•Reveals Her Success Principles
Dr. Olubusola Oluwaferanmi is an Alternative Medicine Practitioner. She lives in the State of Georgia in the US, where she juggles many roles. She also frequents Nigeria. She will be 51 this week and she will be celebrating it with a book launch in Lagos.
In this interview below, this beautiful Life Coach & Motivational Speaker reveals the exciting story of her life.
How do you feel as you count down to your 51st birthday in a few days?
Excited is the word. It’s been an interesting journey in the last two years and I just want to celebrate with friends.
What has changed from when you turned 50 until now,12 months after?
12 months is a long time and God has been so good and faithful. I’m wiser, stronger and added so much value to my life. I finished school and went from being homeless to buying my own house and opening a new office in Lagos. That’s a huge leap.
How do you plan to celebrate it?
I’m launching my new book on Domestic Abuse and launching some products for my Wellness business. It’s a private party with close friends and families and the few people that I know believe in my brand and charity work for the past 11 years.
Why did you choose to write a book and launch a product? What product?
This particular book is long overdue; Unmask the Soul – Steps to Freedom and Healing from Domestic Abuse. I’ve been an advocate for Domestic Violence since 2011 and I’ve been writing this script since then. I gave it to my Publisher years ago but wasn’t able to publish it because I was going through some personal challenges. My Publisher called earlier this year to give me a push: it is time to publish this book. My business is Holistic Wellness and last year, 2021 I got the Licence in Lagos State, Nigeria as a Traditional Medicine Practitioner. My company, FerFis Holistic Wellness has been producing our own organic herbs since. We have very potent herbs that are packaged in capsules, powder, teas and liquid. I believe we need to reach more customers by launching out. My goal is to educate people especially this generation that herbs and roots are natural gifts from God and not fetish as some of us were made to believe.
You are no doubt an accomplished lady of substance. How did you develop yourself up to this point? By that I mean the confidence you always exude and your versatility.
I call myself an Audacious Woman of Purpose and I keep reminding myself that I can do whatever I set my mind out to do. My dad gave me that special gift as an 8-year-old girl. I grew up with 8 boys and a girl as siblings, so he taught me to always stand up for myself and never believe that the boys can do better just because they’re boys. “Busola, work hard and don’t wait for anyone to come and rescue you. Stand up for yourself, always stay focused and believe you can do whatever you set your mind to.” Whenever I get to the edge of the cliff, I always remember my dad.
Tell us a bit about how you are wired..What sort of a person are you?
I guess my body looks like a girl but I’m built like a man! I’m focused, caring, loving, and very hard working and I never allow any setback to hold me down. I love peace.
Is your being single a matter of choice? And how did you overcome the reality of your being single in a world where it is assumed that all ladies ought to be married once they grow up?
Being single is not my choice. I love stability and love being married. But when a man thinks you’re not enough for him with all the love, affection and care you shower on him, there’s absolutely nothing to be done except to accept the separation. That assumption that all ladies must be married because she’s grown is one of the reasons we have so many broken marriages. I divorced my first husband because of domestic abuse. But because society looks down on single mothers especially with my profession and as a Reverend, I immediately went into another marriage. I thought we were on the same page and were in love. I gave my all and there was absolutely nothing left to give. He decided to walk away with another woman ten years after. Painful but I’m over it now. I believed that marriage would complete me. Or I was made to believe that it would. It actually messed me up both times. In the last year, I’ve been able to go through therapy and also worked on building myself. As a middle-aged woman, I’ve come to realize that being with the right man complements my life and it shouldn’t be forced. I’m enjoying being single for now, While I have the freedom to rebuild my life. So do I need to be married to be happy or to satisfy the world? Absolutely no!
I know you mentor so many ladies who look up to you for advice on how to break all the barriers thrown their way?
What I’ve been able to do for myself and teach others is to; have clarity about what your purpose in life is all about. Know who you are and what you’re meant to be or do in this life. When you’re sure about that, you will be able to set boundaries and limitations for yourself. The moment you step beyond those boundaries, your antenna will signal to you to stay on track. When you know your purpose, pursue it with all of your strength and nobody can limit you with any barriers. You can’t break barriers if you don’t know your purpose. You can’t break barriers if you allow people to define who you are. You can’t break barriers if you can’t stay focused and believe in yourself. Build up your self-esteem and self-confidence and that will help you break barriers.
Can you share with us your success nuggets?
Just a few of what I constantly remind myself: Know your purpose. Health is wisdom. Success is the best revenge. No matter how messed up you may be, you can always get back up. When you fail, rediscover yourself and start all over.
Why do you always like to spell your names in full?
I just love the sound of it and Spelling it through gives the best meaning.
Let us talk about what you do as an Alternative Medicine Practitioner. How exciting is that line of Medicine?
In general, Alternative Medicine refers to any health treatment not standard in Western medical practice. My job as a practitioner is to find the best treatment and solutions to my clients’ ailments. My focus is on prevention methods, holistic treatment and a combination of traditional medicine and therapy. Just knowing the right herbs to use for a particular ailment and seeing it work wonders is the utmost excitement as a Practitioner.
Why did you opt for Alternative Medicine and not Orthodox Medicine?
Becoming a Practitioner was just an accident. I went into this while looking for solutions to my health problems in 2016/2017. I was dissatisfied with my conventional treatments and therapies, which weren’t working for me at the time. The medications I was on were giving me more problems than the solutions I was looking for. I wanted more personal autonomy and control over my health care decisions. I started with a South African based company with an affiliate in Nigeria. It was my sister’s suggestion that I tried their products and see if it would help. I did and I was satisfied with the outcome. I became a distributor for the company thereafter. It was this exciting result that gave me the curiosity to know more about herbs. I love to have clarity about whatever interests me, so I started researching alternative medicine. The more research I did, the more excited I became about knowing more. So I enrolled in school to become a Practitioner. Being a Practitioner is also not a new profession in my family. My paternal grandmother was a Traditional Medicine Practitioner. Unfortunately, she was dead before I was born and nobody ever practiced what she left.
You juggle your 5 roles so well. How do you play the role of Sex Therapist, Neuromuscular Therapist, Alternative Medicine Practitioner, Life Coach and Motivational Speaker? Are they interrelated?
Everything I found myself doing right now was orchestrated by God. I was a Secretary before I left Nigeria in 1996. I went back to school in 2001, three months after I had my second child. I just wanted to get my Bachelor’s degree to prove a point to myself. The only course I thought of was Counseling. I am very comfortable talking to or advising people, so I thought I could do that easily. It was in the classroom that I decided I was going to take some classes for Sex therapy. I finished both at the same time. Every other course I went back to school to do was a result of finding solutions to my clients’ requests. Every single one is inter-related. I only have to switch my hat to a particular client or need. I just wanted to be that Therapist that helps find solutions to “the pain” of whoever comes in contact.
Let’s talk about Ferfis Holistic Wellness. What are the services you offer?
At FerFis Holistic Wellness, we help our clients to connect the right puzzle for a total health transformation. Holistic wellness is a total lifestyle change. From what we eat to how we eat and how we live our lives. As an African, I know that most of us grew up with some of these herbs but left them for Western medicine. Our goal at FerFis is to spread awareness and educate people about traditional medicine. Western education and religion have changed our views about herbs and roots. We now see them as fetish and things we shouldn’t allow others see us use. We are licensed through the Lagos state government for General Practice.
Our Services: Alternative Medicine – General Practice, Counseling, Sex Therapy, Pain Management, Neuromuscular Therapy, Massage Therapy, Weight Loss, Match-Making.
How is life in Atlanta, Georgia? How do you get patronage?
I love the State of Georgia. The weather is good and very calm to raise a family. I moved here from California in 2010 and I’ve not had any reason to think about relocating to another state.
Most clients that I have at the moment or have had are from social media. Lots of returning clients or referrals from old clients. For someone that just started this profession a few years ago, patronage is not too bad right now.
Is it true that the whole world is embracing Alternative Medicine? Why is that so?
Yes, I believe we are gearing towards it. So many people are aware that western medicine is not giving them the expectations. The side effect of these medicines are sometimes worst than the original ailments. It’s becoming increasingly popular because it gives patients choices. A health-conscious choice allows patients to make lifestyle changes, understand medical alternatives to care and be active participants in their medical treatment.
How did you cope in 2020/2021 during the Covid-19 epidemic? Was there a demand for your drugs to boost the immune system and co?
The COVID-19 epidemic was what really gave me the confidence that traditional medicine is the utmost solution. While Western medicine was running around trying to figure out what could work; the herbs were already there for us to do wonders. Every single patient that we treated at FerFis, either for protection or to treat the virus, survived the Epidemic. We are still treating COVID even in 2022 but we have a very potent product to boost the immune system as well.
Tell us a little about Dr. Olubusola. Where was she born? Where did she grow up? What course did she study? How did she relocate abroad?
Dr. Olubusola was born in Ilesa, Osun state over 50 years ago. I grew up in Ilesa but my father was a Teacher turned Accountant and later became a Sales Executive. He moved around a lot because of his work and my mother was one of a kind that would always follow him around. So, I grew up in Ilesa, Kano and Ibadan. Unfortunately, I went to 4 different primary schools. By the time I was in Form One, I refused to continue following them around, so I was in a boarding school. At Margaret’s Anglican Girls Grammar School, Ilesa, I had the best time of my youth in that school and my classmates have become family members to date. I wanted to be a Medical Doctor while I was young but it never happened. I ended up going to the Polytechnic for Secretarial Administration. I wasn’t able to finish my HND before I left Nigeria for New Zealand in 1996, to get married. On getting to New Zealand, I went to the Seminary to study Social Ministry. In 1999, I left New Zealand for the United States. Started school again in 2001 to study Theology with a Major in Counseling. I just wanted to get a bachelor’s degree but was blessed to have been awarded scholarships to finish with a Doctorate in Theology and major in Counseling. The rest is a continued journey. I’m an Orphan now, lost both parents. I’m a single mom of 3 wonderful children, 24, 21 and 17. They make me wake up daily to be a better version of who I was yesterday!
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