Sheun Oke is much more than the Wellness Apostle. She is SUPER woman on a mission to raise women as leaders and help them confidently raise the next generation of leaders. This year, Sheun Oke has a mission to help 10,000 women become confident and successful entrepreneurs. Will you be one of them?
For the past three years, this outstanding Daughter of Zion has helped thousands of women all over the world improve, enhance and elevate their lives. From weight loss to relationships, from finding their passion to starting businesses, women of all ages are discovering their power, passion, and capability to live the life of their dreams… thanks to Sheun Oke.
Could you tell me a bit about yourself, are you single or married and do you have children?
My name is Sheun Oke, and I am happily married. I have been married for fourteen years. It’s going to be fourteen years in September. I’ve known my husband for the past 19 years. We met in the university. We have three children. My first son is 13 going on 14. My second is 10 going on 11. And the girl is seven going on eight. Or should I say seven going on 15? If you know what I mean (she laughs). I have an adopted son; he’s 22. He is in the university; he’s studying Electrical Engineering in LAUTECH, Nigeria. That’s pretty much it. I married my school sweetheart. He is my best friend. He always has my back, and I have his back.
Where did you grow up? And what was it like?
I grew up in Nigeria. In Ibadan, to be precise. It was good, actually. I think those were the days when you still had a bit of moral in place. Even if you’re not a Christian, you came from a good moral background. You knew you had to be kind; you had to think of other people you got to look out for one another if you get what I am saying. I am the first of three children; my parents are both gone to be with the Lord. My dad was an accountant by profession. My mum was an entrepreneur; she owned a restaurant. I’m the first child, I’ve got an immediate younger sister, and the last is a man. We were a very closely knit family, and we grew up always having cousins around because my father believed in adding value to people. We had a lot of cousins that my dad sponsored through university. We always had people around in the house. We have a very family-oriented background, always reaching out to help other people. My father believed in building people.
When and how did you become a Christian?
I grew up in a Christian home. I have been in the choir since I was seven years old. I have been travelling nationally with the choir since I was about nine years of age. I have always been in the Christian environment. My parents were Deacon and Deaconess in the Church. But that was just religion really. I gave my life to Christ when I was 16. That’s when I consciously asked Jesus to live in me. And it was after a very trying time. I had made some mistakes here and there, and my parents were already having a go at me. And it was difficult for me to actually own up to the depth of emotional trauma I was going through, you know how it is when your parents think that you are perfect, and you don’t want anything else to come into their mind apart from that perfection. And I almost ended my life at that time; I was actually suicidal. In fact, I gave my life to Christ on the day that I was having the last walk. I had made up my mind that I was going to end my life. I was just taking a walk around, thinking ‘what does it feel like to have your last moment on earth?’ And then a gentleman just walked up to me. I have always been a smiler, but that day I was not in the smiling mood. But this person was just walking up to me and smiling, and I am thinking ‘ I am not in that space of mind right now.’ I remember that he had a Bible. And he said, you know what I have got a message for you. What you are thinking about, don’t dare. God says He is going to take you through this time and He is going to use you massively for other people. And He is looking out for you. And that was it, that’s how I gave my life to Christ. And that is why I am really passionate about the gospel because I don’t remember who the person is. It may have been an angel of the Lord or someone that just got touched by God; I remember everything but not that person. It was just one moment in time that turned everything around.
Where did you go to college? What degrees do you have? What, if any, further degrees or certifications are you pursuing?
Okay, my first degree was in Agricultural Economics and Extension. And it was at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. LAUTECH, Nigeria. My second degree was an MBA in Business Marketing, and that was in 2007 / 2009. I have really been interested in gender-related issues. For my first degree, I focused on women in cottage industries and how they can be efficient and my second degree was focusing on the impact of the electronic age /internet on business. I have kind of been interested in gender-related issues. I am also a certified project manager. I’ve got my Prince2. And I have got a Leadership Certification from the John Maxwell University where I went to train as a Transformational Leadership Coach. And other things are in the pipeline.
Do you have any other special training that has prepared you for your current job?
I think basically, in 2013, I just had an unease in my spirit that God was saying something. I took the time to just sit down and ask Him, Father what are you saying? There was a tug in my spirit that there was more, aside from that, I had a few friends that God sent with word. I remember one of the ministers saying that God says that there are people that are reaching out to Him for help and He wants to help them, and He wants to use you. And he said, step out in faith, fear not. And when you hear that kind of thing you want to ask, God what are you saying? And He said to me, Sheun I want to do more with you, what you’re doing now will not accomplish it, drop it and I will show you the next thing. And that was hard. I came to the United Kingdom 2010. Before that time, I was in the banking sector, I was a manager in the banking sector, and I had managed three different banks. I was a manager in Access Bank, Diamond Bank. In 2009 the Lord started to unsettle me. I remembered that I was called into the ministry when I was 16, but I had a pact with God. I said if I say I want to go to be a pastor, people would think it’s because Sheun Olotu cannot succeed in the secular. My middle name is Olotu, and most people call me Sheun Olotu as one name. I said God, I want to be a banker, give me six years in the banking sector, and you can do whatever you like with me. And it was agreed. So, I went to Uni and then I had my first job in Zenith Bank. I served in Zenith Bank actually, then got retained. And there were different challenges because I got married and pregnant before time. I had a bit of issue, went out, came back in after my first baby. So, 2009 it was time, the Lord said, six years over. I was like wow, just like that? (She laughs). I asked for it, and I got it. But God gave me favour, I made manager in about three years. Well, I was pregnant with my daughter in 2009, so I came to the UK to give birth to her, and I had my children visit with my husband and they didn’t want to go back, but I said ‘you can’t remain’ so everybody went back and in December, we put in for highly skilled migrant visa. It was granted, and my husband came in February, and that was how we came to the UK, and it was like starting all over again. We were not used to paying bills; this country was the first time we would pay rent because we had our own home in Nigeria. So, in 2013 when I was getting a bit grounded, God says to drop it. And my husband said, let’s fast and pray, which we did but God didn’t change His mind. Eventually, I resigned in April. Normally as a management staff, you have to give a five-week notice. My notice ended in May and then I went home. So, what I am doing now came after that because God said He wanted to do more, He wanted to reach more people, and that was how I got into one of the businesses I run now on the network marketing platform promoting health and wellness then, leadership coaching, consultancy & trainings.
What there anything else that attracted you to this line of work?
It was a call actually, God said people were reaching out to Him, He wants to help them, He wants to use me. And that was a call. And so, when I got home I waited on the Lord, I was like, Father I am here now what do you want to say? It was at that point I really understood what Abraham must have felt when God said to him, go, I will show you. It’s funny because you can understand that bit but how do you explain it to your spouse? And as a woman under authority, it’s a bit more challenging but not for Abraham, and I am praying, God speak to him and all of that. So I actually sat down to wait on Him that day. And now because I had all my children by Caesarean Section I had issues with my belly area, so that day, I thought, well now that I am at home, let me see what I can do to work on me. I had time now to go through Facebook I saw this before and after advert pictures, and I saw the belly disappearing, so I sent a message to this chap saying what product is this? At least now that I am waiting, I can actually work on me, right? The guy never responded, so I went online and started researching about the product and about the company. I was interested, but I didn’t know how to get going because the chap that I messaged never responded. About three weeks after that time, a friend just called, she was like, Sheun, there is a company coming to the UK, and I was like, you know what, God told me to stay at home, I have not heard anything, what company are you talking about? She mentioned the name of the company, and I was like wait, I have been looking for how to buy that product, let me buy from you. She said, Sheun, I am not just talking about you buying products, you can use it and then use your testimonial and build a business. But I said if God has not sent me, I am not going, but let me pray, and I will let you know. So, I fasted and prayed because I know there was a tug in my spirit I knew it was too much to be coincidental because here I saw something, I went to research, I was only waiting to get onboard not as a business but to use the product. I asked, Father what are you saying, and by the third day, the Lord showed me massive things, amazing and gave me go ahead to like get started on the business side. I said, really? Okay. And it has been amazing. I have helped thousands of women. This is where God started building my influence from. I started getting involved locally in my community, being in the newspapers, promoting health and wellness. I got results for myself I got results for many influential people. I got interviewed on TV, on the radio, it was just amazing, and then I started growing as a person, not just as a Christian or as a minister this time around. But just as a person, someone that God is raising to be able to break into some circles that normally as Christians you’re shut out of. God just started using that opportunity of providing health and wellness to start breaking down barriers and bringing me to the right people at the right time. There are so many women that God brought around me that had very low self-esteem, some are top executives earning well, multi-millionaires, but their physical image was an area of concern. They went through my weight loss programmes, we started seeing some before and afters. I mean it is so amazing what the Lord did in those years, and that is what actually got me to go and train as a Leadership Coach because my team started growing so fast and I knew that if I had to lead these sort of people, I had to become more as a leader. So I went to the leadership guru that I know, John C. Maxwell. He is the number one leadership coach in the world. I went to get certified, it cost me a bit of money, but he said something, he said, Sheun, if you cannot bet on you, then who is going to bet on you? And that is one thing I say, especially to my Christian sisters and brothers. We cannot afford to be mediocre. If our father says we shall be above only and never be beneath, then we’ve got to invest in that process. And because we are so used to this is free, and that is free the unbelievers come and get it all. My mentors will say, if you want to be a valuable person, you have to learn to pay for value. Because when you pay for value, other people will value you too and pay you. And I think that is the whole missing link that a lot of Christians have not discovered, they say, oh salvation is free, but salvation is not free, somebody paid the price, somebody paid the bill. If you see something free, somebody is footing the bill. Nothing is free, somebody is picking up the bill and this what I say to my children; when you see free, know that someone is paying. And when you want value, pay for value. So, that was my journey into personal development, building a network of people and this also gave me a ministry because now I’ve got so many other platforms I am able to speak on, now gospel and the health and wellness and leadership.
How has this call into ministry impacted on your life?
Like I said, I have been called into ministry since I was 16. So, everything I was doing was just lining up with what God wanted me to do. I remember that one of the banks I managed then, every first working day of the month, I had one minister or the other come to my branch to minister. We had musicians come to minister, so we invite the presence of God at the first working day of the month. As a result, the Lord broke a lot of barriers; I had many businesses come in, churches and Christian businessmen come to start doing business with me. So, I have really always been in ministry. Music has been my life; we put up a lot of musical shows to help the young people. My husband and I were youth ministers in Foursquare, in Nigeria, but going into more of the ministry now, in the UK, was different because it was a different culture entirely. I remember when the Lord was going to ask me to start evangelism, now right from the university, I did bus evangelism, it really brings favour. But in 2012, I was going to work, it was during the Christmas period, and people had with them gifts they had bought, and the Lord said, get up Sheun and preach. And I said, Holy Spirit, please, don’t do this to me. I felt like I might be breaking the law or something. And the Holy Spirit asked me to look around. And I looked around, looking at all the posters and there was nothing that said you could not preach. So, I said, okay. My heart now started panting. And I think I actually broke out in sweat, in the midst of the cold. And I said, okay, okay, okay. So, I got up, and He said just sing. And I sang. And I was thinking what am I going to say, and truth is I had never seen the gospel that way in my life it was after the whole thing I sat down and started thinking of what I said, and really I never thought about it like that in my life. And this is what the Lord said, ask them to close their eyes and tell them a story. It began like this, it’s my birthday, and I have invited all my friends, everyone said yes, and then the day came, nice music I was seated nicely dressed waiting for my friends to come. I just sat down there on the chair, and people started arriving. And they were there, everybody exchanging greetings, hugging one another, in fact, they were exchanging gifts, and I was just sitting and one hour, two hours, three hours, four hours, nobody even stopped by to say hi. I was just sitting there, watching my birthday going, people enjoying it and not even bothering to say hello to me. I was now wondering, is it really my birthday? Are these my friends? Did I call them? Did they say, yes? Then what’s happening? And I said, now you can open your eyes. Now, put yourself in the shoes of that person. It’s your birthday, and this just happened to you. How would that make you feel? Jesus is saying, why do we celebrate Christmas? Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. What does the celebrant want? All He is asking us for is friendship. He is saying; I laid everything down so we can be friends. Later I was like, God what did I just say? I started thinking about it too. Really, that’s it. Most of us don’t even know why we celebrate Christmas. So, that was my baptism of fire. That’s why they call me the crazy preacher. So basically I started that, and I work interdenominationally with different ministries to help them connect with people, breaking cultural barriers and using different community-based projects to increase church relevance.
What is the most rewarding thing you have done thus far, and why it was rewarding?
I think that one of the things that I would say, is most rewarding is my marriage. Knowing that I waited on God to hear clearly. And actually, have my friend as my partner because there is no way I would have been able to do ministry without that support. So the most rewarding thing I did is to marry my friend because every other thing has followed that.
Do you travel around a lot in your line of work?
Yes, I do, I do because I have to do a lot of regional training. I go international to train and also because of ministry. So I travel a lot and what that does is I need to have my back covered, and my husband always has my back. People call me super woman yes I am a super woman (Sensitive Undeterred, Proactive, Elegant, Replicator) but without that super man behind me, there is no flying. And that’s the truth because I’ve got three children and I tend to have help from my in-laws when they are around, but really if your husband does not believe in your calling, there will be trouble. My husband has been a rock for me. When I need to travel, he is my main support.
What advice do you have for Christian women trying to walk in their purpose?
The first thing is they need to be able to identify what that purpose is. When you know what you’re supposed to be doing it is easy for you to garner help from all over. For me, I know in 2015, at the beginning of the year, the Lord said to me, to help women take back leadership to the table because women are natural leaders. Why do I say that? All the things that are required in leadership are things that we do on a daily basis especially if you are a mum. You do conflict resolution. You have to manage your time; you have to manage your husband and manage your children. You have to have goals because you know that at the end of the week, I am supposed to achieve this, so you know that you need to work out different ways to make it happen for you. And you have all these soft skills and a sensitive nature that makes you look out for other people. But when you ask women, they don’t think of themselves as leaders, but they are leaders. The same system that you use to get into the boardroom, you’re already using it at home. Anyway, what I did in my book, “The SUPERGirl 2 SUPERWoman: The Ultimate Guide to Female Leadership,” is, I have now highlighted all those soft skills that we have that we need to up our game plan and get where we need to be. So, the Lord asked me to write a female leadership book, and it is amazing how that has impacted women and the top CEOs that use that system, the SUPER system. SUPER actually is an acronym that means Sensitive, Undeterred, Proactive, Elegant, Replicator. The sensitive nature (The art of caring and empathizing), don’t lose it because that’s your pathway to your leadership. Undeterred means you really put in the work. You go after what you want, allowing no excuses. And as women we can have so many excuses, children husband, you are working a career, you are ministering. So when you say this is your purpose, you find nothing that will come in as an excuse, you’re going there, looking at exactly what you want to achieve. Proactive means the power for you to be able to plan ahead of time, don’t react, you are actually being proactive. And Elegant means as a woman you’ve got to know how to make a good first impression. So get yourself together. That covers how you look, your dressing, talks about your shoes, all the things that the other leadership books don’t cover because they are usually masculine in nature. I am a voracious reader, I have read several leadership books, including that of my mentor, John Maxwell, and leaders are referred to with the masculine gender, and he and he and he and that’s why I wrote that book. So for women that want to walk in their purpose, they need to be SUPER. They need to be sensitive, undeterred, they need to be proactive, they need to get themselves together, be elegant, they need to reciprocate the journey of mentoring. And aside from that, if they have a partner, they need to get the buy-in of the partner to whatever they do. Every woman needs to be confident. The Bible says cast not away your confidence for it has a good reward. That confidence is important and what makes you confident is when you know exactly what you want to do and you’re committed to doing it. So be willing to invest in the process, be willing to pay for value, because when you pay for value, you become more valuable and remember, you need a coach. I have like three or four coaches that I pay to coach me. Pay your coaches. I am happy to be your coach, but of course, you will have to pay me to be your coach.
In what ways has your work brought you victory in your personal life?
Personally, like I said from the word go, my father has taught me that really your value is in the value that you’re adding to other people. And my mentor John Maxwell says you need to add value on a daily basis. So adding value really to other people, helping them become better Christians, helping them become better parents, it brings joy to me because I can actually see where they were and where they are now and the difference has been tremendous. And because I am doing what the Lord wants me to do, it makes me joyful because I am grateful all the way. And I watch my space; I don’t allow just anything around me. I can be in that joyous mood, in that praise mood because that is the sort of atmosphere I permit. I choose to be in that space. Anything that will take my joy or affect my mood is completely shut out. I choose what I read; I choose what I listen to. I choose the people around me. Yes, my work brings a lot of victories, and I can see it around me. Even in the kind of conversations we have at home.
What else would you like people to know about you?
I love God. I am crazy about Jesus. I am nothing without Jesus. Christ makes all the difference, and I am always joyful because every single day when I look around me, I lift up my eyes and say father thank you. My life is embedded in His.
How has God received the Glory through your life?
Every single day, He receives the glory. In my book, there is a chapter on faith that talks about faith. It is a book that cuts across every industry but that part I dedicated to how my faith has brought all these things together because that’s the foundation. And I am saying, I am not asking you to be a Christian, but I am only saying this is the glue that holds it all together for me. So, it is a choice. I will only recommend what works for me. So, He has always received all the glory and wherever I am everyone knows that it is Him.
What is your highest aim in Kingdom work?
It is to see every single Christian stand up to proclaim Jesus wherever they are. Never ever to feel ashamed for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation. That every single child of God will see that they are royalty and they will stand up to speak in that knowledge. And not just the head knowledge but have the heart knowledge of Jesus because that is where it all comes together. Knowing that we are a new creature, we are ambassadors for Christ that you cannot afford to be poor. Teenagers these days want to identify with musicians because that is the image of success that they see. They need to see the right image of true success. And Christians need to know that that you cannot afford to hide that you are a Jesus freak. I’ll rather be a Jesus freak than be a devil freak. So this year there is going to be a lot of travelling, a lot of working with different ministries around the world, I seek to do a lot of confidence coaching for Christians this year because when you know who you are and what you carry you are confident. This is the year of the salt, but salt is not useful until it is out of the shaker. He is coming soon; we need labourers in the vineyard.
Where can people get more information about you and your achievements?
Okay, it would be on my website, www.sheunoke.com you can follow me on Facebook the same thing, Sheun Oke and on Instagram.
Currently, we are working on my website for my new book’ The kingdom marketer,’ so I can be reached through Sheunoke.com.
To purchase Sheun Oke’s book, “Super Girl to Super Woman: The Ultimate Guide to Female Leadership,” please visit amazon.com or sheunoke.com
