I am 34. I have built a career I love. I have habits, a lifestyle, opinions. I know who I am.
Every relationship I have been in recently, the man eventually wants me to be... less. Less ambitious, less vocal, less busy, less myself.
And I keep ...
The cruel irony of burnout is that the symptom and the supposed cure are in direct conflict.
You are burned out. You need to rest. But resting makes you feel like you are losing ground, being outpaced, failing the ambition you built your identity ...
Be honest. Remove the romance script.
You have a person who ticks every practical box: financially stable, respectful, stable family, marriage-minded. They will not embarrass you. They will provide. You will be comfortable.
But the spark is not...
My first mentor saw something in me I had not seen in myself. He introduced me to people, shared his network freely, and never asked for anything in return except that I work hard and pass it forward someday.
My second "mentor" asked for 40% equit...
No affairs. No secret conversations. Nothing suspicious β just normal boring messages from normal boring people.
I put the phone down and I felt two things simultaneously: relief and absolute shame.
I went through their phone because of a feeli...
Every Sunday call, she would ask. Every visit, there would be hints about "settling down." Every family gathering, aunties with their knowing looks.
So I made one up.
His name was Dayo. He worked in banking. He was "very serious" but "we were t...
While growing up, we were told that when you lose a tooth, you should throw it on the roof of the house so that a stronger and better tooth will grow.
But thinking about it nowβ¦ that tradition is funny sha π
What about the people whose teeth di...
We are raised to be strong. Not just strong β unbreakable. Carrying everything without complaint is not just culturally expected; it is framed as virtue. The strong woman. The one who manages. The one who does not burden others.
So when the anxiet...
The average Nigerian wedding in 2025 costs between β¦3 million and β¦15 million. Families go into debt. Couples borrow money they spend years repaying. The one-day event becomes a financial anchor on a marriage before it even begins.
And when you su...
The office photos were a co-working space I paid β¦5,000 per day for. The "team meeting" picture had three friends I bribed with suya. The revenue screenshots were edited in Canva.
I was broke. The business had stalled. But on Instagram I was thriv...
He is a good man. Kind, patient, consistent. He genuinely loves me and I know it because I have seen what love that is not genuine looks like.
But I do not feel it back. Not the way he deserves. I care for him deeply. I enjoy his company. But when...
I will not pretend it didn't sting.
Chisom and I have been friends since JSS2. She was there the night Emeka broke my heart in 2019. She held me while I sobbed in her bathroom. She called him terrible things on my behalf.
When she told me they ...
You realize it when the effort only flows in one direction.
Youβre always the one calling, checking, understanding, forgivingβ¦ while they simply receive.
You realize it when they only show up when they need something β attention, money, comfort, or...
I have a very convincing story about why I am fine alone. I do not need people. I am self-sufficient. I process internally. I am introverted and that is valid.
All of that is true. And all of it has also been armor.
The honest version: I am afr...
Not absent. Not imperfect. Not occasionally difficult. I mean a parent who has been a consistent source of harm β emotional, psychological, sometimes physical. A parent whose presence in your life makes you measurably worse.
The Nigerian position ...