Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu
Lighter Leadership Coach | Choreographer & Movement Director | Founder & Joint CEO of Uchenna | Director of Empowerment at People Make It Work
Helping You Lead Lighter, Create Freer, and Live Unapologetically You
At the heart of everything I do, whether I’m coaching you, creating with you, or collaborating on bold ideas, is a simple belief:
When you feel good you do good.
That’s not just a mantra.
It’s something I lived and learned, starting in a New York underground nightclub.
I walked into that club shy and hesitant, and walked out feeling like Janet Jackson on the dancefloor
(even though, let’s be clear, I definitely wasn’t dancing like Janet Jackson).
What shifted?
I felt seen, celebrated, and alive.
That moment taught me that confidence comes from connection, not perfection and that when you’re supported to feel good about yourself,
everything else changes.
You lead better, create better,
and live freer.
That’s the foundation of Lighter Leadership:
Putting yourself first (without guilt)
Leading from joy, clarity, and alignment, not stress, hustle, or hierarchy
Making your creative life sustainable, bold, and true to you
This way of working isn’t new to me; it’s been part of who I am since I was 16, when I worked in a jewellery shop and daydreamed about being a choreographer.
Back then, I didn’t fully understand what choreographers did, but I did know this: Choreographers create work that makes people feel good,
and I wanted in.
That was leadership before I even had the language for it.
I had the starting point of a vision and the courage to follow it.
Today, I’m lucky to help others do the same.
How We May Connect:
Lighter Leadership Coach
As a coach, I support creative leaders, cultural changemakers, and bold thinkers to lead lighter and live freer. My coaching helps you drop the weight of perfectionism and expectation, reconnect with your values, and design a life and leadership style that actually works for you, your people, and your creative mission. It’s about building careers and legacies that are bold, human, and sustainable.
Founder & Joint CEO of Uchenna
Established in 2009 Uchenna is an international touring dance company on a mission to Empower, Entertain, and Educate through dance and movement.
At Uchenna, I work on the vision, collaborate on business planning, and create our critically acclaimed touring shows, including:
The HeadWrap Diaries
Our Mighty Groove
The Headwrap Diaries: Fierce and Free
Uchenna’s work fuses Contemporary, Waacking, Vogueing, African and House dance styles into a unique movement vocabulary that celebrates culture, creativity, and community on stages across the world.
We’ve toured to village halls in Norfolk (through the Rural Touring Dance Initiative RTDI), to STET The English Theatre in the Hague, to the main stage at The Lowry, Salford.
One of our recent milestones was opening the brand-new Sadler’s Wells East, with Our Mighty Groove being the first company to perform there and kick off their inaugural season.
Independent Choreographer & Movement Director
I create work that brings stories to life through movement including stage with actors and large-scale public events.
Credits include The Enormous Crocodile (Leeds Playhouse and Regents Park Open Air Theatre); Urine Town (Guildhall School of Music and Drama); London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Family Tree for Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, Animal Farm (National Youth Theatre); Sochi 2014 Olympic & Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies, The Woods and A Kind Of People (Royal Court), Glasgow Commonwealth 2014 Opening Ceremonies, Princess and the Hustler and The Gift (Eclipse Theatre), Red Dust Road (National Theatre of Scotland), Midlife (Diverse City), The 4th Islamic Solidarity Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Baku, Azerbaijan 2017, The Seven Ages of Patience (The Kiln), Provok’d and POD (Co-Director) for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Director of Empowerment at People Make It Work
I’m part of a collective of over 60 cultural leaders supporting the arts and cultural sector to thrive.
In my role as Director of Empowerment, I support clients, programme participants and the team to shift how they work, lead, and live because leadership shouldn’t cost you your health or your happiness.
I’m also the instigator of the Lonely Leaders Membership, a supportive space for creative and cultural leaders to connect, reflect, and lead with courage together.
The Thread That Connects It All
Whether we meet in a coaching session, a rehearsal room, or a creative collaboration, I’m here to help you:
Put yourself first
Lead and live lighter
Unlock your superpower being fully, unapologetically you