We recently connected with Ellakisha O’Kelley and have shared our conversation below.

Ellakisha , appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

My mission is to offer resources that are otherwise unavailable or not honestly provided to the underserved community. Whether it’s through my law firm (Scire De Jure Legal Firm, LLC), podcast (Seek ELLAvation®), books (Street Code versus the Legal Code and Contracting for Wealth), or speaking engagements, I always share knowledge that levels the playing field for entrepreneurs, creatives, athletes, and just people in general who want to level up their life.

Ellakisha , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well as you stated, My name is Ellakisha O’Kelley. Also known as “The Empowerment Influencer®.” I provide empowering services through legal, “edutainment” podcasting, empowerment speaking, and real estate services.

I earned the name The Empowerment Influencer®, because I not only provide transactional services to my clients, I provide life-changing experiences. I foster conversations and engagements with the intention to inspire and deeply inform individuals with impactful information.

My one assignment is to shift the paradigm of ownership protection and economic promise in culturally conditioned mindsets in hindered communities. I express this one discipline through my various platforms. Platforms that I consider powerful channels that complement each other in achieving holistic proprietorship.

More pointedly, I offer legal services in intellectual property protection, contract transactions, and business entity formation & compliance in the areas of sports, entertainment, small business, and real estate industries. As a former professional track athlete, a child who was raised by an indie artist, and a serial entrepreneur it is natural for me to serve in these areas in the capacity that I do. I’m very proud of myself for staying true to my vision of how I wanted to navigate these spaces. I have been able to touch so many lives in profound ways, so I’m told.

There is a saying that tons of people can do the same thing, but it will always be uniquely expressed by each individual. I love my unique expression of transformation. So for me, it’s never a competition, it’s just about connecting to those who benefit greatly from my unique gifts, talent, and skills.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I would have to go back to one of the most essential parts of my business journey; attending law school.

When I decided to go to law school, I was well into my career. I wasn’t fresh out of college, or in my 20’s. I was 37 years old actually. Married, with two kids, and a whole lot of responsibilities. The first semester was hell. I didn’t know if I was going or coming. I had to reacclimate being back in school since I last completed grad school 7 years prior, and I had to mange a full-time life while pursuing a rigorous discipline.

The law professors treated us all the same whether you were dedicated to school full-time or managing to fit it in as another piece to the puzzle. Honestly, I felt if you were the latter there was some mental hazing going on to wean out the weakest links. Either way, in my first semester after receiving hundreds of cases to read each week, drafting assignments, exams, and on the spot call on’s, I didn’t know if I could make it through the process.

I received sub-par grades, marked up papers, and could barely finish, let alone remember, all of the cases. To top it off, I was going through some real tough situations in my personal life.

During the winter break, I decided to quit. I was going to withdraw and focus solely on living my life as it was. Then one day, while lying in my bed I began to get flashbacks of all the obstacles I had to overcome being raised in a single family household, being a young mom in a Div I college as a student-athlete, and finally as a professional athlete. I defeated all the odds in each situation, so I decided to not make a final decision until I got that last and final notice that tuition was due.

Needless to say, I returned the next semester with a new purpose and drive. It was then that I was given the full vision of why I was there. I bounced back from the downward spiral, mastered my system, improved my performance, and started to think and write like a lawyer. I not only graduated, I was awarded to best part-time student of my class.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Authenticity, trustworthiness, relatability, and being empowering are four adjectives that precede my presence. Reputation is everything. In the industries I serve, possessing one of these characteristics can go a long way; but having consistency with all four adjectives creates a force to be reckoned with.

The following story is an example of what I’m known to do for my clients.

I represented a client (well actually two clients that were related) in a media deal. It was time to renegotiate their agreements and they had left their former attorney to hire me based on a referral. The former attorney works with a big law firm and the company is a huge media conglomerate. I had to defend my reasoning for undoing the contract agreed to by this attorney and the well-known media company.

As a solo attorney who happens to be a woman and black, I wasn’t taken seriously and was “business bullied” through the use of various tactics and condescending conversations. I was tested for months by being passed around to multiple attorneys within the media company. Then eventually I was passed on to the CEO of a well-known production company who too was a black woman, but was just as bullish nonetheless.

It would have been easier for me to accept the offer and justify it. There was no guarantee the deal would close but I put in many hours and much energy to see it through without upfront payment. But at the time, my thoughts were I wasn’t just an attorney handling a negotiation; I was the voice of my client who believed in what they deserved and who felt justified in their belief. In assessing the situation, I aligned with their thoughts. If they were willing to risk it all, I was too. Sometimes people just need someone to believe in them. To support them fully in order to fully realize that opportunity. I know this feeling all too well being on that end as a professional athlete.

Fortunately, my efforts paid off and we walked away very happy! My one mantra is, I want to be that person for someone that I always wanted and never had.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.allaboutella.com
• Instagram: Scire_dejure
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellaokelleyesq
• Youtube: @seekellavation

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