Meet Imani Hines of Exalt The Light

Today we’d like to introduce you to Imani Hines.

Hi Imani, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
A journey worth taking is how I would describe my personal journey up until this point. Before I became a Licensed Professional Counselor, I was first a girl that became a woman with the heart, passion, and desire to serve others. Helping others and being a listening ear seemed to always come natural for me. I believe my greatest influence was my family. As many of us grow to learn, our families and childhood experiences help to shape our worldview and impact how we engage in interpersonal relationships. There are many blessings that can come from it, but also lessons. I saw firsthand within parts of my family and in my community the impact of unaddressed mental health concerns. Of course, as a child, I did not know that some of the behaviors that I saw were attributed to trauma and or other unaddressed mental health concerns. My mother led by example and I watched her work as a Student Assistance Counselor in the public-school system in Virginia throughout my childhood. She had, and still has so much passion for the adolescents/families she worked with, including teen programs and community service activities. I had grandparents on both sides of my family that made it their mission to be a light to others. I can truly say, I also learned to embrace what I consider to be my purpose from the examples that I had all around me.

Once I started college at ‘My Home By The Sea’ Hampton University. I convinced myself I was going to become a pediatrician, but that changed quickly when I accepted that math and science was not “my thing.” By my sophomore year, I decided to change my major from biology to psychology. This was the best decision I could have made and I felt right at home. School stopped feeling like a task and became something I enjoyed and I actually looked forward to learning. After graduation, I took an unexpected yet necessary year off before starting graduate school. During that year, I had my first job and internship in the mental health field. Let’s just say I am glad I had this opportunity because it solidified my desire to go into the field to one day make a meaningful impact as a mental health professional. The following year, I started graduate school at Regent University. After graduating with an M.A. in Clinician Mental Health Counseling, moving to Atlanta, GA, and years of supervision, I arrived to this point of being fully licensed and launching my private practice, Exalt The Light, LLC.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I believe some of the most challenging and pivotal moments of my life were the moments that helped me to become the woman I am today. If I were to specifically talk about my career journey, I would not describe it as smooth, but it has been worth it. I would say the most challenging part of the journey are the steps in between before reaching some of my goals. I reflect on being a student and dealing with some financial barriers with getting through school, working to make additional money throughout undergrad while being an active student and learning to navigate the early stages of “adulting.” This was a time in my life when I was seeking my foundation, trying to build something for myself, yet still feeling like I wasn’t getting anywhere, just wanting to turn in my “adulting” keys. In graduate school, not only was I am a full-time student I also worked full time in the public school system as a behavior counselor.

As a young adult in my mid 20’s, there was so much to learn and adjust to. There were several days filled with fears, tears, frustration, lack of self-care, and many long nights. I reflect on moments that at that time felt like setbacks, lost opportunities, and closed doors, but I was reminded that they were just not my doors to walk through. However, when it was my time, the opportunities presented themselves. There have been career stepping stones in-between pre and post-graduate, those jobs that were all a part of the journey of reaching my goals while in supervision. I worked in environments that often made me feel undervalued as an employee and overworked. I had to learn the importance of setting work and life boundaries, which was essential to my career growth. Despite feeling uncomfortable, I tried to show up every day, knowing I had a greater purpose in those environments because of the lives I’ve had an opportunity to touch and the meaningful connections that felt divinely aligned for me.

I’ve been blessed to have supervisors and mentors in the field who I feel saw my potential and helped me to nurture my gift. I find that it is actually harder to complain about the opportunities I didn’t have or the idea of wishing I could change certain aspects of my life. I instead find gratitude in my story of resilience. My family’s faith and my faith in God has been instrumental in the course of my journey because I know each step has been ordered. Taking these steps, building relationships, pushing through fears of failure and insecurity helped me to step boldly into my private practice, Exalt The Light, LLC. I believe my faith has kept me. My village consisting of my family, friends, and mentors, have been and still are my ultimate supporters. Learning to fail forward has helped me to learn to embrace failures by taking away the blessings and lessons that come from each experience.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Exalt The Light, LLC (ETL) is a counseling and consulting business. ETL was created as an avenue to assist individuals in gaining insight, acceptance, and empowerment to move from places of darkness into the process of healing. ETL is a virtual therapy practice using a confidential video platform. At ETL, there is a passion for holistic healing and boldly helping to end the cycle of generational trauma. ETL specializes in helping adult women, men, and couples, who have experienced emotional, physical, sexual, and psychological trauma from childhood and or interpersonal relationships. ETL also takes pride in creating a safe space for preteens/teenagers (11-17) as they navigate the stages of adolescents; such as identity development, dealing with peer pressure, addressing trauma, and learning how to cope with school and family-related stressors. When working with adolescents, often involves family therapy to ensure the family unit works together to support the therapeutic process. ETL is a blossoming practice in addition to therapy. ETL also extends services for speaking engagements and workshops around mental health topics. 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I feel that I am an authentic, genuine, empathic, wise, open-minded, humble, and faithful person. I believe my faith and humility have to help me to stay focus on my calling and purpose in my life and find gratitude even when I face changes. Because of my wisdom about life, my open-mindedness, and my empathetic nature, I have been able to have a positive and inspiring impact on the lives I touch.

Contact Info:

• Email: ihines@exaltthelight.com
• Website: www.exaltthelight.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/exaltthelightllc?igshid=rjdw2g15i4u
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExaltTheLightLLC