Corona Olungaka Okusanya’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We recently had the chance to connect with Corona Olungaka Okusanya and have shared our conversation below.

Corona Olungaka , a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’d say I’m wandering with intention. My journey abroad began in January 2024, but truly, I’ve been on this path since September 19, 2023—the day my mother transitioned. That day, I began “healing out loud.” Before leaving America, I visited my mother’s sisters, great aunties, and cousins in Dallas and Oklahoma, collecting memories and family history for my book. Then I set out into the world with her ashes in my care for nine months—as both daughter and witness.

Mexico was the first stop: three silent months at Casa Lalo where I rediscovered my strength through naps, tears, prayer, writing, cooking, running hills, and sitting with a 400-year-old cactus that felt like an elder companion. In South Africa, I released some of my mother’s ashes on a mountain with a man named Tafy, who became a brother to me. In the villages, I bonded with Thandi and her daughter Lingomso. When Thandi gave birth to her second child, she named her Olungaka Corona after me—a divine reminder from our mothers that family is blended and deeper than blood.

From there, I traveled to Thailand, where friends I had met years before in Phetchabun helped me bring my mother’s ashes to their final resting place in a river. Even with my limited Thai, Xhosa, or Spanish, love spoke louder than words. For nine months, I carried her ashes across borders—Mexico, Peru, Africa, Sri Lanka, and finally Thailand. It became a pilgrimage of love and release, giving her the freedom she once wished for me, and allowing her to touch the corners of the world as both ancestor and guide.

My mother didn’t travel much in her lifetime, but she always encouraged me to live free and unafraid. So I honored her the best way I knew how: by wandering with purpose, trusting my intuition without shame, and letting her spirit experience freedom through me.

So am I walking a path or wandering? The truth is—I’m doing both.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Introduction

I’m just a woman with many talents who isn’t afraid to be authentic, try new things, and laugh at myself along the way. From stumbling through learning Thai and Spanish (I proudly say I’m in kindergarten!) to past projects like building a private school, teaching yoga in the park, volunteering in Houston, or even serving as a doula helping women safely deliver their babies — my life has been about showing up fully and letting each season teach me something new.

I’ve also found myself in places around the world I can’t even pronounce, but I’ve learned the universal language is simple: gratitude and a smile. That’s what connects us beyond borders.

At the heart of it all, I created Spiritually Rich, a program that blends soul work, creative expression, and real-world grounding. It’s not about chasing more, it’s about returning home to center — living richly in spirit, no matter what stage of life or business someone is in.

I opted out, untethered from boxes and rules.
For me, it’s not work — it’s breath.
And breath is life.
I chose being over proving,
living the truth my mother always told me:
“Free to be.”

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was already a free spirit — playful, curious, and stubborn in my joy. My mother shaped everything about how I see myself. I am her carbon copy, her reflection — same DNA, same fire. She taught me about God, about trusting myself, and about never shrinking.

When she passed in 2023, life didn’t just feel like it fell apart — it did. The family and friends I thought would be there weren’t. It was radio silence — and heaven doesn’t have a phone. And still, people kept the same patterns of inconsistency, expecting me to pour from an empty cup. I realized I couldn’t keep giving what I no longer had. If two plus two equals four, then choosing my higher self pays greater returns than dysfunction ever could.

I chose the latter — a one-way ticket to Mexico, carrying my mama’s ashes in a fancy suitcase. Freedom demanded it, and I answered.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering stripped me raw, exposing truths success never could. Success claps for your wins, but suffering sits with you in silence and whispers:
Remember who you are.

Losing my mother and walking with her ashes through silence and absence — that was a greater lesson than any victory.

Suffering showed me that upholding my boundaries is how I keep my peace.
Pouring from an empty cup isn’t love — it’s a slow death.
Choosing myself is freedom. By saying no, I found peace — greater than any award, and anchored in God’s approval.

Success celebrates achievement, but suffering gave me the courage to live.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
The project I’m committed to, no matter how long it takes, is freedom — freedom to live unboxed, peace over noise, truth over performance. I’ve learned it’s not a race, not a checklist, not even a finish line. It’s a daily devotion — a breath, a prayer, a boundary.

I’m also devoted to creating safe spaces around the world — retreat centers, art spaces, and community hubs — places where humans can create, connect, and simply be. Because freedom grows stronger in community.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope they remember that I lived with pure intention — imperfectly perfect, always sincere.
That I carried resilience like poetry, turning wounds into medicine, and always left more peace than I found.
That I gave my best even when no one was watching, because love—not applause—was the compass.

I hope the story told is simple:
She was a reminder that freedom is sacred, love is the legacy, and presence is enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hippyeducator.com