A family physician, Funmi arrived from the UK in 2016 as part of the Health Match Program to place more physicians in the community. After a few years, and supporting about 1,100 patients, Funmi was ready for a new challenge, and it didn’t take long for her new challenge to come to her. Shortly after Funmi resigned from her medical practice, the pandemic hit and her partner, who was co-owner of an independent living residence for the elderly, was facing constant questions from residents and their families.

Funmi educated herself on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 and became a COVID advisor. Seeing a lot of misinformation circulating, she launched a podcast called COVID-19, then launched a medical education company, Kojala Medical, to disseminate evidence-based, reliable, credible information to the public in a form that they can understand and take on board. Her current focus is Long COVID.

Through Dr. Funmi’s podcast series, YouTube channel, website, and social media, anyone can glean evidence-based medical information they can rely on about COVID-19.

Dr. Funmi discovered WeBC through a colleague and was excited by the opportunity to enhance her entrepreneurial skills alongside other women business owners. She applied to the Discovery Foundation’s Strategic Mindset Program, in hopes of a group mentorship experience.

Within the monthly group meetings, Dr. Funmi found a support system that connected her to entrepreneurs in different stages of business. 

“Seeing other people that have the same doubts and hardships and struggles, professionally and personally, that you had was endorsing and the group was very supportive as well as being knowledgeable. I’ve made contacts and friends that I can carry on into the future.”

Next, Funmi is looking for grants and financing to fund her business growth. She finds the breadth of low-cost programs from WeBC to be supportive of her long-term growth. 

“I’m a medic; I’ve always worked for government. Things like writing a business plan? I’ve never had to think about things like that, so the webinars are really useful. If I suddenly thought, how do I understand what an investment program is? I know I could visit the website, or I could reach out to somebody who could point me in the right direction.”

This year, while continuing to practice in Vancouver, Dr. Okunola plans to bring her business into profit within 3 years by building an information channel focused on Long COVID. She is looking forward to leveraging the network of women she connected with to support her and will continue educating the public on health challenges.

Client Q&A

Q. Did you always envision becoming an entrepreneur?

I love my job, but I think what most people find nowadays is every five years you need some form of new challenge, and I think also when you’re working in a profession where you’re giving a lot of yourself, you do need something else to keep you fresh.

I’m still a doctor, but the pandemic opened new avenues for me. Ultimately, the driver for me is to make a difference and I plan to explore different avenues to educate the public on a variety of health topics that are usually forgotten.

Q. How has Kojala Medical helped the community?

Last year we shared “COVID-19: The Answers,” where we provided reliable, evidence-based information about COVID-19. I suspect everybody has somebody in their lives who has been touched by Long COVID. It’s a disease that’s very poorly understood by my colleagues, who are the gatekeepers of health information. We aim to change that by bringing awareness and providing information that is easy for people to understand.  The new podcast series “Long COVID: The Answers” and information channel will be launched in March 2024.  The series is accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada so healthcare professionals will be able to gain learning credits to contribute to their continuing professional development. We’ve worked hard to achieve this.

Q. What was your experience like taking the Discovery Foundation’s mentorship program with WeBC? 

It was fantastic and we’re continuing the group, meeting once a month. We’re all at various stages and have various experiences so I could really learn from that. We’re also from different walks of life, but we’re all passionate about our projects, so I learned a lot because there were people in the group who were further along in their business than I was. 

There was a set program so that whole process helped me because you can get stuck in the midst of things when you’re an entrepreneur and you forget what you’ve done. Looking back in a positive fashion was really encouraging.

Q. What advice would you give someone wanting to start their own business?

It’s not just about being brave, but very often you see things the majority of people around you don’t get because they haven’t been in your shoes before. Don’t be afraid that you’re not part of the majority. Be prepared to have perseverance, have courage behind your convictions, and stop regularly and look back at what you’ve achieved.

Where to find Kojala Medical