Recording is above. Thank you everyone who joined us!
We are so excited for our upcoming webinar with international best-selling author, keynote speaker, and award-winning photographer Lola Akinmade Åkerström!
Here is Lola’s description of her session:
So, the word “extraordinary”, how do we define it? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines extraordinary as "going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary." The Oxford Dictionary defines extraordinary as "very unusual or remarkable". The usual, The regular, The customary, are all that society has collectively placed value on physically and culturally.
"The messages we get as women in society is that we are not extraordinary" - Yomi Abiola
The work we do is ordinary, and sometimes unnamed. The contributions we make are undervalued. We strive to be seen and represented in areas that are traditionally eclipsed by men.
This inspirational keynote presentation, filled with personal anecdotes, visuals and imagery spanning my career as a travel photographer, is broken down into three steps - Discovery, Amplification, and Maturity - and I summarize how these three areas of reflection can help you along that journey to finding your own extraordinary voice.
About Lọlá:
Nigerian-American and based in Sweden, Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström is an international best-selling author, keynote speaker, and award-winning photographer. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, Sunday Times Travel, The Telegraph, New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Slate, Travel Channel, Adventure Magazine, Lonely Planet, amongst others.
She has collaborated with high profile brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Dove, Four Seasons, Electrolux, Intrepid Travel, to name a few.
In addition to contributing to several books, she is the author of the following books: 2018 Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book, Due North, bestselling LAGOM: Swedish Secret of Living Well, available in 18 foreign language editions; and internationally-acclaimed debut novel IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK, which was named the 2021 “Best Thought-Provoking Story” by the Independent UK. In October 2023 she will publish her latest novel, “Everything Is Not Enough”.
She has been recognized with multiple awards for her work, including being named a 2022 Hasselblad Heroine and receiving the 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award. She was honoured with a MIPAD 100 (Most Influential People of African Descent) Award within media and culture in 2018 and in 2021 with a Newsweek Future of Travel Storytelling Award.
She contributed to National Geographic's Image Collection.
As a mentor, she runs her own photo experiences around the world and online academy, Geotraveler Media Academy, which is dedicated to visual storytelling and helping the next generation of travel storytellers put the heart back into the craft - www.akinmade.com/academy