Meet Eseoghene “Belle” Omabele of WhatTheHellWithBelle/BOCCS in South Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eseoghene “Belle” Omabele.

Eseoghene, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I guess to truly start at the beginning we’d have to go back to Africa! My mother was a nurse, and my dad owned multiple clinics in Lagos, Nigeria. My family won a lottery visa to come to America. I am the baby of the family, and they wanted a change such as: better schools, opportunities, and the “American Dream”. After moving to America in January in the early 2000’s, I grew up and spent most of my time in Detroit, Michigan. When we first moved, things were really hard – like six people and a dog in a one-bedroom apartment hard! My parents sacrificed everything to keep us afloat and alive. It was a complete 180-turn from our life in Africa, but we adapted well in spite of struggle. American schooling was an interesting time for me considering I was a darker skinned, thicker girl who had an accent and a gap, so it was either fight or funny.

Sometimes, I’ll admit I chose fight, but more often than not, I chose funny. I was always the funny girl in general, and that was probably due to a lot of trauma growing up. In other words, I began to cope most effectively by focusing on the lighter side of life and made it a point to laugh as well as aid others in seeing life’s brighter side. My parents always kept me busy with various academic projects/focuses and church, but I began branching out to participate in various plays and music ventures outside of church. I fell in love with escaping my difficult reality and being someone else, even if only for a couple of hours. My parents had one rule: school and grades couldn’t slip, and if they did, it would all be gone. I kept my grades up and kept acting through high school. Eventually, my desire to become a doctor had dwindled while my dream to become an entertainer and actress took lead. My parents were still persistent of their medical dreams for me, so they moved me to Atlanta to live with my Aunt who is a medical doctor in hopes I would gain “clarity”. Plot twist! Atlanta is the movie industry and entertainment business Mecca – Hollywood’s little big cousin! Here, I landed my first big audition and role in Magic Mike XXL. My parents did the right thing, I gained clarity alright!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Wheeeeeew, chile!! There were many struggles along the way, but my faith in God, the prayers from my mother, and the resilient mind of a young Nigerian girl- me, and my friend tribe kept me afloat. When we first moved to America, despite their education and experiences, my parents were dirt poor. My siblings worked from a young age, and my parents did everything to ensure nobody starved or were cold at night – even if it meant using coats as blankets to keep warm. We overcame it all, and we were able to eventually move to a suburb in Detroit. After narrowly escaping the hands of poverty, my dad got sick, so began my father’s slow decline. My dad was sick for roughly five years, and during those five years, my life as well as my mother’s life was at a standstill as we embraced being his primary care-takers.

Unfortunately, before I moved to Atlanta, my father passed away. It rocked my foundation. I lost not only sight but also perspective of my dreams, my future, and my life – everything. I had to fight to get myself to a place of sanity and self-sufficiency which was perfect for my transition to Atlanta. Even after booking various roles like Magic Mike XXL and some roles in production, just to be in the room, I accepted opportunities to be behind the camera even if I couldn’t be in front of it. Although I have experienced a lot of difficulties, they bred a fertile ground for my creativity and I have outlets like my podcast/Instagram Live show, “Talk About It”, stand-up comedy “What the Hell with Belle, and more recently, “BOCCS” which is led by a team of young Black professionals whose aim is to help the community in pursuit of resources. Know what they say about Africans and Jamaicans? We got to have at least eight jobs!

We’d love to hear more about your work.
My first business in me! I am an all-around entertainer. I am an actress, a comedian, a host, and so much more! I’ve had multiple roles in feature films and television shows and frequently participate in community theater and am always looking for my next role! Secondly, as I got more involved with stand-up comedy a few years ago, I’ve been blessed to perform all around the country in various venues from the big screen to churches and baby showers! I got into hosting in college, so again, book your girl for all social distancing-friendly events! Thirdly, I am rebranding my podcast ventures and combining my previous Instagram babies into one show which will be called, “Talk About It”. Lastly, BOCCS (Business Operations and Career Consulting Services) came about when myself and other black business women wanted to figure out how to aid and inspire other professionals in their crafts and careers! I had already been working in taxes and credit repair as a side hustle and I had friends that were doing different things on the side as well which led us to create a place where we could bring it all together to help business owners, young professionals and advocate for business literacy – black business literacy. We do everything from making budgets, updating business operations, applying to grants, and notary services to writing personal professional resumes, building websites and social media platforms.

What were you like growing up?
I was actually really quiet as a kid! I was and always have been very observant. I was also mercilessly bullied throughout my childhood up until high school. However, being bullied taught me to really assert myself and my presence and my voice, and once I found it, there was no going back. So now, you’re going to hear me, and more often than not, loudly.

Contact Info:

• Website: boccsconsultingservices.godaddysites.com
• Phone: 678-465-7039
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @whatthehellwithbelle
• Twitter: WhatTheHellWithBelle

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