We recently connected with Reggie Jackson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Reggie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

As I reflect on my early life, I would not consider myself a risk taker, I have for sure done a few questionable (scary) things, but taking the risk of starting my own private practice has to be at the top of my risk-taking list. Although I did not have intentions of starting a private practice with I finished grad school, it eventually came to a point where I felt like it was the logical next step. I am confident in my therapeutic skills and ability to support people in their healing journey, the other major risk that I did not initially identify was the business ownership portion of starting a private practice, it was actually a compounded risk. I remember the very first business coach I met with, asked me, “Do you want to be a therapist or a business owner?” It turns out that starting a business is actually just a step towards having to take risks that lead to more and more risks.
Taking risks involves some calculations but also an authentic belief in yourself and what you are pursuing. One thing that must be considered when taking risks is that it could fail, we have to be prepared to deal with the fallout of that. A person has to be able to deal with the anxious thinking about their decisions (i.e. did I overstep my capabilities? What’s my plan if this does fail? Impostor Syndrome).

I believe the risk was worth it, I am still building and although I started my private practice in 2014, we have really just evolved into a group practice in the past 4 years. As the wellness and mental health expand across the globe and I have the opportunity to accomplish some personal goals I have set for myself. I believe I will be able to leave a legacy for my kids and family. Business ownership right now, for me, is about increasing stability, automation, and creating repeatable processes for growth.

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?

After finishing college I fumbled around life seeking my calling. I graduated from Kansas State University in May 2002, we were fresh from the 911 tragedy the prior fall, and work was scarce for a 24-year-old Black man with a BS in history. I moved to Georgia for a little while and lived with my brother, I managed a popular gas station chain store and quickly recognized my unhappiness. I did not like the robotic, checklist work that I was doing. After about 6 months I packed up and moved back to Manhattan, KS where many of my friends remained. I lived on my buddy’s couch for several months while I tried to figure out my next move. I took a job at a local community mental health center, and it was there that I was introduced to the world of mental health and not long after, I realized I had found what I was supposed to do. I worked there for 5 years and applied to the Social Welfare program at the University of Kansas. I was so anxious about getting in because I had partied my way through undergrad and limped across the finish line. I prayed for the chance to get in and show what I could do. My fiance at the time had started the program the year before, and I had several colleagues who either would be attending the program or had finished the program. By the time I started, I had a strong understanding of what would be expected of me and a plan to execute.

I was accepted, and if I say so myself, crushed it. I ended up being selected to be the student representative for the KU School of Social Welfare Advisory board, went to Costa Rica to study their welfare system, and graduated as a member of the Social Welfare National Honor Society. I also had the opportunity to represent KU at the National Association of Black Social Workers’ annual meeting.

When I graduated from the University of Kansas MSW program, I held several positions until I started working as a contractor for a company, which I transitioned to starting my own private practice in 2014. I simultaneously started a domestic violence program in Kansas City, MO. The workload has been heavy at times and the learning curve from a therapist to a business owner was/is challenging, To be frank, it took a toll on my health and personal life, as I have grinded for every achievement I have accomplished so far. I would not suggest this heavy grind path, as I realize now that, being a workaholic and a recovering perfectionist is not suitable to maintain high-level healthy relationships. Make time for yourself!

My group practice currently has 5 therapists and 3 facilitators who work with clients, as well as facilitate our DV groups that run throughout the week. We also have a couple of support staff that help with operations. I cannot overstate my gratefulness for my team as they have stuck with me through some thin times as I continue to grow as a leader and CEO. They are awesome, hard-working, and talented.

What I would like to say to potential clients, followers, and possible future brand collaborators is; I value innovation and creativity, the mental health and wellness space is expanding at a remarkable rate, and I want to continue to innovate the service delivery and support for those who have the heart to say, “I need some help with this life of mine”.

Satori Counseling Services values allyship and inclusivity internally and promote that message externally to the public. I am very interested in working with men on healthy masculinity as well as the race, equity, and inclusivity space to name a couple of things. I also support young therapists, to whom I provide mentorship to as we serve as a practicum site for students in training to become therapists, I am hopeful that they learn as much from me as I do from them.
I have literally hundreds of ideas in my head on how to continue to push for folx in this country a much-needed respite from anxiety, depression, white supremacy, and substance abuse. I hope that I can connect with like-minded people who are willing to take risks and impact our communities.

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

Oh man, can I start out by just saying I am a Black man living in the United States, who comes from a family where I was a first-generation college student (both my parents did go back to college in their 40s to get their degrees). That illustrates a high level of resilience right there!

My journey has had many ups and downs. I would tell everyone, to expect the downs and the failures, it comes with the territory. If you aren’t ready for that, you probably should be looking at a safe, predictable job that gets you home after an honest day, 8-hours of work and I’m not knocking that lifestyle, I would say resilience and small business ownership are synonymous, there have been numerous times in my journey where cash flow was low and I had to figure out how to hold things together, whether that be taking a personal loan from a friend to keep things afloat or having to create whole new systems and workflows to account for growth in my practice. There will always be another challenge, my ability to continue to get up and get after it, is my superpower.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

The most important skill is to be able to build authentic relationships with our clients. That starts with managing our own biases and judgments (everyone judges, to say don’t judge is BS). Being consistent and communicating expectations and boundaries through the use of healthy, assertive communication is vastly important as well. I want my clients to come to my office and feel like coming over to hang out and talk about heavy sh!t, at least on some days.

I have been blessed to be raised by smart, hard-working parents who encouraged a shy, chubby kid to explore his curiosities and push against labels and stereotypes. In fact, my father encouraged all his children to be open-minded and not be a stereotype. He never wanted us to align with an idea just because “everyone else was doing it”. I bring that mindset into my work, which allows me to work freely and empathetically with a diverse folx in the therapeutic space.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://satoricounseling.com/
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