By Josfyn Uba

It is not enough to drive anyone, but it is a start. Words alone don’t teach. Life experiences do and if people just read the words and don’t take action, nothing will change.  They will just be recycling old ways of doing things.

These are the exact words of Tewa Adesanya, mindset coach and the initiator of ELOYs Awards Foundation when she was talking about how one’s choice of thoughts can impact positively or otherwise on his life

Having consistently mentored, empowered women through the  ELOYs Awards Foundation for 13th year which seeks to in celebrate women’s success, Adesanya told Daily Sun in this interview that Nigerian women pursue their goals with audacity.

You are being described as Mindset stylist. Can you give me a sense of what that is and the functionalities of such a person?

In addition to what I do, I am also Mindset Stylist and that essentially is a mindset coach, but I prefer to call myself a mindset stylist. And this is because I want people to understand that to live the life one wants, one must be able to pick and choose thoughts that makes one feel good just like we pick and choose cloths to make us look good.

It is important to note that a person’s life can only change when they have a renewed mindset.

I see quite often on social media where you upload inspirational quotes for your followers. Is that enough to drive them?

It is not enough to drive anyone, but it is a start. Words alone don’t teach. Life experiences do and if people just read the words and don’t take action, nothing will change.  They will just be recycling old ways of doing things.

I understand that you are a trained pharmacologist. What was the reason for your career swap into publishing?

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Well, the career change was as a result of me wanting to pursue my desire to inspire confident and style in women hence I started Exquisite Magazine 18 years ago. I actually wanted to become a doctor because I loved the idea of taking care of people. But, I guess there are different ways to do that

You have organized the ELOY awards for years now. What’s the essence and what is the milestone so far?

Yes, this is our 13th year of the ELOYs and it has been phenomenal, still is and we are very proud of the brand. The aim of the ELOYs is to celebrate and empower women and we have been successfully and consistently doing that since 2009. In 2018, the platform became a foundation now called the ELOY Awards Foundation which sustains women empowerment through access to grants, affordable finance, mentoring, networking and more to build their businesses. Since the foundation started formally in 2019, we have empowered 40 women out of which 8 were awarded a grant to help them sustain their businesses.

Would you say that the awards have any improvement on the today’s woman’s net worth or it is just another glamour evening for ladies to catch some fun?

It has improved all our past nominees and winners’ net worth. The ELOYs is a platform that celebrates and empowers women and over the years, thousands of women have been celebrated and the platform has made them even more visible and encouraged them to continue to be and do better for themselves and the community. We have different criteria which we use in choosing our final nominees and winners. It is very open and unbiased and everyone can see the impact of the ELOYs. 

What drives your crave to succeed as Tewa Onasanya and what does success mean to you?

The fact that I know that whatever I desire is possible as long as I want it badly enough. Success to me is saying I will do xyz and going ahead to do it regardless of the challenges along the way. Success to me is being able to keep my word and in the process honouring myself. When I say honouring myself, I mean taken action along the lines of my core values.

With what you do, one would assume that you are inspired by role models. Tell me about your role models if any.

I am inspired by God, the fact that HE effortlessly created the world and we are meant to be able to do the same with ease. I am inspired by my parents, how they have raised fearless queens and continue to impart knowledge. I am also inspired by the works of a number of people in the society, especially Tony Elumelu with his role in empowering female and male entrepreneurs in Africa.

What is your advice for today’s woman who looks up to you as an inspiration?

The advise will be, believe in yourself and remember someone saying no to you doesn’t mean your idea is wrong. It means you are either speaking to the wrong person or you have not articulated your value properly. So go back to the drawing board and give it another try. Your dreams are valid.