Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christina Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Christina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

One of the most life-changing risks I have taken is moving from Atlanta to Los Angeles in 2019. I moved across the country to set myself up for a better life in my professional career and personal life. I wanted to reach my highest potential by being an LCSW in the state of California and beginning my content creation journey within the wellness niche. Reaching my goals within my personal growth and development to receive more opportunities to evolve internally and externally within a place I always dreamed of. A place that felt like home for me to become my best self mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. To be in alignment to be the best me, so that I can give to others in the social work field and give authentic content that is relatable for others to connect with.

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?

I started in Health and Wellness at a young age when I started in sports and athletics. I became an athlete at the age of eight years old when I was introduced to track and field. The following year, I picked up a love for basketball. Sports and nutrition went hand in hand for me throughout my life because I had to be mindful of what foods, drinks, etc I was placing into my body. I was on a year-round meal plan to assist with mastering my craft through exercise. My passion and love for exercise as a child, transformed into something much bigger over time. This leads me to how I got into Psychology/Social Work. It made sense for me to continue on that journey. Receiving my BA in Psychology and Masters in Social Work fell directly into the category of mental, spiritual, and emotional health. In order to be successful physically your mental, spiritual, and emotional body has to be balanced. This began my passion to be a Social Worker and Wellness Coach. I wanted to help other people achieve the same goal(s) that may have not had the access to the necessary tools, resources, etc to obtain it. Providing services for people in the community and now branching into being a content creator on social media, to expand and grow my reach. Both worlds excite me to make an impact on people’s lives and be someone relatable.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

During my Masters Degree Program, there were obstacles, hardships, and tough times that occurred throughout. My grandfather passed away unexpectedly to Covid- the summer of the pandemic, I did not know if I wanted to continue living in Atlanta, I was betrayed by a friend, and the internship I was placed in was losing their entire staff. Meaning, I was going to have to find a new internship in the middle of the semester. In order to continue in the program you had to have an internship. I was stressed and couldn’t find a new internship due to all of the places were either full or could not take a new student in the middle of the semester. Everything seemed to be crashing down before my eyes. I began to really not know if I even wanted to finish receiving my MSW. I had to make some really tough decisions that were going to dictate the betterment of my life and professional career. A career in something that really felt like my calling my entire life. There were many transitions I had to face but I made the conscious choice to move to California (always wanted to live in CA), let go of some people I called friends, take a year off from school, and really figure out what I wanted to do. During that year I tried new things, I had a lot of alone time with myself, in a new state, and all of it was really good for me. I had time to remember my why and the reason for wanting to start the program in the beginning. I re-enrolled in my MSW program online, got accepted into a new internship that valued me as a MSW student, found new friends and finished the program the next year. I say all of this to say, never give up on your dreams. Even if you have to take some time away or take a step back, if it is for you it will make its way back to you. Never give up and always keep moving forward. I hope my resilience inspires someone to never quit even through adversity.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I would not change my profession, however, If I could go back and add another concentration it would’ve been marketing/communication. As a content creator, marketer, etc in the social media world now it is very useful to have knowledge in marketing and knowing how to communicate in that space. It is a skill, and I believe adding that skill can be beneficial for business owners, coaches, etc to have in the long run. Especially with the ever-evolving technology that continues to grow and how quickly things change. Having a framework or foundation of marketing/communication and building on that skill will be beneficial to have. Especially if you want to continue to grow in the online space.

Contact Info:

• Website: beacons.ai/chrissileigh
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeofchrissileigh/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/christinaugc/

Image Credits
Photo credits: Shalae Madison