We were lucky to catch up with La Shanda Sugg recently and have shared our conversation below.

La Shanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, let’s take a stroll on memory lane, back to when you were an apprentice or intern. What’s a memorable story from that time that you can share with us?

I worked full-time as a Staff Development Manager during the beginning of my graduate school journey. I had the opportunity to attend numerous trainings and one of those trainings was focused on trauma and the trainer was a woman named Mary Vicario. I sat in that training, with probably 200 other folks, and for the first time in my life I pointed to a person and said to myself, “That’s what I want to do.” What was that you ask? I wanted to be in the front of a room with lots of people and share stories and provide information that changed their lives.

As the Staff Development Manager it was my job to provide trainings for the employees of the agency and I was determined to get Mary Vicario to come and train our organization. I set up a meeting with her after one of the monthly trainings she was hosting and we met at a lovely Mexican restaurant that was down the street from the training venue. When she sat down at the table, the first thing I said to her (after a greeting, of course) was, “So, Imma need an internship in a couple years, but that’s not for today’s conversation – just log that away in the back of your mind.” Then I proceeded to see how I could get her to come to my organization to do training. Turns out, though, our agency was not ready for the level of training Mary provided and I was told (by my agency) that we would have to postpone my efforts.

Fast forward a couple years and I was finally at the point in my graduate program where I needed to secure an internship, so I reached out to Mary. I had left an impression on her during the few, but meaningful, interactions we had and she remembered me. By this time, I was no longer working for that organization AND I had recently birthed twin girls. So when we met at a restaurant to discuss the possibility of me being her intern, I had two 6-month babies in carriers in tow. That meeting went well and Mary offered me an internship.

You see, the thing about Mary is that she is a Who, not a Where – that meant she wasn’t a typical internship where I could just show up to a place and there would be clients already there waiting for me to work with. Instead, I got to leverage her connections with other organizations to custom design my own internship experience (how cool is that)! Not only did I get a custom experience with a wide variety of different folks and organizations, but I got to participate in many of the trainings she was facilitating.

Perhaps the most meaningful part of my internship experience was how much my thoughts and perspectives were respected by Mary. When I offered a suggestion it was genuinely considered. I was never expected to do “grunt work” just because she didn’t want to do it, but was instrumental in developing some key procedures for her growing business. Little did I know, many of the systems I was helping her develop for her business would be the foundation for my own business that I would being in that very same year. When I applied for my LLC, Mary was very supportive. And she continued to support, encourage, and promote me and my business long after my internship.

I now do what I said I wanted to do – I stand in front of groups of people and share stories and provide information that changes their lives. And I had an amazing internship that helped prepare me for it.

La Shanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

It was Spring 2012 and I had just left a 12-year relationship and over 6-year marriage. My life was flipped up-side-down and I was trying my best to gain my footing. I was sent on a work trip to attend a training titled, Children of Trauma. It was in that training that I realized that I had experienced childhood trauma. This new awareness would fuel my own healing journey and, ultimately, lead to me to my calling of helping others heal.

Simplistically, my purpose in life is to Love Well. When people are loved well, they are able to see themselves (the good, the bad, and the ugly, as they say) as worthy of love and capable of loving others. All of my work is rooted in this love. Some of my labors of love are working directly with people to help them identify and heal from their trauma through therapy, coaching, and holding Healing Circles. Other labors of love include me working with large groups of people like organizations, schools, churches, and government bodies to help them move towards being Trauma-Responsive and Culturally Humble. I help other therapists and coaches by pouring into them like they pour into others. And I love those I am in relationship with by pouring so much love into myself that they receive a gracious and abundant overflow.

Through my social media posts and weekly podcast, The Labors of Love Podcast, I spread my love by being open, transparent, and authentic in everything I do. I bring on guests to discuss their labors of love and help share the beautiful work so many people are doing in our communities.

I’ve navigated this world in a fat, Black, female body all my life and have been impacted by many systems of oppression. I am also an able-bodied, neurotypical, heterosexual, English speaking, American citizen that many would characterize as Christian, and recognize I have been complicit in many systems of oppression. Loving well also means confronting these systems within myself and the world and working to dismantle any system that prevents EVERYONE from being loved well (including Earth and Animals).

Of all my labors of love, I’m probably most proud of my HUGS! Whether it is physically wrapping my arms around someone or how my voice and presence make people feel embraced, I endeavor to Love Well.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Hands down, the best source of new clients for me has been word-of-mouth and personal referrals. While I have been part of therapists platforms such as psychologytoday.com and healingtraumanetwork.net, the majority of my therapy and training clients have come from people who have engaged with me in some capacity. When I do a workshop, training or conference, many people get a feel for my personality and style and refer their friends and loved ones who many be seeking therapy. Someone who listens to my podcast and watches my #TherapyThursday videos on the social media platforms will often refer people looking for a coach or speaker to me. These referrals are often a good fit because I endeavor to be my most authentic self at all times – people know what they are getting into.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I started out with a blog. I had so many ideas to share – then I realized that my written voice and my spoken voice were different and required different levels of energy from me. So, after a few blog posts I decided to do a quick video. Acknowledging that my voice is my greatest tool, I found that doing a couple minute video took very little effort and I was able to effectively communicate my point. And thus it began. I have posted a #TherapyThursday video every week (with very few exceptions) since November of 2018. Consistency is key. On weeks when I don’t have any new material to share, we share a #throwback.

I then had a couple trusted friends suggest I start a podcast. I was hesitant because I do no listen to podcasts – mainly because of time. But because I trust those I surround myself with, I decided to give it a try. Not only that, but my life partner, and husband, was looking to begin his business in media production and management. Thus you have The Labors of Love Podcast, providing weekly content since February 2020 with over 50k streams (at the time of this interview).

My guiding principals for my social media and my content have been creating content that I, myself, need and truly trusting in my belief that every person is worthy of love and healing. While this may not be the same guiding principles for others, my advise would be to have guiding principals, stick to them, and review them often.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thelaborsoflove.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laborsoflove513 , https://www.instagram.com/the_lol_pod
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healingforthehealers
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-labors-of-love/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/laborsoflove513
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/laborsoflovecounselingandconsultingllc
• Other: TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@labors.of.love Patreon – patreon.com/LaborsOfLove Shop – https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-labors-of-love

Image Credits
Tasha Pinelo Photography – https://www.tashapinelo.com