We recently connected with Anthony Joshua and have shared our conversation below.
Anthony, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
As a Black Licensed Psychotherapist, I am one of approximately 4% in the industry. As a Black man in the industry, I am part of an even smaller percentage. During my schooling, training, and while gaining work experience, I had to get comfortable being in rooms where I was the only person who looked like me. I quickly recognized that my presence in those rooms was rare and I had a unique perspective to offer. I learned that my differences are what set me apart and that I would be able to make an impact on underserved and overlooked populations in an unorthodoxed way. Receiving praise for being in this industry was a confidence booster also and reinforced my decision.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I find my work as a Therapist to be very interesting. In short, I help people overcome internal struggles by shifting their mindset through evidenced based practices and metaphysics. My clients come to me at all stages in life. Some clients seek out my services while they’re at rock bottom, while others are thriving and want to maintain their mental state. What I find most special about what I do is I get to hear other people’s stories in depth. Not just their surface level highs and egoic accomplishments, but also their doubts, fears, and internal struggles. During the therapeutic process I am also breaking the stigma around mental health and normalizing reaching out for support. I have a couple of products available including an E-book and branded T-shirts which I am expanding on. In addition, I’m organizing a mental health conference for mental health awareness month in May 2024 which I’m excited about.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Having knowledge of self. This is important because your relationship with yourself affects all of your other relationships. I knew that if I wanted to be impactful in my work and have peace in my life, that I would need to be real with myself and do the work also. No one is perfect, and we’re shaped by our experiences, so continuously building my relationship with myself throughout the different phases of my life was and continues to be impactful during my journey.
2. Staying committed to the things I claim are important to me. There is a difference between being interested and being committed, and I learned that fast. It was my commitment to my craft that allowed me to persevere when I was faced with what I perceived as challenges.
3. Being able to learn from other people’s mistakes. I know that some people need to have first hand experience in order to “get it”. That wasn’t the case for me. I didn’t need to put my hand on the hot stove to know that doing so would burn me.
The advice I’d give to those who are early in their journey to best develop or improve on these qualities is to practice spending time alone to self reflect. Cut out the noise from time to time. This will help with understanding your thoughts, feelings, and reactions.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I have a few go-to practices that I do when I feel overwhelmed but the most impactful are meditation and journaling. Meditation allows me to quiet my mind and shift my focus from my stressor to something more empowering. Journaling helps me release any recurring/dominant thoughts and allows me to process them more effectively.
Contact Info:
- Website: mentalwealthcoaching.com
- Instagram: @mentalwlthcoach
- Twitter: @mentalwlthcoach
Image Credits
Tiana Correa
