Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ongeleke Turner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ongeleke, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
I have learned to lean into the power within my presence. What I mean by this is that I have learned to embrace challenges faced with being a trailblazing woman of color. I welcome opportunities for me to show up and stand out in a crowd. Representation matters. It is imperative that I represent African American women well and lead the way for those who will be bold on their journeys following behind me while honoring those who stood before me and are standing beside me. I do not shy away from opportunities to change any adverse preexisting narratives about the abilities of Black women in any given room.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a mental health consultant whose business, NoFlagNoFoul LLC specializes in athlete mental health. I have served as a mental health clinician for 12 years. Over the past year, after seeing myself represented through other Black women of various clinical disciplines thriving in the mental health space with athletes, it dawned on me that as a lover of sports for my entire life since I was a child that it just makes sense to create a space for me to work with the population that I love. I decided to take my clinical practice to the world of athletics, using my education, background, and skills towards focusing on the mental health needs of athletes and associated members of the athletic community. As stated previously, representation is so important. It is my truest belief that athletes deserve to have quality options of mental health providers to choose from should they want or need to seek additional mental health support. The athletes of black and brown communities and beyond deserve to have a variety of choices of providers for addressing their mental health needs. It is important to have viable options for a variety of reasons. Mental health is very personal and sacred. As individuals, we are all different and unique in our own ways. Sometimes it may take trying more than one clinician to find the one that fits your individualized needs. NoFlagNoFoul LLC reached its one year anniversary May 15, 2024. May is National Mental Health Awareness month and although not intentional, everything aligned with unintentionally starting my athlete mental health consulting company during National Mental Health Awareness Month. This coincidental factor further solidifies my justification in taking this leap to start, build, and grow this amazing and impactful company. Our goal is to have a significant positive impact on all of the athlete’s lives we connect with. Year one was just the beginning! NoFlagNoFoul LLC is currently operating as a sole proprietorship where I serve as the owner and lead clinical consultant. The intention is to expand as our clientele increases; ultimately, we would like to hire additional clinicians and have representation in various states across the country and beyond. I am licensed in my home state of Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Within one year, I guess we have already begun to expand with my dual state practice capabilities. We are so excited to continue along on our journey.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Networking with a purpose is the number one most important skill. This is something that I am still working towards improving. Every day I am reminded of how many opportunities stem from not what you know, but who knows you! Your resume will detail your education background and relevant experience which those things are concrete and speak for themselves. Being well connected, especially in a space that is such a small world is the best advice I can offer based on my experiences on my journey to growing and building success in the athlete mental health space. I would want others to start building and fostering genuine connections with like minded individuals early on rather than later when it can feel like an uphill battle. At the latter point, it has the potential to be unauthentic if you’re trying to network to ask for something versus building and maintaining connections. When I ask other individuals with documented experience in the sports community, the one thing that is consistent is that someone they met along their journey thought of them when an opportunity presented for them to shine and display their skills/expertise. The impact of others knowing them granted opportunities that placed them in positions to excel; opportunities they may not have had without the influence of their referral source. The community that you implant yourself in can take you places beyond what you may be able to visualize!
Character is the second quality that comes to mind. Have you ever heard the quote “Your reputation precedes you?” Being known as a human of good character is something that never goes out of style. Having integrity and a good reputation helps to build trust. Building trust makes individuals more willing to consider you as their service provider or business partner. I have learned that people want to learn from, grow with and develop with people who they feel have their best interest at heart. In my area of practice, character is principle.
A third key quality I would like to highlight is a two for one. I call it “C&C,” which stands for competent and confident! You have to know what you’re doing, talking about, selling, etcetera which comes from knowledge and preparation. When you have the understanding necessary to move forward, you must be confident in your abilities and trust that the efforts you’ve put forth will lead you to where you want to be. I always tell myself “If I don’t believe in me, how am I going to convince someone else to?”
While you are chugging along on your own respective journey through life and achieving success, don’t forget to network with a purpose, exude good character and “C&C!” I suggest practicing and implementing good habits and strategies as early as possible!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
A Fun Fact is that I absolutely love books! I love to purchase and collect old -school books. I’d like to think I’m still kind of young but enjoy some of the old school aspects of life before super advancements in technology. I do not prefer audio or e-books. I love to open a concrete book, highlight, and flip page by page. Now reading all the books I have purchased I am a bit behind on! I have read so many influential books. If I must pick one, given the nature of working in the business of sports; a Black woman who has been inspiring as I work to build my athlete mental health empire is Nicole Lynn. “Agent You” by agent Nicole Lynn was a very pivotal part of me leaping head first into starting my own company to create a space for me to do what I love. From reading this book, I was able to gain more insight into her journey to becoming one of the biggest, most successful, and influential Black female sports agents of this generation. Some key takeaways for me were to be innovative and not be afraid to be disruptive. It is okay to move and shake things around to pivot yourself into position. It may take finding new ways of thinking and approaching success in the way that you define it for yourself. The ways of the past may not work as well today. It may be necessary to go the extra mile and find a different route to achieve the vision that no one may be able to see as clear as you. There was one question that she asks in the book that particularly gravitated towards me. She asks what do you want people to think of about you or your business when it comes to mind. In answering this question for myself, I state “When people think of where to go for athlete mental health services, I want them to think of NoFlagNoFoul LLC!” From that point forward, the goal was set. Now it’s all about putting in the work and staying the course until the mission is accomplished.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://noflagnofoul.com
- Instagram: @noflagnofoul_llc
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/ongtlmsw
Image Credits
Kalena Hurst
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