Damaris Johnson, LMFT

I'd attribute a lot of my success to my upbringing, and specifically to my dad. He encouraged me to take risks really young, while I didn't have a lot of responsibilities yet, before I had kids of my own. He always reminded me that was the time to try things out.

That mindset is why I started my first business at 22. He kept telling me that if it didn't work out, it was okay to start over, which helped me build that fearlessness early on. I learned that failure isn't a bad thing, it just means you learned something.

The other piece of it is that I get to work in a field I'm genuinely passionate about. When you love what you do, showing up every day doesn't feel like a grind, it feels like purpose. That combination, the fearlessness my upbringing gave me and the passion I have for this work, is really what I'd attribute my success to. Even now, 11 years into this business, that same willingness to evolve, pivot, and try new things without fear of failure is still what drives me.

The best career advice I’ve ever received came from my father, whose example and guidance have profoundly shaped my mindset and approach to both life and business. My father often reminded me to pursue my goals with confidence and intention. He encouraged me to view early adulthood as a time for exploration, risk-taking, and self-discovery, emphasizing that without heavy responsibilities, it is the ideal period to try new things, learn through experience, and grow through both success and failure. His belief that failure is not something to fear but an opportunity to learn left a lasting impact on me, especially when I launched my first business at 22 with his unwavering support as both my emotional anchor and first investor. That experience taught me to approach entrepreneurship with curiosity rather than fear and to understand that setbacks are often stepping stones toward greater success. Those early lessons continue to guide me today, giving me the confidence to adapt, evolve, and embrace change throughout my career, including in building and sustaining my counseling practice for more than a decade. I continue to rely on the foundation he gave me, which reminds me that resilience, thoughtful risk-taking, and a willingness to keep growing are essential to long-term success.

What I would tell them is lean into learning and connecting with a mentor. There are people who really want to help those who are coming behind us. It's okay to send out a cold email. Don't be afraid. You will be surprised how often people will jump at the opportunity to help. We're in the helping field for a reason. If you have questions, send an email to somebody who's local in your area, and ask them if you can just hop on a call for 15 minutes. They may just ask to schedule it out a bit, but you'll get a lot of great responses that way.

Going forward, I want to lean more into the mentorship and consulting side of the practice. We already have a training program: every fall, we bring in graduate students for their practicum year, and they complete their clinical hours with us, with the goal of having them graduate and join our staff. I'd like to flesh this out into a more well-developed training program, especially since a lot of young clinicians are coming out of school without the in-person clinical experience that was more standard pre-COVID.

My core value is integrity. It's easy to get caught up in the hype of everything happening in life and work, but maintaining integrity means being honest about who you are and showing up as your most authentic self. I think people recognize that quickly and gravitate toward it. It's a lot easier to show up as yourself than as something or someone else. That's really what informs how I navigate life, whether personal or business, and it's the one word I always come back to.