#69: How to empower yourself with Deborah Olatunji

How many times have you wanted to give up when headed towards a goal, big or small? Are you paying attention to your thoughts when you are frustrated, disappointed, or let down? Our guest this week has a few things to teach you.

Deborah Olatunji sees the problem and looks for a solution. In high school, she was frustrated with her classes and didn’t feel like she could answer the question “What does education mean to me?” so she set out to define that for herself.

Unlike most high school Juniors, Deborah wrote a book about her experience called Unleashing Your Innovative Genius: High School Redesigned. She tells us that the one thing she wants to change about education is what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls “the myth of the single story.” Our schools don’t teach World History, but instead the history of the United States through a white lens (3:40-5:45). When she had this insight, Deborah tackled the problem from multiple angles using an affirmative mindset. Instead of falling into despair and neglecting her studies, he changed the way she learned herself and found new ways into the material while also deepening her relationship with the educators in her life; in this way, she was able to overcome limiting beliefs, find new ways into the material and transform her experience.

Now as she goes into her Freshman year at UPenn with uncertainties about whether she will start on campus or digitally, Deborah rests easy knowing that she is firm in her faith (21:40 to 23:31), clear on her path (32:17 to 34:05) and ready to tackle the uncertainty that life will inevitably throw her way (34:05 to 36:25).

This is an episode about empowering yourself, transforming your own experience and living from a place of purpose.

 

Website: www.deboraholatunji.com

Facebook: facebook.com/deboraholatunji2020

Instagram: instagram.com/deb_olatunji

Twitter: twitter.com/deb_olatunji

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deborah-olatunji