• Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Inspiring Woman Series 9: Women empowered to break boundaries, become more

Inspiring Women Series 9: Women empowered to break boundaries, become more

Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo, Aircraft pilot with Qatar Airways came from a place of obscurity, a slum in Kaduna State. People from this place struggle to be accepted by others. She aspired to be successful in a career woman hardly ever think of, but her environment did not support her dreams.

More so, she watched as her dreams slowly slipped away due to challenges that came partly from education, finance, and unemployment which lasted for two and a half years. However, when there seemed to be breakthrough, she got antagonized by a superior who threatened to do all the niceties to get her sacked on her first day at work.

Before Chioma Akpotha, one of Nollywood’s respected actress and producer, came to prominence in her career, she suffered serious setbacks. From her inability to get roles after several attempts at auditions, to feeling irrelevant in the industry, she almost gave up.

Although from different fields, what both women share in common are stories that show some of the challenges that women encounter. Experts in this area have argued that women face many challenges that tend to limit them.

Addressing this problem, Nigeria’s financial intelligence newspaper, Businessday Media, gathered women from various works of life at the ninth edition of its Inspiring Woman Series Conference to equip women with the right knowledge to enable them break free from all shades of limitations.

The theme “She Sees No Boundaries” was driven through stories like Ogunmola’s and Chioma’s as the women present were inspired to see beyond what may seem like boundaries, challenges or limitations.

The speakers, while addressing what constitutes boundaries and limitation, unanimously concluded that some challenges were beyond physical, and added mental and emotional challenges to the list.

One of the speakers, Osayi Alile, CEO, Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation said the circumstances that a person is going through at any age could become a boundary. She said being too protective of oneself could lead to putting up boundaries and could be inimical to personal development.

“We think of boundaries as limits that we’ve put around ourselves. As women, there are so many limitations we go through. As we women, what creates the boundaries for us today is because we look at other people’s times or journey. You have to realize that sometimes, you put your own limitation just by looking at other people’s journey—everybody’s journey is different. Once you focus on your own self, you become better.” Osayi said, adding that “Focusing on people’s journeys will make you pursue what is not your own, and when you begin to pursue what is not your own, you limit yourself completely,” she said.

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Explaining the theme, Alile said it did not mean that boundaries or challenges do not exist, rather, it talks about having a mind-set that they can be overcome.

“We know that boundaries exist,” she said. “But when we say ‘she sees no boundaries’, we’re talking about the heart, the mind, knowing that you will walk out of any barrier… and find a way around it. So, you must find other ways to deal with issues that you are dealing with.”

For women to break boundaries, they must know themselves, know who they are as a person, know what they want in life, and what purpose and journey they are meant to embark on, Alile said.

“When you talk about steps to take, make sure you have a great network around you, people that can help you overcome those challenges that you face, but you also need to begin to gather knowledge, knowledge is key, because you only know if you have a limitation if you know what journey you’re on.

“So once you begin to gather knowledge, and then unlearn some things. A lot of these boundaries that we face are things that we have gathered from when we were younger. So sometimes, you need to unlearn those things and realise that it’s not about you, and don’t put it as a stamp over your life. Once you do that, it makes it easier,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, Owen Omogiafo, managing director/ chief executive officer, Transcorp Hotels Plc, said limitations were part of life and the process of getting to achieve something.

She said it was critical to have an idea of your personal vision, where you are going to when dealing with boundaries, because “if you do not know where you are going to, you won’t even understand that there is a barrier on the way there.”

“And when you encounter the barrier, there is no need to throw your hands up and shout. Look at the barrier, rather, analyse the barrier, say ‘what am I going to do about this?’, ‘is it a barrier I’m going to ignore?’ or ‘is it a barrier I’m going to deal with?’ is it a barrier I’m going to push myself through?

“Is it a barrier that I have put in place myself? There are various things that you’d do, but very importantly, is have a vision, have measures to know what you are doing. You might move away for some time, but always know that you must come back to where you are going to. Nevertheless, you must have an idea of where you are going. And keep in mind, barriers are part of the growth process,” Omogiafo said.

While speaking, Tara Durotoye, CEO, House of Tara International said there is a nexus between service, women supporting women and breaking boundaries.

“When you think about boundaries, one of the things that you experience is that there is a need for people to be there to tell you what you are good at, reaffirm you, and that is where women supporting women becomes important.

“Sometimes, the boundaries we see, is our cheer team, our circle of influence who will voice out that these are boundaries that we can actually overcome. And so it becomes important that we have to surround ourselves with strong women, who believe in the power of supporting themselves, invest in nurturing those relationships by serving in those relationships and you can only reap what you sow,” Durotoye said.

Inspiring, encouraging women to be more using real stories has been a distinguishing feature Businessday’s Inspiring Women Series, and participants have had tremendous experiences for the ninth time since inception.

According Kemi Ajumobi, editor, Women’s Hub and coordinator, Inspiring Woman Series Confrence, Businessday Media, the Inspiring Women Series platform was born out of her desire to inspire women beyond the pages of the Newspaper.

“When I started working in Businessday a decade ago, I began featuring women with intriguing stories to inspire people. I later realised they had more to say that a page in the Newspaper wasn’t sufficient for so I birthed the idea to my boss and he okayed it. Let’s just say the rest is history,”

Further speaking on how the platform has been sustained, Ajumobi, who doubled as the compere, attributed it to God. “He sustains and I retain all He inspires,” she said.

“Secondly, consistency. Planning such an event is tedious but when you think of the lives that will be impacted, strength springs up. As it is with most things in life, you must be consistent. It will eventually come through if you believe. Third thing is focus. I do not listen to nay sayers no matter who it is. When you have a dream, you nurture it, when you birth it you must guard it, in guarding it, you preserve it and from there you must choose to be unstoppable,” she explained.

The interactive sessions and engagement with participants was evidence that this year’s edition was mind blowing.

Asked whether the event was as successful as imagines, “yes,” Ajumobi said. “It did achieve its purpose and surpassed it. The seats were sold out. Inspiring Woman Series 10 is going to be mind blowing. Watch this space.”