We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Davey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

1999 was the year that changed my life. It was a typical morning where I arrived at the airport and headed to my assigned flight. I love traveling and interacting with people so my career as a flight attendant made sense. However, after a couple of years I started feeling like there was something else I should be doing but I didn’t know what that something else was. Well, life has a way of re-routing you which is exactly what happened when I was layed off. I remember standing in the unemployment line, thinking “what am I gonna do now?” After a few weeks of soap operas and lunch dates, I decided to sign up with a temp agency. That temp agency assigned me to a girls’ group home as an Executive Assistant. I was good at typing and multi-tasking, but I was even better at interacting with the girls. I found myself wanting to get to know their story and I even volunteered for the overnight shifts when the counselor called out. One day, the therapist asked if I wanted to sit-in on a group session with the girls. After the session, the therapist asked me to stay behind and talk with her. That was my “defining moment,” as she shared why she had become a therapist and how she saw those same qualities in me. Six months later I enrolled in a Social Work program and graduated with my Master’s in 2005. A few years after that, I passed my licensing exam and became a mental health therapist.

Michelle , 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?

I love helping people and my career as a Social Worker has been very fulfilling. I currently work full-time as a Respite Care Coordinator where I have the pleasure of working with families who provide care to their loved ones who are suffering from a disability and may need a break from their day-to-day duties in order to prevent burnout. I also have a part-time practice where I provide mental health therapy to women who are battling depression and/or anxiety. One of the reasons I became a mental health therapist is I wanted to be a part of the healing journey. When I struggled with depression, therapy was definitely helpful for me so to now be on the other side helping other women heal, is such a blessing.

I’ve been providing therapy to women for the past 15 years and the theme that I’ve seen woven in their stories, is that they have lost their VOICE. Whether from trauma, fear, low self-esteem, depression, unhealthy relationships, etc. This has weighted heavy on me, especially since I once was the person that lost her voice. This has inspired me to write a children’s book called, My Voice is My Superpower. I wrote this book with my 9-year-old daughter, Laiya, to inspire little girls to use their voices to help, protect, and love themselves. I want to prevent our daughters from being the next woman sitting in my chair feeling “broken and unworthy.”

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Other than my 5 years of education and the countless hours of continuing education credits, what has been most helpful in succeeding in my field is being able to relate to my clients. When I sit in my chair and listen to my clients tell their story, I hear my younger self when I was on my journey to healing. I see the same tears I shed when I was vulnerable as I disclosed details of my trauma to my therapist. I believe this has allowed me to not just be empathetic, but to also be sensitive and not push too hard when my client appears to be having a difficult time trusting the process. It’s hard to trust when you’ve been abused, neglected, or just “unheard” for so long.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Earlier I shared how I was inspired to become a Social Worker. Well, I didn’t speak about the bumps along the way and how I ‘bounced back.

Going back to college at 30 was a huge decision. I was already a mom and living on my own. I had responsibilities so I had to work and go to school. It was very humbling, sitting in classes with high school graduates who seemed to know exactly what they wanted, as I was in a point in my life where it felt like I was making a U-turn. The first two semesters, I almost withdrew from my classes. It just felt like I was out of my league and being in school for the next five years would take FOREVER. Once again, I met a professor who encouraged me to stop comparing my situation to everyone else’s and to look “straight ahead” and not be distracted by FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real). From that day forward, I told myself that going backwards was not an option and five years later I graduated with a Masters Degree in Social Work (I was accepted into an advanced Masters program that was only 9 months).

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ourwingsofhope.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/myvoiceismysuperpower