Nov 11, 2018
Chidiogo Blessing Akunyili-Parr's name roughly translates as ‘God is gracious with blessings and my cup overflows’. It's an appropriate name for a woman whose list of accomplishments is so impressive - she's been voted one of the '100 Most Influential Young Africans', '100 Most Influential Nigerians', she's been a World Economic Forum Global Leadership Fellow, and she speaks 7 languages!
But Chidiogo says her greatest accomplishment was facing her fears and choosing to march to the beat of her own drum! In 2017, Chidiogo founded an organization called She ROARs - Reimagining Our Africa Rising. Her mission is to empower women across Africa to unleash their full potential and that of the continent. Her philosophy is based on the humanist African concept of Ubuntu - 'I am because you are. You are because we are'.
Chidiogo is also a writer and storyteller. She's currently writing a biography about her late mother, Professor Dora Akunyili, who was Nigeria's first head the country's National Agency of Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC).
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
- What it was like growing up as the fifth of six children in a very high achieving family
- The impact and influence that her mother had on her life
- What she thinks is her super power
- Why she's sometimes reluctant to tell people that she speaks 7 languages
- What Chidiogo is most afraid of
- Her greatest dream for She ROARs
- The limiting beliefs she felt she needed to address in her TEDx Talk
- How she manifested her husband, and knew he was 'the one' the day they met
- The impact that Chidiogo would like to have in the world
- What Chidiogo's "I am" is