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Two Years of Learning, Life, and Intention | Natural Spa Beauty
There are moments that deserve to be marked quietly.
This Friday, I graduate from my MBA at Durham University.
It feels less like an ending and more like a pause. A moment to look back before stepping forward.
When I began this journey two years ago, I didn’t anticipate just how much would unfold alongside my studies. What I thought would be an academic chapter became something far more layered, human, and transformative.
At the very beginning of this journey, I was awarded the Executive Dean’s Women in Business Scholarship by Durham University Business School. It was both an honour and a responsibility. The award made the programme accessible, but it also set a quiet expectation to show up fully, contribute meaningfully, and apply what I was learning with integrity.
Looking back, that early vote of confidence stayed with me throughout the programme. It shaped how seriously I took the work and how intentionally I approached both study and practice.
Learning alongside building
Throughout the programme, Natural Spa Beauty wasn’t something I ran alongside my MBA. It became part of how I learned.
I used my business as a live case study across several modules. That meant interrogating my assumptions, questioning my decisions, and allowing theory to challenge practice in real time. Sustainability, ethics, strategy, and leadership did not stay abstract. They filtered directly into how I think, build, and grow.
The guidance of professors and the insight of peers sharpened my thinking and stretched my perspective. I didn’t just absorb knowledge. I learned how to apply it with intention.
The people who made the journey lighter
One of the most unexpected gifts of this MBA was the people.
During orientation week, we found ourselves navigating virtual spaces together, quite literally. While exploring GatherTown, moving from room to room, chatting and networking, a countdown timer suddenly locked us into place. Whoever you were standing with at that moment became your group.
That’s how our bond was formed.
We became an original group, an OG, connected by chance but sustained by intention. Over time, one member had to step away for personal reasons, but five of us remained. From that moment on, we shared the journey fully.
We carried burdens, celebrated wins, laughed, cried, encouraged one another, and stayed connected through online modules, in-person residencies, and different paths through the programme. Some of us will be meeting face-to-face for the very first time at graduation. It is a reminder that meaningful connection doesn’t always begin in the same physical space.
Our bond is sweet, and I will always be grateful for it.
Stretching beyond comfort
This journey also took me beyond the classroom and far outside familiar environments.
As part of the programme, I studied in San Francisco at the University of San Francisco for my New Venture Creation module. Later, I travelled to Germany for my negotiation module at EBS Universität.
Each experience challenged how I communicate, collaborate, and lead, particularly in unfamiliar cultural and professional contexts. They reminded me that growth often requires discomfort, humility, and curiosity.
When life continues alongside learning
Alongside learning and connection, there was also loss.
Late last year, we travelled to Lagos for my mother-in-law’s funeral. She was not just family, but a second mum to me. Around the same period, we also lost other beloved elders in our family. Grief arrived quietly but persistently, reminding me that learning and growth do not happen in isolation from life.
That journey was bittersweet. It carried sorrow, but it also brought reunion. Our boys experienced Nigeria for the first time. Cousins met, bonds were formed, and family connections deepened in ways that continue to grow.
It was a reminder that even in moments of loss, there can be connection, grounding, and love.
What I’m carrying forward
This MBA has shaped me, not just as a business owner, but as a person.
I’m leaving this chapter with:
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a deeper respect for intentional growth
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a clearer sense of values-led decision making
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a renewed commitment to building something rooted in care, learning, and integrity
Graduation feels less like a finish line and more like alignment.
Looking ahead
As 2026 unfolds, I’ll be sharing more about how this journey continues to shape Natural Spa Beauty. This includes sustainability and ethics, strategy, sensory experience, and thoughtful scale.
For now, I’m allowing myself to pause.
To reflect.
To be grateful.
And to step forward with clarity and intention.