We recently connected with LaTarsha Holden and have shared our conversation below.

LaTarsha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

Yes—there was a defining moment in my professional career, and it didn’t come from a title or an achievement. It came from a breaking point.

There was a time when I found myself navigating homelessness, raising six children, and carrying the weight of survival on my shoulders. On the outside, it may have looked like everything was falling apart—but internally, something profound was happening. I was being reshaped.

The defining moment came when I made a decision:
I refused to let my circumstances define my identity.

Instead of allowing adversity to silence me, I chose to lean into growth. I went back to school. I pursued my education with everything I had—eventually earning my doctorate in Leadership Studies. But more importantly, I began to understand that my lived experience was not a limitation—it was a qualification.

That shift changed everything.

It transformed how I saw myself and how I showed up in the world. I moved from survival to purpose. From silence to advocacy. From pain to power. That transformation ultimately led me to write the Oxygen Mask Healing Series, where I share the tools, reflections, and truths that helped me heal and reclaim my voice.

That moment became the foundation for my work as a Certified Peer Specialist, author, and advocate. It’s what led me to create spaces for others to feel seen, heard, and supported—because I know what it feels like to be in the dark and need someone to hold the light.

The lesson I carry—and what I hope others take from my story—is this:
Your lowest moment does not disqualify you. It can become the very thing that positions you to walk in purpose.

Sometimes the moment that breaks you… is the moment that introduces you to who you were always meant to be.

LaTarsha, 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. LaTarsha Holden—an author, Certified Peer Specialist in Mental Health, Anger Management Specialist, leadership professional, and community advocate whose work is rooted in lived experience, resilience, and transformational healing.

My journey into this work was not traditional—it was personal.

I entered this field through lived experience. As a single mother of six, I navigated homelessness, adversity, and the emotional weight of survival. But instead of allowing those experiences to define me, I made a decision to rebuild my life with intention. That decision led me back to school, where I earned multiple degrees, including a Doctorate in Leadership Studies. More importantly, it led me to discover that my story carried purpose.

I didn’t just overcome—I transformed. And that transformation became my work.

Today, I provide a range of services and creative works centered around healing, growth, and empowerment. This includes mental health peer support, anger management and parenting classes, workshops, and speaking engagements. I also create transformational content through my books, including the Oxygen Mask Healing Series, which offers readers practical tools, reflections, and guidance for emotional healing, self-awareness, and personal growth.

At the core of my work is a simple but powerful mission:
to help individuals shift their mindset, regulate their emotions, and build healthier relationships—with themselves and others.

I work with individuals who are navigating trauma, emotional overwhelm, life transitions, and personal setbacks. Many of the people I serve feel stuck, unheard, or disconnected from themselves. I help them reconnect—to their voice, their worth, and their ability to move forward with clarity and confidence.

What sets me apart is that I don’t just teach from theory—I teach from lived experience, education, and faith. I understand what it means to sit in the dark and find your way back to the light. My approach is compassionate, practical, and deeply human. I meet people where they are, without judgment, and walk alongside them as they rediscover their strength.

I am most proud of the life I rebuilt—not just for myself, but for my children and the generations that follow. Breaking cycles, creating stability, and showing my family what healing looks like in real time is one of my greatest accomplishments. I am also proud that my voice—once shaped by survival—has now become a source of encouragement, advocacy, and impact for others.

What I want people to know about me and my work is this:
Healing is possible. Growth is intentional. And your story does not end where your struggle begins.

My brand is not just about services—it is about creating safe spaces for transformation. Whether through my books, my classes, or my presence in the community, my goal is to help people breathe, heal, and rise—one step at a time.

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

One of the most defining examples of my resilience comes from a season in my life when everything felt uncertain—but I refused to give up.

There was a time when I was a single mother of six, facing homelessness, trying to hold my family together while navigating the emotional and physical weight of survival. I didn’t have a roadmap. I didn’t have guarantees. But I had a decision to make every single day—keep going or give up.

And I chose to keep going.

I remember moments of exhaustion—mentally, emotionally, and physically—but I couldn’t afford to stay down. My children were watching me. Not just what I said, but how I responded to adversity. And I knew that whatever I modeled in that season would shape how they saw themselves and their future.

So I pushed forward.

I enrolled in school during one of the hardest seasons of my life. I studied through stress, through uncertainty, through moments where I questioned how I would make it. Step by step, I kept going—eventually earning my degrees, including my doctorate in Leadership Studies.

But what makes this story one of resilience is not just the outcome—it’s who I became in the process.

I didn’t allow my circumstances to harden me. I allowed them to shape me. I held onto my values. I leaned into my faith. And even in moments where I was overwhelmed, I remained committed to becoming a better version of myself—for me and for my children.

That season taught me that resilience is not about never feeling tired, afraid, or uncertain.
It’s about continuing forward in spite of it.

And today, that same resilience is what I pour into my work.
It’s what led me to create safe spaces for others. It’s what inspired me to write the Oxygen Mask Healing Series. It’s what allows me to sit with individuals in their hardest moments and remind them—they are not alone, and they can rise too.

If there’s one lesson from my journey, it’s this:
Resilience is built in the moments no one sees—the quiet decisions to keep going when it would be easier to stop.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the most important lessons I had to unlearn was the belief that my worth was tied to how much I could endure, fix, or carry for others.

For a long time, my identity was rooted in survival and responsibility. As a mother of six navigating extremely difficult circumstances, I became strong out of necessity. I learned how to push through pain, how to hold everything together, and how to be everything for everyone—even when I was running on empty.

That mindset served me in one season of my life. It helped me survive.

But over time, I realized it was also costing me something.

I found myself overextending, tolerating emotional strain, and feeling responsible for things that were never mine to carry. I believed that being strong meant not needing rest, not setting boundaries, and not prioritizing myself. And when I did try to express my needs, it was often misunderstood or dismissed.

The turning point came when I recognized that survival and healing are not the same.

I had done the work to rebuild my life externally—education, career, stability—but internally, I still carried patterns rooted in survival. I had to confront the truth that constantly pouring from an empty place was not strength—it was self-neglect.

So I began to unlearn.

I started setting boundaries without guilt.
I gave myself permission to rest.
I stopped trying to fix everything and everyone.
And I began to prioritize my own emotional and mental well-being.

That unlearning process was not easy—it required me to redefine what strength looked like.

Today, I understand that true strength is not found in how much you can carry—it’s found in knowing what is yours to carry and what is not.

That lesson deeply influences my work. Whether through my classes, peer support, or the Oxygen Mask Healing Series, I teach others that they are allowed to take care of themselves too—that they don’t have to earn rest, love, or peace through exhaustion.

If there’s one takeaway from this lesson, it’s this:
You can be strong and still choose yourself.

Unlearning saved me just as much as perseverance did.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: latarshaholden
• Facebook: LaTarsha Holden
• Linkedin: Dr. LaTarsha Holden

Image Credits

Toni Will Photos