The Founder Who Lost 4 Investors Because She Was Pregnant

_{That’s how Simisola Williams, founder & CEO of Beyond Fitness, describes the movement she’s built.}

_{Before Beyond Fitness, Simi was in the corporate finance industry with almost a decade of experience in the UK—chasing deals, closing contracts, and fighting for balance.}

_{Why the transition, you might ask? She had a gym session in Lagos where the coach was literally eating shawarma while teaching class.}

_{That experience created a mission: to create a space where people could build community and get a great workout at the same time}

_{And that’s how Beyond Fitness was born—where she’s merging her deep investment experience with her passion for wellness and technology, driving transformative change in one of Africa’s most undeserved industries.}

_{In this conversation, Simi shares what it takes to leave a safe career and protect your joy as a founder, we talk about how her husband helped her through the hardest moments, what it means to lose—and then find—yourself again, and how she’s redefining success beyond the grind.}

_{But the road wasn’t smooth. Simi was hospitalized from burnout at 26, turned down by investors because she was pregnant, battled postnatal depression, and still raised $1 million to build one of Nigeria’s most ambitious wellness brands.}

What You'll Discover:

• The Mirage of Success – Why chasing the picture-perfect dream can quietly break you.

• The 26-Year Wake-Up Call – How a hospital bed forced her to redefine achievement.

• Losing Movement, Losing Self - What happens when your therapy becomes your pressure.

• Marriage & Mission - The real cost (and grace) of building alongside your partner.

• The Shawarma Catalyst - How one chaotic Lagos gym class sparked a million-dollar idea.

• Pregnant & Pitching - The bias she faced and the faith that kept her building.

• The Bamboo Season - Why slow growth doesn’t mean stagnation, but preparation.

• Beyond Fitness - How caring deeply became her unfair advantage in business.

• Lagos Lessons - Boundaries, empathy, and excellence in a city that tests it all.

• Control Is an Illusion -The ultimate Lagos and life lesson that changed everything.

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_{As one of the few Black women to rise through investment banking and private equity, Simi knows pressure. But what she’s building now? Peace. Community. A feeling of belonging.}

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Warmly,
Chika & Eche
Co-Hosts, Afropolitan Podcast