Hey beautiful people... Happy New year!! How has your year been so far guys? What is 2017 looking like for y'all already? lol I just want to start by saying I wish you all a prosperous year filled with Undeniable Exploits. 

So my First Post for the year 2017... WOW! So excited to be sharing this very inspirational Interview with Fitness Enthusiast, Trainer and Expert Khalisha Sadia Mijinyawa, She has shown exceptional strength and courage and has come out of all the obscurities to prove to us all that she is nothing but a Diamond in the Rough ,who has finally come out to shine for the world to see. I have known her for years now and I have seen her evolve and blossom into the beautiful black, strong woman that she is and I know someone out there will be inspired from her story to push harder and further and not give up on their dreams, Have a good ready guys.

DVF: Tell me about yourself and background?

Khalisha: I'm Khalisha Sadia Mijinyawa. I come from a family of six comprising of my father, mother and my three siblings (Mom, dad, 2boys and 2girls). I am the 1st child of my beautiful family. I grew up in the northern part of Nigeria, Kano State to be precise with my dad being from Edo state (Muslim) and my mom from Anambra state (Christian) in Nigeria.

DVF: Tell me what growing up was like for you any memories that has stuck with you ?

Khalisha: Growing up for me was fun. My childhood was filled with so much love as my parents my dad especially showed me what true love really is. I remember when he would take me for walks holding me in his arms and telling me about the environment, I believe that my ability to be a strong young lady started with the work and love my dad put into me, I would give him the credits for devoting sufficient time and parenting to my childhood. Funny enough I was closer to my dad than I was with my mom while I was younger LOL but the reverse is the case now because I have grown to be a woman just like my mom. I've got these funny childhood memories of when I would beat my younger brother hahahaha. 

I had my paternal uncle and my maternal aunt babysit me when I was a kid,  I still have a few memories of nursery school, waiting for my dad to come pick me up from school, him dropping me off, taking me to the barber's shop every almost every Friday for a haircut.  Yes, I was on low cut all through my childhood, I also remember visiting my mom's village every December OMG! That was always the best time of the year for me because everyone in my mother's town loves me so much and spoilt me like a princess and OMG, I remember vividly stealing my mom's money once ,my dad did not beat me up much while growing up but my mom did and I always wondered if I was her child and would even go to my dad and ask him but the bond between my mother and I today, is unbreakable. She is my best friend.

DVF: That's so lovely lol so tell me what do you do for a living?

Khalisha:  I am professionally into fitness right now it's just something I love and I honestly don't see that love dying anytime soon. I love to put my strength to test and fitness has made me evolve in the greatest way I could ever imagine

DVF: What is your educational stats and  what made you choose what you studied?

Khalisha:  I have an MBA in Communication and Public Relations. I chose to study PR because I believe it's something I am just good at. I did study Business Information Technology as a bachelor's degree major but I was not good at programming, PR is a course I have never regreted for one second. I have had positive comments even from cab drivers, people I meet at the cafe, people who never even know me commend on my communication skills and just about the way I relate with them. I always get a positive remark especially from foreigners

DVF: How did you get into fitness? Was it something you always had interest in or did your love for it grow with time?

Khalisha: LOL, how I got into fitness! That's a funny question. Well, that's pretty much a long story but let me make the point. I started this fitness journey after my previous relationship which I ended in April 2014 and ever since then, I have never looked back on this amazing and challenging journey. To be honest, I had never stepped feet into a gym before then.

DVF: A friend of mine Tobi hit me up and said she wanted to hit the gym and that I should join her, we had a mutual friend who was a beast in the gym. Funny enough, Tobi never made it hahahaha but I did and this special friend put me through all the way and has my best interest. It's been two years and five months ever since I embarked on this journey and I am very pleased to say that I am never backing out. I have not achieved the best of me yet. I can't forfeit my workout time for nothing well except for family and I mean my nuclear family

DVF: What was the biggest challenge you faced when you got into it at first?

Khalisha: Hmmmm, the biggest challenge I got was negative remarks from people both physically and online and on my social networks.  I had people mock me to my face, they said I can't grow, I'm too tiny, I'm going to look like a man and all sorts of naive comments both from ladies and guys. 

 Sometimes, I cried but damn they actually pushed me more into DOING IT! There was this time I had finished my workout and stopped by an african restaurant to get food on my way home and this guy (who I knew, and wouldn't call a friend) got talking to me. He was a gym freak too. He looked at me and was laughing and said I couldn't grow. That really hurt my feelings and I thought of quitting but I just never did, I refused to let negative emotions overthrow my goals and that ever since has been my policy

DVF: It is so funny to me how people just generally find it so easy to want to put others down *smh*

My family are very supportive of what I do. From my parents to my siblings they are proud of me and that's all that matters. My dad used to tease me when I used to be tiny, he would say 'how can a man marry me being tiny' LOL. He used to be very worried about me being underweight but today he gets worried about me being carried away by the attention my physique comes with. 

And yes, I'm now opened to training people both ladies and gents :)

DVF:  lol I like that ,your Dad sounds really cool.... So I saw that you have been doing a bit of modelling here and there... tell me about how that started out for you, was modelling always an interest of yours and would you ever consider fitness modelling on a professional platform?

Khalisha: Lol, freestyle modelling though I wouldn't call myself a model. The camera loves me and that's reciprocal. I love taking pictures with my phone and when an opportunity that involves shooting with a dope camera comes my way, trust that I'm down for it. 

It all started in my freshman year, I just loved taking pictures and people around me noticed that and jokingly I started appearing in some shoots. There was this time I did a shoot for my Alma Mater (Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology) this shoot was when I was on an ongoing MBA program. 

I was actually late for my lecture but I was outside taking selfies and a staff came out, I badly needed someone to take me a full picture and I walked to her and said "hi ma'am please do you mind helping me take a picture of myself? And she politely replied yes" After she handed me my phone, she asked for my name and my faculty of which I responded and she said the management is recruiting one student from each country to have a neutral photoshoot representing their Nationality for the School and she would want me to represent Nigeria and I was like YESSS. She got my number and the shoot did happen and need I tell you I inherited this from my dad, he loves taking pictures he loves taking pictures and acting. I'm not just considering becoming a fitness model; I will become a fitness model; I believe it will happen in time. 

DVF: Wow.. how cool haha... love that there's an actual background story to it all. So tell me asides your obvious talents at the gym and in front of the camera, what other skills do you have that people generally do not know about?

Khalisha: I'm a good cook, I actually spend time in the kitchen and I take my time preparing meals just like that I take my time when working on my body at the gym. I'm also good at braiding hair (with no extensions just your natural hair) been doing that since high school. I also play badminton well