Adeshola Akanji’s leadership journey challenges many of the assumptions society still holds about success, strength, and visibility. As a disability advocate, coach, mentor, leader, podcast host, model, and pageant queen, she stands at the intersection of advocacy and authenticity, demonstrating that meaningful impact does not always come from the loudest voice in the room, but often from the most intentional one.
Living with multiple disabilities, including autism and ADHD, Adeshola’s path has not been linear or easy. Yet it is precisely these lived experiences that have shaped her leadership philosophy, one rooted in empathy, inclusion, and purpose. At the heart of her work is a belief she lives and leads by:
“My disability is not a reflection of my worth; it highlights my authenticity and individuality.”
This principle guides how she shows up, leads, and advocates, reminding others that difference is not something to overcome, but something to honour.
Impactful Leadership as an Introvert with Disabilities
In a world that often equates leadership with extroversion, Adeshola redefines what it means to lead. As an introvert, she leads with thoughtfulness, deep listening, and emotional intelligence. Her leadership style is not about dominance or visibility for its own sake, but about impact, how people feel, grow, and thrive under intentional guidance.
She believes introverted leaders bring a unique strength: the ability to reflect deeply, act deliberately, and connect meaningfully. For Adeshola, leadership is not performative; it is relational. This approach has enabled her to build trust across communities, support individuals navigating barriers, and influence conversations around disability inclusion and wellbeing with clarity and compassion.
Overcoming Challenges Associated with Autism and ADHD
Navigating leadership while living with autism and ADHD has presented its own set of challenges, from sensory overload and burnout to misunderstandings and stigma. Rather than allowing these challenges to limit her, Adeshola has used them to deepen her self-awareness and refine how she shows up in the world.
By embracing neurodivergence rather than masking it, she models a healthier and more sustainable way of leading. Her journey reinforces her core message: worth is not diminished by disability, but enriched by authenticity and individuality.
Mental Health, Wellbeing, and Neurodivergence
Mental health and wellbeing sit at the heart of Adeshola’s advocacy. She recognises the profound link between neurodivergence and mental health, particularly when individuals are navigating environments that lack understanding or flexibility. Anxiety, exhaustion, and isolation can often accompany these experiences.
Through coaching, mentoring, public speaking, and her podcast, Adeshola creates honest conversations about wellbeing, normalising rest, self-compassion, and support-seeking. She advocates for systems that prioritise psychological safety, accessibility, and dignity, recognising that wellbeing is not solely an individual responsibility, but a collective one.
The Link Between Health, Wellbeing, and Happiness
For Adeshola, health is not simply the absence of illness, but the presence of balance, purpose, and belonging. Happiness grows when people feel accepted for who they are and supported to live authentically. This belief underpins her work across advocacy, leadership development, and community engagement.
By addressing wellbeing holistically, physical, mental, emotional, and social, she helps individuals redefine success on their own terms and reconnect with their sense of self-worth.
Thriving as an Introverted Leader
Adeshola’s journey demonstrates that introversion is not a barrier to leadership, it is a powerful asset. Thriving as an introverted leader means honouring one’s natural rhythm, leading with intention, and creating impact without self-erasure.
Her leadership invites others to slow down, reflect, and lead authentically, anchored in the understanding that individuality strengthens leadership rather than weakening it.
My Journey: Rising with Intent
Adeshola often describes her journey as “rising with intent.” From adversity to advocacy, from survival to purpose, her path has been shaped by resilience and clarity of mission. Each role she holds, advocate, founder, coach, mentor, speaker, model, and pageant queen, is used as a platform to champion disability awareness, inclusion, and wellbeing.
Her impact lies not in titles alone, but in lives touched, confidence restored, and narratives shifted. She continues to remind communities that making a meaningful impact, however quiet, is critical to improving health, wellbeing, and happiness.
In a world that often celebrates conformity over authenticity, Adeshola Akanji’s leadership stands as a powerful reminder that when we honour our individuality and lead with intention, we create meaningful changes.
