Mentorship · Guidance · Growth · Purpose

Guidance for life's important journeys.

Marriage. Academia. Career. Purpose.

Drawing from decades of experience in marriage, academia, professional life and mentorship, SMO Mentors provides thoughtful guidance for people navigating important seasons of life.

Professor Simisola Mercy OdeyinkaProfessor Simisola Mercy Odeyinka
Founder, SMO Mentors
Professor Simisola Mercy Odeyinka in a purple jacket

01 — A personal legacy

A lifetime of experience. A heart for impact.

Professor Simisola Mercy Odeyinka is an accomplished academic, researcher and leader. A Professor at Obafemi Awolowo University for over three decades, she holds a First-Class degree in Agriculture — the first woman to achieve this distinction in the Faculty — and a PhD in Animal Science earned in 1990.

Beyond her academic career, she is a pastor, mentor and motivational speaker committed to nurturing the next generation of scholars, especially women. SMO Mentors is an invitation to share that perspective with others.

Read My Story

Grounded in experience

90Peer-reviewed publications
35Years at OAU, Ile-Ife
2Terms on OAU Governing Council
4+International fellowships

Historic firsts

A career of quiet barrier-breaking.

Full career highlights

02 — Areas of mentorship

Perspective for the season you are in.

01

Marriage & Relationships

Thoughtful mentorship and guidance for individuals and couples navigating marriage, relationships and important relational decisions.

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02

Academic & Career Growth

Experience-informed mentorship for students, academics and professionals seeking direction, development and meaningful progression.

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03

Women, Life & Purpose

Encouragement for women navigating career, family, leadership and the different seasons of life.

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04

Faith & Spiritual Life

Prayerful counsel for those seeking God's direction, navigating spiritual growth, or integrating faith with the important seasons and decisions of life.

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Professor Simisola Odeyinka — faith and spiritual guidance

Faith, prayer & spiritual mentorship

Anchored in faith.
Guided by the Spirit.

Beyond her academic and professional life, Professor Odeyinka is a pastor and prayer partner — and for many people she has mentored, this dimension has been the most transformative of all.

She offers prayerful counsel to those navigating spiritual decisions, seasons of uncertainty, or a sincere desire to align their lives more closely with their faith. Her approach is gentle and unhurried: she listens, she prays, and she speaks with the confidence of someone who has walked with God through many chapters.

Whether standing with a family through a difficult transition, speaking an encouraging word to someone who has lost their way, or guiding a young person through a major life decision, her spiritual presence has been described by those she serves as steady, trustworthy and full of grace.

Seek spiritual guidance

03 — The SMO approach

Listen. Understand.
Guide. Empower.

Listen

Every person's story is different.

Understand

Meaningful mentorship begins with understanding the person and their circumstances.

Guide

Experience can provide perspective when the path is unclear.

Empower

The goal is to help people gain clarity and confidence as they make their own decisions.

04 — The founder's story

Experience becomes meaningful when it is shared.

Professor Odeyinka has built a life of scholarship, leadership, service and faith. Her work in Animal Science and Ruminant Nutrition has connected research with sustainability, food security and the empowerment of rural women — including the Moringa project, which transformed livelihoods in rural communities around OAU.

As the first and only female Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Obafemi Awolowo University, she led with practical vision — raising funds, constructing livestock facilities.

As Director of the Centre for Gender and Social Policy Studies, she championed institutional change: leading an anti-sexual harassment policy, organising OAU's first international gender conference in two decades, and launching a postgraduate programme in Gender Studies and Development.

She brings the same humility, warmth and tenacity to every mentorship conversation.

Professor Simisola Mercy Odeyinka in worship

05 — Impact

“
Mentorship is the generous act of making your experience available to someone who is finding their way.
View testimonials

International recognition

CommonwealthPostdoctoral Fellowship · UK
BorlaugNorman Borlaug Fellowship · USA
NetherlandsNetherlands Fellowship Programme
SIDASwedish Int'l Development Cooperation

06 — For this season

Perhaps this season of life is asking for perspective.

07 — How it begins

Start with a conversation.

01

Reach out

Share what you are seeking guidance about through a short contact form or by booking a time directly.

02

Initial conversation

Have a free conversation to understand your situation and determine fit.

03

Next steps

If appropriate, discuss the most suitable form of ongoing mentorship.

A thoughtful first step

Let's begin a conversation.

You don't have to navigate every season of life alone.

Book a Consultation Send a Message

09 — Contact

Share what you are carrying.

Every meaningful journey begins with an honest conversation. There is no payment required to reach out.