Meet Lindsay Love | Owner and Operator of TherapyLuv, PLLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lindsay Love and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lindsay, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
When I started TherapyLuv, PLLC, I focused on decolonizing what it meant to heal holistically. This isn’t your love and light therapy space. I’m not promoting toxic positivity. These are narratives that are grounded in oppression because they deny pain and have a silencing impact on marginalized communities trying to heal from intergenerational and racialized trauma. Everything from my website to the modalities I use are intentionally grounded in centering BIPOC and LGBT folks. I’m working with folks who are not centered in traditional healing narratives and making the experience about them instead of forcing them into this narrowly defined healing experience that’s grounded in white supremacy. We center peoples anger, as that is not something that everyone has the privilege to experience without it being weaponized against them. So far, I’ve had folks come to me, who were put off by therapy because of the stigma associated with mental health, and they love it. This is the space for the folks who were told “Ain’t nothing wrong with you. Pray it away.” Or the folks who have been put off by traditional healing narratives. This is therapy for the folks who are traumatized by state violence. Or who wants to connect with their ancestors and break generational trauma. This is for your survivors of childhood sexual assault, who were told “we don’t talk about those things.” Or the domestic violence survivors who were told, “we don’t put our business out in street.” We have real conversations that lead to generational healing.

What should our readers know about your business?
TherapyLuv, PLLC was created during a storm of frustration for me as a Black woman in leadership. I am a member of the Chandler Unified Governing Board and I saw how the issues of BIPOC and LGBTQ students were being pushed aside for the comfort of our white, affluent, cisgender, heterosexual parents. Also, I was a Clinical Manager at a large community behavioral health agency where I was one of few Black women in leadership, navigating micro and macroaggressions from colleagues. I was experiencing harassment from the community and the HR director at my job for a tweet in which I said, “Politeness is white supremacy. Every time you prioritize politeness and civility over everything in a conversation, you are complicit in upholding white supremacy. All that to say, DISRUPT.” The HR director accused me of being too political on social media and told me I was a bad leader, something that my VP and Director apologized for and they and the CEO fully stood by my words. I was working for an organization that was started by Jewish women to provide services to the Jewish community who were denied services because of white supremacy. Me speaking about it as a Black woman speaking on behalf of Black people and not the Jewish Communities we served, was my only crime, Malcolm X said it best, “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” I wanted to speak my truth because I wanted better for myself and my community, and I was not going to achieve that working for systems that refused to prioritize BIPOC voices.

I don’t have a business background. Generational wealth is not a part of my story as the decedent of enslaved people, so I did not have the capital to start a business. What I had was determination, fight and a willingness to learn. I had a community of colleagues and peers who wanted to support me in this endeavor and dedicated time to walk me through obtaining and EIN and PLLC, opening up a business checking and savings, and getting an electronic health record for documentation. My personal friends run my social media and stay up with me to apply for grants and other opportunities. It’s not easy. But it’s worth it at the end of the day. I started out as a solo practice and now I have a group practice. I have clients that I’ve seen for 2 years, who are discharging successfully. I love what I do. I get to focus on the work that centers my community. It’s also placed me in a healthier space because I get to prioritize my own self-care and wellness.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Food is life. Clever Koi in Phoenix is one of my favorite spots. The whole menu slaps. It’s one of my favorite places to have business meetings. I also love BBQ House in Mesa for Korean BBQ. It’s cute and small and the staff is really friendly. It’s down the street from my office and the lake by the Mesa Public Library. I’ve been known to take a stroll around it on cooler days.

I feel like COVID has taken me out of the bar and club scene. However, I used to love the rooftop at Barsmith.

I would have to visit Changing Hands. I lived at the one in Tempe, when I was in grad school. However, I love the one in Phoenix, only because you can get a beer while you’re there.

Recently, I’ve been into getting an Air bnb and going to Sedona with friends. I’m into crystal shops, salt rooms and place I can get a good tarot or angel deck. I just love the vibe.

My friends are into makeup, so we are going to anywhere there is a Sephora or MAC.

Recently, I am pretty lowkey. I can be found at a friends house, in their pool, drinking a jalapeno margarita and laughing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Recently, I’ve been tasked with thinking about the generations behind me and 7 generations in front of me. I dedicate this to my parents, my grandparents and great grandparents who planted the seeds for me to be a healer, to prioritize education and to dedicate my life to service. I also dedicate this to my nieces and my nephew and those who come after them as they will continue to plant seeds that will endure.

Website: www.therapyluv.com

Instagram: therapy_luv

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-a-love-lcsw-85750747/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Therapyluv/

Other: My Blog: https://www.therapyluv.com/blog

Image Credits
Noemi Gonzalez Photography