Meet Derrick Wright

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Derrick Wright. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Derrick below.

Derrick, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

As a licensed clinical social worker and therapist, I can interact with people from diverse experiences and backgrounds. In the last several years I have been focusing on improving my clinical skills and have been doing a lot of therapy with individuals, couples, and families. More recently, I have come across a few cases where some of my clients have mentioned that they believe they suffer from imposter syndrome. It is this psychological phenomenon in which an individual feels inadequate and doubts themselves despite obvious accomplishments. They may feel as if they don’t belong in certain spaces because they didn’t earn it, they are there because of luck, not because of their efforts. Imposter syndrome can lead people to believe and feel insecure like they don’t belong and are constantly trying to prove themselves.

I believe at some point in my life I also suffered from imposter syndrome as well. I’m sure it had a lot to do with childhood trauma, my experience as a foster child, being adopted, and other negative life experiences. I overcame the imposter syndrome by realizing that I am enough by being my authentic self. It didn’t matter how I looked, what kind of car I drove, how much money I earned, or where I lived, I still felt like something was missing until I learned to accept all of me, the total of all my experiences and not let them define or reduce me but propel me to be who I want to become. Only then did I realize that I am enough simply as I am.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

In my day job, I am a licensed clinical social worker or LCSW. I am employed full-time by the Veteran’s Healthcare Administration as a substance use disorder specialist in homeless programs. I provide care, support, and assistance to veterans who struggle primarily with substance use and co-occurring disorders such as mental illness, homelessness, etc. I am also a contract therapist in the community and provide mental health treatment to individuals and couples using evidence-based practices.

Traditional Chinese martial arts are my passion and fulfill the need for me to satisfy the need for self-expression. I have been practicing Chinese martial arts now for over 35 years and have been teaching for more than 25 of those years. Being a martial artist is rewarding because you get out of it what you put into it as an individual. It can help you in all areas of your life not just in the school or on the mat but at home, school, work, and in the community if you can connect the dots. Once we learn to connect the dots, martial arts can improve our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

I believe that I can satisfy my life’s purpose which is to help others. With both my professional career as a licensed clinical social worker and with my passion as a martial artist and martial arts instructor.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I think the qualities and skills that have been most impactful on my journey are forgiveness, resilience, and humility. When we are capable of forgiving others, we can forgive ourselves. It’s important to not forget but it is not helpful to hold grudges or beat us up over spilled milk. Resilience requires strength and toughness; we must be able to get back up quickly during difficult times. Always cry and grieve but get back up and continue your journey. It is also important to be humble, be honest about what you know and what you don’t know. If you don’t know, ask! if you do, help!

On February 16th my martial arts instructor, Grandmaster Lee Kam Wing, passed away at the age of 77 due to medical complications. I recently returned from Hong Kong where his funeral services were held. This past December 2023, I was in Hong Kong where he celebrated his 77th birthday and 50th anniversary teaching martial arts. Sadly, two months later February 16, 2024, he died. He meant so much to his family, disciples, students, friends, and the Chinese martial arts community around the world. He was an honorable man and contributed so much to traditional Chinese martial arts. In my opinion, he is a prime example of these three qualities.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
This is a good question, I’m not sure there is just one person but many. I’d say my biological mother has been my biggest inspiration. She was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at a very young age and struggled to live a normal life. Eventually, after several years and many failed attempts she realized she could not work and raise her children, she had to make the difficult decision to leave us in foster care and eventually be adopted. Her favorite saying was, “don’t take any wooden nickels,” she was definitely aa major influence in my life until her last breath on July 12, 2018.

There have also been many others that have helped me to develop the skills, qualities, and knowledge needed to become successful. My high school accounting teacher, she pushed me and inspired me to complete high school. Due to the things I was experiencing as a teenager, at 17 years old, I was living on my own, working fulltime and just lacked the drive, motivation and just felt like giving up. She told me, “Derrick if you do nothing else, you must finish high school.” Because of her, I started attending my classes, improved my grades and graduated high school.

I have learned from family members, teachers, military leaders, martial art instructors, professors, fellow students, co-workers and supervisors. Many of them didn’t know that I looked up to them and admired them. Not all of my interactions with some of these people have been pleasant but I still learned valuable lessons nonetheless.

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Image Credits
Solomon O. Smith

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