When I first got the idea of Media Magic, not everyone understood my vision
For example, a lot of people questioned why I didn't start doing retreats more locally and then build up to hosting them internationally. Others wondered why I was creating a live experience, full stop, when I could just create a course or coach virtually
All of which, had me majorly discouraged and second-guessing myself at times
Fast forward to now and…
As I sat across from my good sis, Eunice, I felt defeated, like a failure, and that all the plans I had put in place had come to nothing
The other thing I felt was embarrassed (lol) because all these feelings were causing me to cry in public
Eunice and I had met up (as we normally do every month) at a restaurant and, what was supposed to be a fabulous girls' night out, had dissolved into this cry-fest that I was trying to hide by at least not crying loudly and attempting to wipe away all evidence of
But of course, the tears just kept coming and at a certain point, I just gave up and let them flow
You might be wondering why I was feeling this way. Well…
This moment was back in early 2023 when I first attempted to launch Media Magic
My retreat for business women, experts, coaches and authors who want to uncover a quick and systemised process to pitch the media so that they can get onto more top platforms, be seen as industry experts, and start raking in larger paydays
I first had the idea in 2022, but as you can guess from the scene I painted for you in the middle of that African restaurant, the first launch didn’t go well
Looking back now, and hindsight being 20/20, I can see that I hadn’t done everything correctly during that first attempt. But at the time, sitting across from Eunice in that African restaurant, I believed that I had done all that I could- making my poor results all the more painful
Flash forward to now and, not only did I successfully get Media Magic off the ground (in Tulum, Mexico last July), I’m currently planning my second one
(which will take place in Mykonos, Greece in October)
But the Nina of 2023, didn’t know this would happen. She wanted to throw in the towel, crawl into bed and not get out, to be honest
And, truthfully, I did do that for a while…
But then I eventually got myself back up
You may be wondering why I’m sharing this with you, sis
I’m sharing this story and the lessons learned because I know there will be people who will come across this post who have goals but are too afraid to say their goals out loud let alone commit to them
Why?
Because they're scared of ending up like the Nina of 2023 instead of asking, like Steve Mackey, “What if I become my wildest dreams?” (like the Nina of 2024 did)
Perhaps you’re one of them?
Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Monica Pierre on her show
It was a great conversation
(Which I knew it would be since we hit it off so well when we met in Paris in October)
And during it, she asked me about the person who has most influenced my entrepreneurial journey: my mum
If you’ve been rocking with me for a while, you’ll know that I don’t buy in to new year hype but even I can admit that it has several benefits
Like a clean slate that gives us renewed energy to try again or try something completely new
And try as we may to run away from it, resolutions just hit different at the top of a new 365 days
Don’t you agree?
While we all have good intentions when we set our resolutions, statistics show that most people give up on them by February
I know, that’s crazy, right?! Especially when you think about the fact that, that’s typically a month after setting them
I know what you’re thinking, sis: What makes us give up so soon?
If you were to ask me to sum up October in one word, I’d say it was a CELEBRATION
Here’s why 👇🏾
I celebrated and was celebrated
I celebrated because it was my birthday on October 3rd and it is my custom to spend the whole month celebrating
I celebrated by doing the things I enjoy andseeing the people that I love
i.e. those who fill my heart
Then, the ultimate cherry on top of all the birthday cakes I had in October was going to Paris, where I had the privilege of speaking and receiving a Legendary Woman Of Impact Award
So, it really was a month filled with celebrations and reasons to celebrate, including my goddaughter’s birthday
What was interesting about this season, when I really think about it, is that I don’t often celebrate myself
I’m the sort of person who’ll hit a milestone and be like, “Okay, what’s next? What do I do now?”
I don’t always take time out to pause and reflect on what I’ve achieved because I’m constantly thinking about what I need to do next or what I’m yet to achieve
And so, when people point out my achievements and praise me, I’ll accept it. However, because I’m aware of the gap between where I currently am and where I want to be, I often don't savour those moments of praise. But in October, I feel like I was forced to look back at my journey from where I started (as a blogger) to where I am now (as an award-winning blogger, international speaker and PR specialist)
This month, I remembered that although I’m not where I want to be, I’m not where I used to be, and that’s worth celebrating
If you've been nodding while reading this, thanks for validating my experience but, more importantly, keep reading because this message is for you too
I'm so totally honoured to share that I spoke at The Rise to Millions Conference in Paris and received a Legendary Woman of Impact Award there recently 🥳🥳🥳
It was the last weekend of October to be exact
As I stood in front of the crowd, trying to find the words to express how honoured I was, I ended my speech by saying something like: “Well, this wasn’t on my bingo card, but it’s real, and it’s happening because I chose to follow my dreams...literally"
Here's what I meant by that 👇🏾
Just before my birthday, I had a lovely brunch with my good friend, Eunice
It was so good! 🤤
We laughed and chatted
And, like how it always goes, the conversation fluctuated between serious topics to the both of us just belly laughing
One of the topics that stood out for me was the one we had about the 7-F Framework or the Wheel of Life
There are different versions of it but the one I follow covers (in no particular order):
Faith
Family
Friends
Firm (business or work)
Fun
Fitness
Finance
In my conversation with Eunice, I told her about the “Fun” aspect of my life
i.e. how I’d shifted my mindset, and how doing so has not only improved my productivity but my relationship with being productive
For example, if you know me, you know I always say “October is my birthday"
In the past, this meant I’d reserve this month for fun, being with friends, brunch dates and just letting my hair down a little more
So I always had great expectations when it came to October, in the past, but this year was different
Here’s how 👇🏾
