Amina Koya

In Episode 3 of my black history month series, I talk about why it’s important for more people of Black African or Black Caribbean heritage to donate blood. Sickle cell disorder which is more common in black people is on the rise in the UK, and people who have sickle cell rely on regular blood donations to help relieve symptoms. If you’re of Black African or Black Caribbean heritage, you are 10 times more likely to have a rare blood type which is needed to help. Please head to blood.co.uk to register your interest. You’d be saving lives 💕 NHS Blood Donation. (n.d.). Not family, but blood. [online] Available at: /news-and-campaigns/campaigns/not-family-but-blood/ ‌ #inourblood #blackhistorymonth #sicklecell #givebloodnhs

For the second episode of my Black history month series, I’m exploring the racial wealth gap. Statistics show that Black African households have only 10% of the average wealth of white British households, and one of the ways to improve the racial wealth gap is through financial literacy. I grew up in a typical Nigerian household - my dad worked in finance and my mum in education - but I don’t remember having any conversations about money with my parents. Thankfully, I’ve been able to navigate the fundamental pillars of saving, budgeting, understanding good and bad debt and investing through my research. I’m now taking steps to impart this knowledge to my 7-year-old so he can make better financial choices as he navigates life - remember the goal is not just to bridge the gap in this generation, but for the generations to come. Let me know in the comments if you’d like me to share resources I use to educate my 7-year-old about money. References: 1. Science, L.S. of E. and P. (n.d.). UK Racial Wealth Gap. [online] London School of Economics and Political Science. Available at: /International-Inequalities/Research/Wealth-Elites-and-Tax-Justice/UK-Racial-Wealth-Gap 2. ‌ Economics Observatory. (n.d.). What explains the UK’s racial wealth gap? [online] Available at: /what-explains-the-uks-racial-wealth-gap #blackhistorymonth #finance #money #inclusion

To kick off the series of videos I’ll be posting for Black History Month, it’s only right I start with what I consider to be a vital part of our identity - our names. Names reflect so much more than just our ethnicity, it tells the story of our culture. The reality is many people in the black community often feel pressured to adapt their names to make it easier for people to pronounce. I for one now go solely by my middle name because of the many comments about how “unusual” my first name is, or how supposedly “challenging” it is to pronounce. Comments like these played a huge part when it came to naming my children. Sadly, my son who has a 5-letter, 2-syllable first name still faces the same microaggressions. So, the next time you meet someone with a name you think is unusual, maybe start by asking them the correct way to pronounce their name. I promise you they’ll appreciate it. 🙂 My name is Ọlámídé Amina Odùkọ̀yà and I am a part of black history. #blackhistorymonth #diversityandinclusion #thetimeisnow #culture

Took time off work for a couple of weeks per doctors orders, and here are a few of my favourite pictures in April… Slide 1: First day back of my seasonsal cycle Slide 2: Took a trip to Norwich for a first birthday party Slide 3: Hopped to London to watch Jaja’s Hair Braiding with @theinteriordesignenthusiast Slide 4: The day I became a mama to a five year old Slide 5: Needed to clear my head and hopped on a plane to Frankfurt Slide 6: Spent some time with @winnie_ij and she took really good care of me Slide 7: Became a tourist and cycled round the city of Frankfurt wearing my @shophamdakoya Amaka T-shirt Slide 8: Popped into a beautiful garden and had to smell the flowers Slide 9: More cycling and more head clearing Slide 10: Wrote a lot in my journal this month Slide 11: Month won’t be complete if I don’t show you more dancing videos. Cheers to May 🥂

Last week, @winnie_ij invited me to a ‘presentation party’. I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be the most whimsical thing that’s happened to me this year: slides, debates, nonsense (and the occasional serious take). I’m now seriously considering organising one myself…🥰 PS to my friends: invite coming soon…

I realised I’m always the one taking everyone else’s pictures… so this month, I turned the camera on myself. Here are some of my favourite self portraits from March ❤️ + bonus dancing video as its the first time i saw the light spark in my eyes again this year

A couple of weeks ago, I was getting interviewed by @therichimmigrant for her podcast and got asked: “How do you teach your kids about money?” My answer? I’m doing everything my parents didn’t do. Like a lot of us immigrants (I still really dislike that term 🤣), I wasn’t really taught about money growing up. It was something we earned, spent, and avoided talking about. There was no roadmap. No conversations. Just silence. I’m very intentional about changing that narrative for my children. When my son was 3, I let him see me pay for things. I introduced coins and notes. I used simple language like “money helps us buy things we need and want.” At 5, we started talking about wants vs needs. I gave him small amounts so he could practise making choices. I let him make small mistakes when the stakes were low. Now at 10, we’re talking budgets, saving goals, and trade-offs. He’s learning that spending on one thing may mean choosing not to spend on something else. Next comes earning money, bank accounts, investing, understanding payslips, and real-world financial independence. Children don’t learn about money by accident. They learn because we talk about it. Start the conversation early. Pick one idea from the carousel and try it this week. #moneymondays #financialliteracyforkids #personalfinance

No one sat me down and taught me about money. I had to figure it out myself. Through experience. Through mistakes. Through asking questions along the way. And over time one thing became very clear. Financial independence isn’t about rejecting support or doing everything alone. It’s about having the knowledge and confidence to make your own choices. Because money stops nonsense. And every woman deserves to know that. Happy International Women’s Day 🤍 #iwd2026

I have a lot of conversations about how AI is “taking over the world” and they usually go one of two ways. People who are all for it. And people who are deeply sceptical. Personally, I’m with the former. AI isn’t going anywhere. I already use it daily to optimise my work life and home life, and recently I found myself asking a different question. How can this help me improve my money habits too? Not to make decisions for me. But to help me think more clearly, spot blind spots, and sense check the plans I’m already making. In this post, I’m sharing a few of the exact prompts I’ve used around university planning, retirement, and reviewing my investments. They’re not magic answers or one size fits all. Just starting points you can tweak based on your own numbers and goals. If money decisions ever feel overwhelming, this is one way to slow things down and think them through. Save this for later. And follow along if you want more practical, real life money conversations like this. #moneymondays #personalfinance #financetips

Most people avoid money conversations because they don’t know where to start. A few years ago, I was negotiating pay and had no idea what was reasonable to ask for. I reached out to a mentor and asked a very simple question: what’s the pay range and what would you ask for in my position? That one conversation changed everything. It gave me context, confidence, and language. Silence would have cost me money. At home, it looks different but the principle is the same. I’ve had the 50/30/20 conversation with my child so he understands that money isn’t something you avoid or feel stressed about. It’s something you plan for. That’s why these conversations matter. With yourself. With partners. With mentors. With employers. With your children. Avoiding money conversations doesn’t make money easier. It just delays clarity. Save this post so you know what to check in on the next time money comes up. And if you want simple, honest money conversations that actually apply to real life, follow along. #moneymondays #personalfinance #raisingsmartmoneykids

Whenever there’s a base rate announcement, the headlines get loud very quickly. The Bank of England has held the base rate at 3.75%, so there’s no change this time. That doesn’t mean nothing matters though. It just means things are likely to stay steady for now and understanding what to check is more useful than reacting to the noise. This is a simple breakdown of what a base rate hold means for mortgages, savings, and borrowing, and why it doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Save this post so you know what to look out for every time there’s an announcement. And if you want calm, practical money explanations without the panic, you’re in the right place. #ukfinance #personalfinances #baserate

One year later and still relevant. One thing I’ve learnt about money is that being money-confident doesn’t mean you have everything figured out. It just means you’re willing to keep learning when something new comes up. I didn’t really understand the base rate or how much it affects everyday life until a few years ago, when it became part of my day job. Before that, it was just one of those terms I heard on the news, nodded at, and moved on from without really thinking about it. Once I had to pay proper attention to it, things started to make more sense. I realised how much it quietly impacts things like borrowing, savings, mortgages, and even the decisions people make without realising where they’re coming from. I’m resharing this ahead of Thursday’s announcement (and the ones that follow every six weeks) because while the headlines change, the basics stay the same. Understanding them helps you stay calm and make better decisions, instead of reacting every time there’s noise. #moneymondays #baserate #financialconfidence