Popular Nigerian publisher and founder of Genevieve Magazine, Betty Irabor, has opened up about her personal health struggles from 2015, reflecting on the progress she has made over the past decade.
In a heartfelt post shared on Instagram on Wednesday, Irabor posted a throwback photo from 2015 alongside a recent one taken in the same garden. She revealed that the images marked two very different seasons of her life.
Although she didn’t disclose the exact condition she battled, she described it as one “no one spoke about.” At the time, she silently wondered if the difficult season would ever end.
“A new season doesn’t erase the past – but it does redeem it. This July, I posed for a picture in my sister’s garden before heading off to the Access Bank Polo UK… Suddenly, it hit me: 10 years earlier, I’d posed in that same spot. The narrative was different then,” she wrote.
Irabor explained that in 2015, she had just returned from a health retreat in the UK while also attending New York Fashion Week courtesy of Genevieve Magazine and Virgin Atlantic. Despite the glamorous events, she admitted that healing was not as simple as being told to “go out, it’ll make you feel better.”
Looking back in 2025, she declared that she is now a “different woman who is stronger, freer, whole, and restored.”
Betty Irabor’s 5 Steps to Healing After Trauma
Alongside her reflections, the entrepreneur shared five key lessons she believes can help people move forward after trauma:
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Acknowledge – Be honest about your pain. “You can’t heal from what you won’t name.”
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Choose Community – Don’t walk alone. Safe people remind you that you are more than your trauma.
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Invest in Wholeness – Care for your body, mind, and spirit. Small daily habits create strength.
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Redefine Your Story – Shift from “why me?” to “what now?” and view scars as symbols of strength.
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Walk Boldly – Say yes again. Dream again. Believe that what lies ahead is greater than what was lost.
She encouraged her followers, writing: “If I could step into mine, you can step into yours too.”
Betty Irabor has previously spoken about her mental health battles. In 2022, the columnist revealed that she once attempted to take her own life because she felt “unaccomplished.” Today, however, she continues to use her platform to advocate for healing, wholeness, and mental health awareness.
