleasure. And when we first connected, I just everything is connected. So I'm really enjoying being on here, Kadara women. And I just, yeah, I'm really, really appreciate the opportunity. And I want to wish you great success with Kadara women, that whatever God has purpose for you to do, that you will accomplish it.

Speaker 4

1:01:10 - 1:01:10

And

Joy Aboderin

1:01:10 - 1:01:12

that God will blow your expectations

Speaker 4

1:01:12 - 1:01:12

and

Joy Aboderin

1:01:12 - 1:01:15

everything he's asked you to do. So yeah, well done.

Lola

1:01:16 - 1:01:16

And yeah, I

Joy Aboderin

1:01:16 - 1:01:18

look forward to seeing more Kadara women all

Lola

1:01:18 - 1:01:18

over

Joy Aboderin

1:01:18 - 1:01:19

the world.

Lola

1:01:19 - 1:01:55

Thank you. Thank you so much for that. Oh my goodness, wasn't that refreshing to hear someone speak so openly about following their purpose. I love how Joy didn't sugarcoat the reality of fair. She just said fill the fair and do it anyways. That's something that we can all apply whether we're thinking about a career pivot or just trying to do something new. But you see what stuck with me the most is when she said, when you go to the creator he will tell you why you were created. It's such a simple but powerful reminder that we were all created for something special and we do have something to offer this world.

Lola

1:01:56 - 1:02:25

So if you're sitting there right now or you're listening to this and you're feeling that tug towards something different in your life, I really do hope that Joy's story shows you that it's never too late to pivot, to grow, and to also share your gifts with others. Thank you so much for listening to this episode on the Kadara Woman podcast. I'd love to know if this resonated with you, so please send me a DM on social media at Kadara Woman or leave us a review. And if you enjoyed this conversation, share it with a friend who needs to hear it.

Lola

1:02:26 - 1:02:34

Until next time, this is Lola reminding you that your Kadara Moment of clarity may have already happened and all you need to do is embrace it.