“My goal is to try to be as transparent as possible.”
Transparency has become a theme of Yinka’s life. It is important to her for every aspect of a story to be told.
In 2008, Yinka weighed 260 lbs. The summer after her sophomore year of college she was taking classes on campus. She walked past the recreation center daily. One day she decided to give it a try. It was the beginning of a new chapter.
Since that day Yinka has lost 90 pounds. Admiring her accomplishments, her sister encouraged her to share her story with the world. She decided to start a YouTube channel. It was a huge success, with one video receiving over one million views in one year! Yinka is completely honest about her weight loss journey, which more than likely increases her support and following. She will honestly admit that is challenging to keep the weight off.
Her feedback from her YouTube channel encouraged Yinka to begin to build her personal brand. She launched YinkaRufai.com to give her followers deeper access to who Yinka is and what she represents.
So who is Yinka?
She is a woman many dimensions. She completed her traditional education and now works in Actuarial Science at a top firm in Chicago. Beyond the traditional aspects, Yinka has a deeper sense of self and purpose. “The words that I say not only reflect me, but it reflects Christ and also helps to inspire others.” Yinka has proclaimed that her “spiritual gift” is empowering and inspiring others and she does a wonderful job at sharing this gift. Yinka is one of the original women who came to mind during the birth of Women Exceeding. She has adopted the advice of a woman whom she admires, Heather Lindsey to “embrace your journey.” Yinka truly believes that accepting and admitting all aspects of your journey will not only help others, but help keep you on the proper track. She wants to encourage everyone not to be “afraid to be transparent.” You may change a life and it may even be your own.