[email protected]
Enuma Okoro is a Nigerian-American writer, lecturer, curator, and speaker, who believes that the narratives we embrace significantly shape our personal and collective identities. Through her interdisciplinary approach using the arts, cultural identity, contemplative spirituality, and psychology, she delves into the power of stories and how they influence human experience, transcultural understanding, and social interactions. Her work spans various themes including the impact of cultural collisions on identity formation, women's empowerment, and the practice of living with authenticity and self-respect.
Born in Manhattan to Nigerian parents and raised across five countries on three continents, Okoro's global upbringing deeply informs her work. Holding educational and professional qualifications in Psychology and Communications, Family Systems Therapy, Creative and Academic Writing, and Theology, she is also a certified spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition. Okoro has authored four non-fiction books, and her poetry has appeared in multiple anthologies. She is a weekly columnist for the Financial Times, writing "The Art of Life" column, and her essays and articles have been published in prestigious outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Artsy, Harper’s Bazaar, CNN African Voices, Vogue, AEON Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, The Guardian, and Essence Magazine among others.
As a seasoned speaker, Okoro has delivered over 100 lectures and talks at a variety of academic, corporate, and cultural institutions worldwide. Her notable speaking venues include Harvard Business School, Oxford University, Princeton University, The Business for Africa and the World Forum in Egypt, The Atlantic Dialogues Conference in Marrakech, The Abu Dhabi Culture Summit, and The Bloomberg Media Conference. She has also curated significant exhibitions like “The Flesh of the Earth” for Hauser & Wirth gallery. Okoro's influence was recognized when she became the first woman of African descent to speak at The American Church in Paris, a platform notably used by Martin Luther King Jr. Her insights on global perceptions of multicultural women, identity, and cultural dynamics have been shared in a TEDx talk in London, contributing to a broader understanding of these complex themes.
Videos
Speech Topics
The Wisdom and Benefit of Engaging Cultural Differences
Engaging with people different from ourselves can be fraught, even for well-intentioned people and leaders, and therefore it takes a certain amount of courage and mindfulness to deliberately cultivate a diverse community, and to be transformed positively from that community. On teams, in business and in our communities, the intentional engagement with difference can stimulate new opportunities and understandings about ourselves and the world. By growing our emotional intelligence and openness to others, we expand our opportunities in every way imaginable.
Honor the Life that Calls You: A Primer for Individuals, Leaders and Teams
Enuma Okoro tells us how to live a life aligned with our purpose, how to enhance performance and stamina, and how to empower others on our teams and in our organizations to thrive. Honoring our skills and passions, and encouraging those around us to hone and pursue theirs, allows for more wholistic, higher-performing individuals and teams.
The Power of a Story
The stories we believe and tell become the stories we live. And the stories we live, define who we are. Our lives are filled with competing narratives that come from our public and private communities. Learning to identify the reigning narratives in our lives will expose the story we are living, and enable us to determine if it’s the story we want our lives to tell.
What Is it Time For?
The ancient Greeks had two understandings of time: Chronos time, which is chronological time, the hours and days and year we count, and then Kairos time, an unquantifiable but opportune sliver of time that can occur at any moment, openings in life that hold the potential for soul satisfaction and unquantifiable gift. To recognize and live into Kairos time, we must learn to discern the seasons of our lives, shifting our attitudes about chronological time, and being open to reshape how we approach our days, ultimately inviting mystery, wonder, and faith back into our lives.
Related Speakers View all
Morgan Jerkins
Contributing Editor at Catapult & Author of "This Wi...
|
|
Terry McMillan
New York Times Best-Selling Author Known for "Waitin...
|
|
Star Jones
Former Co-Host of "The View", Social Justice & Heart...
|
|
Kyla Jenee Lacey
Writer, Poet, Performer, Spoken Word, & Visual Artis...
|
|
Minna Salami
Writer, Lecturer, Feminist, Gender Equality Activist...
|
|
Elaine Welteroth
Award-Winning Journalist, TV Host, Former Editor-in-...
|
|
Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Engineer, Social Advocate, Writer
|
|
Amy DuBois Barnett
Chief Content Officer at Outside Interactive, Former...
|
|
Rebecca Walker
Feminist Author, Social Justice Advocate, Film & TV ...
|
|
Andrea Mitchell
Host of MSNBC’s "Andrea Mitchell Reports" & Chief Fo...
|
|
Dr. Bernice King
Civil Rights Leader, Minister, Attorney, Author & Da...
|
|
Nikki Giovanni
Award-Winning Poet, Educator & Best-Selling Author; ...
|
|
Rita Dove
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet, Former Poet Laureate to...
|
|
Pearl Cleage
Playwright, Novelist, Advocate for Women and African...
|
|
A'Lelia Bundles
Author of Best-Selling Biography ON HER OWN GROUND: ...
|
|
Arielle Estoria
Actor, Poet, & Author of "The Unfolding"
|
|
Raji Rajagopalan
Vice President at Microsoft, Author of “Daring to be...
|
|
Phantom Knoet
Spoken Word Poet & Professional Liason
|
|
Poet Ali
Transformation Expert, Author, Communications Specia...
|
|
Christine Michel Carter
Award-Winning Keynote Speaker, Best-Selling Author, ...
|