We were lucky to catch up with Shantalea Johns recently and have shared our conversation below.
Shantalea, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
A defining moment for me happened when I was a teenager in Detroit, Michigan, living with my aunt. My aunt would wake me up on a Saturday, telling me to meet her in the kitchen. Once I got there, I’d watch as she pulled out stacks of bread, layers of meat, cheese, and whatever else we had in the fridge. Together, we’d build the biggest double-decker sandwich I’d ever seen, one so big it barely fit between my small hands.
When I first asked why we made such a huge sandwich, she never gave a direct answer (you know how Southern caregivers didn’t like kids asking too many questions. They knew that ‘no’ was a complete sentence before we did). Later, she would tell me that we have enough to share.
After we made these sandwiches, my aunt watched out the window as I ran across the street to the parking lot where a man sat near the trash cans, searching for food and talking to himself. I was instructed to smile, hand the man the sandwich, and then come back home. This routine continued for years.
At the time, I didn’t fully understand. Why did we give him so much when we didn’t have much? But as I grew older, I realized that the act wasn’t just about food, it was about seeing people, acknowledging their humanity, and understanding that community means looking out for one another, even when it’s hard.
That act of kindness was a defining moment in my life. It taught me that even small acts of care can restore dignity, hope, and connection for the giver and the receiver of good deeds.
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 grew up on Detroit’s east side. Detroit at the time was distinguished by abysmal national rankings – one of the lowest per capita incomes, one of the highest rates of children living in poverty, and among the greatest numbers of single-parent households. Our home was full of chaos, and as a shy child who stuttered, I often felt invisible. Yet, during all that, there were people —church members, schoolteachers, and neighbors — who saw me. They reminded me that I had value and that I could contribute something meaningful to the world. Their belief planted seeds in me that took root once I got to college.
I was fortunate enough to graduate from Wayne State University with both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work. Social work is a helping profession dedicated to enhancing the overall well-being of others, particularly the most vulnerable populations. I later got my doctorate in Education, which expanded my understanding of how people learn, how they process information, and how knowledge can truly transform lives.
When I combined social work and education, I began to see the power of helping people survive and thrive. Social work taught me to look at the person in the environment or the “whole person.” This means that we assess how they interact with their family, friends, work, community, and the policies that shape their lives. Education teaches how to translate that knowledge into growth, into tools, into strategies to promote the quality of life that we desire for ourselves.
I am thankful that my work as a scholar-practitioner has taken me across the globe, but some of the most meaningful impact I’ve had has been right in the neighborhoods I once called home. Growing up in Detroit, I saw firsthand how families, like mine, carried the weight of generational pain, trauma, and lack of opportunity. I also witnessed how both social work and access to education can bring about hope, community, and change that can spark transformation.
I founded Johns Counseling and Consulting to partner with Detroit-based organizations that have a trusted reputation for uplifting youth and families. Together, we began offering mental health education workshops for parents in-person and on social media platforms. It matters to me that I take the science behind mental health challenges and translate it in ways parents could understand and use to create healing spaces in their own homes.
Alongside these community efforts, I have provided mental health care across Michigan, Ohio, and Washington. I worked with individuals and couples navigating life transitions, anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, and the everyday pressures that can make us feel stuck. My therapy work keeps me rooted in why I do what I do: helping people heal, grow, and build healthier, more connected relationships.
What sets my work apart is the way I bridge clinical and research expertise with lived experience. I am not afraid to stand in front of a parent group, a classroom, or a student and say, “I been there. Your concerns matter. And here’s how I can offer support”. My clients and partners know they will leave with strategies they can implement immediately and share with others in their circles.
I am most proud of the fact that my work helps people reconnect with themselves. Whether it’s a parent realizing they can break free from generational trauma, a college student reclaiming their confidence, a working professional understanding the signs of mental exhaustion or burnout, or a couple finding their way back to one another.
And if there’s one thing I want people to know about me and my work, it’s this: My brand, my mission, my purpose is to remind people that no matter what they’ve been through, they can reframe their story, root themselves in resilience, and begin again.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
As a social worker and educator, where knowledge and specialized training are crucial, I succeed in my field because I show up without cutting off parts of myself that make me human. This means that I am honest when asked how my day is going, I laugh with clients who share funny stories about their dating lives, and I admit when a client’s or student’s struggles fall outside my area of expertise.
I remember a college student once told me, “It feels like everyone else has so much more time to get all these assignments done, and I don’t.” She explained that she was the first in her family to attend college, work full-time, and have a family of her own. She disclosed that every time she had to ask her professors for an extension on an assignment, it felt like proof that she didn’t belong.
I did not start by handing her a checklist of things she could do to help her feel like she belonged in her planned program. Instead, I started by sharing how I had once sat in those same classrooms, wondering the same thing. She smiled, and it seemed that her hesitation about her abilities turned into hope. Sometimes, when we share our stories appropriately, clients, students, or communities often lean in more because they sense that we understand their world and they are not just a case file.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
Yes, I’d choose the same profession. But I’d focus more on brain science and the mind-body connection early on. That piece was missing in my training, but it’s so important when we talk about mental health because the body and mind are always working together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shantalea.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shantalea-johns/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ShantJohns
Image Credits
n/a.