LaQueshia Clemons LCSW

04/07/2026

If you’ve been feeling the pressure of life getting more expensive… you’re not alone.
Prices are rising. Stress is rising.
So I made a decision to protect my peace anyway.

The world feels heavy right now.

Groceries, gas, travel—everything is going up.
And for a lot of people, it’s not just numbers… it’s anxiety, pressure, and the quiet question of “am I doing enough?”

I had a moment like that recently.

And instead of trying to solve everything…
I sat back.
I slowed down.
I let myself just be.

No rushing.
No overthinking.
No trying to carry the weight of everything at once.

And I realized something

Not everything that brings peace has to be expensive.
Not everything that grounds you has to be earned.

Because yes—money matters.
We need strategy, structure, and a plan.

But if you lose yourself trying to keep up with everything going up around you… what are we really working for?

I’m still building.
Still growing.
Still navigating just like everyone else.

But I’m also choosing to enjoy my life while I’m building it.

And that part?
That’s something money can’t buy.

04/03/2026

I used to sit in my car after work… engine off, hands on the steering wheel… just sitting there.

Not because I had nowhere to go—
but because I felt like I had no space to breathe.

I was tired.
Overextended.
Thinking about money constantly.

And even when things started getting better financially…
that feeling didn’t just disappear.

That’s when I had to get honest with myself.

I didn’t just want more money.
I wanted a life that actually felt good to live.

Now?

Wealth for me looks like booking a trip without anxiety sitting in my chest.
It looks like being at my kids’ events—fully present, not distracted or drained.
It looks like slow weekends… sleeping in without guilt.

And the real flex?

Movie nights with my family.
No stress in the background. Just us.

That’s wealth.

Not just what I earn—
but how I get to live.

So I’ll ask you—how do you define wealth?

03/28/2026

Whew… God is really doing His thing.

I’ve been reflecting on how many spaces I’m being invited into—not just to attend, but to speak, lead, and guide meaningful conversations.

And I don’t take that lightly.

There was a time I questioned whether I had “enough” to offer.
Now I’m being trusted as the expert in rooms full of clinicians.

That shift is humbling—and it’s purposeful.

I’m excited to be speaking at ClinicianFest 2026, where I’ll be leading a conversation that goes beyond financial literacy and into something deeper:

How we connect with our clients around money in ways that are honest, culturally aware, and rooted in healing.

Because the real work isn’t just about numbers.
It’s about connection. Trust. And transformation.

Grateful for the opportunities.
Grateful for the rooms.
And even more grateful for the responsibility.

📅 May 7–8, 2026

03/25/2026

Most people think financial control comes from a perfect budget.

It doesn’t.

For me, it comes from something much simpler: a 10-minute money check-in.

Every so often, I sit down and look at my accounts.
Not to judge myself.
Not to panic.

Just to know what’s going on.

Because the truth is, avoidance is where shame grows.

I’ve seen it with clients, and I’ve experienced it myself. When we avoid looking at our money, the story in our head gets louder:

“I’m bad with money.”
“I should be doing better.”
“I don’t want to see it.”

But when you check in regularly, something powerful happens.

You take your power back.

Money stops feeling scary… and starts feeling like a tool you can manage.

That’s why I wrote my latest blog about the simple habit that can shift your relationship with money in just a few minutes.

No shame.
No judgment.
Just awareness.

Read it here:
https://www.freedomlifetherapy.com/post/the-10-minute-money-check-in-that-can-change-your-financial-life

Sometimes financial peace doesn’t start with a big plan.

It starts with 10 honest minutes.

You don’t need another complicated budget. You don’t need five finance apps. You don’t need a perfectly optimized spreadsheet system. What many people actually need… is a safe way to stay connected to their money without feeling overwhelmed by it. Because for a lot of us, money isn’t just ...

03/18/2026

Some of the most successful companies in the world have filed for bankruptcy.

Yes — intentionally.

Right now there’s conversation around entrepreneur Fawn Weaver and the whiskey industry that’s bringing attention to something many people misunderstand about business.

When most people hear the word bankruptcy, they think the company is collapsing.

But that’s not always true.

Many large companies file Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a strategic move.

Chapter 11 allows a company to keep operating while it restructures its debt, renegotiates contracts, and reorganizes financially.

The doors stay open.
Employees keep working.
The brand continues to operate.

It’s essentially a legal way to reset the financial structure of a business.

Airlines have done it.
Major retailers have done it.
Some billion-dollar companies have done it.

In the business world, this isn’t always failure.

Sometimes it’s financial strategy.

And I think there’s a deeper lesson here about how we think about money in our personal lives.

So many people carry shame when their finances need to change.

But businesses restructure all the time.

They renegotiate.
They reset.
They rebuild.

And we’re allowed to do the same.

Money isn’t about never making adjustments.

It’s about having the courage to make the changes that move you forward.

03/17/2026

I took this photo while sitting quietly and staring out at the ocean.

No rushing.
No worrying about the price of everything.
Just breathing and taking it all in.

And I had a moment where I thought to myself…

Wow. Life didn’t always feel this free.

There was a time when money felt heavy.
Like every decision had a price tag attached to it.

Travel felt like something “other people” did.
Rest felt irresponsible.
Enjoying life felt like something I had to earn later.

But here’s what I’ve learned through my own journey and through the work I do with clients:

Money isn’t just numbers in a bank account.

Money is a resource that can expand your life.

When you heal your relationship with money, something shifts.
You stop operating from fear and start operating from intention.

You give yourself permission to experience life differently.

That moment sitting by the ocean reminded me why this work matters.

Because financial freedom isn’t just about wealth.

It’s about peace.
Www.freedomlifetherapy.com

03/15/2026

There was a time in my life when money felt heavy.

Every decision felt stressful. Every bill felt like pressure.

I didn’t grow up with conversations about wealth or investing. Most of us were just trying to make it.

But over time I started learning something important.

Money isn’t just about numbers.
It’s about the story we carry about what’s possible for our lives.

Little by little, I began rewriting mine.

And now when I look at the life I’m building, I’m reminded that financial freedom doesn’t happen overnight.

It happens decision by decision.

Learning.
Growing.
And believing you deserve more.

03/04/2026

South Africa reminded me that money is freedom.

I just got back, and something shifted in me.

Being there felt incredibly liberating.

The beauty of the country.
The culture.
The conversations with brilliant professionals from around the world.

But there was another realization that kept sitting with me.

Because the American dollar stretches so much further there, I noticed something I wasn’t expecting.

I stopped thinking about money.

Not in a reckless way.
In a freeing way.

I wasn’t doing the quiet math in my head every time I ordered something.
I wasn’t calculating every experience.
I wasn’t asking myself, “Should I really spend this?”

I was just living.

Saying yes to dinner with incredible views.
Exploring beautiful spaces.
Enjoying moments without the constant mental weight of cost.

And it made me realize something I talk about with my clients all the time.

Money is more than numbers.

It’s mental freedom.

When you have access, margin, and resources, your mind is freed up for something bigger:

Connection.
Joy.
Experiences.
Presence.

South Africa reminded me that financial freedom isn’t just about wealth.

It’s about how light you feel when money stops controlling your decisions.

And I came back feeling energized, clear, and honestly ready to take on the world.

Www.freedomlifetherapy.com

02/13/2026

Twenty hours in the air will teach you something about wealth.

I used to think business class was a luxury.

Now I see it as alignment.

I’m on my way to South Africa, and I made a decision that an earlier version of me would have debated for weeks.

I chose comfort.
I chose space.
I chose to arrive rested instead of cramped and depleted.

And here’s what I’m realizing more and more:

Wealth really is health.

Money doesn’t just buy “things.”
It buys recovery time.
It buys lower cortisol levels.
It buys better sleep.
It buys options.

It buys the ability to protect your energy.

For years, I was in survival mode with money. I made decisions from scarcity. I told myself discomfort was just “part of the grind.”

But healing my relationship with money changed something deeper.

I stopped asking, “Can I survive this?”
And started asking, “Does this support the woman I’m becoming?”

Exposure matters.

When you allow yourself elevated experiences, your nervous system recalibrates. Your standards shift. Your mindset expands.

You stop seeing wealth as excess.
You start seeing it as capacity.

And capacity changes everything.

This isn’t about champagne in the sky.

It’s about refusing to shrink yourself when you no longer have to.

The real flex isn’t the seat.
It’s the decision.

02/10/2026

The older I get, the more I see it clearly…

Wealth really is health.

And I don’t mean that in a flashy, “rich life” kind of way.
I mean in a life expectancy kind of way.

Because of the rooms I’m in now…
the clients I sit with…
the families I observe…

I can’t unsee the pattern.

Money isn’t just about comfort.
It’s about access.

Access to better doctors.
Access to mental health support before a crisis.
Access to healthier food instead of what’s cheap and fast.
Access to rest, not just survival.
Access to time — to breathe, to heal, to not live in constant fight-or-flight.

And then I think about the stress.

The people working two jobs.
The parents choosing which bill gets paid.
The couples silently fighting about money every night.
The cortisol levels. The anxiety. The sleeplessness.

We act like wealth is about lifestyle.
But from where I sit, as a therapist who talks to people about both emotions and money all day…

Wealth is a public health issue.

Financial strain shows up in the body.
In blood pressure.
In chronic illness.
In burnout.
In relationships breaking down.

Meanwhile, financial stability creates space for prevention, not just crisis management.

This is why I do financial therapy.
This is why I talk about money and mental health in the same breath.
This is why “just budget better” will never be enough.

Because we’re not just talking about dollars.
We’re talking about years of life.

That’s the real truth.

Www.freedomlifetherapy.com

02/02/2026

My ancestors were kept out of classrooms. I just got accepted into a doctoral program.

I did not apply to a doctoral social work program for a title.

👉🏽I applied because I love learning.
👉🏽Because going deeper has always been part of who I am.
👉🏽Because the work I do with money, mental health, and marginalized communities deserves research behind it, not just passion.

This step is about expanding how we help women build wealth in ways that are culturally grounded, clinically sound, and actually sustainable.

👉🏽It is about bringing stronger research into behavioral health around money.
👉🏽It is about shaping knowledge, not only teaching it.
👉🏽It is about continuing to grow as an educator, because I truly love being an adjunct professor and being in the classroom with students.

But during Black History Month, this feels even bigger.

Furthering my education is a privilege.
There were generations before me who were denied this access.
Denied degrees.
Denied the chance to study systems that shaped their lives.

I do not take this lightly.

Every class I take, every paper I write, every room I sit in, I carry that history with me. I carry gratitude. I carry responsibility.

This is not just professional growth.

This is generational progress.
This is representation.
This is using my access to open more doors for the communities I serve.

And I am proud to walk through spaces my ancestors could only dream of, not just for me, but for all the women who deserve to build wealth, stability, and freedom.

01/27/2026

Your body tells the truth before your résumé ever does.

The migraines. The clenched jaw on Sunday night. The way your chest tightens before meetings that pay well but cost you everything. The exhaustion that does not match your income. The quiet thought you never say out loud: If this is success, why does it hurt so much?

We talk about wealth like it is clean. Like it is just discipline, strategy, and grit. But for many Black women, wealth has always been labor, and not the kind that clocks out.

A new study by Tiffany N. Younger, PhD finally puts language to what so many Black women have been carrying in silence. They sat with Black women who are heads of households and asked what it really takes to build wealth in this country, and what it does to your health along the way.

What emerged was not just “hard work.” It was four kinds of invisible labor.

👉🏽Hustle labor. Multiple jobs, side hustles, constant motion just to stay afloat.

👉🏽Emotional labor. Managing everyone else’s feelings at work, at home, in community spaces, often without pay or recognition.

👉🏽Spiritual labor. Prayer, faith, grounding, not just for yourself, but as responsibility for others’ survival.

👉🏽Resistance labor. The nonstop mental and emotional work of navigating racism and sexism without losing your income, your dignity, or your mind.

Here is the part that hits hardest: none of this labor disappears when income increases. It just shape-shifts. Higher pay often brings more emotional labor, more boundary defense, more pressure to perform strength. The body still pays.

This study disrupts the fantasy that resilience is always protective. It shows how wealth accumulation itself can become a health risk when systems require Black women to overfunction just to maintain stability.

This is not about individual burnout. This is about history, policy, labor markets, and survival strategies passed down through generations. It is about how money lives in the nervous system, not just the bank account.

So if you are “doing well” but feel unwell, this research is not indicting you. It is naming the cost. And if you work with Black women around money, health, leadership, or policy, this is a call to stop separating financial success from bodily harm.

We cannot keep celebrating wealth without asking who had to bleed, ache, pray, and endure to build it.

Credit: Younger, T. N., Rodgers, S. T., & Costello, T. (2026). The labor of wealth: A phenomenological study of Black women’s experiences with wealth accumulation and its implications for health. Ethnicity & Health.