Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Raushannah Johnson Verwayne.
Hi Dr. Raushannah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in the inner city of Newport News, VA, they called it “down the bottom”. Looking back, I realize that it was nothing less than a miracle to have escaped those circumstances. The poverty, drugs, crime, and segregated schools were a recipe for failure. But for me, failure was never an option. Even with little exposure and opportunity, I soared. I ended up in Atlanta for graduate school and I remember calling my mother to say I wasn’t sure if I could stay because the state flag was a version of the confederate flag. She reassured me and basically told me to focus on what I could control. And twenty-one years later, here I am. As a clinical psychologist, my mission is to make mental health and wellness a household topic in the black community. Only 3% of psychologists are black and I feel a responsibility to educate and impact our community on a large scale.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Running a private practice is complex and has definitely been a struggle. Most traditional businesses don’t use their own funds to start a business but obtaining funding is quite difficult. However, I was determined to make a change in my community so despite the obstacles I pressed forward. Another barrier that people may not think about is when Georgia continuously rejects the expansion of Medicaid, it prevents so many people from obtaining affordable mental healthcare and inadvertently prevents practitioners from being able to afford to operate. This is an ongoing uphill battle. However, my biggest struggle is getting the community to think in new ways and to abandon the old messaging of “therapy is for crazy people” or “I’ll just pray it away” or even “I don’t have time for self-care”. That messaging is literally killing us.
We’ve been impressed with Ask Dr RJ, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m known as the self-care doc and I specialize in helping black women eliminate stress, anxiety, and burnout. Self-care has just recently become popular but I’ve been talking about self-care for well over ten years now. Too many people of color feel the need to overdo everything and mistake overworking for excellence. The whole narrative of having to be ten times as better to be seen as equal is literally killing us. We weren’t fearfully and wonderfully made to just be walking around emotionally and physically sick from stress. I decided that enough is enough. To the exhausted overachieving superwoman who is reading this, you’re exhausted, easily annoyed, and stressed. I know because I used to be you. Self-help can only take you but so far. Where will you be a year from now spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially if nothing changes? Remember the body keeps score. The stress will eventually manifest itself physically. Just ask your physician or your “strong friends”. I understand that some of you keep your problem because you’ve had it for so long and it’s all you know. Or you may feel like you neither have the time nor energy to focus on self-care. That’s the great thing about having a coach.
As your coach, I walk alongside you and guide you step by step to your ideal self. It’s been difficult in the past because you’re trying to do something that you aren’t trained to do. As black women, unfortunately, overworking is in our DNA and new brain neural pathways have to be created in order for real long-lasting change to occur. Creating new neural pathways requires an expert. When I see women go from stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, and too busy to enjoy life to being productive, saying no without guilt, and having time to be the superstars they are all while being able to truly cherish their career, friends, and family I feel energized. I’m obsessed with getting results for my clients. My clients include individual women, corporations, schools, universities, hospitals, faith-based institutions, and the list goes on. In every industry, there’s an overworked emotionally exhausted woman of color who is wondering if anyone knows what she’s really going through. Or if anyone cares. The truth is that you have to care first. Self-care isn’t selfish. You can’t serve from an empty vessel.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I truly believe that I have an assignment to help black women. My own experiences with stress, anxiety, and burnout allow me to truly understand my clients. I remember being too exhausted to enjoy my family and resenting the career I worked so hard to obtain. I remember not being able to sleep, having uncontrollable migraines, being irritable, sad and hiding it all from everyone. Now, years later after therapy, coaching, and consistency, I’m on the other side and I actually live a life that my clients deserve but think is impossible. Luck hasn’t played a role, but favor and relationships certainly have. I have some amazing relationships and I’m surrounded by supportive and encouraging people who believe in my vision.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@askdrrj.com
- Website: www.askdrrj.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/askdrrj/
- Facebook: facebook.com/AskDrRJ/
- Other: askdrrj.work (for clients who are thinking about working with me)
Image Credits:
India Albritton Stovetop visuals
