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

Kenya Johns, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents were amazing, especially my mother, Debbie Coleman. My mom was born in the late 1950’s and birthed me in her 30’s. My mother raised 7 children on her own. My mom did such a wonderful job at raising me because she knew early on that the way that her parents raised her and her siblings was not the way that we needed to be raised. My mom raised us in a house full of love, autonomy and choice. She also modeled to me the importance of caring for others and treating all people with love and respect. My mom was big at showing respect to people and letting us know that all people deserved dignity. My mom’s motto was that we had a responsibility to uplift one another and oftentimes, my house was the home from those that felt lost, abandoned or had no where to go. Growing up, we didn’t have much to offer and barely had enough for ourselves, but my mom always made a way for us to share what we had with others. I think her for instilling that into me early. It taught my how to be present and intentional with my relationships and the work that I do as a counselor.

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

Have you ever found yourself driven to make the world a better place but not quite sure how? If so, then you have been in a very similar place as me. Growing up in a poverty in a small community in Southwestern, PA, I knew early that I wanted something more for my community and my family. I set out early on to find my why and more, along that journey being surrounded by such a diverse group of people, people that oftentimes would be the marginalized groups we know and the people who often are silenced in their families and communities. For me, education was my why. I was raised by my single mother and she instilled in me and my siblings that, ‘knowledge was the key to anything.’ She taught us that there was nothing we could not accomplish if we wanted to, but, we had core principles that we had to follow to get there. The core principles she instilled in us is as follows: 1. Treat everyone with love and respect no matter who they are or how much they have 2. The world owes you nothing, go after what you want 3. We are responsible for each other and we have to find ways to be there for one another 4. Honesty is the best policy.

These core principles and my upbringing originally led me to go into the field of biochemistry and Spanish with the goal of becoming a surgeon. After spending time in this field, I felt like something was missing. I longed for the opportunity to play a more active role in helping people, and, for me, being a surgeon did not offer that. It felt very transactional and that did not feel authentic to me. After much soul searching, I set out and changed my major and found the field of psychology and I have been hooked since.

I spent time living abroad in Spain and traveled throughout Europe and found a true passion in education and learning new things about new people. Once I returned to the states, I went on to receive my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Geneva College and my PH.D in Counselor Education & Supervision from Duquesne University. Along the way I picked up certifications and specializations in trauma, drug and alcohol, diversity equity inclusion & justice, supervision and counseling.

In addition, I became more invested in my community and entered the realm of politics. I currently serve as the first and youngest African American/Black Mayor in the history of my county. Using all of the skills from counseling, education, leadership roles and a commitment to creating a community where we all can see ourselves in, I have found that we truly do not have to pick and choose who we want to be, we CAN do it all. I love being a counselor just as much as I love being a Mayor. I love the opportunity and blessing it is to also have a loving husband and two amazing daughters. I believe that these experiences, just make me better when I am teaching in a classroom, hosting trainings or seminars or when I am just engaging as myself. I also believe that it provides me with unique ways to engage others and bring more people to the table.

My brand and message is one that is working towards a collective good and society where we do not have to choose, where we are enough and the world loves us just for that, because like my mother said before her passing, We are responsible for each other and we have to find ways to be there for one another.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I believe that we are truly only as successful as the team around us, thus, it is imperative to pick a great team. I have had the honor and privilege to manage teams for more than 10+ years and although cultures have changed, the same principles have been effective. My advice to a manager is to see your employees as your stakeholders and clients. The reason I say this is because you have an internal drive and goal to make them happy and make yourself successful. When you focus on creating environments that are safe, fun, supported, the team works hard for themselves and you. When you value time off, mental health breaks and the reality that they are people that will make mistakes, you foster an environment that employees want to be in and want to do there best to succeed in because they know they are valued.

Spending intentional time with your employees to see them as the people they are and learning about their likes and dislikes will save you so much time and money in the long run. You will establish a culture that people value one another, a culture that allows people to know that they do not have to be perfect and if they make a mistake they are supported to learn, and when people feel that, they have the confidence to take on more and try new things. Those investments might feel heavy initially but they will save you when it comes to retention and morale. The investment is worth it.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I remember during the height of Covid-19 in 2020, I was in the middle of completing my doctoral dissertation and I received the bad news that my mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. In the midst of living through a global pandemic, working full-time and going to school full-time, I was responsible for taking care of my mother during her battle. As the pandemic worsened, so did my mothers diagnosis.

By October 2020, my mothers cancer had spread and her hospital stays grew longer and longer. And because there were strict covid protocols, there was only allowed to be one family member in the hospital during the duration of treatment, which was me. We wanted the best care for our mother which meant that we had to drive over 1 hour for care and treatment. This time felt so heavy. The day after Thanksgiving in November of 2020, my older sister died unexpectedly at the age of 36 and one month later, the day after Christmas 2020, my mother died. Within 2 months of my life, I went from never experiencing real grief to losing 2 of the most important people in my life.

By January 2021, I had a decision to make. I had to decide to allow this grief to swallow me up or honor their commitment to being good people and making the world a better place. I chose the latter, and I ran to be Mayor in my home city and I won. I beat a 12 year incumbent and was able to help unite the divide that was in my community and graduate with my doctorate degree.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kenyajohns.com
• Instagram: @kenyajohns4pa or @drkenyajohns
• Facebook: Mayor Kenya Johns
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kenya-johns