Media personality, actress, and entrepreneur Toke Makinwa has bared her soul in a poignant social media post, revealing how embracing motherhood at 40 is not just a blessing but a profound catalyst for healing deep-seated wounds from her past. The 40-year-old star, who welcomed her first child—a daughter named Yakira Eliana—in August after two failed IVF attempts, described the journey as a divine unraveling of suppressed grief and childhood trauma that she once believed she’d buried forever.
In an emotional Instagram reflection shared on Sunday, Makinwa delved into the transformative magic of raising her newborn, writing, “My daughter has brought me healing… Raising her is helping me confront and overcome the childhood trauma and grief I thought I had long suppressed.” She recounted the tragic loss of both her biological parents in a devastating fire accident during her early years—a pain that has shadowed her resilience and fueled her unapologetic pursuit of joy and success. “This little one is mending the broken heart I’ve carried since I was 8,” Makinwa added, her words laced with vulnerability as she shared tender photos of herself cradling Yakira, their eyes locked in a gaze of unspoken understanding.
Makinwa’s revelation comes on the heels of celebrating her daughter’s one-month milestone just days ago, a quiet triumph after years of public battles with heartbreak—from her high-profile 2016 divorce from fitness entrepreneur Maje Ayida amid infidelity allegations, to the societal pressures of delayed motherhood. In her memoir On Becoming, she chronicled the raw ache of those chapters, but now, she frames Yakira as the ultimate redemption: “She is the greatest reflection of God’s grace… My healed pain will break someone else’s chain.” The post, which has already surpassed 200,000 likes and thousands of shares, has struck a chord with fans navigating their own paths to healing, with comments pouring in: “Auntie Toke, your story is giving me strength to keep pushing through my grief,” one follower wrote, while another added, “Motherhood as therapy? This is the real glow-up we needed. ❤️”
The Lagos-based icon, whose career spans radio hosting, beauty empire-building with House of Tara, and on-screen roles in films like The Smart Money Woman, has long been a beacon for women redefining timelines. Entering 2025 with a “prophetic declaration” for motherhood, she shielded much of her pregnancy from the spotlight to savor the “pure, unfiltered experience,” emerging only to announce the arrival of Yakira as “the biggest project of my life and the highest calling ever.” In recent interviews, Makinwa has advocated for egg freezing for women over 35, urging, “There’s no expiry date on your dreams—God is the author of time.” Her story echoes a growing narrative of “later-in-life” motherhood, blending faith, therapy, and fierce independence.
As Makinwa navigates this “ecstatic, nervous, anxious” new chapter—balancing feedings with her unyielding empire—she’s inspiring a wave of conversations on mental health and generational healing. “Vulnerability showed me that by sharing my story, I could break chains of shame for others,” she reflected in a recent chat, a mantra that’s now rippling through her community of over 5 million followers.
Toke’s testimony arrives amid a year of milestones for Nigerian women in the spotlight, reminding us that true transformation often blooms from the soil of pain. With Yakira’s big eyes already “drowning” her in love, Makinwa quips, “My season is here”—and it’s one worth watching.