Moradeyo Wola-Oyesoro – Page 2

Ladypreneur Interview With Zainab Opeloye- Creative Director of Tosho Woods Part 1

Team Tosho Woods, where you at?

Most of you actually know the brand, but how many of you know the amiable personalty behind that brand?

We bring you Zainab Opeloye the creative director of Tosho Woods, who has fought tooth, nail, sweat and tears to get the brand where it is today. Most people never know about the struggles and let you believe only the glam you see today, unlike such people, she’s out to share her journey so you can learn and know what to expect when starting your business.

Enjoy.

AN ODE TO A RARE GEM

It was sometime in January 2011, I was ill and assumed it was malaria again. You see, I am one of those people who get ill with malaria at least 4 times in a year even though I still wonder how , considering the fact that everyone around me never gets malaria. Like someone once said, maybe there are special mosquitoes who prefer me for lunch and never leave any bite marks. Anyway, I left my office which used to be off Alfred Rewane and headed towards Obalende to First Consultant hospital.

It was my first time at that hospital and after a few minutes of waiting at the doctor’s waiting room, I heard a voice, a feminine but strong voice coming from the corridor towards the waiting room. Every staff around me immediately started “forming serious” if you know what I mean, so I was quite eager to see who that voice belonged to. And there comes in a petite woman with a pleasant disposition in a white Doctor’s coverall and I watched as she walks into the Doctor’s office.

So I get called up into the doctor’s office and initially it was just like any other appointment until she sent me to the lab for some tests. On returning to her office for a review of the results, well she gave me the best news ever, I was pregnant, but that was not all she said, she gave me a lecture. Yes I said it, a proper lecture on how lucky I was as I was newly married and still under 30, and said quite a few things about not taking it for granted and prioritizing my health and the safety of the baby over everything else.

That was my first encounter with Dr Stella Adadevoh, and I really did not appreciate her style and just took it for granted (until I had another bad pregnancy experience with another doctor)

A couple of years after this, I had my second encounter with Dr Adadevoh. Being an asthmatic patient from a young age, I had often times handled my asthmatic attacks with a puff from my Ventolin inhaler, and for those few episodes that I had to go see a doctor, they just nebulize me and I get sent back home.

On this occasion however, it was different simply because the doctor on duty was none other than Doctor Stella Adadevoh. After she instructed the nurses to nebulize me, she once again called me into her office and yes, I got another lecture. This lecture made a huge difference in my life. She had taken the time to print out articles for me on recent medical breakthrough in treating asthma. She then introduced me to a different kind of inhaler which was more for preventing asthma attacks instead of treating it when it already happens. I used this for a month and “viola” I could do practically everything I was once limited to do because I was asthmatic.

Today, I can engage in High Intensity Impact Trainings , and run laps(something I had never in my life been able to do before that lecture).

When the Ebola crisis broke out and I heard about how she insisted that all protocols was followed and refused to let Patrick Sawyer out of the hospital, I was not surprised at all.

What I saw when I met this woman was an embodiment of what I want to be. My mother raised me never to be mediocre and instilled in me, the need to see an opportunity to make a difference anytime someone needs my help. This has nothing to do with giving money. There is so much we all have to offer but we are rather blinded by the “am too busy syndrome”

I want to inspire people and have a positive impact on everyone I come across. In Nigeria where mediocrity is the order of the day and where most people just coast along in a never ending rat race, I want to be remembered when I die for the impact I have had and am sure most of you want to as well.

There is so much to emulate from this woman, and as Nigeria clocks 56 today and everyone is celebrating her independence, I chose to celebrate a Hero.

Please take a minute to remember this rare gem and say a prayer for her soul.

On a final note, take a minute to listen to Beyoncé’s “I was here ” while meditating on the lyrics.

When you die, what will be the proof that you lived? What will you do???

RIP Dr Adadevoh, we truly lost an angel.

Ladypreneur Interview with Msmodish

Finally, it’s Monday, and as promised, we are posting the first Ladypreneur interview. This was actually the second interview we had in the first series out of five; we decided to bring this to your screen first.

To be sincere, I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the audio quality but I decided to share it all the same, while we work on improving this as we commence shooting of series two. This is because the message and the value of this interview go beyond the aesthetics of the video or audio.

I will be posting a transcript of the video before the week runs out for people who can’t spare enough data to watch till the end. So without further ado, I present to you, Damilola Oke, popularly known as Msmodish of Fierce and Modish.

For me the major lesson learnt from this interview is to always have a plan B for my business, please watch and share with me, what you can relate with in this video as well as the most important message you can take away from the video. Okay that’s enough talk already, watch and enjoy.

AGING

In this age of Botox, vampire facials and tummy tucks, women have taken the concept of forever young to a whole new level. Women like Mo Abudu, Halle Berry, Sade Adu, to mention but a few in their 50’s and 60’s are giving women in their 20’s a run for their money and believe me most of them never paid a visit to DR 90210 if you know what I mean.

To join this league of ladies who have succeeded in aging so graciously, you need to work for it and earn it; don’t be deceived it is all about good genes. Overall, there are some things you definitely need to know and do, as early as when you are in your 20’s in order to age gracefully. It’s okay if you are way older than that, there’s no better time to start than now

First you need to identify likely problem areas and pamper them before they start to show. Ever heard the saying “Black don’t crack”? Well, it will definitely crack if you don’t take care of yourself.

Eye bags – Your face is the first thing anyone will notice about you when trying to determine your age, and the most prominent tell on your face is the presence of eye bags. These mild swelling or puffiness under the eyes is natural effect of aging. The tissues around your eyes, including some of the muscles supporting your eyelids, weaken, normal fat that helps support the eyes can then move into the lower eyelids, causing the lids to appear puffy. Sometimes they are simply caused by retention of water, due to high concentration of salt in the area. Although there are common quick fixes like placing a cool cucumber or a tea bag on your eyes, you should take the following long term and preventive measures earlier.

* Change your sleeping position- If you are not pregnant or have any medical condition that requires you to sleep on your side, switch and start sleeping on your back with your head slightly elevated. This is important because this posture allows fluids to drain from your face. Use an extra pillow so that your head is at least a couple inches above your body.*

Catch up on your beauty sleep- You see why it’s called “beauty sleep”? An average person needs at least 8 hours of sleep. It is rather obvious that when you do not sleep well you get bags under your eyes, and the more often you get bags, the higher the likelihood of them getting permanent.

Skin on your hands and Feet

As you age, your natural supply of collagen (the protein in human body that holds the body together) reduces. Collagen apart from its several usefulness, helps plump up your skin, and as its supply reduces, it leaves your skin patched and it dries up and cracks. As the skin on your hands and feet are quite thin, the dryness gets very noticeable on them first. Most people pay too much attention to their face and not enough on their hands and feet and after you get fooled into thinking they are young, the hands and feet gives them away. There is only one way to avoid this, HYDRATE AND MOISTURIZE. Drink as much water as you can (my daily goal is 3Liters, don’t worry, you are no balloon, so you won’t burst) and keep your hands and feet as moisturized as possible. Keep a small bottle of Bio oil, shea butter or even your regular moisturizer in your bag and do touch ups during the day, don’t depend on only the morning and night ritual.

SKIN ON YOUR NECK THE FAMOUS TURKEY NECK /WATTLE

This reminds me of a character (someone please remind me of his name) in an old series I watched in my twenties Ally McBeal, who loved dating older women so he could touch their necks and feel their wattle- disgusting right!

Anyways, aint nobody got time for a Wattle, so to prevent the early onset of this you need to include your neck in your daily facial regiment and when moisturizing your neck, use upwards stokes. The use of sunscreen cannot be overemphasized, we black women always assume sunscreen is for whites and this is far from the truth. The sun screen breaks down collagen and elastin in your skin so you need to pay extra attention to your neck.

You should also do some targeted exercise such as the neck tilt and avoid any rapid weight loss program (losing more than 1kg per week) as this leaves you with flabby skin.

In addition to all of these, two major things that cannot be overemphasized are proper hydration, healthy diet and a fit and healthy lifestyle. If you can take care of your skin, most of your problem areas will be fine. So remember to take at least 2.5 liters of water in a day and stay active- walk, jog, join a gym, dance classes or simply always take the stairs.

You can look like any of the women in the picture above as you get older. The Choice is yours.

Deyodee