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Monday 9am - 8pm Tuesday 9am - 8pm Wednesday 9am - 8pm Thursday 9am - 8pm Friday 9am - 8pm Saturday 9am - 3pm

http://www.cultivateyouressence.com/

Cultivate Your Essence, 111 West Jackson Boulevard Downtown, Suite 1700, Chicago, IL (2026)

04/10/2026

Let me ask you something.

When someone asks how you’re doing — what do you say?
If your answer is always “I’m fine” or “I’m good” or “just busy” — this is for you.

Because I work with women every single day who look like they have it all together on the outside. Leaders. Educators. The strong friend. The one everyone calls when things fall apart.
And behind closed doors? They are exhausted.

Not from working too hard. From carrying too much. From the patterns they inherited before they even knew what patterns were. From the childhood experiences that taught them to move fast, need little, and never let anyone see them struggle. From being the most accomplished person in the room — and still not feeling like enough.

High functioning does not mean healed.

And that’s exactly what I help women understand.

In therapy with me you will not just talk about what is happening in your life right now. We will explore where it started, why it keeps showing up, and how to finally break free from it — not just intellectually understand it, but actually heal from it.

Because you deserve more than managing your symptoms. You deserve to feel like yourself again. Fully. Without armor. Without apology.

That is Becoming H.E.R. That is what we do at Cultivate Your Essence. And I would love to be the one who walks with you through it 🌿.

⬇️ Tag a woman who needs to hear “high functioning does not mean healed”.

⬇️ Save this if it named something you’ve been feeling.

⬇️ Click the link in our bio to book your consultation.

📍 Lynese is accepting new clients in Illinois 🔗 Link in bio

04/09/2026

Can I be honest with you for a second?

I didn’t always know who I was becoming.

There was a version of me who thought she had it all figured out. Who had a plan. Who believed that if she just loved the right way, showed up the right way, and held on long enough — life would look the way she imagined it.

It didn’t.

And the heartbreak that followed wasn’t just about losing a person. It was about losing a version of myself I had built my whole future around. It was about standing in the wreckage of a life I thought I was going to live and asking — okay. So who am I now? What do I actually want? What was I always meant to become?

That is the real work of becoming.

Not the aesthetic. Not the glow up. The actual, messy, sacred process of releasing who you thought you were supposed to be — and growing into who you actually are.

My own becoming is exactly what brought me to this work. Because I know what it feels like to sit in that in-between place. And I know what it feels like to finally come out on the other side of it — softer, more grounded, and more yourself than you have ever been.

That’s what I want for every woman I work with.
If you’re in your becoming season right now — I want you to know you don’t have to figure it out alone 🌿.

⬇️ Drop a 💚 if this resonated with you
⬇️ Save this for the days you need the reminder
⬇️ Book a consultation through the link in our bio when you’re ready

📍 Now accepting new clients in Illinois 🔗 Link in bio

04/07/2026

We all came into this world the same way.

Wide eyed. Soft. Unbothered. Fully ourselves.

No armor. No performance. No apology for taking up space.
And then — life happened.

People happened. Expectations happened. Hurt happened. The world looked at us and decided who we should be before we ever got the chance to figure it out for ourselves.

So we adapted.

We learned to shrink so others could feel comfortable. We learned to achieve so we could feel worthy. We learned to hold everything together so no one would see us falling apart. We called it strength. But somewhere deep down — we knew.

That wasn’t us. That was survival.

Becoming H.E.R. is the journey back.

Not back to who the world told you to be. Back to who you were before the world got to you. Healed. Evolved. Restored.
And for the women who walk into Cultivate Your Essence — that journey begins the moment they meet someone like Lynese.

Lynese McIntosh, LPC, NCC didn’t find this work by accident. She found it through her own becoming — the seasons of unlearning, releasing, and rediscovering parts of herself she thought were lost for good. That’s what makes her different in the therapy room. She’s not just clinically trained. She’s been in the becoming too.

Her clients describe her as both compassionate and emotionally freeing. She listens without judgment. She challenges without pressure. And she walks alongside you — not ahead of you, not behind you — right beside you as you find your way back to yourself.

Because that baby in the photo?

She never left.

She’s been waiting for you to come back to her. 🌿

📍 Lynese is accepting new clients in Illinois
🔗 Book through the link in bio

04/05/2026

Dawn Staley is one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history. She has done everything right. Built everything right. Led everything right.

And a white man still felt comfortable enough to disrespect her on a national stage.

Black women felt that. In our bodies. In our memories. In every room we’ve ever walked into and had to prove ourselves twice.

That’s racial vicarious trauma. And it’s one of the very real reasons Becoming is so hard for us.

But then there’s Dawn. Who didn’t shrink. Who didn’t beg. Who just kept being undeniable.

That is Restored. That is H.E.R.

Save this for every Black woman who needed to see it named today 🌱.

04/02/2026

If you’ve ever been in the middle of becoming something new and thought — why does this feel so hard? Why does doing the right thing feel so uncomfortable?

This one is for you.

Becoming H.E.R. — Healed, Evolved, and Restored — is not a glow-up. It’s an identity shift. And identity shifts are supposed to feel uncomfortable. That’s not a problem. That’s the process.

Save this. Share it with a woman in your life who is in the middle of her becoming. And when you’re ready to stop navigating it alone — we’re here.

Book your first session at the link in bio. 🌿

01/30/2026

We are living in a moment that feels disorienting, heavy, and honestly… surreal.

If you’ve felt anxious, numb, angry, exhausted, or overwhelmed — that is not a personal failure. That is a nervous system responding to nonstop crisis, uncertainty, and collective stress.

None of this is normal. And your body knows it.

Taking care of your mental health right now is not selfish — it is survival and strategy.

Some ways to protect yourself while staying engaged with the world:
• Monitor how much news and social media you consume
• Stay informed without drowning in information
• Organize and support causes aligned with your values
• Show up and vote in elections that impact your future
• Create safety plans if you choose to protest
• Lean on community — don’t carry this alone
• Rest intentionally so you can keep showing up

You cannot pour into the world from an empty nervous system.

Caring about what’s happening globally and caring for your mental health are not opposites — they are partners. The more grounded you are, the more effective you become.

Protect your mind. Protect your body. Protect your hope.

We need people who are informed and emotionally resourced.

01/12/2026

We don’t traditionally make posts like this.

But our founder and CEO felt it was important to share.

Because right now, so many Black women and women of color are carrying a quiet weight—navigating uncertainty, financial pressure, political stress, family responsibilities, and emotional exhaustion—while still being expected to function, perform, and hold everything together.

What this moment reminds us is something we talk about often in mental health work: The process can look messy and still lead somewhere meaningful.

Just because things don’t look good yet doesn’t mean they aren’t moving.

Just because you don’t feel calm all the time doesn’t mean you’re failing.

And just because this season is challenging doesn’t mean hope is off the table.

Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do—for your nervous system, your mental health and your overall well-being—is to step back from constantly monitoring the stress, regulate your body, and trust that things can still come together without you being in survival mode every second.

If you’ve been feeling anxious, discouraged, or overwhelmed lately, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken. This is a heavy moment for many, and it’s okay to acknowledge that while still choosing hope.

We see you. We’re holding space for you. And we believe that even when the process doesn’t make sense, healing and stability are still possible.

12/12/2025

Why I Started Cultivate Your Essence 🩷

A special message from our founder .

I started Cultivate Your Essence because I got tired of watching Black women and women of color break in silence.

We’re taught to pray harder, work harder, love harder — but not to rest. Not to say “I’m not okay.” Not to fall apart without feeling like we’ve failed.

I wanted to build a space where we could unlearn that.

Where we could breathe without apologizing.

Where our healing wasn’t rushed, dismissed or judged.

Too many of us have been surviving our lives instead of living them — showing up for everyone else while slowly disappearing from ourselves.

CYE was born to interrupt that cycle. To remind us that healing doesn’t make you weak — it makes you whole.

Because you don’t have to choose between being strong and being soft. Between being successful and being at peace.

You deserve both.

You deserve you.

So welcome to Cultivate Your Essence.

A sacred space for the strong ones who finally decided they deserve to heal too.

It’s time to make yourself a priority. Start your healing journey with us at Cultivate Your Essence — because your peace deserves space too 💚🫂❤️‍🩹.

10/09/2025

💜 October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we are honored that our founder Lauren Michelle Jackson, LCPC, CDVP & Consultant will join Fox 32 Chicago Morning News tomorrow with anchor Anita Blanton to shine a light on the often unseen toll of abuse.

Too often, conversations stop at the physical harm, but the mental health impact is just as devastating — trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and the ripple effect on families and communities. Survivors deserve healing, support, and hope — and together, we can all be part of the solution.

📺 Tune in tomorrow at 8:20AM CST on Fox 32 Chicago (Channels 12 & 32) as we break the silence and center mental health in the fight against domestic violence. Healing starts with awareness.

10/09/2025

✨ Healing is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. ✨

At Cultivate Your Essence, we’re committed to making therapy accessible, affirming, and transformative for our community. That’s why we’re so excited to introduce our newest clinicians:

💜 Haile Pollard-Durodola, LCPC, NCC – Supporting adolescents, parents, and families with tools for growth, compassion, and resilience.

💜 Lynese McIntosh, LPC, NCC – Guiding women, teens, and emerging adults through trauma, anxiety, and transitions with strength and clarity.

💜 Ashley Edwards, LCPC, NCC – Empowering women and first-time mothers to embrace postpartum shifts, reclaim joy, and redefine balance.

This post is more than a welcome—it’s a reminder that:
🌱 Healing takes time, but every step matters.
🌱 Black mental health matters, always.
🌱 Therapy is a space to uncover what’s been hidden and rediscover what’s possible.

➡️ Your healing journey can start today. Book your FREE 15-minute consultation and connect with one of our incredible therapists.

🔗 Tap the link in bio to get started.

Because your healing. Your growth. Your future—all matter here.

10/08/2025

When a therapist touches a nerve you’ve been avoiding, that reaction isn’t random—it’s psychology at work. What you’re experiencing is resistance. Resistance shows up as anger, irritation, deflection, or even shutting down because your brain is trying to protect you from reliving something painful. But here’s the truth: the very thing you want to avoid is usually the exact place where the most healing lives.

Trauma doesn’t vanish just because we bury it—it sits in our nervous system, shaping our relationships, our triggers, and even our health. That’s why when a therapist ‘presses where it hurts,’ it’s not cruelty, it’s care. We’re trained to recognize the blind spots you’ve built up for survival and help you move through them safely. The discomfort you feel in that moment? It’s the doorway to freedom, not a wall meant to stop you.

At Cultivate Your Essence, our mission is to help Black women not just talk about their pain, but truly heal it—through evidence-based therapy, compassionate care, and spaces where you don’t have to carry it alone. Growth will sting before it soothes, but you deserve the peace on the other side.

10/07/2025

💜🌸 Pink & Purple October is more than colors — it’s about lives, stories, and survival. October stands as a reminder that while breast cancer and domestic violence may look different, both leave behind scars — some visible, some invisible.

📊 1 in 8 women will face breast cancer in her lifetime.

📊 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence.

📊 Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

📊 A woman is killed every 11 minutes globally by an intimate partner.

These are not just statistics — they are mothers, sisters, daughters, friends. They are us.

The intersection of these two realities is profound. Survivors of domestic violence often face increased health risks, delays in screenings, and compounded trauma. Breast cancer warriors may carry the weight of depression, anxiety, and body image struggles. Both journeys require strength, resilience, and a community that refuses to look away.

💡 Awareness is not about pity — it’s about action:

✔️ Encourage your loved ones to schedule their mammograms.

✔️ Share domestic violence resources in your community.

✔️ Check in on your strong friends — silence doesn’t mean safety.

✔️ Support organizations that protect, heal, and advocate.

At Cultivate Your Essence, we honor the fight of every woman — those healing from violence, those navigating cancer, and those reclaiming their wholeness. Together, we can create a world where women are safe in their bodies and in their homes.

💜🌸 This October, let’s move beyond awareness and lean into action. Because pink and purple aren’t just colors — they’re a call for change.

Cultivate Your Essence

04/10/2026

04/09/2026

04/07/2026

04/05/2026

04/02/2026

01/30/2026

01/12/2026

12/12/2025

10/09/2025

10/09/2025

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10/07/2025

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Monday	9am - 8pm
Tuesday	9am - 8pm
Wednesday	9am - 8pm
Thursday	9am - 8pm
Friday	9am - 8pm
Saturday	9am - 3pm