Learning how to lead is one thing, while learning how to become a leader rooted in faith is another. Dr. Femi Monehin aims to become the catalyst for change and promote a culture that merges both faith and leadership into one. He is known for supporting faith-based ideas globally and helping people unleash the leaders within themselves.

For over two decades, Dr. Femi Menehin has been building a community of people whose lives have significantly changed through his teachings, a passion he considers as his commitment to humanity. Because of his proactive approach to empowering lives globally, the visionary recently received recognition for his exceptional leadership and contributions with an honorary doctorate. 

Despite being the fuel behind some of today’s most notable leaders, Dr. Femi Monehin stayed humble, recognizing that he is merely doing what God has called him to do. “There is no such thing as ‘servant leadership’; to get to the top, an individual must serve,” as one of Dr. Femi Monehin’s famous quotes goes. “The path to greatness in any community is servanthood, especially in the kingdom. This is the bedrock to the success of any nation.”

Furthermore, Dr. Femi Monehin is also inspired by an anonymous quote that goes, “If serving is below you, leadership is beyond you.” The visionary is never one to wait for any returns from his efforts. Seeing the people he has mentored succeed and grow deeper in faith is what he considers to be his most significant reward. Just as he wants to become the change, Dr. Femi Monehin is also taking great strides to build people who will also become catalysts of change. 

To do so, Dr. Femi Monehin equips individuals with the skill to formulate a clear vision on how to reach a goal. “Leading without vision is like running with a blindfold on or boxing without a clear target,” the visionary said. As a mentor, he has worked with thousands of people from all walks of life through several mentorship initiatives, including iMentor and iGenerations. His programs are tailored to build kingdom leaders to become influencers in society.

Dr. Femi Monehin has taken on many roles throughout his run. He is an author, speaker, mentor, life coach, entrepreneur, and the founding Pastor of God’s Favorite House, a non-denominational church located in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria, but also has several branches in the United States and Canada.

Dr. Femi Monehin is the creative and visionary mind behind nine volumes of daily devotionals for adults and eight for children. The daily devotionals are read widely in various continents, and all his books carry one important message: true leadership and changed lives. He also authored the best-selling book entitled Winning: Gaining and Sustaining Victory in the Battles of Life and New Creation Reality, a spiritual growth resource acknowledged by thousands who are commencing and deepening their relationships with Christ.

On a mission to mentor and empower the next generation, Dr. Femi Monehin coaches various groups of men and women using platforms like the GFH Academy. The training institute is committed to empowering believers and different individuals to take their place in society with confidence. The mentor, a believer of visionary leadership, imparts the primary philosophies that helped him reach success. 

UN-affiliated, international Policy Advisor and Public Figure Sara Ketabi is known for being the Founder of CollatEd Lab, a policy lab dedicated to accelerating global governance and development. The young innovator has already made a name for herself with long-term strides in her diplomacy and international affairs career, such as working alongside the Prime Minister of Libya, H.E. Abdullah Al-Thinni, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Abdulhadi Ibrahim Lahweej on domestic foreign policy and other cross-cutting  issues. 

“Libya is one of the richest countries in North Africa but home to some of the poorest people,” Ketabi says. “This in itself reveals to be largely a systemic issue that continues to be addressed by acknowledging appropriate levels of intervention and implementing actionable foreign policy strategies,” Ketabi adds. 

As a leading foreign policy and international development consultant in Africa, Ketabi’s ongoing projects in Libya focus on post-conflict development, human rights, public health, and sustainable foreign policy through a unified governance lens. To date, on behalf of CollatEd Lab, she has conducted research and hosted federal policy consultations on the geopolitical implications of sustainable development on international security, and for using foreign policy as an intersectional tool to steer a (sustainable) social transformation in an effort to minimize the consequences of civil-war-rooted human rights infringements within the past decade of conflict in Libya. 

As Libya is entering a new era of political innovation and state-building, the rest of the developing world will similarly and continuously rely on multi-sectoral partnerships with organizations as transparently unique and powerful as CollatEd Lab and institutions such as the United Nations for access to solutions-oriented academic research and reliable resources in dealing with highly complex human rights, democracy, foreign affairs, and other current challenges to civil society. 

Sara has delivered her policy insights at different top universities across the US, Norway, and Africa through the Sustainability Think Tanks initiative she founded, connecting these institutions’ resources with international governments and the UN, facilitating multi-sectoral collaboration. This has proven to be the most useful strategy integral to her foreign policy consulting. As a result, she had the opportunity to collaborate with internal governments to improve data analysis systems with prime ministers for greater appreciation and application of data analytics, sparking a transformative shift in Libya and international African politics.

The Libyan government has accepted a position on her NGO’s Global Advisory Board and is committed to the organization’s expansion and impact. Because of this ongoing collaboration, Ketabi has been nominated and recently appointed as a Senior Lecturer in global health and human rights at the University of Benghazi, where she teaches field-specific research methods and details on breakthroughs of the NGO’s policy projects. She has also been given (by the Prime Minister) the 2020 Technology and Government Champion Award for significant contributions to the development of Libya. As a consequence, Libya has recently renewed a 5-year partnership and investment contract with CollatEd.

With CollatEd Lab and its CEO, Sara, Libya is looking to revitalize diplomacy training over the next ten years to further integrate academia in multilateralism policymaking. 

Photo source: Variety

One’s environment can shape a person. People raised in ghettos or other areas are at risk of falling into the same cycle of violence that they witness growing up. However, there are times when an individual takes a good look around them and decides, “This is not what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.” Dwayne Wade is a perfect example of someone who refused to fall into a repetitive cycle of poverty and crime and stands today as one of the most well-known basketball players not just in America but around the globe.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Dwayne Wade’s parents separated when he was only four months old. He lived with his sister and mother in the South Side of Chicago and occasionally visited their father. Wade and his sister grew close, and he often admired her commitment to the church and mental strength. When he turned eight, Wade’s sister took him with her to live with their father in the suburbs, far from the violence and stress that surrounded him before.

Living with his father and stepbrothers, Wade grew to love sports. He was especially fond of football and basketball. Despite his disinterest in playing professionally, Wade’s new family sparked a passion that drove him to develop his skill. Playing with his father’s team, Wade polished his in-game skills and intelligence under his stepbrother’s guidance. Although he was an average player, Dwayne Wade made up for it with how he read the game.

In high school, Dwayne Wade delved into football, where he excelled. However, despite the promise he showed on the field, Wade’s passion for basketball overshadowed the sport. He wanted to earn regular playtime on the court and made his resolve by working out the entire summer before his junior year. 

During his junior year, Wade not only grew physically but also polished his technical skills. With his brother moving to college, Dwayne Wade became the emerging star and caught several scouts and coaches’ attention. While his game was unquestionable, Wade struggled academically. Scouts were aware of this and backed off from scholarship offers. However, Wade had some help from his high school’s assistant coach, convincing The University Marquette to take him. 

While he was not allowed to play throughout his freshman year, Dwayne Wade still joined the practices and advised his team. Homesick for the action, Wade started studying extensively and managed to score good marks. In his sophomore year, he finally stepped in and immediately showed he was not behind in terms of form. Wade’s influence was vital as he helped the University win the Conference USA, NCAA tournament and led the team to the final four for the first time in more than twenty years. 

Upon graduating, Wade was invited to the NBA draft, where Miami Heat got him in the first round as the fifth pick. In his first year, the young rookie played as if he was a professional all his life and would later be named to the All-Rookie first team. Although Heat was considered a weak team, Wade’s contribution played a significant role in their rise. His playstyle earned him the nickname “The Flash.” 

Through the years, Dwayne Wade would earn several awards and win the NBA Championship thrice. Although he spent a couple of years with Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade’s home was in Miami Heat, where he returned and retired. To honor his achievements, Heat retired his No. 3 jersey.

Despite suffering injuries multiple times in his career, Wade ushered a golden era in Miami Heat. Although retired now, Wade and Miami Heat are synonymous as most people have come to agree that Dwayne Wade is Heat culture personified.

References:

https://www.biography.com/athlete/dwyane-wade#:~:text=Born%20in%201982%20in%20Chicago,in%202006%2C%202012%20and%202013.

https://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Wade/Wade_bio.html

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/dwyane-wade-11478.php

https://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-Pu-Z/Wade-Dwyane.html

Photo source: ewrestlingnews.com

When cable became more accessible in the 80s, several television programs started gaining momentum. People could tune into MTV to enjoy their favorite artists’ latest hits or switch over to the news for local, national, and international stories. However, professional wrestling started to grow in popularity and became the highlight for every pre-adolescent boy. At some point, they dream of performing in the squared-circle but later abandon their aspiration. However, Phil Brooks maintained his dream and stands today is known as one of the greatest professional wrestlers under the name CM Punk.

CM Punk was born in Chicago, Illinois, but later grew up in Lockport. One of five siblings, Punk grew up in a household where his father struggled in his battle against alcoholism, an event that would make him implement a straight edge lifestyle. CM Punk found his escape from his troubles by watching wrestling on television. He idolized “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and played around with his friends in the backyard, imitating “Hot Rod.”

During the 90s, CM Punk and his friends joined a backyard wrestling federation called the Lunatic Wrestling Federation, where he came up with his ring name. Joined by his friends and brother, the group turned their childhood dreams into a reality. However, CM Punk was the only one to show genuine interest in wrestling professionally, while the others saw it as fun. LWF started taking off and went around the state doing house shows. CM Punk remained as he believed that his career was in professional wrestling.

It did not take long before the young wrestler would leave for training at the Steel Dominion wrestling school in Chicago, befriending Scott Colton, who is best known as Colt Cabana. The two would spend many of their early careers facing off against each other and partnering up. The two would then sign with IWA Mid-South, where CM Punk rose to prominence and won the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship and Heavyweight Championship in four years. During that time, his feuds with Colt Cabana were celebrated and brought them to Ring of Honor’s attention.

CM Punk started gaining more momentum with the new promotion as his in-ring performance and feud with Raven. Their rivalry lasted throughout most of 2003 and was considered one of the promotion’s top feuds of the year. With a reputation that continued to surge, CM Punk joined TNA, where he performed in 2005. 

By then, Punk had already established himself around different promotions and decided to sign a deal with Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s developmental territory. From there, he continued to climb the ranks and eventually made his debut in ECW.

Throughout his career, CM Punk established himself as one of the best technical wrestlers who thrived in delivering promos. Whether he played a heel, face, or anti-hero, CM Punk often showcased what he was capable of. Punk would apply his real-life philosophies into his gimmick during his stint, forming the straight edge society around 2009 and implementing them into the Nexus faction.

However, the pinnacle of Punk’s career came about in 2011 when he held a promo stating his contract was set to expire and he would leave with the WWE Championship. His on-air speech covered his concerns over how the company was run before getting cut off and going through a storyline suspension. On the last night of his contract, CM Punk delivered on his promise and left with the WWE Championship, receiving his second five-star rating performance.

However, Punk would return shortly and go on one of the longest reigns as champion, holding the title for a little over a year. Throughout his run, CM Punk won every championship he set his eyes on. Although he has been away from the wrestling scene for years now, his legacy has been cemented, paving the way for independent wrestlers to make it in the most prominent wrestling organization today.

Sources:

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cm-punk-12474.php

https://www.celebrityborn.com/biography/cm-punk/1891

https://short-biography.com/cm-punk.htm