We were lucky to catch up with Verlancia Tucker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Verlancia, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Leaving my dream job as a classroom teacher due to mental illness was the biggest risk I have ever taken, after an unimaginable event happened with a student. For many years I struggled with depression and anxiety while attending my senior year in high school, and I continued to struggle on and off until I made a decision that saved my life at age forty-one. I took a huge leap of faith when I gave up teaching to go to therapy. Sadly, I felt as if life had gotten the best of me. I merely existed in a world filled with ups and downs, family dysfunction, mass chaos, heartache, losses, disappointments, and regrets. I ignored the conundrum of inner cries for help earlier in life because I wanted to continue to be there for everyone around me. In addition, the stigma of mental health counseling kept interfering with my choice to see a mental health therapist. After taking the risk, I realized that I had been living a lie and took responsibility for my peace of mind and happiness. I no longer cared about who knew about my poor emotional and mental state of being. I wanted to simply heal. The brokenness caused me to suffer mentally and even physically.

In January 2013, I decided to leave the classroom to get therapy after teaching for five and a half years. I resigned from my position without money saved up or a financial plan to support me and my two sons. I just knew that I needed help or else I was going to die by suicide.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Even during the periods where I struggled mentally, I continued with education. I have earned a Master of Secondary Education degree from UA-Little Rock and dual bachelor’s degrees in business administration, with majors in Advertising-Public Relations and Marketing from UA-Little Rock. I maintain a State of Arkansas Educator License in the following areas: Business Technology (4-7 and 7-12); ESL (PK-8 and 7-12); and Career Orientation (7-12). I have worked as Public School Program Advisor for the Arkansas Department of Education – Career Education Department. There, I supervised administrators, counselors, and teachers who taught Career Orientation, Arts, A/V Technology, and Communication, Internship, Keystone, Workforce Technology, and Workplace Readiness. I also facilitated professional development, wrote frameworks, and provided technical assistance to school districts. I have worked with youth and families for more than 25 years as a Mentor, Tutor, and/or Educator. I was enrolled in the Learning Systems Technology in Education master’s program and was two classes from graduating when I dropped out of college to go to therapy. I never received that degree. It was not important at the time. Nor do I regret it today. It didn’t keep me from operating in my purpose.

Roughly four years into therapy, God gave me a vision for starting the nonprofit organization. I was frightened by the thoughts of people because I knew personally that I needed more healing. However, God said, “Just get started and I will do the rest.” I trusted His process and He provided the right people and resources to make things happen. I figured that starting a new business would be challenging, and financing it would be even more difficult, but none of that occurred. Things went so smoothly until it almost shocked me. I immediately knew then that I had found my purpose. I knew that if God gave it to me that I was not going to fail this time. Just to show you how blessed I am, here’s an overview of how God healed and restored me and changed my life for the better in five short years.

• In January 2018, I founded BOHEMIA Cares, a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to inspire individuals to build strong self-esteem, become leaders, and discover untapped talents that will lead to a prosperous life. BOHEMIA Cares’ guiding principles are empowerment, mentorship and social emotional learning. We promote self-love while spreading mental health awareness. BOHEMIA Cares provides enrichment, mentorship, outreach, educational consulting, and social emotional learning opportunities to individuals, families, and or organizations/businesses. Since June 2018, we have impacted communities of color in Pulaski, Bradley, and Drew Counties in Arkansas and beyond.
• In June 2018, our organization hosted its first Summer Enrichment Program, in Bradley County (Warren, AR) for youth in 3^rd through 12^th grades. For three years, we helped fifty-seven (57) youth develop fundamental literacy and math foundational skills while gaining necessary tools needed for career development and college selection.
• The Self-Love Conference debuted in 2019 and served one hundred fifty-two (152) participants, and, despite the pandemic and virtual nature of the venue, grew in 2020, which reached global audiences via virtual streaming served one hundred ten (110) participants with mental health awareness, social emotional development, self-love, self-care, anti-bullying, and substance abuse education and resources.
• In March 2020, during the pandemic, Executive Director Tucker introduced the Self-Love & Soft Skills Instagram Live Chats Program to help viewers cope with isolation and a new normal during the COVID-19 quarantine period. Director Tucker and invited guests shared conversations that focused on mental health awareness, self-care, and coping strategies.
• In December 2020, BOHEMIA Cares introduced the Give Love on Christmas Program. This outreach program gave away turkeys, books, plush toys, coats, and bikes to seven hundred forty-five (745) low-income families in Pulaski, Bradley, and Drew Counties of Arkansas in 2020 and 2021.
• Also, in December 2020, BOHEMIA Cares introduced the 12 Days of Love Program that provided twelve days of virtual empowerment webinars for countless women throughout the United States and beyond. Guest co-facilitators shared presentations that focused on complete healing with an emphasis on mental wellness, domestic abuse, identifying trauma, benefits of self-care, living with lifelong illness, overcoming fear, empowerment, using meditation for healing, and forgiveness, to name a few.
• In June 2021, BOHEMIA Cares directed its focus on healing the Black male population to host virtual empowerment webinars to honor Men’s Health Month entitled: “Conversations on the Mental, Emotional and Physical Health of Black Men”.
• In July 2021, BOHEMIA Cares partnered with the Arkansas Department of Health, Here to Help Foundation – Arkansas, the Jacksonville Branch of the NAACP, and the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club to co-host a Back to School Backpack Giveaway & COVID Vaccination Drive Program at the Jacksonville Boys and Girl Club. Our organization gave away one hundred fifty-five (155) backpacks and administered eight (8) COVID vaccinations.
• In June 2022, BOHEMIA Cares introduced the Mental Health Support Groups Program for Black people who live in Pulaski County, AR. Eight mental wellness support groups composed of fifty-three (53) women, men, moms, and youth were facilitated by partnering licensed Black therapists in ten (10) virtual sessions. Groups focused on coping strategies, mental health awareness resources, self-love, anxiety support, and self-awareness.
• In August 2022, BOHEMIA Cares partnered with Sam Da Barber to co-host a Back 2 School Cut A Thon to give away school supplies for 100 children.
• In June 2023, we partnered with Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium in Selma, Alabama to take ninety-five (95) Black girls to see The Little Mermaid movie in Little Rock.

BOHEMIA Cares would not exist today without the wise leadership from our Board of Directors. The ongoing support from Reverend Henry D. Cox, Pastor of Union Hill M. B. Church of Warren and contributions from Walmart Community Grants, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Arkansas Minority Health Commission, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Acxiom Corporation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas, First Electric Cooperative Corporation of Jacksonville, Potlatch Deltic Corporation of Warren, Phelan Orthodontics of Little Rock, and NAMI – Arkansas (National Alliance on Mental Illness), numerous donors, and Friends of BOHEMIA Cares have allowed us to continue empowering others and helping less fortunate individuals.

Partnerships with Dr. Gayle Seymour, Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences at the University of Central Arkansas, Sue Schroeder, co-founder of Core Dance, Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club, and Terence and Neff Lankford, co-founders of Alliance of Arts, all play an essential role in the success of our programs.

I pinch myself on many days and tell myself to breathe. This is the result of taking the risk. God took me through mental illness to bring me out. He brought me out to help others and to erase the negative stigma associated with mental health therapy. Without taking the risk of going to therapy, BOHEMIA Cares would not exist. I am extremely proud of myself for making the decision to go to therapy. It is gratifying to see others experience healing because of my advocacy and the purpose that God has granted me. Operating within the organization has boosted my self-esteem, my self-worth, and made life worth living.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Yes. While in high school my dream was to become a cosmetologist and a certified public accountant. After taking my first two accounting classes my career goal changed. I did not want to pursue accounting. However, I still wanted to be a cosmetologist. After taking more business-related classes, my desire to be a cosmetologist grew more. I dropped out of UA-Little Rock and enrolled in New Tyler Barber College. Cutting hair was familiar and had become an at-home side hustle. I learned to cut hair in high school by trial and error. I went on to receive my barber license and barber instructor license in 1997. After working a few months in a barber shop I ended up quitting and returning to UA-Little Rock to complete my bachelor’s degree because of chronic back and neck pain.

I completed my bachelor’s degree in December 2002 after starting in August 1990. Ashamed, but I finished. After graduation I didn’t have a plan, but I had to continue school to keep from repaying my student loans. I enrolled in the master of secondary education program and completed the program in December 2007. I began teaching full-time, and I worked as a classroom teacher until mental illness (anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) caused my life to come to an abrupt stop. Pivoting at that point caused me to begin my healing journey and later led to me starting the nonprofit organization which has led me to this article. In January 2023, I celebrated ten years of healing.

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

I think that trusting in God has helped me succeed most in this field. I never understood why He chose me for this purpose until I asked Him “Why did I have to endure so much pain”? It was a lot, and so unbearable at times, but my faith in God grew stronger as I began to do the work within the organization. I came to grips that BOHEMIA Cares was a healing ministry. My fears and anxiety began to subside while experiencing God’s hand in my life and the organization after therapy. I relied on faith and His strength to carry me through some tough days. I made sure that I went to God before every board meeting, business decision, and even day to day conversations. I asked Him to guide my heart and my tongue. I wanted people who I met to leave knowing that they had an encounter with God and not Verlancia or the Executive Director of BOHEMIA Cares.

In addition to trusting God to guide me and the organization I pray that He continues to allow people who hear or read about my mental illness healing journey to see the value in our organizational programs. I pray that more businesses partner with us to support BOHEMIA Cares through donations, sponsorships, and volunteerism. Many Black people are struggling with mental illnesses. We are here to help heal mental illness in Black communities in Arkansas and beyond and we need your support.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bohemiacares.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/bohemiacares
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bohemiacares.org
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/bohemiacares
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/bohemia_cares
• Other: https://linktr.ee/theverlanciatucker

Image Credits
Randall Lee – Contemporary Imaging