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

Hi Marae, thanks for joining us 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.

As a mental health professional, speaker and influence, I work very close with people. After all I am a peoples person and I always said even as a child that the one thing I want people to take away from any experience with me is that “everyone will feel like someone around me”. There are people in this world that chronically feel alone or outcasted and it tugs at my heart strings because we were all made for one another. There was a time during my time as a Mental Health professional that I truly got to experience what it was like to make a big impact on who everyone else would consider a small person’s life. The patient at the time was extremely manic at times, extremely catatonic at times and was exhibiting overall severe mental health symptoms, it was almost as if she just was not there. A lot of people would use that time to mistreat her because she probably would not remember or know what was going on anyway. I consistently showed up for her and treated her respect and dignity even when she could not be respectful to herself or her body. I really had a soft spot for her and treated her like one of my own, even down to doing her hair, washing her up at times or just singing to her. It was not until she started to return back to normalcy that she began to talk and speak with clarity. She started to remind me of some of things that I used to do for and with her over those months, even stuff that I had forgotten about. I was extremely moved to know that she was aware all that time and even remembered. The field of Mental Health can be discouraging at times because people may never get better or become fully normal again. I have always looked at how Mental Health Issues like everyone is one bad decision, one crisis or experience away from being right where many of the people we mistreat are and that is what keeps me rooted and compassionate in the profession where people may or may not ever get better.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For those that may not know me YET, I am Marae Victoria. I am a Mental Health Professional, Fashion Influencer/content creator and Speaker. I am currently obtaining my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling while influencing and speaking to the masses wherever and whenever I can about Mental Health, Faith and Fashion. I am really an educator at heart and I want people to know that this is a place for people to learn, share, and heal whether that be in the fashion space, the mental health space and especially the faith space. I am 1/4 of the host on Christian podcast called “SavednSuch”. It is my ultimate goal to cultivate a space and platform where we can all gain something or just feel the love.

Have you ever had to pivot?

From the time I was in elementary school till about Sophomore year of college, I wanted to go to Medical School to be a Pediatrician. My love for children and natural passion to help people is what I believe led me there. When I told my mom what I wanted to be when I got older, she took it and ran with it. She bought me books and made sure that I knew every doctor I could to have mentors and ask questions. She put me in programs and I got into internships that would push me and keep me engaged in becoming a Doctor. I mean from scrubbing on on surgeries as an Intern in the department of Surgery at Hopkins as an intern to majoring in Biology in college, I was deep in the field. That is until I realized I was failing in college, I was having such a hard time and I was always a straight A student so that was a problem for me. I decided to take a semester off to regroup, take care of mental health by getting a therapist and I really enjoyed all that I was learning. This sparked interest for me in the profession of Mental Health and that is when I went back to school the following semester and changed my major to psychology. My previous education in Biology and Human anatomy helped me to connect a lot of dots in psychology as we learned about the brain. I fell in love with psychology and studying the brain and I excelled in school. I went from failing miserably to graduating with my Bachelors in Psychology to now working on a Masters. Although, I wont be a pediatrician, I will still be a doctor and still help people which was always the goal. This just goes to show that failure isn’t final and it can be a launching paid for success.

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

I would say one thing I needed to unlearn was this idea that “I needed to fit in”. Somewhere between middle school and two years ago, I felt the intense need to fit in to be cool. I was always welcome and accepted by many different groups and types of people but I never quite fit in and felt a sense of belonging. This went on for years while I was finding myself after repeated trauma, crazy experiences, good experiences and bad choices. The process is long and continuous but its apart of the journey. About last year I decided that I am going to be all that I was called to be no matter what. I did not know exactly what I was getting myself into but then my Social media following dramatically increased, the calling on my life to speak the word of God become super pressing and apparent and my desire to help people has become a necessity. I realized that I was not happy in school, at work or just in life because I was operating and trying to live outside of my calling. Once I discovered my identity in Christ, my purpose became so tangible. I now feel a strong sense of belonging and cant look back unless its to remember how far I’ve come. I even lost my style and started dressing in all black in college, that was until I got back to me and began to explore and express myself through my style and fashion choices. I now feel secure to go into other spaces and be ME out loud and welcome people into my world. Its the greatest feeling to know who you are and to Shine freely. Its an even better feeling to be fulfilling your purpose and see the evidence of it by the results. I wish that on everyone!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iammaraevictoria/
• Other: Email: MaraeVictoriaBrand@gmail.com

Image Credits

Rashon Bray
@Rashon.Bray

Daryll Morgan
@Daryll.Morgan

Myles Wright
@Uptop_Ham