Wellness Is Work: Leading with Care in Business and Mental Health

Summary

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Cashuna Huddleston shares her journey into psychology, highlighting the importance of empathy, accountability, and the need for culturally responsive care. She discusses her experiences working with veterans, the stigma surrounding therapy, and the complexities of treating clients with both physical and psychological challenges. Dr. Huddleston emphasizes the significance of true healing over mere symptom management and addresses systemic inequities in mental health care. She also shares insights on building a heart-centered practice, the challenges of being a clinician and business owner, and the importance of wellness and self-care. The conversation concludes with reflections on finding resolution within ourselves and the importance of community support.

Key Takeaways

• Witnessing mental health struggles in families inspired my journey.
• Empathy and accountability can coexist in therapy.
• True healing goes beyond symptom management.
• Therapy should be seen as a strength, not a stigma.
• Everyone can benefit from therapy, including professionals.
• The mind and body are interconnected in healing.
• Culturally responsive care is essential in mental health.
• Building a practice requires both compassion and strategy.
• Wellness is about balance and self-nourishment.
• Resolution involves accepting multiple truths simultaneously.

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Chapters

• 1:08 Journey into Psychology: Personal Motivations
• 2:51 Defining Moments in Training and Early Career
• 4:51 Empathy and Accountability in Therapy
• 6:40 The Decision to Enter Private Practice
• 8:08 True Healing vs. Symptom Management
• 9:10 Stigma Surrounding Therapy
• 11:02 Experiencing Secondary Trauma as a Therapist
• 12:13 Complexities of Treating Physical and Psychological Challenges
• 14:35 Addressing Systemic Inequities in Mental Health
• 16:46 Myths About Therapy
• 18:02 Challenges of Being a Clinician and Business Owner
• 19:50 Building a Values-Driven Practice
• 22:37 Sustainability in Entrepreneurship
• 24:52 Empowering Women of Color in Leadership
• 26:39 Current Projects and Future Aspirations
• 28:58 Defining Wellness and Its Evolution
• 32:31 Finding Resolution Within Ourselves

Transcript

Dr. Shay: 0:19

Welcome back to the Resolution Room, where we turn tension into transformation through clarity, connection, and consistency. I'm your host, Dr. Nashay Lowe, and this is a space where we explore what's really underneath the moments that challenge us and how they can lead to something more honest, more human, and more whole. So let's get into it. Today we're spotlighting Dr. Cashuna Huddleston, a woman doing extraordinary work at the intersection of both physical and mental wellness. She's not only a licensed psychologist, she's a builder of better systems, a champion for mental health equity, and a mentor for the next generation of women of color and leadership. In this episode, Dr. Huddleston joins me to unpack the realities of running a wellness-focused business, what true culturally responsive care looks like, and why rest, resilience, and representation all belong in the same conversation. From comorbid diagnoses to career development, from clinical training to community impact, this episode is a masterclass in care that's rooted, relevant, and revolutionary. Dr. Huddleston, can you please introduce yourself?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 1:32

Hello, everyone, and thank you, Dr. Lowe, for having me on your amazing podcast, The Resolution Room. So super excited to be here.

Dr. Shay: 1:40

So I am so happy to have you.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 1:42

Thank you. I am Dr. Cashuna Huddleston. I'm a licensed psychologist here in Houston, Texas. I do many things. So I own a private practice, which I know I will talk about a lot today. Private practices, mid-weight psychological services. I'm also an assistant professor at Texas Southern University. This is my first year. Super excited about working with students and teaching them all about psychology. I consult with companies, I do assessments, I do a ton of things out here in this big city. I've been in practice for about 10 years. I have a son. So I'm a mom. He's eight years old, going on 35, but he's a complete joy. Being his mom, he's a great kid. I couldn't have asked for a better kid. Um, beyond that, I love to travel. I have a partner, um, and I love to work out and sleep.

Dr. Shay: 2:36

I love the sleep part two. All right, girl. So, yeah, let's let's just dive into um, you know, how we got here. So, what drew you to the field of psychology and what has your path looked like so far?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 2:49

Oh, wow. So it's been an interesting path. But I would say what really drew me to psychology was really witnessing earlier on how unspoken struggles with mental health really affected like individuals, families, and even whole communities. Uh, my grandfather had Alzheimer's disease. It started when I was around maybe like a sophomore and undergrad, and just witnessing how my family really didn't understand it and the mental health consequences of that and how it developed over time. So he eventually had passed away from that. But I got a really good look into how neurocognitive issues and the mental health sides of this impacts not only the person because he was losing himself along the way and how that impacted my family. And because I saw all these things, I wanted to be a part of breaking that silence and helping people just find healthier ways to heal and thrive. So my journey has taken me through research. Uh, so much part of being a psychologist is doing a lot of research. Clinical practice, I talked about me teaching um at Texas Southern University and also running my private practice. Um, and along the way, I've worked with a lot of organizations and companies, individuals, families, veterans. I did a lot of my training at the Houston VA as well as the Nashville VA, as I mentioned earlier. And I see and I see like firsthand how resilience can really be cultivated. So for me, psychology is more about treating it is you know, more about treating symptoms and just helping people reclaim their stories and encouraging people just to create lives that reflect strength, purpose, and overall just wholeness. So it's been a journey. It's a good one.

Dr. Shay: 4:38

Yeah, and so talk to me a little bit more about um what moments in your training or early career shaped how you show up for clients today.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 4:47

Oh wow. I would say some of the most defining moments for me came during my training and sort of early career phases. So working with veterans specifically, because a lot of them carries, they carry a lot of like invisible wounds, wounds of trauma. My dad is a Vietnam veteran. A lot of things I understood there too. Um specifically with him. Uh, I remember when I was about my son's age, my son is eight, and I remember my dad screaming at night while he slept. And I did not understand what was happening, right? Or really understood a war or like how these things impact a person in a family. And now, like, I definitely get it. Um then subsequently working at the Houston VA, doing a lot of clinical research initially, and then when I started my PhD program, a lot of my clinical rotations were within the Houston VA. Did my postdoc there, did a lot of stuff there. But what I learned about it is that healing isn't just always about fixing, it's about listening very deeply and creating a safe space where people can be seen. I think a lot of them just enjoy telling their story. So, in my training, so along the way in this PhD program, I had a lot of great mentors as well who model what it means to balance empathy with accountability. And they shaped how I work with my clients today. And I approach working with my clients with a lot of compassion, but also with the belief that they are just capable of growth. I think a lot of times they just feel stuck in that process, and it's important for me to acknowledge that hey, you can grow from this, you we can work through this, this is possible.

Dr. Shay: 6:31

Um, I was gonna say, well, I absolutely love the point you brought up about empathy and accountability because I think when a lot of people hear those words, they're almost seen um, you know, as opposition of one another, but they can very much and need to exist and coexist with each other. So talk to me a little bit about that and how you approach that in your practice.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 6:48

So, particularly with empathy, just this openness and just respect for the space that we are sharing together. I think I talk about this sometimes with my clients, but it's it's such a real reward and humbling experience when people come to my practice to want to work with me or even somebody else in my practice. So I don't my practice is a group private practice. I didn't mention that. So I have seven other clinicians working in my office, but they all even in interviewing them and working with them before they they actually start seeing clients, it's important to me that they can express a deep level of grace and empathy to clients and being open to what they have to share and walking along with them through that journey. So empathy is one of the first steps, and and I think being a good clinician is is is being able to meet people where they are in their journey to have better mental health. So it's important.

Dr. Shay: 7:42

Absolutely. And then how do you do that while still holding people accountable?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 7:48

Well, I think you obviously can do both. For sure. Like having that space for empathy, you know, meeting them where they are, but also letting them know, well, hey, I'm I'm I'm I'm honest with them, um, uh, but in a nice way, right? My approach is very um, it's very warm. I would say that it's it's it's collaborative, right? I I still make sure that they know that, you know, obviously you're in the driver's seat of this journey, but I'm gonna hold space for you to make some changes because that's why you're here.

Dr. Shay: 8:23

Love that. Yeah. Yeah. And I guess for your experiences, what made you decide to step into private practice and build something on your own?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 8:31

Ooh, that's a great question. Um it's funny because once I graduated with the PhD process, I've only worked in private practice up until now when I started as an assistant professor at Texas Um Southern. So for me, stepping into private practice was about creating space to do work in a way that felt authentic to who I am. So I had spent years in hospitals and like universities and community settings, even. And what I valued about all of those experiences was that I saw the gaps. So the places where clients needed more culturally responsive care and more flexibility and more emphasis on true healing instead of just symptom management. So create my private practice was my way of saying, I want to just create something different. That's why it's called New Way Psychological Services. I want a practice where clients really feel fully seen, or other emerging mental health professionals can be mentored. So I do a lot of that, that's important to me. And just where I can also blend my research, my teaching, and my clinical clinical voice into one space. So it's been that for me.

Dr. Shay: 9:45

I love that I love that. Yeah, I'm saying I love it. And I love that you brought up um true healing versus symptoms management. That's a big philosophy I live by as well in my consulting. So talk to me a little bit more about that, what that looks like.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 9:58

So, well, in terms of like true healing, thinking about what is it you're here for. I don't want to just talk about the symptoms. I want to talk about also how did this even develop in the first place, right? Typically there is this core space where issues develop. Yes, there are some like, you know, genetic dispositions for certain types of symptoms, like if you have a family history of depression, of course, you have a higher proclivity of also being depressed, or if you have one of the serious mental health illnesses like a schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, you obviously also have a higher proclivity of having that as well. So I take that into account, but also thinking about the day-to-day so that they can feel like therapy is not only a space where they're being seen and heard, as I mentioned before, but they're actually working on things that are doable day to day for them to be able to function to their optimal ability.

Dr. Shay: 10:54

Mm-hmm. I'm curious, do you still feel like um there's a stigma around psychology and therapy?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 11:02

Yeah, uh, absolutely. It's a huge stigma around that. It is always interesting when clients come in and you know, they're like, oh, I'm just so stressed out, work, etc. And they're like, I'm not crazy though. And I'm like, well, what is what is that? What does that mean? Right, I'm not crazy. I don't want you to think I'm crazy. And I'm like, I don't, I said, and I and I I've said this so many times, no one crazy has ever came into my office. Like, I don't even know what that means. So nobody comes in actively suicidal necessarily, nobody comes in actively hearing voices and doing things of that nature. Most of the people who are in that space, they don't even go and get help. Typically, they don't. So I so I assure them that I've never seen a crazy person. Yes, we can use crazy in a funny, relaxing way, but by far not definitively crazy, whatever that means, and and no, you don't belong in a psych institution. So it's okay to get help from a mental health professional because I think I would argue most people, if not all people, have had some type of experience in their life where a mental health professional could be of service to them, and then that is okay. Absolutely, and to you know, I think everybody needs a therapist.

Dr. Shay: 12:19

I don't care who I second that.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 12:21

I but I have one, so I think everybody needs one, even mental health professionals need one. I think we all need a safe place to land, a safe place to be seen, a safe place to say what we need to say without feeling judged or ridiculed about it. Um, and to talk about like what our experiences are day to day. Because they they range. We we've we have so many roles that we show up for every day. And I'm pretty sure they're not always easy.

Dr. Shay: 12:47

Right. And I I can imagine as a mental health specialist, you experience uh I think the term is secondary trauma, like post-trauma.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 12:55

Like when you're uh uh uh you also have the yes, exactly, exactly. I agree. And I think for for me, I most often would think about the stories of veterans that would have been especially when I was on my postdoc. So the postdoc is like a Baylor College of Medicine and BA one combined when I got back from Nashville. And so I was doing this research where um we were looking at using this intervention called Act, it's called acceptance and commitment therapy, and how they'll work with veterans who have migraine headaches. And so we work with veterans and non-veterans, and so the specific veterans, we had to do these different types of long assessments and ask them about trauma, and so they would just like tell a story. And sometimes most of them weren't even in treatment at the VA, they just wanted to be a part of the research uh for different reasons, and so just listening to their stories, I oftentimes thought about it a lot afterwards, and also yeah, and with my dad being a veteran, so it was like, oh wow, okay.

Dr. Shay: 14:06

So you um you specialize in treating clients with both physical and psychological challenges, right? I do so yeah, what makes that work uniquely complex, but I'm assuming rewarding?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 14:21

Yeah, it definitely is. I mean, the mind and the body are always in conversation with each other. Walking around a day, whatever we got going on. So, for example, when someone is living with like a chronic pain or migraines, as I mentioned before, or any other type of medical condition, I have quite a few clients that have had some type of episode with some type of cancer. Uh, I have several clients with MS, several clients with Crohn's disease. So it having these different types of medical illnesses, it doesn't just impact their physical health. It affects their mood, it affects their relationships, their identity and sense of self, and even just hope, thinking about hope and what this looks like for them long term in terms of their life and their abilities. So the complex aspect of this is in holding space for all of that. So the medical realities, the emotional weight, and the resilience that it takes for them to just keep moving forward. But it's also what makes the work so rewarding in thinking about this is that when a client begins to see that their life is bigger than their diagnosis, when they can regain a sense of control or just joy, despite all the things that they're carrying, that's the part that's very powerful for me. Um so, for example, I have a client who has Crohn's disease, he's young, he got diagnosed when he's in high school. So his life has been like this trajectory of ups and downs, and even people not believing him that what he was experiencing was actually real. And so now he's he's in his late 20s, and to see how hard we've worked to get him to a point to where he's in college and he'll be graduating in about a year or so, and thinking about like what type of job he could have, and him eventually living on his own has been an absolute joy.

Dr. Shay: 16:12

Oh, that's so thank you.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 16:16

Because at first he didn't think that any of these things were possible, and he just deeply depressed, a lot of anxiety, um, just things of that nature as he managed the Crohn's disease, but he's dealing with the Crohn's disease and moving forward in his life, and that's the beauty of the therapy in the first place.

Dr. Shay: 16:32

So, but yeah, yeah, that's amazing. I think um earlier when you were talking about some of the motivations of going into private practice, uh, a part of that was serving um underserved communities. And so, um, how do you approach care when someone's lived experience involves both mental health concerns and systemic inequities?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 16:54

Oh wow. So that oftentimes comes up a lot, and what I realize more than anything is that I know I can't separate the two because their lived experiences is shaped by both, is shaped by the mental health concerns and also how they've had to manage systemic inequities. So my approach is just to first listen and to just really understand what's going on, and then to validate the reality of what they face, and then to hold space for what that impact of discrimination or any barriers or lack of act or lack of access has had on their well-being. Part of the reason of me starting a private practice was also so that I can be, as a black woman, in service of these people who need help, right? Um, I take insurance for this purpose too, because they need access too, and oftentimes insurance is the only way they can get there. Or even having a slide scale just to make sure that I am of service. Um, in terms of this approach that I take, I've helped bring in tools and strategies that not only attends to what they're experiencing mental health-wise, but also just to empower them to navigate these systems that weren't built with them in mind in the first place. So it's about blending some clinical care with advocacy, helping clients heal internally, while also affirming that this larger context that they're living in really exists too. And then for me, just true care means just honoring the whole person, their stories, because sometimes that's the first time they really got to talk about what happened with them in a space where they they feel validated, you know, honoring their struggles and then most of all, just paying a lot of attention to like their resilience and then even them showing up in the first place for therapy to get the support that they need.

Dr. Shay: 18:49

So yeah. What's one myth about therapy you wish more people understood?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 19:00

We talked about stigma. I would say one myth I wish more people understood would be that therapy isn't just when you're in a crisis. I think that's most of the time when people think about therapy, like, oh my god, you know, I had this death in my family, I need to go get help now. And sometimes, you know, it needs to be more than just about in a crisis because in many of our communities, we're taught to only reach out for help when things are falling apart. But therapy can also be about growth, it could be about prevention, to your point of what we were talking about before we started taping. Yes, yeah, some healthier ways to cope before you even hit rock bottom. So it's not about being broken, it's about investing in yourself, investing in your relationships, and even your future. So I want people to see therapy as strength and not stigma.

Dr. Shay: 19:57

I love that. Oh, that's that's a that's a quote moment right there. That's I mean, but it's so true. Again, before the recording started, um, the difference between being reactive and proactive, and that's such a great point. I think people wait until they feel like they're falling apart to exactly, yeah. Okay. So let's let's shift a little bit and talk a little bit more about the business side of what you do. So, what challenges and advantages have you faced as both a clinician and business owner?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 20:33

Ooh, so wearing both hats has definitely had some ups and downs, some challenges. So the challenge has been learning that it's not enough just to be a great psychologist. Like, that's fine. I've had the training, I've done the things. I went to school for 11 and a half years, but you also have to understand finances. Marketing, I was so initially, I'm not gonna market. Like, I don't know how that's gonna look. I don't want to be this weird person talking about come see me, I'm a psychologist, right? But marketing does matter, and you can market it, you can market big time. Um, knowing about contracts, right? And that can range from insurance contracts because they'll send you a 50-page document to read and sign, to contracts that you may have with like organizations or other things and spaces that you may navigate as a psychologist. Um, and systems, you know, understanding that part as well, and all these things are important to have some. My motto is this being in practice and owning my own business is no one is doing anything in my business that I also don't know what's going on or how to do it myself. And I think that that's important if you want your practice to thrive. And sometimes it can feel like two full-time jobs at once. But the advantage is that I get to shape the kind of space that I believe clients deserve, and that's the most important part to me. So, you know, building my practice with ideas that's based on and reflect my values, so being culturally responsive, being client-centered, being holistic, just without being boxed into some of the systems that exist that don't always fit. So, and there's a lot of freedom in that. That's also other thing working for myself, is just the freedom. And it is hard work, but it's also really rewarding to know that I'm not just providing therapy, but I'm building something bigger that can serve both my clients and hopefully the next generation of mental health professionals.

Dr. Shay: 22:39

So I love that. And it's it's so validating. Yeah, I mean, it's so validating when you when you meet other entrepreneurs in completely different industries or sectors because we go through so many of the same challenges. I think like even going into my consultancy, like, you know, it was kind of like a freelancing I was doing at first, and then I realized, oh, maybe this needs to be, it's becoming bigger than me, so it's a legit business. And I think letting go of that idea of just like, I'm an expert in this, I'm providing this service to now I am the one responsible for, like you said, for creating systems and structures and making it a place where you should be able to have anyone come in and onboard right away. And it's like a it's just systematic, you know? Like um, yeah, it shouldn't have to take a month to onboard someone. You should have a system in place where these things work.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 23:26

Exactly.

Dr. Shay: 23:28

Yeah, and like you said too, it's just so much you don't think about from I don't know, like liability insurance and uh, like you said, contracts and when do I need to have someone sign this versus like, oh, I'm working with a friend, maybe it's okay. Like there's just so many layers.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 23:42

So many. Oh, when do you even need help? Right?

Dr. Shay: 23:45

Yeah, yeah.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 23:46

You know, like assistants or like administrative folks. And like one of the beautiful things about being a psychologist, and one of the reasons why I became a psychologist, I initially wanted to be a criminal defense attorney since age nine, and then I got college.

Dr. Shay: 24:01

Oh my god.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 24:02

It was so much so. I was on a debate team in Mississippi where I grew up. I you I would go around Mississippi on my little debate team arguing with people because I was so committed to being this attorney. That's the serious I was. I mean that's good practice. I was it. I was like, I don't want to do this. But what I did, you know, appreciate about psychologists, there is not an industry that exists where there is not a psychological perspective that's warranted. You could do so many things as a psychologist. So I was like, I'm gonna do that instead. So that's another reason why I got here is because psychology plays a role in every single aspect of our life.

Dr. Shay: 24:43

Right. I love that. Okay, and so building on the challenges and advantages that you shared, uh, what advice do you have for others trying to build something heart-centered but sustainable?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 24:56

I would say know the values that drive you because that's what will keep you grounded when the challenges come, because they are literally inevitable. Um, don't be afraid to build slow and steady. I think sustainability comes from systems, like we talked about, having some good boundaries and being clear on what you can realistically give without burning out. So, for example, today I had this with you. So excited. I get an email where they want me to go on TV tonight at 10 o'clock. I don't have the capacity. I'm just focused on Dr. Lowe today.

Dr. Shay: 25:33

Oh my god. Well, first of all, thank you. But that's amazing.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 25:38

Yeah, I'm I'm I'm not, I can't do it. I'm not, I I cannot. I'm just focused on her, and after that, my son has basketball practice, and that's what I'm focused on. That's all I got today. So, you know, have those good boundaries and be clear on what you can and cannot do without burning yourself out. And then just of course surround yourself with some good support. I have great mentors, I have great peers and friends. Um, I know some people who have business coaches. I've never had one, but I know that they can be incredibly useful and resourceful. Have an accountant and making sure everything is in place the way it's supposed to be. Because honestly, you can't do all of this alone, which is what I had mentioned earlier about when you're not in all, like when you need help, you know. And right, and being able to get those people in place. And I think also most of all, just remembering that leading with your heart doesn't mean you have to sacrifice structure, like you can have those values and things that you care about, but also have that structure, make sure that things are where they're supposed to be, right? So that your practice can function efficiently and effectively. You can be compassionate and strategic. You don't have to sacrifice that part.

Dr. Shay: 26:44

And you just again, like you said, again, you just save yourself so much time by by doing that up front. Yeah.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 26:51

Yes, up front. So, you know, the balance, making sure it ain't all just about work. Um, and I think from that you can really build a business that lasts, you know, and that you don't feel like you have to take a break from necessarily. And if you do take a break, it's the serves of having fun and relaxing, stuff like that.

Dr. Shay: 27:10

Right, right. Yeah, yeah. So um you co-authored an uh APA grant to support women of color and leadership. So talk to me a little bit about that and what inspired that work.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 27:23

Ooh, well, a few things. One of my really close friends, Dr. Wendy Williams, she's uh the incoming president of the American Psychological Association, which is APA. So we co-authored that grant just to ensure, just from our conversations, um, we're both a part of it's it's called Division 35, Section 1, which is Psychology of Black Women, and just having a lot of conversations within that group and recognizing that women are of color are often leading in so many spaces, but don't always have access to the same resources, they don't have access to the same mentorship or even visibility as others. So we wanted it to be a part of changing that, and then for me specifically, it was about just creating opportunities for support, um, leadership development, and just pathways to thrive. Because when women of color are elevated, and particularly black women, what we have seen from history is that communities benefit. So that work came from both just both of our lived experiences and what we've both seen in the field, and it was just a way to invest in the future of psychology by making sure leadership looks more like the communities we serve, also. So it came from a of several different perspectives, but just to high highlight leadership development and to also let women you know be clear about and create a space where where women who are in leadership knowing that we see you and we know how hard this is and how these glass ceilings and other entities exist.

Dr. Shay: 29:02

So amazing, amazing, awesome, and so what are you working on now? What's next?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 29:09

Oh, what am I working on now? Well, I mentioned my podcast earlier.

Dr. Shay: 29:15

Yeah, tell us about that.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 29:16

Okay, so the podcast is called Roseanne Thorns. It's with um one of my psychologist friends, gay black man, um, who's very much so opinionated, very much so a lot of fun, very intelligent. Uh, we talk about a lot of different topics. We talk about things about pop culture, like one of the topics where we talked about like the P D D case, but not so much about what's gonna happen, because that's what it is. But talk more about like how women can be in positions where power and coercion can play a role in why they stay. And why, you know, a lot of people talked about well, why she just didn't leave. It's important than that. Well, actually, she tried to, and he beat her up and dragged her back in the house in the in the room. So we did see that.

Dr. Shay: 30:06

We saw it.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 30:07

But also some of these mental health aspects that that plays a role in that too. So we talked about that. We talked about, we have some fun topics. One of them was that he wanted to talk about was can you date a man of little means? So that was funny. Of little means, like muddy finances. So it's alright. So we have like a lot of fun topics. Um our episodes are pretty short, about 20-30 minutes. We have a little good time and we go from there. So that's one thing, uh, Rose and Thorns. And then other things I have going on, assistant professor, as I mentioned earlier, at T issue. This is my first time in this role. I've taught classes, I've done seminars, but this is I have to be more responsible for the students. Um it has been quite rewarding. Um, just seeing all those faces in my my class wanting to learn about general psychology or lifespan development. Um it's warming to my heart. And they also, you know, being a black woman in this space, they need to see what's possible. So that's important to me too. Um that and then continue to build my practice, it's growing, it's it's grown faster than what I've anticipated on some days, I think. But it's going into a space that I'm that I'm I'm really proud of. I'm I'm so proud of the people that's in my practice and the work that we do.

Dr. Shay: 31:30

So love it. Now tell me um, well, let's go back a little bit to uh we'll we'll go to the broader part of the conversation. So, what does wellness actually mean to you and has that definition changed over time?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 31:48

I would say wellness means balance for me. So making sure I eat right, I am a meal prepper fanatic. Um, because if I don't meal prep, what I'm eating. I may not eat at all. And if I do eat it's some trash, and I don't want to do that because girl, I go back and forth.

Dr. Shay: 32:09

I order, I sign up for one of those like HelloFresh things every other month and then cancel it and end up going right back to it because it's hard.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 32:18

It is hard. It's so hard and you have to plan so much. Let me tell you what I do like factor meals. Have you ever tried those?

Dr. Shay: 32:24

I have tried factor. Do you like those? You don't like them. I liked it. I think I think I got um it got a little too repetitive for me after a little while. Like maybe I just need to update my settings or something, but I'm gonna try a few of them. I'm gonna I'm gonna hop around until I find one.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 32:39

I would rather you find out something. I liked factor meals until I didn't I miss one of the the that day that you have to go on there and choose your food and they sent me some stuff. I said, oh, oh yeah, I gotta do it. I can't do this. So yeah, but I liked it when I when I could do my settings correctly and choose the meals that I wanted. So eating right is important to me, exercising is important to me, and just manages stress. Um, I think a lot of times we are stressed out and we don't even realize it until that one thing happens that just sends us over the edge. So managing stress is huge. Um, I think just over time, I think my definition has deepened. So wellness isn't just about what you do, it's about how you live. And like I think about like alignment and just making sure that I'm doing things in service of the things that I value, uh doing things and considering my relationships. Um, yes, I have a partner, but I have a really good group of girlfriends, and we go and we travel and we have these monthly uh theme-oriented dinner dates where it's about 15 of us and we wear the same color. Like it's gonna be orange or it's gonna be, I don't know, black with shimmery stuff, who knows? But it's always a theme around us all meeting up together, right? And then also, yeah, just like resting. Um, I took a solo trip to Sky Sarah, Arizona. Oh I sat by the pool, I ate good food, I just had a good old time.

Dr. Shay: 34:14

So very much needed.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 34:16

Yes, and just finding ways just to nourish myself. Um and I think it's it's also of just about just giving yourself permission to reshape, redefine whatever that needs to look like, what wellness looks like at different seasons of my life, right? Like sometimes I need to take a trip, and sometimes I need to sleep, and sometimes I need to go do a hard circuit training working out, or sometimes my my son and I need to go play basketball together. So it's it depending on what's happening in my life, it sort of reshapes itself. So yeah, it is it's changed, uh, depending on what's going on and what's important in my life, but it's not a checklist for sure, not it's just an ongoing practice of just choosing wholeness, even in the middle of some of the challenges that may pop up along the way.

Dr. Shay: 35:04

So for someone listening who feels exhausted, misaligned, or unseen, what would you say to them?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 35:13

You're not alone, and that there is nothing wrong with you for feeling that way. Um, you're not crazy. Sometimes exhaustion is just your body's way of saying that it needs some rest. You know, misalignment is your spirit telling you is ready for change, and feeling unseen doesn't mean you don't matter. It just means that the spaces around you haven't fully honored your life yet. So my encouragement is you know, give yourself permission just to pause, to realign, and to seek out the people and the places that remind you of your worth because you are definitely worthy of care, you're worthy of rest, and just of also having a life that feels like it belongs to you. So go do work, go be around people who appreciate you and love you.

Dr. Shay: 36:07

Yeah, okay. Now, um, I like to end the segment with a signature resolution question since this is the resolution room. So you as um someone who walks with others through some of their most difficult internal conflicts, what has your work taught you about what it really means to find resolution, not just not just uh with others, but within ourselves? Take a minute.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 36:37

Yeah, I'm just I'm thinking so resolution isn't always about making everything need and tying it in a pretty bow. I think it's less about fixing and just more about finding peace with the parts of ourselves that we've struggled to accept. I would say resolution just within ourselves sometimes also looks like long learning just a whole two truths at once. I think sometimes people get caught up in like either or and not realizing that two things can exist at the same time. And that we can, if we're experiencing emotional pain and whatever it is, that we can acknowledge that this pain exists and still move forward with healing, that we can also honor our past, like the past things that's happened, and also work towards creating something new. Um I'll say well, like what I've learned is that resolution, resolution isn't like the end of conflict necessarily necessarily. It can be the beginning of compassion for others and even and especially of ourselves. So it's a process that I think we have to just leave the charge on and be able to hold spaces for different aspects along the way.

Dr. Shay: 37:58

Beautifully said. Can you let the audience know where to follow you in your work?

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 38:04

Let's see. Let's go down all the ways. So my website is www.newysych.com. So N E W W A Y P S Y C H dot com. I'm on Facebook New Way Psych. Uh, that's as well as my Instagram for my business, and then my personal Instagram is I am underscore drun h. And I think that's all the ways you can find me.

Dr. Shay: 38:33

Amazing. And I just want to declare this in front of the world right now. I do want us to have a part two of this conversation in person in Nashville. So let's just put that out there now.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 38:43

Yes, we'll be back.

Dr. Shay: 38:45

We'll be back.

Dr. Cashuna Huddleston: 38:46

We'll be back. I'm excited. All right.

Dr. Shay: 38:50

Wellness isn't something you earn, it's something you protect. Dr. Huddleston reminds us that healing isn't one size fits all, and that real care meets you where you are, with cultural understanding, clinical excellence, and community at the center. We filmed this episode in August and a month that honors both wellness and black business. Let this episode be a reminder that your health matters, your leadership matters, and the work you do to care for yourself isn't a detour from your mission. It is the mission. As always, thank you for joining me in the resolution room. If this conversation moved you, challenged you, or gave you something to carry forward, consider supporting the show. You can explore our wearable wisdom collection in our mind shop, where each piece is designed to spark reflection and dialogue. You can also join our growing community for behind-the-scenes conversations, resources, and support of your own journey through tension and transformation. And if you just want to say thank you in a simple way, you can always buy me a coffee. Every gesture helps keep this space going. All the links are in the show notes. And until next time, keep building in the quiet because that's what will carry you forward.