Interview with Nigeria’s No. 1 Life Coach; Lanre Olusola

This is part of our Conditioned for Accomplishments Interview Series. Contact us if you would like to be interviewed here.

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Who is Lanre Olusola?

Lanre Olusola is Nigeria’s Foremost Peak Performance Catalyst, Life Coach and Psychotherapist. He is simply called ”The Catalyst”.

The Chief Catalyst of Impression Management Consulting, and the Olusola Lanre Coaching Academy speaks to “Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr about life, his calling and work.

Why are you called the Catalyst?

If we go by the definition of what a catalyst is in chemistry – a substance that speeds up or slows down the rate of reaction without being changed itself.

A lot people on a daily basis fail to be the best they can be, because they try to achieve these all by themselves. A life coach who knows what he or she is doing can help tremendously.

How about those that have succeeded without a life coach?

Yes. Some have become successful but that is after wasting a lot of time; a few wise ones have engaged the services of life Coaches who have worked with them to achieve their goals in record time.

For consistent Peak Performance in life people need a Coach to guide, encourage, motivate, and support them to take the responsibility required to become the champion they were born to be.

What is your work philosophy?

I give expression to my body of work which is principally focused on helping people and organizations “BE All they Can BE” using Coaching and Psychology Methodologies and Tools.

Tell us a bit about your background?

Having qualified as a civil and structural engineer from the University of Lagos in 1990, I was later to quit paid employment in an engineering firm and ended up as a serial entrepreneur.

“As a serial entrepreneur, I was running about eight very successful businesses in different sectors. I had an architectural and design firm, an engineering and construction Company, a furniture factory, an interior decoration firm, an audio visual and electronics organization, a telecommunications company that was dealing in the sale of bulk recharge cards. I also owned a clothing store for men, another female clothing store with about four branches at some point.”

Wow! So what happened?

Well in 2004, while doing all these businesses and at the peak of my business career, I suddenly realized there was a vacuum in my life. I could not comprehend why I was feeling this way in spite of all that I have achieved.

”I was making money; I was succeeding but I knew there was more to life than just survival and more that I was wired for and called to do. I was restless and feeling unfulfilled.

This is getting really interesting; what happened next?

So I started to ask myself these basic but Critical Questions:

• Who am I?
• Why am I here?
• What innate gifts and talents am I born with?
• What solution am I?
• Who has a problem I am the solution to?
• Where are they?
• How can I best reach them, to solve their problems?
• What tools and competencies do I need to solve these identified problems?
• If I died at that moment how would I be remembered?
• How did I want to be remembered?
• What did I need to change in my life to change my story?

So, what are the results of these questions?

”The answers were quite revealing and changed the trajectory of my life.

At this point, I discovered that the real reason for my existence is to serve humanity, to help others actualize their dreams and meet their needs.

I realized that I was created to be a catalyst, to help facilitate the process where people would actualize their dreams, fulfill their purpose in life, discover their calling, help people overcome the barriers and obstacles that they find along their journey through life and in the process experience true happiness, prosperity, joy, tranquillity peace and bliss.

So what did you do after you discovered this?

Armed with this revelation, I gradually closed down all these various businesses and decided to develop myself in preparation for the task ahead by enrolling to study life, executive and performance coaching.

Where?

In Europe, The Coaching Academy, because the closest closest thing to being a catalyst is life coaching. I also enrolled for other courses at the Harvard Business School as well as other top organizations.

How did you veer into Psychology?

While in search of the tools of the mind to complement my great commission as a catalyst and life coach, I took various courses in developmental and workplace psychology, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), emotional freedom techniques, matrix re-imprinting and meta medicine.

At the heart of ALL Human Problems and Issues is a fundamentally wrong Thinking Process and Disempowering Belief(s) – i.e ‘A Wrong Mindset’.

So you left your engineering to become a life coach?

Yes. Coaching and Psychology are the only two known tested and proven tools that deal effectively with the various Mind and Belief Issues many have.

Has the impact been felt in Nigeria?

”In my daily interaction with Nigerians, I realized that quite a number people are stuck with/in their past experiences, some are going through depression, addiction and many break down with various kinds of diseases, all these factors and more invariably make them lass productive.

As a Nigerian having worked in this field of human capacity development for a number of years, I will say that ”The number one deliverance that we need as a people is the deliverance of our Mind, we need access to the right information and to knowledge, we need to also understand how to appropriately apply all these.

Because a lot of people‘s devil isn‘t Lucifer but ignorance – The bible says in Hosea 4:6 ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge’.

So I am in the educating, enlightening, giving illumination and fresh insight to people for the achievement of their personal and organizational goals.

How are you reaching Nigerians with your message of Hope?

Besides our various websites, we are now also on radio, Inspiration 92.3 f.m, every Thursday at 5pm on the “BE ALL You Can BE with the Catalyst” Talk Show where we practically and professional deal with real life issues in the areas of finance, relationship, health, career, work, spirituality, happiness, achievement and fulfilment etc.

I want to encourage everyone to tune into this show every Thursdays, you can also listen over the Internet.

“Once you can change your perception to life, eliminate your wrong beliefs, resolve your emotional and social issues, then you have taken away approximately 95 per cent of the things that hold you down.”

We know all work and no play makes CFA a dull boy, how do you relax?

I unwind by watching movies, football, travelling and playing football with his friends.

Tell us a bit about your family?

I am married to an incredible, supportive and beautiful wife Dupe, an economist by profession. Dupe is the Director of Resource at Transcorp, a firm with various investments in hospitality, oil and gas, and the manufacturing sectors.

So far, so you have any regrets in life?

I have no regrets whatsoever. ”There is nothing like failure or regret in my dictionary. I always look for the lesson to learn from every circumstance and situation that I find myself.”

How do you ensure your clients live optimally like you?

I support them towards Emotional Intelligence, Awareness, Self Discovery, Mastery and Expression achieving peak performance all the way through our Individualized Coaching Services, Courses, Workshops as well as Bespoke Coaching.

Do you think people need to attend Coaching and self discovery/development workshops?

Yes. I believe this is exactly what Nigeria, private and public Organizations, Public Office holders etc. need more of today.

How can anyone reading this interview now become a life coach?

My Coaching Academy OLCA is in partnership with one of U.K’s Biggest Professional Certification bodies. We Educate and Certify Coaches and Psychologists, from our Offices here in Lekki Lagos Nigeria our students study and become N.C.F.E U.K Certified Coaches and Psychologists.

What are the upcoming Courses and Programs at the OLCA?

They are as follows:

1. Emotional Intelligence Workshop – Conflict Resolution with Win-Win Emotions 15th September 2012
2. U.K Diploma in Neuro Linguistic programming (NLP) – Applications of psychology to Ensuring Consistent Peak Performance – 1st – 8th September 2011
3. U.K Diploma in Life Coaching – 22nd September – 3rd November 2012
4. U.K Diploma in Psychology – 22nd September – 3rd November 2012

Can you give us an idea of your current clientele?

I am presently Coaching, Consulting and Working with various Top Organizations such as GTBank, First Bank, FCMB, Ericsson, Eko Hotel, Unilever, Vetiva, BGL.

As a National development strategist, I have also worked in various capacities with Kwara, Kaduna, Lagos State Governments, the World Bank, the DFID, the British Council to mention a few.

Lanre Olusola with a cross section of participants.

Do you work with SMEs since all the names above are big businesses?

Yes. We have worked with hundreds of individuals and small business owners across Nigeria. Infact most of our training programmes are highly affordable and therefore well attended by small business owners and individuals.

What/how is Lanre giving back?

I am a board member of the following Not-For Profit Organizations, these Platforms give me the opportunity to give back to society.

• Fate foundation
• Inspire Africa Foundation
• Linkachild

How can the audience reach you?

You can send me an email; [email protected]

Visit our websites: www.olca.com.ng and www.imcconsulingnigeria.com

Tell us a bit about your religious views?

“I am Really Grateful to the Almighty God for my Life, I Gave my Life to Christ and Jesus Christ became my Personal Lord and Saviour over 18 years ago at the Fountain of life church Ilupeju, my Spiritual father that brought me up in the Lord is Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, He and his late wife Pastor Bimbo, turned my life around to the extent that I also preach at times now, I tell anyone that cares to listen that I have a mobile pulpit. I am a teacher, evangelist and prophet in the market place”.

I attend Covenant Christian Centre and is still on fire for God. In Fact many people fondly call him ‘Pastor Lanre’.

I regularly preach and teach at various churches, programs, seminars and conferences, locally and internationally.

Can you give us an idea of what Lanre’s life is like on a daily basis?

Laughs 🙂

“Centeredness, Balance and Wholesomeness; The State of Well Being i.e Spiritual, Emotional, Mental, Physical Soundness and Fitness is Very Critical for Personal Success.

I pray and exercise between 5am and 6.30am in the mornings and I also study studies for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours during the day.

When he is not preaching, teaching, coaching and working with people. He spends quality time with his family, I believe that:

Family is the core and heart of a Nation; So family is very important to me. I spend quality time with my wonderful wife Dupe and my two beautiful, gorgeous and gifted daughters Tiwani and Kiki, who I take to school every morning, when I’m in town.

While driving them to school, we love to Pray together in the car, listen to music and just gist.

Aha! That is what a Father should be. Tell us about your vision for Nigeria?

“For a Transformed Nigeria we all need to Discover our True Essence and Be True to it; Identify our Core Values and Focus on living by a good Value system; Eliminate Traditional Disempowering and Limiting Beliefs and Live by New Powerful Beliefs”.

“We all have a Collective Responsibility to Transform Nigeria into the Place of Our Dreams”.

One Final Word

We must remember always, that:

“We are the Captain of Our Ship; The Driver towards our own Destiny; The Master of our FATE”

Before you go, you forgot mention the discounts to those reading…..

Yeah! Simply mention cfagbata.com2012 and you will be entitled to 5% discount when you attend any trainings at our Lekki office: full address here

Final, final word

Shalom

 * The End *

I hope this has been a blessing? I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.