From Personal Loss to Wellness Empire: The Story of Deju Akanji

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we meet Deju Akanji FNE, RN, the passionate founder behind Engage Wellness. Deju shares her deeply personal journey from a childhood marked by loss in Nigeria to becoming a registered nurse and certified fitness & nutrition expert in Canada. This path was fueled by a mission to understand wellness and prevent others from experiencing the health tragedies she did. She opens up about the origins of her "wellness empire," which was born from a desire to create the community and holistic support she lacked, integrating mind, body, and spirit.Deju details the current evolution of Engage Wellness, a multi-faceted business that defies a single niche. From one-on-one and group coaching for women, to facilitating health breaks at corporate conferences, and even launching her own line of organic teas, her approach is to meet people wherever they are on their wellness journey. She discusses the challenges and rewards of building a business driven by community and referrals, her ambitious goals for retail expansion, and the powerful mindset shift of no longer limiting herself, encouraging herself to "break out" and build the empire she envisions.