Meet Yeshiva Davis, LMFT, MBA, President & Founder K&S Therapeutic Services Inc.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yeshiva Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yeshiva, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

I took the scenic route to this career. I studied communications and psychology in undergrad, so my first jobs out of school were as a counselor for troubled kids, and as a production assistant at a television station.

Shout out to WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston! One of my jobs was to bleep the swears on the Jerry Springer show << true story.

I had two uber smart and successful mentors during these years and they encouraged me to get an MBA. I was like am I going to be as smart and successful as you when I’m finished – then sign me up! That led to an MBA in marketing. My mentors were entrepreneurs, so that’s when the entrepreneur seed was planted.

After graduate school I dabbled in a few industries trying to figure out which one best suited my skills and the way my brain works. I worked in NYC for Avon Products in Marketing — that didn’t work. I was a marketing manager at John Hancock and Columbia Management — those didn’t work either.

One Friday I was getting ready to leave my office at one of the financial services firms and I thought Ugh, I have to come back here on Monday. That’s when I decided it was time for a big change. I remembered someone saying do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life (I’m not sure whose quote that is, Google attributes it to many people).

The thing I did for free was listen to and provide advice and support to my friends. Then an ex-boyfriend reminded me that being a therapist was my plan when I was in high school. So I cut my expenses down to almost nothing, saved like crazy for a year, quit my job and moved to LA. After I arrived, I applied to Pepperdine’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology. Luckily I got in.

I was (and still am) attracted to entrepreneurship because I wanted to be in charge of how much income I earn, I love the freedom, flexibility and autonomy of running a business. There was no other choice for me.

Please tell us more about your business.

The part of my business I’m most excited about these days is our Clinical Supervision and Training Program.

At K&S we fill in the gaps and lighten the workloads of clinical directors and supervisors. We provide high-quality, culturally relevant supervision and training for community mental health and governmental agencies, school districts and the like. So that management can focus on operations, financial and contract management.

We help mental health providers understand that if they are not taking care of themselves, they cannot take care of their clients. So we also offer training on self-care, ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) etc.

Here’s one of the best parts. Our supervisors are from the same communities as the clients they serve. So they have firsthand knowledge of their clients’ experiences. This gives them credibility and promotes comfort that someone who hasn’t had those experiences can’t offer.m This is critical because  most of the training that therapists received in college were not created by or for folks of color. So they aren’t always relatable.

What we do at K&S is take the old-school theories and breathe life and relevance into them by infusing them with our culture (e.g. language, music, history). This way they are more relatable and are more likely to improve clients’ lives.

Our Brand Story:
At K&S, we understand how stressful it can be to juggle responsibilities as a professional woman. That’s why we help mothers and their families find balance and peace by providing relief from their relationship problems. We help them alleviate trauma, master self-soothing techniques, and manifest their definition of happiness and success.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others.

Our approach to providing therapy and clinical supervision is not to take ourselves too seriously. Of course the work we do is important, but we take an engaging and authentic approach. It fosters connection. When people see you being yourself, it’s easier for them to be themselves and they get better results.

We stay away from therapy language. No one wants to pull out a thesaurus in session.  We use regular language and talk about real life. This makes therapy less intimidating and more comfortable. PS: I’m known to sing and rap during sessions.

How did you get to where you are today business-wise. Was it easy?
No, nope, no way. Running a business is not easy, but I love it anyway. I enjoy solving problems and coming up with creative solutions. I also enjoy creating the kind of culture and work environment that I wanted to work in when I was in corporate America.
I overcame challenges by asking for help, I have a business coach, consult with other entrepreneurs and I listen to a lot of business related podcasts and books.

I don’t retreat when I’m scared. I move towards whatever I’m afraid of, because once I get closer to it, I realize it’s not as scary as I initially thought.

I view mistakes as necessary steps for success, it’s a good thing because I make a lot of them. And to quote Dory from Finding Nemo no matter the obstacle I “just keep swimming.”

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way?

• Don’t give up. Take a break when you need to, but never give up.

• Know your strengths and weaknesses. I am NOT a dot the Is and cross the Ts kinda’ person. My brain immediately thinks; I don’t have time to dot the Is. Besides, everyone knows the dot is supposed to be there. So what’s the big deal?!

But I do know dotting the Is is important, so I work with two amazing people who are super detail oriented. They think, wait — are all the dots on the Is the same size and font, no? Let’s fix that immediately. It works really well for us.

• Success cannot happen without failing and making mistakes. Mistakes are an integral part of any journey to success. If you aren’t making them, you aren’t taking big enough risks.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Saturdays

8:00 am: Free Community Workout with Claudine Cooper at the Grace Space in Inglewood.
10:00: Breakfast at Café Vida
2:00: California African American Museum (CAAM)
6:00 Dinner at Akasha
9:00 Dancing at Hollywood Live (Inferno) until my feet hurt. At which point I’ll put on a pair of my friend Soni’s Pinch Hitter Shoes.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The first person I have to shout out is my mother, Thelma M. Davis. My mom became a widow in her early 30s. She had two kids under 10, my sister age 3 and me, age 7. I cannot fathom how difficult that was for her. She sacrificed everything so we could thrive. She’s the reason a Am. I love you mom!

I also have to shout out my mentors Robert Patrick Cooper, Kevin Cohee and Jackie Castillo.

Big up to my Clinical Director and ‘Puppy Sister’ Kim N. Simmonds. She’s the K in K&S. (Just in case you’re wondering what a puppy sister is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGkIFf-5It8)

Website: www.kandstherapy.com

Instagram: @kandstherapy

Linkedin: Yeshiva Davis – LMFT, MBA

Twitter: @kandstherapy

Facebook: kandstherapy

Youtube: kandstherapy

Image Credits
Photography by Leah Rae — @leahraephotography.
Deneen Alexandra is responsible for my logo and brand design — @funkdeliciousdesigns