ROLE MODEL with Miracle Olatunji
Julie and Casey chat with Miracle Olatunji (an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and speaker who happens to be a 20-year-old college student) about the power of finding your purpose and owning your story, what it's like to be a role model, how to deal with being "the only" in the room, and the mindset of going after what you want without "self-rejecting" first.
TOP TAKEAWAYS
“People say ‘Oh, you’re fearless’, but being fearless isn’t the absence of fear, it’s acknowledging the fear and finding ways around it.” - Miracle Olatunji
When you’re writing a rough draft, don’t expect perfection or you’ll end up with a blank page. It’s a ROUGH DRAFT.
Being a role model doesn’t mean you have to be perfect.
Imposter syndrome often comes when you are the “only” (woman/person of color/LGBTQ person, etc.) in the room . . . dealing with that has an internal component and an external component. The internal part is the only part you have some control over. The external component takes real, collective effort to change, and the work is only beginning.
Positive self-talk is a great way to influence your thoughts - but get specific as you create it. What do you need to hear from yourself as you become your own best advocate?
Optimism is about imagining and planning and working for the future you want to see, even when the future is unclear.
Technology has allowed us to forget that there are (often underpaid and poorly treated) humans doing the hard work of the apps that make our lives so much easier.
Don’t “self-reject” by not going after the opportunities that you want.
Miracle Olatunji is a student at Northeastern University, an entrepreneur, public speaker, and author of Purpose: How To Live and Lead With Impact. In high school, she founded OpportuniMe, an award-winning organization which connects youth with summer enrichment opportunities that empower them to learn about different career paths, build their skills, and ultimately, realize and reach their full potential. At Northeastern, Miracle is a finance and accounting major with a passion for entrepreneurship, technology, social impact, health & wellness, fashion, and innovation. She’s been honored as one of The Tempest's 2019 40 Women To Watch Who Are Changing The World, a Young Futurist and Game-changer, a Young Global Leadership Scholar, and her work has also been featured in Forbes, Thrive Global, Technical.ly, BostInno, The CEO Library, and other publications.
Miracle is also the founder of Her Wallet Media, a new platform for women and girls to gain knowledge and resources on the topics of building their "net worth, network, and self worth" through content, community, and coaching. She was honored as an EXTRAOrdinary Woman by Boston.gov during the International Women’s Day Celebration at City Hall. Miracle was recently part of Barbie's #YouCanBeAnything #MoreRoleModels campaign aimed at closing the dream gap and inspiring women and girls around the world. She was also part of Melinda Gates and the Harvard Business Review’s ‘Equality Can’t Wait’ campaign.