Today, The Platinum Mask channel would like to introduce Janice Leonard-Garcia for a conversation.
Hey! Please explain to the audience what you’re promoting.
Thank you for having me! I’d love to share about my podcast- Her Sexual Space podcast.
What was the biggest obstacle in your journey and how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge has been overcoming my limiting beliefs about my impact. It took me some time to find my voice and create space for myself to show up in my community. Once I got started with graduate school, I was sure that I would become a Licensed Professional Counselor, however, that could not be all. I desired to fine-tune my niche in order to attract my ideal client and audience. For me, that looked like going deeper into understanding relationships and intimacy, which I did with my community at Sexual Health Alliance. So before I even created my private practice, I was learning so much from others around me. I found that it was not enough for me to hoard this information, which then led me to create the Her Sexual Space podcast to share with the women around me.
What separates you from similar creatives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area?
I believe my competitive advantage is my business management and my counseling psychology background in addition to my minority categories black, woman, queer in some ways, and an immigrant who can talk about sexual health comfortably.
My podcast was carefully designed to create a space to facilitate dialogues on women’s sexual health. I strategically combined my passion for mental health, sexual health, women, connection, and community. My mission is to create awareness and provide resources to my listeners who might relate to the topics discussed.
There is still so much that I am learning on my journey as a podcaster, and I absolutely appreciate that I still have so much room to grow.
Is there anything you wished you would have known earlier in your journey?
In retrospect, naturally, we want our path to be certain and linear. Perhaps for me, investing in training and certification while I was a student. While specific training and certifications are great write-offs, they can be extremely expensive post-grad.
Do you have any favorite spots in the Dallas-Fort Worth area?
For sure, I do! The Maroc Hamam Spa in Frisco, Gloria’s nightlife in Addison, Sambuca 360 in Plano, Thanksgiving Square downtown Dallas, DFW Zoo, and Fortworth Stockyards.
Were there any major challenges due to the covid-19 pandemic? How did you overcome them?
For sure, the pandemic changed our world in so many ways, while our caseloads were heavy, we were plagued with ongoing illness and death. These months brought so much anxiety, sadness, and uncertainty.
The positive side of this was that many persons had increased access to mental health services due to changes with telehealth, especially for clients with insurance benefits.
The podcast was definitely a way to combat the loneliness and isolation of the pandemic. It provided for me an outlet to safely connect and share. I was able to maintain the podcast and connect with international guests utilizing platforms like Zencastr and Simplecast.
What was your upbringing like and did you discover your passion early on?
As of late, I am starting to think that passion for me was not “a thing” to discover but a part of me that needed validation and nurturing. I grew up in St.Lucia, raised Catholic in an extremely conservative home, however, I always felt different or in most cases “an outsider”. I was a shared child, raised by my aunts in different homes, my world was unique in so many ways. I had various experiences and they all shaped my worldview. This, I believe, has become an asset in my practice and podcast, and aids my conceptualization of the issues my clients present.
Were your friends and family supportive of your mission?
Yes! I do feel supported by friends and family, although I cannot say that they engage with me and businesses in the way I fantasized. I am often reminded that my target audience will not be my friends and family, and this helps me reframe what support can look like from them.
Any links you want to share for the viewers?
