It all started upon reading this quote:
“It is a tragedy to look back on your time and realize that you failed to engage Fully and Freely”.…… Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day by Todd Henry.
We tend to associate health to the physical but in the last couple of years, I have personally experienced and seen friends as well as colleagues, women especially deal with mental health and stress.
Many, I included, consider sacrificing our health, happiness, and well-being by working long hours under continuous pressure to meet unrealistic targets with little to no support or appreciation and worse off, not necessarily adding any meaningful value.
I used to be about efficiency – working long hours to get the work done, no matter the odds. It took a near death experience, a health crisis to wake up to the dangerous path I was treading.
Thankfully, I have since learned to remind myself daily of what really matters and nourish my core with this conviction knowing that despite my vulnerabilities and imperfections, discomforts are bound to come, which in themselves should not matter but, rather that I transform these disruptions to build a body of work from a position of strength with positive outcomes. Reframing my story, slowly and intentionally with purpose and meaning infused with hope in the certainty of the impossible is what I do.
A ruptured appendix woke me up!
It was brought about by a stressful and demanding project at a time when I had to be the single parent for several weeks due to my partner’s foreign assignment but all too often, powerful experiences emerge from embracing the pain that confronts us when faced with discomfort and disruption.
Though painful and confusing, my recovery set me off on a journey of self-awareness to raising awareness for a conscious style that is shaped through the art of repurposing and reinventing, which has blossomed into a social enterprise called UnikBlends that provides slow, conscious style and zero-waste accessories using sustainably-sourced African fabrics.
Desiring to have the possibility to serve and grow on my passion, priorities, and personal convictions, I consciously chose to give up some comfort with familiarity. I decided to leave a company I had worked for almost 12 years with, where I was fortunate to have colleagues whom I regard as friends. Thanks to a friend, who was once a colleague, I found a company willing to hire me on a part-time basis with flexible working conditions, so I could carry on building my project management career while creating a brand
that is inclusive, innovative, and empowering us all of UnikBlend’s products are handmade by female artisans.
It is my hope that UnikBlends products help in telling a powerful story as each of our products are infused with Africa’s rich textile heritage as well as the artisan’s unique art of repurposing to reinvent modern, multi-functional masterpieces from pre-loved clothing that would have been discarded as waste.
Making a Discovery to Shift the Norm
Given my engineering background, for most of my university education and career, I have been surrounded by men, and most times, especially in the last 15years, I am the only woman of color’ at the table.
Born to Nigerian parents from extremely different parts of the country to live in South Africa where I attended a once all-white school in a predominantly white neighborhood, then relocating to the Netherlands and working in an engineering firm, being different was my norm.
However, during my recovery, I engaged with people I refer to as “strong women” who are convinced about their purpose and did not allow barriers to prevent them from reaching their aspirations. Most of these women (and a few men) were of color and had energy, enthusiasm, and an entrepreneurial attitude not common in my normal sphere of activities – they propelled me on my new journey as they shared their “stories of hope”. These stories became a great source of inspiration and they still are.
By proactively reading, listening, and reflecting on genuinely sincere biographies and stories, stories that I could readily relate to and see myself in and connecting to a relatively small but diverse network of people besides those in my foundation engineering profession, I gradually got to see possibilities that allowed for my biggest paradigm shift in redefining myself as more than just a position, credential or role.
It is for these reasons that I decided to create SheSustains a not-for-profit initiative, based in The Netherlands, that offers a safe space and ample time for reflection and sharing in the form of annual Retreats and Sharing Stories that Matter events. Through this platform, it is hoped that women from diverse backgrounds, form long-term friendships, collaborations, and support systems that remind them of who they are and build better versions of themselves as they forge on with their busy lives.
Together with Veena Joseph as co-founders, we believe that through these get-togethers, we can authentically support, inspire and nourish each other, living fully and freely. This is on our individual journeys and collectively have a sustainable impact in making our world better
