Ali Afonja, MS, QMHP
Adetokunboh (“Ali”) Olusegun Afonja was born in Birmingham, Alabama. As a baby, he briefly migrated to Lagos, Nigeria with his parents. They lived there for 7 years before eventually returning to the US and settling in New York.
The first son of a scholarly father and a business owner mother, Ali’s life was disciplined and structured. Getting a good education and living a healthy life were priorities of the Afonja household. As a young man struggling for approval from peers, Ali was confronted by delinquent behaviors such as drug use and gang involvement. Instead, he chose sports – track and field, basketball, boxing, and weightlifting. These proved to be rewarding, life-changing activities that contributed to his future successes. While in the United States Navy, he became the physical trainer for his division.
After his stint in the military, he embarked on his college education at Norfolk State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Ali also earned a Masters in sports psychology from Cal Southern University. With his wife Stephanie, Ali is the co-founder of Holistic Family Solutions (2013) and its affiliate companies: Family Restoration Services, home of the Children’s Fitness Academy (2007), and F.O.O.T. The Afonjas have positively inspired hundreds of parents, who — frustrated with traditional therapeutic approaches – have sought holistic solutions to help prevent, manage, and treat their children’s emotional and behavioral disorders.
Ali is a yoga enthusiast and adventurer. He loves to kayak, garden, mountain bike, fish, and camp. He is the creator of “Sons of York,” a group of African-American outdoorsmen who hold workshops and seminars that educate urban youth about nature. Aside from his executive duties, Ali has created a series of instructional wellness videos and has written a book examining the relationship between fitness and mental health. Ali is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi, exemplifying its history of community leadership and engagement.
“I know how it feels to go through your entire childhood feeling inadequate because of a disability. This firsthand knowledge comes from growing up with an undiagnosed attention disorder that affected everything from my academic performance to my interaction with my peers. My wife and I created FRS for all children who, like my younger self, desperately need some holistic solutions to naturally overcome their disorders.”
Stephanie Afonja, MA, QMHP
Stephanie Jackson Afonja completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University in May of 1997, a Master of Science in Clinical/Community Psychology from Norfolk State University in May of 1999 and continued with post-graduate studies at Liberty University to achieve license eligibility.
She last served as a Clinical Service Manager for the Hampton Newport News Community Service Board, where she was employed in various capacities, for over 16 years. Stephanie was also employed for over 3 years at the Virginia School of the Deaf and Blind as a Behavioral Specialist to youth with multiple disabilities that included sensory and pervasive developmental disorders. She has also been a devoted member of the Hampton Family and Assessment Planning Team for over eleven years, actively assessing the needs of youth and families and serving as liaison to a comprehensive service delivery system in the Hampton community.
In September 2007, together with her husband Ali, Stephanie founded Family Restoration Services. This approach has successfully allowed youth to remain in their own homes, with their own families, in their own communities. Stephanie is a champion of keeping families together and giving them the tools to succeed long after services end.
In 2011, in response to needs of FRS participants and the community at large, the Afonjas cofounded F.O.O.T., whose many activities promote healthy living for all through community outreach. F.O.O.T. has since served hundreds of Hampton Roads families.
Building on these successes, in 2013 the Afonjas conceived Holistic Family Solutions to bring their revolutionary family wellness approach to a broader audience.
“I believe that family is the most important institution in the world and faith in God is necessary for a family’s success. It is this system, faith and family, where we can gain the tools for successful and healthy living. While many families require intervention to be fully functional, it is still critical for this support to take place in the natural home, in natural ways, to promote positive and healthy outcomes.”