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The Audacity to Be: Reclaiming Joy, Belonging and Voice with Lola Akinmade
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Today’s guest is Lola Akinmade, a Nigerian-born, U.S. raised and Sweden-based author, travel storyteller, photographer, and creative force whose work moves across borders and hearts. Through her bestselling novels, award-winning photography, and global expeditions, Lola captures the fullness of life with honesty, reverence, and grace.
But more than just documenting the world, Lola writes and photographs to help us see each other more clearly, to create connection in a time of deep fragmentation. Whether she’s writing about the complexities of Black womanhood in Europe or reflecting on what it means to carry your voice across geographies, Lola does so with a kind of quiet courage that invites us to be more honest with ourselves.
She is a National Geographic Explorer, founder of Geotraveler Media, and author of In Every Mirror She’s Black, Everything Is Not Enough and most recently, Bitter Honey. But more than her accolades, it is her unwavering commitment to truth and her belief in storytelling as a sacred act that makes her unforgettable.
Lola joins us today not just as a guest, but as a mirror — for those of us who have ever felt othered, muted, or unsure of where we belong.
From listening to this episode with Lola Akinmade, you will gain:
- A Deep Understanding of Voice and Belonging
- Insight into the Sacredness of Storytelling
- Permission to Rest and Reclaim Joy
- Clarity on Navigating Identity in Global Spaces
- Reflections on Legacy, Integrity, and Enoughness:
- Wisdom on Creativity and Career:
You will walk away with grounded, practical, and soul-deep advice about standing firm in purpose, resisting dilution, and thriving without assimilation.
To connect with Lola or order her books: https://www.lolaakinmade.com/books/
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:09 The Journey of Connection
02:51 The Power of Storytelling
06:45 Silence and Storytelling
10:05 Writing as a Therapeutic Process
13:58 Navigating Duality in Storytelling
17:32 Belonging and Home
20:51 The Complexity of Identity and Safety
25:15 Moments of Transformation
29:52 The Burden of Representation
33:33 Legacy and Impact
37:04 Seasons of Courage
42:29 Wisdom in Stillness
48:38 Finding Your Why
51:52 Outro
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Streaming & Social Links
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Chisom-Udeze
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5pD7OuPqWKDsd5ymoo7lSz
Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overnight-wisdom/id1804746544
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/overnight.wisdom/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/overnightwisdom/
RSS Feed https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2464633.rss
Connect with Chisom on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chisomudeze/
Visit our website https://overnightwisdom.com/
Reach us at [email protected]
View all episodes
By ChisomSend us a text
Today’s guest is Lola Akinmade, a Nigerian-born, U.S. raised and Sweden-based author, travel storyteller, photographer, and creative force whose work moves across borders and hearts. Through her bestselling novels, award-winning photography, and global expeditions, Lola captures the fullness of life with honesty, reverence, and grace.
But more than just documenting the world, Lola writes and photographs to help us see each other more clearly, to create connection in a time of deep fragmentation. Whether she’s writing about the complexities of Black womanhood in Europe or reflecting on what it means to carry your voice across geographies, Lola does so with a kind of quiet courage that invites us to be more honest with ourselves.
She is a National Geographic Explorer, founder of Geotraveler Media, and author of In Every Mirror She’s Black, Everything Is Not Enough and most recently, Bitter Honey. But more than her accolades, it is her unwavering commitment to truth and her belief in storytelling as a sacred act that makes her unforgettable.
Lola joins us today not just as a guest, but as a mirror — for those of us who have ever felt othered, muted, or unsure of where we belong.
From listening to this episode with Lola Akinmade, you will gain:
- A Deep Understanding of Voice and Belonging
- Insight into the Sacredness of Storytelling
- Permission to Rest and Reclaim Joy
- Clarity on Navigating Identity in Global Spaces
- Reflections on Legacy, Integrity, and Enoughness:
- Wisdom on Creativity and Career:
You will walk away with grounded, practical, and soul-deep advice about standing firm in purpose, resisting dilution, and thriving without assimilation.
To connect with Lola or order her books: https://www.lolaakinmade.com/books/
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:09 The Journey of Connection
02:51 The Power of Storytelling
06:45 Silence and Storytelling
10:05 Writing as a Therapeutic Process
13:58 Navigating Duality in Storytelling
17:32 Belonging and Home
20:51 The Complexity of Identity and Safety
25:15 Moments of Transformation
29:52 The Burden of Representation
33:33 Legacy and Impact
37:04 Seasons of Courage
42:29 Wisdom in Stillness
48:38 Finding Your Why
51:52 Outro
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Streaming & Social Links
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Chisom-Udeze
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5pD7OuPqWKDsd5ymoo7lSz
Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overnight-wisdom/id1804746544
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/overnight.wisdom/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/overnightwisdom/
RSS Feed https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2464633.rss
Connect with Chisom on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chisomudeze/
Visit our website https://overnightwisdom.com/
Reach us at [email protected]