Hey there again—and Happy New Year! Told you I was gonna see you real soon!
Now, I know I said I’d send this in just a few days… but I still hope you’ve been doing well since then.
In my last note, I briefly addressed the hiatus (six months to be exact 😅) by doing something very different from my usual posts. I literally just popped in to say hello, apologized for being gone, dropped a bunch of pictures… and then said peace out 😂.
Welp—today’s different.
Today, I want to take a little more time to talk about what I’ve actually been up to these past six months.
You know how all those apps and services do a “year in review”? Like how Spotify shows your most-played songs or YouTube gives you a highlight reel of what you watched most?
Well… I guess this note is kind of like that. My year—wrapped.
So let’s go through the photos I shared in the last note—and I’ll explain the story behind each one.
So if you are ready to hear about my year, I am ready to share with you.
New Home, Who Dis?
🥹🥹🥹🥹
So, you might be able to guess from the title—as well as the picture—what this is about, but I still want to give you some context.
In February of 2020, I moved into a studio apartment. And I use that term very loosely. It was a detached garage that had been converted into a very small, very tight studio. But the conversion was poorly done. The insulation made summers unbearable and winters harsh. No joke—my first winter there was so cold, I could literally see my breath in the mornings.
There was no proper A/C unit, and the heater setup was completely illegal. At one point, the gas company came out and told me it was a hazard and that I needed to contact the landlord to get it fixed. He never did.
And honestly, that sums up my landlord pretty well: inconsiderate, slow to respond to issues, and just overall sketchy and unkind. I could go on, but let’s just say—he wasn’t a great person.
On top of that, I had some very inconsiderate neighbors with all kinds of drama going on. And the worst of it? The bulk of my last toxic relationship happened in that apartment. During our many breakups, Sunny would just show up unannounced, gently knocking on my door at all hours of the night. And like a fool, I’d let her in.
So, as you can probably tell—that studio became the epicenter of a lot of my trauma.
It’s funny, because even though I lived there for five years, it never felt like a home. It felt more like a cage—or a prison. Even in my lowest moments, I never had a place where I could truly escape. And even though I dreamed of leaving, I never acted on it.
Until this happened.
Me on most nights 😭
Randomly, one night in June or July, around 3am, I found myself doing something I did all too often… doom scrolling. I was bouncing between TikTok and Instagram when I heard God speak to me.
He said: “What are you doing right now?”
I heard Him—but didn’t respond.
Then He said: “You’ve been talking about leaving this place for years. Hasn’t it been enough time?”
Immediately, I straightened up and agreed.
Then He said something else: “It’s time to start looking.”
And I said yes.
Then He added, “I want you to deactivate your personal social media accounts.”
That one was tough. I hesitated. Without much more thought, I signed out and deactivated everything—leaving only my business Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
That morning, I started looking up nearby apartments online. I made a list of the ones I liked and began booking tours that same week.
By the third day, I found the place.
I was blown away by the amenities: swimming pools, a 24-hour gym, a steam room, an activities room 😭—I was like, yo, this is wild. And the unit? A 1-bedroom townhouse with a dedicated office and a huge master suite.
As soon as the tour ended, I stopped my search. I was convinced I had found my new home.
That night, I prayed and asked God to let it be mine. There were so many signs—it felt divine. Even the name of the street confirmed it for me (though I’ll keep that private).
I first toured the apartment on July 12th. I got my welcome letter on July 25th.
During my final walkthrough, the leasing rep handed me the keys and left me alone with the unit. I closed the door, sat on the stairs at the bottom level… and cried tears of joy.
I could feel the trauma, the pressure, and the pain I had carried for so long start to melt away.
I was no longer in that jail cell of a studio. No longer trapped with the ghosts of a toxic relationship. No longer haunted by depression or the weight of suicidal thoughts.
This wasn’t just an apartment.
This was a fresh start. A place to heal. A place to breathe. Finally… a home.
“
I hesitated. But eventually, I followed….
A Ghost with a Smile
Let’s go back to April 2024—a painful chapter, but one that’s deeply relevant to this next update.
This was the time when I permanently broke things off with Sunny. And if I’m being real with you—it was fucking rough, to say the least.
I remember feeling hurt, devastated… grieving, honestly. I’ll go into more detail in a future note, but for now, this is what I’m willing to share.
As you can imagine, going through all of that was mentally and emotionally exhausting. And like anyone in that kind of pain, I started looking for a way out. So, I dusted off the dating apps and jumped back into the mix.
Within just two days, I had new matches and was chatting with several women. By the end of the week, I had already gone on a date that went so well, the woman invited me to her hotel room.
While I did take her up on that offer, I promise you—nothing happened. In fact, I felt this overwhelming guilt and uneasiness the entire time. Even during our innocent night out at Dave & Buster’s, I felt strangely off.
That date—and several others that followed—burned out quickly. They smoldered like dying fires gasping for oxygen.
Me on the dating app 🙄
In June, I met another woman on a dating app—let’s call her Smiley.
We hit it off at first and decided to go on our first date to see A Quiet Place (terrible movie, by the way—lol). But despite the movie, I actually enjoyed my time with her and wanted to keep seeing her.
I’ll give you the cliff-notes version of what happened between me and Smiley (for now—I’ll go into more detail later).
The biggest issue? Smiley was way too comfortable keeping things virtual.
We texted every single day—which was nice—but that’s not how I want to build a romantic connection. I kept inviting her to hang out in person, but she’d either come up with excuses or brush it off.
Now, you might be thinking, “Maybe she’s just not the ‘go out’ type.” And trust me, I would’ve understood that.
But that wasn’t the case at all.
Smiley would tell me all the time about how she went to the movies alone, or how she’d take herself out to eat. There were plenty of opportunities she could’ve included me—especially if she genuinely wanted to grow something between us.
But she never did.
I want to build a romantic connection.
Smiley and I kept up this dance for about a year and a half—and as you can probably guess, my feet were hurting from this two-step.
Fast forward to July 2025, as I was finalizing the lease on my new place, I had a moment with God.
I prayed and said, “God… if Smiley isn’t meant for me, remove her from my life.”
I said it out of frustration—but I meant it. Every word.
And this is where it gets funny.
A few days later, Smiley completely ghosted me. No texts. No calls. Nothing.
At first, I was hurt. Confused. I didn’t understand why she would just disappear like that.
But then… I remembered what I asked God.
And as much as it stung to be ghosted—especially after all that time—I understood the message.
When God Does What You Asked 🤣🤣🤣
Shortly after that, I deleted all my dating apps and made a decision: No dating for the rest of 2025.
I wanted to spend that time elevating myself and pursuing what God has in store for me.
It was hard, yes—but also liberating. It taught me patience. It showed me what I really want… a wife.
And one thing I’ve learned about God: What’s meant for you won’t pass you up.
So wherever she is—my wife—I know that she’ll find me, or I’ll find her… when God says it’s time.
“
What’s meant for you won’t pass you up.
My Baby is Growing 🥹
Before you jump to conclusions—no, I’m not talking about a human child lol.
I’m talking about my tutoring business, Homework Hookup, which had so many beautiful milestones in 2025, I honestly don’t know where to start…
Actually, I lied—I do know exactly where to begin.
On June 3, 2025, my business turned six years old 😭.
That’s six years of building something that has become so near and dear to me.
And listen—many businesses don’t make it this far. According to statistics, about 21% of businesses fail in their first year. That number jumps to nearly 50% by year five.
So the fact that I’ve made it to year six? It’s not just a statement—it’s an anomaly.
My First Scholarship 🫶🏾
In August, I did something I’ve always dreamed of doing…
I awarded my very first scholarship.
My vision for Homework Hookup was always about more than just tutoring—I wanted to empower students, uplift families, and give back in meaningful ways.
So creating the Future Achievers Scholarship was a huge moment for me. And I couldn’t have picked a better first recipient: a student I’ve worked with for years who shows excellence and potential both in and outside of school.
A very proud moment, indeed. 🙏🏾
I also grew the business in 2025 by working with 14 new families! Each student came with their own challenges, but together, we overcame them.
I’m so grateful for every single family God brought into my life.
“
Six years of building something that has become so near and dear to me…
And lastly—something small but meaningful…
I finally found my groove on social media.
Posting regularly on Instagram and Facebook always felt like a chore. But as I connected with more entrepreneurs throughout the year, they all told me the same thing:
Social media isn’t optional if you want to grow.
So I gave it another shot. But this time, I decided to show up authentically.
Me Having Fun with AI 🤣
At first, I wasn’t sure what that even meant for a tutoring brand. But I thought about what I truly love: solving problems and walking people through them.
So I started posting solutions to viral math problems I saw online. And since I also love funny videos and music, I incorporated that too.
Within a few days, I saw a big shift in engagement. One of my videos even got 10K views and around 150 likes—something I’d never seen before lol. I was ecstatic.
I finally found my niche—and it’s something I actually enjoy.
Overall, Homework Hookup had some amazing wins in 2025—and I’m so blessed to be able to share them with you.
My Place. My People. My Peace
This year, as you can imagine, I experienced a lot of firsts in my new apartment.
My first laundry day (I’ve never had an in-unit washer and dryer before—this alone made the move worth it 😭). My first Halloween handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters in my community—literally a core memory. My first real workday in my actual office space, which felt amazing.
But what probably takes the cake? I decided to throw my first-ever housewarming party.
I hosted it a few weeks before Thanksgiving, so I turned it into a Friendsgiving—inviting my best friends in the whole world.
I had never done anything like this before. I’m not usually the type to throw a party for myself. But something told me this was the time.
After leaving my trauma-filled studio, finally finding a new home, and furnishing it piece by piece—it only felt right to celebrate with the people who supported me through it all.
I even made formal invitations 🥹 because I wanted it to feel special. I was nervous that day—things weren’t going as planned, and a few things went wrong—but all of that faded the moment my friends started arriving.
My Housewarming Invitation 🥹
The food was catered mostly by my mom, with traditional Nigerian dishes, and some of my friends also brought food to share.
We spent the night eating incredible food, playing games, and laughing until our stomachs hurt.
At one point, I even took turns telling the group how I met each friend. It turned into a hilarious trip down memory lane—exposing a few embarrassing (but funny) truths.
And before the night ended, I gave a short speech to thank everyone. I thanked them for loving me, for showing up, and for always being there. I thanked God for bringing each of them into my life.
The night was special for so many reasons, but here’s one I want to share with you:
Every single person at that Friendsgiving was also at the surprise birthday party Sunny threw for me years ago (minus Sunny, of course).
And the one thing they all said that stuck with me?
“The energy this time was completely different.”
That’s when it hit me.
This night went so well—and will always be a core memory—because every person in that room loved me. They supported me. They were meant to be there.
And I have to say this with my whole chest: My Friendsgiving was one of the best days of my life.
And I cannot wait to do it again.
“
Every person in that room… They were meant to be there.
The Common Denominator
The last six months have been… a season of breakthrough, to say the least.
If you had told me at the beginning of the year that I’d be living in a new home, celebrating a successful business, and throwing my first-ever Friendsgiving, I probably would’ve laughed it off.
But now—seeing how much my life has changed in such a short amount of time—it’s not only exciting… it’s inspiring.
If you were to ask me, “Rich, what was the catalyst for all these amazing things happening in your life?” My answer would be simple: God.
The common denominator in everything that happened is that I brought each situation to Him—and I listened when He spoke.
It was God who told me it was time to find a new home—so I followed.
It was God who told me, “Deactivate your personal social media and focus on your business”—so I did.
It was God who removed Smiley from my life so I could focus on Him in this season of singleness—so I leaned in.
It was God who opened the doors for my business to grow and hit major milestones.
It was God who put the idea in my heart to celebrate what He’s done in my life with the people I love most.
I can’t say it any clearer: It was God, bro. 😭🙌🏾
And I want to make sure He gets all the glory for what happened in these last six months.
To be honest, this has been the best year I’ve had in a long time—and I’m beyond thankful I could share it with you.
I listened when He spoke.
Now that 2025 is over, I have to say… I’m so excited to see what’s in store for 2026.
And one thing’s for certain: I’m going to do my best to make sure this newsletter makes it to my 2026 Wrapped 😂.
It means so much to have you here with me, and I truly want to grow this connection in the year ahead.
Thank you for listening to me all last year. Thank you for walking with me through all the ups and downs. I pray you’ll stay with me in 2026, too. 💛
And just remember one thing going into 2026… God is Good…. All the Time
Now, Let’s Talk About You
Now, can I ask you for a favor?
You just read some of my highlights from the past six months—but I’d love the chance to hear about your life, too.
I truly pray you have some incredible things to share with me about 2025. But if it’s hard to think of something big or amazing, that’s okay. Share something that went okay. Or something that was a little better than okay.
I just want to hear from you.
And if you’re feeling courageous, I’d love for you to share it right here.
Take care and talk to you soon Rich Your Big Brother
Thank you Reader for reading this. The fact that you care enough to listen to what I have to say means so much. The world is a pretty difficult place sometimes, and our mental health can make all the difference. Please know that as long as you will allow me, I am here with you.
