In this inspiring episode of No Boxes: Just Verses, we're joined by Paris-based jewelry designer and entrepreneur, Lola Oladunjoye. Have you ever wondered what it takes to walk away from a successful legal career to follow your artistic passion? Lola’s story is a powerful testament to the value of "delusional self-confidence," continuous learning, and the courage to build something that is uniquely yours. From her upbringing in London to her groundbreaking career in Silicon Valley, this conversation reveals the songs and stories that shaped a true "unboxed" leader.

Lola Oladunjoye is the creative at the helm of LOLA FENHIRST, which she founded in 2020.​ Prior to founding LOLA FENHIRST, Oladunjoye enjoyed a successful career as an intellectual property attorney in California's Silicon Valley, working for best-of-breed publicly traded software companies. ​In 2015, Oladunjoye resigned from her role as General Counsel of the Salesforce Foundation, to pursue her dream of becoming a jewellery designer.​ By 2017, determined to transform her dream into reality, Oladunjoye had moved to Paris.

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Key Takeaways:

• The Power of "Delusional Self-Confidence": Learn how a confident mindset—even if it seems naive to others—can be your greatest superpower, fueling you to knock on a hundred doors to get one "yes".

• Soft Skills Are Your Superpower: Discover why Lola believes that the most important skill in a corporate career is not your technical expertise, but your ability to build relationships and work well with people .

• Leave a Great Job for a Personal Dream: Hear why Lola decided to walk away from her top legal role at Salesforce to create her jewelry brand, choosing a path where her art would be unique to her and could not be replicated.

• Normalize the "Unboxed" Path: Find out why a leader's career journey doesn't have to be a straight line, and why the most powerful thing you can do is "let people catch up" with your vision.

Lola Fenhirst’s story is a powerful reminder that it's never too late to follow your dreams. What’s your unboxed career path? 

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and review the podcast! 

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Theme Song: Pedal to the Medal by Martin Luther (Spotify | Apple Music) 

How to Go from Corporate Executive to Creative Entrepreneur

Have you ever wondered what it takes to leave a successful career and start a new, more creative one? Many people dream about it, but few ever take the leap. We often believe that a career path should be a straight line, but what if the most powerful thing you could do is follow an unconventional and unboxed journey? In an interview on the No Boxes: Just Verses podcast, trailblazing entrepreneur Lola Oladunjoye, the founder of the jewelry brand Lola Fenhirst, shared her inspiring story of how she walked away from a top legal job in Silicon Valley to become a jewelry designer in Paris. This article is for you if you're ready to trust your instincts, find your creative voice, and build a career that is truly your own.

Are you feeling stuck in a job that doesn't feel like a true reflection of who you are? This article is for you if you have a creative dream and are ready to take the first steps toward making it a reality. You don't need a formal list of tools or resources to get started. All you need is a willingness to be persistent, a desire to be self-assured, and the faith that your path will work out in the end.

Step 1: Find Your Courage in "Delusional Self-Confidence"

It's a common mistake to think that you need a perfect plan to pursue an unconventional career. But in reality, what you need most is a strong belief in yourself, even if it seems a little naive to others. Lola Oladunjoye, a woman who moved from Nigeria to California to become a lawyer, shared that her biggest superpower was "delusional self-confidence." She didn't know about the rules of hiring at top law firms, so she just sent her resume to all of them. This confidence, which she says is a trait from her Nigerian heritage, fueled her to keep trying even after getting "no" for an answer. She learned that a strong belief in yourself is what will get you through the tough times and inspire others to take a chance on you.

Conclusion:

A confident mindset, even if it seems a little naive, can be your greatest superpower.

• Don't be afraid to try something unconventional, even if you don't know all the rules.

• See your confidence as a strength that will help you keep going.

• Understand that you have to knock on many doors to get one "yes."

• Let a strong belief in yourself fuel your journey.

Step 2: Use Your Soft Skills to Win in Any Industry

We often think that success in a technical field like law or software is all about your book smarts. But Lola's journey proves that what truly makes a great leader is their ability to build relationships. She worked in a contracts boiler room early in her career in Silicon Valley and realized that the most successful people were those who understood how to work well with others. She became an expert at befriending her colleagues, especially the salespeople, by listening and remembering personal details about their lives. This simple skill allowed her to build trust and get what she needed with a sense of civility and mutual respect.

Conclusion:

In any career, your ability to build relationships and work well with people is your most valuable asset.

• Be a good listener and remember personal details about the people you work with.

• Befriend your colleagues and build relationships based on trust and respect.

• Understand the challenges of other departments, like sales or finance, to become a more effective leader.

• Remember that the soft skills you learn on the job are more important than your book smarts.

Step 3: Find a Creative Outlet and Listen to Your Inner Voice

For many people, a career is just a job. But a true leader knows that a fulfilling life requires a creative outlet. Lola shared that even as she was climbing the corporate ladder and became General Counsel at a top company, she felt like something was missing. She was still an artist at heart and decided to take a jewelry-making class at a local art school. That single class was a one-way mirror for her; once she stepped through it, she couldn't go back to who she was before. This experience taught her to listen to her inner voice and not to mute her desire to create.

Conclusion:

Listening to your inner voice and making time for your creative passions can lead to your next great chapter.

• Don't mute your creative voice, even if you have a corporate job.

• Take a class or try a new hobby to find your creative medium.

• See your art not just as a hobby, but as a path to a more fulfilling life.

• Remember that a career is not just about what you do, but who you are.

Step 4: Make Something That Is Uniquely Yours

When it's time to take the leap from a career to a creative dream, the doubt can be overwhelming. But Lola's final lesson is one of the most powerful: she chose to become a jewelry designer because her art would be unique to her. She realized that while there were thousands of great lawyers in the world, she was the only one who could create her version of jewelry. She knew her vision was unique, and she was so confident in it that she was willing to leave her top job and move to Paris to pursue it. Her work has now been featured in the New York Times and exhibited with Sotheby's, proving that when you have the courage to create something that is truly yours, the world will pay attention.

Conclusion:

Your unique artistic vision is something that only you can bring to the world.

• Be the only one who can do what you do.

• Don't be afraid to leave a secure job to create something that is uniquely yours.

• Trust that your unique vision and perspective are your greatest artistic assets.

• Remember that your art, like your thumbprint, is individual and irreplaceable.

Conclusion: Your Unboxed Journey to Authentic Leadership

You've learned that a life of purpose, resilience, and leadership isn't about what's on your resume. It’s a journey of finding a confident voice, building a foundation of soft skills, and making a bold leap of faith. The big idea here is that your life journey, with all its global experiences and unexpected turns, is what makes you the perfect leader for the moments you are in. Lola Oladunjoye’s story is a powerful reminder that an authentic career is worth fighting for, and that the greatest work of your life might just be the one that comes from your own hands.

Now it's your turn to apply these lessons. Start by asking yourself:

Final Steps to Take:

• What is the "delusional self-confidence" in your life, and how can you use it to your advantage?

• How can you start practicing your "soft skills" at work to become a better leader?

• What is one creative passion that you have been muting, and what is one step you can take today to give it a voice?

• How can you start creating something that is uniquely yours, and why is that important for your legacy?