Ikeoluwa Akano: Working on connection, one relationship at a time

Some people cross your life and 'gbam', you never remain the same. You change for the better. Ikeoluwa Akano, MBA, SPHRi (I call her Coach Ikeoluwa), is an ideal example. So as I put my pen to paper, I tried to recall how we eventually met, but the details seemed sketchy. However, I am convinced it must have been from one of the personal development groups via social media. It goes to show that like-minded people have a way of connecting, no matter the barriers.

Having benefited from her coaching class, I attest that it was a journey of self-discovery, personal growth, and access to expert advice/support.  One thing I know about Coach Ikeoluwa is that she is passionate about relationships and personal growth. How would I not mention her love for God, which is so contagious? She is clearly a woman of God, loved and kept by Him. 

Besides being a coach, Ikeoluwa Akano is a certified HR professional adept at incorporating creative leadership skills to achieve business objectives. She is a certified Maxwell Leadership Coach, a Behavioural Analyst, and a SYMBIS facilitator. Currently, as a marriage and relationship coach at Marital Bliss, she hosts a monthly Building Bridges program to spotlight thriving couples and guide singles toward healthy choices. 

Everybody has a story; we all have a past, but what matters is what we are doing now and how we can change the future for the better. Coach Ikeoluwa has risen from things that would have ordinarily broken her completely, but here she is standing tall and doing big things for the glory of God....

Despite her busy schedule, she readily granted Omote Ro Dhe an interview. It is priviledge to have her share her story and nuggets of wisdom. Let me stop here and allow you to digest all she said in this not-too-long, as it were, short chat, which is enough wisdom to last a lifetime. 

Read excerpts below:

Tell us about yourself and the journey that led you into coaching.

My journey into coaching has been a natural evolution of my life's work in HR and people management. For over 15 years, I worked across various sectors, including consulting, manufacturing, and retail. While I loved the strategy of organisational culture, I found myself drawn closer and closer to the human element, specifically, how we grow as individuals and how we connect in relationships.

I stepped into the coaching space because I wanted to see people thrive, not just survive. I wanted to help individuals become better versions of themselves so we can collectively transform the world. To do that with excellence, I equipped myself as a Maxwell Leadership Coach, a Certified Behavioural Analyst, and a SYMBIS facilitator. Now, as a marriage and relationship coach at Marital Bliss, I host our monthly Building Bridges program to spotlight thriving couples and guide singles toward healthy choices. Alongside that, I head up Accentuate, a space dedicated to equipping individuals for intentional personal growth.

If you look behind the scenes of my journey, my foundation is built on devotion to God and dedication to my family. I am a fierce believer in lifetime learning, and I make sure to anchor everything I do with a healthy dose of laughter!

What inspired your passion for relationships, personal growth, and leadership development?

My passion for these areas stems from a simple but profound truth: the family is the smallest unit of the nation, and our success as a society depends entirely on our health at home.

I realised early on that a fulfilled and fruitful life is a prerequisite for healthy relationships and professional excellence. If the individual is fractured, the relationship fractures; if the family fractures, the fabric of the nation weakens. Therefore, growing our personal leadership skills isn't a luxury; it is key to nation-building.

This realisation ignited my desire to bridge the gap between personal development, marital health, and strategic leadership. By equipping individuals to grow, helping couples build thriving relational foundations, and developing leaders, we aren't just improving lives; we are actively transforming nations, one family at a time.

In your experience, what are the biggest challenges people face in building healthy relationships today?

In my experience, the biggest challenges come down to a foundational deficit. We live in a society that over-invests in the wedding day but under-invests in the marriage itself. I see four major roadblocks that couples face today:

Inadequate or Zero Preparation: People spend months planning a single day but skip the critical mental, emotional, and structural preparation needed for a lifetime journey.

Unhealthy Expectations: Many couples enter relationships expecting their partner to be the sole source of their happiness, validation, and fulfillment which is an impossible burden for any human to bear.

A Lack of True Understanding of Marriage: There is a deep misconception of what marriage actually demands. It is not a temporary feeling; it is a covenant and a continuous choice to serve.

Purposelessness: A marriage without a shared vision eventually drifts. When a couple lacks a clear, unified purpose, and devotion to God, the relationship easily succumbs to individual distractions.

When you combine a lack of preparation with heavy, unvoiced expectations and no shared compass, even the strongest love cannot survive.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle with setting healthy boundaries?

Boundary issues are rarely just about saying 'no' to others; they are almost always about a lack of clarity within ourselves. If you struggle with setting healthy boundaries, I advise looking inward at three foundational pillars:

Identity: You cannot draw a line around who you are until you actually know who you are. When you understand your unique identity, you recognize what protects your peace and what violates it.

A Clear Value System: Your values act as your personal compass. When your values are non-negotiable, setting boundaries becomes secondary nature. You aren't just rejecting someone else; you are simply protecting what you value most.

Healthy Self-Esteem: Boundaries require the courage to risk temporary disapproval for long-term health. If your self-worth depends on people-pleasing, you will always sacrifice your boundaries for their comfort. Elevating your self-esteem gives you the permission to honor your own needs.

Remember, boundaries are not walls to keep people out; they are gates that communicate how to love, respect, and connect with you safely.

How do you define personal growth?

To me, personal growth is the intentional/continous process of expanding your internal capacity so that you can live a deeply fulfilled and fruitful life. It is not just about acquiring information or checking off achievements; it is about self-mastery. True personal growth requires you to continuously audit who you are, refine your value system, and elevate your leadership skills. Ultimately, it is the journey of becoming the absolute best version of yourself not just for your own benefit, but so that you have the emotional, mental, and spiritual wealth to pour into your family and transform the world around you.

What does success look like for you today compared to earlier in your career?

If you had asked me this earlier in my career, I would have pointed to my resume and corporate milestones. I was focused on building a solid professional foundation across different industries.

But today? Success looks a lot more holistic. It looks like wholeness. It’s the peace of knowing that I am operating fully within my purpose

On a practical level, success today means that my public victories don't come at the cost of my private ones. It means being fully present for my family, continuing to grow through lifetime learning, and ensuring that my home is the ultimate reflection of the thriving relationships I advocate for. It’s about building a blueprint for a fruitful life and having the joy and laughter to enjoy the journey.

What is one lesson life has taught you that no classroom ever could?

Life has taught me that information does not equal transformation. In a classroom, you can study human behaviour, memorise leadership frameworks, learn the theories of relationship dynamics or even teach. But no textbook can teach the beautiful reality of putting those theories into practice.

True transformation, whether it’s mastering self-leadership, healing internal wounds, or choosing to love your partner selflessly on a difficult day requires lived experience. It requires you to step out of the classroom and onto the field of daily choices. Life taught me that the most critical alignment happens when your head knowledge travels down into your heart and becomes a daily, intentional habit.

You can buy the blueprint in a classroom, but you have to actually swing the hammer in real life to build a legacy.

What leadership mistakes do you see most often?

The most common mistake I see is leaders trying to scale others before they have scaled themselves.

Many leaders move into positions thinking their primary job is to manage systems, metrics, or revenue. But true leadership is an inside-out job. If you haven't mastered your own self-leadership, if you haven't audited your identity, clarified your values, and nurtured your own personal growth, you will inevitably hit a ceiling. You cannot lead a culture further than you have led yourself.

When a leader lacks internal alignment, they often try to compensate by micromanaging or by imposing rigid structures on their team. The mistake isn't in their strategy; it's in their foundation. If you want to shape culture and scale leaders, the first person you must be able to lead is yourself.

What advice would you give to someone seeking fulfilment in both their personal and professional life?

A fruitful personal life is the absolute prerequisite for a thriving career and a healthy marriage. You cannot build a lasting external legacy on a fractured internal foundation, which is why you must anchor your choices in a clear system of non-negotiable values.

When you know who you are and what you value, your personal and professional lives naturally harmonise; just remember to stay devoted to what matters most.

One habit you cannot do without?

Praying

A quote you live by:

Whatever you appreciate, appreciates!

Three words that best describe you?

Grace, Growth and Grit

If your life were a book, what would the title of this chapter be and why?

Scaling Impact: I spent the earlier part of my journey working within organisational walls across various corporate industries. This chapter represents stepping outside of those walls to scale my impact. 

Whether I am equipping individuals to become better versions of themselves or showing/preparing couples what a thriving marriage looks like, this chapter is defined by connection. 

It is about linking individual self-leadership to macro societal transformation, one relationship at a time