Psyche Terry was born on the south side of Chicago to a teen mom. Due to a lack of resources, her parents gave custody to Psyche’s great aunt. Based on the statistics of the community, Psyche was expected to be pregnant by 16, unwed, and working multiple low paying jobs to make ends meet. Her high school counselor told her that she would likely not go to college.
Psyche recognized patterns of bad habits and decisions early in life and was inspired and motivated to live her life differently. She earned a high school internship that led to a 12-year career at Whirlpool Corporation. It took Psyche only 3 years to graduate from Western Michigan University’s Hayworth College of Business and despite failing the entrance exam 3 times, she later graduated 2nd in her class from UNLV’s College of Business EMBA.
Psyche Terry is now blazing trails in the retail world as the Founder and CEO of UI Global Brands, a lifestyle brand that includes the Inspire PsycheTerry and Urban Hydration naturally inspired skincare, haircare, and lifestyle collections. She is the first African American female to successfully launch a line of lingerie that wholesales to the largest department, retail, off price, and beauty stores in the U.S. Psyche is an industry pioneer with an undeniable passion for women and entrepreneurship. A wife and mother of three children under the age of 8, Psyche leads marketing, design, and retail strategy teams for the thriving business, which she started with in 2009. Under her leadership UIGB experienced 700%+ sales growth in 2013 and in 2014 received a $40 million valuation. The company’s products are available at more than 8,000 stores nationwide and select retailers in South America and the Caribbean.
Psyche’s achievements as a businesswoman and motivational speaker have resulted in her being featured in top publications including Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Essence and Black Enterprise. She has also appeared on major television networks such as MSNBC, CNBC, ABC, CBS, and Univision. Psyche has appeared on NBC’s top rated Steve Harvey as a mystery millionaire on one of the highest ranked episodes of the year. Psyche recently had the distinguished honor of being requested as a White House speaker on young women entrepreneurship and to meet Oprah.
Psyche tells stories of how she cashed out her Whirlpool 401(k), maxed out several credit cards, and flew her entire family to Asia in hopes of landing manufacturing and sales contracts. She wins hearts of moms and millionaires alike when they hear of her stories of being 36 weeks pregnant and opening a 40-person skin care factory.
Psyche and her college sweetheart husband, Vontoba, have offices next door to each other as they continue to lead and grow their company and brands in a true business love story.