Today we’d like to introduce you to Misha N. Granado, MPH, MS.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Misha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As far back as I can remember, I was always inquisitive. I distinctly remember at the age of 7 asking my grandmother, “How did God become God? What is that story?” This led to a fascination with human behavior and wanting to know why people did and did not do certain things. I would later discover along my journey that the source of this intrigue was a result of the absence of my biological father. There is a deep emotional wound that results from the absence of a parent regardless of the reason and sex of the child. Somewhere within the child’s psyche no matter how many people and times, the child is reassured that the absent parent is not the fault of the child; the seed of ‘not good enough’ takes root.
Because to a child, the logic seems quite simple, ‘If I were good enough, my parent would be here.’ Of course, as adults, we know there are many factors which result in a parent becoming absent, all of which have nothing to do with the child as an individual. My passion and interest in human behavior led me to pursue academic degrees and training in psychology and behavioral health. Along this journey I honed my attention on relationships and emotional health and wellness, realizing that our unhealed emotional wounds become emotional blocks hindering our ability to fully connect, trust and love others which sometimes includes pieces of ourselves.
Life is about relationships and the relationship we have with self-determines and influences all of the relationships in our lives. With relationships being vital to the quality of our life, it is quite astounding that with all of our academic training and socialization we are not taught or given the space to practice the very important tools and skills required to cultivate healthy relationships. Skills and tools such as mindfulness, transparency, vulnerability, heart-centered communication, awareness, being present, The Art of Forgiveness, The Art of Communication, being responsible for your energy, grounding, letting go, acceptance, using your voice, The Power of No, etc. The lack of these tools and skills in addition to unhealed emotional wounds contribute significantly to the quality of our lives and relationships.
During my professional career, I served as a therapist at an alternative school for girls, provided family counseling, taught psychology at a university, conducted and published research both nationally and internationally. It was during my tenure at the alternative school for girls (6-12th grade) where it became gleamingly clear that regardless of our tax bracket, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, race, etc. we all want to be seen, heard, validated and loved. Our experiences determine what we are willing to do and accept in order to obtain these four and unfortunately with my girls due to their emotional wounds, they found themselves in very emotionally and physically unhealthy spaces; spaces which exacerbated and/or inflicted new wounds. Unbeknownst to me, this experience became a seed that would later bloom in the Love Grows garden.
My role as a university professor found me standing in front of a class of 100+ undergraduate students (freshman – seniors) with a percentage of the students not registered but who attended twice a week because they heard about conversations happening in Professor Granado’s class. Since the class was so large and diverse, I implemented a 10-minute freestyle, where students could engage in activities that would ground all of us to the present moment. Some students shared poetry, sang, rapped, spoke about current events but then something else began to happen. Soon, students began to share more vulnerable topics and courageously be transparent. I distinctly remember when one gentleman shared with us how over the winter break his best friend was murdered in their hometown, and he cried in front of his 99+ peers. There was not a dry eye in the room.
In this space of seemingly strangers, we were able to co-create a beautiful sacred space where we felt safe to be vulnerable and our authentic selves. This is what the other students heard and came to check out. When my tenure came to an end because I was relocating to New York for an internship at Mount Sinai, a few students admitted they were changing their major to psychology because of my class and others inquired how they could keep in touch with me because I was one of the people with whom they felt emotionally safe. A few students even suggested I write a book because people who did not and could not attend my classes needed to hear from me. This experience and their requests and suggestions would become a seed which would later bloom in the Love Grows garden.
While completing my internship at Mount Sinai, I received word I was awarded the Fulbright scholarship and would relocate to Barbados for a year to conduct a research project that would unite my love of emotional and physical health. I studied the intersection between beliefs and barriers as they pertained to breast cancer screening https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09581596.2013.855704. It was in these focus groups with women 40 and older where we had heart-centered conversations about various components that influenced their decision to obtain mammograms.
There were beliefs of not being at risk due to a myriad of factors (i.e. age, child status, breast size, etc.), environmental barriers (mammogram machine not available or wait time too long) and sometimes fear. The fear of being sick, not being viewed as attractive anymore and/or the fear of no longer being deemed desirable by men. These conversations with this beautiful, diverse, vulnerable and transparent women who trusted me with their story definitely became a seed that would later become Love Grows.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life is not a smooth road, but it is our perception that determines the quality of the journey. As I continue to explore my path both in life and as an entrepreneur, I have come to view the entire experience as an adventure. I have discovered by being (1) present and (2) non-resistant I remain in a space where I can view everything from a creative and open vantage point. This is imperative given the work I do which is meeting clients in their most vulnerable emotional space, asking them to trust me with their heart so together we can heal the space making more room for love.
For example, regardless of what happens (decrease/increase in clients, collaborations, invitations, money, opportunities, etc for the month), I ask the following questions:
• Where can I grow?
• What can I change?
• What can I learn from this?
• Is it time for a new strategy?
• Is there anything for me to do here?
• What do I have control and power of?
• What skill, wisdom, talent, expertise is trying to emerge from this?
• Is there anything I am thinking, doing or not doing that is serving as a block?
Challenges are simply cleverly disguised opportunities to become creative and evolve. It is in these ‘uncomfortable’ spaces where we discover deeper depths and higher altitudes of self. We are so much more than we think and are capable of much more than we attempt. One thing I have learned while traveling the entrepreneur path, which is also applicable to life, is struggle is not necessary. You do not have to know and/or do everything on your own. We can save a tremendous amount of energy and resources if we simply go to the experts in the field. The beauty is there are experts at various price points and some may not require a financial investment.
Sometimes taking a class or investing in yourself by attending workshops, strategy sessions, volunteering, hiring a consultant, obtaining a mentor, networking and cultivating relationships in diverse circles, etc. will provide the very tools needed to sustainably address said challenge.
Please tell us about Love Grows: The Relationship Consultants.
Love Grows: The Relationship Consultants is a boutique firm that Speaks, Writes and Brings Love into Existence via conversations, interactive, intimate workshops, editorials, books and therapy. We specialize in healthy heart-centered relationships. Life is about relationships and the relationship you have with self-determines and influences all of the relationships in your life. Despite the marital status of my clients, there is always a self-component in each session. I specialize in romantic relationships (dating, engaged, married), mothers-daughters (daughters as young as 12 years old) and individuals. Our clients are individuals who have (1) made their emotional health and wellness a priority, (2) are willing to invest time and energy to reach their sustainable relationship goals and (3) are open to trying something different.
Although we cannot change the past, we can improve our future by investing in our emotional healing today. Love is an Art and requires practice. The more you love self, the better you can love others. As a speaker, writer and relationship therapist, I help my audience, readers and clients to improve their relationships by improving the relationship they have with self. This is accomplished by providing the tools, expertise and knowledge to help change perspectives, heal emotional wounds and cultivate love in all areas of life.
A significant component that sets me apart from others is I am non-judgmental which allows me to meet everyone exactly where they are on their journey and provide a sacred space for them to be emotionally vulnerable and transparent. I do not practice what I have termed the “Catastrophic 3 C’s” which is to try to convert, condemn or convince anyone of anything. Instead, I respect that everyone, absolutely everyone is on their own journey. Something magical happens when you meet someone and create such a space for them; they feel seen, heard, validated and loved, the same four components my girls at the alternative school, my students at the university and my women in Barbados all desired.
Another distinction with Love Grows is our “Growing Love in Our We Space,” an in-house consultation we offer to couples to help them discover and create their unique ‘we’ style decor in their bedroom. At Love Grows we are staunch advocates that the marital bedroom should be a place of refuge, peace, zen and romance. Love is a lifestyle and we believe it should surround you in all of your spaces including aesthetics, especially the bedroom.
One of my most proud accomplishments is being voted Best in Premarital Counseling by Texas Brides. Additionally, I am quite proud of my first published book, “It’s Your Season to B.L.O.O.M. Becoming Love to Overcome Obstacles in Me: An Inspirational Journal for Women on a Journey to Self-Discovery and Love” and my upcoming book: Love: A Man’s Perspective, Conversations with Men at Different Stages in Love.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My brother is my best bud and one of my favorite memories is when we spent time with our maternal grandmother who we affectionately called, ‘Mother’ (very proper, perhaps this is from our Caribbean, Trinidadian lineage *smile*). Our grandmother loved us from a space within her heart that always made us feel seen, heard, validated and loved.
She set standards of excellence for us yet created a space for us to explore, use our voice and be emotionally vulnerable. She was an amazing woman, a woman who did not have an easy life, but who always showed up and loved despite the challenges. She was my first master teacher of the power of love.
Pricing:
- 1-hour counseling sessions $200
- Growing Love in Our We Space – 30 minute In home bedroom redesign consultation $125
- B.L.O.O.M. Inspirational Journal $25 (currently in its 4th printing)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mishangranado.com/
- Phone: 281-908-3902
- Email: [email protected]
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
