Ify Alexis Lee: Leading people to wholeness and healing

Ify Alexis Lee is a bold, prophetic voice and dynamic speaker who calls the body of Christ back to God’s truth. She is a licensed psychotherapist, author, and founder of Soul Deep Wellness, where she weaves faith and mental health together to bring healing, wholeness and emotional resilience. With a background in church leadership, mentoring and organisational development, Ify equips believers with wisdom and grace to grow in maturity and to uncover opportunities for transformation. Akosua DF caught up with Ify Alexis Lee to trace her unique journey into ministry and to discuss the importance of being “whole”.

Akosua DF (ADF): For people who may be unfamiliar with your journey, please tell us how you got into ministry.
Ify Alexis Lee (IAL): I didn’t exactly plan on entering ministry, I’d say I stumbled into it. I don’t come from a long line of preachers, but after giving my life to Christ at 15, I became passionate about knowing God and understanding His heart. That passion followed me to university, where I became involved in campus Christian unions. By my final year, I was serving as president of a Christian society and had started a blog. The blog quickly became more than just a platform; it became a community of people being edified and transformed. After I graduated, things truly took off. For the next decade, I travelled for speaking engagements, hosted conferences, and ran university tours. Through the vehicle of Love Limitless, we built community groups across the UK with a singular, heartfelt goal: to see women encounter God’s love and be changed by it. I didn’t have a blueprint when I started, but I learned to trust how God was shaping me and the work He had called me to do.

ADF: You mentioned founding Love Limitless back in university. How did that ministry evolve into the work you’re doing with Soul Deep Wellness?
IAL: My work with Love Limitless came to an end around 2022, which marked about 10 years of working with young women. God had already been placing a heavy burden on my heart for inner healing and wholeness. I decided to professionalise the gifts I’d been given by studying to become a counselling therapist. It was incredible to see how God sharpened those tools, helping me deliver therapy in a way that is sustainable for growth. That’s how Soul Deep Wellness was born. We believe wellness should go deeper than the surface. While we love a good spa day, we know that real health requires looking at the soul and the spirit. We’re here for the “totality” of your well-being.

ADF: Let’s talk about the intersection of faith and mental health. You recently sought professional qualifications to buttress your ministry. Why is this blend of spiritual and psychological depth so vital for the season we are in?
IAL: I always come back to 1 Thessalonians 5.23, where God says that He wants our whole soul, body and spirit to be kept blameless at the coming of Jesus. More than ever, I think a lot more of us are awake to the idea that God doesn’t just want our spirits to be alive and on fire for Him but desires that we are whole. I am so grateful for the reminder that while the spirit drives us, the soul is equally vital. Our emotions, thoughts, memories and conscience –the very essence of who we are – matter deeply. When we neglect our soul, every other part of our lives suffers. I love that this intersection is finally being highlighted; it invites us into the truly holistic faith that God intended for us.

ADF: Yes, that’s really good. In your experience, what are some of the common misconceptions that people from faith backgrounds (especially within the Black community) have about seeking therapy or using psychological tools?
IAL: There is a lingering misconception that therapy is reserved only for those in total crisis. Many of our elders were raised with a ‘survival-first’ mentality, where hard work was a necessity and grit was a badge of honour. To a generation taught to suppress emotion and simply ‘push through’, the idea of an emotional ‘MOT’ or wellness check can feel foreign – even jarring. However, this relentless stoicism often robs them of a truly fulfilling life. By operating from a state of chronic stress, they miss out on the tools needed to truly decompress and savour the beauty around them. While they mastered the art of survival, many never learned how to thrive. Even when life becomes stable, their nervous systems remain stuck in survival mode, unable to transition into a season of genuine peace and enjoyment. Many of my older clients start therapy thinking it’s only for extreme cases, only to discover it’s actually a roadmap to a more bearable, joyful life. We’ve spent too long treating burnout and ‘the grind’ as badges of honour. Transitioning from ‘pushing through’ to ‘thriving’ is a generational shift that benefits everyone, no matter their age.

ADF: Let’s talk about your book. You released your first book last year, Seasons of the Soul. Congratulations. What was your inspiration for writing this book, and what do the seasons represent?
IAL: The book of Ecclesiastes speaks about seasons – there’s a season for everything under the sun – and we all go through seasons. As a therapist, I have walked alongside many people going through the shifting landscapes of their lives. I’ve witnessed seasons of lavish abundance and seasons of quiet stripping away. Often, our greatest struggle isn’t the season itself, but our ability to transition between them or to recognise what God is teaching us in the now. I wrote Seasons of the Soul to serve as a companion for these transitions – to help you understand where you are, why you are there, and what God is doing in that space. This book is about giving you the language to name your experience, the tools to navigate transitions, and the grace to celebrate a friend’s ‘summer’ even when you are in the depths of your ‘winter’.

ADF: I’d love us to talk a bit about you personally. You have a beautiful family, three amazingly gorgeous young girls… I’m keen to know, what does a typical Saturday in the Lee household look like?
IAL: [Chuckles] A little bit of chaos, a little bit of stillness. On Saturdays, the pace finally slows. If I’m not away on ministry, you can find me enjoying a rare lie-in, while my husband handles the breakfast rush with our daughters. These days are the heartbeat of our home – unhurried and restorative. It’s inevitably a ‘hair day’ in our house, a time for refreshing styles and tending to the girls, often paired with the smell of batch-cooking, as we prepare for the coming week. I’ve learned to cherish the ‘easy’ Saturday; it’s the quiet fuel I need for everything else.

ADF: Before I let you go, what are your dreams and aspirations for 2026?
IAL: The word for the women of Soul Deep Wellness in 2026 is ‘Depth and Dominion’. Depth is the cultivation of the secret place – an unwavering commitment to intimacy with God. We recognise that our roots must be deep and stable for the tree to stand; everything we do flows from that inner well. But depth must lead to Dominion. We are embracing our mandate to be fruitful, to lead, and to walk in productivity across every sphere God has assigned to us. My personal journey in this coming year includes the birth of my second book, which I am currently outlining. And yes, continue to grow in my faith, in my walk with God, and for our family to keep growing.

ADF: Did you say your family “to keep growing? “[Laughs]
IAL: [Chuckles] Keep growing in the knowledge of the Lord! Keep growing in peace. Keep growing in love. Amen. Amen.

Akosua DF: Amen.

Visit www.ifyalexis.com