Meet Olamide Afolabi | Technical Project Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olamide Afolabi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olamide, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m a first-generation Nigerian American; my family moved to the States when I was young. I had a pretty standard Nigerian-American upbringing, I would say. When we first moved to America, I was bullied in school. Why? Cause kids are just a little mean and I had an accent, haha. This experience and a strict home life turned me into a hard person. I spent many years pretty much living on the defense – I was straight-up mean to everyone, I can’t even lie. At some point in life, I got tired of being described as mean and having to live on the defense and pushing everyone away. My natural disposition is to be kind, giving, and cheerful so being tough and mean was just draining. My experience with being hurt and my kind-hearted (but strict!) parents taught me kindness and the importance of supporting and helping people.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Start Saying More is a platorm that connects minority individuals to mental health providers that they’re more likely to have a good experience with. It’s a business that genuinely came from my heart – it took me three tries to finally get with a therapist that I felt understood me and was helping me to grow. I am an outlier in that regard; most people won’t keep looking for a therapist. I want to eliminate the friction that people experience when looking for a therapist. Most people don’t know where to start or what qualities to look for in a counselor.

At this point in my business, I’m most proud of my resiliency. This journey has not been easy, man. It’s been expensive, emotionally taxing, and straight up confusing. Combine that with life’s regular pressures and it’s easy to just feel like quitting. And I have….many times. But thankfully, I have an amazing support system and this is something I genuinely care about. Don’t get me wrong, I have taken breaks to take care of myself and my mental health because I cannot pour from an empty, burnt out pitcher. This is a a gap that I’d like to find a solution for so I’m going to keep trying and looking for creative ways to grow and improve.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ll be honest with you, I am a homebody. Like hardcore. And my close friends are homebodies too. We’d probably go to the pool, play games, and eat at a few restaurants. I’d take them to Al Biernats, Roland’s Jamaican Chicken, Granny’s Cajun Cooking, and Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen. Those are some of my favorite places. I’d also cook a few meals as well because cooking for and catering to loved ones is one of my love languages.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, I need to thank God for always saving me from myself and others. He always picks me back up and I live my life to honor Him. Next, absolutely my family. They are a bunch of caring, considerate, and supportive people. They’ve supported all my little endeavors. From my attempt at YouTube to the random businesses I started during school, to now Start Saying More. I also have made some extremely supportive friends. They’ve supported me when I wanted to give up on my business due to stress, they share my content, and they’re just all-around superstar friends. And then there’s Giselle! Giselle is a friend of mine from undergrad, who happened to be a great designer. She has been with me on SSM since the very beginning. She designed the website and content and helped me to identify my brand, and everything. I can literally describe to her the vision I see in my brain and I can trust her to deliver it on the screen. It’s amazing! She’s also a fantastic thought partner, source of support, comedian, and genuinely just another great person that God has put in my life. I’m blessed to be surrounded by people who care for and support me, and they deserve credit for that.

Website: www.startsayingmore.com

Instagram: instagram.com/startsayingmore

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/67082256

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StartSayingMore

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StartSayingMore

Image Credits
Graphics created by Giselle Duran