I believe that one of the biggest things that hold us back in life is not feeling worthy of love, success, & even happiness.
This causes us to overwork ourselves to the point of exhaustion hoping that one day we will feel worthy enough to relax and enjoy our lives.
When you live life like this you end up feeling resentful, burned out, and you start to wonder if this is really what life is supposed to be like.
The most heartbreaking part of all of this is that you end up muddling through life, losing touch with what lights you up, and how you truly want to show up in the world.
Let me tell you a bit about my self-worth journey…
I was type A. In front of the class, always had my homework done on time, work ‘til midnight, type of student (kinda obnoxious, I know). But even though I looked confident and put together on the outside, I felt stressed, unworthy, and unlovable on the inside.
Despite all my hard work, I brushed aside my accomplishments and focused on my mistakes and insecurities. No matter what I achieved, I still didn’t feel good enough.
As a Black woman, I didn’t feel like there was room for me to make mistakes or fail. I criticized myself any time I didn’t get everything right.
If I’m honest, I didn’t take good care of myself or treat myself very well and I was exhausted.
As a result, I questioned myself constantly, didn’t feel good about myself, and settled for what I could get in my work and relationships.
Can you relate?
My life changed when I turned inward, built a healthy relationship with myself, and began believing I was worthy.
Embracing my unconditional self-worth is what finally brought me the contentment and joy I had been longing for, and that’s what I want for you too.
My life is pretty amazing right now; I have a healthy and supportive marriage, I have authentic relationships with friends and family. Most importantly, I’m happy and at peace with myself.
Not only have I seen these changes in my own life, I’ve used my experience as a clinical psychologist to help thousands of people, just like you learn to love, accept, and encourage themselves.
I want to help you with this too, so you can courageously pursue your big dreams and live the life you most desire.
Here’s a bit more about my qualifications
*note: my worthiness isn’t based on any of these things!
I’m a licensed clinical psychologist. I received my B.A. from Stanford University and my Ph.D. from DePaul University.
I spent 4 years working at a University Counseling Center, where I provided therapy to incredibly high achieving students who struggled to feel worthy. In particular, I focused on supporting students from underrepresented groups.
I have written numerous academic articles, and recently co-authored a forthcoming book on Black women’s mental health that will be published by Cambridge University Press.
In 2018 I gave a TEDx talk called Cultivating Unconditional Self-Worth that kicked off my journey to help as many people as possible know they are worthy. The talk now has over 1 million views!
— fun facts —
I LOVE extra dark chocolate. There’s just something about the sweet, bitter, & hit of caffeine (& dopamine) that I can’t resist (sounds kinda like life doesn’t it?).
Dancing has been both my kryptonite & something that brings me the most joy in life.
I’ve lived in Chicago for over a decade but I’ll always be a Cali girl at heart.
I love to cook! I picked up cooking from my dad & this is one of my primary outlets for creativity these days. Oh, & I love to eat too!
I got kicked out of a children’s choir when I was a kid because my voice was too loud & bold. Turns out that loud, bold voice is one of my biggest assets. 😉
— deeply held values —
Compassion - I practice self-compassion and offer compassion to others.
Honesty - It’s not unusual for people to respond to my honesty with a #Ifeelattacked 😬 but on the other hand, that’s my husband’s favorite thing about me so it must be working 😉.
Empowerment - I believe deeply that everyone has gifts and strengths within them and I am passionate about empowering people to tap into their gifts so they can share them with the world.
Thriving - I believe that life is about more than survival, it is also about thriving and living life to its fullest.
