Tope Olotu

10/22/2026

Some of my friends had the opportunity to start investing very early, some even started once they got their first jobs right after high school.
Over tea, I listened to their stories thinking, Wow, that’s amazing… and honestly wish I’d had that kind of head start too!

Teaching investment as part of financial literacy to the youth is tricky, especially when someone is just trying to survive.

That’s one reason the Tiraka Nigeria Youth IPO Empowerment Initiative is impactful. We want more young Nigerians to get a chance to take that first step, if only to start learning how investment works.
Eligible Nigerians aged 18–35 can apply for grant support covering 10 units in the Dangote Refinery IPO - DangoteIPO. Our goal is to reach 10,000 youth

Applications close October 27, 2026; or once we reach 10,000 youth.
Know someone who should hear about this? Send it their way. 💛

Learn more and apply: https://ng.tiraka.org/youth-ipo-empowerment/
Terms and conditions apply.

Link is in my bio and at Tiraka Nigeria - also in the comment section.

10/19/2026

When you are focused on working hard enough to put food on the table, investing can feel totally out of reach.

That is one reason why, even though it is disappointing, it is probably not too surprising that fewer than 5% of Nigerian adults actively participate in the capital market.

But sometimes, a little access can make a big difference.

We started Tiraka Nigeria (Tiraka Nigeria) to widen access to improved economic and health opportunities for youth and women. Through Tiraka’s Youth IPO Empowerment Initiative, we aim to empower 10,000 young Nigerians with the opportunity to participate in the capital market.

Eligible participants can apply for grant support covering 10 units in the Dangote Refinery IPO.

Applications will close once we receive 10,000 applications. If you are a Nigerian youth between 18 and 35 years old, or you know a young person who should hear about this opportunity, please share this info.

More information on how to apply here: https://ng.tiraka.org/youth-ipo-empowerment/

Link also in BIO at Tiraka Nigeria

Thank you!

10/12/2026

09/18/2026

I did a thing! 🎓

I completed my Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics—and I am incredibly proud of myself! 😂

Going back to school in my 40s was not easy. Between prerequisite science courses, a busy career, family life, relocation, internship trips, endless assignments, and more than 1,000 hours of supervised practice, this journey stretched and stressed me—but it also strengthened me.

I could not have done it without God’s grace and the love, sacrifices, prayers, and encouragement of my husband, children, family, and friends. It truly takes a village, and I am deeply grateful for mine. ❤️

Starting later does not make your dream less valid. Taking longer does not make the achievement less meaningful.

Read my latest post titled: Adulting Was Not Enough—I Added Graduate School 😅
And I hope my story encourages someone to take that dream out of the bucket list and put it into the day plan.
Remember, age is just a number.

🔗 Read the full reflection at topeolotu.com/tea
Or through the link in my bio.

06/22/2026

Picture this:

A teenager practicing the piano for weeks before a recital.

An athlete repeating the same drill hundreds of times.

A student wrestling with algebra and calculus long after everyone else has gone to bed.

No guarantees. No certainty. No promise of success.

Yet they keep showing up.

As I reflect on my own teenage years, and as I watch my children and the young people I encounter through Aspire Hub Canada and Tiraka HQ , I keep noticing something beautiful:

Relentless optimism.

The faith to keep trying. The resilience to keep going. The courage to believe that their efforts will matter, even when they cannot yet see the results.

Sometimes I wonder whether adulthood slowly teaches us to lose this.

We become more careful. We analyze the risks. We wait for more evidence. We hesitate until the plan feels complete.

But some of the most important decisions in my own life required that same teenage optimism.

Moving countries. Changing careers. Returning to school. Starting over. Pursuing opportunities that had no visible guarantees.

Not because the evidence was there.

Often, it wasn't.

There was simply a quiet conviction that somehow, things would work out.

Today, I believe this is more than optimism.

It is faith.

The willingness to trust before the answers arrive. The courage to move before the entire path becomes visible.

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts our teenage selves can give us is the ability to believe in possibilities long before there is evidence to support them.

If you're a teenager reading this:

Keep showing up. Keep practicing. Keep doing the right things.

One day, much of it will make sense.

And if you're an adult, maybe it's time to borrow something back from the teenager you used to be.

What quality from your younger self do you need today? Let me know in the comments 😁

☕️

06/20/2026

Picture this.

A teenage girl leaves home to attend school. She shares a rented apartment with classmates, cooks her own meals, manages very little pocket money, and studies late into the night using textbooks borrowed from friends.

There are no parents nearby.

No one reminding her to study.

No one checking if there is enough food for the week.

Yet somehow, she carries enough curiosity, faith, resilience, and shameless confidence to believe she can do almost anything.

Years later, after living and working in different countries, changing careers, returning to school, and starting over more than once, I realize that teenage girl still has a lot to teach me.

As I share tea/coffee and conversations with friends through my chats, I continue to find that many people are proud of the teenagers they once were. While some remember regrets, many remember courage, curiosity, determination, and dreams that still shape who they are today.

Perhaps that is also why I remain deeply connected to young people through and . While many criticize today's youth, I continue to admire the courage, creativity, curiosity, and willingness to learn that I see in so many of them.

My latest TEAwithTope reflection is called: The Teenager I Still Carry Within
What the girl I used to be still teaches me about curiosity, resilience, faith, and what I call shameless confidence.

If you could borrow one quality from your teenage self, what would it be?

☕️ Read the full reflection through the link in my bio.
Also here: topeolotu.com/TEA

Let's keep growing together. "That we may prosper and be in Health"

01/22/2026

When you stop performing for applause and start living with purpose, confidence grows naturally. You begin to move differently, calm, sure, and grounded.

✅Thought: Approval is temporary, keep going even if nobody says kudos.

✅ Encouragement: Live for purpose, not applause.

✅ Affirmation: "I don't need everyone's approval to shine."

Read more: https://topeolotu.com/when-the-applause-never-came/

01/01/2026

Happy New Year!

We made it here—carrying lessons learned, prayers whispered, tears shed, courage gathered, and grace that never let go.

This year, we’re choosing:
🤍 Intentional living over rushing
🤍 Progress over perfection
🤍 Faith over fear
🤍 Gentle consistency over burnout

May this year bring us clarity where there was confusion, strength for the steps ahead, healing in the quiet battles, and joy that doesn’t wait for everything to be perfect.

Here’s to deeper conversations, honest reflections, nourishment for body and soul, and becoming more rooted, not just busier.

☕ Cheers to fresh mornings, warm tea, and a year of becoming.

🔗 topeolotu.com/tea

10/16/2025

Your value isn’t defined by how you look, but by the love, strength, and purpose you bring to the world. The mirror may show your image, but it can never capture your resilience, your courage, or your heart. 💛

True confidence comes from embracing every part of yourself — strengths, scars, and all — and knowing that you are a work in progress and a masterpiece at the same time.

Let’s start celebrating worth that goes beyond appearance.

✅ Thought: The mirror doesn’t tell the whole story.
✅ Encouragement: Love yourself, regardless of the imperfections
✅ Affirmation: “I am beautifully and wonderfully made.”

Read more: https://topeolotu.com/what-the-mirror-misses/



🔗 topeolotu.com/tea

03/23/2025

We were outside!