Lacrisha Holcomb of Raleigh on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Lacrisha Holcomb and have shared our conversation below.

Lacrisha, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, I’ve been finding so much joy in something simple but deeply meaningful–actually going to the movie theater! There’s something sacred about sitting in that dark room, fully immersed, and supporting the kind of art and films that have historically been underfunded or overlooked. For me, it’s more than entertainment. It is healing and inspiration. Stories have a way of reminding us that we’re not alone, and they often reflect truths that we’re still learning to put into words. Supporting those voices on screen feels like a small but powerful way to contribute to the world I want to see, and it fills my cup both personally and creatively.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Lacrisha Holcomb and I am a Professional Storyteller and Secret-Keeper based in Raleigh, North Carolina. That’s a whimsical way of saying I am a licensed therapist, clinical supervisor, psychology journalist, and healthcare advocate amongst many, many, many other things. I am the founder of Therapy Is Light, a consulting agency that offers mental health and addiction professional services, corporate wellness programs, staff trainings, speaking engagements, curriculum development, community organizing, publications, and mental health products. I have a passion for creating culturally responsive educational resources for healing with an emphasis on improving access to treatment and healthcare.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me I’m releasing is the peacekeeper, the people pleaser. For a long time, I confused silence with safety and comfort with care. There was a time where that was required for survival, and I held on longer than needed. I’ve learned that real healing is rarely tidy, and truth often rattles the room before it sets it free. I am here to disrupt what harms, to dismantle the lies that keep us small. I will bruise an ego to save a soul. I stand, bold and unshaken, a good troublemaker in service of the greater good—because sometimes you have to shake the ground for something beautiful to grow.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me that strength isn’t necessarily built in the spotlight, but is forged in the shadows. It showed me how to sit with pain without letting it define me and how to find beauty in what outlasts the storm. Suffering stripped away the illusion that I had to earn my worth or be understood by anyone outside of myself. It revealed the quiet power of empathy, resilience, and presence. Success celebrates what you achieved; suffering teaches you who you truly are.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies my industry tells itself is that healing only happens in the therapy room and only through Western clinical models. That’s simply not true. Restorative and healing justice teach us that repair, wholeness, and liberation often happen in community, not in isolation. Long before there were degrees or licensure boards, our ancestors practiced medicine for the mind and spirit through storytelling, ritual, song, prayer, movement, and connection to the land. Indigenous healing practices remind us that healing is collective, relational, and often culturally rooted in ways that formal systems still struggle to recognize or respect. If we’re not willing to honor those traditions and integrate them alongside therapy–not as an afterthought but as equal wisdom–then we’re not truly in the business of healing, we’re just in the business of treatment.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I’ve been training for that my whole life. Eldest daughter, parentified child, first generation college graduate, counselor–my life has been a quiet offering poured into hands that didn’t always clap. I’ve learned to be my own witness, my own amen, my own standing ovation. The work is still holy, even when the room is silent.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://flow.page/therapyislight
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TherapyIsLight/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacrishaholcomb
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LacrishaHolcomb/