Hey, I’m Briana.
Human Design: 3/5 Projector
Big 5: Empathetic Idealist 97% Zodiac: Gemini, born under a full moon Theme Song: “Window Seat” by Erykah Badu Quote: “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even if her shackles are very different from my own.”— Audre Lorde
I’m Briana, but my homies call me Bri. I’m more bell hooks than Brene Brown. I’m a Black, fat, queer, disabled, neurodivergent, highly sensitive, unconventional, creative, radical, woman and single mother. My identities are complex and political—I tend not to fit neatly into any particular box, nor have any desire to. My work is informed not only by professional experience, but also guided by the wisdom of my elders, gifts of my ancestors, and my lived experience with poverty, domestic violence, addiction, suicide, sexual abuse, homelessness, child welfare and carceral systems.
When I’m not in session, I can always be found outdoors, at the library checking out too many books, filling my phone storage with photos of nature and my son, writing, or listening to podcasts and all sorts of music. I have a deep passion for climate justice, particularly interested in marine life and how to protect our oceans. I love learning about culture, philosophy, and world religions. I’m a restless wanderer with dreams of one day living on a houseboat or a small camper van with my son.
My Experience
My work has focused on addressing violence against women and girls, the prison industrial complex, and the material conditions of Black, Indigenous, women of color and LGBTQ+ folks. With over a decade of experience in hospitals, clinics, schools, community mental health, crisis centers, and correctional facilities, my work has radicalized me and my commitment to disrupt systemic oppression and injustice. I am honored and humbled to have held roles that allowed me to be in service to communities I belong to and am accountable for such as:
Community therapist for adolescent at-promise girls navigating teen pregnancy, abuse, human trafficking, involvement in child welfare and carceral systems
Medical case manager and advocate for LGBTQ folks living with HIV/AIDS and inaccessibility to basic needs
Therapist and advocate for women, LGBTQ+ folks, and families surviving domestic violence and displacement
Therapist and transformative justice facilitator for incarcerated youth serving juvenile life sentences
Substance use and addictions recovery therapist
This is not your typical therapy or coaching experience. I work from a relational, abolitionist, ecowomanist, narrative (meaning you get to tell your/your people’s story), liberation centered approach. You are the expert of your experience in the world and I am your thought partner, guide, and passenger seat hype woman. This is a space for healing, creativity, complexity, nuance, imperfection, learning and unlearning, and boldly exploring subversive, out of the box, counter-cultural ways of thinking, living, and being with ourselves and each other.
My approach is less structured, more flow. I allow you to set the pace and journey alongside you in our work together. Less telling you what to do, more inviting you to your own wisdom. I do my best work when I am able to show up fully, and I invite you to do the same.
I conduct coaching sessions by centering curiosity and connection, insightful and challenging questions, honest deconstructive conversations, and a commitment to naming the oppressive systems and dominant beliefs and norms at work in our lives, while aiming to make the most therapeutic impact in any single session.
Folks who’ve worked with me described me as nurturing, supportive, and intuitive. I have been honorably compared to Khadijah James from Living Single and “that cool auntie your mama sends you to live with after you get in trouble” by the young people I’ve worked with.
My approach
My values are deeply rooted in both the way I live my life and the way I show up to this work: anti-genocide, anti-colonial, anti-occupation, anti-oppression, anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism, anti-apartheid, anti-supremacy culture. I stand against all forms hatred and oppression including but not limited to racism, sexism, ableism, sizeism, colorism, classism, caste, homophobia, transphobia, elitism, exceptionalism, and all the other beliefs, structures, and systems that keep people at the margins of society.
I believe a liberated world is possible; this is why I do this work. Free Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Haiti, Tigray, Yemen, Turtle Island, Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and all violently occupied and exploited regions globally.
My values
