Meet Morenike Murphy, CEO and founder of The Center of Hope for Behavioral Health. In 2020, shortly before the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Morenike opened the doors to the Center of Hope for Behavioral Health. The center was only open for about a month when Nashville was hit with devastating tornadoes. Instead of letting the stress and uncertainty of the situation get the best of her, Morenike worked on her business in the NBIC Foundations class. This allowed her to have a support system to lean on, which was the key to helping her weather the storm filled with accountability and encouragement.

Testimonies of Morenike’s resilience are evident throughout the office, starting with the inspirational sign that reads “The World Needs Who You Were Made To Be.” This statement is a reflection of Morenike’s personal story of overcoming obstacles to fulfill her purpose and passion. Morenike tells us, “Navigating the mental health system in TN is especially challenging, even for those with knowledge and experience.” As a veteran in the field, backed by over 24 years of experience, Morenike saw her opportunity to change the mental health system in TN.

But even with over 2 decades of knowledge, Morenike wasn’t prepared for the exasperation that comes along with turning an idea into a successful business. Confiding in her trusted mentor, Derek Young, she was advised to enroll into NBIC’s Foundations program, which she did. Almost instantly, Morenike learned one of her very 1st lessons; How to Pivot. Since COVID-19 struck right when The Center was in its infant stage, Morenike was facing tests and trials that typically do not come this early in a business’s lifecycle. She reminisces about when she first joined the program stating, “I will admit, I thought it was not going to be helpful. I had the knowledge, I knew I had the experience. I thought, ‘a business plan’? Ok, I can do a business plan myself! [But] the first class, [and] the second class really humbled me. It really humbled me! I needed to set my ego aside and recognize that I did not have the skills that I thought I had, which specifically were skills needed to be able to develop a business plan.” In fact, Morenike still uses her same business plan today, observing the tweaks in her development from when she first started until now.

With her business plan as her superpower, Morenike was ready to take the mental health field by storm. Within 3 years, she has grown from a small two-room clinic into her own building and nearly a dozen employees. Not only that, proper planning and execution created opportunities for Morenike to expand. The Center of Hope for Behavioral Health now offers not only individual and couple counseling services, but also an office of children, adolescents, and families, community based services, an anxiety camp, and two housing programs, Matthew’s House and Peter’s House.

Morenike attributes a lot of her success to NBIC. “Getting connected with NBIC was probably hands-down the greatest thing that could have ever happened to me. It helped to slow me down and held me accountable.” She testifies to the fact even once you graduate the program, NBIC will still be there to offer additional support and tools. She reflects on a moment in her business journey in which she needed extra support. “I have had what I call ‘red-alert’ moments [where] I’m very overwhelmed, [and] didn’t know which direction to take.” She states, “NBIC, in terms of support as a graduate from one of their programs, has been incredibly helpful. I was able to reach out to NBIC and talk it through and immediately develop a plan on how to move forward.”

When it comes to laying the foundation for your business, Morenike believes the greatest gift that you can have is accountability. “It is very overwhelming and you don’t know what you don’t know,” which is why she reiterates NBIC is not for everyone. “I think you look at your why. You look at the passion you have for the business you want to start. You look at the level of burden you are willing to bear in order to get your business off the ground. I think that if you are not able to put your ego on a shelf and be open to receive feedback, hear from the experts, and accept their knowledge is true, then NBIC may not be the program for you.”

For those that are ready to embark on their own business growth journey, take NBIC’s Biz Quiz to begin your very own Mighty Oak success story today.