Empowering Women: Embracing Beauty Through God’s Lens

Paula: [00:00:00] Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of chatting with the experts TV show where I showcase women from Africa and the Caribbean and living in the diaspora. These professional and entrepreneurial women showcase to you the expertise, whether it’s in their business or in their professions, but whatever they do, the main purpose is to inspire, to educate, and to make women globally be better from what we discuss here. I’ve also had men and they also have been phenomenal, but 99. 9 of the time it’s been women. Well, today our topic [00:01:00] is Embracing Beauty by God’s Standard. And my guest will be giving five tips for building body confidence. Her name is Nma Emeh, and she is a highly respected body confidence coach.
She’s also a motivational speaker and an award winning LinkedIn creator that is dedicated to empowering women and girls to reclaim their body confidence by cultivating a more positive self perception. There’s a lot more I can say about her, but I always believe in my guests telling you more about themselves. And so with that, I welcome Nma Emeh to this episode of Chatting with the Experts.
Nma: Hi, Miss [00:02:00] Paula, thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to be a part of your community and to be to have this opportunity to pour into the ladies and of course the men as well of your community. For those who don’t know me, like she said, my name is Nma Emeh and I am a body image confidence coach. Very passionate about empowering women and young girls to rebuild their body confidence. Why is that important? Because I will give you some statistics right off the bat. Nine out of 10 women have expressed some form of dissatisfaction with their body. I don’t know about you, but that is an alarming number.
And when, when you bring it down to the younger age of our girls, we have about 78 percent of the girls between the age of 10 and 14, expressing some dissatisfaction with their body. And I think those numbers are concerning enough for us [00:03:00] to want to have this dialogue about what body images, how it impacts us, and how we can rebuild our body confidence for success in our life and what God has planned for us. So thank you.
Paula: I say amen to that. Can you give me those statistics again? Because I mean, off the top of my head, just hearing you say that it was alarming, but can you repeat it again for even more emphasis?
Nma: Yes. Nine out of 10 women, or I would say 91%. And this is according to the Mental Health Foundation. They did the statistics the research and 91 percent of women have expressed some kind of dissatisfaction with their bodies and have often resorted to dieting. So it’s not them. It’s not just enough that they’re dissatisfied with their body is the fact that they’ve gone through extra measures to start to [00:04:00] diet. And of course, we all know most of the diets that we do in this day and age. They’re usually not sustainable. They’re not usually healthy. And so that leads to other problems down the line. So, yes, and then with the with our young girls, that number is somewhere about 78 percent in with kids between the age of 10 and like 14.
And then recently studies done by the Dove Self Esteem Project, they are seeing girls dropping out of sports at an alarming rate. About 68 percent or somewhere around that number of girls are dropping out of sports due to the way they perceive themselves in some of these uniforms that they have to wear for the various sports. So this is impacting women and young girls down the line And what that does in the long run is that we’re going to see less and less people showing up in positions of power. If we do not [00:05:00] address this body image and body confidence issue.
Paula: Oh my word. Well, thank you so much for repeating those statistics. Of course, but also to, you know, showcase the alarming rate at which, I mean, girls and women and girls are being impacted by negative self esteem coming from their body image. Okay. But tell me something before you got into doing this, I know you were doing something else. What led you to decide on a change of career?
Nma: Thanks for asking. Well, prior to this, I worked in Finance and Operations in Corporate America for almost 20 years. And although I love the environment, I loved working in the pharmaceutical industry. I worked in financial services. I also worked on the Pacific Stock Exchange really briefly. And those were great experiences, great [00:06:00] exposure. However, I didn’t necessarily love the job that I did. There was just something about making the rich richer that was just not fulfilling enough for me and during the pandemic when that was my aha moment and I wanted to take a step back and just really, you know, ask myself, what do you, what would you like to do for the rest of your life?
Like most people we saw a lot of people lose their lives during the pandemic. And it was an eye opener to me, like, okay, if I were to stand before God today, what can I demonstrate or show that of how I have given back to the world to the people and how have I impacted people for time and eternity. And oftentimes when you’re in search of your calling, there’s usually a common thread of something that has been going on throughout your life. And that usually has something to [00:07:00] do with your calling. That’s what I believe. And for me. My body was always a topic of discussion right from when I was born. I was born a whopping almost 11 pounds and I was that baby that the doctor told my mom, now this is it, because this one almost killed you. If you have any more you’re not going to make it and I grew up as a somewhat chubby kid and growing up in Nigeria where we don’t have filters.
Paula: No, we don’t.
Nma: I was often reminded of just how chubby I was relative to my siblings. And so, as I grew up, I just became more and more conscious of my physical appearance and in good and bad ways. I got both good compliments and bad compliments, but you know, like typical human nature, we tend to focus on the negative. And for me, I focused more on the negative comments of people constantly comparing me to my sisters who are tall and modelesque and [00:08:00] my body being very different from theirs. And I was always questioning why I looked so different from them and why I didn’t fit the standard that people expected me to fit looking at my sisters. And so, anyway, all that to say I decided, well, you know, since the body has always been a topic of discussion, I wanted to empower women and girls to rebuild their body confidence, which is something that I worked on for most of my life. And now it’s my turn to give back to women and girls. So that’s my journey.
Paula: Oh, I love your story. I mean, I don’t love the part that, you know, having lived in Nigeria, I know that there are really no filters.
Nma: Oh, yeah.
Paula: And if it’s not one thing, it’s the next, you know.
Nma: Precisely.
Paula: I like the fact that you now took that, your journey, your experience, to now give back and to help women and help girls, because it’s girls who become women.
Nma: Yes. [00:09:00]
Paula: Help them know that their bodies were created by the Almighty, and there is a purpose for their being on Earth. So, you can’t change your, well, I mean, the body you’re born with, yes, is the body you’re born with. So, you know, first of all, start liking yourself. And then, I mean, if it’s something that you can do that it’s not healthy or, you know, in any way that will hurt you, well, you know, we can always learn. So that’s why we are here today to learn from you how to embrace the beauty of God’s design.
Nma: Yes, absolutely. And before we get started for, if you’re like me, I like to understand the basics before I get into the nitty gritty of. of how to rebuild. And for instance, most people, you know, body image is not something most people talk about. You know, we hear about it, you know, here and there, but it’s not something we you talk about in [00:10:00] most conversations. So, for those who don’t know, body image is the perception a person has about their physical appearance and the thoughts and the emotions that ensue as a result of that perception. Now it can be a positive perception, which is what you want. You want to have a positive perception of your body, knowing that God created you uniquely and for a specific purpose. But oftentimes, what we especially women, we have a negative perception of our body, we start to look at ourselves as less than as lacking instead of focusing on the beautiful things about our appearance.
We’ve turn to find the flaws and the mistakes. I don’t like my hair. I don’t like my eyes. I don’t like my nose. I don’t like my size. I don’t like this or that. So body image again is the perception that you have about your physical appearance and how it makes you feel, how you feel about your [00:11:00] perception. Another thing about body image is it demonstrates how we see ourselves. Like when you think of looking at yourself in the mirror, oftentimes, what are you telling yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror? Ideally, you want to say positive things. You want to focus on the positive aspects of your being. But oftentimes, like I said, we always pick out the flaws before we pick out the positive. So yeah, but anyway, in a nutshell, that’s what body image is.
Paula: Thanks for explaining that because I was going to ask you that because there’s something that I’ve noticed among women. Like if you say typically to a woman, Oh, I like your dress, it’s like this. I’ve had it for such a long time, you know, or you say, I love your hair. I need to go and get it done. Most times women won’t say, Oh, thank you. I appreciate you telling me that though. Even I think so or something like that. So. A few years ago, I told myself that any compliments I get, whether I believe they’re true or not, I’m going to just [00:12:00] say, thank you. I may not believe it, but by hearing it.
As Christians, we know faith comes by hearing. No, it’s hearing the word of God. But there’s the same principle on earth. If you keep hearing something negative, you’re going to believe it. And if you’re telling yourself those negative things about your own self, you’re going to believe it. So now when I hear positive things from people, I tell myself I’m going to believe it, you know.
Nma: No, that’s a good approach. Very good approach. I love that. And you’re so true. A lot of us women, whenever we have a hard time receiving compliments more, more than our male counterparts, you know, most men, when you compliment them, they’re like yes, of course. I look good. You know, I work out every day. I do this. For us women, whenever we are complimented, I think there’s some sort of guilt that we experienced that, you know, some kind of guilt about being told that we’re acceptable or that we’re beautiful and that’s all part of the whole body image [00:13:00] thing issue. And some of it is because of our culture, you know, for us, for you and I, you know, Nigeria, like we said, people are very blunt, you know, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a not so good way.
So culture can influence your perception. About your body image, also your social interactions, you know, the friends that you hang out with that can have a significant impact on how you perceive yourselves. And then they’re the personal factors. And then, obviously, recently, social media as well. Being a big big part of the whole body image journey. So, yes those few things really impact the way we perceive ourselves, but I think to your point, the more we as women begin to accept ourselves, accept the compliments that people give us. Knowing that there’s no, you know, ulterior motive or agenda behind it, then the better we will begin to [00:14:00] perceive ourselves and improve on our body image.
Paula: I agree. All right. So you’ve explained what body image is. Thank you so much for that. So how does that impact us in general, we women?
Nma: Well, it impacts us in several ways, but before I even go there, I wanted to also address some of the misconceptions that we have about body image. I’m sorry, that just popped into my head. It’s very important to clarify to get off the back what some of the misconceptions people have. For instance, a lot of us believe that body image only affects women. That’s not true. It does affect our male counterparts, you know, according to statistics, of course, 91 percent women are more dissatisfied, but when you look at our male counterparts. It’s almost just as bad. It’s about 80 percent of men. That are dissatisfied with their physical appearance, most of them, it’s around the fact that they’re just don’t [00:15:00] feel like they’re muscular enough and are demonstrating that manly behavior like they would want to. So it’s the content of it, like the way they are dissatisfied with their bodies slightly different from how we women perceive ourselves, but still they experienced some form of body image issue.
Another misconception is that it’s limited to just young people or, you know, people of a certain age and, but you know, body image can follow you through your whole life. You know, it can start as early as five years old and continue well into your senior years. It can happen at any point in time or either through life experiences, you know, what people say to you. And so that’s something to keep in mind. That’s why it’s important to build up these body confidence tips, which I will share with you shortly. And then lastly, a common misconception is that body image only has to deal with our physical [00:16:00] appearance. No body image is more than just your physical appearance.
You know, and it’s not just about your weight too. That’s another common one. Most people think, oh, it’s because the person thinks that they are chubby or because they’re skinny and all of that. No. Body image encompasses every aspect of your being from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. If you’re experiencing any kind of dissatisfaction, whether it’s how the texture of your hair or your skin tone and all of that to the point where it impacts the way you show up each day. Then it’s worth addressing and discussing with a professional like me.
Paula: I like that. I like that the way you show up and it’s more than physical because you know, we are all body, soul and spirit. They’re all interconnected. You know, you can see that sometimes when people are depressed, I mean, you can see it in the outward, if outwardly, I mean, in the way they [00:17:00] carry themselves, they, you know, the conversation they have. So I like the fact that you’re saying that it’s not just limited to the physical, but it’s every part from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Thanks for pointing that out.
Nma: Thank you. Yes. And in terms of how body image impacts us. This is where it gets really weighty. It’s more than just, you know, the physical for some people when it goes on checked for years, it can lead to some social and mental health disorders like body dysmorphia, anorexia, and those are the extremes and some of those things you at that point you really need to see a clinician about the body image but for most people, it’s, it shows up as low self esteem.
It shows up in as, you know, one [00:18:00] feeling depressed over time, if again, if it goes unchecked, and it can also lead to anxiety. So imagine someone who, you know, now it’s summertime, most people are going to the beach. And, you know, what do people wear to the beach? They wear their swimsuits and their skimpy wear and their shorts. Well, someone who’s experiencing some body image issues, believe it or not, they would shy away from those social experiences because they don’t want to be seen in their shorts. They don’t want to be seen in a bikini or a swimsuit because they’re just not feeling confident in their body. But guess what? They continue to hold back and refrain from those social interactions. Well, that’s going to lead to depression over time because you’re not getting that social interaction that God designed us to have. So it’s a significant issue. You know, it really impacts our mental health and emotional well being in those particular ways.[00:19:00]
Paula: That is so true. And I’ve actually known some young people who, you know, because of the way, whether truthfully or untruthfully they perceive themselves, gone into isolation, as you say, not just in the summer, but any time of the year. No, I don’t want to go. I just don’t feel like I need to go. So as parents, we need to look at our children. We need to understand that this is a reality and don’t just brush it off, but give it attention. Thank you.
Nma: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I’ve seen situations where it has impacted people’s physical health where, you know, they have, like I said, some form of disordered eating, or some people take it to the extreme where they’re doing excessive exercising, you know, so it’s one extreme of the order. Somebody has disordered eating. The other person has excessive exercising and then other people sometimes, you know, when they’re going through that negative body image, they also [00:20:00] experience, you know, a lack of self care. They just decide they’re not going to care for their physical appearance anymore, because they’re like, you know, this vessel of God has given me, I don’t feel like I need to maintain or anything.
And so it impacts us mentally, emotionally, physically. And also even our relationships and social interactions. Like I said, over time, if you’re not participating in social events or going to the after work events, it really starts to impact how you show up in different spaces in your life. There are some people, clients that I’ve worked with who were very hesitant about going to socialize after work because they just felt like, Oh, well, I don’t fit in. No, my hair doesn’t look like everybody else’s own there. And, but the little, do they know that is in this after work events where the networking really happens. And those that’s where they get to know you, when it comes to promotion, people remember you based on the kind of interactions they’ve had with you [00:21:00] at work and outside of work. So body image can really impact all aspects of our life, but that’s why it’s important for us to really focus on maintaining a positive body image, being confident in who we are and knowing that God makes no mistakes in his designs.
Paula: Amen, as I said to a young person once, when you read the creation story in Genesis, when God made man and woman, he said, it is good.
Nma: Yes.
Paula: It’s all about the animals. He didn’t say, not that the other, I mean, the animals weren’t good or the trees, or the sky, but human beings, they were special.
Nma: Absolutely.
Paula: Okay. All right. So let’s dig into this. You said five tips. What’s tip number one?
Nma: Well, my first tip is to embrace your unique design. I know I [00:22:00] touched on it earlier, but I think oftentimes a lot of us, especially women, we keep trying to fit a square into a circle mold, we should keep trying to fit into spaces that God did not design us for. And it’s not until we embrace. Who we are in our entirety, that will we start to experience the full freedom and the full acceptance and the full love and joy that God has designed us for. And that brings me to one of my favorite passages from Psalms 139 verse 14 that I am beautifully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works. And that my soul knows very well. Now I’ll be lying to you if I said that I always believed that I was beautifully and wonderfully made, but in when the first time I stumbled on that passage and actually read it and embraced it, [00:23:00] then that was the beginning of me seeing myself through God’s eyes.
He made no mistakes. I am unique in my own way. And although I don’t look very much like my siblings, though, but God designed me in this way for a specific purpose. And as I continue to live my life, I’m becoming more and more aware what, why he designed me this way so that I can pour into other women and young girls who may feel a little different from their mates or their siblings and other female counterparts. So… Sorry, you again say,
Paula: I said, I love that. Okay. All right.
Nma: Number two, you ready for number two?
Paula: Yes. Ready, ready, ready.
Nma: Okay. So another thing I encourage clients to do is to practice self compassion. What does that mean? A lot of times. When we look at us as women, when we look at ourselves in the mirror, like I said earlier, the [00:24:00] first thing that comes to our mind, if we’re brutally honest, is always something negative. You look at yourself in the mirror like, oh, my hair is a mess. Oh, I, my eyebrows are not working today. Oh, I don’t like this earring, or, I don’t like this, or that. We start looking for flaws, but , one thing I encourage us to do is get a mirror, and I’ve done this with my elementary school girls, because when I speak at after school programs for girls too.
And one thing I have them do is to bring out a mirror, and also a journal and spend five minutes looking at themselves in that mirror and writing everything beautiful or everything positive that they like about their physical appearance. And it’s about reframing the way you think about yourself when you look at yourself. So that simple five minute exercise makes a significant impact on [00:25:00] these young girls because it’s teaching them earlier on that the mirror is not their enemy. The mirror is simply just a reflection of what God has already created. And we all know that God makes no mistakes. So as you’re looking at yourself, look for the blessings that God has created in you and write those down.
And so yeah, so I encourage people to practice self-compassion, and that means, you know, using affirmations or for me it’s Bible passages. Looking for Bible passages that fill your spirit up for you to start the day on a positive note, because when your mind is set, when your mind is positively impacted, it’s going to reflect on how you interact with the world around you.
Paula: So, I love that so far that’s being intentional. [00:26:00]
Nma: You have to be very intentional indeed. You have to be very intentional. A lot of the work that I do with clients is just ensuring that they are very intentional about everything they do. Intentional about taking time to slow down and do their self care like you know it like literally physical self care whether it’s going for a manicure, a pedicure, a facial, but just taking that time out for ourselves. I think a lot of women, some of the mistakes that we make. Well, I don’t know if we say mistakes, but some of the things that happen to us as women is that we’re givers, naturally.
We’re always giving, whether it’s to our spouses, to our children, to our place of work. And by the time we get a moment to even reflect, there’s nothing left to give ourselves. And so we have to be very intentional about what we do about our self care, taking that time [00:27:00] to rebuild, to rejuvenate, to pause, to, you know, just to be, just giving ourselves that time to be. And just even if it’s five minutes, if it’s 30 minutes, if it’s once a week, just going to get your nails done. Downtime that really helps to rebuild who you are and what God is designing you for. So, yeah, so those are just a couple of tips so far.
Paula: Yes. You know another thing I have said to a few people is sometimes just leave in the house for five minutes. Go for a drive if you drive. If you don’t drive, go for a walk. Just get some fresh air.
Nma: Exactly. Yeah. I mean, a walk is, well, I’m sure our doctors would say a walk, it’s not just about the physical, you know, exercise that you’re doing. It does something to our mental health. Improves our mental health and being, and not only that, you know, taking a [00:28:00] walk, it forces you to look into nature. And again, the beauty of God’s design in nature, you know, at least for me just being able to stop and breathe the flowers literally and notice the trees and the bunnies in this time of the year. And, you know, that really does something for our mental health. So, yeah.
Paula: And just clears your head. Sometimes the fresh air, remember you and for those of us who are abroad, most of our houses , the air is being recirculated, you know, get out there, fresh air. I mean, I’m not a physician, but I know that breathing in fresh air goes through your system. It’s definitely different from breathing the same air that has been circulated on. Even if it’s not 100 percent circulated, but it’s not definitely as fresh as the air that you breathe outside. So, okay. Right. You’ve given us a few tips. Do [00:29:00] you have, if I counted…
Nma: I have some more!
Paula: Yeah, you have more. So, go ahead.
Nma: I do.
Paula: All right.
Nma: Okay. So one of my favorite tips is encouraging people to just focus on their inner qualities. I think. Not that I think, I know. We live in a society that focuses so much on physical appearance and social media. With the onset of social media, things have just been worse. And I’m encouraging my clients to shift away from that, especially with our young girls who social media is all they’ve ever known.
Paula: Yes.
Nma: And it’s about being, again, intentional In the things that we say to ourselves, but also to our young girls, where we often compliment each other based on our physical appearance, because society expects women to look a certain way. So we’ve been trained to compliment each [00:30:00] other just on the physical. However, what I tell clients is, focus on those things about you that go beyond your physical appearance. There’s so much more to us than just the way we look. There is our talents, our compassion, the things that we’re passionate about, our hobbies, you know. So you want to compliment yourself and your girls about the achievements, the things you’ve achieved in life, you know, and your accomplishments. Have you gotten an education? A higher education? Are you into knitting and how good are you about knitting and creating beautiful things?
I think when we shift again our mindset from the physical all the time to more of our intellectual, then that starts to rebuild our body confidence. So again, when you’re complimenting a girl, [00:31:00] compliment her about how smart she is. Compliment her about how tenacious she is. Don’t just compliment her that, Oh, your hair looks beautiful. Even if it does. Yes, but there’s so much more to her. So I look forward to a world where girls are so much more than just. What we look like, you know, we’re known for our achievements, our accomplishments, what we’re able to get done and how quickly and the impact that we make in the world, our innovations. Those are the things that we need to play up in rebuilding our confidence as a human race in my own opinion.
Paula: That’s a very good one, because we are socialized to think that there’s some things that girls can’t do. Yes, especially I mean the ones that we’ve heard a lot about stem and steam you know science, that’s for boys. Technology. Oh, so [00:32:00] it’s a man’s world, engineering and forget it. They shouldn’t be a female engineer. You know, these are the sort of things you’re just socialized to believe. And then you believe it as a woman. And I’m so happy now that we have so many outstanding women who are in these fields and are doing excellent at that.
And for those who are not even science, as you mentioned, you know, focus on a young girl who’s compassionate. She’s able to, you know, she sees someone in need and she goes and helps them or she’s able, as you say, to knit or she can sing beautifully, you know, so many things. So she’s able to read a book and understand, you know, just from the first chapter, immediately understand everything. Yes, that is fantastic. You know, I like this.
Nma: Yeah, right. In fact, right before I came on to the show, I was listening to a podcast that was talking about, you know, gut health and improving the digestive system [00:33:00] and how that can impact your whole, and I was listening to it casually. But my daughter was in the background and listening. And so she’s 11 years old and she’s like, mom, are they talking about the digestive system? And, you know, and I was just surprised at how much she got out of it, listening to it casually. And she was like, oh, does this child have some issues with their stomach? Oh, could this, yeah. And so I was like, oh, wow. You’re that you grasp so much of this medical, and then we’re using some really complex medical terms to explain what was going on with this patient and in the podcast and how they were recommending some remedies for his gut health.
But the fact that she grasped it so quickly, and, it resonated with her. I was like, girl, you’re going to be the next, you know, big doctor somewhere down in the future or somewhere in the science field. Don’t hold yourself back. And so it’s exposing our [00:34:00] kids to a variety, especially our girls, to a variety of vocational skills subjects or vocational things that we discover what comes natural to them. And I think to your point, oftentimes when it comes to sciences, we put the boys there and then we say, girls, go do the arts. But no, we need to create a world where there’s equity in terms of what they are in what they want to pursue both boys and girls can pursue sciences and excel and arts and excel.
Paula: Yes. Oh my word, you know, we’ve been speaking for almost 40 minutes.
Nma: Oh, really?
Paula: Yep . This is so good. That’s what this means, you know.
Nma: So should I rush it?
Paula: Yeah, no rush. Just give us tip number five, because we promised them five tips, right?
Nma: Okay, so I have four and five, so I’ll go through it. So the next tip is to seek a positive community [00:35:00] support.
Paula: Important.
Nma: There’s a Bible passage in 1 Thessalonians [5:11] that says, Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up just as in fact you are doing. So we need, God designed us for community and oftentimes we forget that. We need to find a faith based community of people and I say faith based because ideally those people will love you the way Christ designed us to love you. To love each other and so find a faith based community of people who will support you in your body image journey, as you will support them as and likewise, I am part of a number of women’s groups. You know, of course, because my passion is about empowering women, but, you know, finding small life groups, women’s life groups, because as we’re learning the word of God, we’re also encouraging each other, you know, in the faith and in our walk.
And those life [00:36:00] groups can also translate into lifelong relationships, which ideally will blossom into a community of support as you go through your body confidence journey. So it’s important that you find a community of support. For me, like I said, it’s been through my church. Some people might be through work. Some people might be within your own family or extended family. But the important thing is that you find a community of support of people who make you feel good about yourself. Of course, in doing so, you will have to set certain boundaries
Paula: Yeah.
Nma: And eliminate some people. So focus on community of support, not people that will break you down. And then lastly, I would say to engage in faith based reflection and meditation. I start each day reading the word of God. And why is that important? Because the word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. [00:37:00] And so before I step out, I want to know what God has set for me and I want to make sure that I’m in line with His Word in terms of who he wants me to serve, who he wants me to empower. And I think it’s just good for us to start our day with that positive attitude and what better place to find it than in the Word of God. So, start your day with reflection, meditation on God’s word, or worship music. I love listening to worship music and just feeling empowered and or listening to a good podcast on from a strong believer in the Lord. So those are my five tips right there.
Paula: I love each and every one of them. And you know, you talked about starting each day with, you know, in the word of God, whether it’s to praise music or using your own voice to praise or reading the word because that’s something that a lot of us do not probably think [00:38:00] deeply about. And that is every new day is exactly that. A new day. You never experienced that ever before. And so when we wake up and we are alive and well, not even if you’re not well, you can still, you know, depending on, of course, the illness. But it’s a new experience you’ve never, ever, ever experienced this day before. Anything that’s ahead of you. If you think about that, it’s exciting, isn’t it?
Nma: It is. And to remember that it’s a gift. Every day you wake up is a gift. Every day you wake up and you’re able to get out of bed and breathe in the fresh air is a gift. So don’t take it for granted and use that time wisely. Use that day, that 24 hours that God has given you. Use it wisely and use it for impact and for his glory.
Paula: Amen.
Nma: Amen.
Paula: This has been so inspiring to me, uplifting. I learned a lot. And so [00:39:00] if other people want to learn more about you, how can they find you online or even offline if need be?
Nma: Well, yes, you can find me online at nmaemeh.com. That’s my website, nmaemeh.com. I also live on LinkedIn. So you can find me on LinkedIn as well, Nma Emeh and on Instagram. Now I’m not as active on Instagram because of course I sort of don’t like Instagram, but you can find me, you can find me on Instagram. Same thing Nma Emeh. So, and yes, please, Facebook.
Paula: Are you on Facebook?
Nma: I am on Facebook. I am on Facebook. Same. Nma Speaks, actually.
Paula: Okay.
Nma: Nma Speaks on Facebook. And so, yes, I love to connect with people. I love to meet new people, new organizations. And one of my passions is being able to speak to women in different groups and just empower them. [00:40:00] So, if your group is looking for someone to come and speak and empower or empower your girls. You know where to find me. Thank you.
Paula: I love it. And I say it every episode that I have, I always have amazing people, 99.9 percent of the people are men…
Nma: women,
Paula: 99%! My guests are women, but I also have that 1 percent of men that are awesome. And so if you’d like to be a guest on my show, you can reach out to me on my website, which is chattingwiththeexperts.com. I also live on LinkedIn. I love LinkedIn. So you can find me on LinkedIn. Just look for Paula Okonneh there. I’m on Instagram. My handle there is at chat_experts_podcast and I am on Facebook. Look for Paula Okonneh on Facebook. This has been [00:41:00] awesome. Thank you so much Nma for saying yes to coming on Chatting With the Experts and you know what? We need you to come on again because we need to hear more of about this, knowing that we are wonderfully and marvelously made in the sight of God.
Nma: Yes, absolutely. I’ve enjoyed being on your show. I really enjoy this time with you and just this dialogue. It will be an honor to be back here to discuss, to talk, to answer questions from your community. So I’m looking forward to the second round. Thank you.
Paula: Thank you.