Platform Magazine featuring Ify Oji

One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer

Matt Bird founder of PublishU, talks with Ify Oji, a midwife living in Saudi Arabia and author of Empowering One in Eight.

Matt: Did you have a midwife friend deliver your children with you?

Ify: Nurses make the worst patients!

Matt: What is it you love about what you do?

Ify: Seeing the smile on the face of the parents when you pass them their baby for the first time.

Matt: Do parents pass you their smartphone and ask you to take photos?

Ify: Oh yes! It goes straight onto Instagram and TikTok.

Matt: When did you first think you would write a book?

Ify: I’ve always loved writing as a little girl. Then you get into life, and your priorities change. Then I went through what I went through and thought I should put pen to paper.

Matt: Your book has an intriguing title, ‘Empowering the One in Eight’.

Ify: One in eight is the number of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer.

Matt: Oh my goodness, I didn’t know it was that high!

Ify: The book tells my journey from my diagnosis and how I navigated through that period of my life. Not everybody understands the kind of support you offer somebody who is experiencing this kind of setback.

Matt: How were you diagnosed?

Ify: Mammograms are only done once you are 40 years old. I was fortunate that mine was picked up on a random ultrasound. The doctor said to return in 6 months, and I’ll do another scan. I was persistent about having a biopsy. Thankfully, I did, and it was found early.

Matt: How did you feel when the diagnosis was confirmed?

Ify: It was petrifying. It was scary. There were no words.

Matt: What would you advise women reading this interview?

Ify: Take your health seriously. Get yourself checked yearly, from your head to your toe. I mean, it could save you the future!

PLATFORM

Matt: And maybe not to take ‘no’ for an answer?

Ify: Yes, be persistent with what you feel what you feel is right. You know, thankfully I did!

Matt: So, what is the message of your book?

Ify: My book touches on all the aspects of the journey: the phases you go through, friendship and hope because, at the end of the day, there is hope. It talks about how we can be there for people going through setbacks, words that we can speak, and things that we can do for them during a period of anxiety.

Matt: How do you hope it affects people?

Ify: I hope and pray that my book gets to the people who need it—to the people at a point where they've lost all hope. And then they're misunderstood. Nobody understands what they're going through. So I hope it gets to one in eight.

Matt: This is your first book. Writing books is positively addictive; have you considered another?

Ify: It’s definitely not going to be the last. It is the first of many. My next book is more low-key and more excitable. I have a daughter now who is 10, and she reminds me of myself growing up. So in my head, I already have a title ‘The Shy Girl’. I was extremely shy growing up, and I see myself in my daughter, toeing

EVERYONE HAS A BOOK IN THEM

• Do you dream of writing a book one day?

• Are you keen to write a book but uncertain where to start?

• Have you started writing a book but found yourself stuck?

I encourage you to consider joining a ‘Writing My Book’ online course. Through it, you will be coached through a proven step-by-step process for writing your book in 100 days.

Do you have a voice inside your head whispering or shouting that you can’t write a book? That voice may say, “Who do you think you are?” “What have I got to say that has not been said?” and “You haven’t got enough content to fill a book?”. The truth is that you are worth more than you think and can achieve more than you can imagine, even writing a book within 100 days.

A recent graduate of the ‘Writing My Book’ course said, “I never thought I would write a book, let alone in 100 days. Now I have. I’m asking what else I have told myself that I cannot do that I actually can.” Writing a book within 100 days will smash the glass ceiling of what you believe you can achieve and open new opportunities and possibilities for your life and work.

There are three possible next steps…

• Find out more about the ‘Writing My Book’ course and sign up for one that suits your schedule. CLICK HERE

• Request a complimentary ‘Exploration Call’ with book coach Matt Bird to discuss writing and publishing your book. CLICK HERE

• Get your free copy of the ‘My Book Idea’ workbook to help you generate, evaluate and choose the idea for your book. CLICK HERE

I very much look forward to the possibility of being your book coach!

Matt Bird is the CEO of PublishU; he is a prolific author who has written 20 books, won a Book of the Year prize and writes for The Times newspaper. He is a professional speaker who has spoken in 50 countries to more than a million people,

He was placed in remedial English classes at school and graduated believing he was stupid because that is what most of his teachers told him. Later, he discovered he had dyslexia; he has gone on to value his dyslexia as a gift. He specialises in helping others overcome obstacles to become authors and speakers.