After earning my doctorate in clinical psychology in 2012, fear of failure and anxiety nearly led to emotional burnout. Ultimately, I was on the verge of shutting down entirely until I intentionally engaged in transformative self-care. Shifting my thoughts around wellness and developing a self-care model, C.R.I. ™️, solidified my personal and professional missions. Now, my life’s work is devoted to helping people, particularly Black communities, improve their mental health and emotional well-being. For more than a decade I’ve managed all roles within university counseling services and across the division of student affairs. The hands-on experience in individual and group counseling, crisis services, and case management work prepared me to supervise, train, coach, and mentor as a Student Affairs practitioner. My background inspired the vision for establishing Wiley College’s first fully staffed Psychological Counseling Center, Health Services, LGBTQIA student support, and Disability Services Office. Later I went on to serve outside of wellness programming as a supervisor for Career Services and Intramural Sports, doing the work that eventually led to my role as Interim Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. I am an experienced grant writer and project manager. As the principal investigator for The Hogg Foundation Strengthening Mental Health and Well-Being for Transition Age Youth of Color and their Families grant, I developed a compressive set of mental health interventions for college-aged Black women. I authored the grant proposal to secure $54,000 in funding successfully. This program focuses on improving the mental health outcomes of young women aged 17- 24 using expressive therapeutic interventions.I’ve recently added digital learning and infrastructure management to my portfolio. I led the charge for implementing Wiley College’s digital tools to enhance the student learning experience and promote accessibility for all students. As I continue to grow in my career, I welcome connections with people working in similar capacities. With a diverse portfolio of experiences, I’ve been asked by colleagues across the country and abroad to share wellness strategies, leadership development, and tools for student success. Connect with me if you’re looking for a speaker or panelist to discuss topics of student wellness, self-care, trauma interventions and recovery, crisis intervention, or diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.