What a woman brings to the table is unquantifiable — Pastor Temitope Olagbegi

Temitope Olagbegi, a graduate of accounting and an ordained pastor, is the Chief Executive Officer of Sixth Sense Interiors, a certified marriage, Ivy League decorator and relationship counsellor and convener of Tope Olagbegi Circle of Influence (TOCI), a Bible-based community that creates a safe space for women to unburden, learn and develop.  At 45, the award winning entrepreneur reflects on her journey and impact on women. YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE brings excerpts.

Transition from accounting to combining interior decoration, counseling and women development and public speaking

Well, Tope Olagbegi is a graduate of Accounting from the prestigious University of Lagos; I pursued my love for Interior Design immediately after graduating, by training for and receiving a Diploma in Interior Design from the Sheffield School of Interiors, United Kingdom. I also bagged an Advanced Diploma from The Ivy Design School, Bath, England and I currently own Sixth Sense Interiors, a company based in Lagos Nigeria that has been responsible for the interior design of over 1000 homes in its 23 years of existence and we have worked on projects across Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States and Dubai. Also, I am a certified marriage and relationship counselor; a member of the British Association of Counsellors and Physiotherapy who has worked with over 300 couples world over with amazing results. I also run a women’s network called the Tope Olagbegi Circle of Influence (TOCI), it has been running for four years. It is a Bible-based community for women; a safe space for them to unburden, learn and develop themselves and it currently has a membership of over 200 women from different countries across the world.  I am an ordained Pastor at the Elevation Church, where I serve as the head of the Family Life unit at the UK branch. And to the glory of God, I am a recipient of over 100 awards, I also won the Entrepreneurship Award from the Bank of Industry in 2016 and I was also awarded one of the top 100 Inspiring Women in Nigeria in 2023 and Top 50 voices in Nigeria 2023; amongst others.

I am also a public speaker and I love to write. I do relatable stories and personal experiences especially on my Instagram handle @topeolagbegi and this had blessed thousands of people. I recently published a bible journal entitled “Intentional Daily Living” which has received excellent feedback from women across the globe. I have been married to my soul mate Adedipo for 23 years and we are blessed with three young adults. I am passionate about God and encouraging the preservation of family life.

Why I am called a woman of many parts

I’m a woman of many parts, and excited to share my story with you. First and foremost, I am a wife, a mother, and a woman of faith. But that’s not all; I’m also a coach, a counsellor, a family life therapist, a writer, a thought leader, an interior designer and a mentor. I have been blessed with a rare gift of insight throughout my journey; when working with others, I intuitively delve into their hearts, understanding their aspirations and leading them towards their fullest potential. It’s my calling to help individuals and couples restore their relationships using the tools I learnt from my experiences being married to my wonderful husband, Adedipo Olagbegi, for 23 years. Our ups and downs sparked my interest in behaviourism, psychology and psychotherapy, leading me to become a relationship and marriage counsellor. I firmly believe that challenges are meant to build us, not break us. This is why I’m passionate about helping people adopt the right attitude towards life’s obstacles through life coaching and marriage and relationship counselling.

As a Pastor and teacher of the word, I share the transformative power of God’s word with profound clarity and genuine zeal. When I step onto the stage as a public speaker, the atmosphere crackles with anticipation. My speeches are a symphony of passion and conviction, stirring hearts to action and igniting flames of change. I firmly believe in the potential of every individual to create the life they desire and as an entrepreneur, my spirit blazes brightly as I fearlessly venture into uncharted territories, forging paths for myself and others to follow. With boundless creativity and unwavering determination, I redefine the boundaries of success, transforming challenges into opportunities. I find joy in effortlessly styling people, homes and offices, creating spaces that reflect beauty and comfort and I’m known as a passionate counsellor that reignite people’s faith in lost causes. This is what made me convene the Temitope Olagbegi Circle of Influence (TOCI), where my vision is to empower women to impact every sphere of human existence using the Bible as their anchor

What TOCI stands for

Tope Olagbegi’s Circle Of Influence (TOCI), is a movement of over 350 women on a mission to change the world while being changed by the Word of God. TOCI is a network of women who desire to make an impact in every sphere of human existence, through spiritual insight, self-discipline and fostering a strong network to effect positive changes in their lives, families, sectors, nations and ultimately, globally. We are a movement of women, who make an impact in every sphere of human existence. Our mission is to begin with ourselves through spiritual insight, self-discipline and fostering a strong network to effect changes in our lives, families, sectors, nation, and ultimately, globally. We believe in God and have Him at the center of our existence as a community of great women. We meet regularly but our meetings are mostly virtual; on WhatsApp or Zoom; when the need arises for Zoom, except a few times we meet physically as inspired by God. We are a family where no one is judged.

Think about any sector, there are women, and what a woman brings to the table is unquantifiable but life has poisoned women into thinking that collaboration is impossible by using the few bad eggs to mar God’s intention for us. Life has used our proclivities to restrain us but women who can come together can achieve unprecedented greatness.  I think back to the breakthroughs, growth, and speed I have personally enjoyed, I trace them to women, who God used for me.

I am fully rested in the work TOCI has been mandated to do especially to restore the confidence in our unity as well as inspire and empower one another to fulfilling greatness. Through TOCI, God has used me to help individuals and couples to restore their relationships with tools I have learnt. I believe that challenges are designed to build and not break us.

How I help people get better

I hold one-on-one sessions for people; it is one and a half hours of non judgmental room to speak freely about all that is on their minds and together, we will create solutions, as we explore the root causes of why you feel the way you do. There, you have the option of either having the session at a go or breaking it up. Also, I have online courses which by the leading of the Holy Spirit, I have been able to put together easy to follow learning modules on my online course titled “My Beautiful Marriage.” This aims at helping marriages in bad states to find the will to try again.

The course offers a step by step guide on how to build strong and healthy marital foundations.

In addition, I host and speak at various events relating to relationships, marriage, family, business and spiritual life. And it is easy to stay abreast of these freely on my website, https://temitopeolagbegi.com. TOCI held its maiden edition of business workshop for women empowerment in the last quarter of last year as a response to the need to up-skill women of all ages, tribes and religions as part of efforts to  raise godly women who will shine their lights in a dark world.’ It featured numerous women engulfed with the zeal to learn and improve in their various arts and crafts as well as 10 professional facilitators as an empowerment fellowship for women that are targeted at making women the best version of themselves.  TOCI is that platform to build and sustain godly women who will be strengths to the nation rather than liabilities.