We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ceara Corry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ceara, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I love this question! My mom was the first entrepreneur I knew and that really impacted me. She became a licensed childcare provider and opened an in home daycare shortly after my younger brother was born because she wanted to be home more for us. I’m a first-generation college graduate; my mom didn’t go to business school or anything like that but she studied and still studies early childhood education diligently. I’m so grateful for her example and have learned so much from her. I remember as a child, we would drive around different neighborhoods or go to open houses for these huge houses that were obviously out of our budget. But what I learned from that was to keep dreaming beyond what you can see in front of you, and keep pursuing that dream. I still live as if my wildest dreams can and will come true even when everything around me says they won’t.
My mom is also the hardest working person I know! There were times that she worked two or three jobs at a time to provide for us. It was always important to her that we not only had what we needed, but also that we were able to do things we wanted or were interested in. From my mom’s example, I’ve learned the value of hard work and doing what you have to do until you can do what you want to do. That’s what keeps me going when I‘m frustrated about my business not being exactly where I want it to be right now; I know what I’m working towards and I know that it will pay off.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For folks who don’t know me yet, hey! I’m Ceara Corry, also known as Cee The Sex Lady. I’m a social worker, sex therapist, and sex educator. I own The Naked Truth, LLC, a sexual wellness center dedicated to a vision of a world in which all people have the knowledge, skills, and resources to improve and maintain their sexual wellness in a manner that is sex-positive, pleasure centered, and free of shame or stigma. This isn’t exactly what I planned for my career, but it honestly makes sense given my experience and interests throughout the years.
Ever since childhood, I’ve enjoyed reading about sexual and reproductive health, I just didn’t have the language to describe what I exploring. I knew I wanted to help other people who had gone through things like sexual trauma, domestic violence, homelessness, etc. as I did.
By the time I got to college, I knew I wanted to be a therapist and at the time I planned to work with children. I thought all therapists were psychologists so I started at UNC Charlotte as a Psychology major. An Intro to Social Work course completely changed my mind! I saw social work as a way to put into action the things I was learning and a way to directly contribute to the changes and the world I want to experience. Once I learned that I could become a therapist as a social worker, I was sold!
In grad school at UNC Chapel Hill, I started to doubt myself a LOT! I questioned if I could or should be a therapist and began to prepare for a career in nonprofit management instead. I even got a second master’s degree in public administration.
When I graduated, I accepted the first job I was offered that sounded interesting which was a school-based sex educator for a nonprofit organization. I learned a lot about how policy impacts sexual health education and outcomes for youth, and a lot about myself…like the fact that I ultimately did feel called to be a therapist and wanted to pursue that more intentionally. I started to do some research about how to blend my passional for sexual wellness and therapy and stumbled upon sex therapy. I hadn’t heard of it before but it felt like just what I was looking for!
I reached out to a local practice in hopes of talking to the director, Dr. Krista Nabar, about her path and some advice for getting started. A few weeks later, she reached back out and what was supposed to be a brief phone call turned into a conversation lasting over an hour. It was April 2020, and COVID had everyone scrambling to figure out what work, hiring, etc looked like. A few months later, Krista reached back out with an official part-time job offer!
I saw my first therapy client and knew that I had found my “thing”.
I left that practice for a full-time opportunity in January 2022 which is also when I started The Naked Truth.
The Naked Truth offers three core services: community sex education, sex, and relationship therapy, and professional training and development.
Through Fun, Informative, Relevant, and Empowering (F.I.R.E.) workshops and events, we teach people the not-so-basics about sexual health, functioning, and how to improve their intimate life.
In therapy, individuals or partners have a space to explore and improve the mental, emotional, and physiological aspects of their sexual or romantic experiences in a way that honors the intersection between sexual and mental wellness, and all parts of their identity.
For healthcare professionals or other service providers, we provide education on how to assess and respond to sexual wellness concerns including trauma, gender and sexual orientation concerns, and more.
Ultimately, The Naked Truth is a way of honoring the experiences that ignited my passion for reproductive wellness and contributing to a more just world and future.
I’m very transparent about being a sexual violence survivor. My firsthand experience with the impact of trauma motivated me to “be the person I needed” for others who have gone through similar things. I do that by educating the community, holding space for those who have questions or have been harmed, and helping professionals and organizations operate more consciously and competently.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The Anti-racist Business Book by Trudi Lebron has been just the thing I needed lately! I discovered during a moment of wondering how I could be a business owner while also feeling angry about capitalism and the exploitation of the working class by the wealthy. I wanted the freedom that comes with entrepreneurship, without the exploitation of people that I had always been taught would come along with owning a business. The Anti-Racist Business Book has helped me reframe my thought process in some very helpful ways. For one, it’s validated my belief that my business does need to be personal and that leading with my values is an effective business strategy. Trudi has reminded me that I get to decide what my business will look like and I don’t have to follow the norms of exploitative capitalism to be successful and live well.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve had several moments like this, but one stands out in particular. In December 2021 I started having some hard conversations with myself and my partner about my career. I loved the nonprofit group practice I was working at, but it wasn’t meeting my family’s needs financially. My options were to see 20+ clients a week to make more money or shift to a different agency. I already knew that I am not my best as a clinician when I have a caseload that large so that wasn’t really an option. I began applying for full-time jobs and accepted a role in a college counseling center. This was definitely an example of prioritizing what I had to do over what I wanted to do because I did not want to leave the world of private practice sex therapy. I was super sad and worried that I would never get back to pursuing my ultimate dream if I “settled” for this detour.
The last year has proven to me that this couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve had multiple opportunities to leave my college counseling role and I’ve turned some of them down based solely on the fact that they would not allow me to operate a private practice of my own. I’ve remained true to my goals and now have some financial stability that helps make my dreams even more attainable.
The pivot was not ideal for me or what I wanted. But, it does seem to be what I needed at this particular time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ceethesexlady.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ceethesexlady?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ceethesexlady?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cearavcorry
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-naked-truth-llc/

Image Credits
Photos by Tyrek Corry and Daniel Brown