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

Hi Brionna, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk-taking has played a huge role in my life/career. I wouldn’t be in my line of work now if I hadn’t taken the risk of going back to school and switching careers. I couldn’t even begin to establish a business if I didn’t take risks. I risk failing on every front and don’t have a plan B. I can have setbacks, frustration, and a lot of no’s, but failing in this particular business venture long-term isn’t an option for me. Even that mindset is a risk. I could pour my blood, sweat, and tears into this and still not be successful…I don’t know what that would do to me, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Being willing to challenge the status quo and shake things up sets me apart. I’m also a black psychotherapist (there’s not very many of us) working on my Ph.D. in Clinical Sexology with an interest in ketamine-assisted therapy and somatic work. With every interest, I get a little more niche, haha.

I’ve gotten to where I am today by believing that I could. If I didn’t believe that I could, likely, I wouldn’t have made much of an effort in the first place. I have a shoot-for-the-moon, land-among-the-stars mentality. It hasn’t always been an easy journey, though. But I overcame the challenges by preserving. There was no particular habit or life hack that helped me. It’s always been defaulting to dedication, ambition, and passion.

One of the lessons that I’ve learned is that there’s no blueprint, and I should stop looking for one. Simultaneously, that taught the perfectionist in me that it’s okay not to have all the answers. I’ve also learned that it’s fine to need to change things for the 800th time. Most importantly, I’ve learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I have so many places that I want to take my career beyond therapy with clients. I’m so grateful to be able to help people on an individual, couple, or familial level, but I want to do even bigger things. I want to inspire as many people as possible, shake things up as much as possible, with as far of a reach as possible. Shoot for the moon and land among the stars, right?

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.
I’m from Inglewood, and we’re always up to no good, but we do have to stop our shenanigans and eat at some point. Going to the food trucks in Inglewood/L.A. is basically a legal requirement (haha, kidding..but seriously, stop at a food truck). You’ll have some of the best food from a food truck in the L.A. area. Regarding the general L.A. area, Louisiana Fried Chicken is another place that’s on the must-go-to list. So many of my favorite local places have unfortunately closed down over the years, though. In terms of hanging out, there’s so many options. If you want to hang out at the mall, Westfield Culver City (Fox Hills for all the natives, though) is a good choice. Manhattan Beach is always a vibe. I feel everyone has to go to the Walk of Fame at least once. You never need to go again after that (there’s really no reason to), but once is great. There’s also likely to be a concert or other event at the Forum, and now there’s So-Fi Stadium.

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?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to all of my loved ones. I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by family and friends who have always believed in me and cheered me on, no matter what the endeavor. Growing up, I also had many incredible teachers who believed in me and challenged me as well. I’m so grateful for everyone’s constant love and support.

Website: https://www.emmentalhealth.com

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb1ZeMQiHiU60eQpw_4CMjA

Other: E-mail: change@emmentalhealth.com

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