Award-Winning Author & Travel Photographer; Founder of Geotraveler Media; National Geographic Contributor; Author of "Lagom"
Lola Akinmade Åkerström Biography
Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a Nigerian-born, Stockholm-based author, travel photographer, and visual storyteller whose work spans more than 80 countries. Akinmade Åkerström worked for 12 years as a GIS developer before transitioning to professional photography and storytelling. Her work centers on culture, tradition, and lifestyle, with writing described as raw, real, and transparent, and photography characterized by contrast, joy, and hope.
Akinmade Åkerström's photography and writing have appeared in National Geographic, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, Travel + Leisure, New York Times, Slate, Travel Channel, Adventure.com Magazine, The Sunday Times, AFAR, Lonely Planet, and Fodor's. Her photography is part of the National Geographic Image Collection, and she is a member of Women Photograph and Wonderful Machine. She owns and operates Geotraveler Media, a multimedia and travel consulting agency that offers a range of travel media services, including an online academy. Akinmade Åkerström also serves as editor-in-chief of Slow Travel Stockholm, an editorial site encouraging travelers to explore Stockholm in depth and at a slower pace.
Her literary work includes travel writing, lifestyle, and fiction. Akinmade Åkerström is the author of the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel book "Due North," the international bestseller "Lagom: Swedish Secret of Living Well," and the novel "In Every Mirror She's Black." "In Every Mirror She's Black" has been recognized as a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, Apple Editors' Pick, Amazon Editors' Pick, and was shortlisted for the Bad Form Review Book of the Year. Her follow-up novel, "Everything Is Not Enough," is an NAACP Image Award nominee for Outstanding Literature and has been selected as a Jennette McCurdy Book Club Pick, as well as an Editors' Pick by Washington Post, Sunday Times, and Amazon.
Akinmade Åkerström's accolades span both photography and writing. She has been featured on Condé Nast Traveler Women Who Travel Power List, named among the Most Influential Women in Travel by Travel Pulse, and recognized as a Hasselblad Heroine. She has received the MIPAD 100 Award within media and culture and the Newsweek Future of Travel Award in Storytelling. Her work has earned multiple awards and nominations, including a Pushcart Prize nomination.
In addition to her creative pursuits, Akinmade Åkerström is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of storytellers. Through her online Geotraveler Media Academy, she focuses on visual storytelling and supporting emerging travel storytellers. Her commitment to increasing the visibility of Black women in travel photography has established her as a leader in the field. As a keynote speaker, Akinmade Åkerström shares her experiences and insights at major industry events, offering perspectives on travel, storytelling, and entrepreneurship.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Lola Akinmade Åkerström and other top speakers and celebrities.
Lola Akinmade Åkerström Speaking Topics
-
The power of asking “Why not?”
Society loves to put us all in neat cultural boxes that often don't overlap seamlessly. When they do overlap, it sometimes feels like two continental plates colliding and seething. The idea I want to spread through my talk is for our creative lives to be metaphorical representations of the rhetorical question • "Why not?".
When society tries to stuff us into specific boxes and tell us we can't play in certain sandboxes creatively, this should be the question we subconsciously demand an answer to, while living passionate lives that don't actually wait for the answer.
This inspirational keynote will provide key takeaways when we consciously and subconsciously ask "why not?" through our words and actions.
-
Finding Your Extraordinary Voice
So, the word “extraordinary”, how do we define it? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines extraordinary as "going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary." The Oxford Dictionary defines extraordinary as "very unusual or remarkable". The usual, The regular, The customary, are all that society has collectively placed value on physically and culturally.
"The messages we get as women in society is that we are not extraordinary"• Yomi Abiola
The work we do is ordinary, and sometimes unnamed. The contributions we make are undervalued. We strive to be seen and represented in areas that are traditionally eclipsed by men.
This inspirational keynote presentation, filled with personal anecdotes, visuals and imagery spanning my career as a travel photographer, is broken down into three steps • Discovery, Amplification, and Maturity • and I summarize how these three areas of reflection can help you along that journey to finding your own extraordinary voice.
Lola Akinmade Åkerström Videos
-
How do I book Lola Akinmade Åkerström to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Lola Akinmade Åkerström for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Lola Akinmade Åkerström, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Lola Akinmade Åkerström or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Lola Akinmade Åkerström
Speaking fees for Lola Akinmade Åkerström, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Lola Akinmade Åkerström are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Lola Akinmade Åkerström, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Lola Akinmade Åkerström speak about?
Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Adventure, Animals & Wildlife, Art & Design, Bestselling Authors, Empowerment, Fiction Authors, Fitness, Happiness, Inspirational, Motivational, Non-Fiction Authors, Personal Growth, Photography, Women, Women's Empowerment -
Where does Lola Akinmade Åkerström travel from?
Lola Akinmade Åkerström generally travels from Stockholm, Sweden, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is Lola Akinmade Åkerström’s agent?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Lola Akinmade Åkerström for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Lola Akinmade Åkerström for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Lola Akinmade Åkerström or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The power of asking “Why not?” and Finding Your Extraordinary Voice. The estimated speaking fee range to book Lola Akinmade Åkerström for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Lola Akinmade Åkerström generally travels from Stockholm, Sweden and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Sucheta Rawal, Amelia Rose Earhart, Dr. Tererai Trent, Erin Brockovich and Tala Dowlatshahi. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Lola Akinmade Åkerström for an upcoming live or virtual event.
This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.








