The Act of Service with Bukky Okunade

What happens when service stops being something you do and becomes who you are?

For Bukky Okunade, leadership coach, community mediation practitioner, and author of The Act of Service: Your Guide to Public Roles and Becoming Influential in the UK, service is not just a duty but a way of life.

With over 16 years as a UK councillor, Bukky has been at the forefront of community engagement, listening to people’s concerns and shaping policies that matter. Today, through her platform Find Afresh, she continues to empower women over 50 to rediscover their voice, embrace leadership, and live with renewed purpose.

But beyond titles and achievements lies a simple truth: Bukky’s life is anchored in gratitude and service. In a recent conversation, she opened up about the blessings that ground her and the philosophy that guides her every step.

A Life Rooted in Gratitude

When asked to share five things she is grateful for, Bukky’s first response was immediate: faith.

“Well, firstly, I’m thankful that we have a God,” she said warmly. “Because, you know, feeling that there’s Almighty there, there’s no worry. And in life, I thank God for everything that we are able to feed,  to breathe the air freely… because some people do not have that privilege.”

For Bukky, gratitude is never abstract. It shows up in everyday realities food, freedom, health, and family. She considers the simple act of choosing what to eat without restriction a blessing that should never be taken for granted. Even the weather, whether hot or cold, is something she welcomes with thanksgiving.

“If you want me to keep talking, I will not stop,” she laughed. “Because when you look at the environment, you look at your family, you look at people around you, you look at the sort of things that’s happening to people, and then you say, ‘Oh God, thank You that I am alive, thank You for protection, thank You for your mercy, thank You for your grace.’ All things work together for our good. So I thank God. Praise God.”

It’s a perspective that not only fuels her outlook on life but also forms the foundation of her philosophy of service.

What Service Really Means

The title of Bukky’s book, The Act of Service, naturally led to a deeper question: what does that phrase mean to her personally? Her response revealed the depth of her conviction.

“With me, because if you get to read my book, The Act of Service is not just one thing,” she explained. “It is… the sort of act of service you do within your family, with your community, your church. For me, because I’m a woman of faith, as you know, and as you are as well, again service in a way… because if you remember Jesus Christ, he’s a servant leader himself. You emulate Jesus. And so the service is the fact that you have to serve people around you. You don’t wait to be served.”

For Bukky, service is not confined to formal roles or public platforms. It begins at home, extends to the community, and is woven into every act of kindness and responsibility. It is about embodying the model of Jesus choosing humility, prioritising others, and leading through love.

Her faith has made this more than theory. “Service,” she continued, “is the fact that you have to serve people around you. You don’t wait to be served.”

From Community to Leadership

This commitment to serving others eventually drew Bukky into politics. What began as personal acts of service supporting neighbours, contributing in church, helping her local community grew into a larger calling.

“It was… an opportunity to serve on a larger platform,” she recalled. Becoming a councillor allowed her to take what she believed and live it out in decisions that impacted people’s lives on a broader scale.

Her journey shows that leadership, at its best, is an extension of service. For Bukky, titles and positions only matter if they amplify one’s ability to serve. The essence is never about being elevated above others, but about coming alongside them with humility.

Service as a Lifestyle

The most striking thing about Bukky Okunade is not her résumé or her book, but the way she embodies her message. Service, for her, is not a seasonal act but a lifestyle. It is the thread that runs through her family life, her community involvement, her faith, and her leadership.

Her gratitude gives her strength, her faith shapes her vision, and her leadership is expressed through consistent acts of service. It’s a rhythm that makes her influence authentic and lasting.

Her reflections challenge us to see service not as a task we pick up when convenient, but as a way of life that shapes how we show up for others whether in small acts of kindness or in positions of authority.

And in a world that often celebrates self-interest, Bukky’s reminder is both timely and timeless: “All things work together for our good. So I thank God. Praise God.”

Get Involved

At HeartSongLive Radio, we’re committed to sharing stories that inspire, uplift, and empower. If Bukky Okunade’s reflections on faith, service, and leadership have resonated with you, we’d love to hear your thoughts or connect further.

Email us at info@heartsonglive.co.uk to share your feedback, collaborate, or find out more about how you can be part of the HeartSongLive community.

“Adapted by Praise Afolabi based on an interview by Eloho Efemuai, host of Arise with Eloho”