To the Ones Becoming

I like Friday mornings. Why do I like Friday mornings? Because between the hours of 5 AM to 6 AM, I get to open my mouth to talk — to share my opinions. And that alone takes away sleep. It removes the temptation of going back to bed. Yes, it removes the temptation of going back to bed, and that’s why I like Friday mornings. Here’s the thing: that one hour of talking keeps me awake and helps me rise early. Now, I know you might be reading this and rolling your eyes. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d probably roll my eyes too at someone saying something like this. But if you’ve ever experienced the joy of stepping out of your comfort zone, stretching yourself, doing more than you thought you could do — then you’ll understand what I mean. It’s a joy. A deep sense of happiness. For me, waking up at 5 AM on Fridays to join a group of people and speak — instead of slipping back into sleep — gives me that joy. The joy of stretching. The other day, I planned to edit just the first 5 minut...

Patience, Principles and a lagging PC By Olayide Juliana This morning, I found myself stuck, waiting for my system to boot. It’s an old, laggy machine, and every time I turn it on, there’s this familiar dread. Nothing moves. Nothing loads. And all I can do is wait. People tell me there’s not much I can do about it. Just bear with it. And so I try. But let me be honest: it’s nerve-wracking, frustrating, and incredibly demotivating to deal with this every single day. It gets to me in ways I don't always admit. I start thinking: If only I had more money, I wouldn’t have to deal with this. That thought tempts me. It whispers: Drop your principles. Forget about chasing value. Just chase money. Grab it. Never look back. It’s an ugly temptation. But then I catch myself. I remind myself this is just a phase—a phase that will pass. I remember why I chose to prioritize value over money in the first place. Even if my circumstances aren't perfect now, I can still do good work. I can still...

Reflections on Creativity, Professionalism, and Growth By Olayide Juliana Attending the Kwara Create Workshop was such an enriching and inspiring experience for me. It wasn’t just an event; it was an opportunity to learn, reflect, and deepen my understanding of what it really means to do creative work with purpose and professionalism. One of the things that stood out most was seeing the level of support that exists for the creative industry at both the federal and state levels. Hearing from the Special Assistant to the President on Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy really opened my eyes. He spoke about structured programs like the Creative Leap Accelerator and the Creative Development Fund , and he reframed Intellectual Property not just as something to protect legally, but as an asset —something with real strategic value that deserves to be properly developed and safeguarded. Another big theme was the importance of professionalism . There was a strong emphasis on ethic...

Who Wrote the Script? By Olayide  Juliana A young advocate reflects on Nigeria’s Reserved Seats Bill and the power of fragile hope. I thought my activism side had died. I thought my passion for change had burned out somewhere between the reality of adulthood and the chaos of trying to survive it. I started Lead for Change Africa Initiative at a very young age — full of fire, full of dreams. I believed in the possibility of a perfect Nigeria, a world where young people could rise like giants, inspired by icons like Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, and Malala. Then life hit. I transitioned from teenage idealism into adult disillusionment. I struggled. I withdrew. I told myself I’d just let things be. But three years later — unplanned, unsolicited — I found myself right back in the middle of advocacy and social impact. This time, as a job. The job that pays my bills. I currently serve as the Communications Officer on a project called Advancing Women's Political Participation , impl...

Still Becoming By  Olayide  Juliana If there’s one lesson—scratch that, if there are a thousand lessons I’ve learned from watching the great blockbuster series Mad Men , I only hope I truly internalize them. I hope I haven’t just watched for entertainment, to pass time, or to check off a classic. I hope every word, line, scene, and character deposited something lasting—something I might never get taught, even when I live out all my years on earth. Normally, after I watch a series, I start looking up the actors. I search for who they are in real life, what they’ve starred in before or after, their interviews, their quirks, their Instagram accounts... And once I do that, I usually feel that emotional detachment. Like the magic breaks a little. I say to myself, “Oh, they’re just actors playing a part,” and I move on. But not with Mad Men . This one won’t let me go. Something about it keeps hitting hard. Keeps calling me back. My eyes have opened. My knowledge expanded. M...

The Days I Chose to Show Up A writing series by Olayide  Juliana This isn’t a perfect series. It isn’t planned, plotted, or polished to impress. It’s honest. It’s messy. It’s me—showing up one day at a time. I started this five-day writing challenge not to prove anything, but to return to myself. To write not because I had the words, but because I needed to find them. Each day, I came with what I had—sometimes clarity, sometimes questions. But I showed up. And that, I’ve learned, is the first victory. These are the pages from that quiet unfolding. The raw, reflective, sometimes tear-stained moments I decided not to run from. I call them: The Days I Chose to Show Up.

Warning: This Post Might Make You Super Grateful! February! It was 28 days of awesomeness. I am grateful, first to God, then to my spiritual family (with all honesty), mentors, superiors, family, and friends who have deposited so much into me. Whether they know it or not, they have all shaped me. And I love it! I want this to continue...only higher, deeper, and better. Last month, I turned a year older ( gotta pause and take a bite of my food because these words just keep flowing—why does this always happen while I eat? ). Also, I got my will to write back. I think writing is a calling I can't run from. Every day, a gazillion words jump into my head—I literally have to tell my mind to shut up sometimes. Maybe getting these words out will give me a quieter head. Looking at my past and recent writing, I think I’m starting to figure out my genre. I don’t know exactly what it is yet, but I know I love to write, and more importantly, I’m finding my authentic voice. I’m excited! I want t...