Blog: The Story of the Host of Heal to Love

My name is Jennifer Yolanda and I am a writer, speaker, and digital marketing consultant. I am also the Founder of Young Parent Elevation Network (YPEN), an uplifting and supportive community for young parents and organizations that serve them to educate and elevate optimal well-being for young parents and their children.

As a young single mom, having my now 9-year-old daughter at 21 years old while homeless was very challenging. I suffered from childhood sexual abuse, family violence, co-dependency and symptoms from PTSD. I exhibited behaviors that were a hindrance to my daughter’s growth, my personal and professional success. I no longer wanted to be in pain from shame, guilt and unforgiveness. I wanted to change my behavioral patterns so that I could improve my health and my satisfaction.

My first step in the right direction was hiring a coach with a background in psychoanalysis which I worked with for 6 months. The life coach helped me to shift my negative thinking to positive thinking, changed my perspective regarding my childhood and my parents, confirmed my spirituality, increased my level of communication and my awareness of myself. The coaching increased my personal skills to the point where I was able to ask myself questions and coach myself on challenges that may arise.

The network started with wanting to create an app to match life coaches with single moms however, it evolved from that to a full-fledged learning academy for parents. The learning academy coupled with the coaching could expand their knowledge and skills so that they are not confused or overwhelmed by all of the self-help books and seek mentor after mentor and end up in the same perpetual cycle of trying to change themselves for the better. Also, the academy helps to guide not only themselves but on how they can improve their children’s personal growth as well. 

You can learn more about my journey in my upcoming book Raising Yourself to Raise the Next Generation which will launch May 9, 2021. Please stay connected via our website: www.elevateyoungparents.com and social media: Instagram @elevateyoungparents, Twitter @elevateparents and YouTube @Young Parent Elevation Network 

About Jennifer Okosun

Young Parent Elevation Network (YPEN) was created by Maryland native Jennifer Okosun, who became homeless and a single mom at 21 years old suffering from PTSD and codependency due to the impact of childhood trauma and family violence. Jennifer lacked the knowledge to overcome challenges and reached out to a life coach at 23 years old. Her life coach was able to help with changing her negative thinking into positive thinking, shift her perspective on the past, developed her self-worth and gave her the tools to coach herself. There are many young parents that suffer from multiple childhood traumas that do not know-how to move forward in a positive direction. That’s why, Young Parent Elevation Network (YPEN) was created, to give them the resources and tools to make things better for themselves and the next generation. Jennifer is a speaker and soon-to-be author of her memoir Raising Yourself to Raise the Next Generation.

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