Conversations with Sabrina Nichole Gilchrist

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Nichole Gilchrist.

Hi Sabrina Nichole, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey has been one of grace, grit, and growth. As a woman who has wrestled deeply with pain, purpose, and faith, I’ve learned that healing isn’t a straight line. It’s sacred work, and I often say that I didn’t choose this work; but instead, this work chose me.

I began in ministry, understanding that God’s love is expressed and shared through people. My work in ministry included singing in choirs, serving as an usher during church services, teaching Sunday School and Bible studies, and working with outreach and youth ministries. I later answered the call to preach and became a licensed and ordained Christian minister of the Gospel. Through those experiences, I realized that people craved connection and clarity, understanding and patient care, both of which can lead to soul-forward transformation. I began to recognize my natural gift for building communities that foster spiritual and social environments where people can grow and thrive. Today, my ministry work is intentionally interfaith and ecumenical in nature, emphasizing spirituality over religion.

Whether creating a student-led spiritual organization in college, accidentally forming a choir at a national conference, or cultivating more inclusive worship in seminary through a gospel ensemble, I’ve found myself a vessel of light facilitating spaces where people draw closer to God, connect genuinely with one another, and come home to themselves more authentically. This discovery ultimately led me down the path of human services and professional helping, eventually culminating in my roles as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina and a former nonprofit executive leader. However, my calling was not born from comfort.

I have walked through the valleys I now help others navigate. In my book Child, Get Up!, I share my story of surviving depression, trauma, and suicidal despair even while serving in ministry and professional mental health spaces. I wrote it to help others see that even in the darkest nights, God’s love still reaches us, and that we can rise again, even when everything in us wants to stay down. The phrase “Child, get up” (from Mark 5:41) became my personal resurrection story, a call from God to live when I wanted to die. It reframed my understanding of healing as both holy (rooted in divine love and grace) and human (requiring psychological insight, vulnerability, and work).

Today, through Sabrina Nichole LLC, I challenge the stigma that faith and therapy are incompatible. I merge clinical insight and soulful wisdom to help others integrate their faith, identity, and mental wellness in ways that honor both the science of psychology and the sacredness of the soul. In other words, I offer who I am, what I’ve learned, and the hope I embody to help others “get up” too!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Healing hasn’t been linear for me. I’ve faced depression, anxiety, and burnout while working as both a therapist and a minister. In many ways, I’ve been the “wounded healer,” learning to let grace find me even in the tension of my own humanity.

Stepping into my true and authentic Self to embrace this sacred work has meant trusting the process, even when I couldn’t see the whole picture. It’s been about moving forward despite uncertainty, anxiety, and other people’s opinions, taking big risks, and putting myself and my story out there in vulnerable ways. It has also been about learning to own my story without allowing myself to be censored. At the same time, I have had to learn not to project my experiences onto others, giving them space to walk through their own process, down their unique path to healing. Doing this requires that I keep doing my work, both light and shadow. I must also take really good care of myself, which I’ll admit I don’t always do well. I keep getting better at it the more I practice and remember that self-care isn’t selfish, it’s sacred.

In Child, Get Up!, I talk about being the preacher who couldn’t pray, the therapist who needed therapy, and the woman who almost didn’t survive her own pain. Those stories aren’t just confessions; they’re reminders that divine love meets us right in the middle of our mess. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that resurrection isn’t a one-time thing—it’s a daily decision. Every morning, we get another chance to “get up,” to choose life, and to embody hope. What once felt like punishment has become my platform. The wounds I thought would destroy me have become the very things that help me walk alongside others in their healing.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a spiritual coach, public speaker, author, and licensed mental health professional, guiding you toward spiritual growth, inner healing, motivation, and purpose-driven transformation. Through Sabrina Nichole LLC, I create soul-forward spaces that sit at the intersection of spirituality, mental health, and social transformation. I help people and communities build places where authenticity, faith, and healing can coexist with positive impact and without shame. I provide:

• Speaking, preaching, and professional training that address emotional wellness, leadership development, and spiritual resilience.

• Faith-based suicide prevention, particularly through the Soul Shop™ Movement, to equip clergy and lay leaders to respond to mental health crises with compassion and cultural wisdom.

• Spiritual coaching and consulting for individuals, leaders, and organizations who want to increase wellness to lead from a place of wholeness rather than depletion.

What makes my approach unique is that I refuse to separate the clinical from the spiritual. I believe in a theology that heals, the kind that doesn’t shame struggle but welcomes it as a doorway to more profound grace. My work is not about fixing people, but about bearing witness to their resurrection resulting from the work that they and the Divine do in partnership. What I love most is helping people understand that healing and wholeness aren’t the absence of pain, but the integration of it as a part of the human experience.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Most people do not know I’m also a “soul-forward” creative artisan. I design and curate sacred tools and talismans that nurture spiritual practice and grounding. For example, I handcraft and curate a range of sacred tools and talismans, including prayer and meditation beads, healing stones, essential oil blends, devotionals, journal prompts, daily affirmations, guided meditation scripts, and altar décor. Each item is designed to support reflection, grounding, and spiritual connection.

The inspiration came from moments in my own healing journey when I needed something tangible to hold while praying, searching for hope, breathing through anxiety, or simply remembering to be still. Each piece is made with intention. It’s both art and soul care in physical form, a way of practicing what I call “embodied hope.”

This creative work mirrors my broader mission: helping people get and stay grounded, increase connection with the Divine, themselves, and others, and experience healing as both a sacred and human practice toward transformation.

Pricing:

• • Speaking Engagements: Pricing is customized according to the nature of the event, audience size, location, and specific role requested (e.g., keynote, panelist, facilitator); Packages begin at $1500 for local events with up to 50 attendees.
• • Training Packages: Pricing varies by type of training, group size, location, and time commitment; Packages begin at $2500 for 50 attendees.
• • Individual Spiritual Coaching & Consulting: $250/90-minute session
• • Faith-Based Suicide Prevention (Soul Shop): Pricing varies by group size and grant support; Packages begin at $1850 for 10 attendees.
• • Sacred Tools and Talismans: Custom designs and themed collections available upon request; average price ranges from $25 to $350.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thesabrinanichole.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theSabrinaNichole
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesabrinanichole
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-n-gilchrist-230317b0/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sabrinanicholellc2660