KITRI Spotlight: Otegha Uwagba

#KITRIspotlight
Meet our creative, intelligent and simply brilliant friends who inspire KITRI in every single way.

 

Meet Otegha Uwagba, #KITRIgirl, author, speaker, consultant and founder of Women Who – a platform created to connect working women and help them get to where they want to be. We sat down with Otegha to talk about what her typical day looks like, how to stay motivated and her career journey so far.

What made you want to launch your own platform, Women Who?…
The fact that I needed it myself! I launched Women Who in the aftermath of becoming self-employed, after quitting my job in advertising and deciding to pursue a more creative career. I was trying to figure out a lot of things, and had a lot of questions, and I knew that I wasn’t alone in that. Trying to figure out how to make a living from creative work, and how to not dread going to work each morning – it’s sort of the ongoing project of Women Who.

What is the ethos behind Women Who?
I basically just want to help women work better. Everything I do with the platform is aimed at helping women create the careers they deserve. The ultimate goal is to help women get to where they want to be.

What does a typical day look like for you? 

At the moment I’m spending a lot of time hunched over my laptop at home as I’m currently working on another book, which is a memoir about my relationship with money, and how that relates to women’s experiences more generally. So lots of writing at my desk (or from my bed, if I’m being honest!). I try to make time to focus on Women Who related things as well, but that’s slightly on the backburner until I turn in the book.

Talk us through the process of writing your first & second book... 
They have been radically, radically different. My first book, Little Black Book was honestly a breeze – I banged it out in a few months and wrote it pretty much based on my own insights, so it was really quick. This second book is way more research heavy, as there’s lots of social and cultural commentary to support the memoir – I don’t know if I’d have pitched it to my publisher if I’d known how hard it was going to be to execute (kidding! Kind of..). But money is a topic that I’m obsessed with, and have so much to say about – it underpins everything. So that keeps me going.

What's the biggest challenge you've faced since launching Women Who?

Trying to grow it at the same time as pursuing other professional ambitions (namely writing). I’m still not sure if I’ve completely cracked that one to be honest, but I’ve just had to accept that if I want to pursue other projects – which I do – then Women Who will just take a bit longer to get it to where I want to be.

You've had an impressive career so far! Can you pinpoint a moment that you are most proud of?
I honestly take the most pride from getting emails or DMs from women who’ve used my work – whether it’s Little Black Book, or Women Who more generally – to improve their situations at work. Whether that’s holding a bad boss accountable, or getting a payrise, nothing gives me more pleasure than getting feedback about very tangible changes people have made in their lives because of things I’ve put out there. It’s the best feeling.

Who inspires you?
Smart writers. There are probably too many to name, but intellect is definitely the thing I find most inspiring (and enviable) in other people.

What motivates you?
The idea of getting better at what I do over time, and knowing that in order to do that you just have to keep putting in the hours. There are no shortcuts.

Being a writer, speaker, consultant and founder of Women Who means you must be pretty busy! How do you switch off and relax?
I nap. And listen to podcasts. Sometimes at the same time.

We love to see you wearing KITRI. Why did you choose these pieces?
I tend to go for lots of neutral colours as opposed to patterns, and navy always feels so chic to me so I definitely gravitated towards those pieces. I also love an all white outfit, it looks so expensive and chic.

How would you describe your style?
My sense of style is pretty minimal – I tend to wear a lot of basics, but maybe with an interesting cut or detail, and then wear some good shoes to add some texture. I think shoes can make or break an outfit.

 

Myrtha Navy Shirt Dress, Meredith Smocked Shirt, Jule Navy Oversized Boiler suit, Aretha Wide Leg Trousers, Courtney Navy Belted Blazer.

Finally, what’s next?
Besides finishing my book, which will be out in 2020, I’m also excited to resume my podcast In Good Company which is back very soon with a new series. I’ve got some really interesting guests lined up and have made a few changes, so looking forward to how those go down!