Dawn Smith, MSEd, LMHCA
Strategy Integrator and Therapist
Can you share your journey into the work you do? What experiences, moments, or values led you here?
My journey into this work is both personal and professional. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and a master’s degree in Counseling Education, and my career has been shaped by both. For over a decade, I worked in roles centered on building systems, strengthening operations, and supporting organizational growth. I have always been drawn to structure. I enjoy developing policies, refining procedures, and finding ways to make organizations run effectively and efficiently, in alignment with standards of care and compliance. What I had not yet fully explored was how to apply that same level of care and intention to myself. A major turning point was my own therapy journey. I was a single mother for many years before my daughter was born, raising a son eleven years older than her. During that time, survival was the focus. Providing, protecting, and pushing forward. There wasn’t much space to consider my own needs, even though I knew I was tired. When I became a mother to a girl, something shifted. I wanted something different for her, not just materially, but emotionally. I wanted her to inherit wholeness, not just strength. Beginning therapy became a way to interrupt patterns and model healing in real time. That experience led me to integrate my leadership background with my clinical training. Today, I serve in leadership within a mental health organization, contributing to both clinical care and the development of sustainable, compliant, and people-centered systems. My work lives at the intersection of structure and care. I build environments that support people, while remaining committed to doing the internal work required to lead with integrity.
Who or what has most influenced your leadership and commitment to this work? This could include mentors, community, lived experience, books, faith, or movements.
A combination of lived experience, faith, and community has shaped my leadership. I come from a lineage of Black women who were deeply determined and resilient. They showed up, held families together, and navigated challenges with a level of endurance that I deeply respect. At the same time, witnessing that also helped me understand the cost of constantly carrying without space to process or be supported. My faith has been a steady anchor. It continues to guide how I lead, make decisions, and remain grounded in purpose, even when navigating complex systems. It reminds me that leadership is not just about visibility, but about alignment and responsibility. Professionally, my background in organizational leadership has influenced how I approach this work. I naturally think in terms of systems, sustainability, and long-term impact. Serving in community spaces, including civic roles and nonprofit leadership, has also shaped me. Being in rooms where representation is limited has reinforced my commitment to ensuring that our voices are included in both care and decision-making. I have also been deeply influenced by the people I serve. Listening to clients, families, and community members has refined my understanding of what support truly looks like. Their experiences continue to inform how I show up, not just as a clinician, but as a leader committed to meaningful change.
For those who feel called to doing this work, where would you suggest they begin? Is there a book, organization, practice, or resource that helped shape you?
I would encourage anyone who feels called to this work to begin with their own healing and self-awareness. Before stepping into service, it is important to understand your own patterns, triggers, and motivations. Therapy, supervision, and intentional reflection are not extras in this field, they are essential. From there, build a strong foundation in both clinical knowledge and systems awareness. Understanding trauma-informed care, cultural responsiveness, and ethical practice is critical, but so is understanding how systems operate. Policy, access, and infrastructure all shape how care is delivered and sustained. Get connected to your local community. Volunteer, observe, and listen. There is a difference between wanting to help and understanding what is needed. Seek mentorship from people who are doing the work with integrity. Not just people who are visible, but those who are consistent, ethical, and grounded. Finally, pace yourself. This work requires both compassion and discipline. If you want to remain in it long term, you have to build a way of working that is sustainable, not just impactful in the moment.
What wisdom or encouragement would you offer to the next generation of Black women leaders entering this space?
You do not have to overextend yourself to prove your value. Many of us were taught that being dependable, capable, and strong was the way to earn respect. While those qualities matter, they should not come at the expense of your well-being.
Sustainability has to be part of your definition of success. Be intentional about how you lead. You will be placed in spaces where you are one of the few, and at times, you may feel pressure to carry more than your share. It is important to know your capacity and to honor it. Boundaries are not a limitation; they are a form of leadership. Stay connected to who you are outside of your work. Your identity cannot be rooted only in what you produce or who you serve. Protect your relationships, your rest, and your sense of self. Also, allow yourself to grow. You will evolve as a leader, and that is a good thing. Give yourself permission to learn, to adjust, and to take up space in ways that feel authentic to you.
You are not here to do everything. You are here to do your part well and to do it in a way that lasts.
How can people stay connected to and support your work? Please share your website, social media, current campaigns, or other ways to get involved.
You can stay connected to my work through my leadership and involvement with Courageous Healing, Inc., where I support the development of culturally responsive mental health services, operational systems, and community-based initiatives. I am also engaged in community leadership and youth-focused programming, working to create spaces that support growth, development, and access for the next generation. In addition, I am continuing to develop a body of work centered on the emotional well-being and sustainability of Black women, building on themes I explored in my earlier work, Enough to Uplift and Inspire Those Who Have Forgotten Their Value. This evolving work includes writing, guided resources, and future experiences that explore healing, boundaries, and aligned leadership. Those interested in supporting can do so by engaging with and sharing mental health initiatives, supporting community-based programming, and creating space for honest conversations around emotional health and leadership within their own networks.