Cultivate Your Essence

Cultivate Your Essence 📍IL | GA: We are a mental health private practice dedicated to serving Black Women & Women of Color.

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 💚🫂❤️‍🩹.

💜 October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we are honored that our founder Lauren Michelle Jackson, LCPC, CDVP ...
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.

✨ Healing is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. ✨At Cultivate Your Essence, we’re committed to making therapy accessible, af...
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.

💜🌸 Pink & Purple October is more than colors — it’s about lives, stories, and survival. October stands as a reminder tha...
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.

09/19/2025

When do you finally say, “enough is enough”?

💭 Enough of putting everyone else first.
💭 Enough of ignoring your own needs.
💭 Enough of moving through life on autopilot instead of actually living.

At Cultivate Your Essence, we know that healing isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Tasha Jackson, MS, QMHP, one of our dedicated therapists, understands what it’s like to carry cycles that keep you stuck and to feel like you’ve lost sight of yourself in the process. She brings both professional expertise and compassionate care to help women restore their sense of self, prioritize their well-being, and finally move toward wholeness.

✨ Tasha is now accepting new clients in Illinois.
✨ This is your sign to put yourself first.
✨ Your healing matters. Your story matters. Your essence matters.

📲 Ready to start your journey?

Call us at 708-654-1929 or click the link in bio to schedule your first session with Tasha today.

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09/19/2025

Here’s the thing: therapy isn’t just for when your world is falling apart — it’s for when you’re ready to stop repeating the same cycles, carrying the same weight, and pretending everything is ‘fine.’

The truth? The ones who talk the loudest about not needing therapy are usually the ones who could benefit from it the most. 👀

At Cultivate Your Essence, we believe therapy is not about being ‘broken’ — it’s about choosing healing, clarity, and growth on purpose. It’s about realizing you don’t have to hold it all together alone.

✨ So let’s normalize this:
- Strong women go to therapy 💁🏾‍♀️
- High-achievers go to therapy 💁🏾‍♀️
- Moms, CEOs, students, leaders, healers — all go to therapy 💁🏾‍♀️

Your life is whispering that it’s time. We’re just here to help you listen.”

📩 Click the link in our bio to book a free 15 minute consultation call today with one of our amazing therapists!

🌍 Serving Illinois & Georgia residents

Sometimes self-care looks like a bubble bath. Sometimes it looks like telling your group chat you’re ‘busy’ when you’re ...
09/17/2025

Sometimes self-care looks like a bubble bath. Sometimes it looks like telling your group chat you’re ‘busy’ when you’re actually just enjoying your own company (we won’t tell). At Cultivate Your Essence, we see you juggling all the things—career, family, community—and we’re here to remind you: Your peace matters. Therapy isn’t just for crisis; it’s for thriving, laughing, and reclaiming your joy. Ready to make your wellness a priority? Let’s cultivate your essence, together.

This wasn’t just a concert. It was a therapy session in boots.Cowboy Carter isn’t just about country — it’s about coming...
07/30/2025

This wasn’t just a concert. It was a therapy session in boots.

Cowboy Carter isn’t just about country — it’s about coming home to yourself.

To your roots.
To your voice.
To your healing.

This visual series is a love letter to the parts of us that’ve been silenced, stretched, buried, or forgotten — and are now rising louder, freer, and more grounded than ever.

💚 For the Black woman reclaiming her power after years of performing perfection.

💚 For the high-functioning one finally giving herself rest without guilt.

💚 For the boundary-setter, the cycle-breaker, the inner-child protector.

💚 For the woman who’s learning to take up space without shrinking, to trust her voice without second-guessing, to celebrate her joy without apology.

We don’t heal to become someone new — we heal to come back home to who we were before the world told us we had to earn our worth.

🧠 Mental health isn’t always a diagnosis.
Sometimes, it’s the decision to stop shrinking.

To feel deeply.
To rise boldly.
To rest loudly.
To love yourself radically.

Because this? This is the audacity of a healed Black Woman.

✨ Save this for when you need a reminder.

👑 Tag a sis in her soft & strong era.

07/22/2025

✨Kudos to our founder Lauren Michelle Jackson, LCPC, CDVP () who was featured on a live segment with on where she gave her pov as a licensed therapist and relationship expert to break down the viral “Kiss Cam” moment that had the internet in shambles.

But baybee, we went deeper than just the memes. 👀

We talked about:
💔 Why public humiliation hits different.

🧠 Power dynamics within relationships.

🚩 Dating in the workplace and impacts it has in the company culture.

😔 Grieving the demise of a relationship in both professional and personal settings.

🛑 And what this moment revealed about accountability, communication and control.

A lot was unpacked within a few minutes, but we made it count 🙌🏾.

We are so grateful to bring a mental health lens to moments that spark public debate—and remind folks that how we relate to others often reflects what we’re still healing in ourselves.

゚viralシ

Address

111 West Jackson Boulevard Downtown, Suite 1700
Chicago, IL
60604

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+17086541929

Website

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