Are you living out your purpose?

I have the honor and pleasure of talking to Miracle Olatunji about her book Purpose: How To Live and Lead with Impact. With a mix of inspirational insights and actionable advice, her book is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking to make an impact on their communities, organizations, and the world. Miracle’s story and presence is powerful: if you are looking for wisdom, hope, and inspiration, you do not want to miss this episode!

 FULL TRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE

Leann 0:03
Welcome to the latest episode of shelf aware books podcast today. I am honored and thrilled to be able to speak to Miracle Olatunji. She is the author of “Purpose: How to Live and Lead with Impact”. She’s a 20 year old college student, founder, public speaker and an author. She’s inspired to write purpose after reflecting on her own personal story, as well as interviews and conversations with leaders from various professionals and life experiences. In the book she shares a seven part framework to help readers live lead in success through uncovering their purpose. A miracle wasn’t expected to live to be the age she is now and that’s why she was a miracle. She is now a rising junior at Northeastern University where she is studying business administration with a concentration in finance. She is the founder of oppurtunity me an organization which empowers the next generation of leaders through personal and career development, resources and content. Miracle founded opportunity when she was 17 years old. She also is very passionate about celebrating and uplifting other women. Miracle was honored as an extra ordinary woman by Boston Gov during the international Woman’s Day celebration at City Hall. She also is recently part of Barbies hashtag you can be anything more role models campaign aimed at closing the dream gap, and inspiring women and girls of all ages and backgrounds. Welcome miracle.

Miracle Olatunji 2:24
Thank you so much for having me.

Leann 2:27
I was thrilled to read your book. So thank you for reaching out to me on Instagram. Sometimes I don’t actually hear every single book published, believe it or not. So getting your book, I read it. slack job. I mean, your story is amazing. And I don’t even want to limit it by saying anything about for your age. Your story is amazing for a nine year old. Just you go through and you interview All these people in your questions and just just so inspiring. So if you can tell us a little bit about purpose in the book in what kind of got you interested in writing a book?

Miracle Olatunji 3:14
Yeah. So, first of all, thank you so much for your feedback on the book. It’s really, it’s really awesome to hear from readers, their take on it. And I would say one of the motivations for writing this book was just reflecting on my own story, and how I was able to start thinking about these topics as like purpose and how to have an impact in the world. And also the conversations that I was having with people from various walks of life. It just reminded me how every single one of us like we all have unique experiences in our lives, and everyone has a story worth sharing. And that’s something that motivated me as I was writing the book.

Leann 3:55
I think the big difference in your book, you know, you can find books about purpose and, and inspirational books. But I think the difference that I found in your book is you’re so clear on your purpose. And whether you’re nine or 90 getting clarity on your purpose is a tough thing. And you kind of go into it in your book. How did you personally come upon your clarity at all? Never mind. Yeah. By the age of 20.

Miracle Olatunji 4:26
Yeah, for sure. I think like you bring up a really important point about having a sense of purpose and how important that is. And one thing I will say is like to answer your question about how I came upon my purpose or so to speak is, it’s not really it’s not something that essentially like falls out of the sky and empty your lap. I think that it comes about by taking actions and just like having various experiences in your life and trying different things, connecting with people from various backgrounds and walks of life. And that’s essentially how you begin to start thinking about your own sense of Perfect. It’s not like you wake up one morning, I know my purpose in life, you know, purpose comes through action, and through experience.

Leann 5:08
So there’s a quote in your book that I want readers to hear. So I’m going to quote you back to you. The difference with purpose is that it’s no longer just about us. It’s about the other people whose lives we impact purposes, losing yourself in something bigger than you. It is about wanting to make a difference and do for others to help to give to serve. It is the legacy you’re going to leave behind. So what kind of legacy Are you working to leave behind?

Miracle Olatunji 5:40
That’s the big question. So for me in terms of legacy, so kindly like to talk a little bit about that. So we are legacy is essentially what outlives you. And you know, there’s a lot of people that we look up to from the past and from the present, who are really important And inspirational figures in our society, in our world. And one thing that you see about them is even if they’re no longer with us, like their legacy is what’s left behind. And then for me, I, what I want my legacy to essentially be is, I want to be able to impact other people’s lives. And what I mean by that is I want people to feel empowered, to realize their potential, and to go out and do amazing things in the world, whether that world is so community whether that world is their place of work or school club, because I think one of the things that we don’t really realize as human beings, as we get older, we start to have limitations on ourselves. You know, we go from when we’re little, we say, Oh, I want to be an astronaut. I want to do all these different things, you feel like you have no limitations. But then somewhere along the line, you start to have fears and doubts about your abilities and your potential. And so one thing that I would like to do with the book and with my work is just to inspire people to realize their potential and also reach their potential as well.

Leann 7:02
So with all the speaking and talking and I want to kind of talk to you a little bit more about what you’re doing with opportunity, do you still find yourself doubting yourself and having those fears and everything come up for you?

Miracle Olatunji 7:15
Oh, yeah, I feel like it’s totally normal for everyone, we often face imposter syndrome. And that’s something that is a constant struggle throughout day to day. And I think it’s just that we have to constantly remind ourselves that yes, we are capable. And it’s totally fine to have the things it’s totally normal. But we just have to kind of like talk back at those feelings and say, No, like, I can do this. It’s possible for me, and just trying to overcome those doubts and feeling.

Leann 7:48
Do you feel that it is because you have that purpose, or at least a desire to keep working towards your purpose that makes it a little bit easier to handle imposter syndrome?

Miracle Olatunji 7:58
Yes, I would say so. For sure, I think that just like feeling grounded in a sense of self and your sense of purpose. And that enables you to kind of have the strength and the courage to talk back at those feelings. I know it’s all in your head. That’s the thing that also I’m realizing constantly is like, all those feelings of doubt and fear and imposter syndrome. It’s often just in your head, and we’re often our own worst critic. So just like keeping that in mind and keeping a sense of purpose in mind to as you go about your day.

Leann 8:30
Do you ever sit back and think, Oh my gosh, I’ve done x and y, and z, an A, B, and C. What’s next? Do you struggle with that? Or does that come easy for you?

Miracle Olatunji 8:43
Do you mean like figuring out the next thing to do.

Leann 8:46
Exactly.

Miracle Olatunji 8:48
Um, I guess. Now I feel like whenever I want to start a new project or a new initiative or campaign, I feel like I always kind of run it through the lines of like, okay, it does this align with my own purpose. And then what is the potential impact that this is going to have on other people? And how many people Am I going to be able to help through whatever it is I’m doing? So it kind of enables me to kind of filter through what I say yes to and what I don’t pay us to. And I think that’s really helped me in life with balancing various activities.

Leann 9:23
Do you have a self care plan or any rituals or routines that you do?

Miracle Olatunji 9:29
Oh, yeah, I think I think self care is incredibly important. Because oftentimes, it kind of gets thrown to the backburner unfortunately. And one thing that I do to be more intentional, because I think first of all, I really needed to work on becoming more intentional about making time for self care in my day. And so some of the things I love to do dancing, and I really love to run is one of the ways that I also practice self care. And also I’m very intentional about what I put in my body. So I try to eat Fruits and vegetables as much as I can. You know, I feel like I’ve been living off of like quarantined snacks lately, but I really try to be intentional about taking care of myself, because I think, really your body is essentially your first home. And you really just need to take care of yourself if you want to be able to have energy and be able to do all the things that you want to do.

Leann 10:25
And speaking of taking care of our bodies can’t get around the COVID situation right now. So how has COVID impacted your your businesses? I mean, when you look, look at your LinkedIn profile, I can’t tell if you’re working for four different places all at the same time or what? The nonprofit the OpportuniME, plus you’re interning right now, is that still going on?

Miracle Olatunji 10:54
Yes, virtual virtual internship

Leann 10:58
And what is that like?

Miracle Olatunji 11:03
It’s a balance, kind of like you alluded to earlier, it’s about just trying. And obviously, it’s much easier said than done to try to balance your time and try to make time because I think that’s a key thing the making time. Because it’s often like, Oh, we have 24 hours in a day, but doesn’t really feel like that. Some days. It’s like we’re in a day go. And so it’s just like trying to carve out time within your schedule. So I use Google Calendar. And I block out times for, for writing for my internship work or working on opportunity and any other initiatives or projects that I’m working on. I just really have to be intentional about making the time and like actually putting it in my calendar.

Leann 11:43
So tell listeners a little bit about what opportunity and you do what what is the purpose of the organization?

Miracle Olatunji 11:52
Yeah, sure. So with opportunity, due to the quarantine it’s been, have I’ve had to pivot so When I first started opportunities, the mission, the mission is still the same. But like kind of how we accomplish that mission is a little bit different. So at the time, it was helping students, specifically high school students with finding summer programs. And these programs are in person. And they were at colleges and companies around the country. And now that we are in this new normal, essentially, where we have the social distance, it’s changed. And now it’s become a more like digital based business. And so essentially what I’ve been doing is like working with my team to create content, to help people with adjusting their school life in their professional life to this new normal, and essentially just figuring out these new like essential digital work skills that we’re going to need moving forward. So how to do a virtual coffee chat, ways that you can still level up your career even though you’re on your couch or on your better at a desk in your house. So I’ve had to pivot in that way due to the pandemic a gool old fashioned plot twist.

Oh, yeah.

Leann 13:03
And you in your book identifies Gen Z, which I cannot wait for you guys to start running the world. Thank you very much. What do you find Gen Z in the millennial generation struggling with the most, you know, just in the folks that you’ve spoken to?

One thing that we’re struggling with the most, I think, okay, so I would say the number one thing that generation B is struggling with is okay, so we have sorry to say, Okay, I have like all these ideas coming to mind right now about problems. But I would say that the number one is mental health. And I say that because our generation has grown, had grown up with technology, or pretty much since we were little. That’s what we’ve been exposed to. That’s what we know. And then with social media, I think it’s very easy for people to kind of get Get into separate, not being able to separate fantasy from reality. And I feel like it’s easy to paint a picture of that everything’s perfect. Everything’s all fine on social media, but nobody really knows what goes on behind the scenes. And I think that’s really important to note because that just means that we need to be checking in on each other more, because sometimes people won’t really share what they’re going through and everybody’s going through something in their life. And I feel that we should just be checking in with each other more and prioritizing, prioritizing our mental health. I think that’s something that my generation is definitely struggling with. And that’s something that could be made bigger due to like social media, and the pressures of social media.

Miracle Olatunji 14:44
So the bad side of technology may be more of a isolation, but the good side is, you know, reading through your book and through a lot of your work is you’re able to connect to people that without the internet, you would have never met Yeah, I’m Gen X. So, you know, early career years there was no internet. Now with with social media, you also have the added concerns. I heard you refer to the term,your social impact plan. And I went, wait, now we need a social impact plan. Is this something that comes up often is this is this discussed within Gen Z and and folks that are out in the world newly nowadays.

Okay, so similar to there’s this quote that I really like. And it’s like, you are essentially the CEO of your life. And if you think going off of that analogy, think of business and how you have to have like a business plan. But also one thing that’s really important when you talk about social impact and environmental impact is like having a social impact or environmental impact plan. So what are the steps that you’re going to take to make an impact within say, we’re going to On the business analogy within your organization, but going back to yourself, how are you going to make an impact in your own life? And then what are those issues in the world, there’s many to choose from, where like you can actually feel like you can make a tangible impact. And usually impact is something that feels even one person can have an impact. And that’s amazing. But it’s even better when people work together towards a common goal. So it’s like how do you have this impact plan in your own life? And how can you bring people around you who can help you expand that impact and be able to help as many people as possible.

Leann 16:35
I really like the socially motivated and purposeful, meaning behind all of this. In your book, you talk about a way for people to find their values, and things they can look upon. And one of the things you mentioned is sometimes you need other people to hold up a mirror to you, to show you what some of your strengths and abilities are. who have been the people in your life. who have helped you see what you’re excelling at?

Miracle Olatunji 17:05
So I really love this question because actually one of the things I talk about my book is the story of how I essentially found my voice. And so I was in sixth grade, and at the time I was going to a school where every single year we had this regional competition called DAC. And what essentially what it was is the people from various schools in the county would come and they would compete in various like arts competitions and also academics. And there were two competitions that I entered that year. One was for the spelling bee, and the other was a spoken word poem competition. And a little backstory like before then before I entered this competition, I was doing theater in school but like I was never really do a lot of like the major roles I kind of would just have like a supporting role or a role. I was like non speaking, and my music teacher and drama teacher at the time. would tell me how I should like essentially, like put myself out there more and push myself to speak up. And I remember entering close competition and I was rehearsing with her. And when the when the competition finally came long story short, I ended up winning first place for the open word competition. And I remember like she was, she came up to me and she was crying. And she was saying, like, I really am so proud of you how you’ve grown. And you’ve gone from someone who was like a little bit more timid with not really wanting to speak up, but then having the courage to step out of my comfort zone, essentially, and enter this competition. And from there, I kind of just like, found my love for public speaking and has been kind of just going for it ever since.

Leann 18:44
That must have been just mind blowing for you at the time. In your book, you talk about the diamond challenge for high school entrepreneurs, a global pitch competition for young entrepreneurs. So without that early Confidence in public speaking, do you think you would have even gotten into the Diamond Challenge?

Miracle Olatunji 19:06
Honestly, I, I feel like looking back on it that program, the competition was a catalyst for everything I did kind of moving forward, including The Diamond Challenge, just like having the courage to try something that I wasn’t super familiar with. And that was entrepreneurship. Before doing The Diamond Challenge, I really didn’t know much about entrepreneurship. And I could barely even spell the word entrepreneur even. And I think that program really helped me in so many ways beyond just having the opportunity to work with a team and pitch an idea for a project that I was like outside of school project. And that’s like all the projects I was doing before then were for school related for grade. But this was something that was just a project outside of school that could really help people. And then I guess one of the big takeaways that I got from The Diamond Challenge is kind of going back To my own personal mission of just helping people reach their potential, I would say that the Diamond Challenge helped me because like, I was able to connect with other young people who are working on amazing projects and solving problems in their community. It allowed me to see that, okay, I shouldn’t see my age as a barrier, or really, I shouldn’t see anything of the barrier in my so that’s something that I took away that it is still with me to this day.

Leann 20:24
So you’re still encouraging students and and young professionals in their careers? What advice do you usually start off with for anyone listening? during a time of lockdown, you’re doing a virtual internship. You know, what do you what do you say to people nowadays?

Miracle Olatunji 20:44
Yeah, so that’s a really good question and kind of going to what we’re experiencing right now, with the pandemic and being under lockdown or quarantine. And one thing that I would say is, one of the constants in life is Change, I feel like we can always count on things to change in life. And actually a good thing, because the one thing that comes with change is it can make things better. And we can also learn from change. So I think be okay with being adaptable to things when they are situations when they change. And it goes for your personalized and also goes with your career to like, for example, you might have started off saying, Oh, I want to be a journalist, for example. And then maybe you do a program, and it’s about engineering and you’re like, Oh, well, I think I really like engineering. And I feel like, I have really good skill sets here. And I feel like I could really make an impact in this field. And then your plans change and that’s okay. I feel like one big piece of advice I would say is like, be open to change and realize that change isn’t always bad change can actually be really good some title a lot of times.

Leann 21:53
Exactly. So in your book, he also referred to lead with curiosity. And you mentioned that this has played a big role in your life. Tell us a little bit about where Curiosity has led you that, of course you wouldn’t have expected.

Miracle Olatunji 22:09
Yeah, curiosity, so essential. And for me, I would say, Curiosity has really well, first of all, it kind of has led me out of my comfort zone. But also it has enabled me to have opportunities that I would have never thought were possible. For example, just like being able to speak, I’ve had the opportunity to speak at conferences outside of the US, like within the US. And just like I was, initially when I first started with public speaking, going back to the competition, that was something that I was like, Okay, this is kind of nerve wracking, but also, I’m curious about how people can do public speaking and are so confident with it, and it seems like they’re really enjoying themselves. So I was like, Okay, how can I learn how to be a confident public speaker so I would read read books on it and watch videos. Just like that curiosity for wanting to learn is what helped me propel my public speaking career a little bit like more forward.

Leann 23:08
So you definitely work the edges of your comfort zone, correct?

Miracle Olatunji 23:13
Yes. Oh, yeah. And I like because there’s a full out there and it says like, everything if either everything exciting or everything you want is outside of your comfort zone. And so sometimes you really just have to push yourself.

Leann 23:28
So for right now, and again, realizing more in lockdown, and you’re already doing an internship. Are you getting any thoughts or feelings about where the next layer of your comfort zone that you want to push is?

Miracle Olatunji 23:41
Hmm. Okay, so there are a couple projects that I was thinking about doing quarantine, one of which I’m currently working on and it’s called her wallet media. And so essentially what her well it media My vision is to create a platform and the communities for Women to, you know, feel feel comfortable with talking about personal finances, and talking about their careers and their experiences, and also having an honest conversation about like self worth and competence. And I think that that would be a really great resource that I would have wished was available when I was, in my early teenage years, that there was a resource like this. And so essentially, I want to create this to help other people. And I would like to also do a podcast at some point, maybe around purpose and the topics I talked about in my book, or it could be around some of the kind of pillars for her wallet, media. So building your network, building your network, and your self worth essentially, is what those pillars are. And I just want to create a resource for people to feel comfortable to just share about their experiences and build the community.

Leann 24:55
Building your net worth around yourself worth. I really like that That relationship you have and in some of your other podcasts, and I’m sorry, I don’t remember the names off the top of my head. Um, they you do talk about personal finance. And in one of them you talk about the fact that you had been saving money, even as a as a child and taking it to the bank, and then have financial responsibility even when we’re young. Tell me a little bit more about that. Can you tell us that story?

Miracle Olatunji 25:31
Sure. So first of all, I want to say that having the knowledge about financial literacy is like, it’s kind of a privilege because a lot of people don’t either you learn it from your parents or you don’t for the most part, really, because it’s not really taught in our schools, or you just like teach yourself and you read books. So I want you to, but it’s truly a privilege to have this information and I feel like I want to democratize it and make it accessible. For anybody, because I feel like it’s so essential, no matter what it is that you do for your profession. finances are a key part of your well being and your everyday life. And so for me, I kind of started an interest in personal finance when I was younger and I was saving, but it really intensified when I was in high school getting ready to go to college. And thinking about like paying for college, for example, I started reading more about like budgeting and investing and about building credit. And all these important topics are essential for personal finances. So with her wallet, me especially like I want to create more resources for people and content so people can learn more about these topics in a non judgmental and inclusive way.

Leann 26:47
And you really put your money where your mouth is tell us a little bit about why you didn’t buy a car in high school.

Miracle Olatunji 26:53
Oh, I wanted to save up money towards a bigger goal for the future.

Leann 27:00
So you as a high school student, had a broader vision.

Miracle Olatunji 27:06
Eventually,

Leann 27:09
When people bring this up is remarkable. What do you think about that?

Miracle Olatunji 27:16
I mean, okay, so kind of, I feel like it’s, it’s just thinking about trying to decide, like credit or gratification for right now. We’re like thinking about the future, and what you could be spending towards and obviously, like, everyone is able to, like, make their own decision about what works best for them. But when I for me personally, when I thought about it was like, I really need a car, I can just take the bus because that option was available to me, but I realized that like, not everybody has the option available. So it’s just about, like personal finances. It’s, it’s very subjective to what everyone’s individual situation is. And I feel that it’s really important to just make the right decision for you. Me deciding to save it? Well, okay, that’s my option. But for someone else, maybe it’s been makes sense for them to get a car.

Leann 28:07
So if there are any parents out there listening to this episode, and they may have teenagers in the house who are working and owning their own income, what advice do you have for parents who are trying to teach their teenagers to think a little bit more broader and long term.

Miracle Olatunji 28:25
So I think that will make it really fun is when you’re saving towards a goal. And that goal could be anything you want it to be, it could be college, it could be a vacation, anything that you want, and I think when you put a goal around it, and even also, when you visualize, I really believe in the power of visualization. And even if you want, you could, you don’t have to create a whole vision board if you don’t want to, but maybe you could put a picture of like that vacation spot that you want to go to or college or that new, whatever it is that you want to get for yourself to treat yourself. I think just being able to like work towards the goal is very motivating.

Leann 29:00
In your book, you talk about persistence and grit. Tell me how those play in and if you would advise anyone else, how to become more persistent in life.

Miracle Olatunji 29:17
How to Become more persistent. I think that persistence is really important because in life, oftentimes you’ll have, you’ll face rejections or you’ll hear nose, it’s very easy to get discouraged and say like, okay, maybe I should just give up. But really, I think persistence is very important because it enables you to keep going, and also combined with having a sense of purpose, and for what or why for what you want to achieve, or whatever it is. Your goal is. I think that it’s just really worth to have that skill. And know that even though you face a lot of setbacks or rejection, no sometimes really, honestly means next opportunity. But something that I heard from actually someone that I found that I really look up to and She’s a young founder as well. And she always says this. And I’m like, that’s really insightful because I feel like oftentimes we hear no. And we think, okay, that’s the end, like, I should just give up. Really, it’s actually a sign that you should keep going. And maybe it might just mean you need to redirect yourself and figure out another path towards achieving that goal. Or maybe you might have to set a new goal that’s even more impactful. So it’s just really important to just stay, stay grounded in your sense of purpose. And also just be persistent about whatever it is that you want to achieve.

Leann 30:33
I love it. I’m, I’m ready to sign up. Am I too old to sign up for you? Your opportunity? Oh, no,

Miracle Olatunji 30:42
no, I think also, okay, you think a really good point too, because like, okay, so beforehand, it was like opportunity was very focused on high school students. And even then we face this, this kind of setback of the pandemic that has kind of shifted the way that we work and that we live. It was really kind of a blessing in disguise, because now I’m able to help broader audience of people. So, yeah, if you want to be in the community.

Leann 31:08
Well, in the book, you talk about the the need for community. And part of the reason that you started this was, you know, someone can sit down as an island and attempt to do all these things. That’s great. But like you said, we do need networks and support system and who you know, not just what you know, you talk about working with technology and being technology savvy, and how the how much the importance of social skills even plays into this. Yeah. So tell me about the balance that you’re seeing right now between social skills versus technology now that everything has gone online.

Miracle Olatunji 31:47
Mm hmm. Yeah, I think right now, we all tell you earlier about, what whatever day of quarantine we’re in now. But I think it’s just like now we’re starting to create That human connection more. And then like when it’s safe to go, you know, gather in large groups once again, we’re all going to, we’re going to it’s going to kind of be a little bit different to start with. But I think now that we’re home, we’re trying to replicate that experience and having more FaceTime, even if it is like through a screen. It’s just like having that human connection, even though we’re all at home and not with each other is something that has been happening right now.

Leann 32:28
Do you think COVID has caused a long lasting change in the way we work and the way we socialize and communicate? The reason I ask is because I think earlier you identified with Gen Z and millennials, not enough human interaction and and feeling very isolated, or feeling like everyone else kind of has their best selves, out for show. Now we are right now doing everything virtual And we’ve kind of proven that a lot of the older models can be pushed and more workers can do work virtually. Do you think this concept of a broader global employee pool, so to speak, is going to stay even when it’s post COVID?

Miracle Olatunji 33:20
I think so, when it comes to the working world, one thing I’m really excited about is, it’s going to be more inclusive, I believe, in terms of having people have more flexibility in where they work from. I think less people will be going into the offices as before, and beforehand, you know, you hear about people being discriminated maybe for their disability or being a working parent. But now it’s like we’re all mixing our work life and our home life, our personalized, everything’s getting mixed together. I’m really excited for that because I think it’s going to make the workforce more inclusive. So that’s something that I’m really looking forward to seeing.

Leann 33:57
Oh, good. I was thinking the same thing, but You know, you’re a little bit more on the heartbeat of this. So I love asking authors a little bit about their writing process. Tell me, are you a panther or a plotter? Did you plan out this book? Or did you kind of write it by the seat of your pants?

Miracle Olatunji 34:16
Okay, so it was kind of a mix of both, although, okay, the topic of my book actually changed. So I was first setting out to write this book, it changed a little bit because I first wanted to, like write a book about social entrepreneurs, and how can you build a business that is for without obviously driving profits, and you know, all of those important business metrics, but also how can you build a business that has a social and environmental impact as well. So how can you have a hybrid business and I wanted to feature entrepreneurs who has successfully done this, and that was the initial books that I set out to write. But then over time, as I started writing the first chapter And sharing about my story and how I started thinking about more of this, this concept of purpose. I was like, okay, maybe I should write about purpose, and what I should do, because there are books on purpose out there. But I was like, Okay, how is my book going to be different, and one of the things I thought about is creating a framework that kind of breaks the concept of purpose down, because I think oftentimes, when we hear about purpose, it’s abstract. It’s, like, sort of nebulous concepts, very hard to wrap your head around. And so I thought, by creating a framework, it would be a way to break it down, and just make it more relatable for people and more easy to understand and apply.

Leann 35:38
So in the book, miracle does explain that each letter the word purpose means something. Go ahead and and talk a little bit about how you came up with that framework.

Miracle Olatunji 35:48
So initially, my editor I were talking and she’s like, okay, you I told her I really like acronyms, and she was like, you know, maybe you could make each chapter a letter and an acronym. What do you think? about doing it a miracle. But I thought about it. I was like, maybe what if we did one about like the word purpose and each chapter could be a letter of the acronym. And so that’s what I kind of I decided on. And it was from there. Like as I was writing the chapters, it all started to start with the chapters before I decided, like what the full homework would be called, like each letter. As I was writing each chapter, I would think, Okay, this one’s personal experiences, like okay, this chapter I really talked a lot about how community and connecting with other people can allow you to have a bigger impact with the Okay, relationship. So, you know, like, I kind of wrote the chapter and thought like, Okay, what words it starts with this letter would be perfect to put in the framework. And so I kind of just like a very iterative process. Like I just like when learned and was creating content and coming up with ideas as I went along.

Leann 36:51
Do you remember a bath a long it took you to write this from sort of first words on the page, too. Okay, here we go. It’s good. gonna print.

Miracle Olatunji 37:01
So in total, I would say the whole process from ideation, all the way until I had a physical copy of the book in my hand was a little over a year and a half process. So quick. Yeah, it was like, a little shorter than like normal traditional publishing. But, uh, definitely there were times where I thought I was going to have to need more time, just because I was starting school and fall of 2018. And I was still in the like, early, mid stages of the book. So, I mean, I’m really grateful that I was able to come out last summer and I was able to share with the world.

Leann 37:41
Well, I really want to encourage any listeners right now to pick up a copy of purpose. And you literally just have to type in the book, purpose book miracle to be able to find it anywhere. Amazon, your local bookstore. I think it’s phenomenal and it is a very clear and helpful story. So for those of us sitting at home in COVID times, who may be feeling extra lost, and like we said earlier no longer know what day it is. This is a great read to be able to maybe help focus you in in the long term for COVID. And I cannot wait to hear what you’re doing next miracle. And I just want to thank you for spending time with me today and sharing your story.

Miracle Olatunji 38:32
Thank you so much for having me. It was such a pleasure speaking with you.

Leann 38:36
Oh, same here. Just amazing. And I will be watching to see what’s new coming from you. And anyone can also follow her on Instagram. What’s your handle on there?

Miracle Olatunji 38:49
So I have the book Instagram is at underscore at purpose underscore book. 

Leann 38:58
Thank you very much.

Miracle Olatunji 39:01
Thank you so much.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai