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About Obie Ford III
Holding space for life's meaningful transitions.
Across ceremonies, coaching, and creative expression, Obie Ford III supports individuals, couples, and communities during moments that shape who they are and who they are becoming. Whether celebrating love, navigating a life or professional shift, or exploring identity through art, Obie brings presence, intention, and warmth to every interaction.
Serving all of Ohio and all locations beyond, The Obie Agency centers dignity, joy, reflection, connection, and love — honoring the stories that make each life unique. You belong here.
Schedule a Conversation with Obie
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The Philosophy Behind the Practice
Life is full of transitions. Some are joyful — weddings, commitments, and new beginnings. Some invite reflection — career changes, personal growth, or the loss of a loved one. And still others call for exploration, expression, and sharing of the artistic gifts that help us make sense of these moments.
These moments deserve care, intention, and space to be fully experienced.
Through ceremonies, coaching, and art, Obie empowers people to meet these transitions, make meaning of them, and move forward with intention and care. His practice is grounded in love, affirmation, enjoyment, and the belief that every life story matters.
Schedule a Conversation with Obie
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The Why & The Heart of The Obie Agency
Agency is the freedom to choose, to create, to transition, and to author your own story. The Obie Agency is Obie's expression of that truth. He conducts ceremonies that honor life's transitions. He coaches people as they navigate change and transformation. And he creates art that gives movement, humor, beauty, and voice to the human experience. This is Obie's why. His passion. His calling. His agency. Obie rises in his so that you may rise in yours.
At the heart of The Obie Agency are three connected pillars that reflect the many ways people experience transformation: Conducting Ceremonies. Coaching Lives. Creating Art.
Conducting Ceremonies
- Obie is a Licensed Ordained Minister and Universal Non-denominational Officiant. He is widely requested to officiate ceremonies that honor life, love, and legacy. He officiates personalized weddings, commitment ceremonies, memorials, and life celebrations with a genuine, loving, and people-first approach.
- He is trusted for his warmth, storytelling, and ability to create ceremonies that feel inviting, meaningful, and unforgettable.
Coaching Lives
- Obie is a Certified Transition Coach. He supports individuals, groups, and organizations navigating personal, career, and identity-based transitions. Known for his steady, insightful, and affirming presence, Obie supports clients through transitions with caring intention.
- His coaching practice is rooted in love, and provides a reflective, strengths-based space to gain perspective, explore possibilities, and move forward with purpose.
Creating Art
- Obie is a Multidisciplinary Artist and Provocateur. His creative projects span photography, commentary, movement, storytelling, and live performance.
- He explores themes such as transition, identity, empowerment, joy, and love.
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| Obie Ford III shot by TDC Photography |
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Obie's Background
Obie brings a rich blend of leadership, artistry, and human-centered practice. His purpose is guided by an enduring mantra: to serve, love, inspire, create, and elevate individuals, couples, and communities.
- Obie is a Universal Non-denominational Wedding and Memorial Officiant. He is an Ordained Minister through Universal Life Church and licensed by the State of Ohio. He is authorized to conduct weddings, solemnize marriages, officiate funeral services, and preside over ceremonies across the country.
- As a Transition Coach, Obie supports people and organizations navigating who they are and who they are becoming. He holds certifications as a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF), a Certified Diversity and Inclusion Practitioner, and a Qualified Administrator and Coach of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).
- As a Multidisciplinary Artist, Obie's creative journey began in his formative years and continues today through movement, photography, performance, and intentional collaborations with creative partners and brands.
- Obie is an educator and executive leader, having served private, public, two-year and four-year institutions. Hs is a published writer, noted speaker, and experienced emcee.
- He holds an undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in sociology; a graduate degree in educational policy and leadership with focus areas in cultural & somatic studies and African & African American history; and a PhD in higher education administration.
A Few Fun Facts About Obie
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- He has officiated hundreds of ceremonies, honoring people from all backgrounds, identities, traditions, and ways of being.
- He enjoys people, nature, all things love, tennis, live events, and hoola-hoop dancing ("hooping") — once winning a contest and being crowned, "The Hooping King."
- He's a devoted plant dad with a growing collection of personalities that bring color, calm, and character into his home.
- His name, Obie, means 'heart full of love.' The Obie Agency is built on this foundation.
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