About Me
The About page is where I'm supposed to write all the things that qualify me to do what I do as a LinkedIn personal branding Speaker, Trainer and Coach.
But the truth is I got into this field by accident.
When I started my career as a Journalist many years ago, social media barely even existed, let alone rule our lives in the way that it does now.
Doing anything social media related as a career simply wasn't an option.
Instead, I worked in the print media for a bit (including at The Guardian newspaper), before transitioning first to freelance PR (Public Relations) and later on to Communications, where I spent several years.
The Side Hustler
Alongside the day job, I always had another side to me - an entrepreneurial side inherited from my Nigerian dad who's dipped his hand in practically every business going in his now almost eight decades of existence.
That entrepreneurial side saw me "side hustle" throughout my career. I started many businesses along the way, including co-founding an award-winning raw foods business, Raw Love UK, with my husband in our early 20s.
But I really made a "name" for myself with my CV business, CV Makeover Expert.
For more than a decade I specialised in providing CV ("resume", for my US friends) makeover services to mid to senior level professionals changing their jobs or careers.
This business produced two published books (7 Keys to a Winning CV and The Science of Successful Job Hunting) and opened the door to many speaking engagements and media opportunities.
From there, I branched into LinkedIn profile makeovers also, and when clients started asking me for help with not just their LinkedIn profile but their LinkedIn presence in general, I started offering LinkedIn coaching services.
LinkedIn changed my life
In January 2020, I made the decision to officially transition my business from CVs to LinkedIn coaching, since I now enjoyed this so much more. Three months later, the pandemic hit and the need for online networking shot LinkedIn - and in so doing, my business - to a brand new level of significance.
In my talks and workshops, I often tell people that LinkedIn changed my life, and it's true.
Being visible on LinkedIn and intentionally building my personal brand on this platform has taken me on the wildest and most exciting journey in my business and personal life.
I've been able to organically grow my audience from 5,000 in 12 years, to over 40,000 within 24 months.
I wrote and published my popular LinkedIn handbook, Start Being Visible, in late 2020; launched and presented a successful live interview show (Visible Women on LinkedIn) for over a year; and formed a membership community for female leaders and business owners (Visible Women Tribe).
In addition, I get regular invitations for speaking engagements and podcast interviews to share my story and expertise (including a TedX invitation) from LinkedIn.
I've enjoyed many rewarding partnerships and collaborations with people I've met through LinkedIn globally; I've been able to build a solid coaching and training business that gives me and my family a great stable income and lifestyle and, at the beginning of 2022, I was honoured to be recognised by LinkedIn as a LinkedIn Top Voice within the UK Jobs and Careers space.
Not bad for a woman who could barely say 'boo to a goose' as a girl!
Introverts can build personal brands too
What most people don't know about me is that I actually grew up a shy little girl who wanted to be anything but seen or heard. I ran away from anything that required me to use my voice in group settings, avoided stages and cameras, and found comfort and acceptance behind books and words (libraries were a great hangout for me!).
It wasn't until much later on in life, in my late twenties, that I discovered the correct term for my personality type - introvert. Susan Cain's book and TED Talk, Quiet, changed my life (alongside the Bible)!
Learning to embrace my introvert nature set me free to truly become my authentic self on and offline.
I learnt the difference between challenging myself out of my comfort zone and staying within my zones of comfort (and genius); I learnt to stop fearing the camera and embrace videos and public speaking as an essential way to reach my audience and get my message across; I learnt to not only find and use my own voice, but to teach and liberate other women into doing the same, through being visible on LinkedIn.
ANYBODY can build a great personal brand on LinkedIn!
Whether you're an introvert like me, or an extrovert (like my husband!), there is a way for you to bring your authentic self to LinkedIn (and beyond) - it all starts with you making the decision today to start being visible!
If I've inspired you to get going with that for yourself - or for your audience - get in touch.
Oh, and the last few things you might want to know about me...
- I've lived in the UK for most of my life
- I'm married to my childhood sweetheart of 21+ years
- We have two lovely daughters together
- I love Jesus (like, really!)
- I enjoy having "me time" watching movies that make me cry
- I survived a brain tumour in 2019!
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