Petroleum engineer, business executive and entrepreneur, Anastasia Okorie, has urged young Nigerians to discover their purpose, embrace intentional living and resist societal pressures that often influence their life choices.
Okorie, who is passionate about faith, personal growth and youth development, believes young people should understand themselves, recognise their strengths and make deliberate decisions about the direction of their lives.
Her interest in purposeful living dates back to her school days, when her mother introduced her to a book centred on discovering purpose. The experience exposed her early to questions of identity, personal direction and the importance of living a meaningful life.
Over time, that interest developed into a personal conviction about the need to encourage younger generations to discover and pursue their purpose.
For Okorie, purpose goes beyond choosing a career or achieving financial success. It involves understanding one’s values, identifying personal strengths and considering the impact one hopes to make through everyday decisions.
She believes young people should not feel pressured to have every aspect of their lives figured out at an early age, particularly in a society where educational qualifications, career achievements and financial milestones are often used as measures of success.
A graduate of Petroleum Engineering from Covenant University, Okorie is Subsurface Lead at Maxupstream Energy Services Limited, Non-Executive Director at Payrep Microfinance Bank and Executive Director at Ecocore Gold. She is also Chief Executive Officer of Anastasia Grandeur, a luxury hair brand.
Despite her professional responsibilities across different sectors, she remains committed to promoting conversations around faith, identity, intentional living and personal development.
Her passion for purposeful living inspired the creation of Walking in Purpose, a personal journal designed to encourage individuals, particularly young people, to document their thoughts, daily experiences and reflections as they navigate different stages of life.
The journal provides space for users to record their experiences, aspirations, challenges and personal growth. Through the initiative, Okorie hopes to promote self-reflection and help young people become more conscious of their choices and the lives they are building.
For Okorie, whose Christian faith plays an important role in her life, discovering purpose is a journey that requires reflection, personal growth and the courage to take meaningful steps, even when the future remains uncertain.
She is particularly concerned about the pressure young people face to compare their progress with that of others, especially in an increasingly connected world where the achievements of their peers are constantly on display.
Through her personal platform, she hopes to encourage more young people to ask critical questions about their lives, explore their interests and understand that their present circumstances do not necessarily determine their future.
Her message to the younger generation is to remain grounded in their values, develop confidence in their abilities and recognise that discovering purpose is a journey that unfolds through different experiences and stages of life.
Ultimately, Okorie believes that young Nigerians must learn to define success on their own terms, make intentional choices and focus on building lives that reflect their values, aspirations and sense of purpose.
