We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Darryn Robinson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Darryn below.

Alright, Darryn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

What my parents did right was lead by example in quiet, powerful ways that spoke to resilience, brilliance, and vision. Watching them navigate and challenge the limitations of their time shaped the way I move through the world, not just as a Black woman but as a business owner, healer, and creative.

My mom grew up in a small town in Alabama, where very few people, especially Black women, were being encouraged to enter STEM fields. She not only majored in electrical engineering, but did so in a space dominated by white men. Her presence alone challenged the norm. She always reminds me that I carry the Oliver blood, a lineage of entrepreneurs on her side. So whenever I get swept up in my own ambition or dive headfirst into a new idea, she grounds me in the truth that building and creating is part of who I am.

My dad is one of the most intellectually grounded people I know. Our conversations are often philosophical and reflective, and he’s helped shape my worldview, especially my understanding of race, identity, and justice. He’s never pushed me to be anything other than myself, but he’s always expected depth, thoughtfulness, and integrity. My father deeply embraces my queerness, so our conversations help me with embracing myself as I am. As a therapist and a business owner, I carry that same lens. I’m not just here to succeed. I’m here to build with intention.

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

I’m a licensed psychotherapist, Reiki master, writer, and founder of RITUAL, a luxury self-care brand rooted in nervous system regulation, ancestral healing, and soul-level transformation. I help people come home to themselves through an intentional blend of clinical expertise, energy work, and ritual. My work lives at the intersection of mental health, spirituality, embodiment, and liberation.

My journey into this field was never about following a blueprint. It was about answering a deeper call. I’ve always been drawn to the emotional undercurrents of life, the quiet truths that live beneath our patterns, our pain, our identities. As a queer, BIPOC woman navigating a world that hasn’t always made space for my wholeness, I’ve had to learn how to create space. Not just for myself but for others like me. That’s what I’ve done with my private practice, and now with RITUAL.

I offer psychotherapy for clients based in California and also intuitive-based healing sessions that incorporate Reiki, somatic attunement, and spiritual coaching. My products through RITUAL are an extension of that same mission — to bring people back to their bodies, their breath, and their own inner wisdom. Whether it’s a handmade nervous system aura spray, a magnesium soak, or a guided self-healing experience, everything I create is designed to support deep integration and ease.

What sets me apart is the way I merge science and spirit without bypassing either. I speak both languages fluently and I know how to hold the contradictions. Healing is rarely linear. It’s messy, holy, hard, and beautiful. My clients and community know that with me, they’ll be held in that complexity, not pushed to fix or perform.

What I’m most proud of is that I’ve built this as a solo woman in business while living with fibromyalgia and ADHD and still choosing softness and sustainability over hustle. I’ve redefined success on my own terms with joy, depth, and divine timing at the center.

If you’re drawn to my work, I want you to know this: you don’t have to do it all alone. There’s power in pause. There’s magic in rest. And there’s radical possibility when we choose to return to ourselves, over and over again. That’s the work I’m here to do and I’d be honored to guide you in 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?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that putting myself first is selfish. I grew up watching my parents overcome tremendous adversity. They worked hard, showed up for their families, and gave everything they had. That shaped me to believe that my value was tied to how much I could give, how available I could be, and how much I could endure without asking for support. I was praised for being strong and selfless, but underneath that was a version of me that was exhausted and disconnected.

It wasn’t until my own nervous system reached a breaking point that I realized I had neglected myself for far too long. That wake-up call was painful but necessary. I started to slow down, reconnect to my body, and listen. That’s when RITUAL was born. RITUAL is a return to self. Every product I create is an invitation to pause and care for yourself in a deep, intentional way. The ingredients are safe, natural, and rooted in nervous system healing. These aren’t just products – they are sensory tools to support softness, release, and restoration.

I want people to know that luxury can be nourishing. Rest can be productive. Prioritizing yourself isn’t selfish – it’s sacred. My hope is that RITUAL becomes a part of someone’s healing process, the same way it became part of mine.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What’s helped me build my reputation is being deeply rooted in community. My business has always grown through word of mouth, whether that’s therapy, reiki, or my handmade self-care products. That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built on trust, consistency, and the safety people feel when they work with me.

As a queer, Black therapist who works extensively with the neurodivergent community, I don’t fit the traditional mold and I never wanted to. I’ve built a reputation for offering care that feels deeply personal, affirming, and attuned. I listen. I meet people where they are. I blend evidence-based practices with holistic and energetic modalities that make space for the full spectrum of being human.

People share my name because they know the work is real. It’s not performative. Whether someone is coming to me for trauma healing, energy work, or nervous system support, they’re met with care that’s intentional, expansive, and tailored to their truth. That’s what has built my reputation and it continues to be the most meaningful part of my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.darrynkrobinson.com
• Instagram: @darrynkrobinson
• Twitter: @darrynkrobinson
• Youtube: @SacredSpaceHolisticHealing

Image Credits

Darryn K. Robinson (RITUAL Products)
Vince Wolgamott (Headshot)