CHISOM ROBINSON FOUNDER LIA, COMPERE, COACH, TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER

Chisom Robinson is an inspirational woman. She founded Ladies Inspiration Africa (LIA) at age 20 for women who want to impact their world with their ideas and influence. I met Chisom randomly on an online forum; she asked me to teach a content writing class on the Ladies Inspiration platform. Chisom inspired the #TwentySeries on the blog, I knew I needed to interview her when I discovered she was just 20 in 2020! I am constantly inspired by her achievements, drive, and ability to remain grounded in an age when everything is moving so fast. Chisom is currently a 300 level student of History and Diplomatic Studies in the University of Benin, the director of GoABitFurther, UNIBEN, while running a business (are you impressed yet?). Every time you meet Chisom, She’s up to something new! It’s not about being a ‘jack of all trades, but living a life of purpose that inspires you to do the same! She’s the girl who seems to do it all! I’ve always been curious if she ever gets discouraged as someone who coaches other women to succeed. From volunteering, speaking, running a business, balancing academics, passions, and pursuits, I had to have this conversation with Chisom to learn the secret to thriving in your twenties!

Complete this sentence, Chisom Robinson is….?

A Transformational Leader, Compere, Serial Volunteer, and Coach for young females looking to break glass ceilings, and push for sustainable impact through leadership.

Why did you feel inclined to start LIA?

So I had a rough background. My home was a bit divided. It was one of “every man for himself” which was quite a struggle for me. In reality, everyone needs a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on in tough times, but I couldn’t find that in my home because everyone was literally trying to survive. Everyone needed the motivation to keep living and aiming for the better. I was pretty sure people wore these shoes and even more painful ones. So I took it upon myself to create a platform where ladies can speak their truth without any form of judgment. Get all the love and encouragement you need to be better. In other words: having sisters away from home. Not just that; I also love to see women be the best version of themselves. Helping young women become determined to achieve greatness is a passion of mine, so I added that to the mission for LIA. Permit me to define it this way, “raising the unlimited and leading Female”

You seem to be living your best life in your twenties. What advice would you give someone still trying to discover their purpose in their twenties?

1. Build a relationship with God: I can’t overemphasize this enough. Submit to spiritual guidance and authority. The reality is a lot of persons discover their purpose in the church. How about you try serving in the church? I cannot mention my successful growth journey without my home church (Sure Word Assembly). They contributed to making me who I am. Remove pride, adopt humility and open your mind and heart to serve in the church. You will be so shocked at how much you will grow. Don’t be quiet, be active, get involved please! You are building relevance, great recommendations can come your way too. Thanks to my spiritual parent for investing so much in me, Dr. Dennis Inyang and Pst Aity Dennis Inyang. My purpose discovery journey started at my local church.

2.) Discover your passion and streamline your effort to that which you love; this is often a struggle for multi-talented people. The truth is you really can’t be everywhere. Right now, I do have several talents that I don’t intend to monetize. I already told myself this one is just for fun. Don’t let society decide for you. Know your strength! Society told me, “babe, you look like a model, you have the physique” Chisom jumped into modeling! The level of dissatisfaction I felt was so high. I just knew that wasn’t it. I danced a lot and made money from it in the past, but that’s not something I intend to pursue as a career; God designed something else for me. You’d be deceiving yourself if you think you can do just about everything, especially at the beginning of trying to build a career.

3.) Make up your mind about what you want for yourself and where you would like to see yourself. Be restless till you get there. Having a picture of what you desire is a constant reminder that there is no room for jokes. When you constantly push towards what your heart desires, your eyes are opened to what you might just be called for.

4.) Another tip, pay for mentorship! You have to be accountable to someone. You really can’t do it alone. Even God will tell you. Your role model had helpers too. There is more, but you will pay for me to unveil. Lol

You are always on the move, volunteering, speaking, being an undergraduate. How do you balance reaching your goals with being young and free?

Hmm. I won’t even lie: it has to be God! I can’t deny His Grace on this one. Sometimes it gets overwhelming. But I am mostly connected to the right people who help me stay motivated on this journey, and staying accountable to certain persons does the magic.

You just turned 21. What is the one thing you want to achieve before you turn 30?

Wow! one thing? Okay, I’d love to have built the Chisom Robinson Brand, which encompasses Public Speaking, Leadership Coaching, Compering, and travelling round the world contributing to the Social Impact space. Before 30, I would have successfully impacted over 2,000 young women on the need to push for global relevance and sustainable impact by taking the mantle of leadership.

Anyone that follows you on Social media knows you as a terrific dancer. What is the secret talent you have apart from dancing?

I don’t know if I have a secret talent. All my talents are out there. Many people know I am multi-talented; Chisom Robinson is not hiding it. I can talk for the entire world! I write a lot too, my WhatsApp contacts can testify! I dance a lot, the whole world knows. I sing (for myself only), l act – I am naturally a dramatic person! I love to vibe and spread positive energy wherever I find myself. I love to remember people’s birthdays too. I have lots of dates stuck in my head; I don’t fail at remembering, and this doesn’t exclude people I don’t have a close relationship with. Should I go on? If I discover another new talent I possess today: I will not hesitate to put it out there because I have not seen a reason to hide it. It is to either be monetized, used to make an impact, or entertain people. I have had people tell me they moved from being sad to happy just by watching me do something entertaining, and to me, that’s impact.

What has been the most rewarding part of starting LIA?

I grew so much without realizing it. I discovered myself in the process, I never believed I had answers to so many questions. I looked down on myself o! I had wisdom I never really thought I had. I just realized ‘I was designed for such a time as this’ Another rewarding part is my ability to have inspired over 200 young females.

If your life was a book, what chapter would you call your twenties?

The Chapter of Purpose discovery, and growth.

What three books would you recommend a woman read in her twenties?

1) Smart Money Woman by Arese Ugwu

2) Morning does not tell the day by Dennis Inyang

3) Becoming a leader by Myles Munroe

LIA just turned 2. Have you had a moment running LIA when you wanted to quit? If yes, how did you handle it?

Several times Jess, I have had those moments of demotivation. Positive comments from ladies inspired by this platform just won’t let me quit. To a great extent, I felt choked that I couldn’t go on anymore, so I would breeze out, but I’d start receiving calls here and there. The funny part is during those seasons, I get to start seeing most of these girls, especially the ones I have never met.

What I did and what I am still doing is, prayer and I paid for mentorship. I submitted to proper mentorship with someone experienced in the field as well. So far, it has been a good move. We have great plans for every female.

What are the top three things you think everyone should do in their twenties?

1) Build a solid relationship with God

2) Set priorities and principles that will guide your life, and please be very intentional about it.

3) Self-investment. I wrote a post a few months back, and I said “Self-Investment is the best return on Investment” It does not matter how much you claim to love yourself. If you don’t intentionally invest in yourself, you can’t grow. I am personally a die-hard fan of Personal Development. Anything to build the ‘Chisom Robinson’ brand, you will find me there. I can tell you for a fact, that I have grown. Sadly, very few young people understand this. Trust me, I tell as many people I come in contact with this. In 2020, which happened to be one of my best years, I sacrificed a portion of my income on self-investment. 2020 to me, was a blessing in disguise. You are not necessarily investing to see the results immediately. It is an investment in your future. The question is, How much do you desire to grow? Can you go the extra mile for the “self” you claim to ‘love’ even if it means paying? I love myself ‘no be just by mouth’

What is the one experience you had as a teenager you believe shaped you into the woman you are becoming?

For me, it has to be my experiences while growing up. My background prompted me to make certain decisions, and that’s what’s shaping me into the woman I am becoming. One of the things I say is, Never waste your pain. You choose to settle for mediocrity which life or society will want to reduce you to as a result of your experiences, or pick up the pieces and make a masterpiece. As a teenager, I was very intentional about my growth and future, making deliberate actions towards what I wanted.

What did you tell yourself, “I won’t do this in my twenties” but you did it anyway?

Wow! I am trying to think deeply. I really can’t remember.

What has been the highlight of your twenties so far?

It has to be my journey to self-discovery and my growth so far. I am impressed with how far I have come on this journey. At different times I look back, and all I can say is ‘thank you, Father!’ For growth, and I am still growing! It is evident in different things that I do: from my speaking skills to leadership skills.

If you could give just one piece of advice to your teenage self, what would it be?

It’s a struggle to give one, sorry!
Start everything with God and trust the process. Invest in yourself. Set priorities and stick to them. Build relevance and contribute to making positive change anywhere and everywhere. Don’t let society deceive you. Know what you want for yourself!
The journey to greatness is not easy but with God, determination, the right mindset, intentionality, and the right people; you are definitely on the right path!

BONUS QUESTION

What are the first three things you do in the morning?

Pray/read the bible, think and plan.

Dream holiday destination
Greece. Jerusalem, Israel; everywhere Jesus touched or lived. There’s just a satisfying and beautiful feeling seeing everything I read in my bible. The thought is amazing! Oh…and The Maldives, I hear it’s a beautiful place and Canada.

What can’t you live without?

God and sense, please! With these two, all things are possible. Believe it or not, you need sense to scale through this life, and I pray to God every time for it.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

The day my Pastor asked me to lead prayer for service. With me in front of the camera, and people watching me: let me just say I was so shy (yes, unbelievable!) and couldn’t utter a word, I couldn’t even speak with my eyes up. I covered the mouth I was supposed to use to talk. It was a funny yet terrible experience. That’s the last embarrassment I remember.

What do you do on your chill days?
I chill!. But even in that “chilling” my brain no dey ever rest. I am literally thinking of what to do, imagining, planning and strategising on how to execute some task. God will help me.

Reading Chisom’s answer on what she wants to do by the time she’s 30 was such a game changer for me, such awesome goals! I loved the fact that like me Maldives is a dream holiday destination for Chisom. I hope after reading this you are inspired to live your dreams. To connect with Chisom and keep stride with all the amazing work she’s doing, you can connect with her on social media.

Instagram: @chisom.robinson and @ladiesinspirationafrica