Happy Monday!  I’m excited to introduce you to an amazing new friend of mine today.  Her heart, her blog, and the mission behind it have captivated and inspired me since I first learned Kola’s story here.

I met Kola in September at the Influence Conference and she’s just as charming and lovable in person as she is online!

Kola has led an interesting life, traveled, and accomplished alot in her young life so far.  Get to know this girl – I promise you will be so glad you did!  Her story is very empowering because it demonstrates just how much we can overcome with God at the center of our lives.  Kola often shares her work here in the Make A Difference Mondays linkup, so keep an eye out for her posts  🙂 Now, on to our very first MADM interview.  Enjoy and let me know if you would like to be featured soon too!

Tell us a little about yourself and your family?  

My real name is not Kola. It’s actually Oluwabukunolami. I like to joke that I wouldn’t have any friends if I went by that name so I just have people call me by any of my (many) nicknames. Kola seems to be the most memorable one.

My family lives all over the world. I have both parents in Nigeria, one brother in the Midwest, another on the East coast, and a sister in Canada. I live in Columbus, Indiana with my manly husband (yes, I added manly because I know he’ll blush when he sees it LOL) and our mischievous Jack Russell Terrier.

Where did you get your passion to make a difference?

I’ve heard that when God wants to communicate to us, sometimes he just places something on our heart that is tough to explain. That’s how I feel about my passion to make a difference.

It’s just something that is in my heart that I care very deeply about and there is no real rational or logical explanation for it. There have been many pivotal events in my life that have led me up to this point and I’ve been working hard at collecting those moments into a cohesive narrative that will be a part of a book one day soon.

Tell us about your blog/biz and its mission?

My blog, www.betamotivation.com, is fun, fresh, and relevant space for young people that are passionate about making a difference.

My bigger vision is to grow Beta Motivation into a lifestyle brand for 20 something year olds that are passionate about helping others and making a difference. Right now, my blog is just a simple way to express the core aspects of that lifestyle (travel, money, faith, and mindset).

How do you hope to change the world for the better through this mission?

I hope that when people look at me, that the right ones connect with my heart on a spiritual level.

I have a belief that when we key into our purpose, we naturally point to God. It’s kind of like when you look at a tree or even a puppy. There’s just something about watching a tree being a tree or a puppy being a puppy that makes people marvel at the complexity of creation and the magnificence of God. That’s what I want. I want people to see the work that I do and be reminded of the magnificence of the God that created me.