Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlene Odigie.
Hi Charlene, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started NOCX in 2018 with a simple intention: to create opportunities where they didn’t exist. Even the name reflects that — NOCX is “XCON” backwards. I knew part of my calling would eventually touch reform and restoration, but I had to figure out where to begin.
What shaped my direction most was my own self-love journey. I started leading self-love retreats for teen girls, and those early retreats changed everything for me. I learned my purpose the moment I watched those girls transform in real time. I saw that the same healing I fought for in myself was the same healing I was called to guide in others.
From that foundation, Focus & Flow Healing grew as an initiative under NOCX, a way to bring self-love, emotional wellness, somatic healing, and real inner work to individuals. The work expanded naturally: youth empowerment circles, workshops, women’s circles, and eventually partnerships with the women’s jail in Nashville TN, which brought me full circle to the reform work I always sensed I’d be part of.
Everything I offer from circles to jail programming to retreats is rooted in healing, self-love, and helping people come back home to themselves. Every step is grounded in purpose, alignment, and a deep commitment to creating safe spaces where transformation is possible.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Ohhh no the road has been anything but smooth. Lol but my journey has been carved through heartbreak, rebuilding, resilience, faith, and a whole lot of surrender. I had to unlearn survival mode, heal abandonment wounds, and rebuild my identity from the inside out.
One of my biggest obstacles was learning to trust myself again after years of pouring into people who didn’t pour back. Another was navigating the weight of responsibility as a mother, as a leader, as a woman healing in real time while still showing up for others.
There were seasons where funding was scarce, doors closed, and I felt invisible. And there were moments where my discernment saved me, but the lessons were heavy. I had to confront family dynamics, break generational patterns, and learn how to stand in my own voice without shrinking.
And honestly the hardest part was learning that purpose doesn’t come neatly packaged.
It comes through loss, disappointment, discipline, and choosing faith over fear.
But every obstacle shaped the work I do now.
My healing became my curriculum. My alignment became my direction. And every setback sharpened the way I show up for the people I serve.
The road wasn’t smooth, but it was necessary. And I’m grateful for every piece of it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What I do is simple and sacred:
I help people remember themselves.
With over a decade of experience in social work, community health, and youth empowerment, and certifications in Herbalism, Life Coaching, Reiki Practitioner, Somatic Integration Practitioner and Agriculture, I’ve built programs that support emotional healing, personal development, and self-worth for individuals especially for women, teens, and system-impacted communities. My professional background shapes everything I create, from curriculum development to facilitation. I also integrate healing through poetry, using spoken word as a tool to open the heart and help people access emotional truth.
I specialize in inner child healing, self-love awareness, and somatic-informed emotional processing. I’m most known for creating safe, transformative spaces whether in jail settings, community workshops, or professional development environments where people feel deeply seen and supported. I’ve facilitated programs that have helped participants improve their confidence, reconnect with themselves, and gain tools that support long-term healing and growth.
What sets me apart is the way I blend formal training with embodied wisdom. I don’t just teach concepts; I teach what I’ve lived. My programs grew out of my own self-love journey, and that authenticity resonates with the people I serve. I’m proud that what started as small self-love retreats for girls has now grown into expanded collaborations within the jail system, women’s circles, youth empowerment programs, and collaborations with community partners.
At the core of my work is a simple belief:
To guide individuals to nurture one of the most important relationships you will ever have and that is with YOURSELF – Self Love.
And I’m honored that NOCX and Focus & Flow Healing have become spaces where that transformation can happen.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I never walk alone, and the people who’ve poured into me deserve just as much credit as I do.
On a personal level, my mentors DeeDee, Genesis, Kenyetta, and Tatiana have each played a sacred role in my evolution. They have held space for me, challenged me to grow, and reminded me of my gifts in moments when I was being stretched and refined. Their wisdom, honesty, and love have shaped both the woman and the facilitator I am today.
Professionally, I’m grateful for the team at Behavioral Care Center. My vision for self-love work was already formed through Focus & Flow Healing, but BCC gave me the institutional space to bring that vision to a larger scale. They trusted me to facilitate inside their program, and that partnership became the doorway to expanding my work within the jail system. Their support allowed me to step into a bigger arena with the work I’d already been cultivating.
I always want to give a big shout out for everyone who has believed in NOCX from the beginning and poured into the vision- the volunteers, community partners and supporters who saw the vision early and my board whom has walked alongside me as we’ve grown. Every hand, every prayer and every act of service that has shaped what NOCX is and becoming.
And finally, I’m grateful for every participant, the women, teens, individuals, and community members who have shown up and shown out for themselves with honesty and courage. They continue to sharpen my purpose and remind me why this work matters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nocxinc.org
- Instagram: nocxinc
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/nocxinc
