We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. LaNail R. Plummer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. LaNail R. below.
Dr. LaNail R. , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
Insecurity drove me here. Seriously, most people see me and notice that I walk with a firm back, head up, and an air of confidence so they think I have it all together. Additionally, they learn that I am a therapist and enjoy to have deep and critical conversations so they assume that I have all the answers for my life and their lives too. But the truth is insecurity drove me here.
I’ve always been confident in my ability to learn, rather it’s quickly, efficiently, or with sustainable action, my brain has always allowed me to be sensitive to my surroundings, the energy of people within a space, and the gaps that need to be filled. But as a young person growing up, I knew that my starting position in life was not where I was destined to end. I knew from an early age that life would provide a steep learning curve for me and while there would be plateaus to rest, along the way, I would need to continue to walk, run, sprint, and/or sometimes crawl to my destiny. All of this because, I was not secure in my place in life. It was not a place for me to be secure. Sometimes I wonder, if I had more security in my youth, maybe, demonstrated by a traditional upbringing, stellar school systems, access to quality health care and nutrition, or just family and community safety, would I be where I am now. And, I know the answer to this question already. No, I wouldn’t be.
My desire to be secure, to be stable, to dream and achieve those dreams allowed me to lean into that steep learning curve, to be comfortable with discomfort, to identify as a student of life who is consistently learning, and to accept that my insecurity was the driving force behind by determination, perservance, and success.
As a therapist, I note that confidence, as an emotional state, is built on competence, as an action of learning, practice, and application. Therefore, the confidence that people see in me is really the manifestation of my acceptance that I truly do not know it all but want to learn more.
So yes, there have been many defining moments in my career that have led me to where I am now. It could be my time as an Officer in the US Army, when I realized that I was not destined to be a career solider because I wanted to heal instead of conquer. It could be when I met a 7 year old boy who had just learned to spell his simple name but attributed his success to his counselor who taught him how to channel his energy (later diagnosed as ADHD). It could be the first time I learned how to help a student with Oppositional Defiant Disorder play with his classmates. It could be when I took on the responsibility of starting a company, being a department chair, or writing a book….all of which scared the crap out of me because there was so many people watching, so much weight to each decision, and so much responsibility to each word I said. And, without close role models in business, education, or writing, I was insecure….but I was confident that I could do it because I did many other hard things before and I did them because I was insecure and wanted security. Nowadays, I don’t seek the same level of security for myself. I am still striving and thriving yet, I seek to create security for others and that’s a motivational force for me.
So, my lesson was: Accept my insecurity and make it into a superpower. There is no need to hide what is true….just decide how you want the truth to work for you.
Dr. LaNail R. , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Dr. LaNail R. Plummer, CEO of Onyx Therapy Group, Author of The Essential Guide for Counseling Black Women, Department Chair of Counseling at Trinity Washington University, Mother of 2 HBCU college students- Alyssa Eve and Bradshaw Jr. Wife to my wife, Maegan, and most importantly, a product of my community.
I am from Southern California and lived there until I moved to Seoul Korea for high school. Later, I graduated from Mililani High School on Oahu (Hawaii) and attended Howard University for my first 2 degrees.
I am passionate about mental health, education, building and sustaining communities of care, helping folks increase their self-awareness so they can self-actualize, reading books, talking deeply, thinking critically, being healthy (I work out 4-5x a week for the past 25 years and I aim to drink 1 gallon of water a day).
I solve problems daily and I love it!
I teach daily and I need it!
I live fully, transparently, and boldly.
I entered the field of mental health because the field needed more Black women, members of the LBGTQ community, and clinicians who could see deeply into their clients and be bold enough to say what others would not say and ask questions that would change lives.
Regarding my brand, I would love for folks to know how much I really and truly care about people. I don’t meet strangers. I meet new friends. I care deeply for people and I want them to become all that they want to become.
And, on a silly note, I love to dress up too. I love clothes, fashion, and personal style. I believe that if I look how I want to look, it can help me feel how I want to feel then think how I want to think, then do what I want to do. It all starts within and is expressed as personal art and personal demonstration.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
As a young person, I only saw successful businesses. I mean, I think that’s true for all of us. As young people, we don’t know when a business is losing income, have poor management, or need new staff. We only see that their doors are open and they can provide us with a service or product.
So, I mistakenly thought that owning a business would be the same as working in a company. I thought, I could wake up, go to work for 8-10 hours (I like to work) and my business would stay functional.
I had no idea that business is really an experience of trying new things that work for a brief time or fail immediately. I had NO idea that some of my services would last through the entire business while others may fail within 2 months. And, I had no idea that failure is absolutely a method to success. That, without failure there is no success….that without a fall, there is no rise. That without a break, there is no breakthrough.
As a business woman with 13 years of experience, I recognize I am still an adolescent in the world of business. So, some of my major failures that have led to success include: expanding too quickly, thinking every idea is a great idea, trying ideas because I believed in them, adding more work to the people I trust the most without realizing I was taking advantage of them, working myself sick (literally, I developed a thyroid condition because I was not resting), and thinking that the more I worked, the more money I would earn (contracting does not work that way because it’s dependent on so many external factors).
But, like I mentioned before, every break is a breakthrough, so I am proud that each time I learned a lesson, I pivoted and created a new path for me, the business, the university program, and for my book.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think people see how much I truly care about them. I think they feel special and valued around me and that makes them want to talk to me, share with me, listen to my thoughts, and consider my suggestions. While I am proud of my success, I think people don’t always see that…instead they see me because I see them. And, that bond, even if its just for a short amount of time, is the foundation of my reputation and the root of my success in the mental health field. I care for people and they KNOW it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.onyxtherapygroup.com
- Instagram: MahoganySunshine and Onyx Therapy Group
- Facebook: Dr. LaNail R. Plummer and Onyx Therapy Group
- Linkedin: Dr. LaNail R. Plummer and Onyx Therapy Group
- Youtube: Onyx Therapy Group
- Other: Podcast: Onyx Therapy Group
Image Credits
Photo credit: FDR Photography
Can I send the other photos in another email? They are not on this computer.