The Power of Manifestation: How I Spoke My Dreams to Reality

 

Large Photo: The Photo on my vision board that I took with Anne on 9th March 2022
Insert Photo: The Two appointment Letters from Stanbic and ESAMI respectively

Oprah Winfrey once said, “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”
I have come to believe this deeply — not just as an abstract idea, but as a living truth I’ve experienced over and over in my own life. I also strongly believe in the power of the tongue and the power of manifestation.

For years, I dreamed of working in Stanbic Bank. Not just anywhere in the bank — and definitely not in the IT department, even though my background was in technology. I wanted to be on the business side, shaping solutions, influencing strategy, and making a real difference for customers.

The problem? I couldn’t see how it could ever happen. It felt like an oxymoron — “techie” but no desire for a traditional tech role in a bank. Still, the dream wouldn’t let me go...

A Vision, A Role Model, and a Bold Step

In March 2022, I flew back to Uganda  from Nigeria where I was working as a consultant to attend a Women’s Day Rotary conference where Anne Juuko, then CEO of Stanbic Bank Uganda, was the keynote speaker. Anne was one of my five role models — alongside Michelle Obama (we even share the same birthday), Oprah Winfrey, Yvonne Chaka Chaka (for her philanthropy), and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

After the event, and with a friend’s nudging, I mustered the courage (despite my social anxiety) to approach her. I introduced myself, told her how much I admired her, and even confessed she was one of my five role models. I also told her I'd work in Stanbic one day (the power of confession). We laughed, took a photo together, and I left that day feeling inspired. That photo went straight to my vision board.

Months later, I saw a posting for a Product Manager role at Flyhub, Stanbic’s fintech subsidiary. I applied, went through three rounds of interviews, and got the role. On 1st November 2022, I joined the Stanbic Group — not in the Bank yet, but closer than ever to my dream.

Manifesting the Next Level

Working in the subsidiary was great, but it wasn’t the same as working in the Bank itself. I began manifesting again — this time with more clarity:

“I want to work in the Bank, in a business role that brings together my two master’s degrees — an MSc in Business Information Systems and an Executive MBA.”

This year, the perfect role appeared: Business Analyst for Personal and Private Banking, doubling as Product Owner. Normally, I’d quietly apply and hope for the best. But thanks to lessons from the Ignite Women’s Mentorship Program at Stanbic that I had graduated from in 2024 — about boldness, purpose, and blooming where you are planted — I reached out directly to the hiring manager.

Two months (and a lot of praying and fasting) later, I received my appointment letter. Two and a half years after joining the Stanbic Group, my dream had come true — working in Stanbic Bank, in a role perfectly aligned with my skills and passions.

Another Dream, Another Journey...

Back in 2019, I joined East and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) for my Executive MBA. My goal was clear: move beyond mainstream tech into business leadership.

One year in, I started itching for a role that would allow me to practice what I was learning. In 2021, I took a short-term consultancy with University of Witwatersrand (South Africa) in partnership the Ministry of ICT in Uganda, which exposed me to academia. The role was Programs Mananger and part of my deliverables was to Operationalise the first National ICT innovation Hub at Nakawa, as well as introduce new short courses at Uganda Institute of Communications technology (UICT) taught by University of Witwatersrand teaching staff. I discovered a passion for teaching; having been asked to teach masterclasses to ICT staff in Gov't agencies after which, I began dreaming of lecturing at ESAMI.

I knew I’d need teaching experience, so I applied — almost on a whim — to Mountains of the Moon University in my hometown (Fort Portal). I wanted to start from my roots and give back to my community first. I figured the students there would benefit from my wealth of knowledge and experience over my 15 year career journey. They were hiring part-time lecturers, and I got the role. I taught for a full academic year before resigning in June this year to focus on my new role at Stanbic.

Three months later, on 7th August 2025, I was offered a position as Adjunct Lecturer at ESAMI — three years after graduating from there and first voicing that dream.

Lessons in Manifestation

Looking back, I see a pattern:

• I dreamed it — with clarity.

• I visualized it — literally putting it on my vision board.

• I took action — even when it scared me (approaching Anne Juuko, reaching out to hiring managers, applying for roles outside my comfort zone).

• I stayed open to detours — Flyhub wasn’t the Bank, Mountains of the Moon university wasn’t ESAMI, but both were stepping stones.

• I prepared myself — learning, networking, gaining relevant experience.

As Oprah also says:

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.”

Your dreams are valid. They might delay. The road there might not be straight. But every step, every detour, every act of courage gets you closer.

I don't want to sound like a motivational speaker, but I truly believe in the power of the tongue so I don't like to be around negative people. But you can literally speak your life into existence. I know because I am living it. I told everyone and anyone who cared to listen how my dream place to work is Stanbic way before I knew it would happen. It eventually happened 13 years into my career. 

I am also a Christian and an avid reader of the Bible and one of my favourite scriptures is:

Habakkuk 2:3 (KJV):

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Today, I work in Stanbic Bank in my dream role. I will also be teaching at ESAMI, the institution I once sat in as a student with a dream. And every time I walk into class or log into a meeting, I’m reminded:

This is the power of manifestation.

Thank You for reading. If This blog spoke to you, please share, like and engage. I am choosing to share these experiences in the hope that they will inspire someone out there, but also remind me that my journey is not a coincidence!

With Love

Diane