Tolulope Dawodu
Nov 5 · 7 min read

35 memories from year 35

Some stories, thoughts, testimonies, trials, and celebrations!

  1. After 10 years of public health practice, it’s safe to say public health has been the choice career path for me. I’ve enjoyed many opportunities, significant exposure, some low moments . When I joined my current organization six years ago, I joined a team of seven. Today, we are three left, I am the only one in a leadership position. A true reminder, that “the race is not to the swift.” I have experienced God’s grace and favor.

2. Give room for others to grow, especially if you lead at work.

I co-authored four presentations at the International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) this year (3 presentations and 1 poster). Since I was facilitating a session, and presenting a poster, I decided there was no need to give the presentations. I gave other staff members the opportunity to present. Today, those two staff members who presented are no longer with the organization. I am glad I gave them the opportunity at that time as ISDS has since dissolved. You never really know the future!

Poster presentation, ISDS San Diego, CA

3. Learn from your staff, you don’t have a monopoly on knowledge.

This past year I had four FTEs, two Interns and one doctoral fellow reporting to me. One of my interns was a physician who went back to school for an MPH and the other, a former classroom teacher with a lot of experience. To put it in context, I have an MPH. Supervising, while working on my own projects was a big stretch but one I’ll forever be grateful for. Allow me to be honest for a bit. This work was demanding!!! I was up to the task but had a lot of learning to do. My doctoral fellow was very kind to share her knowledge with me. I gave her a lot of credit in meetings and made sure management knew about her expertise.

Some of my leadership tips:

  • I consistently read Myles Munroe’s handbook on leadership “Inspirational Insights for the Front-line Leader” to stay grounded
  • Patience. Is. key. Not everything deserves a reaction, employees have bad days too
  • My time cost a whole lot more than ever so most things were scheduled. If I was aloof this year, this is one of the reasons why.
  • My christian toolbox helped me in resolving conflicts. I deferred to it a few times
  • My employees’ families are as important as the work they do. I take time to ask about their families and well-being and take mental notes on discussion points to follow-up on. ( Birthdays, high school football games, vacation trips, kids swimming competitions etc)
  • My one-on-one bi-weekly check-ins genuinely began with “how are you doing?”
  • I prioritized the professional development of my interns by encouraging them to write papers and present at conferences. Both interns received national awards at the conferences they presented in. While I am not at all responsible for their successes, I contributed by making the case to upper management to sponsor their travel and reviewed their submission.
  • Know your staff, they are not all cut from the same cloth.

3. I spoke truth to power when it wasn’t convenient. I am learning to do this more

4. Be patient with the ones you love, they will grow to appreciate your love and sacrifices

5. Establish your tribe. At work, in ministry, with raising kids, etc

6. Invest in human relationships. You’ll always need them

7. Spend quality time with your parents, record valuable conversations. They are getting older and will not be here forever. I am helping my parents define their legacy and encouraging them to write their stories. I do not allow them bask in the glory of being old.

8. I visited two new countries, it’s true that travel is quite the teacher. Experiencing a different culture is like playing a role in a movie.

9. I still don’t watch movies, watched none this year.

10. I am a sucker for love stories that end in marriages

11. I have been working on two other books this year. None of them are close to finish

12. My favorite books of the bible this year were Hebrews, Acts and Romans. I read them over and over again

13. I sponsor a child in Myanmar. It was great to see pictures of him thrive in school

14. I finally read “To kill a mockingbird.” Thanks to Hotel Europark in Barcelona for having books on display as part of their decor

15. I have a Will. I talked about doing this for a while and created one. You owe it to your kids

16. I made new friends intentionally — I sought out persons I admired and asked to meet up with them

17. I was really disappointed in the American “church” and her collective silence on the United States treatment of migrant children. I cried, prayed, then called all my congress representatives repeatedly.

18. I became a U.S passport holder. I got sworn in after 14 years and 11 months of living in the U.S. The many years of heart palpitations before visa interviews and the rudeness of consulate officers is over. Now, more than ever before, there is an urgency in my spirit to hear what the Lord is saying and how He will use me. I am a U.S citizen, but before now, God already sent me to the world. A blue passport will hopefully facilitate my ministry. Where will the Lord send me? I am ready!

19. When life throws you a lemon— Our son wanted a Bubble Guppies themed 5th birthday party. I got a bouquet of 10 neon balloons online, drove to a party store to get them pumped and loaded them carefully into the car on the d-day. As we stepped out of the car, hubs carefully got the balloons out and tied them to a cart. He didn’t realize that he didn’t tie them tightly enough. We looked away to empty the trunk at the party venue and all ten balloons slowly floated away into the skies. We almost cried! It happened so quickly, the birthday boy was devastated. But when the party was all done, we had truly forgotten the mishap of the day. It was a simple reminder you can’t run away from lemons but you can choose what you do with your lemons!

20. In January, a lady in church came up to me and told me I gave her a baby girl in her dream. She already had 4 boys and really wanted a girl. She asked me to pray with her and I did. I continued to trust God along with her. Her baby girl arrived in all her glory! God is truly in the details. For my friends trusting God, you know I am praying for you. Your babies are here!!!!!!!

21. Some of my loved ones went through tough times this year: I tried to be there for them but I didn’t always meet their expectations

22. Someone I once mentored is in jail with a mental health illness. It is an incessant prayer point and tugs at my heart. Would you pray along please?

23. A close friend struggled with alcoholism, there were some moments where I thought she would give up. She’s pulling through.

24. A dear friend lost her mom to cancer, it was one of my lowest points. We spent a lot of time in prayer together. It still hurts.

25. My sister got accepted into residency. This testimony is long because the journey was rough. I am inspired by her resilience.

26. My other sister moved back to Nigeria, another one had a baby.

27. I take mentoring seriously. I got to spend time with some mentors this year and mentored some younglins as well.

28. I learned to choose peace over everything. Part of that required rocking cornrows and not spending quality time making complicated hairstyles.

29. I was a better mom than all the previous years put together. I owe it to being intentional about most things and the fact that the kids are getting more mature.

30. I had been praying for the growth of the Christian faith in France, praying that the gospel would grow especially across university campuses. Since I was planning to visit France, I planned to attend a local church. I attended a Tuesday morning bible study with the women’s group at Internal Church Toulouse and it remains of the highlights of my trip. It was a diverse group of women and we did a study on 2nd Timothy 4. I got to share from my heart, we prayed for the growth of the church in France and I got to give some of my books to the women’s group. They even gave me a tour of their children’s church.

31. We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary at the Lancaster Hotel Houston, just the two of us. We also got to travel together. He is my best travel buddy.

32. I committed to teaching the women at Life House. Life House is a shelter for pregnant women. This commitment required some sacrifice but it’s been an honor to serve.

33. I hosted two book readings in Calgary, Canada and in Oakland, California- Hosting your own events will test your drive and commitment to your passion. It will reveal the strength of your support system.

34. I published my first book “40 weeks of Nurture”. I’ve gotten some beautiful testimonials. There’s so much work to do and I am here for it.

35. My deepest desire was and is to hear God speak to me.

Cheers to the new year!

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