Ikpi's career began on the American talk show Teen Summit, which aired on Black Entertainment Television.

[7][11] A few days later, in New York City, she was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder, she wrote about it publicly in an opinion piece on Huffington Post in January 2011.

She has also written many freelance pieces "for several media outlets on the topic of mental health and pop culture commentary including Ebony, Huffington Post, Essence, xoJane and The Root.

[15] The show was described as "an avenue to give a taste of Bassey’s innovative approach to the art of spoken word in an evening of poetry and thought-provoking discussion.

"[16][17] In 2014, months after hundreds of school children were kidnapped from Chibok in Nigeria, Ikpi organised 'Do The Write Thing', an event to show support through the spoken word for the Bring Back Our Girls campaign.

"[22] The Siwe Project is registered as "a global non-profit dedicated to promoting mental health awareness throughout the international black community.

"[27] The book is described as "a deep personal work that chronicles the Nigerian-American author's life living with bipolar II disorder and anxiety, and a woman of color and combating the stigma surrounding it.

"[25] The essays cover her difficulties as a young child re-locating from Nigeria to America, struggling with household tensions, depression and hospitalization, leading up to her eventual diagnosis of and treatment for bipolar II disorder.