We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Linda Orji. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Linda below.
Alright, Linda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
Phew, this is a good question. Hmmm, the American education system is a touchy subject for me. I dedicated Volume II of my “Cracked Concrete” series to it, which explains why it took over four years to publish—about the same amount of time it takes to complete a Phd. Research hits differently when you’re not at the mercy of a letter grade or pass/fail, you know? To answer your question, though: honestly, I’d completely overhaul the current system and redesign it with a team of creative artists, herbalists, trauma therapists, innovative thinkers, and game-changers from around the world.
See, I started in public school, switched to private, and then returned to public from 6th to 12th grade. I also attended both private and public colleges, providing me with a broad perspective on both avenues of the system.
So yeah I’d put together a dope squad and we’d address everything from the system’s structure, food, testing methods, cost, teacher evaluations, and crucially, issues like child molestation. This is a topic that’s often brushed aside or avoided because it’s uncomfortable, but it’s a serious issue. The impact child sexual assault has on a students learning abilities is profound. It’s something that needs to be openly discussed and addressed as soon as the child is old enough to enroll into school.
Most schools in America, especially public schools, are unsafe and discouraging in many ways. Don’t get me wrong there are teachers and staff workers out there doing their best everyday but think of how much more they could achieve with proper and healthier support. Students and even teachers spend an overwhelming amount of unnecessary time surrounded by walls. For highly creative and intelligent individuals who have a gift and want to share their knowledge, the current system can feel like a trap, having to spend years in school, accumulating debt, only to face more barriers upon graduation. In Europe, it’s a different ball game. Their regulations on food compared to America says enough in itself. All the stuff that’s allowed in our food affects the brain, emotions, and so much more.
In Europe starting from preschool, they emphasize emotional development, not standardized testing. Their focus is on bilingualism, and critical thinking. Canada promotes critical thinking and creativity from an early age. Critical thinking is that superpower that we often downplay and overlook in America. Incorporating STEM was excellent for America’s education system, but they forgot to include some crucial ingredients.
Professor Linda Orji aka Prof. LO., the protagonist in “Cracked Concrete Vol II: Stay. The. Course.,” is a kick ass, no nonsense woman who holds the formulas to those crucial ingredients. She challenges the issues plaguing the American education system. She teaches her students the importance of thinking critically and creatively. Professor LO’s fight for a new generation of educators and students is impeccable. It’s a movement.
I may not hold a Ph.D. specifically in education reform, I do have a Ph.D. in A Unique Sense of Survival, a field of expertise granted to me by God. This depth of knowledge, combined with my passion for creative writing, will undoubtedly influence and enrich my work in education. Mark my words. Speaking of words I know I definitely said more than you were expecting.
Linda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
For those who may not have read about me before, cue Jay Z’s “Public Service Announcement”… Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Linda Orji. I’m deeply invested in transforming personal and professional landscapes through a blend of creative writing, motivational speaking, and holistic health. My journey began with a Ph.D. in Survival and a deep-rooted love for creative writing, which led me to become a writing coach, motivational speaker, and spoken word artist. Additionally, I have a profound enthusiasm for exercise and health, particularly in supporting African American women with fibroids, which inspired me to become a personal trainer.
To me, creative writing, exercise, and maintaining a balanced body, mind, and spirit are interconnected. As an entrepreneur, I’ve embraced this interconnectedness by positioning myself to make a living from everything I love while empowering others to do the same. My journey began when I decided to break certain generational curses within my bloodline.
My authorship, spoken word, and writing coach services address significant issues and provide creative solutions for individuals and organizations.
Ultimately, I want potential clients, followers, and fans to know that I’m not out here faking it to make it like so many are these days. I credit my brand on REALNESS. Everything I am doing; I have been through the mud for. I’m not just out here helping African American women with fibroids and advocating to protect our children from child molestation. I am an African American woman who has experienced it. I didn’t just become a writing coach; I trained myself. I started small on Fiverr, helping one person with editing an essay, another with writing a book, and many more with screenplays for sitcoms and feature films. I broke down all the reviews and perfected my craft. I wasn’t on social media for several years because I was studying MYSELF.
This just hit me just now as I’m saying this, but that’s probably exactly why the answers to these questions are so long… because I have been grinding with my head down for so long and now the time has come for me to release and share it ALL.
What sets me apart is that I am Linda Orji, period! No other human on earth has my genetic makeup, my genius, my will power. With that said, how can I leave this earth without pouring everything I have in me into others? What’s crazy is, all I am doing is fulfilling my assignment by God. People look at you and ask, how are you doing all that? We are trained to believe we can just do one thing, choose one career, etc., but we weren’t designed that way.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
For me, they started as hobbies because they were things I did for fun without making money from them. I turned those hobbies into full-time businesses and side hustles after reaching my breaking point with the stress of corporate life. Having worked in various fields—from the medical sector to college sports—I noticed the same issues everywhere: office politics, greed, male superiority, micromanagement, bullying, and master manipulation.
Like many people, before the pandemic, I ignored how exhausted I was from the unfairness in the corporate world for years. I didn’t even realize that I was dealing with anxiety, and it took a significant toll on me, both mentally and physically. The psychological burden of just keeping myself going before and after sending emails was immense. In my book, “Manifesting My 8:28: How I Became Stronger by Lifting the Weight of My Wait,” I describe my final days in the office using an analogy. It felt like walking into a jail cell, much like John Coffey in “The Green Mile.” Each day, I felt like a “dead man walking,” burdened by a system that stifled me. Despite having a God-given gift for creativity that could heal others, I felt imprisoned by the rules and regulations of a corrupted system.
In typical Linda Orji stepping out in faith fashion, I came up with a game plan. I bought a journal from Dollar General, titled “Millionaire in the Making,” wrote myself a vision check for an amount I promised to one day cash in, and listed all my ideas, hobbies, and things I love to do and bring me happiness, like cleaning, organizing, household management, writing, exercising, and children. I ranked them by asking myself: if I never got paid for it, would I still do it? This helped me identify my top three breadwinners, writing, exercising, and children. The others on the list I identified as potential side hustles.
Next thing you know, I was writing my resignation letter. I offered my boss the chance to hire me as a freelancer, convincing him it would be more beneficial and cost-effective for them to work with me under contract rather than as a paid employee. Yes, I sacrificed health benefits and free tickets to games, but those perks couldn’t compete with my sanity and peace.
Once I reclaimed my peace and sanity by taking back my time, everything changed. I documented the entire process, which led to the creation of “Manifesting My 8:28: How I Became Stronger by Lifting the Weight of My Wait.” It’s bananas! The book features journal entries and voice note transcripts, capturing my journey in detail. This newfound freedom allowed me to strategically organize my list of hobbies. With careful planning, focus, and faith, I successfully monetized everything on my list. To manage expenses, I rented out my car on Turo and my bedroom. Fitness modeling and helping families clean and organize their homes became my side hustles, while writing, speaking, and exercising evolved into my primary income sources. The idea of starting a nanny business emerged after a particularly disheartening experience cleaning someone’s home, which made me realize I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought. Although I decided to move away from cleaning and organizing as a business focus, I incorporated these services into packages for my nanny business..
One thing people will notice is that once you start walking by faith in your gifts, opportunities will come to you and if you are in tune, you’ll know if they are meant for you, on God.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Aww man, there are so many lessons I had to unlearn. A lot had to do with money and finances. My parents and the school system taught me certain behaviors and attitudes toward money that weren’t necessarily the best for my future, but I don’t blame them as they could only teach me what they knew or were trained. As I continue to build my knowledge, I’m learning new perspectives. For example, I was taught that life insurance is only related to death. However, by studying how the wealthy use life insurance while alive, I’ve come to understand its full potential.
Another lesson I had to unlearn was that a career in the medical field is NOT always the best solution. Like many Nigerian Americans growing up, I faced immense pressure to pursue a career in the medical field. So, I aimed for that path, even though my heart was on the creative writing path. During my years working as a hospital employee, I found myself most creatively productive as an escape from my unhappiness. Simultaneously, I observed the politics and dark side of the medical world. Whenever I had downtime behind the nurses’ station, I would pour my heart into writing books, scripts, and poetry. It was a period of intense creativity.
As much as I tried to force a career in the medical field my true passion was always there just waiting for me to fully tap in. Now I am using everything I experienced in the hospital as a writing coach, helping individuals develop their own screenplays for production, like my most recent clients, a nurse and physician assistant. This collaboration was a full-circle moment, blending my hospital employee background with my passion for writing and coaching others. Ultimately, I learned that following my unconventional path didn’t hinder my success; it enriched it. Embracing my unique journey allowed me to integrate my experiences and pursue what truly made me happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lindaorji.com
- Instagram: @iamlindaorji
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@lindaorji?feature=shared
- Other: https://linktr.ee/lindaorji
Image Credits
Dante Bland