meet the founder
I AM DR YETUNDE OLAGBUJI, AN ADOLESCENT HEALTH EXPERT
Public Health Physician | Adolescent Health Expert | Author | Speaker | Mentor | Youth Development Advocate
I am an Author, Motivational Speaker, Counsellor and Coach. I am passionate to ensure that children between the ages of 10 to 24 years impact their world positively by being agents of change.
With nearly two decades of professional experience spanning clinical medicine, public health leadership, adolescent development, policy, mentoring, and community transformation, she has devoted her life to building healthier futures for young people, especially those navigating the vulnerable but defining years between ages 10 and 24.
She is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians (FWACP), holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of Liverpool, and is currently pursuing her PhD at Lancaster University, where her research focuses on Adolescent Health, with particular interest in the implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in South-Western Nigeria. She also holds a certificate in Adolescent Psychology, further strengthening her work at the intersection of health, behaviour, development, and life outcomes.
Professionally, Dr. Yetunde has served in several strategic health leadership roles and has spent over a decade in health systems strengthening and public health administration. She served for ten years as the Pioneer Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at the Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (OSPHCDA), where she contributed significantly to planning, monitoring, evidence generation, and policy implementation in the health sector. She also lectures as an Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Public Health, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo City, where she contributes to the training and development of future public health professionals.
But beyond her impressive credentials, Dr. Yetunde is, at heart, a builder of people.
My Story
Dr. Yetunde’s passion for adolescent and young people’s health was not born in a boardroom — it began with a painful real-life experience as an undergraduate student at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
In her first year at the university, a colleague became pregnant due to a lack of access to accurate sexuality education and the absence of critical life-building skills. The consequences were devastating. She was abandoned by her parents after childbirth, stigmatized by peers, and emotionally and academically derailed.
For Dr. Yetunde, that moment became a turning point.
She saw, firsthand, how preventable gaps in knowledge, guidance, and support could alter the trajectory of a young person’s life. That experience stirred a deep conviction within her — one that would shape her life’s work: to ensure that adolescents and young people are empowered with the right knowledge, values, life skills, and support systems to thrive and fulfil their God-given potential.
And she has been living out that conviction ever since.
After then, I have consistently committed my talent, skills, finance, and other resources to community development activities, coaching, and mentoring to build adolescents and young people for purposeful impact. In 2017, I established a non-governmental organization named Youth Health and Life Skills Development Initiative (YHLDI) for the sole purpose of reaching out to this target group to reposition them as future leaders in all the fields of their choice. I anchored and sponsored a weekly radio program tagged “Time out with Dr Yetty” for six months to equip young people with the requisite knowledge to lead productive lives. I have donated about 300 copies of my books to young people in secondary schools. I have organized various sensitization programs for adolescents and young people in schools, and maintained a rich web presence to educate and train my target audience consistently.
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, I productively engaged about 400 young people in weekly highly impactful webinars on the WhatsApp platform. The YHLDI organization has reached out to over 5,000 adolescents and young people. I have received testimonials from young people who have been better guided to make informed decisions about their lives because of the organization’s intervention. I have been serving as the National Treasurer of the Society for Adolescents and Young People’s Health in Nigeria from 2018 till date. I am also a member of the International Association on Adolescent Health (IAAH).
A Lifelong Commitment to Young People
Dr. Yetunde formally began her journey of youth-focused community impact in 2006, during her mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria, where she volunteered as a Peer Education Trainer (PET) under a project organized by UNICEF in collaboration with the NYSC leadership.
During that season, she actively engaged adolescents and young people in schools and communities on issues related to:
- Comprehensive Sexuality Education
- HIV/AIDS prevention
- Healthy decision-making
- Life skills development
- Positive behaviour change
In partnership with other corps members, she helped organize community HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, aired health messages on local television, and facilitated the erection of public awareness billboards in strategic locations within the community. She also personally sponsored the tuition of two underprivileged adolescents, reflecting her belief that impact must go beyond words into action.
That was only the beginning.
Since then, Dr. Yetunde has consistently invested her time, resources, expertise, voice, and influence into helping adolescents and young adults become emotionally healthy, morally grounded, intellectually equipped, and socially responsible.
Championing Adolescents Through Vision and Action
In 2017, Dr. Yetunde founded the Youth Health and Life Skills Development Initiative (YHLDI), a non-governmental organization established to equip adolescents and young people with the tools they need to thrive and become future leaders in their chosen fields.
Through YHLDI, she has led and supported several transformational initiatives, including:
- School-based adolescent sensitization programs
- Community development and mentorship interventions
- Youth leadership and life skills education
- Health promotion and preventive education campaigns
- Online learning and empowerment sessions
- Book donation and youth development outreach
One of her notable outreach initiatives was a weekly radio program titled “Time Out with Dr Yetty,” through which she educated and inspired young people on personal growth, healthy living, and purposeful choices.
She has also donated hundreds of copies of her books to adolescents and young people in schools, helping to nurture self-awareness, resilience, and intentional living among young readers.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, while many young people struggled with uncertainty, fear, and disconnection, Dr. Yetunde created a virtual space for hope, growth, and learning. She hosted highly impactful weekly WhatsApp webinars, engaging approximately 400 young people and helping them remain productive, focused, and inspired during a difficult global season.
Through her work and platforms, she has directly and indirectly reached over 10,000 adolescents and young people, with many sharing powerful testimonies of how her guidance helped them make informed, life-changing decisions.
Leadership, Influence, and Global RelevanceLeadership, Influence, and Global Relevance
Dr. Yetunde is not only active at the grassroots, she is also deeply engaged in leadership and professional platforms that shape adolescent health and public health discourse in Nigeria and beyond.
She is:
- Founder and Executive Director of the Yetunde Olagbuji Youth Empowerment Seed Foundation (YOYES Foundation), established to support and empower adolescents who are out of school due to poverty
- Founder of the Becoming Empowerment Leadership Program, a transformational platform focused on equipping young people for leadership, purpose, and personal development
- Served as National Treasurer of the Society for Adolescents and Young People’s Health in Nigeria (SAYPHIN) for seven years and she is now the Vice President II.
- A member of the International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH)
- A Fellow of the International Program on Public Health Leadership, University of Washington (sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
- A Fellow of the Kofi Annan Global Health Leadership Fellowship, Africa CDC
- A Fellow of the WomenLift Health Leadership Program
Her work sits at the intersection of health, leadership, education, policy, empowerment, and social impact, making her voice highly relevant in today’s conversations about youth development, gender, health equity, and nation-building.
Author, Thought Leader, and Voice of Transformation
Dr. Yetunde is also a passionate writer and thought leader who believes in the power of words to transform lives.
She is the author of several impactful books, including:
- Guide to Achieving a Successful Female Adolescence
- Evolving Giants: Exploring the Quiescent Potential of Adolescents
- Overcoming Depression
- Dear Parents: A Supreme Guide to Raising 21st Century Adolescents and its workbook
- Mentorship Blueprint for Adolescents : A step to step guide for mentors
Through her books, speaking engagements, media presence, mentorship programs, and digital platforms, she continues to shape conversations around:
- Parenting and family systems
- Adolescent health and development
- Leadership and personal growth
- Emotional wellbeing
- Faith, values, and purposeful living
- Youth empowerment and resilience
She is deeply committed to helping both young people and the adults who influence them — parents, teachers, mentors, counsellors, faith leaders, and policymakers understand what it truly takes to raise a generation that can thrive in the 21st century.
What She Believes
At the core of Dr. Yetunde’s work is a simple but powerful belief:
Every adolescent carries dormant greatness and with the right guidance, support, values, and opportunities, that greatness can be awakened for positive societal impact.
This belief fuels her commitment to mentoring, teaching, writing, speaking, and building systems that help young people become:
- Purpose-driven
- Emotionally intelligent
- Spiritually grounded
- Health-conscious
- Socially responsible
- Future-ready leaders
Beyond the Professional Titles
Beyond the many accolades and professional achievements, Dr. Yetunde is a woman of faith, compassion, vision, and family values.
She is happily married to Dr. Biodun Olagbuji, an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and Advanced Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, and they are blessed with two beautiful children.
She is deeply committed to living a life of purposeful service, and her journey continues to inspire many across sectors and generations.
Why People Connect With Her
People are drawn to Dr. Yetunde not only because of her expertise, but because of her authenticity, warmth, clarity, passion, and unwavering commitment to raising people and transforming lives.
Whether through a keynote speech, mentorship session, training, coaching conversation, webinar, book, or community initiative, she brings a rare blend of:
- Professional depth
- Practical wisdom
- Compassionate insight
- Transformational leadership
Connect, Learn, Grow
If you are passionate about:
- Raising emotionally healthy and purpose-driven young people
- Adolescent health and development
- Leadership and mentorship
- Parenting in the 21st century
- Youth empowerment and social impact
…then you are in the right place.