Meet William D. Stinchcomb

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful William D. Stinchcomb a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

William D., thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Growing up in lower socioeconomic status in the 1990s at the height and post-crack epidemic, you get to know a lot of things about life. No, I do not have a story of some 90s tale like Boyz N The Hood or Menace II Society, But I did see those images and reflections of what I observed in my everyday environment. My mom being an unwed mother at 16, she very much poured a lot of energy into me to ensure that I wasn’t some character from a movie or another news clipping. It was because of her efforts of ensuring that I had the exposure to the parts of our community that also bred success that I am where I am today. However, she did not do it alone. And I am more than aware, and very fortunate, that the same community that could have easily killed me also made me. I got to see a lot, I learned a lot, and I lived a lot. But none of the exposure was so bad that it broke me. As a matter of fact, It taught me lessons that I have been able to use throughout this journey called life. People fed into me, like my elementary school principal Mr. Copeland. I also had community moms, like Mama ‘Nine (pronounced Neen) who were friends with my mother. Or even coaches like Coach Shaffer and Officer Howell who pushed me in ways that I never even dreamt for myself. Together with my mother, my maternal aunt and paternal grandmother have been my Holy Trinity in the flesh. If resilience is defined by one’s ability to bounce back from the ails that plague them, all of these individuals come to mind and more. They have exhibited what it means to live a LIGHT (not life) unapologetically, calculated, messy; but filled with so much love and joy. I don’t take for granted that I’m not someone’s hashtag. I partially get my resilience from the need to not let the efforts of those who have accounted for me to be in vain. I also recognized very early that nothing in life is guaranteed. Not a thing. So then the remaining pieces of it come from making sure that I prove to myself that this life it’s worthy to be lived in the way that I see fit. I am my biggest critic, but I’m also my biggest cheerleader. So I have to be sure not to let myself down. It may have all started from my mother and wanting to be the pleasing son, but it has evolved into so much more. Life is worth living, and it is up to us to define what that looks like. And I don’t live in fear so I must move forward in confidence.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am the Founder & Owner of Pure Honey Counseling & Wellness Services in Ohio. I started my private practice in December, 2024 after 18 years of working in the human services, non-profit world. It is a labor of love, and I am SO thrilled to be able to use my skills working with youth, families, and adults across residential care, child welfare, and outpatient therapy to work with individuals figure out their life issues. It is very rewarding, and it continues to be an inspiration for me too.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. NEVER burn a bridge – you may never know who the gatekeeper of the drawbridge is going to be in the future.
2. Pour into your own passions – they are the things that continue to give you purpose and wake you up in the morning. They also tend to find a way to support each other eventually; but, you must be patient and give it time.
3. Take your PTO – they’re gonna replace you when you’re gone. You’ve earned time off to rejuvenate to be better for them. (And don’t feel guilty about doing it either.)

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

The full quote goes like this: A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.

Being a generalist is perfectly fine. We live in an age where social media has distorted things to be skewed towards a lot of extremes, but I believe that we are all seeing that even on social media that we are all basic at heart (lol). And that is perfectly fine. Like elephants, humans are social animals that live in herds. We are all trying our best to “fit in” and so it sometimes requires us to know how to do a little bit of everything. That just means we’re adaptable. How many times has being adaptable saved some of us or gotten us jobs we never thought of or gotten us out of tough situations? Well-rounded skills get you the next opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.purehoneycounseling.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wdstinchcombpcc
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits

All belong to me!