Pawns is a Growth Media for the Mind that began in 2018 when a young undergraduate set out to understand himself, break free from limiting ideas, and build a happier life.
Today, we help thousands of people every month grow their minds, stretch their limits, and discover their tribe.
We serve people who want to do the right thing, improve their lives, feel at peace, and leave the world better than they found it; not just for themselves, but for their families, lovers, friends, and communities.
We’re registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria as Pawns Digital Agency (RC Number: 7548522).
Our Vision, Mission, and Goals
Vision: To help 1 million community members grow into their best selves.
Mission: Guide people to Grow Up (mature emotionally and mentally), Level Up (upgrade skills and mindset), and Step Up (take action and make an impact).
Goals:
- Share honest, helpful experiences, ideas and perspectives that give clarity and move you to take meaningful, purpose-driven action.
- Build a strong community where you don’t feel alone, and where you’re supported as you grow into your best self.
- Create curated systems where anyone can find and contribute the best ideas in real life, across personal, professional, and relational growth.
Our Philosophy and Approach
“The greatest miracle of chess is the innate ability of a pawn (the least valuable piece) to become a Queen (the most valuable piece).” – Tunde Onakoya
There are three main stages in a chess game, and those inform our approach:
- Opening Game – When you’re just starting, feeling lost, trying to find your path, but unsure how to begin. We provide content to help you take your first clear steps.
- Middle Game – When you’re making choices, facing pressure, and learning from mistakes, but still figuring out what truly matters. We offer tools and a community that help you stay grounded and keep going.
- Endgame – When things start to make sense. You know what matters and live in alignment with who you are, but only after all the struggle and effort. We provide ongoing support and accountability to help you maintain consistency, celebrate progress, and continue growing without losing sight of what truly matters to you.
Because when pawns move together with purpose, they become an unstoppable force in the game.
We support growth across five domains using the SPIRE model:
- Spiritual well-being – Meaning, depth, direction
- Physical well-being – Health, habits, strength
- Intellectual well-being – Clarity, ideas, curiosity
- Relational well-being – Connection, communication, belonging
- Emotional well-being – Awareness, healing, resilience
All these come together to bring success, happiness, and peace to you.
What We Stand Against
In our journey, we’re fighting against:
- Ego – the inner critic, defensiveness, and the need to always be right that prevents genuine growth
- Blind Followership – doing things just because everyone is doing it
- Closed-Mindedness – shutting off new ideas
- FOMO – always feeling like we’re missing out and rushing to catch up with unhelpful trends
Why This Matters To Us
We started Pawns because we couldn’t find what we needed. We couldn’t find helpful conversations that didn’t feel preachy. We couldn’t find resources that were tailored for our unique circumstances and needs. We couldn’t find people who made us feel seen, heard, and safe to grow.
So we built it—for ourselves and others like us—to grow, heal, and keep moving forward.
Here, our journey, shared, is our compass and light. Documenting our struggles and triumphs isn’t just memory—it’s guidance. It reminds us, grounds us, and lights the path forward.
We are not perfect, but we try to do better every day. And we feel it’s only right to help others do the same – because our environment and the people around us interpenetrate us.
How We Work
Pawns provides content and community across multiple channels that help you grow as you consume, share, and contribute.
Current Channels & Platforms: Blog posts, WhatsApp discussions, newsletters, curated recommendations (NeedleStack), X (formerly Twitter) conversations, webinars and seminars.
And a Mobile app for community interaction and content discovery (not yet available)
Our Five Working Tenets
We curate and rate content based on how well they adhere to these principles:
- Ideas should be practical and useful – not abstract theories that don’t help members solve problems or gain something valuable
- Ideas should be anchored in observable reality – not based on speculation, unproven claims, or disconnected from science or personal experience
- Ideas should be presented clearly – emotionally, intellectually, and verbally clear, not confusing, overly complex, or emotionally manipulative
- Ideas should promote human wellbeing, not undermine fairness, dignity, or safety
- Ideas should be humble and considerate – not condescending, dismissive, arrogant, or claiming infallibility
Our Team
Dick David is the founder and current CEO of Pawns. He sets the direction and keeps the vision alive.
David Ifeanyi is the COO of Pawns. He ensures ideas become real by translating plans into action with focus and care.
However, the biggest and most valuable member of our team is YOU – the members of the Pawns community, who care about and support what we do.
Join Us
Not yet a member of the Pawns community? Join us today. Let’s work together to discover and explore your best self.
Get our free Personal Development guide when you join our community today.
“Grow Up, Level Up, and Step Up”