We had the good fortune of connecting with Eripitan Osagie-Sule and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eripitan, has the Covid-19 Crisis affected your perspective on work-life balance?
As a millennial, I was definitely influenced by the “work hard, play later” mentality and it was not until Covid-19 that I realized how damaging that was for my mind, body, and spirit. I encourage individuals to work hard and chase their dreams, but we still need to find a healthy balance between exerting effort and extending grace to ourselves. I am the first to admit that Covid-19 has made me slow down and truly take a look at my schedule. I had grown accustomed to long hours, little to no breaks, and being exhausted. That way of living is absolutely horrible for my health! I have now implemented a lot more self-care, patience, time, and grace. I have to tell myself “Hey, you cannot pour from an empty cup, so take a break!”. Now, I definitely attempt to avoid working so hard that I cannot enjoy my life, but instead, working hard and incorporating breaks within my schedule, so that I can enjoy my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a Fashion, Faith, and Motivational content creator and blogger! I am most proud that I do not put pressure on myself to “grind” long hours to squeeze out less than stellar content. I try to be authentic with my audience by telling them when I am having an “off” day and need time to create content or when I feel like my content isn’t reaching the mark. I definitely do my best to convey authenticity and grace with my followers. I am truly proud that I have a wide range of demographics that follow me and listen to what I say! I have followers between the ages of 18 to 60+ and it is a beautiful thing to see that I can reach so many individuals, whether that would be through a quote, scripture, picture, or a silly photo! I got to where I am professionally by a lot of research on Google.com and the support of friends and family. I am privileged to have friends that remind me of my passion and the good that I am doing. This journey has not been easy at all! I have had to take a step back occasionally to ask myself, “do I enjoy this? If so, why?” just so that I am able to connect with my audience properly. I definitely overcame challenges by giving myself a break and letting myself mess up every now and then. Yes, challenges are hard and this journey has not been easy, but I take every hurdle as a stepping stone to a better me and I learn a lesson in every mistake. I have definitely learned the lesson of, knowing how to get back up, when you have fallen, understanding that this is a marathon and not a sprint, and learning to say “no” to protect my own peace. If there is one thing that I want the world to know is that I do my best to put my best foot forward. I juggle a lot of hats in life and sometimes I miss the mark, but know that every post, caption, quote, and more is written with love, compassion, and truth. I do my best to show up as my authentic self and I hope that I am able to convey that to others. At the end of the day, I am doing this for the passion, not the praise.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Since I am familiar with North Dallas, I would definitely spend the first day or so showing my friend the Shops at Legacy, Legacy West, The Star, The Boardwalk, and Downtown Frisco. For our afternoon stroll, we would grab some coffee or tea from Summer Moon, enjoy brunch at the Biscuit Bar, before heading to Legacy West for some light window shopping. As the week progresses, I would show them Deep Ellum, Uptown, Highland Village and anything that might interest them. Our weekends would be spent enjoying a nice drink on the rooftop of Happiest Hour or dancing the night away at Stirr. At some point in time, we would enjoy some food from The Heritage Table, Burning Rice or Zoli’s NY Pizza. I would also spend time showing them the Statler or the Joule, as we find time and energy to walk around Klyde Warren Park. Lastly, we would check out a few of the amazing Black Owned Businesses in Dallas! The options in DFW are limitless!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would hate to list names and forget someone, so I will give a shoutout to God, my friends, significant other, family, and anyone that has inspired me to walk in my authentic self. This journey has not been easy, but every bump, turn, and the misstep has been worth it. There unconditional support and love have taught me that I am capable of more than I could imagine and I have to persevere. Without my support system, I would not have reached greater heights and made a name for myself and my brand. I am thankful that I have individuals in my life that encourage me to be the best version of myself, no matter the situation. Lastly, I would like to thank anyone that ever liked, commented, or shared my social media posts – without you all, I would not be where I am today!

Website: www.wearfaithessence.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/wearfaithessence
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/eripitano
Twitter: www.twitter.com/eripitano
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wearfaithessence

Nominate someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.