Unleashing one’s inner Olympian amidst times of challenge
HOUSTON — In the words of Houston’s own Dr. M. Seun Adigun, D.C., OLY, “Olympism is rooted in excellence, friendship, and respect. We cry, we celebrate, and most of all we represent with pride.” This philosophy of life that brings together sport, culture, and education for the benefit of humanity pulses through the essence, speech, and actions of Dr. Seun.
Dr. Seun is a 33-year-old, two-time Olympian (in both track and field as well as bobsled), founder of the first Nigerian bobsleigh team, and holds five degrees (Bachelors of Science in kinesiology and human biology, Master of Education in physical education, Master of Science in exercise & health sciences, and a Doctorate in chiropractic). She runs her own private practice where she treats professional athletes, and works with the track and field program at the University of Houston. Dr. Seun can also be found sharing her time mentoring young athletes, public speaking, helping Houston’s Nigerian community, and volunteering with Relief Gang, a group that steps into the trenches when natural disasters occur in the city. Toyota, Visa, and Under Armor have worked closely with her over the years, and she is a global ambassador of Special Olympics. Because of her membership with the U.S. and Paralympic Association, she also has a close connection to the Harris County Houston Sports Authority when it comes to events, particularly the Houston Greater Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Greater Black Chamber of Commerce. She received the 2018 Woman of Inspiration Award through Women in Sports & Events and the 2018 Nigerian Sports Woman of the Year award.
Dr. Seun’s journey has had many challenges and uphill battles, including the loss of her sister and her own heart surgery. She will tell you, firsthand, that conquering the fear of the unknown has been the driving force behind her successes. She believes the impossible to be possible, even believing at one point she could join the NBA (not the WNBA) as the first woman at 5-foot-5 to perform a slam dunk. “Impossible is nothing,” Dr. Seun says. From helping babies finally walk in a straight line, to her role with Special Olympics witnessing athletes receive hearing aids and hear sound for the first time, Dr. Seun strives to enable and participate in possibility on a consistent basis.
This Olympian’s mindset has her reaching for large goals even today. Her global initiative, “Dr. Seun Cares,” has brought together many Nigerian sports professionals across the world. These athletes are working together to raise funds to feed at least 1,000 Nigerian families affected by Covid-19. The initiative has successfully fed in-need families in Lagos, but the public can still participate in fundraising and relief efforts to expand into other areas of Nigeria.
“The healthcare system [in Nigeria] is not necessarily equipped to handle the pandemic in the event that it does spread uncontrollably,” Dr. Seun shared. “It’s been harder on individuals who live their lives day to day in the marketplace, or in their trade, to have their entire life shut down for weeks or months on end, with no means of being able to feed themselves or to take care of themselves.”
Dr. Seun continued on, sharing about the tribal mindset in the country. “It’s not usual that you’ll find someone from another tribe come in and help a totally different tribe. To know that someone’s thinking about them, and a group of people are thinking about them, all the way across the globe – it’s really been bringing a lot of joy to people.”
Recognizing that fear is what holds many people back from tapping into their deepest potential and doing similar things of widespread, positive impact, Dr. Seun shared her advice on unleashing one’s inner Olympian amidst times of challenge. “These things really start with honesty. They start with getting to know who you are and what you’re afraid of, which is probably the hardest part, because most of us aren’t strong enough to admit those things to our self, but the moment you get to that stage, where you’re honest enough to admit what you’re afraid of, then you’re able to start conquering these fears. In doing that, you tap into a level of resilience and perseverance that you may not have even known that you had, and survival tactics that you may not have even known that you were capable of enacting.”
Dr. Seun has future aspirations of opening an injury prevention and rehabilitation center that helps athletes from all around the world achieve high level performance, as well as to return to the Olympic stage as a coach or federation leader. “I’m currently helping to lead the next class of Nigerian winter Olympians to Beijing 2022, in the sports of bobsled and skeleton. It’s been an uphill battle, especially with Covid-19, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to still be able to fight and live another day. There has been much helplessness and hopelessness hovering over the world this year, and people have found strength in the most unusual spaces. We may buckle, but we will not fall!”
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