We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sheela Ivlev. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sheela below.

Hi Sheela, thanks for joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I had a couple of pivotal career-changing moments. The first was when I was working in the corporate world and experienced the loss of a close family member to a preventable illness. Realizing how unhappy I was in my career, I wanted to do something more meaningful. I had always wanted to be a doctor, so I knew that switching to healthcare would be a good fit and that loss pushed me to make a change. Volunteering with physical and occupational therapists, I quickly realized that occupational therapy was for me.

After getting another degree and starting my private mental health practice, OT Bay Area, I grew frustrated with the lack of acknowledgment about how racism impacts physical and mental health. So, I wrote an article about racism in healthcare that thousands of people read. Then, I was asked to co-author a chapter on race and mental health in a textbook, which I assumed would include racism. I worked for months, only to have my data-backed points about racial trauma excluded. So, I started offering presentations at conferences, spoke pro-bono to students and clinicians about the harmful effects of systemic racism in healthcare, and formed a grassroots organization on global health equity and justice, DisruptOT. Soon, I was invited to do paid speaking gigs, panels, and workshops worldwide in and out of healthcare. So, I started WellWrx Consulting to bring mental health and anti-oppression education and resources to every workplace, university, and healthcare facility.

I’m now a three-time founder, clinician, and consultant with a soon-to-be nonprofit.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi. I’m Sheela, a Bengali-American occupational therapist, Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional, and consultant in San Francisco.

I took the long route to find myself making the most impact and having more meaning in my life. I’ve worked in corporate quality assurance and have been an occupational therapist for over 11 years.

I noticed gaps in mental health, wellness, and advocacy in the healthcare space and decided to open a private occupational therapy practice to bridge these gaps in my community. My practice, OT Bay Area, quickly grew from offering mental health care to ergonomics and workplace support for California-based professionals. I also became a Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional to incorporate traditional and holistic methods with my clinical education and training, which most healthcare professionals have yet to incorporate into their care.

The years of working my way up in corporate jobs and the heartbreaking experiences in healthcare led me to help businesses prioritize the well-being of their employees through lasting, structural changes. Combining my corporate quality assurance experience with my mental health background, I formed WellWrx Consulting, focusing on improving worker health and well-being.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I decided to start my private practice, I began to challenge the standards of professionalism – how I dressed, spoke, and what I said. Professionalism is a biased standard set up to fail People of Color, women, and anyone that doesn’t look like a character from The Wolf of Wall Street. How I was taught to be a professional got in the way of connecting with clients and forced me to hold back my personality, culture, history – what makes me good at what I do.

I now lead with my South Asian culture, personal identities, and life experiences. Cultural healing is essential in my work. I’m proud of who I am and enter professional spaces as my authentic self.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Difficult life experiences led me to occupational therapy. If I wasn’t so unhappy, I wouldn’t have gone back to school and started over with a new career. I was meant to find this profession that has allowed me to cultivate my passion for prevention and health justice.

I’m critical of my profession because of the lack of provider diversity and progress, including avoidance of political issues that negatively impact health and quality of life. Still, I wouldn’t want to be in any other role. I see the potential for occupational therapy to be inclusive, equitable, and just. We can help improve lives outside of traditional healthcare settings like I’m doing with WellWrx.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wellwrxconsulting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otbayarea/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/otbayareasf
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheelaivlev/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@otbayarea