Meet Denisha Smith
The Heart Behind This Work
I was raised in a single-parent home with three siblings, watching my mother stretch herself thin to meet everyone’s needs while quietly sacrificing her own. She worked hard, showed up for everyone, and kept her relationship with God and our church community at the center—even when she was exhausted.
Her strength shaped me.
But her exhaustion shaped me too.
I learned early how to be the strong one, the dependable daughter, the high achiever, the one everyone leaned on while silencing my own needs. Like so many high-achieving Black women who carry everything for everyone else, I was taught to push through, stay composed, and keep going no matter what it cost my body.
That lived experience is what led me into this work.
Through years of trauma-focused training, deep study of the nervous system, and a commitment to integrating faith, culture, and embodied healing, I created Embodied Culture—a space where your body is honored, your story is safe, and healing doesn’t require abandoning who you are.
Today, I support high-achieving Black women who are tired of surviving on autopilot and ready to reconnect with themselves again. I help women release survival patterns stored in the body, access real rest, and build a life rooted in safety, softness, and wholeness.
Because we deserve more than resilience.
We deserve restoration.
What Guides My Work
My work is shaped by both lived experience and extensive clinical training. With more than 15 years in the mental health field, I specialize in somatic trauma healing, supporting adult survivors of developmental trauma, PTSD, and overwhelming life experiences. I practice through the lens of nervous system regulation, embodiment, faith, and intergenerational healing—grounded in the belief that true restoration happens through the body, not just the mind.
I have developed mental health programs for organizations like VCU Men’s Basketball and presented on holistic self-care and trauma healing at national conferences including the Black Street Conference and the Association of Black Psychologists. I also mentor therapists through trauma-informed clinical supervision, helping them deepen their presence and embodiment in the spaces they hold.
I am guided by the conviction that Black women deserve healing spaces where we are not asked to perform strength, but supported to return to rest, softness, and wholeness.