At the start of 2020, Lanre Olusola, the famous Nigerian life coach had, like many other people across the world, started to create his schedule for the year. Naturally, he would have included lots of physical coaching sessions that would see clients from all over the world fly into Nigeria. Then the government introduced shelter in place policies, to help stop the further spread of Covid-19. His only option to hold his mostly fully booked life coaching sessions was virtual.
“I must tell you right, in the beginning, it was tough,” Olusola said in a recent interview with Technext. But he quickly saw an opportunity to share his life works with even more people. So, he took his classes to Zoom.
“We had to start all over again and we had to do it with tech,” he said. “Tech brought students from five continents of the world. In our classes that usually has between 20 to 25 people, we were having classes with 300 people. That was a major breakthrough.”
On building the industry from nothing
In the last twenty years, Olusola has gradually built a Life Coaching industry out of nothing on the continent.
The journey has been challenging and absolutely fulfilling. It’s been 20 years of building an industry that didn’t exist.
Lanre Olusola
But for him, creating this industry was not just another business venture. It was his purpose. “Nothing beats finding and fulfilling purpose on a daily basis,” he says.
His work continues to receive accolades and striking academic recognition. This month, he received two honorary doctorate degrees; one in Behavioural Change Psychology from the Escae Benin University and, a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from the Myles Leadership University.
The feeling, he said, has been “very humbling.” He sees it as the reward for the years that he has put toiling to build the industry.
“The highest recognition of your academic achievement is a PhD, to have been confirmed two in five minutes is for me, the most humbling experience ever.”
Amazing fact: Lanre Olusola has eight books
This year, he is sharing his work with the public in eight new books; with topics ranging from ‘The Power of Daily Affirmation’, ‘The Quote Book’, ‘Good to Better’, ‘Morning Commander’ and four prayer books, all focusing on how people can live fulfilled lives.
In life coaching school, we’ve come to learn that we are supposed to help people look at life from a holistic perspective. So that you can begin to find fulfilment and satisfaction.
Lanre Olusola
With these books, he is offering a gateway for readers to achieve this.
On principles guiding the world
There are principles guiding how the world works. With his books, he also wants readers to understand that the world responds to principles.
A life coach, he said, “helps you understand your life and begin the journey and embodying your life.”
He added that they “help you understand that the world responds to principles. I am teaching the principles of how to sleep, how to wake up, how to command your day, and how to go to sleep,” he said.
“I am teaching you how to transition from good to better. For you to transform your life, you have to transform your mind, living life from a holistic perspective and finding fulfilment and satisfaction in life.”
On navigating social media
Since Olusola made the decision to “reposition” his message, and join social media almost a decade ago now, he has grown to become one of the most influential motivational speakers on platforms like Instagram and Facebook where he has almost half a million following.
“I needed to create a new vision for me to be able to thrive and succeed,” he said of his decision to join social media, adding that:
It helped me realise and understand that the world had become very volatile. We need to disrupt. Tech is the future.
Lanre Olusola
With social media, he said he has been able to create “virtual relationships and connections,” that help members of the online community develop “deeper bonds.”
“It’s beyond just coming to learn in a class, we are creating that sense of togetherness where people feel like they are a part of something.”
But, he hasn’t lost sight of the baggage that comes with social media, especially now that he hosts regular sessions on ClubHouse and Twitter Spaces.
“We forayed into Instagram, Twitter, Facebook knowing fully well that [they are] social media platforms. People just want to socialise on those platforms.”
“It’s not just about teaching, people like to talk, to engage, to share,” he said.
“ClubHouse and Twitter Spaces became the platform. It gave more value than text. How do you share heavy concepts of psychodynamics by text? How do you help people embrace the beauty of their soul by text? Tech helped us,” he said.
“It was just a natural transition to take it to ClubHouse,” he said of opening rooms on the audio app.
The legacy of Lanre Olusola
When he looks at his twenty-year career holding sessions with individuals, transforming the culture of businesses indeed across the world, what will he say his legacy is?
“The impact that I make is on a daily basis,” he said. “We are all part of an ecosystem, each purpose fulfilling the destiny of another being.
“Every life that you meet on a daily basis is the legacy you leave. You write your legacy every day, which is what I am doing. With every opportunity that I have.”
Lanre Olusola has set out to continue to help people live fulfilling lives and, with tech as a major driver, he wants you to follow him.
Technext Newsletter
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!
