“I would say the biggest one is probably my mom.”
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003 is Faith Onyesom (@goodfaithyoga ) a yoga teacher in Lagos. She reflects on how her mom - a teenage athlete and physical education teacher shaped her relationship with movement and piqued her interest in physical education classes.
Story link in bio
“My mind wasn’t moving — my body was moving.”
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003 is Faith Onyesom (@goodfaithyoga ) a yoga teacher in Lagos. Before yoga, she was coasting, living a life that didn’t feel like her own, scared to make decisions.
Then she walked into a class and her mind went quiet for the first time.
Story link in bio
“So I exercise for my mental health, number one. That’s why no matter what, I have to go to the gym. It’s like brushing my teeth. I have to brush my teeth. I have to sleep. I have to go to the gym. I have to do something. I can’t just sit down.”
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002 is Sandra Aghaizu — hotel owner in Lagos, surfer at Tarkwa Bay, skater in her living room and CrossFitter at 5 AM even when her body says no.
There’s an enthusiasm to life that Sandra has that’s infectious; and she walks us through how she continues to show up for herself as she ages.
“Going to the gym is me doing something for me. Not for anybody.”
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Episode 1 is Chinyere Okafor ( @chinyokafor ). Raised around movement in Aba, she found CrossFit in Canada and rebuilt her relationship with movement and what success means to her. She stopped measuring herself against her marathon-running husband and fit siblings, and started showing up for herself.
Story link in bio.
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About Get Better Everyday
I believe every person who moves has a story worth telling. Not just elite athletes or dramatic transformations — everyone. The person showing up quietly for years. The one who just started. The one who stopped and came back. The one figuring it out in the margins of a chaotic life.
This is a series about the real, human stories of how and why people move — and why they keep moving.
Want to share your story? Click the self-submission link in bio or send a DM
“Growing up we always saw him move. He had his bicycle where he used to ride between our house and his office. During our long holidays in Nigeria — summer, June to August — that was a big thing for us. We’d be like, ‘Ohhh, bicycle!’”
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Episode 1 is Chinyere Okafor ( @chinyokafor ). Raised around movement in Aba, she found CrossFit in Canada and rebuilt her relationship with movement and what success means to her. She stopped measuring herself against her marathon-running husband and fit siblings, and started showing up for herself.
I only really understood the necessity and the beauty of movement and its impact on our lives at @crossfitjagun .
And as I’ve visited more CrossFit gyms in different cities, tried different activities, and documented people moving, the more I’ve realised how unique and how similar these stories are.
Stories of community (buzzword, I know—but one of the few places you truly see it). Of shared bonds. Of a chosen tribe.
Of doing hard things and breaking past limits.
Of the joy, mischief, and humility of competition.
And then the quieter, exceptionally beautiful things.
Siblings finding a consistent hour together.
Couples stealing extra time.
Parents and kids seeing each other differently.
A second lease on life for people who thought their best days were behind them.
Young and old learning from, and understanding, each other.
I think it’s all of these stories. Across cities. Across disciplines. And they deserve to be told.
So I’m turning this page into a project I’ve wanted to build for a while: Get Better Everyday.
@lagosinteriordesigner once asked if I planned to eat the pictures I took at the gym 🙃 This is where they go.
A series capturing the real stories behind how and why people move. CrossFit gyms. Spin studios. Running clubs. Dance studios. Boxing gyms. Anywhere people show up to get better.
First interview drops Friday, January 30th.
If you want to share your story, send a DM:
Your city
Your discipline
What “getting better” means to you
Or fill out the self-submission link in bio.
Thank you for being part of this.
Let’s see what we find.
For Us, By Us
We no longer wait to be seen.
We create, share, and celebrate for ourselves.
Proof that the stories we tell each other are enough.
📍- @epacstudios
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Funny coincidence that it ended up @bellaadeleke 😅
Walid was one of my favorites back when I coached. One of those people who rub off on you without you really noticing.
He used to talk about coming to terms with Lagos and in many ways, he saw the beauty in this city and its people that we often miss, especially coming from Lebanon to seek some opportunity here.
He came in with rough, almost crude form, but was crazy strong with a lazy but very cheerful kind of enthusiasm. Always smiling, always trying to get better, and always happy to flash a smile for the camera.
He hadn’t dropped in for a while, but he always looked out for everyone whenever we met outside the box.
An all-around top guy. Our lives are richer for having had you in them.
Rest in peace Walid.
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When you take pictures of people, sometimes you feel like you start to know them … but maybe you don’t.
You just felt their energy, and for a moment, you were part of something ordinary or special in their life.
Night Changes.
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Wild that it’s already been 11 years. I still remember when the construction wrapped up, but can barely picture what this corner felt like in the Silverbird heyday.
Even crazier that it cost N7.2bn (~$40m at N180:$1 then) — and that’s excluding land, since it was already bank property at the time
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Reading through the press releases from that period, I’m quietly satisfied that — language-wise, at least — it made people dream again, even if only for a while.
