We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Collier, PhD, LPC-S and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystal, what inspires you?
My mission in life is to be radically genuine. Thus, I feel inspired around others who are able to achieve a level of existence in which they are comfortable in their own skin and respect others’ vulnerability. Reaching that state is sometimes a daily practice for me. It feels inspiring to help others on the same journey.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My occupational mission is to make brain-science easy to understand and apply in every day life to empower others to make healthy decisions that fill their spirit. My book, The NeuroWhereAbouts Guide, is a neurodevelopmental guide for parents who want to prevent high-risk behavior in their children. It is filled with easy-to-understand, dynamic graphics that give just the right amount of information to make informed decisions about keeping kids safe from 18 different high-risk topics. Researching and gathering the data for this book has been a 30-year journey filled with my own personal recovery and experience counseling others. Along the way, I’ve learned that parents today are confused and scared about how to take a stand about risky behavior. Media portrays underage alcohol and drug use as normal, glamorizes eating disordered behavior, provides millions of self-esteem damaging pornography scripts, popularizes gambling, and isolates youth to the point of sky-rockteing rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. I have watched parents cry when they are validated that is okay to ask another parent if their guns and prescription medications are safely locked away before their child goes to a sleepover at their house. Thus, my unique mission is one of taking a research-informed, empowered stand to protect families.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Favorite spots in the city are the bike trails along the bayou into downtown leading to amazing restaurants like Ninfa’s on Navigation, Local Foods on Yale, and the Dunlavy off Allen Parkway. After city-biking, it would be off to the Kemah boardwalk or down to Surfside for a taste of what the Third Coast has to offer. For a relaxing top-off, definitely a lecture at the Jung Center or an art show at one of Houston’s amazing museums or galleries with some coffee at the cat cafe afterward.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband Taylor is my sun, my moon, my healer, my family of choice, and my best friend. He has supported and encouraged me when life is really scary. He backs me up when I make mistakes. When my father went missing after being homeless for years, Taylor organized communication with a search and rescue organization and tirelessly helped search for him. We still do not know what happened to him, and Taylor tenderly hugs me whenever I feel sad. The ups and downs of life and relationships are all cushioned because of Taylor’s abiliy to ground me. My gratitude for his presence is endless.

Website: www.drcrystalcollier.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-collier-phd-lpc-s-657191105/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drcrystalcollier/

Image Credits
Photos by Jan Johnson