Why are you doin' this, girl?
DR. CHEZ LEEBY
My 'why' grew from grief, beginning with the suicidal death of my beloved brother while we were both in college. My lifelong mission is to "Feed Hope" to the world by supporting and creating the means for transforming our troubles into triumphs. With 7onSundays™, we give voice to the untold stories and witness how young people survive and thrive beyond horrific cultural and personal hardships.
I learned at a young age, with the adoption of my two brothers, how early childhood trauma, abuse, and abandonment are carried into adulthood until we do the work to heal, feel, understand, and redirect those energies.
I became a relationship expert and trauma-informed therapist because, it is in relationships that we are first wounded, and it is through relationships that we heal.
I have spent my career spanning over 35 years, working to understand the very best therapies, from both Western and Eastern philosophies, to access, awaken, and activate healing. When provided with support and tools, I see my clients as heroic healers of self.
I am a Florida-licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in Jungian art and play therapy, meditation, family systems therapy, Holographic Memory Resolution, and other multi-disciplinary modalities. I graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Master's and Bachelor's of Science Degree and earned my Doctorate from the University of Florida.
I bring a vast background to our 7 On Sundays™ listeners and callers. I have worked in public and private psychiatric hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, and community mental health centers, and I was the former director of the Prince George's County Rape and Sexual Assault Center in Cheverly, Maryland. Since 2006, I have operated a private practice in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
I am the CEO and founder of Soul Life, a community prevention and wellness education platform. I lead workshops and retreats for adults, couples, and teens in the USA and abroad. I am an adjunct professor at the University of North Florida, and I write a monthly column for Psychology Today . I am the clinical coordinator for The Goodness Tour, a non-profit organization bringing music and art to people facing adversity worldwide.
As an invited speaker, I enjoy being a regularly featured mental health expert on news programs, podcasts, and conferences, sharing my creative therapies and tools for transformation. I am a featured author in two internationally best-selling books, "The Courageous Heart: Finding Strength in Difficult Times" (2020) and "The Grateful Soul: The Art and Practice of Gratitude" (2020).
I am so grateful for this podcast, Stephanie, our guests & our listeners. Each episode leaves me in awe of the young adults we are connecting with. As the partners and parents of the future, our guests feed me with HOPE.
STEPHANIE BOYE
My 'why' is inspired by EVERY young person who has struggled and felt alone. As a sexual assault survivor and counselor when I was unable to find suitable services for a young high school student, friend, who was assaulted, I had a BRAINSTORM.
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Let me begin in 2015 when I became a sexual assault counselor. That training ignited my journey to understand how porn exposure has reshaped the cultural landscape and damaged the lives and relationships of too many young people. What I discovered after months of research, speaking with dozens of doctors, experts, and educators, and surveying and interviewing over 1000+ teens was a profound insight into youth culture painted on a backdrop of sexually explicit media. The conversations were so weighty and impactful, that I knew other teens and parents would benefit from listening in. This was the catalyst for my podcast, Laid Bare With Anonymous X (still available on Apple, Spotify, and I Heart Radio). The podcast shares stories of anonymous young people impacted by porn use and exposure and insight from a variety of experts.
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My discoveries startled parents, who expressed feeling helpless in the face of their children's ubiquitous exposure to porn and an increasingly sexualized culture. Much of what concerned them is in my 2019, TEDx Talk "Porn: A Mother's Concern".
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I am not afraid to dig in where others fear to go. I want to elevate the national conversation around sexuality education, healthy relationships, and porn literacy. I use my voice as a speaker, educator, podcaster, as well as mother of three young people, to advocate for aspirational relationships founded in healthy communication, legal, enthusiastic & ethical consent, respect, honor, and authenticity.
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This is the foundation for the curriculum I created for The College of Charleston called Sexual Citizenship. The course fills the gaps between high school sex ed (or lack thereof) and today's cultural norms. Sexual Citizenship is infused with critical thinking about ethics, values, and culture and encourages students to create aspirational personal standards.
My college students inspired my Public Health Campaign called I Needed 2 Know™ (IN2K™ - INeeded2Know.com). IN2K™ shares emotional stories of students whose lives have been greatly impacted by a lack of sex education in junior high and high school when they were having their seminal and formative relationships, the time they needed it most.
I am also regularly asked to speak on committees and panels addressing sexual assault, sex trafficking, and how first responders can implement better care for survivors of assault. But my heart is in working with and seeing young people without judgment and engaging in real conversations that help them live better lives.
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THE BRAINSTORM… Alcoholics know they can find an AA meeting in every city, every day at some church. Why not trauma survivors? After years of working with college students, I know the power & catharsis of small group circles. Then it hit me… Every high school, college, and postgraduate individual who is struggling should be able to easily access that type of support and help. I believe we can create this change.
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WHAT IF… they knew at 7 (PM) On Sundays™ on every college campus across the US there was a safe space for them to share their pain or struggles? A place where they can share their stories without judgment, connect with others who may be dealing with something similar, learn skills for healthy selves and relationships, and articulate aspirational goals for themselves to live a life they enjoy. That could really change lives. That is 7 On Sundays. That is my 'why' and, I hope, my legacy.