Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Shana D. Lewis.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dr. Lewis. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, Keynote Speaker, Transformation Expert, Professor, Advocate, and Trainer. I realize I wear many hats but they all are summed up into one title — I am a servant. I am here to help you shift from where you are to where you are destined to be. I inspire change… but I teach transformation.
My journey to this place started decades ago as a young girl who was the friend who everyone would turn to when they needed advice. I was always considered an old soul, so it made me the responsible friend at a very early age. My mother told me early on to find something I liked to do and do it well enough to get paid to do it. So, after my first-semester Intro to Psychology course, I decided to major in psychology to help others as it came very natural to me. After doing my due diligence, I learned my capacity to help would be increased if I got my Masters in counseling, so I committed my freshman year to at least complete that level of education. My family always encouraged me to go back to school to get my doctorate, but I never had a reason to do so. I realized that I needed my why before I jumped into what proved to be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.
After working as a counselor for about 13 years with a specialty in treating women and adolescent girls, I got the push I needed. In the span of one year, I had several female clients who were all suffering inside of violent relationships. We would work diligently to create safety plans and methods to escape the relationships only for my clients to return to me in subsequent sessions telling me that they had worked everything out. As a helper for perhaps the first time, I was rendered helpless. This is what pushed me to return to school to get my Ph.D., I now had my ‘why.’ I had to find what I was missing to adequately help my female clients who were being victimized by their mates at home. And thus, the journey to my Ph.D. began at Sam Houston State University with a specialty in Intimate Partner Violence. Out of this program, grew my desire to reach out into my community to touch the women who I needed to help in more effective ways. As a result, my non-profit organization Her VOICE was born with the assistance of the Minority Fellowship Program Award from the National Board of Certified Counselors. Our mission is to empower female survivors of domestic violence thru mentorship and education. This program is much like Big Brothers Big Sisters where women who have survived violent relationships and gotten out of them for more than 2 years can then mentor women who have recently come out of these relationships.
Additionally, my love for speaking began as a teen and my desire to take my message of transformation to the masses has only grown as I’ve gotten older. While I may speak to various groups on different platforms, I believe that a true transformation must occur for people to lead lives that they can feel great. I realize that many people who need therapy will never come to see me or any other therapist for that matter. As a result, they will continue to live a life that is subpar and mediocre. I am of the school of thought that If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy and it is not necessary to live this way when you have options. This is my core message when I keynote events for women all across the country. No matter where you come from or what you’ve been thru I know each woman has exactly what she needs inside of her to be who she wants to be, do what she wants to do, and go where she wants to go. All she really needs is a little bit of insight to remove the barriers that are in her way so that she can make her full transformation. And it is my job to help her get there!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Being an entrepreneur is definitely not easy. There are so many aspects of a business that I was not taught in school but I had to learn along the way. I made many mistakes, but the good news is I have learned from these mistakes and the experience has made me a better business owner. Although it has been difficult at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. You see, I am not a quitter and anything I decide to do, I do. When starting my own business, some looked at me as if I was crazy because I left a secure counseling job working for a large local agency to step out on my own after just having given birth to my second child. I was fortunate to have the support of my husband and family which made all the difference in the world. It’s one decision I’d make all over again!
Please tell us about Living Well Professional Counseling Services, PLLC, and Her VOICE.
I actually have two businesses that I have found. Nine years ago, I decided to open a private counseling practice — Living Well Professional Counseling Services, PLLC. I am the Clinical Director/Owner and I specialize in treating women and adolescent girls in issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, domestic violence, and relationship issues. I am also a motivational speaker and trainer and deliver high energy keynotes for audiences all over the country on topics including mental health issues, women’s empowerment, domestic violence, spiritual issues, and transformation. I help audiences identify the areas they need to completely transform in order to have lives they can feel amazingly excited about. I have also authored two books including Get Your Life: The 90 Day Journal and Get Your Life: The Blue Print, both of which were written to help readers identify, make, and track the shifts necessary to create these amazing lives. I have also been featured as an expert on local media outlets including Great Day Houston, Houston Life, Fox 26 News, Magic 102.1, and 93.7 The Beat.
As an expert on domestic violence, four years ago, I also founded Her VOICE, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering survivors of domestic violence thru mentorship and education. Women who have survived violent relationships are able to mentor women who have recently left these relationships. This is a tiered model program as we mentor both women and also at risk teen girls. I am a believer that intervention is great but prevention is EVERYTHING. So, I put a lot of effort into encouraging, empowering, and educating girls as young as 4th grade to know what dating violence is and the importance of loving themselves in efforts to prevent them from falling into the trap of a violent relationship. To this end every summer, we host the STEP into your Future Girls Conference to teach these concepts.
With two companies that have been growing exponentially over the years, I am the proudest of the impact I have been able to make on the women and girls I serve. I absolutely love to see a woman who came to me doubting herself and suffering from low self-esteem make the transformation and walk away with her head held high and feeling amazing about herself. I am equally proud of the young girls who come to my conferences and walk away loving themselves and demanding the respect of their peers. Mission accomplished!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I wouldn’t change much of my journey. Even the parts that have been difficult have shaped me in a very positive way and made the victories even sweeter. However, if I was going to make a change, the area that I would spend more energy on would be finding funding sources for my non-profit. It is very difficult to run a non-profit initially without a consistent funding source. Over the years, I have been able to create this with my board of directors but initially, it did not exist. As for my speaking career, I would have hired a coach a lot sooner than I did. It would have allowed me to gain clarity much sooner and begin helping women across the country make much-needed transformations!
Contact Info:
- Address: 5909 West Loop South
Suite 670
Bellaire, TX 77401 - Website: www.drshanadlewis.com www.her-voice.net
- Phone: 713-892-5483 phone 713-422-2494 fax
- Email: shana@shanadlewis.com
- Instagram: @drshanad.lewis
- Facebook: Shana D. Lewis
Image Credit:
Ferrell Phelps, The Lennz
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