As a woman, don’t focus on challenges, focus on strengths — Brenda Unu

Known as the Queen Amazon of Women Growth Academy (WGA), Brenda Unu is a woman of many parts who has impacted a lot of women. She is a certified architect with about two decade’s experience, a writer and a coach who has successfully merged all her diverse passion into one successful stream. In this interview with ADEOLA OJO, she speaks about personal development, empowerment for women and vision for transformation among other issues. Excerpts:

What fuels your passion about empowering women and the girl child equality?

I come from a long line of strong and empowered women. I heard of how my grandmother picked up the pieces after being widowed at 30. She was an illiterate young woman from the village, but she reinvented herself, started multiple businesses and raised all six of her children, educating them as far as they wanted to go. I also witnessed my mother pick up the slack without missing a beat when my family fell on hard times financially. I thought that was the norm, till I grew up and saw women who withered at the slightest challenge. I made it my life’s mission to teach them not to do so but rise up as the “ëzer” (helper) that they are.   I believe that when girls are given equal opportunities and women are empowered, they stand the better chance of contributing meaningfully to their families and the community at large.

How do you help women with personal development?

I believe that at the heart of all personal development is knowing who you are in Christ. I help women recognize whom God has created them to be. This is followed by mindset surgery, replacing wrong precepts and wrong messaging from childhood. Then we equip them with skills that help them face what their life’s assignment is; skills such as goal setting, time management, financial skills etc. This leads to an all-round development for the woman.

As the Queen Amazon of Women Growth Academy (WGA), how will you describe your experience?

It’s been a delightful experience. I have been blessed with loving sisters who are happy to be partners with me in this journey of growth. We call ourselves Amazons because we have been called to change our world for good. Together we are learning and growing.

What legacies are you building?

I am building a legacy of people. I am raising a generation of women whose lives became better because they met me, who can tell their stories and their unborn children will know that I made a difference in one person who has gone on to make a difference in other people. And together, we will change the world.

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You are a certified architect with about two decade’s experience, a writer and a coach, how do these interests meet?

I am a builder. It is my calling; it is who I am. I build structures as an architect, I build imaginations by my writing, and I build people by my coaching. Everything I do is connected to my main persona.

What’s your vision about women empowerment and transformation?

My vision is for every woman to find herself, find her superpower, and be so empowered that when the storms of life come (and they will in one way or another), she can be strong and weather it effectively without breaking.

You are acclaimed for transforming women stories into legacies, how do you do this?

I do this through my brand called “Amplify You”. And I said more about this in the last question. Prior to now, I’ve been running “The Executive Author” a programme for writers which operated on a four- step framework: Clarify, Create, Brand, Publish. It was limited to people who wanted to write books. “Amplify You” expands it to include other media and to create legacy.

If you are to set a goal for Nigerian women, what will it be?

It will be for every young woman to discover herself before she chooses as partner in marriage. Knowing who you are helps you to know who you need to partner with – both in marriage and in business/ career/ ministry. It saves the heartache of unequal yoking and reduces cases of divorce and abuse. It would really be a game changer.

 You are a woman of many talents, tell us about your latest pet project – Amplify You by Brenda Unu?

My latest project is called “Amplify You”. I have embraced all that I do under this one umbrella. This is what I want to be known for- Helping women (professional and entrepreneurs alike) to find their voices and own their stories, while creating impact and legacy. With a five-step framework “Clarify – Create – Brand – Publish – Amplify”, women come out of a six-week programme with their Message (clearly articulated), their Medium (chosen and decided for impact and to suit their personality) and their Mantle (showing up as God intended them to – Bold and influential).

The course comes in three formats – as an online course only, as an online course plus group coaching and community, and as an online course plus one-on-one coaching and community. Whichever one you choose, you get full value and the promised transformation.

What is your biggest dream?

My biggest dream is to open a huge studio where we can record movies, talk shows, podcasts, courses and other programs that enable us African women to tell our own stories and impact each other without hindrance. It will also have a media arm where we can publish books and magazines that carry our stories. It will serve to create clean and inspiring content to shape culture and improve our world. 

What do you do with Brenda’s Books and what impact do you want it to have?

Brenda’s Books is a coaching and publishing platform that teaches people how to write and goes on to publish for them when they are done writing. I want it to be known for creating clean and inspiring content, so that when people see our logo on a book, they can go to sleep knowing the content won’t be questionable. 

Can you assess the impact of WGA on women?

I was speaking to one of my fellow coaches the other day about one of our WGA women and we both admitted how noticeable the change was in one of our members. We ended up attributing it to the word we share daily and the healthy conversations that shape minds and reset old habits. This for me is why we do what we do.

Being a seasoned Project Manager with a successful track record of delivering high impact projects, what would be your advice for women looking to grow their careers in this industry?

I would say embrace continuous professional development. Not laterthan every two years, she should take a course, learn something new, task her brain. She should stay abreast of industry innovations and trends. Have a plan for her career and work it with intention and purpose.

What challenges have you faced being a woman in the male dominated construction industry?

For me, I have never really seen myself as different from the men. I have always competed fairly among my contemporaries. The only major challenges I ever had were biological – with my pregnancies and maternity leaves. It made me slightly disadvantaged for promotions, but it was just for a season. I’m now back on an even keel with the males. I have also been sometimes disrespected by male artisans, but I attribute it to their exposure level and never give it much thought.I have always enjoyed a healthy respect from malecolleagues and clients.  As a woman, I would say don’t focus on your challenges, focus on your strengths (intuition, organization, human relations) and lead with them to distinguish yourself. That is how to win.