When he was a student at Purdue, football standout Chukky Okobi (LA’00) started using neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). For Okobi, the psychotherapy approach — which aims to take control of thoughts and behaviors — helped him gain a competitive advantage on and off the field. “I used NLP to maintain control of my mental and emotional state, and the methodology allowed me to achieve success,” Okobi says.

After his eight-year NFL career, Okobi was involved in a number of ventures, including real estate and public speaking. He ultimately decided that he wanted to use NLP to help others. A year ago, Okobi started Basic Instructions NLP; as a practitioner certified by the Association for Integrative Psychology, he uses NLP to help athletes, entrepreneurs, and business executives elevate their performance. He also works with people dealing with major life and career changes. “I have a Super Bowl level of success in football,” says Okobi, who was a member of the 2005 Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. “I wanted to bring other people to the same level of success in their own endeavors.”

I like helping people and getting them to understand the power of who they are.

Okobi says that his time playing football at Purdue and in the NFL has been an invaluable asset to his work as a mindset coach with Basic Instructions. By spending his days around some of the best football players in the NFL, including future Hall of Famer Drew Brees (M’01), he was able to see individuals reach some of the highest levels of their profession and the steps they took to get there.

As a mindset coach, Okobi works with his clients on their mental and emotional states as he helps them focus and make changes to their lives in order to reach their desired outcomes. Additionally, Okobi is a frequent keynote and motivational speaker and is currently writing a memoir. He’s found that working as a mindset coach has been an ideal fit, as he enjoys going to work every day and trying to improve the lives of others.

“I like helping people and getting them to understand the power of who they are,” says Okobi. “The brain is the most powerful force in nature — I’m teaching them how powerful it is and how in control of their lives they are.”