Meet Keisha Pettijohn | Founder and CEO of Fatherhood Revisited Behavioral Health

We had the good fortune of connecting with Keisha Pettijohn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Keisha, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I know when to give up or keep going based on how terrified I am to do something. The more afraid I am of the dream, the more effort I put in to realizing that dream. If your dreams don’t terrify you, they aren’t big enough. But, honestly, I don’t give up much. It has to be absolutely necessary. What I do is pivot when I feel like giving up. I increase the scale of what I am going to do. I look at ways to add impact.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business of Fatherhood Revisited Behavioral Health. We offer social and emotional groups, therapeutic mentoring, therapy, addictions counseling, parenting education and support groups, coaching, behavioral health case management, SUD case management and fatherhood groups and activities. This organization was created to fill in some of the gaps I noticed in the system after working within it for years.

Fatherhood Revisited has created an atmosphere of family and caring. We care, not only about the assigned client, but the family as well. We take time to welcome everyone into an environment that is safe, nonjudgmental, and caring. We thrive on building rapport and supporting dreams while assisting the client with managing their mental health.

I am most excited about our growth! I remember having one file folder in my drawer because I only had one client. Now, I have multiple file cabinets. That is so simple and basic, but it gives me life to walk into my office and just see the file cabinets!

I got to where I am today because of God. I mean that with everything in me. I have prayed often. I have asked God to put me in the path of the people who have the same heart for this work and I have not been disappointed. I have come into contact with some of the greatest people ever. They give me tips, advice, and their time which has helped my business prosper. Getting to where I am, has not been easy, not because setting this up was hard, but because of how nervous I was to jump. I had to fight myself. To overcome myself, I encouraged myself, gathered a bunch of knowledge about where I am now, made sure I was around positive people, and made sure I was around people who believe in business and growth. I needed forward thinkers and I have found them.

Some lessons I have learned along the way are to use wisdom when growing a business, solidify the foundation of the business before adding on to it, and have a mentor. My mentor has been a huge asset to me.

I would want the world to know that I love what I do. I love working with people and assisting them through challenges while helping them build resilience. Helping people is my purpose. I keep showing up because the clients I serve mean so much to me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Cincinnati has some places where I love going. We would have to stop into Refuge Salon to get our hair styled first. Then, we would definitely have to visit Soul Secrets because the food is amazing. I would take them to Brio for lunch and the Moerlein Lager House for dinner to have the pork chops, they are my favorite. We would go to Full Throttle to throw some axes before going for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. For breakfast, we would stop by Sugar and Spice, The Original Pancake House and Northstar Cafe (the biscuits there are mouthwatering) over the course of this trip. We would go to Agave and Rye for lunch followed by The Lounge for the fried fish and wings for dinner. I would take them to the Aronoff for a play and the Andrew J. Brady Music Center for a concert, front row of course. We would go play checkers and chess at the large boards on the riverfront. We would go to the Funny Bone for comedy. I would change their lives with the many treats at Busken Bakery. I would also take my friend to the CineBistro for a movie and dinner. We would drive through Eden Park and see what’s playing at PlayHouse in the Park. If it is summertime, we would check out the Macy’s Fest and the Black Family Reunion. We would dance at salsa on Fountain Square as well as hop a ride on the BB Riverboats. All of this would conclude on a Sunday, where we would head over to Agape Love Ministries for their dynamic church service.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would dedicate this Shoutout to a few people. I would not be where I am without the love and support of Cassandra McDonald or Mama Cass to me. She has since passed on, but she helped me get the 501(c)3 designation for my organization. She encouraged me, prayed for me, loved me, put me back together at times when I was broken, and supported my dreams.

Then, there is Belitta Croley who has supported me, helped me realize my dream through her support, encouragement, and push. She pushes me daily, even when I want to sit down or stop. I need that in my life.

I must recognize my mother who is the classiest woman I know. She taught me how to be a lady and a professional early on in life. That knowledge has served me well.

Finally, there is Janelle Odom and Ozella McClendon. Janelle and Ozella know my inner thoughts and made sure I turned off any negative thoughts. Janelle has been my rock when I needed her and an early on support for me. Ozella gives of her time and supports me even down to the most basic levels of showing up to teach a group or set up a table. I love my sisters. They are amazing!

Website: www.fatherhoodrevisited.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fatherhoodrevisitedbh