Okay was born on September 20, 1959, in Ankara to military judge Ata Katı and Türkan as the second child.

[1][2] During the 1980 Turkish coup d'état era, she was a member of the socialist Workers Party of Turkey (TİP) and union spokesperson at her workplace.

She later contributed to the establishment of the publication company "İletişim", and took part in the team that prepared the Turkish edition of Playboy magazin.

[4] For one of her last projects, Okay worked as the main screenwriter for the historical TV series, Muhteşem Yüzyıl, based on the life of Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

[1][6] For her role in the movie Beynelmilel, she was awarded "Best Supporting Actress" at the 2007 International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival.