Breaking free...

COACH ANGE ESPERO

BEHIND BARRED DREAMS: Breaking Free

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 Acknowledgement

I’ve been able to write this book because I have

a Mike in my life, a great man who pushed me

to do it. Dr. Mike Oladipo, founder of MOGI

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SCHOOL, you are a

great leader and mentor for all of us.

I highly recommend enrolling in the courses at

MOGI GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SCHOOL; it will

shift your life.

I also thank Star Hero Blessing ERENGWA,

who took care of the editing, proofreading,

cover design, and final conversion of this

eBook.
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 Dedication

To all those hustling, trying to make ends

meet, and striving to be someone: this book
is for you.

Mama, this book is for you.

Dear father, my angel, I let the words in this
book witness the impact you made on my
life.

I dedicate this book to all of my friends. I

love you all.
Mr. Orphé Euphrem BAH-KPEVI, I’m not
sure I would have made it without you.
Thanks for everything.

It’s time for you to know what the man is.

To all the leaders at MOGI School.
Enjoy the read.

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 Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ii

DEDICATION iii

INTRODUCTION 1

PRIMARY EDUCATION 5

SECONDARY EDUCATION 11

HIGHER INSTITUTION 32

VISION FOR AFRICA AND BENIN REPUBLIC 52

MY MESSAGE OF HOPE 57

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 1
INTRODUCTION

Family Matters

I was born on January 21st, 2000. That's when

everything began. I was born in Godomey,
Benin, but grew up in Ouidah, a city rich in
history and popular with visitors. This
background is important for understanding
where my story starts.
1
As you read this book, you know me as a coach,

these values from? Let me tell you about my

parents. My mom comes first. People say not to
1
teacher, advisor, and helper. But where did I get

favor one parent over the other, but I disagree.

My mom is my number one. Without her, you
wouldn't be reading this. You'll understand why
as you read further.

My mom's name is Chantal Georgette Sènami

AIKPE. She is a fashion designer who taught me
the meaning of "success." She never graduated
from high school but followed her passion for
creating, designing, and sewing. My father
brought her to Ouidah, where she had me, her
first baby. She teaches young girls and women
who share her passion or want to learn a skill to
survive. There are two types of workers: those
who do it out of necessity and those who follow
their passion. My mom advises and supports
young women, helping them get back on track
during tough times.
She loves my father deeply and always says, "If I
had to chase money, I wouldn’t have said yes to
your father."
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 This statement has stuck with me. Growing up, I
saw how hard she worked and how independent
she was. This has shaped my understanding of the1
type of woman she is. Keep reading, and you'll see
what I mean.

Now, who is the man who won over such a great

woman? That's my father, Justo Grégoire Maurice
de SOUZA, nicknamed "Nice." People often ask if
my father is fully Beninese and if he speaks
American English. The answer is yes, he is
Beninese, and he dealt with Americans and
Canadians in his community. He was bilingual,
speaking both French and English fluently. This
explains why I speak English so well. An
American woman named Roxine also spent time
with me as a kid, but that’s a story for another
book.
My father was a male nurse, often treated like a
physician because of his exceptional skills.
He taught me what "talent" and "being gifted to
accomplish a mission on earth" mean. He saved
many lives, helped people recover, and supported
thousands of sick people who struggled with
health and financial issues.
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 1
He mentored many in his career, teaching them
how to care for patients.

So, if you admire my teaching skills, you're right

—they are a gift I inherited.

Your parents' skills influence you a lot.

Observation is key to learning, so growing up
around those who raise you shapes who you
become. These are two statements to remember if
you're still finding your purpose.

How did I become Coach Ange Espéro? You'll

find the answers to this question as you read this
book. The next chapter is just the beginning.

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 2
PRIMARY EDUCATION

The Little Kid

I started primary school when I was four years
old. They said I was too young but enrolled me
as a special kid. My mother tutored me at home
throughout my first year, and my grades were
the best. I did better than older kids, but I was
never rewarded. Surprise! Buckle up! It’s a long
journey.

What about the other years? My grades dropped

after my mom stopped tutoring me due to her
busy schedule. I wasn't at the top anymore, just
in the top ten but never in the top three. I felt sad
during the reward ceremonies each year.
I used to think those on stage were better and
smarter than me, a belief the education system
instills in kids.
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During my primary school years, when asked

1
what I wanted to be, I always said, "I want to be a
doctor." I was wrong. Later, I realized I said that
because my parents wanted me to become a
doctor. They convinced me early on that it was
my destiny. I wanted to be a gynecologist because
I loved helping women. To me, wearing a white
coat meant helping women.

I attended the most prestigious primary school in

the city, a Catholic school, so I learned to believe
in God and pray early on. I won't say I come from
a poor family because poverty is a mindset. My
parents are valuable. They weren't millionaires,
but my mom did her best to give me what I
needed. In my area, I was seen as the rich kid.
Other kids wanted to hang out with me and play
soccer with me. My mom always gave me gifts for
Christmas, and my dad gave me a soccer ball, not
on Christmas but on other days.

This chapter will help those older than me, who

see me as a wise young boy, understand what
shaped me. Unlike many kids, I saw pain, tears,
and serious illness.
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My father went to jail when I was in second grade
for a medical mistake that caused someone's
death.
He wasn't the one responsible but took the blame
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to protect someone else. In our country, they
don't always check to find the real cause of death.
Some people urged him to flee, but he turned
himself in and was found guilty. My mom spent
all her savings on lawyers to get him bailed out.
After several trials, he spent two years in jail
before being released.

Can you imagine being a kid who only sees his

father once a week in jail? They tried to protect
me, and I only saw him on Sundays with my
mom. My father was a good man, and soon the
authorities gave him responsibilities in jail,
allowing us long visits.

We made friends with the guards and prison

authorities. They even played games with me and
gave me advice. This made me admire them and I
wanted to be in the military. This ambition didn't
last long. When my father was freed, I returned to
my original dream of being a doctor.
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The hardest moment was not seeing my father in

1
jail but seeing him suffer from a serious illness.
The doctors couldn't find anything wrong, despite
running all the necessary tests. My mom spent a
lot of money on his treatment. My grandma was a
great help, staying with my dad when my mom
couldn't. Everyone, even the doctors, lost hope,
but my mom and grandma kept fighting. Thanks
to God, he recovered, but it was a tough time. My
mom taught me to never lose hope.

My mom is a successful woman who went broke

due to various circumstances. Do you think the
challenges stopped there? No, there’s much more
to find out.

As I grew up, I was confused about my career. I

loved music and realized my talent for it in fifth
grade. I wrote a song for a girl I loved, but my
classmates found it and told on me. The teacher
read it to the whole class, making fun of me and
accusing me of copying it from a singer. The girl
knew the song was for her, but she was in love
with someone else. This experience gave me the
confidence that I was meant to sing.
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 I started writing rap songs secretly, even though
my mom disapproved.

This chapter is about to close. I went through a

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lot, but the main point is that I was lost regarding
my ambition.

Pray to God to find the right partner who will

share your life.
You know how much people care about you
only when you’re at your lowest moments.

The more you hang out with some people, the

more you want to be like them.

Never lose hope and never let your

circumstances define you.

Many young people set their dreams based on

what their parents want.

You are the only one who can find your

purpose. Your purpose is what God wants you
to be, not what others want you to be.

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 1
Everything happens for a reason.

Some of you might wish you were born in a

different country, city, or family. It's beyond
you; you were born where you are for a
reason. You can’t change your past, so stop
mourning.

As someone lucky enough to be schooled, let

me remind you that the best moments in your
student life are the ones you had in high
school.

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 3
SECONDARY EDUCATION

As A Great Teenager
In my country, once you’ve got access to
secondary school or high school if I may use the
phrase, something changes about your
personality and the way you are seen. That is the
reason why we would show off in our first days
in 6th grade class. The more the weeks passed,
the more conscious you became to quickly spot
the difference between primary school and high
school.
I’ve been schooled in the most prestigious high
school branded “Collège Catholique Mgr Isidore
de SOUZA”. At that time, for the public opinion,
only rich parents could afford to get their kids
in, all the students from there are then respected
and seen as the ones born with the silver spoon
in their mouth.
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How come mom could make such investment if
she went broke?
After getting out of jail, my father got his part-
time job back at the clinical center where they
take care of people suffering from leprosy.

This is my father’s speciality. Besides that, he also

works as a general practitioner and the center
does not only help the lepers but also people
suffering from other diseases. He was so good at
treating patients; they couldn’t let him down. He
kept working for them and at the same time he
was his own boss while treating the sick outside.
Do you remember the nickname “Nice”? He was
popular under this name in the city for being
talented in medicine. He didn’t need to advertise.
His secret to having a great marketing strategy
was “be the best at what you do, treat well, get
positive outcome” and you will attract more
people, many will come to you because they
would have heard your name, you will be
recommended. He applied that, he was well-
known for doing wonders speaking of health
issues, he was well-known for helping people, he
was well-known for mentoring good young
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doctors and nurses, he was even respected for
always being consulted by the doctors in case of
hard issues.
I had to tell you all of that because I want to
reveal you some mistakes he made, the ones he
made and financially ruined himself.

My father was making a lot of money outside his

workplace. His salary combined, he should have
been in the list of the richest people in the city. He
didn’t and he owned nothing, zero assets and a lot
of liabilities. He doesn’t save, he spends, he gives
a lot, he enjoys life. He had a lot of parasites
around him, they were his friends, they made him
splurge. Neither did he spend on my mom nor
me. He couldn’t even pay the bills, the rent, pay
my school fees.
We would have been needy but for my mom. She
saved the appearances, we’ve always seemed to
be a happy family with a lot of money since my
mom had her own business, worked hard and
decided to play the man’s role.
Some people used to know my father as an
irresponsible man and even thought he would
change after serving his time in prison.
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But he stayed the same man with the same
personal branding “A great doctor, very talented
at healing, very nice towards people, respectful,
giver and helper but irresponsible, womanizer,
careless, gullible.”

Now you easily comprehend when I say my mom

was my number one, she took care of me, made
sure I never lacked anything, I went to the
prestigious school to have great education. She
did all that without having my father invest in.
My father made lots of promises to me and never
kept them.“If you know every single word in this
dictionary, you speak English fluently” my father
said to me pointing out my small bilingual
dictionary. I was in seventh grade, that day I
started to learn every word in it. My father called
my bluff and I had to show him I deserve his
respect.
Am I disappointed in him? By the end of this
chapter you will have had your answers.
In secondary school, I was known to be a
hardworking kid even though sometimes I
misbehaved. All of my teachers loved me
especially the ones who taught English.
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As a bilingual, he always stated “English is very
important to your future.” I memorized the
dictionary in a span of seven days, I put pressure
on me, I spent the major part of my time reading
this dictionary. I was doing that because I was
convinced my future depends on it after hearing
my father.

I did it efficiently and knew so many words that I

could try well to speak English without learning
grammar. I improved my pronunciation through
my interaction with my English teachers, my
father and my Ghanaian friend who was an adult,
I used to spend time with him after class, my
father made it possible and insisted on the fact I
had to be immersed in the language. The more I
spent time in English, the lower my grades in the
other subjects were. I had some contact with
Americans, Canadians, Nigerians and South
Africans to be immersed.
No wonder I was so bad at French and struggled
in it in school, my grades in French were so poor.
I’ve always hated this language and my mom
always told me “you can’t hate the language
which helps you learn the other subjects,
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whatever you want to be you will always need
French even though you do love English.”
In spite of the fact I strove to speak the language,
dad was never satisfied and said that I had not been
fluent enough.

Can you believe that above all I was so good at

speaking English for my age, and even my English
teacher in ninth grade asked me to cover for him
whenever he had to play his role of principal as he
was also our school principal. He gave me the
instructions, the lesson to teach and I had to take
care of that while speaking English, of course. It
was strictly forbidden to speak French in our
English classes.
As soon as I’ve passed grade nine, my father had an
English coach for me, Sir Gildas. His role was to
take my English to the next level, to improve my
productive skills “listening and speaking”. Prior to
that, I started watching only English shows on TV.
My favorite one was “Galaxy TV” as I had a crush
on one of the female journalists who has a
beautiful American accent. The other ones were
Nigerian and I was not really attracted to their
accent but I loved watching Nigerian movies.
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My training with Sir Gildas was both challenging
and fascinating. Once I started making progress,
he encouraged me to join the SEA English Club,
where I met Sir Gerard Richard AGBAYANOU,
who has since become my mentor. It's important
to note that there's a significant difference
between a coach and a mentor. Three individuals
played a crucial role in shaping me into the
English speaker I am today: my father, my role
model; Sir Gildas, my coach; and Sir Gerard
Richard, my mentor. My mentor taught me the
techniques to improve my accent.

As the best English learner in my club, I became

the head of the story and joke section and an
active member of the drama section after just a
few months. I underwent extensive training, often
staying behind with Sir Gildas to practice even
after the club's official hours. This dedication paid
off when I got my first opportunity to perform in
English on stage, followed by many more
performances in front of large crowds, including
dignitaries. I even became a champion in my first
participation in the Hunt Contest, an English
language competition.
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It was not easy, I almost lost at the semi-final
stage when I was competing against a native
English speaker, he is Nigerian. Even my mentor
was afraid for me but I made it till the final stage
and won. I knew I was meant to be a great and
impactful man that day. Why? Because I got my
rewards from the well-known and impactful
leader of Pan-Africanism, Honorat AGUESSY.

The best way to find your purpose is diving into

your story. You see, I started teaching English in
secondary school, I even taught some students
who were my seniors speaking of grade, I was in
ninth grade while teaching some in eleventh and
twelfth grade. Surprising, isn’t it? How come I
knew so much about the language? How come I
was able to teach some grammar points I hadn’t
even been taught yet?
They couldn’t stop wondering, I was super
talented but the truth I worked hard, learning
English was my hobby, I furthered my learning,
that’s why I was able to teach my seniors. I’ve
always loved helping although my parents hated
seeing me going to other students’ houses or
seeing them coming to my house.
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They were just trying to protect against the
opportunists, parasites, evil spirits because we
can all acknowledge: the more you excel, the
more jealous and envious friends you attract. My
parents were fretting over that, they gave me
some examples of how the helpers got destroyed,
in some cases killed by magic through stories.
That never broke me off helping and teaching."
You can’t control your gift; it’s your power; you
can’t swerve it. Nowadays, many people aren’t
happy because they are not doing what they are
created for. I learned so much about life; let me
put this: “It is not worth trying to outwork
someone or being better than someone. It is when
you try to outwork yourself, to improve
yourself.” I was depressed and greatly jealous of
my rival in ninth grade.

No matter how hard I worked, I was always the

top two behind him. He was the best in the class,
and I came second. He couldn’t beat me in
English, but he made sure to beat me in all of the
other subjects. Semester after semester, I tried to
prove to the teachers he was not better than me,
and every time I failed.
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 He was the most admired by everyone. I lost the
battle, and I couldn’t understand why; for me, he
was just better than me, and the only thing I was
better at is English. I started getting depressed.Two
months before the national exam, we had been
invited to the school superintendent’s office in the
presence of some teachers. There were six of us,
the top three in each ninth-grade class.

The school board was sure 100% all of us could be

in the top ten in Benin, so they put us in a special
class and started training us adequately. We got
our exam successfully with incredible grades. I
was the third-best student in my school; he was
the second one; this time he lost against a girl, the
one who used to be the top one in the other ninth-
grade class. Unfortunately, none of us were in the
top ten in Benin, but five of us got excellent
grades.

We then got the chance to be rewarded. We were

sitting behind the top three of Benin; they were
students from Catholic schools. The ceremony was
dedicated to the best students from Catholic
schools.
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We shared happy moments together, and when I
looked at the top three of the country, I saw
something different in their eyes; their energy
was different.
That day I realized that there are some battles you
can’t win, some people who can’t beat because
whatever your talent, no matter how grandiosely
you are blessed, there are some people that God
bless more, give more to. You can’t win it. Does it
mean, he loves them better than you? No, they are
equipped according to their battle and gift. We
don’t have the same so we can’t be the same. We
don’t have the same so we can’t have the same
skills, the same gift, the same intelligence.

Each of us is unique in a certain way; embrace

what you are. School doesn’t teach that; that’s
why you have got the comparison spirit in you
since the educational system favors that.I stopped
trying to be the best, and I became an average
student with poor marks in tenth grade; I was not
motivated anymore, it was time for me to have
fun. Besides, I was not wearing knickers anymore,
I put on pants. Despite the fact that my school is
private and owned by a Catholic community,
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 they always follow the public school dress code.
So to be wearing pants you have to reach tenth
grade. And as soon as you’ve done it, you will be
respected by the ones in knickers. Then I was full
of pride, not willing to work hard anymore; I
barely learned and relied on my intelligence. The
bottom line, everything changed, my ninth-grade
rival went in another option. I was advised by the
orientation counselors to opt for “C”; he was in
“D”.

I always wanted to opt for D because all of my

aunts and my uncle on mom’s side went for that
option; it’s a matter of family. My parents were
clear and tried to go against the board’s decision,
but my aunts and uncle recommended studying
that option in tenth grade and eleventh grade, and
I could switch to “D” in twelfth grade. To their
mind, I would have strong groundings in maths
and physics and could ace them better than the
others. I would then have to work harder in
biology. They were right; I did exactly as they
said, and that time in twelfth grade, I stayed the
best in English, plus in maths. I was quite good in
physics and biology.
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 The competition started again with my rival; we
spent two years without trying to get the upper
hand over each other since we were in different
options. We were back again in the ring. It was
tight, but once again, he defeated me and went
first all of the semesters, leaving me just behind
him.

I started believing I was made to come second

until the mock exam of our department; I won the
round; I was the first, and the second place was
his. This exam was so hard, and I took it while
being sick. I couldn’t give up; my parents and
teachers wanted me to stay home to rest, and I
turned them down. I worked till the finger’s
bones; I couldn’t throw up; that mock exam is
crucial in our country, and each department has
its own. In the options C and D, just three of us
passed it. My rival, me, and a girl in the other
option. It was the same girl who got the first place
in our school for our national exam in ninth
grade. This time I got the first place; my rival got
the second, and she got the third one.
Just three out of about 50 students in SS options
succeeded.
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You see, I told you that mock exam was really
hard. The great news was I won that round. I
never forget our computer science teacher who
shook my hand in one of our halls and told me
with a smile, “Congrats, this time who got the
upper hand.” He was really happy for me;
everybody knew how important it was for us to
know who comes first and second at the end of
each semester or a mock exam like that one. I
went home and celebrated it with my parents;
they were so glad to hear that. One of our school
teachers even congratulated my mom at her
workplace and told her how great I was at the
exam; I crushed it.

The decisive match was the national exam; we

took it and got it successfully, but I did poorly,
compared to that rival who aced it and was in the
top three of our city. I got good grades though,
and all of us won the national scholarship. I was
accepted to study food technology in college, and
he was accepted to study medicine. There was the
time my parents were disappointed and sad as
they wanted me to study medicine. It was my first
choice.
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I also wanted to, but frankly speaking, I was not
dying to study it; I remembered telling my father
I wanted to step into English teachers’ college to
study English and graduate as an English teacher.

Of course, he refused and made me put that

option as my third choice. In our country,
children don’t really have the full choice to pick
what they want to study. Most of the time, they
study what the parents want them to study. My
father wanted me to be a doctor because he never
got the chance to be one. He was just a male nurse
and was sometimes frustrated by some doctors’
demeanors acting like important and the smartest.
He was also nurtured by a strong desire to see me
study medicine to rave about it in the family and
around him. Sometimes, parents are fed by the
comparison spirit in their family and tend to
compare their kids to the other cousins, nephews,
or nieces.
This is the reason why they are dying to see their
children do better than the others in the family.
Everybody hates seeing the uncles or the aunts
bragging about their kids’ positions, degrees,
accomplishments.
25
They do it every time at family gatherings, and
some parents are frustrated by such things.

I was not grateful at all for what God did to me; I

cried for 48 hours about my results after we got
our grades; I wanted more; I was convinced I
deserved more because I gave everything, I
stayed up... Teachers, parents consoled me and
taught me gratitude.
They taught me the point that we should be
grateful for what we have and stop crying for
what we don’t have. Someone out there wants to
have what’s in your hands, so you had better
treasure it. I stopped crying, but I got a lot of
remorse inside me. My girlfriend taught me
valuable lessons about how to handle the pain.

Don’t be surprised; I didn’t talk about any

girlfriend until now because there is nothing to
learn from it; I was not a good boy; I broke a lot
of hearts; no girl couldn’t resist me; I got this
talent from my father. You’re handsome,
hardworking, intelligent, and have great skills in
communication; how come they can’t turn you
down? So I had a lot of babes.
26
The one I’m mentioning here is the one who
really impacted my life in a certain way, but I paid
her back by helping her get her A-levels.

She was older than me and was trying that for

the second time. I trained her, mentored her. The
best part is she got her A-levels, and her mom
called my parents to thank them because they let
me help this girl who lost her father and was
struggling a lot. She sucked at English, and I
taught her everything she needed; I gave her the
tricks I got from my mentor. She got her grades
and noticed she succeeded at the exam because of
her grade in English.

She didn’t even get good grades in our chief

subjects (we were in the same option) biology,
maths, and physics. Her best grade was in
English, and once again, they started to thank me
for all; they expressed their gratitude. I
experienced the feeling to have been helpful to
someone regarding his success. We broke up later
on. I went out of my secondary school offering
something to my mom; she was thrilled to the
idea I won’t pay any fees to attend college;
27
moreover, I would be funded each year over
three years. It’s no use competing against
someone. Competing against oneself is way more
beneficial. Imagining trying to beat someone who
doesn’t even act like he is in competition and just
want to enjoy what he is doing, trying to be the
best version of himself every day. You will lose,
and he will always knock you down.

Tons of businesses die because they are working

to win the day, to defeat the others in the same
business as them. That’s why many start-ups die
before they even hit the big time. I’m not saying
there is no competition on the market; there is in
all of the lines. Nonetheless, instead of taking it
personally, and seeing others as your opponents,
try to focus on yourself, on clients, and how you
could satisfy them better. You will win without
having tried to put a spoke in someone’s wheel."

My years in secondary school enhanced my sense

of leadership and responsibility. I was class
president in grade nine, ten, eleven. Being class
president involves a lot of guts. You have to
control, you have to organize, you have to get
28
people to act right, you have to discipline people,
you don’t care whether they are older than you,
they have to respect you and never overstep your
boundaries, you also have to cover them, put
yourself on the line to protect them. I’ve learned
all of that.

In eleventh grade I even attempted to be school

president, I was loved and admired, I could make
it but I lost because I didn’t bribe, my opponent
did it and won. I was running after privilege and
more responsibilities and it didn’t work out but it
was worthy.

Your parents might be wrong about the career

you should step in, don’t let them set your
goals for you.

Your gift is the thing you can do very well,

effortlessly.

Your passion is what you can do over a long

period of time without ever stopping.

Your gift is related to your passion.

29
 No matter how bad or irresponsible your
father is, never look down on him.

Every situation in your life happens to teach

you something.

Some people are more blessed than you so

you are not the best, there is always someone
better than you so you can’t win every day

Remember everything happens for a reason.

Be humble and grateful for what you have,

then God will give you more. Complain about
what you have and you receive less to keep
crying until you retain the lesson.

The next chapter will lead you to how I’ve

become what I’m today.

30
The day I became champion for hunt contest

31
 4
HIGHER INSTITUTION

On the Path to Adulthood

Do you remember what they liked telling us in
grade twelve? They will tell you that you are one
step closer to freedom, that after your success,
you will be free to do everything you want, and
that the hardest work is here. You won’t have to
go through all those sacrifices once you make it
happen. They say that to every student in grade
12, no matter what school you go to; you will
hear that. A bunch of baloney! Your life as a
student in university is way harder. They
couldn’t tell you the truth because if they did,
you wouldn’t feel motivated to give your all.

You become a real man the day you leave the

parental house. Mine was on October 27th, 2017.
I was not even an adult yet. I was still seventeen.
32
So young, I’ve never failed a grade class, I took all
of my classes once. I went out of secondary
school at seventeen and I was in the dark about all
of the obstacles ahead of me.

I had to leave my parents; they rented me an

apartment in Calavi, where I should go to
university.
My parents did their best to rent me an
apartment that suited me. In my country, students
mostly get roommates to live with in order to
afford rents.

I didn’t go through that; my parents did their

utmost to rent an apartment where I could feel
cozy. They made it clear: you have to keep
excelling, and you need a good place to make it
happen. That was the time my father did his best
to get money out of his pocket to make it come
true. Unfortunately, it was not enough to cover all
the expenses; my mom spent more once again. I
don’t need to picture again why my mom is my
everything. I do love my father, and I never told
him; he was aware I love my mom more, and
sometimes he brought it up.
33
He couldn’t hold it against me, as we all know that
we would be in lots of trouble but for her.

They wanted me to leave two months before I

started having classes. I needed to get adapted to
the new environment and test how life is when
you are away from your folks. In the beginning, it
was strange, boring. I had to go outside to
befriend some people. Socializing is so easy for
me; I’ve got this trait from my father. While
sneaking around, I found a place where I could
play games. The next day, I started going there,
and it didn’t take me too long to get new friends. I
was out every day wandering, playing games;
sometimes I got home at 11 PM. I couldn’t stay at
home; it was boring, all of my neighbors go to
work, and we barely saw each other as everybody
kept himself indoors.
In addition to that, I didn’t have a smartphone or
a computer. My parents couldn’t afford them.

I let you visualize me attending college classes

with no smartphone and no computer. I was the
only freshman with a feature phone in my class at
EPAC (Ecole Polytechnique d’Abomey-Calavi).
34
 As a result of that, I was not in the class
WhatsApp group to be informed. They all looked
at me strangely, wondering who this guy was. As I
was funded by the government, they were sure
I’m a nerd coming from a poor family. It didn’t
bother me; I was not even ashamed of using my
feature phone in class, listening to American
songs with earpieces in my ears, bobbing my
head every day while waiting for the lecturers. It
didn’t take too long before they realized how
smart and good I am. I became the one everybody
wanted to work with. I got no friends there. At
that time, the one I was used to talking to was not
in my major of study, yet we had some lessons
together; therefore, I didn’t really feel lonely. I’m
the type of student who sits in the first seats at the
front.

You know it takes guts to sit at the front of your

class; you have to be a nerd.

I was arrogant and introverted among those new

people I didn’t even know. I was truly snooty at
university, above all in the first year. I used to be
harsh and cold towards people.
35
I was branded as a nerd, arrogant, introvert by
those who had a hard time dealing with me,
whereas those who were dealing with me always
tried to stand up for me as long as I was helping
them pick up the hardest subjects.

I bought a smartphone when I got paid by the

government. Don’t think that was my first
smartphone; I bought my first smartphone when I
got rewarded as a champion for the English
contest. Aside from the prizes, I won money and I
spent it to buy a smartphone, which broke down
one year later. One of my aunts advised me to buy
a motorbike with my first funds; I didn’t do that, I
bought a smartphone, gave some money to my
lovely mom, bought some presents for my father,
and saved the rest. I needed to show my mom I was
grateful for all the investment she had been
making.
She got more than my father, but she kept it
secret.
There is no use talking about my performance in
this chapter; you can take a guess. The guy you are
reading is good at studying, so you’re right if you
leap to the conclusion that I’ve got good grades and
am in the top 3 in my class.
36
 I did and even graduated with honors. In this
chapter, I will focus on the circumstances and the
ways that lead me to where I am today.
My mom is great with finance; she is financially
intelligent. I didn’t really observe and learn; she
didn’t also teach me how to manage money, so I
started making a lot of mistakes. I’ve always
wanted to be rich. My dream was to get my first
car at nineteen; I was stupid thinking that having
a car is proof of success and wealth.
My mom could buy a car, but she stayed focused
on having her own house; she did it, and she is
living in her own house now. My father owned
nothing; he didn’t use his money the right way.
He got a roof over his head when we quit renting
because of my mom, who had her house built
with her own investment. Today my mom even
owns another house for rent because she used
her money the right way.

Now the bottom line is about me; I started making

my father’s mistakes, repeating what I used to see
him do. I got into gambles because a classmate
told me I was not using my intelligence to make
money; I was just good at crushing exams.
37
He presented me with the different options we
have on the internet to make money. I chose
gambling. I like running analysis; I like predicting
possible outcomes after analyzing. I was a soccer
fan, so the best way for me to earn money was to
go for gambles. I did that in 2019 while being a
sophomore. I didn’t know I was kissing the devil.
Everything changed that day when I went online
to place my first bet. Earning money was the goal;
I thought I would be rich with that shit. Illusion!

Then I started wasting money; I couldn’t even

spend one day without betting. In class with some
of my classmates, we couldn’t stop betting on
virtual games. Despite my losses, I didn’t quit; I
was optimistic on account of certain winnings.
Financially, I was getting worse and calling for
help every time.My mom’s intuition hit her, and
she started questioning me about what was
consuming so much money, and I couldn’t even
get by three days without calling home to get
money. I used to tell her my account was in good
condition and I was not even using my funds; she
didn’t really buy it and recalled how broke my
dad went in gambling.
38
She suspected I was doing the same thing.
Your mom knows you enough so she can spot a
lie from you. It was my case.

Things were going worse; I started doing what

my mom hates the most: texting and calling some
aunts and uncles asking for help. I didn’t stop
there; I kept asking, I was exaggerating, I knew it,
but I was too addicted to stop. When I couldn’t
reach a parent, some of my friends came on my
list; I was getting into debts. As soon as I got some
money, I put it at stake; I wanted to have more,
and I lost.

While doing all of this, I embraced comedy and

even created a YouTube channel where I put out
my content. I had this natural trait of making
people laugh. We were confined because of
COVID, and almost everybody stayed at home. I
went to my grandma’s house, and one day I
received a call from a friend who is passionate
about making videos. He asked me to play a role,
to make a video so that he could edit it and
combine it with his. I did it, and that was the way
I began to make videos, and he was helping me.
39
I was posting, and I became serious about the idea
of being famous and influential. I got my friends to
share my content; I got positive feedback and even
negative, but I didn’t quit. My friend and I even
took part in a competition organized by Le
Parlement du Rire; we were selected, and our
video was on TV. Some people saw that; they
called to give props. For them, it looked promising,
and I should keep going. Some folks saw my videos
on social media and filled my parents in. My mom
got on me to stop; one of my aunts did the same.

Confused and realistic, I quit, and I went into

music again. I started rapping again, making songs
using an app on my phone as I couldn’t afford
studio charges. It didn’t really turn out good; I was
not effective. I would have never tried all those
things if I didn’t have that friend who has a knack
for them. He was the one editing my videos,
helping me with all of the stuff. He encouraged me
to keep working, but we jumped to the conclusion
that we better cut.

I was just chasing my so-called passion; the

objective was to be famous so that I could fix all of
my problems and achieve my dream of being rich.
40
I was broke; I exhausted all the funds I got from the
government to gamble. One of my friends told me to
tell the truth to my mom; it might help me. I was
making excuses and lying to her. For me, it was
wrong, so I mustered my courage and told her what
I had been doing and how I’ve got broke. She was
shocked and disappointed in me. “Like father, like
son” was the title I can give to her speech. At the
end, she told me not to tell anything to my father
and my aunts. To come clean, she made me uninstall
the app. Addiction is hard to kick; you need more
than just trying to get rid of the app if you expect to
keep yourself from betting. Some days later, I got
the app again on my phone; I couldn’t resist the
temptation as long as I was watching soccer
matches.

This time was different; I wanted to dream big; an

idea of creating an institute came to my mind. I went
to my best friend and let him know; he was excited
to get it started. We created an online institute we
named SICA BET INSTITUTE. As you can spot
through the name, that institute was in charge of
helping gamblers to have opinions on some soccer
matches in order to make good decisions; we were
selling some bet slips, consulting, and advising.
41
From the beginning to its final day, that institute
didn’t generate much money, and we started
losing more than winning. We thought we were
just better at theory and we were not lucky
enough to win. So for us, we could provide advice
and be paid; this would help us to recoup our
losses and would be profitable. Wishful thinking!

You know there are some people really good at

teaching you something through theory, but
when it comes to implementing, they struggle.
That’s why we have so many financial coaches,
life coaches who don’t really reflect what they
talk about. There are good teachers, though.
Everybody has strong points and weaknesses. I
created SICA BET INSTITUTE thinking I was great
at predicting and bad at winning. Our financial
situation went worse; how come two good
graduated students from a great college got
trapped in gambling?

Making money became difficult for us, and we

didn’t have any alternatives.
The truth about me: I hardly ever tried to get a
job.
42
I’ve always hated being an employee. If you hate
something naturally, that’s a good sign.
However, sometimes you have to do something
you hate to get ready for what you truly love. In
my countries, there are few job opportunities, as
we have few businesses and factories looking for
workers. My mom was twisting my arm to get a
job; my father was not okay with that, and I was
not sitting on the fence as I knew what I didn’t
want.

While I was taking my oral examination to get my

bachelor’s degree, my teachers threw flowers to
me and made it clear I had to pursue my master’s
degree.

In their opinion, I would be a good teacher, and

why not teach at my college later on once I’ve got
my Ph.D. but to start with, I should keep learning
and run after a master’s degree.

43
That day, my mom cried in working out the next
coming amount she would be investing in me to
further my education. She cried because she got
the feeling she would face a lot of challenges
raising such an amount. My father stayed strong;
on his face, you could smell the anxiety, but he is
a man; he hid it well.
Some months later, my father fell sick and his
health went down; it was serious. We called for
help; my mom couldn’t cover all the expenses;
she was a little bit broke as she had just moved
into her newly built house. She spent almost all of
her money left to make it happen.
44
To rescue, we got help from her siblings who spent
a lot of money. No sooner had we got the medical
examination results than everybody was worried
and praying. The results showed that his heart was
failing him. He had trouble breathing. I would like to
give more details in my book, but I can’t. I didn’t
really stand by him; I only went there to help when
my mom called me. I was the one accompanying
him to all of the medical appointments, and I started
losing hope when one of his doctors told me to take
heart. My father needed me to support him morally
by giving up everything I had been doing by staying
beside him. What I didn’t do was to never spend
three weeks to watch him. And every time we went
back from the appointment, I made sure we went
home safe, and I took my leave of him headed to
Calavi.

My mom was angry at me and reminded me that

except the maid, no one was watching him. She
couldn’t give up her business; she had to keep taking
care of it to make money so that she could keep
filling in the different prescriptions. She always
asked me what I was doing in that city to have no
time to share with my dad who was probably living
his last moments.
45
I knew my father was living on borrowed time, and I
was unable to face such pain to see him dying; I’m too
sensitive for that. I was just trying to distance myself
from the pain and acted like everything was alright to
mask it.

Have you ever received a call announcing a piece of

bad news? How did you feel? You went to bed the
night before, and about 4 AM you got a call from your
mom telling you “Your father has kicked the bucket,”
rush yourself here. I burst into tears… I save you
from the details about the pain, the tears, the anxiety,
the hard feelings; in a nutshell, all of the negative
feelings.

I wish my father could see what I’ve become and how

hard I’m working. I wish my father could see me
growing. I wish my father could see the impact I’m
having on people around me. I wish my father had
known how much I love him. If you still have yours
alive, let him know you love him. No matter how he
is, no matter what is, no matter how he treats you or
your mom, it’s your father, and you can’t change it.
Today, from this book, I want you to keep this in
your memory: “We get our parents from God,
according to our mission on earth.”
46
There are a lot of things hidden in God’s will. You
can’t understand that, go with your fate and smile.
Remember: nothing can stop you from chasing
your dreams, and it’s never too late. If you doubt,
dig into the life of the KFC’s founder and take a
look at his personal story. I made a lot of
sacrifices to be here. From pursuing a master’s
degree to becoming an English coach and a
certified TEFL teacher, I’ve learned about the
sense of sacrifice, boldness, and commitment.

47
When I began my career as an English coach,
many things like the lack of investment stood in
my way, and I defeated all of them. Looking for
investment is one of the excuses many young
people make to justify their laziness and
unwillingness. The real issue is most of them have
no knowledge, they don’t ask the right questions,
they don’t learn from others.

I got inspired by Jack Ma, the founder of

ALIBABA, to set my business up. Who is your
mentor? Do you have someone you want to
resemble? I hated reading, but the day I made
efforts to read "Rich Dad Poor Dad," I realized I
was dull, stupid, and ignorant.

I wish I had started reading earlier in my life. I

wouldn’t have made some mistakes, but I’m
grateful. I’m not a bookworm; sometimes I spend
two months before finishing a book, but at least I
try and read to gain knowledge. I’ve read a lot of
books, and I’m still reading. I read at my pace, and
I enjoy that.What do you know about business,
communication, sales, marketing, relationships,
wealth? Do you learn them in school?
48
So how come you deter yourself from reading?
One of my favorite hobbies is watching podcasts
on those lines. So next time when you hear me
talking, don’t be surprised by my intelligence; you
now know what I do to cultivate my intelligence.
Somewhere in the world, someone is reading
more books than me, watching, or listening to
more podcasts than me; no wonder if he is richer
than me. The answers you are looking for are in
books. You can’t improve yourself unless you
read.My favorite book since I was a kid is an
English dictionary. Sometimes people are
surprised seeing me learning the language I speak
so well. They don’t understand why I keep
learning. Stop learning, and you die.

Talent is not enough.I’ve got good friends who

helped me, and some of them are still there
helping me. My best friend is one of the people
whom I owe my way up here. Are your friends
valuable enough to give you a hand in your
business? How can they influence your business
with their skills? If your close friends do the same
thing as you, you are in the wrong circle; you
can’t hang out with those doing the same thing
you do.
49
You will get a great chance to read me talking
about business, so I won’t be long in this chapter
talking about that. Hopefully, those few things I
mentioned earlier will help you start somewhere.
Find your gift and monetize it. The best way to
know your gift is to question yourself on your
favorite hobbies. Choose wisely your circle. God
sends you people who will help you achieve your
dreams, but sometimes you are too blind or too
egotistic to spot them. You are still in your
comfort zone because you happen to eat each
day. Once you face ravenous hunger and you
have no one able to help you, you will start
thinking differently. You are not supposed to
have a career in what you majored in at
university. God’s timing is perfect. Pray and work
hard; success will kiss you.We are one step to the
end of this book.

Do you know that a man without a vision is like a

tree unable to bear fruits? Every morning you
wake up, you are nurtured by a vision. If that’s
not your case, so your problem is not spiritual;
you are your own demon. Let me share with you
my vision, through my vision, you are going to
learn about the sources of poverty and ignorance.
50
How can you fix something if you don’t know the
issue? The next chapter of this book is going to
reveal to you a lot of things about your current
situation.

51
 5
VISION FOR AFRICA AND BENIN REPUBLIC

Foresight
Why do you want to go abroad? They are moving to
France, Canada, the US because in their viewpoint:
they can’t have a bright future in their countries. In my
country, people always blame the government for
their social status, they blame the government for
their unemployment, they even blame the government
for their hunger.

Do you know a country with zero rate of

unemployment? I don’t define unemployment like
they do, you misunderstand something. You are
unemployed because you have no skills to sell. Those
who have skills to sell are fending for themselves,
working on a freelance basis. If you keep waiting for
the government to recruit you, sure you will die
waiting on them. You own your life; it is high time you
acquired a skill to sell.
52
“Helping French speakers to acquire the English
language, showing non-native English speakers
and English native speakers how to use English to
get value” this is my mission on earth.

The language in my country is French and our

people are ignorant because they don’t
understand English. The best speakers, the great
leaders, the most successful men in the world are
all English speakers. They use English to teach,
advise, they tell their stories using English. How
can you learn from those people if you have a
language barrier?
53
How can you read the best-selling books written in
English if you don’t understand the language?
French speakers are good at romance and saga, that’s
why you have a lot of French books getting on love,
family issues… Even the books read in school get on the
same topics.

How can you know about business if you read those

books? There is nothing bad about reading them but I
tell you, if you want to break poverty, you want to
make money and save the next generation in your
family you must read books on business, finance,
communication, marketing, sales… And the best ones
are written in English.
In French countries they brainwash students and
people when they tell them they should learn English
just in case they want to travel. You don’t necessarily
need English to travel, many people go abroad without
being able to make a sentence in English.

Being able to speak English helps you understand

others' culture, helps you go global. You can’t be a great
seller or marketer if you are unable to learn about
others' culture, you have to know your prospects and
you can’t do so if you have a language barrier.

54
I want my country to be like India where English
has become the most spoken language whereas
their language is Hindi. Today India is a great
developed country with a lot of high-valued
citizens because they all speak English. Why not
us?

That’s what my brand is: “I coach people to

understand and to speak English in order to use it
to get value.” That’s what I’m fighting for, I wish
to see at least 80% of our population speak
English so we will have more people able to learn,
gain knowledge using books so that they could
build sustainable businesses, they could go global.
The more we know, the more developed we will
be.

I have a lot of students in different countries, I’m

international, no doubt on it. My purpose is to go
global, to have more impact, I want people right
across the world to flash on me and to be guided
by me. Once you understand English and can
speak it, I’ve become your self-improvement
coach and your motivational speaker. Coach Ange
Espero is an English coach for French speakers.
55
 Coach Ange Espero is a self-improvement coach
and a motivational speaker for English speakers.
Africa will be better because I live, the world will
respect people from my continent because my
success will teach them a lot about us. I will help
those young Africans understand that they don’t
need to leave their countries to be great, to be rich.

Use your brain and make a difference.

Use your brain to change your situation.

Use your brain to make money. Use your

brain to prosper.

56
 6
MY MESSAGE OF HOPE

Foresight
I was like you, I made the mistakes you are making. I
thought I could defeat my demons, I thought I was
trying to overcome my challenges but the reality is
simple: I was in jail. All the times I thought I was trying
to change my life, I was wrong, I was not trying, I was
just wishing.

How many times have you tried to kick those bad

habits you have? How many times have you tried to kill
your addictions? Your life is owned by you, you are the
only one who can change. No one else can do it for
you.
I’m the proof that God exists. I didn’t manage to stop
gambling by myself, I prayed and asked God to put me
on the right track, to lead me in the right direction. I
told Him I was ready to step into my mission and He
has opened the doors for me, made me meet the right
people, cleaned my mind, and refined my imagination.
57
I’m not sure you can make it without Him. You need
Him to guide you; otherwise, you keep struggling to
find your way. Prayers are worthless without actions.
Take actions and start aiming for knowledge. You will
never get success running after money. Money is a
consequence of what you produce. Success is the
outcome of what you do.

Do you read?
Do you listen and watch podcasts?
Do you follow trainings, seminars, and conferences?
Do you go to the right places?
Do you socialize?

The answers to these questions determine why you

are in this position. Mother nature gives you what
you deserve. You attract what you are.

Make sure you share this book around you!

58
 SOME QUOTES BY THE AUTHOR

English is the key that you really need to make

a difference and to prosper.

Learn cleverly, speak cleverly.

Speaking english is a result of a great brain-

training.

Coach Ange Espero

59
OTHER PLATFORMS YOU CAN REACH OUT TO THE AUTHOR

Email: souzaange32@gmail.com

WhatsApp: +229 62768883

Facebook: Coach Ange Espero

TikTok: Coach Ange Espero

60
Money is a consequence of what you produce;
success is the outcome of what you do.

40
61
 ABOUT THE BOOK
This book is written to remind all those people losing hope, getting
down, failing, that they can still shift. Nothing is impossible in life.
You can do everything you are willing to do. What do you need first?
The answer to this question is in my words. Sometimes you just need
to read someone’s story to believe again, to stop thinking you’re
cursed. We all go through a lot but we are too busy trying to find a
way out rather than complaining.

ABOUT THE author

Ange Espero de SOUZA is an English coach,

a self-improvement coach, a motivational
speaker, and an interpreter. He is a certified
TEFL teacher who helps non-native English
speakers understand and speak the English
language. He is also a graduate from EPAC
(Ecole Polytechnique d’Abomey-Calavi)
where he studied food technology. Today,
through all of his communities, people are
evolving using the English language.