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

Crystal, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

The vision of Dose of Changes, LLC started when I was still a teenager. The actual foundation and work to become a legal entity started at the beginning of 2023. I had officially become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker just 3 months prior to the New Year. I really feel like I started from the ground up. During some brain-storming sessions I was able to come up with the name of my business, the logo, decide on branding colors, and solidified the vision for myself in my head. Before I even dared to look at the legal paperwork to begin the formation of my business, I wanted to ensure that I had a clear purpose. I definitely delegated in areas that I did not find fun. And in areas that I knew I did not want to risk making any mistake in. Shout out to my accounting team and the team that handled filing for the LLC. If I could, I probably would have invested earlier in things like social media management, brand curation, professional website development, and all the things that we need to have as Business Owners to drive up our engagement with potential clients and community partners. I would not have hesitated as much to try and work towards expansion, because what I have been reminded of in this journey is that if something doesn’t work out, that’s fine. It just means we go back to the drawing board! To anyone who is considering starting their own practice, I encourage you to reflect, plan, and attack those first steps with intention. I don’t care if you are scared, doubtful, or hearing hesitation from the outside world. Do it anyways! There is so much that you are going to have to learn in the process, so much that you can delegate out to the appropriate people, and so much to experience. You cannot drive a car that’s stuck in park. You don’t need to have it all the details solidified on day one, you just need to have a purpose and a passion behind what you are doing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Absolutely! My name is Crystal Valdez. I am a lot of things; a 25 year-old woman, a dog parent, a girlfriend, a sister, a writer, a reader, a first generation graduate, and the CEO and Founder of Dose of Changes, LLC. Before I evolved into all of that, I was just a kid. As a kid I was unfortunately exposed to chaos, traumatic experiences, and loads of instability. After spending some time in the foster care system, my older brother and I were placed in the home of my great-grandparents. I was in elementary school when I decided I wanted to be in the “helping” world. I decided as a child that I wanted to find a way to help kids like me, who come from places like me, overcome their troubles. I wanted to help people create futures that were not a direct reflection of their troubled start. Dose of Changes, started off as my spot to provide clinical therapy (mostly trauma therapy) and groups to my clients. Now, almost a year in, it’s grown to be so much more! I have expanded my team to work towards holistically treating clients and addressing common basic needs that oftentimes don’t get the attention they deserve. We now offer therapy to teens and adults. We have a Certified Health Educator who provides support to address physical and nutritional health needs. A Financial Advisor who supports clients in establishing stability, attainable goals, and creating healthy relationships with their finances. My goal from the start has always been to create a singular place where my clients can seek support in addressing any area of their life that is needing some attention.
We fully understand at DOC that healing is all encompassing and we are doing our best to be that for the people who come to us for help. What I really want when people hear about us, is for them to recognize that healing doesn’t have to fit in a box. We have so much more to bring to the table and I am excited to share as we continue growing. Dose of Changes is a powerhouse that people can use to fight back against the things that are dragging you down or holding you back.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

What has helped me grow the past year, is recognizing that a vision doesn’t require confidence to be realized. I think to succeed in this field, you have to keep forging your path, even in the midst of uncertainty. It can sometimes feel like a competitive field if I focus on the wrong things. There are so many different routes you can take when it comes to creating your own practice. I fully understand that I won’t ever create a place that is “the right fit” for every person on the planet. My intention for this next year, is to fully commit to creating the space that I envision in my head and having faith that our work is going to impact exactly who it needs to. In this CEO role, I think it is so important to stay focused on your vision. The minute you start comparing, questioning, and doubting your direction is the minute you take your foot off the gas. If I stop moving towards realizing the full potential of Dose of Changes, I truly believe that I am doing a disservice to the people who trust us and come to us for help. All that to say, I think faith in your vision and sending ten toes down in creating your own pocket of healing in this field is really what it takes to succeed.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

The most important thing to maintaining a healthy environment for your workplace is keeping it safe. As a boss, I see myself working for my employees. It is my responsibility and my obligation to create a safe environment where they can grow. I pride myself in being able to provide support, learning opportunities, and flexibility so that they can take care of themselves. It’s extremely important as a leader to lead with grace, kindness, understanding, and patience. I have a clear vision, a whole 5 years ahead of myself. If I cannot as a boss treat my people with respect and remain mindful of their needs and their independent goals, that’s directly going to impact the big picture. It’s really important to know your people, know their needs, their communication style, and keep the focus on everyone being taken care of. I want my team to always feel prioritized, cared for, and supported. I know that if I can stay in alignment with all that, they are going to have what they need to be impactful and serve our community powerfully!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://doseofchanges.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doseofchangesllc/

Image Credits
Platinum Portraits