Melissa M. Shepherd-Williams, Marriage Family Therapist

07/26/2026

I’m thankful to NAMI Urban L.A. and Program Director Adriene Bausley for the opportunity to engage with the community to reflect on the challenges that impact the mental health of marginalized communities, and the power of healing in community. And what sweet coincidence that this event landed on International Day of the Afro Latina, Afro Caribbean, and Women of the diaspora!

What an honor to celebrate the legacy of Bebe Moore Campbell, a champion of wellness in our communities. She was committed to telling our stories, as both a journalist and novelist.

Ms. Campbell worked to bring communities together and advocated for the prioritization of cultural context in the provision of mental health services. She made possible that July would be Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. As she said, “Redemption and healing is my thing”.

Yes, Ms. Campbell, your legacy lives on!

07/01/2026

The body carries evidence of our lived experiences, including the ones we’re unconscious of. In Chapter 3, “The Body Whispers And Then Screams” of my book From Burnout to Bliss, I invite us into reflection about this.

The body is constantly informing us of “the weather” in our inner world. Burnout disconnects us from deeply listening to the broadcast, especially when it’s influenced by generations of trauma that keep us in survival mode.

Healing begins with pausing long enough to listen to it, and welcoming the resources that support us in being with the discomfort of realizing what our body is holding. Healing and hope live in the body. Let’s listen, in community. Let’s embody wellness and move this experience forward to the next generation.

The full video is pinned to this page.
The book is here: https://www.melissamshepherd.com/shop

06/26/2026

From the Margins to the Mainstream: Mental Health Over the Last Decade…What an amazing evening of reflection about the power of storytelling to facilitate healing, growth, thriving, and a community experience of shifting views on wellness. My dear Bettina Fisher, thank you for putting together such a beautiful and needed event! Excellent work! Plus, who knew Bettina and I had a dear friend in common! Kimberly, it was wonderful to see you…From the Salsa dance floor to the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study…Life!

It was great to see my friend Tamika Lewis, Mental Health & Wellness Coach, founder of WOC House - Wellness Center, moderate an outstanding panel including artists and a clinician. The group consisted of artists Courtney Vance, Nadine Crocker, Vernon Davis, and psychiatrist Jon Sherin.

May there be more of these conversations that bring together artists and other healers who are so needed, as the world moves through so many shifts. Here’s to the power of healing in community.

06/26/2026

This is one of the things that fuels the fire of burnout. Let it sink in. How many of you can relate?

06/20/2026

Nina Simone's lyrics keep coming to mind...
Birds flying high, you know how I feel
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel

Freedom...What's it to you?

Freedom lives in the moment we recognize that it's time to turn a page.

It is followed by forgiving ourselves for what we did not yet know, or want to know. It lives in allowing ourselves to welcome the support needed for healing, making true amends, transforming mindsets, and cultivating new actions aligned with them.

Oh... there's so much more. Yet this is an honest beginning toward setting ourselves free to become a beneficial presence in this world.

More on these reflections here: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Freedom---What-s-it-to-you-.html?soid=1104106720101&aid=8hq60IUPgLs

En español: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Libertad-----Qu--significa-para-ti-.html?soid=1104106720101&aid=qQd0Tut58k4

06/17/2026

06/11/2026

During , I found myself reflecting on how often we silence ourselves in order to survive. Thank you for creating space for us to listen to ourselves and each other.

I was honored to join powerful women in sharing a simple message: our voices matter.

Our healing deepens when we understand our history, honor the wisdom that helped our ancestors survive, and give ourselves permission to create a new legacy of wellness, joy, and freedom.

We inherit more than trauma.
We inherit wisdom.

Carmen McDonald, Liliana T. Pérez, Yasmin Davidds, Bel Castillo, Naibe Reynoso, and all women…




photo and video by

06/08/2026

Go deeply into this. Where’s your freedom?

This is a brilliant comedian who shares his stories in ways that can be powerfully healing. 

06/02/2026

La libertad para crear una vida deliciosa. Taller de 1 día virtual (13 de junio) y 2 días Intensivos presencial (20 y 21 de junio). Comente “vida deliciosa” para más detalles.

06/01/2026

Freedom to unleash deliciousness. 1-day virtual (June 13) and 2-day in person Intensive (June 20 and 21).