We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brittney Collins-Jefferson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brittney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

There wasn’t just one defining moment in my career, there were two that fundamentally changed its trajectory, and they both happened when I was least prepared for them.

The first was realizing that my lived experience had become my greatest credential. As a clinical social worker, I was trained in theory, evidence-based practices, and diagnostic criteria. However, when I became a single mother navigating divorce while raising children and battling serious health challenges, many things shifted in my life and in my faith. I had to live the very skills and tools I was teaching clients. It wasn’t just teaching stress management and coping skills anymore, it was learning to navigate what would actually work for me. The tools I recommended to clients, I was now using myself just to survive the day. Some days, I didn’t have the strength, faith, or hope to believe they would work, but consistency and discipline kept me in the game. Life has a way of humbling you, and in the trenches, I learned what actually works versus what just sounds good to say to a person sitting across from you. It made me a better clinician, a more authentic leader, and someone who could say with absolute certainty: I know this works because I’ve lived it.

The second defining moment was my year of crisis. I had to step away from the business I built to focus on my health, my children, and my own healing. I didn’t know if the business, let alone the community, would still be there when I was ready to return. Through my doubt, they both remained. The trust my team, clients and community showed me during my hardest season sustained the business and deepened my commitment to this work.

Those moments taught me that vulnerability is the foundation of credible, compassionate care. The same situations that broke me down led to me breaking through to my next level of purpose. My life is the definition of grace that overcame the fire, and I dare to continue choosing to keep going.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Brittney Collins-Jefferson, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, entrepreneur, author, and the CEO of Restorative Health & Life. I’m also a mom, a state board-approved clinical supervisor, an advocate, and a mental health expert. Above all of that, I’m a woman living in purpose. I believe healing is an ever-evolving life journey, and that belief comes from both my clinical training and my own lived experience.

My journey into this work wasn’t just a career choice, it was personal. I’ve lived through life. I’ve navigated my own growth, my own hard seasons, and I saw firsthand how many gaps exist in the way mental health services are delivered. So many people feel unseen, underserved, or disconnected from what traditional therapy looks like, and that’s a big part of why I created programs like Hike with a Therapist, with the premise of meeting people where they are. After my own life experiences, I recognized that some people would never walk into a therapy room, so I wanted to find a way to still reach them.

Through Restorative Health & Life, I offer individual, family, and couples therapy, group therapy, community-based programs, and I also create experiences. Hike with a Therapist is one I’m especially proud of because it’s holistic in mind, body, spirit, and relational connection, blending movement, nature, and mental health support in a way that helps people process and reconnect outside of a traditional setting. I’ve also built programming inside jails and community centers, because healing belongs in those spaces too, even if the world doesn’t always treat it that way.

The problems I solve are layered. I work with people dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, and life transitions. I’m also thinking about the bigger picture, access to care, culturally responsive services, and making sure people feel safe enough to show up and do the work. I don’t just focus on symptoms. I want people to understand themselves, get clear on their values, and make changes that stick. As a board-approved clinical supervisor and university field instructor, I’m also pouring into the next generation of clinicians, and that part of my work means a great deal to me.

I am truly set apart. I don’t leave my humanity at the door. I’m a therapist, yes, and I’m also a person who has lived through things. I know healing isn’t neat or linear. My work pulls from evidence-based approaches like CBT, ACT, and trauma-informed care, but it’s also grounded in community, in culture, and in the real, practical, messy parts of life. Whether I’m in a session, on a trail, or writing, the goal is always the same: to help people find their way back to themselves.

I’m proud of the work I’ve done and what I’ve built. I’ve created an organization that serves clients and grows the next wave of clinicians and leaders in this field. I’m also proud of my book, I Quit Everything But God: Love Letters to the Restless because it’s a more personal side of me, an invitation into rest, reflection, and faith.
My brand is built on authenticity, impact, and transformation. If you work with me, engage with my content, or walk into any space I’ve created, you’re going to have an intentional experience, one that will build you, help you heal, and help you grow into a more fulfilling life.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

When I think about what’s helped me build my reputation, it really comes down to a few things, my authenticity, the quality of my work, and the way I show up.

Restorative Health & Life was not built trying to fit a mold and I’m not a woman of purpose who fits inside someone else’s box. Door means nothing to me, ceilings are meant to be broken and I rebel against injustice (meaning when I see a problem, I’m looking for the solution). I’m not interested in being what people expect a therapist or an organization to look like. I show up as I am. I am passionate, intentional, hopeful and purposeful and people feel that. There’s a trust that gets built when clients, staff, colleagues and community partners realize they’re not getting a polished, performative version of everyone else they’ve done business with before. What they get is someone who is consistent, aligned, and genuinely invested in the work. That matters more than any marketing strategy.

The quality of work I do speaks for itself. From my clinical services to community programming, everything I build is done with intention, structure, and care. I don’t cut corners and I don’t treat this like just a business because it’s not, it’s my purpose and God-given responsibility. Whether I’m working with a client or running a large-scale program, my standard doesn’t change.

What people usually find is that when they engage with me or step into anything under the Restorative name, they receive so much more than they were expecting. My team embodies the mission because I embody it. Restorative changes your health and your life through depth, substance and intention. That combination mixed with consistency and the experience people have when they do work with me exceeds what they thought they were walking into. This is what has built my reputation and, it’s what continues to sustain it.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn in business is not asking for the money.

This is hard to admit because it sounds simple, but it wasn’t for me. I love this work, and somewhere along the way that love got tangled up with this belief that if I really cared, I shouldn’t be so focused on finances. I undercharged, I did things for free, and I felt guilty every time I had to say a number out loud. I shortchanged myself and my business more times than I can count.

The shift came when I had to be honest about something, Restorative Health & Life could not grow the way I envisioned it if I kept operating like that. The mission and vision are big, and big missions and visions require big resources. I couldn’t expand services, hire the right people, build the programs I knew communities needed, or sustain any of it running on passion alone. Passion doesn’t pay the bills, fund programs, or build organizations.

I had to learn to separate my love for the work from my discomfort around money and realize they were never meant to be in conflict. Asking for what my work is worth isn’t a contradiction of my purpose. I’ve learned that asking for money that matches the value protects the purpose. When I’m resourced well, I serve better, I show up better, and my business can grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.myrestorativehealth.com
• Instagram: Restorativehealthandlife13
• Facebook: RestorativeHealthandLife
• Linkedin: Brittney Collins-Jefferson
• Other: Instagram: Brittbloomed
  TikTok:Brittlcsw