Today we’d like to introduce you to Jett Okoye.
Jett, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It took me a while to own the idea that I had a story worth telling. It took me even longer to put it into words. I began my collegiate career at Western Carolina University in hopes of becoming a lawyer. One semester I decided to take a social work class as an elective and my life was forever changed. I identified with making a career out of helping others. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know why. I just knew it was the right choice for me. I switched majors to Social Work and embarked on an ever-changing journey.
After working in the social work field for a year post-grad, I decided to expand my clinical knowledge. I obtained my Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While in graduate school, I began to notice the holistic nature of successful change. With appropriate resources, skills, support, and treatment, clients were able to improve. It was then that I decided I wanted to be a psychotherapist.
During my first few years as a clinician in various companies, I noticed a trend. Company after company I found myself being the sole minority in my position. I wanted to create a safe space for BIPOC and other minorities to share their mental health struggles. Thus, I started my own private practice.
The biggest hurdle in my work? Facing the frequent and strong stigma that hangs around mental health in black and brown communities. To reduce the stigma, I became certified as a life and health coach to repackage my services in a less intimidating way. I learned that coaching was not an alternative to my therapy services but a welcomed addition.
Coaching is another piece of the holistic puzzle of wellness. It allows room for me to connect the mental and emotional needs of clients to their professional, spiritual, financial, and environmental needs. I offer practical steps towards sustainable and lifelong change. I continue to work for the countless individuals that need representation in mental health. I hope to consistently strengthen my skills to best serve deserving communities for decades to come.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Self-employment always sounds great on paper, but it was a tough path for me to take. I had to become everything to myself. I wear multiple hats throughout the day including the manager, employee, administrative assistant, marketing professional, tech guru, financial advisor, and so many more.
Furthermore, the goal of any business is to make a profit. The social work field has notoriously low salaries, few lucrative job options, and a burdensome stigma attached. Navigating how I was going to make money and become successful took years of heavy lifting.
I began my practice while working three jobs. I was pulling 70 hour work weeks and barely making ends meet. However, little by little, my practice began to bloom. The work I was putting into my clients created more and more opportunities. Eventually, with a full roster of clients, I was able to leave my other jobs and solely focus on my practice.
I always say – my entrepreneurial journey is similar to going zip lining. I have taken big leaps into the unknown, had a few crash landings, yet I made high climbs with beautiful views and clarity. Views I wouldn’t have been able to see had I not began this journey. Though the crash landings keep me humble, I am just enough of an adrenaline junky to keep jumping.
We’d love to hear more about your practice.
J. Okoye Wellness is a private practice striving to decrease mental health stigma through representation and community collaboration. We promote a lifestyle of holistic health and mental wellness. This is done through one on one therapy and coaching, group coaching, community psychoeducation, and our Affirmation Apparel.
I am a Psychotherapist and Certified Integrative Health Coach. I work primarily with minority clients experiencing anxiety disorders, depression, grief, anxiety related to race, work environments, and life transitions. As a health coach, my goal with clients is to help them establish their holistic vision of health and then work together to achieve it. As a therapist, my goal is to help clients work through past and present hurts, trauma, and self-sabotaging behaviors. One link between therapy and health coaching is the need for affirmation. That is why I created t-shirts with affirmations that heal. Due to the success of our Affirmation Apparel, I plan on expanding on this venture in the future.
What sets my business apart is my ability to be compassionate without sugar-coating hard truths. My clients respond to honesty and a healthy dose of sarcasm. Although I may be blunt at times, I genuinely love what I do. I bring that energy with me in every session. I work to hold my clients accountable with receipts (factual recaps) of their progress and positive changes. I pull on their strengths and challenge them to see themselves in a different light. I serve as their hype lady on their mental and holistic wellness journey.
What were you like growing up? Personality wise, interest wise, etc.
I began walking at six months. Running up mountains by age two and was in a full sprint by ten. I hit the ground running. I am the youngest and the only girl, so I had to learn to keep up with my big brothers. We were “street light kids” that stayed outside to play all day long. Growing up with brothers taught me, by force a lot of the time, how to push myself out of comfort zones. My brothers gave me space to grow, pushed me when I needed, and always made me feel seen at home. Outside of the house? That was a different story. I was timid, observant, selectively quiet, and lacked confidence.
My dark skin tone also played a part in my personality. I am a dark-chocolate dipped woman. I didn’t see myself as beautiful growing up. My identity circled around doing things quick, complete, and the best. This created a perfectionist personality trait I am still working to shake. Nowadays, I live boldly in my dark skin. I tell others to love themselves as I do. I have slowed down to appreciate my life and to be present with my family. I understand that growth is a process, not a destination. In my practice, I am always encouraging others to do the same. Honor your inner kid. Be bold. Take up space. Strive for progress over perfection.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1230 SE Maynard Road, Suite 101, Cary, North Carolina
- Website: www.jokoyewellness.com
- Phone: (919) 307-5365
- Email: Jett@jokoyewellness.com
- Instagram: @jokoyewellness
- Facebook: @jokoyewellness
Image Credit:
Kim Faison – Kimberley Shanell Hairstyling
Jocelyn Dobbins – Makeup By Jocelyn WD, LLC
Ciara Nicole – Faces of Queens MUA
Amber Gluckin – AG Photography
J Robertson – Slim Creative (Photography)
Summer Leverette – Mediumms (Graphic Design)
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