The drive to live his life to the fullest and to help others do the same has propelled Olusegun “Sheg” Aranmolate to pursue a wide-range of experiences with passion and zeal. While Sheg is familiar to many from his appearance on the reality show Oprah’s Big Give, this multi-faceted Nigerian brother is also an entrepreneur, a molecular biologist, a philanthropist, a model, a father – and now, a writer. His book iActuate: 100 Days of Inspiration, Volume One, is a motivational tool which he wrote to help the reader set goals and advance towards mental, physical, emotional and spiritual growth. Sheg tells Jamati that iActuate is the product of his desire to inspire readers to reach for their full potential so that they will feel empowered to inspire others. “I tried to write something that has substance but is simple and effective. I really hope that people can find inspiration in themselves and go on to inspire other people.”

Like many Africans, Sheg came to the United States to pursue his education, arriving alone at the age of eighteen to attend the University of Maryland. While living alone in a foreign country could have been a recipe for disaster for a less focused teenager, Sheg credits a great support system at the University of Maryland and his strong family values for keeping him grounded. “I’ve always been adventurous and wanted to try something new. I was young and naïve but I had a strong background and great values from my parents. I knew I was coming to the States with my values and morals and my drive and ambition to make something of myself.” His tenacity paid off, and he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with a minor degree in Psychology. Continuing the push towards academic excellence, he went on to earn a Master’s degree in Applied Molecular Biology. He now works as a Medical Researcher at Vanderbilt University, and discusses his research on staph infections with as much excitement as he discusses being on television. He says of his efforts to help find a cure for this highly contagious disease, “I’m excited about it. Staph kills more people in the US than AIDS. It’s a bad thing that’s been around for ages. Hopefully the research we’re doing can lead to a breakthrough.”

Given his background, it’s not surprising that this future doctor has a passion for making a difference in peoples’ lives. His aspiration to become a doctor came from watching his father, a renowned physician, change lives by performing plastic surgery to correct debilitating deformities. Sheg says of his desire to follow in his father’s footsteps, “Nigeria is a contradiction of extreme wealth and extreme poverty. I’ve always wondered about the disparity. I watched my father transform people’s lives and saw that doctors really do make a difference. I’m very strong and positive and that’s a way to make a real difference in people’s lives.” The belief that everyone can make a difference led him to be on Oprah’s Big Give. “The Big Give was a great opportunity for me to really make a difference and break some negative stereotypes of Africans.” While the program allowed Sheg to showcase his commitment to giving, it was not the beginning of his service to others. In addition to his work as a mentor to high school students, Sheg and his father are the founders of The Aranmolate Foundation for Deformed Children, through which his father has performed over one-hundred pro bono surgeries in Nigeria.

Sheg’s abundance of intellect is very pleasingly contained in a striking outer package that has allowed him to pursue a career as a model. Sheg modestly says of his modeling, “I never really thought about modeling. Growing up, I was never told that I could be a model. But as I got older and went through a metamorphosis people suggested it. I wanted to change the stereotypes of what people think being a model is.”

Changing perceptions is also one of the goals behind iActuate. “The book is my response to The Big Give, in a strange way. I had the misperception that the US is the land of opportunity and that anyone can make it. But I realize that so many people in the US are in need of inspirational and motivational help. The book is an answer to questions people asked me about what inspires me, in the hopes that they can be inspired too.” Sheg’s own biggest inspiration is his family, particularly his two-year old daughter. “My greatest inspiration has been my daughter, just knowing that I have to develop to meet her expectations.”

Sheg’s successes in so many different areas spring from his refusal to be limited or put in a box. He says, “We’re accomplished beings and we can’t just let one aspect of our lives consume us. It’s good to be multi-dimensional. Nowadays people stress conformity. I want to change that mentality.” His book iActuate: 100 Days of Inspiration, Volume One, provides the reader with the tools to break out of their limitations and live inspired lives.

For more about Sheg and iActuate: 100 days of Inspiration, Volume One, visit www.iactuate.com  or purchase his book here.