Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandtrice Russell.
Hi Sandtrice, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey started as a poor little black girl from the Eastside of LaGrange. I was raised in the Calumet neighborhood of LaGrange, Georgia and I was surrounded by other poor black people who were surviving off of love and resiliency. My environmental circumstances led me to want more out of life, which resulted in me throwing myself into my education and striving to excel academically as a way to make it out of “Trap County.”
I was fueled by the anger and brokenness that I felt growing up and it pushed me to create a different life for myself. I excelled academically throughout my entire grade school, high school, and collegiate career. I used the tools that I learned within the classroom and from the streets to help me navigate through the challenges that I would later face in developing my brand and my business.
I began my practice Unique Destiny Counseling, LLC in 2018 in order to create a safe space for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ people to seek therapy. I developed the Self Aware & F**ked Up Podcast along with my wife, Jade in January of 2020 in order to help destigmatize the stigma around counseling. In January of 2024, I created the Minding my Own Mental Health: A Comprehensive Guide to Self-Care Journal in order to provide a tool for the world at large to actively address their mental wellness through the act of guided journal prompts and assessments to determine what areas of self-care they need to work towards improving.
Alright, 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?
The road was most definitely not smooth, in fact- I faced legal challenges, feelings of unworthiness, survivors’ guilt, and a little imposter syndrome-ish feelings at the beginning of my journey. First off, getting licensed to practice counseling, took forever because of my legal challenges and I beat myself up a lot about that initially. Luckily, God extended His grace and I was able to overcome that challenge and then the challenge became actually building a private practice from scratch.
As counselors we always joke about the fact that they teach you everything in a Counseling Program except how to actually make money in counseling outside of working for an established agency. Very few programs, if any, teach us about how to develop and successfully run a private practice. We just have to get out there and figure it out.
I was a ‘slave’ for BetterHelp at one point in my career, and while I hold some resentment regarding how they compensate Licensed Mental Health Professionals, my time as a contractor there taught me the do’s and don’ts of private practice and helped me recover from my feelings of being an imposter.
When COVID hit, the field of counseling accelerated at a fast pace and so did my business, and that’ when I began to shift to focus more on my brand and developing the Self Aware & Fucked Up Podcast™.
It has taken a lot of resilience, tears, and therapy (Shoutout to Alex), to build my businesses and my brand. I’d say that the most recent challenge that I’ve faced is actually releasing my latest project the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal, because as I was preparing to finalize the cover and send it to print, my father had a massive stroke on February 20th and ultimately passed away on March 1, 2024.
I honestly wanted to shut everything down at that point, but I know that he would want me to continue going, so from now on, I’m doing it for him!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Unique Destiny Inc is the umbrella company for Unique Destiny Counseling, the Minding my Own Mental Health brand, and the Self-Aware and F**ked Up Podcast™. I started Unique Destiny Inc in 2012 as a non-profit agency and later added on the for-profit portion- Unique Destiny Counseling, LLC.
Unique Destiny provides a variety of counseling services to include: individual therapy, couple’s therapy, career counseling/coaching, financial coaching, CE Trainings, and mental health, corporate, and professional development workshops.
We specialize in working with clients coping with depression, anxiety, relationship issues, anger management, trauma, and individuals of the LGBTQIA+ community who are seeking a safe space. We also have experience working with Veterans and Active-Duty Serviceman who have been impacted by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Unique Destiny is known for mental health advocacy, promoting self-care, and “Empowerment through Education.” Brand wise, I’m really proud of the Minding My Own Mental Health Journal because I know it’s a game changer for how we navigate our self-care. Not everyone can afford therapy and not everyone has time for therapy; but being able to sit with yourself and be honest with YOU about the things that you need to do in order to improve the quality of life is something that none of us can afford to NOT do. The Minding My Own Mental Health Journal is available as a writable digital download and in paperback at the UniqueDestiny.org website and on Amazon.
I’m also really proud of the Self Aware & F**ked Up Podcast™! People really love how raw and authentic it is and of course everyone loves the title. We have a new intro for season three, which I’m living for! Shoutout to K. Noel Jordan for doing the intro and for The Chop God for his exquisite musical production. I’m also in the process of writing a new book which I hope to release by my birthday this year, so stay tuned!
If I’m being perfectly honest, this grief is kicking my butt right now, but I’m throwing it all into my projects and my business. My therapist suggested that I need to take a pause, but clearly, I’m too self-aware & effed up and helping other people through my business and personally helps me to heal as well. So I guest what I want people to now is, supporting my business, helps me heal!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I enjoy using things like aromatherapy and light therapy to enhance my mood throughout the day. I also regularly use the Insight Timer App for my daily meditations. I listen to a few Podcasts from time to time, one of my favorite is Authentically Peculiar with Marcia and Beyond the Picket Fence with Chelsea Bea. I just love authentic podcast that don’t have hidden agendas.
If I had to recommend a book other than the Minding my Own Mental Health Journal, it’d be When Time Hasn’t Healed by Chanel Toson, LPC. It’s a grief journal that I’m currently working in right now to help me work through the anger associated with losing my father.
Pricing:
- Individual Therapy: $150.00 per 50 min session
- Couples Therapy: $250.00 per 50 min session
- Consulting: $100 per 50 min session
- Corporate Workshops- Email me for Pricing
- Minding my Own Mental Health Journal- $30.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.uniquedestiny.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treethelpc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreetheLPC/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandtrice-russell-lpc-cpcs-90533282/
- Twitter: https://linktr.ee/selfawareandfuckeduppodcast
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@treethelpc
- Other: https://a.co/d/eNmPUbo
Image Credits
Tourvoisier Rashad Zachary
