Meet Lacrecia Dangerfield | Licensed Professional Counselor & Life Transformation Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lacrecia Dangerfield and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lacrecia, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
Initially owning my own business was my end goal. Now that I have accomplished that and there is more to do to help change the world, I have had to create another goal. When I was in high school and had to write in my memory book about my goals, I said I wanted to own an Architectural and Accounting Firm. I don’t know exactly how I put those two together but that is what I wrote. At that time I was wrestling with being an engineer or an accountant. Fast forward to the present one could say I am an architect for healing professionals. My business focuses on the professional and personal development of mental health professionals and other healing professionals. This question reminds me of what I always ask the counselors that I work with “what do you want to be known for at the end of the day?” My answer is that I want to be known for empowering other clinicians to connect who they are and the work they do so that they can show up authentically in their communities and the profession. I love when the light bulb goes out for the clinician and they realize they have the permission to be who they are in the counseling space. So at the end of my career I want to have had impact on developing leaders in the mental health profession. This will change the trajectory of our profession from caregivers to community based leaders.

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?
Reimprint Your Life is a personal and professional development business that focuses on creating and holding space for clinicians of color and women leaders. What makes RYL different from most mental health practices is that we focus on the wellness and wellbeing of the clinician. In most mental health practices the identified client is the public. Prior to opening my business, I was working for a community agency and I was in leadership but I worked with the clinicians. I would hear their stories and began to wonder “who holds space for the clinician’ and a small voice whispered “You do.” My journey in business has been adventurous. When I initially launched my business, I was focusing on serving everybody who would come through the door. It was not until I got back on path and began to focus on the clinicians again that my business begin to flourish. Right before COVID hit and changed the way we do business, I was debating on whether to shift focuses. The clinicians showed up needing a space to navigate the changes that were impacting them personally and professionally and I was like okay I am here to stay. Learning how to operate my business from the space of the CEO has been challenging because I was looking through the lens of a clinician. In our Masters programs they do not teach us the business end. Although my undergraduate degree is in business, I had been a clinician for some years. I had to take some business classes to refresh myself. I want the world to know that Counselors are human also and although counseling is a superpower…we still experience life as the world does.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It is funny because I have a circle of five. Out of the five, four have lived in Nashville. So we would start out on Sunday and do brunch in the Gulch and then check out the new African American Music Museum. There are so many different restaurants to choose from. During the week, we would have to go to The Puffy Muffin for lunch to grab a quiche or chicken salad sandwich. One day we would go to Loveless Cafe for breakfast. After going to Loveless, we would go to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. If it is football season, we would catch a Titans game or if it is hockey season then it would be a Preds game. You can’t visit the city without walking on Broadway to listen to live music or go to Sambuca for dinner and live music. If we want to wet our educational taste buds, we would go to the Parthenon and the Frist Museum.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family is the driving support behind my success. They have been there for the different transitions of changing careers, getting my doctorate to taking the leap into entrepreneurship. Also I have to shout out my tribe of clinicians that show up to do the work so that others can have the mental health services needed especially during this time of the pandemic. You all are essential workers!

Website: Www.reimprintyourlife.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdrdangerfield/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lacrecia.Dangerfield

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacreciadangerfieldedd/

Youtube: BrownGirl Banter

Image Credits
Said Diaz