Hi, I’m Kola,
Nigerian Author and Social Entrepreneur.
5 years, 12 countries, 86 YouTube videos, & countless boxes of Chinese food later, this site now exists to document my adventures in making money, making a difference, and traveling the world.
Obligatory Bio
This is the “official” bio I provide to the poor person that has to pronounce my last name when they introduce me at events.
Born and raised in Nigeria, Kola Olaosebikan relocated to the United States out of a desire to make a difference. Over the years, she has been involved with orphan care initiatives in Uganda, Congo, Haiti, UAE, Nigeria, and Mexico. All by the grace of God and on a small personal budget.
Kola’s work has been featured in books alongside bestselling author, Leo Babauta and her media appearances include highlights in Pace Setters Magazine, Pick the Brain, Celebrating Progress – Africa, and Brazen Careerist to mention a few.
Outside of orphan care travels, Kola has consulted with Fortune 500 companies in Paris, New York, Sao Paulo, Dallas, and China.
She has been privileged to work with clients and partners such as the Washington Post, the National Society for Leadership and Success, the American Management Association, the Center for Leadership Development and others.
She is a former Ambassador of the Monster Diversity Leadership Program, a current Ambassador for the Global Orphan Project, a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, and a Six Sigma Green Belt.
More interestingly, one of her proudest accomplishments is that she has done her own finances and laundry since the age of 9.
Click the button below to request Kola as a Speaker for your youth, college, or young adult event.
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Contact KolaFAQ
If you don’t see your question answered here, simply email me or leave a comment on any blog post. I’m pretty responsive if I do say so myself.
What is Beta Motivation?
Beta Motivation creates self-improvement tips and tools for educated young people who travel, read and deeply desire to make a difference in the world. Subscribe.
There is a strong emphasis on self-improvement because in my quest to help orphans, I found that I was completely useless to help other people without first sorting out my own mess of a life.
Let’s be real. I still don’t have my act together but constantly improving myself has made it that much easier to improve the world. Did you subscribe yet?.
What Exactly Does the Name, Beta Motivation, Mean?
You know how you go to some websites and they say it’s in “beta”?
What they’re trying to say is that their idea is good enough for people to see but it’s not perfect yet. They’re telling their visitors that they are still a work in progress. That’s the sense that “Beta” captures.
My personal motivation is to help orphans in third world countries. This mission is always going to be evolving. It’s always going to be a work in progress. There is never going to be a time where I sit back and say “yes, I have finished making a difference”.
What Happened to Your Accent?
Idk. I probably watch way too much TV
How Much Do You Charge for Speaking Engagements?
$77 million.
I’m kidding. My fees vary depending on several factors. If your crowd is under the age of 35 and you’re looking for a Speaker that is upbeat, inspiring, and relatable, I’m sure we can work something out. Contact me about your event here.
On a Personal Note (*ahem* the REAL story)
It’s been said, that a picture is worth a thousand words. So here’s my story…in roughly 3,ooo.
For six years, this was my primary source of drinking water. After a long day under the merciless equatorial sun, I would cup my dusty hands underneath the slow dribble of water and sip to my heart’s content. The naked live wires on the walls never bothered me and I saw nothing wrong with the algae and rust. I was just grateful for what I could get – I learned contentment here.
Then I would walk to the place pictured below. This was one of the higher end boarding school facilities – only the crème de la crème got to live there.
Each 600 square foot room served as a home to roughly 40+ people. Abuse wasn’t just normal, it was expected. It was our way of life.
I remember the hours of pulling out weeds from our “lawn” by hand, kneeling on pebbles until my knees turned leathery, and being forced to sleep outside at 4am in the morning – I learned resilience here.
…but contentment and resilience can only take a person so far. At the age of 15, I started my own business and failed. Shortly thereafter, my bags were packed, my savings were gathered, and I was on a 6,000 mile journey to start a brand new life in the United States.
Faith in hand and mother in full support, I graduated Summa Cum Laude with Research Honors from Illinois Wesleyan University and a Green Belt in Six Sigma Process Improvement from Caterpillar University.
I have since been privileged to be involved with Fortune companies such as Caterpillar Inc, Country Financial, Pfizer, John Deere, and State Farm to mention a few.
Many people read this story and assume that my family was poor…Don’t worry, we weren’t.
My past has shaped me into a young, passionate professional seeing life through many different lenses. Travel has stolen my heart and I genuinely enjoy meeting people and speaking at interesting events. Every important decision in my life and almost everything I speak about, is based on this simple truism: live to make a difference.
I am just an ordinary person living an extraordinary life. The ultimate driving force of my life is to be a voice for orphans. The kids that nobody wakes up in the morning worrying about.
I’m not good at many things. But the one thing that I know how to do is to Speak. I have been blessed with energy and it’s contagious.
If I happen to inspire somebody else to find the courage to make a difference, that’s a nice bonus on the side too.
To learn more about my speaking topics, please click here.
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