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

Saudia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents were both born in British Guyana, South America, and unlike many stories of children of immigrants my parents, especially my mother, had high standards, but never forced me or my siblings to move into a certain profession. I was not raised to believe that there was only one way to be successful. What my mother did that I am forever grateful for, was she worked her butt off to place us in environments that would expand our consciousness of what is possible. I don’t remember having a lot of conversations about money, but I do remember my mother saying that she couldn’t provide us with all of the things that life has to offer (she was speaking about material things) but she made sure to expose us to people that had way more than us, financially. She wanted us to know that life was so much bigger than what we saw in our personal surroundings. So my mom invested everything she had in providing the best education for us. Not only were we exposed to different environments but we were exposed to a diverse group of people. People of different races, and religions. I have a gift of being able to connect with almost anyone and I believe that it comes from feeling comfortable in almost any environment. I rarely walk into rooms and feel that I don’t belong. Another priceless gift, as a result of my mothers sacrifices was that I went to schools that taught me critical thinking. Thinking outside of the box and feeling comfortable forging my own path in life comes somewhat naturally to me. I rarely overthink things, i’m not risk adverse, and I love to challenge myself. I think a lot of these qualities were birthed because I was given the space to trust my own mind and my own instincts. I was given the freedom very early on to explore life, explore interests and I did not have to deal with feeling like I needed to be a certain way to please anyone, especially my parents. They were not perfect but I did feel unconditionally loved and supported. I still do.

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

I have been a licensed therapist for 14 years. I have been in the business of helping people overcome their traumas and themselves for a long time! I see myself as a holistic therapist because I understand that the mind is not the only thing we have to work with in order to overcome life challenges. Our bodies and spirit play such a huge role in the process of healing. With that knowledge I furthered my education to understand the role that nutrition plays in mental health, resulting in being certified in mental health nutrition and also in breathwork. I believe the breath is our easiest access point to the subconscious mind and a direct connection to our higher power. I combine all of my knowledge to work (mainly) with high performing women, to reprogram their nervous systems so that they can fully be present for the lives that they have created. I believe that being in a like minded, supportive, community is a key component when doing any healing work. We will never be our best self in isolation. So, in 2020 I started a group called Untamed. That morphed into a 6 week online course that I plan on relaunching this year. The course gives you a strong foundation to begin exploring your inner world and making the necessary shifts to break free from habitual patterns that no longer serve us. My intention is to continue to grow the Untamed community of woman so that there’s home base of support for women doing the hard work of personal growth. I will also be co facilitating my first women’s retreat in February, called RESTORE. There will be a mixture of emotional release, yoga, breathwork, and other restorative practices. Hopefully we can keep this growing and have at least one every year. Helping women learn to live on their own terms, and feel good in their bodies, minds and relationships is my purpose in this life and I find some much joy and fulfillment in the process. It also forces me to continue to learn and grow personally so I can expand my capacity to hold space for others.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Training and knowledge are needed to be successful but many people have a head full of knowledge that they do nothing with. (I have been guilty of this). Our knowledge is meant to be shared but so many are afraid of putting themselves out there. Fear of failure, criticism and judgement cripples us. The ability to overcome your mind, quiet your body so that you can be of service to others is key to being helpful in all fields but especially in the mental health field. So many people need what mental health professionals offer but as a profession we haven’t been taught how to market ourselves and operate as a business. The ability to be brave, offer services, and use our voices to market ourselves is extremely helpful for succeeding in this field. You can be the best therapist, but if no one knows you exist you aren’t of benefit to anyone.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

I co own a group private practice in Friendswood, Texas, called Life Redefined. We have therapists that work for us that provide services for children, individuals and couples. The story of how I met my business partner is hilarious because we didn’t meet until we started the business together. One of our mentors suggested to each of us that we should start a practice together. Our trust in him and maybe our ignorance at the time about business had us agree before we even met! Thank goodness it has been nothings but a blessing to us both. My partner, Andrea Johnson and I got a long great from the beginning. We both have supported each other in our individual endeavors and continue to plug along in this shared business space. We still have a lot of growing room but we complement each other well. Where I lack she excels, and vice versa. We actually will be co-facillitating the Restore retreat in February and I really feel in my gut this is the launch of a lot of beautiful work we will continue to do. I know this isn’t the way most people go into business together. But thankfully it has worked for us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.liferedefinedhealing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saudiast/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saudia.turney.9/
• Other: Tiktok: @saudiaturney45