Anne Okafor didn’t follow a traditional route into construction. From leaving school at 16 and experiencing homelessness, to years spent in hospitality and retail, to taking a leap of faith back into education in her late twenties, Anne’s journey is built on courage, curiosity, and choosing to keep going.

In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Anne Okafor to explore the decisions that shaped her life and career. Anne shares how a spontaneous college application changed everything, why she moved three and a half hours to a city where she knew no one, and how that single decision led to a decade-long career in construction planning.

They talk openly about limiting beliefs around education and maths, the power of networking, redundancy and reinvention, and Anne’s progression from not knowing anyone in the industry to becoming Chair of the CIOB Northern Scotland region. Anne also explains why she’s now pursuing a PhD in sustainable procurement in collaboration with the NHS, and what real courage looks like when life doesn’t go to plan.

This is an honest, grounded conversation about belief, resilience, and taking action when the path ahead isn’t clear.

Key moments include: ✔️ Leaving school at 16 and navigating homelessness ✔️ Feeling stuck in hospitality and retail ✔️ Taking a leap back into education with no safety net ✔️ Challenging limiting beliefs around maths and learning ✔️ Achieving a first-class honours degree ✔️ Redundancy, reinvention, and starting a business ✔️ Building a global professional network through the CIOB ✔️ Becoming Chair of the CIOB Northern Scotland region ✔️ Starting a PhD in sustainable procurement with NHS collaboration ✔️ Anne’s three core principles: curiosity, courage, and action

Follow James Fleming: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jamesflemingmq/ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com

Follow Anne Okafor: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-okafor/

Website →https://www.anneokafor.com/

Timestamps [00:00] James opens the episode and welcomes Anne [00:55] Anne introduces herself and her role in construction planning [02:57] Leaving school at 16 and experiencing homelessness [03:40] Working in hospitality and retail and feeling stuck [04:14] Applying for college on the train home from holiday [05:35] Moving three and a half hours to Stirling with no support network [07:12] Believing university wasn’t “for people like me” [09:39] Returning to education and overcoming self-doubt [10:10] Achieving a first-class honours degree [13:17] Wanting to make the construction industry better [15:15] Advice for women considering construction [16:07] Discovering the CIOB and the power of networking [17:33] Becoming Chair of the CIOB Northern Scotland region [21:07] Redundancy and relying on professional networks [22:19] Starting her own business [25:15] Applying for a PhD after redundancy [27:02] Balancing consultancy work with PhD study [29:14] Giving back through mentoring and STEM work [33:08] AI, leadership, and why human skills still matter [40:45] Starting the PhD in sustainable procurement with the NHS [46:05] Challenging long-held beliefs about maths [53:06] Anne’s top three pieces of advice [57:10] James closes the episode