From Botany to Books: How Chisom Olamigoke found her calling in God-given identity

In a world that often pressures individuals to conform to narrow roles, Chisom Olamigoke’s journey is a powerful testament to the value of self-awareness, faith, and unapologetic execution. A published author, writer, and strategist, Chisom reveals that her ultimate goal is not defined by external roles, but by a deep commitment to fulfilling her God-given purpose. In this  interview with IFEOMA OKEKE-KORIEOCHA, she discusses her  pivot from a scientific path (Botany) to a calling in writing and publishing, how she manages her multifaceted talents through systems and delegation, and the divine instruction that led to her impactful ‘Made by God and For God’ (MBGAFG) Conference, an event dedicated to grounding a generation in the principle of Identity Before Impact

How best would you describe yourself?

Okay, I think I’ll describe myself first as a lady whose ultimate goal in life is to become all that God has made her to be. I may be a lot of things at one time or another, but these are all external roles that can change. At my very core is a lady on a journey of becoming all that God has made her to be, committed to releasing the gifts she carries to continually bless her world.

Over the past few years, I have grown to become a published author, writer, strategist, and thinker dedicated to helping individuals and organisations grow with clarity and purpose. I serve in stakeholder engagement roles, contributing to high-level projects, national conversations, and leadership initiatives.

Most recently, I convened the Made by God and For God conference, which helped participants understand how to live out their God-given purpose with confidence and impact.

I know you did sciences. Aside from knowing what you studied, nobody would think you have any science bone in you. So why did you go through that route?

I grew up in a time when everyone wanted to be doctors, and if you were intelligent, you were expected to go into science. So I went into science. If I had been more self-aware, maybe I would have chosen differently, but I have no regrets because the journey led me to where I am. In senior school, the subjects I loved were economics and geography, not the pure sciences, but I still followed the doctor dream. Yet my love for words was always there. I loved to read, write, and spent a lot of time in my head.

I initially applied for medicine and even wrote a nursing entrance exam at one point, but none of it worked out, and I eventually gained admission to study Botany.

Writing kept calling me. Even before graduating, I was helping people with their writing and editing projects, and by 2018/2019, I did my first full book edit. During NYSC, I edited a book for someone in camp and got paid, and afterward, I worked in an editing and publishing firm. I also taught English before and during NYSC, despite not studying it, because that was where my passion truly was.

Looking back, I studied science because it was expected. But writing never left me, and accepting that part of me makes my life make sense today.

So yes, self-awareness and a good dose of stubbornness are what brought me here. It takes guts to do some of the things I have done.

Let’s talk about the challenges. What challenges did you face on your journey to where you are now, and how did yo

u overcome them? Also, what are some common challenges people usually face that you personally didn’t experience because of certain early exposures or advantages you had?

I do not usually think of challenges because I tend to see every experience as preparation for the next, not a setback. Looking back, the main challenge was feeling different and not fitting in. From secondary school, I preferred books, learning, and certain kinds of conversations, so I struggled to connect socially with people my age.

My early exposure to certain ideas shaped me differently. Reading The Purpose Driven Life at 15 and growing up in a Bible-focused home meant that many of the distractions that affected my peers were not issues for me. Being different made me socially awkward, but it also made me comfortable being on my own. One thing that slowed me down was trying to tone myself down for others, but I have now accepted who I am, what interests me, and I am confident in my own path.

As someone with many interests, how do you make your different skills work together instead of feeling scattered and how can other multi-potentialities turn their many abilities into strengths in a “niche-focused” world?

Honestly, doing many things can look overwhelming from the outside, and people often worry for you, but inside it does not always feel that way because some of the things others fear for me are things I do easily without even realizing it. What has helped me is exposure to the right information, learning myself, and understanding that I am not doing everything alone. Even with something as big as the Made By God And For God conference, I am only overseeing the vision. I delegate, outsource, communicate, and let people handle what they should handle while I focus on the things I must do, which are mostly thinking, praying, and making key decisions. Externally, it may look like I never rest, but internally I know I am fine because I have built systems, I have support at home, and I am intentionally building a team around my work. For multi-potentialities, every skill has its season. When it is time to focus on one, you give it attention, build it until it can run or be deployed with ease, and create structures that help your life and talents work together rather than against each other.

So let’s talk about your journey as an author. What are your books about? Why did you see the need to write your latest book?

I have written three books: She Affirms (2021), The Home Office (2022), and Made by God and For God (2024). Writing has always been part of my life. I started my blog, LightHouseBeams, around 2016 and consistently shared articles across Instagram and Facebook. Although I later lost the blog due to poor maintenance, I had backed up most of my work, thanks to my experience in publishing and my habit of saving files online.

“She Affirms” came from my personal struggle with negative thoughts and self-doubt. God began to teach me to replace negative inner conversations with His truth about me and that transformed my mindset. During this time, I started to share weekly affirmations on Instagram, and the book was simply an extension of that journey. My belief is that if something helps me, it probably can help others too. A scripture I love says we should comfort others with the same comfort we have received, and that drives my writing. Being a first daughter with five brothers also shaped my natural instinct to help and guide others. I am passionate about helping individuals and teams maximize their creative resources and I see these creative resources in three dimensions: our words, our energy, and our time. She Affirms focused on words because many of our limitations start with the conversations we have with ourselves.

In 2022, I released The Home Office. By then, I had worked remotely since 2019, long before the COVID shift, and I understood the key principles needed to manage life on both the home and work fronts. Many people struggled with remote work, so I shared the systems and habits that helped me and the teams I worked with. The book was free initially, with about five hundred downloads before we added a price tag.

Overall, each book has been a message born from personal experience, growth, and the desire to support others on their own journeys.

This last book. What about it? Why did you decide to write it?

This last book, ‘Made by God and For God,’ has been a very different journey for me. Unlike my first two books, this one was purely an instruction from God. He told me to write it, so I did in 2023. If you notice, I published a book in 2021 and 2022 but none in 2023 because I got into the year knowing that I would not publish one. I wrote MBGAFG between June and August 2023. Every morning, I would write a portion of it, just following the routine and trusting the process. By August, the drafts were done, and I moved on with other things, waiting for God’s timing to publish it.

In February 2024, God asked me to publish it before a church conference. I shared the draft with my father and a few people to make sure the message was clear. I added a chapter based on their feedback. This was also the first book I asked someone I respect to write a foreword. By March, the book was printed, launched, and in the hands of people. I feel no personal credit for it because it truly feels like God’s book.

Later in August 2024, I launched the Made by God and For God Conversations which were real, honest discussions with real people about purpose. My aim was to show that purpose isn’t supposed to feel overwhelming; it unfolds one season at a time. Our journeys may look different, but they’re deeply connected. Through these conversations, I wanted people to see themselves, feel supported, and realise they’re not alone as they learn to walk intentionally with God.

On the 22nd of November, you hosted an event that stemmed out of MBGAFG. How did you get on the journey that led to that event?

After the virtual conversations I hosted in August 2024, I thought that was it. And then in November, God pulled me into a season of solitude. It has been one of the craziest periods of my life and I am still easing out of it. I love spending time in my head but nothing prepared me for this season. God used it to ground me, show me myself, and prune what needed pruning while putting in what was necessary.

I wasn’t planning a conference. My husband would always ask me when I was having a conference and I would just laugh. I let it go until August 16, 2025 when God gave me a clear picture of what will be happening on November 16 and I said, “Okay, let’s do this.”

From writing the book I didn’t know I needed to write, to publishing it at the perfect time, to launching the MBGAFG conversations, everything has been guided. God even showed me the right resource persons for the conference. So it’s just been a very interesting journey up until this moment.

The competencies and the character that God has strengthened in me through this singular project are things I do not think anything else would have taught me in such practical terms. The boldness I now have for executing certain things is different. People may have thought I could execute before. Just wait. God has unlocked something.

Tell me about the event. What happened, and who was there? Walk me through the program. How did it run from start to finish? I want the full picture—time, date, venue, everything?

The Made By God And For God conference was a pivotal day in many people’s journeys, including mine. God has been highlighting to me that we are at a point where the baton is passing from one generation to the next. But for the younger generation to run their race well, they need a proper foundation. God showed me that if we don’t fully understand who we are and what we are here to do, we risk running someone else’s race. Identity is crucial. Without being grounded in who God says we are, even small challenges can trip us up. People experiment, seek validation, and fall into traps when they haven’t settled into their true selves. But that discovery only comes through God.

That’s why this event mattered. God said, “Bring these people together. I want to ground them in the knowledge of their identity, answer questions they’ve carried in their hearts for years, and grant them deep conviction.” Beyond answered prayers, there’s a work of clarity and grounding that transforms how people move through life. Whatever is happening externally, they will know, “This is me. This is what I’m here for.”

We created a space for that grounding work. Imagine it as two rooms in one. One is a birthing room where you birth your next in God, where you can ask, “What is God building me for?” The other is a tuning room where we align our hearts with His voice and discover our purpose through His perspective.

The goal is clear: understand the “who” first, then move into the “what.” Identity before impact. People want to make a difference, be influential, leave a mark, but without a foundation, their impact can wobble. So the event was about alignment, and preparation so that when people take flight, they do so fully equipped and confident in who they are.

We had panel conversations, ministry of the Word, worship, a fireside chat, interactive sessions, and journaling and visioning sessions.

Every part of the day was intentionally designed to give people maximum value, not just about listening but doing. The participants learnt how to receive divine insight and turn it into practical, actionable frameworks.

For the speakers, we had what a mentor described as a strong generational mix. We had younger speakers, people in their mid-30s and 40s, and others in their 50s sharing with us. It gave us time-tested wisdom across ages. If you were 20, there was someone in their 30s; if you were a teenager, there was someone in their 20s. We truly had speakers across generations: Esther Ideh; Mr. Chijioke Akwukwuma; Chinaza Favour; Mrs. Vivian Agboola; David Ogebe; Helen Akinwande-Fidelis; Chisom Orji; Glory Olamigoke; amongst many others.

This has been a good chat and we’re coming full circle. Let’s just round off with a few fun questions. So when you’re not professionally engaged; you’re not working on writing as a career, or managing projects and stakeholders, what do you do?

I rest, sleep, or plan fun outings that sometimes never happen. I enjoy baking brownies or cookies, which I find therapeutic. I also enjoy hosting small gatherings and having conversations. I love taking walks, often turning them into reflective prayer walks with God. To wrap it up, I now enjoy reading the Bible just to soak in the Word, which I find refreshing and instructive.

You’ve mentioned the Bible as a favorite book, but asides that, what are three of your greatest books of all time?

It’s hard to pick just three, because it changes depending on the season of life I’m in. But some books that have deeply impacted me include The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, and The Story Brand by Donald Miller. I’ve also been influenced by Deep Work by Cal Newport, Chimamanda’s books, and others on business, strategy, and personal development.

So, what would you say is next for you? What should we expect anytime soon?

I have a new journal called Daily Snapshots coming out in December. I am a journaling girlie and already have three journals available for public use: Reflect and Renew, Tap into Your Genius, and Made By God and For God.

Daily Snapshots is designed to help people track daily actions, reflect on assignments from God, and capture wins throughout the year. It’s useful for career professionals to document work progress for appraisals, and for anyone on a journey of purpose to stay focused, review progress, and cultivate gratitude. It’s about daily steps that lead to long-term growth. I created it for myself and have used it for a while and now want to share it with the world.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers.

She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay.

She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos.

As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender.

She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies.

Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category.

She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category.

She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations.

Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date