Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Rollins.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story begins with my death in 1995. Actually, I didn’t die physically at that time, but I died mentally, emotionally, and spiritually on June 3, 1995. That’s when my mother, at age 49, was killed by a drunk driver. She was my confidante, inspiration, and best friend. And at 29 years of age, I lost my compass. However, my grief journey wasn’t over. Ten years later, in 2005, I lost my heart when my 5-month-old son died in a freak accident. Whereas few knew how to help me after my mom was killed, almost no one knew what to say nor do to console me after the loss of a child. Two years later, my aunt (and surrogate mother) was killed by someone drag racing (I lost my patience…how much could one person endure). And two years after that, my husband died (officially, it was due to complications of sickle cell disease but the unofficial cause was grief due to the death of our son). Some would say that I lost my mind after his death because that’s when, as a single parent to 3 teenaged sons, I decided to walk away from a job with a six-figure salary, five-figure bonus, exotic trips, and lots of prestige. In choosing another path, I ran toward my destiny: helping other grieving people to manage the issues of life, loss, leadership, and legacy. My work at the nonprofit Whole Heart Center (which I founded in 2013) recognizes that grief is not limited to death and that people need safe spaces to learn, explore, discuss, and practice. It also leverages my experiences (the 4 sudden losses and my career that included leadership roles with Human Resources, employee development, diversity, mentoring, coaching, and consulting). education (masters in thanatology, the study of death and grief, along with a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy and a dissertation on the bereavement experiences of African American women). I’ve now developed my own communication and conflict resolution model that helps both individuals and organizations address key areas such as value, identity, pain, power, purpose, diversity, equity, and inclusion. It also helps them to work toward wholeness…mentally, emotionally, and, at times, spiritually. Wholeheartedly working with people’s hearts and minds via coaching, consulting and group facilitation is truly my mission.
Who do you tend to work with?
Many of our clients are African American women. These are often the women who help everyone else, almost to the point of having nothing left for themselves. They also face heavy expectations from multiple directions. Culturally, they are expected to be strong, bearing the weight of the world without complaint (just like their mothers and grandmothers did). Society often stereotypes them as angry women and trying to defy that label can often sap them of tremendous amounts of energy. Their faith communities expect them to be saved women without questions nor struggle. And their expectations for themselves include being superwomen who can handle the pressures of work, home, the community, and more without breaking a sweat. While they are beautiful, confident, and powerful on the outside, the weight of these expectations is killing these women from the inside out. That’s why the rate of heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses is disproportionate within this group. And it’s difficult to find someone who understands their unique challenges, can speak to their needs, and will teach them skills for finding comfort, peace, and restoration in a world where they often feel invisible. By virtue of my education, experience, and passion, I am able to see the grief of these women, allow them to articulate their pain, help them to access their purpose, and then work with them to pursue their purpose. I also help the organizations where these women are too often overlooked and misunderstood to gain education and accountability that strengths all parties. I believe that my collaborative approach makes all of the difference and enjoy helping everyone more from trials and tragedy triumph!
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
The mission of the Whole Heart Center is to help people find comfort, peace, and restoration as they wholeheartedly face the conflicts of life, loss, leadership, and legacy. In doing so, our vision is to be leaders in unapologetically educating, encouraging, and elevating Black and Brown women and girls and all who support them. Through transformative experiences and exposure, we help them maximize their potential and impact. This underlying purpose means that as people purchase our products and engage our services related to Whole Hearted Grief & Whole Hearted Life, our investment in the women and girls’ value, identity, and purpose will further strengthen our entire community.
We are excited about our upcoming V. I.P. (Value, Identity & Purpose) experience. Over six months, participants will be exposed to concepts, people, and processes that will transform their lives. This includes workshops, coaching, certification, and mentoring. As a social enterprise, we will be hosting those who can pay the full rate ($4000) and raising funds for those who can’t. We can’t wait to see how participants will learn, grow, heal, and change as they transform their families, workplaces, and communities!
Contact Info:
- Email: drdeniserollins@gmail.com
- Website: www.wholeheartcenter.org & www.drdeniserollins.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WholeHeartCenter/?ref=pages_you_manage
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTiZEPWGaU4hQtdQd7gjcA/videos
Image Credits
Yes
