Finding My Passion: Becoming What I Needed

Y’all, let me tell you—it hasn’t been easy. I’ve been through some real struggles with my mental health, and for the longest time, I didn’t even know where to start when it came to seeking help. Why? Because every time I looked for a therapist, it felt like nobody looked like me. No one who understood what it means to move through this world as a Black woman. It felt impossible to find someone who could hold space for my pain without making me feel like I had to translate my experiences or hide parts of myself.

That’s when it hit me: I gotta be what I needed. I couldn’t sit around waiting for someone else to show up when I could be the one to make a difference.

So, I started with a degree in psychology. I wanted to understand the "why" behind it all—the thoughts, the behaviors, the trauma. But that wasn’t enough. I knew that to really get in there and help people, I had to go deeper. So, I went back to school and got my master’s in marriage and family therapy.

And then it hit me again—mental health isn’t the whole picture. In our community, so many of us are fighting battles with substance use, and I knew I couldn’t ignore that. I needed to show up fully prepared, so I earned a second master’s in addiction counseling.

But I ain’t gonna lie to you—there’s this little voice inside me, the one I’m still working on silencing, that kept saying, “Prove it. Prove you’re good enough. Prove you’re the expert.” It’s not healthy, and I know it. But that’s how I ended up going after a doctorate in couple and family therapy. I wanted to make sure nobody could ever question whether or not I knew my stuff.

Now, here I am. Armed with knowledge, skills, and experiences that I never imagined I’d have. And I’m not doing this for the accolades or the titles (though they’re cute, let’s be real). I’m doing this for us. For our community. For the people like me who felt lost, unseen, and unheard.

I believe healing starts with understanding. And now, my mission is to share what I’ve learned to help us heal—our minds, our hearts, and our spirits. We deserve therapy that doesn’t just meet us where we are but speaks our language, knows our struggles, and honors our brilliance.

This is my passion. This is my purpose. And I’m ready to put in the work to make sure our community gets the healing it deserves.

Let’s do this together. 💜