amaka ikpeazu on finding your purpose
name | amaka ikpeazu
your current mantra | the best is yet to come.
on your must-read list | the fishermen by chigozie obioma
song currently fueling your soul | most beautiful/so in love by maverick city
your current inspiration | jerry lorenzo, transformation church, and hillsong creative podcast
COMMUNITY CARE
what do you envision for your community and your work, and how do you hope your brand influences women?
when i think about community, i think about the people you feel most comfortable with and can have genuine conversations with. some of us are still figuring it out, and some of us feel we have figured it out. we are all in different phases of our lives, and it is all a part of the journey. i want women to feel like they have a place where although people are in different aspects of life, they can still relate to where you are and encourage you. especially during this time, it’s essential to have a place where you can go, where you feel encouraged and motivated, but this is difficult for many people. some can say that they have triumphed through this season, where others find themselves stumbling through this season of life. they need people to help them pull themselves up and out of the pit.
many people message prayers and plans and tell me how a word or something on the journal has encouraged them and knowing that i have impacted someone’s life is amazing. having an intentional community of people where you can go is something we are all called to do. i want people to be sucked into the brand and what it looks like, but i want people to know where this brand is coming from. it’s calling people into relationship, and the foundation of it is Christ. we are called to bring people to God. prayers and plans is a ministry before anything else.
what advice would you give women who are learning how to identify and confidently walk in their purpose?
everything starts with the heart. no matter where i am or how i’m feeling about something, if i know that my heart is right with God, i feel okay. a few years ago, when i wanted to create my brand, i had a girlfriend who told me it was a bad idea. i had already prayed about it and received confirmation from God and had a conviction in my heart. i knew it was something God was calling me to do. when things are difficult or uncomfortable, i find comfort in knowing that the best is yet to come. i reflect on haggai 2:9, “the glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house.” i have to remind myself of that constantly. there is no other option in this life other than for us to be faithful. for me, that means having more faith than fear. i’m still scared, but my faith exceeds my fear. although i’m afraid, i’m choosing to trust him.
i’ve been reading about shadrach, meshach, and abednego and there’s a verse that has been stuck in my head for the past week. people were trying to convince them to conform to the standards of the world. they wanted them to do things and see things how the rest of the community did. but they responded, “the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your majesty’s hand. but even if he does not, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” i had to ask myself if i had that even if faith. even if things are not going as planned, am i able to trust that this is part of a greater plan? i have to decide that all things are working for my good. no matter what anyone says or how i’m feeling, i’m choosing to walk in his ways—even if i’m scared. if this were me doing it all by myself, i would have never made it. i would have opted out of the game a long time ago. this is entirely God.
SPIRITUAL CARE
how do you make sure that your aspirations align with God’s will for your life?
“but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” every time i don’t do that, things don’t work out. prayers and plans is a reflection of my better self. a lot of times i’m pulling from what i am pouring into myself. whether it be on instagram or the journal, these things are coming from my personal time with God.
although i have not experienced hearing God’s voice consistently, whenever i want to make a move, i weigh my options. i have to ask how what i’m trying to do will give God glory. i have to sit there and think about these things. and sometimes, God will speak to me through people. if i have to decide on something, i’ll be praying, crying, fasting, and feeling frustrated, and then a friend will call me. they will say something to me, and it just clicks. i realize that that’s the confirmation i was looking for. there will also be times when i have a dream and wake up with so much clarity. there are other times where i’ll just be reading scriptures, and they speak to me. i know God is telling me something. we need to be more open. as christians, we have to learn how to take God out of our box. we have to be open to receiving him in any way that we can.
what is difficult about this season of mission and purpose for you, and what convictions are guiding you?
i have learned a lot during the season of my life. even when you are walking in your purpose you might not always be immediately successful in terms of how society views success. over the past three years, there have been so many times where i’ve questioned God. i felt so confused and frustrated and wondered whether this was what God wanted me to do. the devil was trying to discourage me and take me off of my path. i struggled with imposter syndrome and feeling inadequate. i am an engineer by trade, that’s my career. but i found myself designing loungewear and loving it. despite knowing i had worked hard and still am working hard, i felt like i shouldn’t be doing this.
i also realized i needed to praise God, even when things weren’t going as planned—which is common. “many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” i’ve had to learn how to do that. i think we’ve all have had to learn this. we all had our plans, but God had other plans. i’m also learning how to surrender to his ways.
sometimes, i’m doing something, and i’m noticing how much i’m striving. it’s challenging and i’m frustrated. i have to make sure i don’t cross the line between self-reliance and God-reliance. and that’s not easy because sometimes we don’t want to wait. i get impatient, but then God humbles me. when i find myself striving too much, i have to ask myself if i’m doing what God wants me to do. i have to practice discernment. even though i am walking in my purpose, there are still steps i have to take. i have to discern whether those steps are what God is calling me to take.
PHYSICAL CARE
you say, “comfort creates confidence, and confident women walk in their purpose.” What does that mean to you, and how do you live that out?
in 2015, i went through a state of depression. now i can talk about it, but at the time it was very difficult for me. now we are talking more openly about mental health. the conversations we are having now around things like depression are very different. but that wasn’t the case five years ago. i felt so inadequate, and there was no place i could go to where i could talk about these issues. it wasn’t easily accessible to me. i couldn’t get out of bed. it was so bad. i was losing my hair and going through all these things where i wasn’t feeling like myself.
but two things helped me. i started journaling, which is something i’ve introduced in prayers and plans. i used to write little notes to myself. something as simple as get up. go for a walk. i also started dressing up. i realized that when i looked good, i also felt good. so i started prayers and plans to hold myself accountable. i had to encourage myself through a tough time in my life. the Word of God also helped me.
we have to be transparent with ourselves and with God. we have to have a sense of rawness in our relationship with him. we have to be honest and our most authentic selves—whatever that looks like. God made us, and he knows us so well. that’s why we have to remember who’s we are. and i know God has a sense of humor because we’re made in his image. when i’m getting anxious about things, he’s laughing and thinking i have no idea what he has in store. when we show up for ourselves and God, our purpose becomes more clear.
sometimes our expectations put God in a box. but we don’t know what God wants to do, and he usually wants to do so much more than what we’re thinking. and we don’t know what it can become. but once you show up fully and do everything for the glory of God (colossians 3:17), it will eventually bring clarity.
SELF-CARE
what limiting beliefs have you learned to let go of to step more fully into yourself?
if i were exactly who i was three years ago, i would not have been able to execute my business in this manner. and i’m just getting started. but i’ve had to stop listening to the voices of people, the doubters or naysayers who have this idea of who you are and what you’re capable of. i’ve had to ignore all the noise. i have to focus on what’s essential.
about two years ago, i was struggling with severe anxiety. having people around me who struggled to understand how something like this can come out of someone like me, made me feel like i had to hide this part of myself because they saw me as an engineer. they wanted me to conform to their idea of me. i had to overcome feeling anxious about what people would say. i had to know that what i was doing was something i was called to do. it’s sad, but i have lost some friends during this process. i think some people can only celebrate you to an extent.
i’m a confident person in terms of what i’m called to do. but i wouldn’t describe myself as being someone who is overly confident. i keep to myself mostly, but God keeps telling me i need to speak more. i’ve been fearing people and scared to show up as my most authentic self because i’m worried about what people will say. but God is working so much more out of who i am now. as i’m learning to overcome this and focus on who God says i am, i feel so much more confident. that’s actually where my confidence comes from now.
when was a time you felt your purpose exceeded your ability, and how were you able to work through it?
i feel like this often, to be honest. i remind myself that God is the one who put the vision in my heart, so wherever he guides me, he will provide for me. just trusting and surrendering that my vision attracts the resources it needs and using what i have right now to do what i can. i make intentional time in my day to be still, to pause and pray. i have to extend myself grace when things don’t go as planned.
we must know who we are in Christ. we have to show up as our most authentic selves. when we don’t, we miss out on all the divine things God wants to do. we have to trust that it will work, even though we don’t know how or when. so i have decided that even if, i’m still going on this journey.
share a message from your future self, to the woman you are today.
keep going, keep trusting, keep surrendering, and keep praying. don’t stop. keep believing, whatever that looks like. trust me, better days are coming.
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*this conversation is about finding purpose in life.
