Today we’d like to introduce you to Nayshondra Mercer.
Hi Nayshondra, 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?
Born in Wuerzburg, Germany to two Army soldiers, raised in South Carolina with a rich Gullah Geechie heritage – Nayshondra Mercer, known as Coach Nay, is a leader helping Changemaking Women master their triggers to live their life unapologetically and untriggerable. She brings over a decade of expertise in behavioral modification, learning and development, and strategic planning.
Coach Nay, through her certifications, training and personal experience she has helped over 300 families exit the foster care system during her time serving in Child Protective Services. Her experience managing caseloads, coordinating services, and training on child abuse and prevention is the cornerstone of her coaching practice and serves as the foundation of her commitment to healing generational traumas.
Taking what she learned from her time working with families, Coach Nay has forwarded her learnings into her coaching practice, Crossing Bridges Coaching, where her mission is to guide her coaching clients to consciously choose the connections, emotions, and actions that are in alignment with who they truly are and who they wish to become.
She writes about these conscious choices in the anthology, “Awareness Put Me On,” a best seller on Amazon in six categories including Diversity and Inclusion and Personal Transformation and Spirituality. In her contribution to the co-authored anthology of 20 Black and Brown voices, Coach Nay shares her journey with mental wellness and how faith has seen her through some of life’s darkest moments.
Coach Nay is available for speaking, corporate team-building partnerships, and as a personal coach to help you become Untriggerable.
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?
Absolutely not!…I Wasn’t Always this confident.
For so long, I believed I had to fit in to be accepted. I stayed quiet, played small, and pretended to be okay with things that hurt me deeply. But the truth? Pretending didn’t make life easier—it only made me feel more disconnected from myself.
For over a decade, I worked with children and families with mental health conditions in the foster care system. Through certifications, training and personal experience, I’ve helped rehabilitate over 300 families. My experience in training on child abuse and prevention is the cornerstone of my coaching practice and serves as the foundation of my commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
During those years of helping others find their inner freedoms, I learned that authentic living starts with releasing negative energy and embracing your truth. When I became comfortable in my truth and attuned to my energy, nothing and no one was able to shake me from my place of peace and power. This level of confidence paved the way for success in every area of my life…at home, at work, with family and, most importantly, within myself.
God made it clear that my calling is to embrace my life experiences and professional expertise to create resources designed to help others tap into life transformation. My program, I AM: Seeking Myself, is a 4-week journey to becoming untriggerable…diving deep into the subconscious mind so you can intentionally choose the connections, emotions, and actions that align with who you are and who you’re becoming.
I also explore these conscious choices in my book, Awareness Put Me On, an Amazon best-seller in six categories, including Diversity & Inclusion and Personal Transformation & Spirituality. In my chapter, I AM: Seeking Myself, I share my mental health journey and how my faith has guided me through life’s darkest moments.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Crossing Bridges Coaching is a transformational coaching and consulting practice founded by me, Nayshondra Mercer—Coach Nay—created for women who are tired of surviving and ready to become untriggerable. At its core, my work helps women of color—especially high-achieving, faith-rooted women—bridge the gap between who they’ve had to be and who God actually called them to be.
I specialize in Energy Leadership coaching, identity work, emotional intelligence, and trigger mastery. Translation? I help women understand why they react the way they do, where those patterns came from, and how to lead their lives, relationships, and careers from a grounded, self-aware, God-aligned place instead of from burnout, people-pleasing, or generational trauma. I’m known for blending evidence-based coaching tools like the Energy Leadership Index with faith, cultural awareness, and real talk—no fluff, no spiritual bypassing, no corporate jargon that doesn’t touch real life.
What sets my work apart is that I don’t ask my clients to choose between faith and self-awareness, or between professionalism and authenticity. We do all of it. I create brave, sacred spaces where women can wrestle with God, tell the truth about their emotions, unpack family roles, and still walk away with practical leadership tools they can use in boardrooms, businesses, and everyday life. It’s coaching that’s deep and applicable—healing that actually shows up in how you lead.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that Crossing Bridges Coaching has become known as a place where women feel seen, safe, and strengthened. My brand stands for emotional maturity, spiritual depth, and personal responsibility—with compassion. Whether through one-on-one coaching, group programs, workshops, speaking engagements, my podcast, or my Amazon bestselling book Awareness Put Me On, my mission is consistent: helping women become whole, self-aware, and anchored in truth.
What I want readers to know is this: my work isn’t about fixing broken women—because they aren’t broken. It’s about awakening women to their power, helping them release what no longer serves them, and teaching them how to lead their lives from intention instead of reaction. Crossing Bridges Coaching exists for the woman who knows there’s more—and is finally ready to walk across the bridge to meet herself there.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a deeply curious child. I was always asking “why”—not to be difficult, but because I genuinely wanted to understand how all the individual pieces connected to the bigger picture. Even then, I was a systems thinker before I had language for it.
Personality-wise, I was innately shy at first—but that shyness never meant weakness. As a military child, I moved often, which meant constantly being the “new kid.” I learned early how to read a room, assess energy, and gravitate toward people who felt aligned or complementary to my own. That skill—being observant, intuitive, and emotionally aware—would later become foundational to the work I do today.
I was bullied frequently, especially during transitions to new schools and states. But I wasn’t one to take it lying down. I stood up for myself—and for others—often landing in the guidance counselor’s office for confronting bullying and racism head-on. At school, I was labeled a troublemaker. At home, my parents applauded me for refusing to tolerate disrespect. They taught me early that silence in the face of injustice was never an option.
Academically, I was smart—very smart—even when that wasn’t initially recognized. My standardized test scores eventually forced a narrative shift. Those same schools that once disciplined me were now calling my parents in to discuss my intellect. The data spoke louder than the assumptions. I was placed in gifted and talented programs, enrolled in all AP classes in high school, and that trajectory continued into higher education.
I went on to excel academically, earning both my Bachelor’s degree and my Master of Arts, along with multiple coaching certifications. Looking back, the throughline is clear: I was always a truth-seeker, a defender, a bridge-builder. I questioned systems, challenged injustice, and refused to shrink—even when it would have been easier.
That little girl who asked “why,” stood her ground, and trusted her instincts is still very much who I am today. I’ve just learned how to turn that fire into purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nayshondramercer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachnay__?igsh=MWowZ3gzcmozdnkwdg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nayshondra-ma-cpc-eli-mp-mercer-282bb1195/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@__CoachNay
Image Credits
Maurice Grant, @reecebyob
Ronald L. Jones, @theronaldljones
