Happy New Year!

Congratulations—you made it!

Every year begins with predictions of hope, change, and newness. While I’ve often seen these forecasts as attempts to uplift people, this year feels different. For the first time, I’m convinced that 2025 is a Year of Transitions—in our global environment and, more importantly, in our personal economies.

Transitions are pivotal. They’re like crossroads: moments that test whether we sink or swim. Today, I want to focus on personal transitions because I believe 2025 will be one for many of us. Let me share a personal story from a personal transition year—2019.

A Year of Transformation

Before 2019, I was in a turbulent place. For over a year, I felt unsettled and deeply frustrated in my job. The desire to leave was overwhelming. At one point, I even interviewed for a role beneath my current position. But each time, I felt God’s quiet nudge: Not yet. My husband echoed the same sentiment, encouraging patience.

Then came mid-2018. I was promoted to Managing Director of a newly formed subsidiary of the organisation i worked for. What should have been a celebratory moment only deepened my struggles. I spiraled into depression. I remember pouring my heart out to my prayer group, and one of them said, “Seyi, many would kill for this role you despise.” I thought to myself, You don’t understand.

Have you ever been in that space?

In 2019, my transition hit full force. Guess what? I lost the job. Yes, you read that right—I lost it. A hostile takeover left me jobless overnight. Suddenly, I faced a choice: grow the subsidiary or leave entirely. I wanted to stay, to prove a point, but for the first time, I felt God’s release to let go. And so I did.

What followed was the birth of PAWEN. After 16 years in HR and strategy, stepping into the development space—and self-funding it—seemed like madness. A close friend even advised me to start a profit-driven business and use its revenue for charity. Sound advice, right? But my path was clear: PAWEN was my mandate.

Navigating Transitions

That’s what transitions are—challenging, transformative, and often misunderstood. As someone who’s navigated (and is still navigating) transitions, here are key nuggets to guide you in 2025:

1. Review and Reflect

Take time to pause and soak it all in. Transitions often cloud our clarity of purpose, but reflection helps connect the dots. Conduct a brutally honest personal SWOT analysis. Remember the old adage: To thine own self be true.

2. Seek God’s Face

I firmly believe in the power of seeking divine direction. During my transition, I began what has now become my annual consecration fast. It brought clarity—both on where I’d missed it and what steps to take next.

3. Start Where You Are

Use what you have, right where you are. Time is your most valuable currency. One of my favorite Igbo proverbs says, Your morning begins when you wake up. So wake up and get going!

4. Seek Counsel

As the Yoruba wisely say, Those who ask for directions don’t get lost. Surround yourself with mentors and advisors who can offer guidance and perspective. Its advisable you seek counsel from those who have walked the path you desire or at least have significant exposure to proffer sound counsel.

5. Build Social Capital

I learned about the importance of social capital during my undergraduate years, from Dr. Cosmas Maduka.. He called it- Emotional Bank Accounts (EBA) . Like financial accounts, you must invest deliberately. Unlike financial accounts, however, you may not reap where you’ve sown. Nonetheless, keep sowing into relationships.

There’s much more to unpack, but let me leave you with these foundational steps. Additionally, I’ll be sharing my 9Ps and 5Cs for Success in 2025. You can read about that here .

Let’s embrace 2025 as a year of courage, reflection, and action. Transitions aren’t easy, but they’re the crucibles that shape us into our best selves. Here’s to a year of growth, transformation, and unprecedented impact.

Cheers to your success

SKP