HOW OWNING A GROUP PRACTICE CAN GROW YOUR FAITH WITH LATOYA SMITH, LPC-S | EP 57

[DAWN DANIEL]
Hi, I’m Dawn Gabriel, your host of Faith Fringes podcast, recording live from Castle Rock, Colorado. I am a licensed professional counselor, owner of a counseling center and a sacred space holder for fellow therapists. This podcast is for those who want to explore more than the traditional norms of the Christian culture. I create intentional space to explore your own spiritual path, a space that allows doubt, questions and curiosity without the judgment or shame, a place to hear another story and dive deeper into how to have a genuine connection with God.

For my fellow therapist, listening, I will often pull back the curtain of our layered inner world that comes with our profession. I bring an authentic and experienced way to engage your spiritual journey in order to connect you with your deepest values for true renewal and soul care. But really this podcast is for anyone listening who’s desiring a deeper and genuine connection with God. For those of you wanting to engage your spirituality in new ways, Faith Fringes is for you. Welcome to the podcast.

Welcome back to Faith Fringes podcast. This is Dawn Gabriel, your host. Today’s podcast I have been thinking a lot about really looking at how our businesses can be spiritually formation. You know specifically how running a group practice, I’m doing a series where I interview different group practice owners and just pick their brains about how do you integrate your spirituality in making business decisions, or how have you found that because of your business, you realized you have needed more faith and more spirituality in your life? So that’s what I’m really focusing on in the next month or so and I’m so excited because it’s just really cool to hear the stories and hear people talk through it.

The person I’m going to interview today, Latoya Smith, I actually met her when I went to Jekyll Island at the Faith in Practice Conference. It was so fun and I just really connected with her. I went to one of her presentations and I just really liked her energy, her personality and I thought, I want her to come on my podcast. I’ll probably have her on more than once, but today, yes, we just have a conversation. It’s a really easy flow about talking about how spirituality weaves in and out of our practices.

So let me tell you a little bit about her. LaToya is the owner of LCS Counseling and Consulting Agency, a group practice located in Fort Worth Texas. She firmly believes that people don’t have to remain stuck in their pain or at the place where they became wounded. She encourages her clients to be active in their treatment and work towards their desired outcome. LaToya launched Strong Witness, which is a platform designed to connect, transform, and heal through the power of storytelling. She also serves as a consultant with Practice of the Practice and helps therapists build inclusive and anti-racist practices as well as develop their speaking and presentation skills through the power of storytelling.
[DAWN]
Today, I have LaToya Smith with me. Welcome. I’m so excited to have you here.
[LATOYA SMITH]
Thank you, Dawn. I’m excited to be here as well. I’m grateful that you asked me, honestly, from when I met you at the conference and our emails or phone chat and getting this set up. So I really am appreciative. And I love your office. I don’t know if you decorated that or somebody else.
[DAWN]
Well, this is actually my home office. I try to record at home. My office at work, I’ve actually given it up except for two days because I don’t see clients anymore and I do a lot more with Faith Fringes. So yes, actually I wallpapered that wall.
[LATOYA]
Oh, wow.
[DAWN]
Yes, it looks like a real brick wall.
[LATOYA]
It does look like real brick. That is beautiful. I need to get some wallpaper.
[DAWN]
It’s a very forgiving pattern.
[LATOYA]
Good. I like that.
[DAWN]
Thanks. I love it too. It was blank and I was sick of looking at it during the last year, so I wallpapered it.
[LATOYA]
Yes, I like it. I like it.
[DAWN]
Well today I thought it would just be cool to just have a conversation about something that’s so important to both of us and that’s our spirituality and our faith and how it either impacts our practices or vice versa; how we are impacted spiritually because of owning a group practice. Both of us do more than just a group practice. So I think, we were just talking about that before we got on is how do we wear all the hats of business hat, therapy hat, entrepreneur hat, leadership hat, spiritual hat, like there’s so many hats and they sometimes conflict or there’s a war going on inside of us. So I thought it’d be fun to just jump in wherever.
[LATOYA]
Yes, definitely. Even as you were listing all the hats, I was feeling overwhelmed, like, woo. I forgot about that hat. Then I’m like, do I wear that hat? I need to put that on. It can be, it’s just a lot and sometimes you feel like you’re underperforming or not meeting the mark because you’re not wearing it. Well, I’ll speak for, because I feel like I’m not wearing it well. But then I’m like, well, what is well? What’s the gauge on that? Like, okay if I just put it on, I work through it, is that good enough? But it is a lot and I was talking to somebody yesterday and, I was interviewing somebody yesterday and she had mentioned that. She was like, which I agree, we have to stop saying, finding a healthy balance because we can’t balance everything. Like sometimes we got to wear that one hat and focus in that space. and then things get out of control when we try to juggle hats.
[DAWN]
Yes, it’s true. We can’t. I don’t believe in balance anymore. I feel like more rhythm, like rhythm is sometimes you’re focusing on one thing and then it’s more, yes, rhythm.
[LATOYA]
Yes, yes. That’s what it is. It’s coming to be. It’s not always easy, but I think for me not giving up and the journey in itself is turning out to be a beautiful thing. I was saying for a little bit this year, like, man, this is a tough year. It’s the toughest year ever. Then I just switched it up this is going to be my best year. I was like, I mean, when December 31st comes, I want to be able to reflect back, like, I’m hoping what the deepest aches and pains, what they were along the way, not to dismiss them, but just that, like that beauty for ashes, like something beautiful was going to become of this. Just trying to figure out what that is, because when you’re in the midst of it is confusing and it aches. You feel silly and then you feel like you’re conquering the world at the same time by the grace of God. So it is a lot.
[DAWN]
Yes.
[LATOYA]
It’s a lot.
[DAWN]
And there’s times LaToya, I don’t know if you feel this way, but I’m guessing because of what you just said, there’s times I’m like, oh my gosh, I feel bipolar. There’s times I’m like super high, like excited and then the next day I can be really low and I’m like, whoa, I’m letting a lot of my circumstances dictate how I feel. I need to rein that back in and get centered. For me, that’s getting centered on my faith because sometimes if I’m looking at all the stuff out there, it’s really hard to feel grounded and centered and I do feel out of control and bipolar. I’m not trying to make fun of bipolar. I literally am like, whoa, these swings are really big.
[LATOYA]
More so than ever, I feel, and I guess this is a certain maturity or level that I’m at allowing and it’s taken some time. Well, I think in every stage of life, we feel like we mature as it should be. We’re supposed to level up in different things like spiritual maturity, emotional maturity, but allowing myself to really feel what I feel and then being okay with that and not beating myself up about that and not minimizing it, but also not trying to soak in it. Like I’m at a season now and it’s taken me some time to really allow my heart to speak and to be soft and for whatever way that means.

Like I’ve made, listen, this is not that podcast. I can name all the mistakes I’ve made in life, business, especially. I made some bankers, like, I made some mistakes in 2022, I made some mistakes along the way. I didn’t know how to do but allowing myself to feel it and not throw it out completely. It’s not easy. That’s the thing too. I think a lot of times, yes, we hear all the time, like own it. We should own that stuff because what happens, what I’m learning is if I own my stuff, that’s how I’m going to grow from it better. I can dismiss it. I can push it down, but I got to own that. Listen, when you try to juggle 20 things 19 them things, if not all 20 are going be trash.

So you can’t do that. That’s what this has taught me, to ask for help when you need it, to say it when you don’t know how to do something, to admit sometimes when I feel like, listen, I don’t think I’m a very good therapist today. I need to check myself and be better. I don’t think I’m a very good business person today or a very good leader today. Or that’s not even my strength and I can’t do that and I need to find, I can do it, but it’s not my strength and understand how all that comes into play and owning it but not settling, but wanting to get better. I think a big part, and you tell me I’m all over the place because I may be in —
[DAWN]
No, you’re fine. I’m tracking with you.
[LATOYA]
I think a big part too, with me, I’ve always been goal-driven. I’ve always been about what’s the next, how can I get it, how can I achieve it? Tell me the steps to get to it and I want to conquer these steps.
[DAWN]
Yes, I’ll do it.
[LATOYA]
Yes, and then now it’s more like, okay, take care of what’s been given to you and what the journey is. Then I think that’s also about a respect and understanding for what the Lord has blessed me with. He’s blessed me with this counseling business. So yes, he actually drops some things in my spirit, like April about next steps but if I don’t take care of what he’s given me now, how can I get there? So some of it is a respect and a backing up and looking at things on this level and not trying to be and do it. I can be, but if I don’t handle this, if I don’t take care of this, how can I get to the next? So a lot of that is the only part, a lot of that is the stepping back and moving forward in different ways.
[DAWN]
I really like what you said. Even as you started this, you were saying, I’ve really learned to just feel the feelings and not just push through to get to the next step, is what you were saying. I really like that because I think so many times when we do try to ignore our feelings and keep going, that can lead to burnout or it can lead to like, not an authentic way of doing it. From what I know of you, I know I just met you in April, but you seem like one of your values is being genuine and authentic. Part of that is being vulnerable and saying, “Hey, this is what I’m really feeling.” You have to do that with yourself first, but then also to others.

I think like, I look at the people who have mentored or led me and the people who impact me the most are the people who are real about their struggles. So I think that’s an important part of leadership of saying, wait, I need to step back. What am I feeling? This is hard. I can’t be perfect. I’ve even been honest with my team, my counseling team, my therapists of just saying this week was really hard. For some reason I screwed up so much and did so many mistakes. I remember sending an email and I was like, “I’m so sorry. There’s a lot going on.” They were gracious. They need to see me not be perfect. I mean, I’m not perfect, but they need to see that I’m not perfect, but they need me to admit that.
[LATOYA]
You are.
[DAWN]
But no, I love that you said that you’re leaning into that. I think that’s a huge part of leadership is we have to lead from vulnerability and authenticity. It’s important.
[LATOYA]
Yes, and let me, you also reminded me, I’m just going to throw this in there. I was studying this morning, the text, the scripture to just live by faith. Then I was like, okay, God, let’s talk about what just is. Then there’s a scripture, I think it’s an Ecclesiastes. If it’s not, you will find it someplace else. But I think it’s Ecclesiastes, word said too, like, listen, now I’m paraphrasing it but it just talked about, yes, a man could be just, but it basically doesn’t mean he’s still not sinning. Like we’re not perfect. We can walk upright, we can walk with integrity, we can try our best and have a character of God but understanding that by His grace we get through and we don’t even reach, so it’s okay when we make mistakes.

At the same time, it doesn’t feel great, but going back to feeling the feels and I want to say this much too, I’m just getting to that within the last couple years or more, especially this year, just allowing myself to feel it, not shame myself, not blame everybody else but own my part and feel it. And I’m realizing that I can’t control anybody else. Now I will say that I appreciate the words you said to me, but most people, I would hope they would describe me as authentic, but I’m also, some people will say listen, you’re very private, very guarded in life. I believe that that’s true. It has been true, but also now it’s like falling out the hardened areas of my heart.

And I think that has also helped me in this flow of, you said being authentic with other people, but even when you said that, I was thinking like, yoh being authentic with myself. That’s what it’s about, like what I really need, because it’s crazy when you allow yourself to sit and to feel without trying to be, or do for somebody else the amount of clarity and peace that comes over you. No, it’s not comfortable, but man, I need to go this way because I can’t wrestle with the what ifs and how tos and how to make it like, listen, this is it. I mean, this is what I’m feeling. This is what I’m trying to do. Whether it’s healing for me, healing in certain relationships, whether it’s this is what I want to speak, this is what needs to be cut or what have you. It feels good but like I said, it’s not easy. I can stress that. It’s not easy but it feels good. It feels different and it does feel genuine because when we try to mask so much, you don’t, you get out of character.
[DAWN]
Yes. And I think, when you were saying that, I was like, I feel like our profession, like, we didn’t just come into our profession out of nowhere. We probably came growing up or socially figuring out a way that we are comfortable helping and giving to others and hiding part of ourselves. We feel more comfortable in that place. So, as we’re getting older and mature, more mature, we’re realizing that might not have served us a hundred percent as well as being still leading and giving but we have to give to ourselves, we have to be genuine and authentic first. That is, I feel like it is a learned part of we have to go through this and it’s learning. I mean, that’s why I talk so much about soul care for therapists, because our tendency is it’s way easier to care for others than it is for ourselves, but we have to get up close and personal to ourselves to figure that out. I think sometimes we can fake it too much.

I think, also in our industry, even consulting and growing practices, we can get swept up into, we have to hit this mark fast and we have to grow fast and we have to hit the next level up. Sometimes I realize, wait, where, who am I listening to? Not a specific who versus what’s in my spirit and what are my values and what am I wanting to ground on? Sometimes those don’t match and I have to really sit and slow down and I have to shut people out on a good, like to say, I can’t listen to hit this mark. I have to just, where am I in all this? That’s what was coming up while you were talking.
[LATOYA]
You said a mouthful. I should have wrote down because I was like, man, there’s so much I can talk about in what you said, because again, I think a lot of that comes back to owning, like even when you were talking about, you’re right, a part of us once when we started this profession, I want to help everybody. Then in school they tell you y’all need to get counseling yourself. I’m here to help everybody and then you realize when I get somebody to help me with my stuff, for real, how much easier the sessions flow and how much easier work is. Then you know you need, like, when you start giving your clients the advice you should take [crosstalk]
[DAWN]
Yes, you’re like, I often, yes, you’re like this person comes in and inside I’m like, okay, God, I see what you’re up to. You knew I needed to work on this and I’m feeling convicted right now because what I’m speaking out is what I need.
[LATOYA]
Exactly. I mean, that’s real, we got to accept that. But I think also what you were just saying too, I remember even within the last month or so having, I don’t even know if it was by text or, I think it was both and phone, speaking to somebody else, like listen, I can’t be such and such. I have to go, I’m better when I just be me. Now I’m not a very detailed person at all. Admin is not my strength. A lot of them, my thoughts are in my, it’s all in my head and when I come out and may not, I say, I’ve been saying this a lot lately, I’m more of the take some paint splatter on the wall and I’m like, yoh, it’s art.

I don’t understand NFT. I would say it’s worse. I don’t know, but it’s some art. Then where somebody else will be like, no, because you didn’t paint it with this number brush and you didn’t do this number of strokes, I can’t do that. But just listen, if you accept me as being this, then, hey, this is how I can move and flow. Then being comfortable now seeing life, I thought I had to switch up and be that other person, but now being comfortable, like, listen, this is me. And I don’t even want the pressure. Now, if you want me again, I think this is maturity, if that’s what your look, I can move out the way. Or even when clients call, remember when we first started, we thought we could tackle any client. Like you call on that phone and you name what you’re going through, hey, I’m your person. I just graduated last week. This in a textbook.
[DAWN]
I can help because I care so much. I will take anything on. I’m here for you.
[LATOYA]
Exactly. Then you get hit, punched a couple times and you’re like, oh, okay, well, this is not my niche. You let it out, but then realize it, but now being completely okay with that or when a client comes in that client’s not for you. Or they think you’re not the right, they may say different. They may say just like that and not being upset about it. Listen, “Hey yes, let me refer you out to such and such.” And realizing our lanes, realizing where God has us, realizing that we’re not for everyone. Like really accepting that and how much value we add how much we allow ourselves to be seen and realizing that steals nothing from me if I’m staying in my space, my lane and not trying to be everything to everyone.
[DAWN]
Yes, it’s so true. Even as a consultant, I’ve noticed that. Yes, as a consultant, I look at that, like, I’ve learned really a lot better of how to talk about who I am and what I do not like everyone else. It’s same with newer therapists. I work a lot with my newer therapists on my team and we’re talking about this all the time because they’re trying to figure out who they are with clients and like what you just said, learning this are my strengths. I don’t have to do it like Dawn does it, but how do I do it like me? So, yes, I love that. I think it’s such a big part of therapist development, is really being real with that process. It happens, I mean we need to.
[LATOYA]
Yes, I think so. That’s a whole consulting package in itself. I don’t know what it would be called. That’s a whole like transformation package by itself. It may be called soul care.
[DAWN]
I wonder who does that?
[LATOYA]
That’s what it’s called.
[DAWN]
Yes, could you, and this is totally on the spot, but can you think of a time in your life or your therapy life, owning a group practice or even your consulting where there was, you felt like you were going one way, but you felt God nudging you another and it just didn’t make sense, but because you’re a faith-based person, you realize I have to go this way, like God is calling me this way. I was just curious if you have any examples or if that resonates with you.
[LATOYA]
Yes, I think, I don’t know off the top of my head, I can’t think of this amazing light bulb moment more so where I’m like, God, you’re right, here I come as opposed to being like, Lord I’m over here now. Like something happens, you move it this way because it could be that I would not have gone or I wasn’t observing certain things or like I said, admin’s not my best so there’s things that I’ve missed. So I think that sometimes things come, I think all of us learn the best. Well, I can speak for myself. I think I learned the best, unfortunately, after something heavy rocks you, and then you’re like I got no choice, but to transition, pick up, move forward.

Or even in sports, you do that big loss and then you’re like, hey, I got nothing but time now to practice. I missed that shot or I got to shoot a bunch of free throws because next time when I’m at that point, I don’t want to do it again. So a lot of leveling up happens after great pain. That’s more what I’ve experienced, is when things come and some of mistakes I’ve made like, okay, I dropped the ball. I messed up. Leveling up happens after that. It’s in that space, the space where I don’t understand, the space where it aches a lot, where I got to look at, literally look at this is the mistakes and what it’s costing me. Okay, I got to level up here. I’m going to come smarter.

What’s that quote, I believe it’s Nelson Mandela that said I never lose. I either win or I learn. So, listen, I’m not losing at this. I’m learning from this. I believe that God has put me in those situations or better yet I made the choice in those situations and God’s like, listen, okay, now we’re going to grow from here or we’re going to move from here. And by the grace of God, I can trust in Him that we are moving forward in a healthy way because if I didn’t, I’m not sure if, I was just thinking that, this morning, I don’t know what else I was thinking about to think this, but just business stuff, it’s not easy.

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine a couple weeks ago. Yes, from the outside, looking in, being an owner seems it’s glamorous. I guess people think that, I don’t know what people think, but it’s like, oh, it’s just great, boom, boom, boom. Because it is a great time. We make our own schedule, our time, everything, this freedom, this peace. I’m not good working for other people. I’m a great team player, but I don’t want to, if I just don’t like that, I don’t like having to ask me to take my lunch. I want to take it when I want to take it but it’s hard. It’s a lot. It can be, there’s a flip side to it where it can, like you just said a minute ago, the leadership had, entrepreneur, then the business stuff, communication. So the tears, the ups and the downs and the things that you just can’t control, the mistakes and then when they happen, you’re the one, you got to own it.

So all those things come into play and I can’t, I know for me, I couldn’t do it outside of the grace of God. Like that has kept me. If I didn’t have that relationship, if I didn’t have people around me that were praying for me and my business, for me as a person and the business, I’m not sure if it would have, I don’t think it would have lasted. I think a lot of times in life, we go into things thinking I can do it with muscle and willpower. That’s great but listen, going to school and studying obviously got me a degree, getting the hours, got me the license, getting more hours, got me the supervisor on the end, but it’s the grace of God that has sustained me in business. They don’t teach certain things in school. You teach me theories, teach me stuff. I still got the textbooks and a box at home, but the grace of God is what has kept me in this business to have the doors open, phones ringing and clients that want to come back
[DAWN]
Yes. Just realizing there’s this other, this spiritual realm for you that is really what keeps you grounded, but also like a deeper purpose, it sounds like, a deeper calling of tethered, almost like tethered to. Him. Now I love that. It’s beautiful.
[LATOYA]
Yes. I think yes, it’s important for me, but it’s also teaching me. I tell you what, if you didn’t know how to pray before you started business, you going to learn how to pray. If you’re connected in relationship with Him, you going to learn how to pray and get your mind right and also understanding for a lot of us this is ministry. A lot of people that come to see us may not be in church or may have been hurt by the church or people in the church that have hurt them. I was hurt by church in the past, and I’m grateful that people in the church, excuse me in the past and I’m grateful that I didn’t give up on God because of that. So understanding like this is in fact ministry for some, like we’re called to reach people in whatever way and hear their hearts and hopefully reflect the character of God as we do so.
[DAWN]
Yes, whether they want that or not, you’re still reflecting God’s love to people, whether they realize it or not. Like just creating that beautiful, sacred space for them to be whoever they are. No, I love that. Wow, even as you were saying that too, like, I think there’s so many times, like when I’m faced with the decision that intersects business, entrepreneur, therapist, leadership, there’s times I’ll go head first into those four, but then I’m like, wait a minute, am I still showing God’s love here? Sometimes I think I misconstrue that. Sometimes, if I’m, what would Jesus do to use a funny phrase? Sometimes I’m like, no, still, Jesus still wants you to step into that business hat and make a good decision. You have to look at all of it. It doesn’t mean, oh, I’m just going to let people walk all over me and that’s love. No, sometimes it means saying the hard things in truth, but in love. I have to say this because I respect you, I respect me and we can’t do this. We have to call out truth. And sometimes that’s hard.
[LATOYA]
Oh yes.
[DAWN]
I’ve seen myself in those situations, like wrestling. Then there’s times of course, in my flesh, I’m like, oh my gosh, I hate this. I don’t want to talk to this person at all. I want to demonize them so I can feel better about myself. It’s a constant, like I’ve never struggled so much internally than running a business but it’s good. I mean, it’s been very formational for me.
[LATOYA]
Yes, it’ll teach you. Oh yes, about life, relationships, therapy.
[DAWN]
I know, everything.
[LATOYA]
It’s going to teach you the importance of going to therapy, all that stuff. I don’t know and I was thinking, I think everybody who owns, again, obviously therapy is for everybody. Therapists should also get therapists. I’m thinking every business owner, I don’t know how you do it, if you’re not processing in a healthy space to pour out, get your mind right. That’s a part of staying absolutely healthy. I mean, yes, I “work out” three times a week. I try, I work out three times a week. My therapist has not seen me this week, but I did text her. I try, but like the physical health and then the mental health as well. And you’re right, a lot of times you want to put off on, that’s what I was going back to a minute ago without the blame or the shame. It’s not easy, but it’s a constant check, like now I’ll get it right. That’s that renewal in your mind. It’s constantly, nope, nope, nope. Let me fix it.
[DAWN]
Well, LaToya I have appreciated just this time to talk with you. I realize, I forgot to say in the beginning, could you share a little bit about yes, where you are in practice and about you, because I know you do a podcast, a practice, you have a bunch of things going on. Could you share a little bit about that?
[LATOYA]
Sure, sure. Yes, so my private practice or group practice is in Fort Worth, Texas, here. There’s a team of amazingly great therapists that work here with us. I often say, for a while we were a hundred percent women of color. It’s not fully that way now, but a lot of times that’s who we serve, like professional women of color and other people that call in. But that also makes my heart warm too, just to help even pour back and give things that I didn’t receive or know I needed when I was younger. I didn’t know nothing, anything about therapy, people weren’t talking about that. So being available and being visible for that. The group practice here, like I said, I’m in Fort Worth, Texas. I always like to say I’m from New Jersey, I’m from south Jersey. I always want to add that even if it doesn’t fit in the conversation, like it just did not. I just wanted to add it anyway.
[DAWN]
I love it.
[LATOYA]
I’m also a consultant with Practice of the Practice. So I do things consulting around with mastermind groups. I love mastermind groups. I think it’s the accountability, the teamwork, the comradery, looking at other faces, I love that. I also do some one-on-one consulting with them too. I love storytelling. So I have another platform called Strong Witness and it’s about bringing people together to share their stories. Stories don’t always have to be so deep and dramatic. Sometimes it’s just the self-expression, or this is who I am. This is what makes me, or this event happened and how it helped me or whatever. I just love a good story and I love hearing people tell them. And the reason why I started that is because for years, I had a story of something traumatic that happened to me shut up on the inside of me for like over 20 some years. Then when I began talking about it, I was like, oh, that’s what, I could have done that 20 some years ago. How would life have been? So it’s really about helping people to unlock that and it doesn’t have to stay buried. I don’t have a podcast. I do, for Practice of the Practice podcast, I do some takeover things. I would love a podcast. I’m just concerned about how consistent I would be. I don’t want to do one episode in May then I would show up again in January.
[DAWN]
One episode podcast. I thought your Strong Witness was a podcast for some reason. That’s what I thoughts.
[LATOYA]
I get confused, yes, t’s a platform. We do it on, the last series I did, yes, I did it on, yes, exactly like Facebook live. I did some Instagram videos this last April just because to be honest, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do the whole series and getting people. I was just, the energy, I was just like, listen, I can’t do that badly or I can do these one-minute reels.
[DAWN]
No, I love it. I just misunderstood. I’ll head over and watch your lives. No, that’s cool.
[LATOYA]
I don’t know. Maybe they are.
[DAWN]
Don’t put the pressure on. It’s fine. No, that’s cool. So people can find you at, is it Strong Witness, is the name on Facebook?
[LATOYA]
Yes. It’s Strong Witness on Facebook and Instagram, but a lot of the videos, and I got to correct this, are on my LCS Counseling on my page on Facebook and then on Instagram, LCS Counseling as well.
[DAWN]
Okay. What does that stand for?
[LATOYA]
It’s because I could not think of anything creative when I started the business. I had these amazing names and then it was my sister and I was like, those are stupid. I was like, whatever. So LCS is basically my initials.
[DAWN]
I was wondering. I love it. Nope, it’s fine. I love it. Well, so cool. Well, thank you so much for hanging out with me. I’ve just enjoyed getting to know you and talk more about things that are important to both of us. So I appreciate your time.
[LATOYA]
You’re easy to talk to.
[DAWN]
Oh, you are too.
[LATOYA]
It was great just to chat.
[DAWN]
I’ll probably have you on again because you’re going to be doing a training for my team on racism, which I’m so excited about. But I might probably have you on the podcast. We’ll talk about that because I loved your thing you did at Faith in Practice Conference. It keeps sticking with me, the implicit bias and just really being honest. You were so good at just facilitating the thoughts and the conversation. I just really loved it. So I’ll have you on again.
[LATOYA]
Thank you.
[DAWN]
All right. Well thank you for your time and I’m sure people will be following up.
[LATOYA]
Well, thank you so much.
[DAWN]
Thank you for listening today to the Faith Fringes podcast. For those of you wanting to take a deeper dive into your own faith journey, you can grab my free email course, Spiritual Reflections on my website, faithfringes.com. If you’re a therapist and would want to work with me, I offer sacred space holding for you through my consulting as well as my soul care retreats. To find out more, go to my website or email me, dawn@faithfringes.com.

I love hearing from all my listeners. Drop me an email to tell me what’s on your mind. You can also connect with me on social media. I’m on Facebook and Instagram at Faith Fringes. As always, if you’re enjoying this podcast, I would love it if you could show it by your reviews. Go to Apple Podcasts and leave your review so that others can find this podcast and get curious about their own spiritual journey. Thanks again for listening.

Faith Fringes is part of the Practice of the Practice network, a network of podcasts seeking to help you market and grow your business and yourself. To hear other podcasts like Faith in Practice, Beta Male Revolution, Empowered and Unapologetic or Impact Driven Leader, go to the website, www.practiceofthepractice.com/network.

This podcast is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regards to the subject matter covered. It is given with the understanding that neither the host, the publisher, or the guests are rendering legal, accounting, clinical, or any other professional information. If you want a professional, you should find one.