In 2009, Denise experience her own mental health crisis which led her to establish “Me First”, a self-care and wellness philosophy she would use to guide her own life forward. During this time, Denise also was caring for her two daughters who, before coming to live with her, had experienced great deal of trauma within their birth family. Her experiences trying to balance her own needs and that of her family she came to understand that without putting herself first, she was at risk for mental, spiritual, and physical collapse, as well as that of her family. As she explored this concept of ‘Me first self-care’, Denise found very little information or services to facilitate her self-care needs or education journey. So, she decided to create those resources herself, and resolved to pursue a career as a licensed psychotherapist. Her goal was to understand and overcome the psychology and the “why” of why self-care – and seeking mental health care in general – was difficult for women of color.