Introduction
Kofi Josephs is a British basketball player, model and mental health business owner. Spending most of his life excelling in the basketball world, Kofi has had a passion for modelling since his childhood. At the age of 29, he took a big leap of faith and started working towards building his portfolio to generate his modelling career. 4 years later, Kofi has risen to stardom, exemplified as a beacon of talent in modelling.
In addition to modelling and basketball, Kofi is the CEO, founder, and head director of WHYNOTI. Through this brand, he has fostered a community that works towards destigmatising mental health. The overall message of his company is to apply mental health education through inspiration and aspiration.
Inside Success had the pleasure of sitting down and speaking with the icon himself in an exclusive interview. Kofi was kind enough to share his journey with us, delving into the achievements and hardships he has faced throughout his career. His story is nothing short of an inspiration and a testament to hard work, determination, and staying true to your authentic self.
What inspired you to pursue a career in modelling, and how did you get your start in the industry?
I’ve always been interested, even from when I was a young kid. I always used to, like, go into shops and stuff, and you know, when you see billboards inside the store. I used to always think, what does that person think when they walk in and they just see themselves? And it just kind of went from there and then.
I’ve always loved fashion, photography, and behind-the-scenes stuff. Additionally, I love being creative; it’s always been like a passion of mine. Essentially, all these interests go hand in hand with modeling. The craft of taking a photo, the outfit, the makeup, the location, the way it’s shot.
Furthermore, how it makes you feel as the person modelling and the person who’s seeing. These are all the things that have just been super interesting to me. From this I gained the desire to want to get into the industry.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when starting out, and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges I faced was having cystic acne. This is one of the most severe types of acne. I tried everything, going to dermatologists, specialists, etc. It’s not your typical kind of acne, where it’s just small spots. It’s really big, painful cysts that were on my face that were quite painful and sore. It was extremely difficult dealing with this because wanting to model when you’ve got acne defeats the entire purpose. Having cameras in my face all the time definitely made me more self-conscious of my skin. It also took a toll on me, and did not help mental health and self-confidence.
Additionally, the topic of adult acne isn’t something that people talk about, because it’s something you’re expected to go through in your teens. The support wasn’t there. People have their assumptions that you’re
