Orobosa Owie was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and of Nigerian descent. She is a Forbes Certified Business Coach, Professor of Healthcare Management and Administration, Serial-Entrepreneur, and Global Speaker. With over a decade of experience in management and community-affairs, Orobosa has built a millennial-driven career development brand that empowers, equips, and trains entry to senior level professionals from all occupations on how to successful establish lucrative career portfolios, engage and conduct business in their respective industries.
As a serial entrepreneur, Orobosa is the founder and chief executive officer of Millennials in Business, LLC, a career development consulting firm that specialises in entrepreneurship, professional development and training. Her use of quantitative and qualitative management strategies has helped organizations and hundreds of professionals to understand and improve their operational performance, business acumen and labor productivity. Orobosa is also the founder of the Young Professionals Healthcare Network, a global nonprofit organisation dedicated to empowering the next generation of healthcare leaders by providing access to healthcare-driven programs, leadership initiatives, career development services and networking events as a platform to address the universe challenges of eradicating healthcare disparities amongst men, women, and children globally.
With a strong passion to instill knowledge in professionals from all walks of life, Orobosa is also an Adjunct Faculty Member of the Department of Allied Health at Monroe College. In her role as a faculty member, Orobosa teaches Public Health Administration and Epidemiology and serve as a student mentor. During her academic pursuit, Orobosa has served as a program creator and guest lecturer at several ivy league institutions inclusive of New York University, Columbia University, John Jay College and the University of Benin in Edo State, Nigeria. Orobosa is currently a DHA candidate with the School of Health Services at Capella University in which she will receive her doctoral degree in Healthcare Administration and Leadership. Orobosa has a master’s degree in Health Administration with a concentration Healthcare Operations from Capella University. She also graduated Cum laude and received her bachelor’s degree in Health Administration from the City University of New York- Lehman College. In addition, Orobosa has intensive training in management and leadership development. She has received certificates in organisational management, leadership development, performance and quality improvement, understanding financial health systems, IT performance and communication trends for business executives.
Orobosa is a firm believer in holistic leadership and community affairs. As a community organiser she is a board member and the immediate past director of the African Affairs Committee with the United Nations Association for Young Professionals, a program which focused on forging high-level relationships between young professionals in New York City interested in Africa with the United Nations and the United Nations Association to increase the visibility of the United Nation’s current initiatives in Africa. Orobosa is also a board member and Deputy Director of the International Coalition for African Fashion (ICAF), an organisation that focuses on building a community that supports growth and sustainability in African fashion and merchandising.
Orobosa’s mantra “The power of effective change lies within each individual” stems from her work as a public speaker and global youth advocate. In 2007, she spent six months in Nigeria as a Youth Campaign Manager during the country’s political elections. Her role was to ensure that the youth of her assigned constituency had equal and safe opportunities to exercise their right to vote. Since then, Orobosa has become a highly sought-after servant leader who continues to strive for greatness through her mission and commitment to transform communities globally by empowering millennials to take action today to cultivate a better tomorrow.
Hey Orobosa, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
My name is Orobosa Imade Owie which means I am in God’s hands and I will never fall. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY to two amazing parents. My mother is a native New Yorker and my father is from Edo State, Nigeria. Both of my parents are college educated and as a result ensured to instil a firm sense of academic excellence amongst my siblings and I.
Growing up, I had the best childhood. I must say I was even bit spoiled. Specifically, I can remember being a little bossy as I was always giving directives and assembling my younger siblings, cousins and even my fellow classmates to do everything. I mean my “bossiness” at the age of seven earned me my nickname “Miss Bosa” because I was always rallying and recruiting people to play with me, to help me do my chores and even buy me gifts.
As I sit here and laugh at my younger self, reflecting back has made me realise, that my “bossiness” was truly the start of me embracing a leadership disposition. Throughout my middle and high school years, I was always the leader of the different clubs I joined. Even as an undergraduate student in college, I took the lead on organising many programs and campus events which lead me to becoming the first female director of the African Affairs Committee with the United Nations Associations Young Professional Group in 2013.
Fast forward to 2017, my past experiences has truly defined my current journey as a recipient of a series of different leadership titles inclusive of being a CEO, Professor, Global Speaker and Forbes Certified Business Coach.
How does your day start and how does it finish?
My day starts early and is as follows, 6:00am-6:30am- I acknowledge God by saying a prayer thanking him for allowing me to see another day. After this, it is showtime as I proceed to begin my day. 6:30am-7:00am- I check my emails; I review the list of things I need to complete for the day which is include a variety of personal and professional tasks.
7:00am-8:00pm- I take care of my personal hygiene needs lol, get dressed and grab a quick breakfast. Then 8:00am-9:00am- I heading to campus to teach my courses. During my drive, I am often taking phones calls or following up with my clients.
At 9:30am-2:00pm- I am teaching. I teach several Healthcare Administration and Management courses at Monroe College Mondays-Thursdays. 2:00pm-2:30pm- I take a brief break as after teaching as I often need a few minutes to refocus and grab a quick lunch. 2:30-3:30pm- I am heading to my office in which I proceed to continue follow-up on emails or attend a conference call with a client.
3:30pm-6:00pm- I am working on different tasks for my companies Millennials In Business, Young Professionals Healthcare Network and my personal brand Orobosaowie.com. These tasks include answering more emails, writing proposals, taking client meetings or providing business updates to my team.
6:00pm-8:00pm- I often attend a dinner meeting or networking event as I am always scouting for potential clients, guest speakers or organisations who I can work/partner with for my companies’ initiatives. 8:00pm-9:00pm- I am driving home in which I am checking in with my family. At 9:00pm-10:30pm- I usually watch a little television and prepare myself for the next day.
Around 10:30pm-2:00am- I become a student. I am currently a doctoral candidate at Capella University and during this time, I conducting research for my dissertation and/or completing my assignments. Finally 2:00am- I head to bed.
You have so many amazing strings to your bow including being a Forbes Certified Business Coach, Professor of Healthcare Management and Administration, Serial-Entrepreneur, Global Speaker, Millennial Empowerment expert, music aficionado. What would you love to add to your portfolio?
First thank you and the next title I would like to add is Author. One of my favourite things to do is write motivational quotes. Writing has always been a great way for me to express my thoughts and my quotes have helped me to remain inspired and serves as daily reminders not to allow my fears and reservations prevent me from fulfilling my dreams. My team and I are working on turning my collection of quotes into a book that empowers millennials to succeed.
Congratulations on everything you have achieved so far, but furthermore, what milestones are you looking achieve in 2018?
In 2018, I am looking forward to continued success but specifically, my team and I am working on launching a four city women’s empowerment tour called “Women in Business: Leading with Purpose | Managing with Confidence”. Last month, we hosted a pilot version of the program in Houston, Texas and the event was extremely successfully. We were able to empower a total of 30 women entrepreneurs and career professionals by sharing great tips, advice and inside industry secrets on how to successfully start, launch and manage their brands/careers. With the upcoming tour, I am looking forward to establishing a strong network that actively connects, inspires and engage hundreds of like-minded and career-driven female professionals.
We really love the way you hone in on your mission statement to ‘BE BOLD, BE CONFIDENT, BE YOU’, but why do you think so many women are finding it particularly difficult to?
I believe the biggest challenge for many women is FEAR. Fear is the ultimate dream killer and as a result, it causes people in particular women to not move forward in accomplishing their goals. Throughout my journey, I have recognised that we live in a dynamic society but it is unfortunate to know that fear is the root cause that prevents many people from expressing their thoughts and/or share their gifts with the world. Be Bold, Be Confident, Be You is a mantra I wrote to encourage and motivate people to let go of their fears, believe in themselves and trust that the goals they are aspiring to achieve will come into flourishment. Believe me, the process on defining “Who You Are” takes time but is well worth the wait.
Please share with us 3 tips on how to ‘BE BOLD, BE CONFIDENT, BE YOU’
1.Dare to believe in the power of you – As David Grohl stated “No one is you and that is your power” is true in every sense. As a woman, you are unique in every aspect. However, before you can embrace your uniqueness and achieve your success whether it is in your career, accomplishing personal goals, becoming a spouse, a parent or even source of inspiration for others, you have to believe that you are special and that you have unique attributes, qualities and ideas that cannot be duplicated but rather embraced and even celebrated because without you they have no existence in the world.
2.Know That Whatever Is Meant For You Will Be Waiting For You So Do Not Stress. This is a lesson I had to learn the hard way because I would often stressed about things and situations that were beyond my control. As a result, I received an extreme wake-up call which made me realised that life is too short and I must live each day to its fullest.
Do know that yes, you are going to encounter challenges but those obstacles will not prevent you from fulfilling your destiny. Just continue to work smarter, align yourself with an amazing support team and know that bumps you may occur along your road to success are apart of the process. As my dad would say “Let the challenges you face in life be a source of inspiration that helps you grow and become much wiser”.
3.Just enjoy life’s pleasantries- I can’t stress the importance of being present and enjoying every moment you spend on earth. As a fellow woman who is still experiencing the many factors of life, I encourage you to book that trip/vacation, start your business, share your ideas with your family and friends but most importantly take time for self-investment as it is one of the few things that appreciate in value.
Facebook: @Orobosa Owie | Instagram: @orobosa_leads
Website: www.orobosaowie.com
