Lara Onipede
Personal growth and development Architect at Rooted Thrivers Network
Lara Onipede is a personal growth and transformation architect guiding evolving leaders committed to becoming their next best selves. From chemistry teacher in Nigeria to security software engineer in Canada, she embraced reinvention personally and professionally. Now, she strategically coaches others toward clarity, intentional growth, meaningful transformation, and lasting impact in their lives.
WALK THE TALK & DO THE WORK
Impact Report
Over the past 3 years, I have:
SUCCESS LEAVES CLUES
We asked Lara for Clues
Something that catalyzed your growth - besides working hard?
The necessity of growth has been the greatest catalyst for me. Remember the principle of "survival of the fittest”? It felt exactly that way. Here I was in a new country, amongst people who looked, talked, and did almost everything differently from me. The norms, systems, and expectations were different. I knew it was either reinvention or irrelevance.
Something you're most proud of?
I’m most proud of my ability to separate what felt personal from what was simply part of my reinvention and of how I navigated culture shock after moving to Canada in 2022. I remember how awkward it felt to call a grey-haired colleague by her first name or to be subtly jabbed about my accent. Now, those are no longer big deals.
On Reinvention
I remember enrolling in a data science bootcamp. In an attempt to move from being a chemistry teacher into tech. It was a hard, intensive, and immersive one that demanded everything from me. In four months, I went from zero technical background to building proficiency in Excel, SQL, and Python; training machine learning models and understanding algorithms.
For the first time, all I truly had was myself to make it happen. I rose to the challenge and discovered, experientially, that I can do hard things. And so can you.
A reinventor to me is someone who recognizes the need for new mindsets, experiences, communities, ways of living and is courageous enough to submit to the rigour those changes demand. In doing so, they don’t just adjust or adapt; they emerge as an entirely new version of themselves.
Note to everyone considering a pivot:
"It is never too late to reinvent yourself. In many ways, pivoting is the new normal, especially in an era shaped by rapid technological evolution and AI transformation.
Do it thoughtfully and genuinely, because your journey demands it and not because it’s trending. Use coaching to buy time and leverage communities such as the SHOWUP Circle. And by all means, reach for what’s next."
Worth Remembering
Change has its own way and cares nothing about yours. Attachments of any sort; to people, identity, comfort, or previous ways of doing things, become a burden when you are in transition.
- Lara Onipede
GET INSPIRED
Follow Lara's Work
If any part of her story resonated with you, there's more where it came from.