“I am a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me”.- Maya Angelou
There’s something special about being a woman! A woman is an epitome of beauty, wisdom and care. We are nurturers, we are amazing, adorable, lovable, wonderful, powerful and phenomenal. Happy Women’s Day to all the wonderful women out there!
Yay.. It’s women history month 💃 ❤
“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women”.- Maya Angelou
I celebrate an amazing woman today. A woman who has inspired so many. Tope Fajingbesi Balogun is a Nigerian-American social entrepreneur, and an Agribusiness lecturer at the University of Maryland, College Park in the USA. She is also the author of the amazon.com best selling novel, Love in Cancun, Soulful Whispers and What Colour is Your Money? She created and hosts Impact Africa’s radio and She-EO programs that inspire and enable personal and community development in Africa and Africans. She also invests considerable time and energy into creating a better world for children from low-income families through the education, healthcare and social welfare initiatives of United for Kids Foundation, an organization she co-founded in 2002 and which she continues to serve as its Executive Director/Coordinating Trustee (Pro-Bono).
Tope obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, where she was the best graduating student in the College of Business Administration. She also obtained a Master’s in Business Administration from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to embracing her calling to be an inspirational speaker and teacher, Tope was an accountant and financial coach. She is a U.S. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Nigerian Chartered Accountant (1999 ICAN prize-winner). She joined the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in 2009, and rose to the rank of Assistant Director of Financial Services at AFT’s Washington DC headquarters.
She also invented “money colour”, a revolutionary system that helps individuals understand and improve their relationship with money.
Tope acquired more than 17 years’ accounting and financial management experience working with Big Four public accounting firms (Arthur Andersen and PricewaterhouseCoopers), Fortune 500 corporations, and non-profit organizations across the USA and Nigeria between 1998 and 2015. She was ranked as one of America’s Top 11 financial coaches by www.badcredit.org in 2014.
Tope’s efforts earned her an award at the Nigeria Centenary USA Awards ceremony in New York City on September 27th 2014. Tope’s main life mission is inspiring and empowering her tribe to find, fund and fully unleash their purpose driven lives so they can be the change makers they were created to be. She merges her hobbies (traveling and writing) with a deep love for, and commitment to her faith and home country, Nigeria by visiting regularly, speaking to various audiences and blogging about living on purpose at www.ganiyah.com. Tope was one of 30 African leaders invited to the U.S. White House in preparation for the 2014 U.S.-Africa leaders’ summit in May 2014, and President Obama’s Eid reception for Muslim Americans in July 2016. In addition to working on Secretary Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign as an organizer in Michigan, Tope had the honour of giving the field pitch at Mrs. Clinton’s final presidential campaign rally in Grand Rapids Michigan on November 7, 2016. She was also the keynote speaker at the prestigious Grand Rapids City High School 2017 graduation ceremony on June 6, 2017. Tope has been featured on Channels TV, WFM 91.7FM, Voice of America TV and major print media publications such as Sun News. Tope strongly believes that the best teacher is one who is him/herself a student, therefore she seeks coaching and learning opportunities from home and abroad.
“The empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description”- Steve Maraboli
Please drop your comments below or send an email if you have inspiring stories to share with us here. Thanks.
Have a lovely weekend guys
I celebrate an outstanding woman today. A woman who has inspired so many. Lanre Da Silava Ajayi is a fashion designer considered to be one of Nigeria’s leading couturiers.
Lanre Da Silva moved to the United Kingdom to continue her studies after her secondary school education in Nigeria. For her undergraduate degree, she majored in business administration at Coventry University. She obtained a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of Leicester. Lanre Da Silva’s collections often incorporate metallic fabrics, lace and African patterns, while referencing the 1940s or 1800s. Launched in 2005, her eponymous label includes couture, ready-to-wear, jewellery and hairpieces.
In 2011, Lanre Da Silva presented her collection at New York Fashion Week, where it was described as combining “…the archetypal bright, warm colours of her homeland with refined ladylike silhouettes inspired by Italian architecture”. Seen as an African luxury brand, her clothing line has been sold at Dolce &Gabbana’s “Concept Spiga 2” store in Milan. In 2012, she was one of the two designers asked to join the United Nations “Fashion Development Project” which helps supports her continent’s luxury industry.
Lanre Da Silva’s clothes have been described as ground-breaking in their use of traditional African prints. She is recognised for re-interpreting and modernizing traditional motifs, making them an important part of her designs. In 2017, Lanre Da Silva was asked to create outfits for the 2017 look book of Vlisco, an African fabrics and textiles manufacturer. The Africa Fashion Guide recognizes her as having “…created a name for herself in high fashion in Nigeria. Lanre Da Silva has received numerous awards.
“The empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description”- Steve Maraboli
Please drop your comments below or send an email if you have inspiring stories to share with us here. Thanks.
Have a lovely weekend guys
I celebrate an outstanding woman today. A woman who has inspired so many. Folake Akindele Coker is a fashion designer and creative director of Tiffany Amber.
Folake Akindele Coker is the Founder/CEO/Creative Director of Tiffany Amber. Folake first entered the world of fashion in 1996 when she designed a collection for herself upon returning to Nigeria to start Law School. Born in Lagos, Folake schooled in Switzerland, England and Scotland. Despite qualifying as a lawyer with a Masters degree in Petroleum Law, her love for the world of fashion reigned supreme over all.
In November 1998, Folake launched Tiffany Amber revolutionizing the Nigeria Fashion Industry. Having spent most of her childhood in Europe, Folake successfully translated her passion to a foremost fashion brand in Africa with outstanding global recognition. In 2008, Folake for the first time showcased at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York. The collection was heralded by such rave reviews that she was invited to showcase for the second time, making her the first African based designer to showcase for two consecutive shows at the New York Fashion Week.
The multi-award winning designer received the Designer of the year at the inaugural African Fashion Week (AFI) in 2009 in Johannesburg. In 2013, Folake became the first African Fashion Designer to make the Forbes Women Power List. In 2014, Folake launched her home line, Tiffany Amber Living, fortifying Tiffany Amber as a complete lifestyle brand. The home line captures the rich African culture embodied by the brand. In celebration of her brands 15th year anniversary, Folake launched a Women of Vision campaign, in partnership with Diamond Woman as a platform to mentor a younger generation of entrepreneurs.
“The empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description”- Steve Maraboli
Please drop your comments below or send an email if you have inspiring stories to share with us here. Thanks.
Have a lovely weekend guys
(http://www.tiffanyamberng.com/the-brand)
