Ariana Oluwole
Ariana Oluwole is an executive coach, holistic educator, and Multipotentialite Entrepreneur. Her flagship coaching program 'Live and Lead Your Best Life' provides holistic strategies for Africans, the diaspora, and professionals navigating multiple cultures and teams. When she is not Empowering People, Teams & Systems to Thrive. Queen A can be found speaking to plants with a nice cup of tea.
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EMPOWERING POSSIBILITIES: CHANGING LIVES OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN SIERRA LEONE
Over the past several weeks, we have journeyed through the heart of World Hope International’s work in Sierra Leone, meeting the people behind the mission and witnessing the extraordinary impact of their commitment to dignity, opportunity, and sustainable change. As we close this special feature series, we spotlight one of WHI’s most transformative programs: Enable the Children (ETC);a pioneering initiative that is redefining what’s possible for children living with disabilities in Sierra Leone. Through therapy, education, advocacy, and compassion, ETC is not just changing lives; it’s reshaping mindsets and communities. We hope that you are inspired as you read! World Hope International (WHI) has stood as a pillar of hope…
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The Quiet Grief at Work: How Pregnancy Loss Is Reshaping the Modern Workplace
When the email came in marked “urgent,” Maya was already back at her desk, two weeks after losing her pregnancy. The office hummed as usual. Her body ached, her mind floated in and out of focus, but she told no one. “I didn’t want to be the woman who could not cope,” she says. Stories like Maya’s are common, and they rarely appear in annual reports or staff newsletters. Yet pregnancy loss ,miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, or failed surrogacy touches nearly one in four pregnancies, according to estimates from the World Health Organization. It is an invisible crisis in modern work culture, one that quietly drains productivity, fractures team cohesion,…
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5 Scalable Business Ideas for 2025: How Africans at Home and Abroad Can Build the Future
In a world where innovation and opportunity are intertwined, 2025 presents Africa’s young minds with a rare advantage the chance to build scalable, future-ready businesses that solve real problems and create wealth across borders. The good news? You do not need to be a Silicon Valley genius or have millions in funding to start. What you do need is clarity, creativity, and courage. Whether you are in Freetown or Atlanta, Lagos or London, these five scalable business ideas are practical, profitable, and rooted in Africa’s realities and global trends. 1. Digital Skills Hubs & Talent Export Platforms Africa’s youth bulge is both a challenge and an opportunity. The global demand…
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World Mental Health Day 2025: Tackling Sierra Leone’s Drug Crisis with Universal Care and Support
When a Crisis Hits Home In April 2024, Sierra Leone declared a national emergency on drug abuse, targeting the synthetic drug known locally as kush. Reuters reported that the government’s declaration came after a surge in addiction, deaths, and hospitalizations that have shaken the nation. The drug: cheap, potent, and often mixed with dangerous substances such as tramadol, synthetic opioids, formaldehyde, or even ground bone; has left families and communities reeling. The devastation is visible. Young people are collapsing on the streets. Hospitals are overflowing. Families are losing hope. This is no longer just a public health concern: it is a moral, social, and psychological crisis. On World Mental Health…
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The Self-Care Revolution: How Professionals in 2025 Are Rewriting the Rules of Work and Wellbeing
It begins, as so many modern confessions do, with a phone that won’t stop humming. A Lagos-based consultant wakes at 3am, compulsively scrolling through unread emails. In São Paulo, a teacher finds herself snapping at her own children after a day spent managing both a classroom and WhatsApp parent groups. In Berlin, a startup founder whispers into the blue light of his laptop: “Just one more hour.” Across continents, the professional class is coming to the same realisation: we are not machines, and the myth of infinite productivity is breaking us. The old gospel of hustle: stay late, always reply, sleep when you are dead is being replaced by something…
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The Inspiring Journey of Sorie Sesay: Overcoming Down Syndrome Stigma in Sierra Leone
Adama Fofanah is a mother whose love, courage, and determination saved her son’s life and gave him a future filled with hope. Sorie Sesay, who is her son, lives with Down syndrome. His condition did not show at birth, until after six months. Like any other day Adama left Sorie in the care of a relative to fetch water from one of the streams at her village to do some chores. When she returned, her world turned upside down; she met Sorie paralyzed, without any explanation from those who had watched him. The community, lacking understanding, began to spread harmful rumours, branding him a “devil child” and claiming he was…
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Therapeutic Laziness: Why Rest is the New Power Against Hustle Culture in 2025
September is often framed as the month of seriousness. In many places, it signals the return to routine! Children in uniform, offices brimming with renewed intensity, and a cultural expectation to shake off the languor of summer. In some African cities, September means traffic grows thicker, schools resume their bustling cadence, and social calendars speed up. For professionals in the diaspora, it is the sprint to year-end deliverables; for those shuttling between two or more homes, the reminder of competing obligations across continents and cultures. But in September 2025, the narrative has shifted. A quiet, intentional rebellion is taking place. Across Lagos, Johannesburg, Nairobi, London, Toronto, and Atlanta, people are…
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Curiosity as a Catalyst for Growth: How Asking Questions Drives Personal, Social, and Innovative Success
In the grand African tradition of storytelling and questioning, curiosity stands as a mighty catalyst- one that does more than just scratch the surface of things. It is the humbling, insatiable force that propels personal transformation, fuels ground-breaking innovation, and weaves the intricate threads of community connection. Curiosity, at its core, is the bold art of asking “Why?” and “What if?” and not resting until the depths of understanding are plumbed. Cultivating Curiosity: The Root of Self-Awareness Curiosity pushes the mind to venture beyond the familiar, catalysing continuous learning and self-discovery. Science shows that curious people engage brain circuits associated with reward and learning, releasing dopamine, ever heard about the…
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The Back-to-School Survival Guide for Parents in West Africa: Managing Stress, Costs, and New Routines
When Mariama, a mother of three in Freetown, was asked how she feels about the start of the school year, she laughed nervously: “It is like running a marathon without training. One day it’s holidays, the next day you are standing in the market arguing about shoe prices and searching for a missing belt.” Across Sierra Leone and West Africa, Mariama’s words echo in countless homes. The back-to-school rush is not just about sharpened pencils and new timetables: it is about the emotional, financial, and logistical weight that families carry every year. And the numbers back the stories. Mental health: The World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 7 adolescents…
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From Struggle to Strength: Neneh’s Inspiring Journey with Cerebral Palsy
Osman and Fatmata are the proud parents of Neneh, a bright and resilient young girl who has been living with cerebral palsy for fifteen years. Neneh’s journey has been one marked by challenges, determination, and ultimately, hope. Just three days after her birth, Neneh began to show signs of physical complications. As a result, her parents took her to Ola During Children’s Hospital where she was admitted. After she was discharged, there was a recurring concern which alarmed her parents; whenever she had a fever, Neneh would regress from walking to crawling. This was not only physically difficult for her but also emotionally draining for her family. The emotional toll…
