LaQueshia Clemons LCSW

05/29/2026

Excited to share that I was recently quoted in an article discussing why so many people pay unnecessary bank fees without even realizing it.

As a financial therapist, I see firsthand how small financial habits can have a big impact on both our finances and our peace of mind.

Take a read and let me know what you think:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/here-s-why-so-many-people-pay-unnecessary-bank-fees-without-realizing-it/ar-AA241BZm

Always grateful for opportunities to bring conversations about financial wellness and mental health to a broader audience.

If you've ever wondered why you don't have more money despite saving up and spending carefully, silent (and often avoidable) bank fees are likely the answer.

05/26/2026

I think people assume ambitious people are fueled by confidence all the time.

Sometimes we’re fueled by pressure.
Sometimes guilt.
Sometimes purpose.
Sometimes fear of wasting potential.

Sometimes all of it at once.

I wrote something raw tonight about ambition, exhaustion, motherhood, marriage, business, and the thoughts that come with trying to hold a very full life.

Not advice.
Not a blueprint.
Just a real look inside my head as a high-achieving woman who still wants more while also feeling incredibly tired sometimes.

I think a lot of ambitious women are carrying thoughts like this privately.

This is mine.

Read here:

You built the dream life. Nobody warned you it would still be this hard.

05/21/2026

Years ago, I was the social work student sitting in conference rooms like this trying to figure out what my future would look like.

Today, I stood in front of a room full of future social workers speaking about financial wellness and the reality that money struggles are mental health struggles too.

And they loved it.

After my presentation, so many people came up to talk, ask questions, share their own experiences, and connect around the work I’m building. That meant everything to me because this work is deeply personal.

It was also a full circle moment being able to share my books, journals, and vision while standing fully in who I am as a therapist.

And yes, I’ll say this loud and proud:

Freedom Life Therapy & Wellness is currently the only psychotherapy practice in Connecticut specializing in this niche of financial wellness through a mental health lens.

Because your money struggles are not “just about money.”

They can show up as:
Anxiety.
Depression.
Trauma.
Relationship conflict.
Emotional spending.
Shame.
Avoidance.
Burnout.
Stress that impacts every area of your life.

Social workers understand better than most that mental health is connected to systems, environment, survival, and lived experiences. Financial wellness belongs in that conversation too.

For years, people have been told to “just budget better” while silently suffering emotionally underneath it all.

That’s why this work matters.

I’m grateful for every student, professional, and future clinician who allowed me to pour into them today. Moments like this remind me that I’m not just building a business.

I’m helping expand the future of what psychotherapy and social work can look like.

05/20/2026

I used to pray for the life that now exhausts me.

Read that again.

Lately, I’ve been quiet up here because life has been moving fast. Good fast. The kind of fast you once dreamed about when you were sitting in survival mode wondering if things would ever shift for you.

Right now, I’m in a season where I’m speaking to different groups, pouring into people, building, creating, showing up, and trying to stay grounded while doing it all. I’m tired, but I’m also deeply grateful.

And the craziest part?

We’re preparing for a busy few weeks ahead:
Flying to Virginia.
Back home.
Then flying to DC.
Back home again with the kids.
And finally, the Dominican Republic for some alone time with my husband.

Tomorrow is also my husband’s birthday and we’re throwing a big cookout at our house.

As I’ve been cleaning, organizing, planning flights, buying food, and getting everything together, I had a moment where I just stopped and looked around.

This is the life I once wished for.

Not because it’s perfect.
Not because I suddenly “made it.”
But because there was a time when peace, family, travel, purpose, and simply having people to gather with felt so far away.

Life shifts when you stop only focusing on what’s missing.

Sometimes the breakthrough is realizing you’re already standing inside prayers your younger self cried over.

So enjoy the moment.
Take the trip.
Laugh at the cookout.
Love on your people.
Rest when you can.
Stop sweating every small inconvenience.

Life is happening right now.

05/14/2026

Unpopular belief, but I really think you can do whatever you want in this world.

And I don’t mean that in a toxic positivity, “just manifest it” kind of way. I mean it in the way that I’ve watched people completely rewrite their financial lives after decades of believing they couldn’t. I’ve seen it in my clients. I’ve lived it myself.

The problem isn’t ability. It’s usually the story we inherited about what’s possible for someone like us.

That story was given to you. Which means it can be changed.

If you’ve been sitting on something, a dream, a plan, a version of your life that feels too big to say out loud, this is your reminder that the ceiling is lower than you think and you’ve already hit your head on it enough times to know it can break.

05/11/2026

Did you know your money can impact your mental health just as much as your relationships, work stress, or physical health?

I’ve sat with people who looked “fine” on the outside but were silently carrying panic every time their phone buzzed with a bill notification.

I’ve worked with couples who weren’t actually fighting about money.
They were fighting about fear.
Fear of not having enough.
Fear of repeating what they saw growing up.
Fear of disappointing each other.

I’ve worked with high achievers making good incomes who still felt overwhelmed, ashamed, and emotionally exhausted every payday because no one ever taught them how to feel safe with money.

And the truth is:
Money stress can show up as anxiety.
Depression.
Avoidance.
Sleepless nights.
Relationship conflict.
Trauma responses.
Overworking.
People-pleasing.
Emotional spending.
Shame.

That’s why I built Freedom Life Therapy and Wellness.

Because financial wellness is not just about budgets and spreadsheets.
It’s about healing the emotional patterns connected to money so people can finally breathe again.

We are currently accepting new clients for:
• Financial Clarity Sessions
• Individual Financial Therapy
• Couples Financial Therapy

We accept HUSKY, Aetna, Anthem, and Optum.

If you know someone who is carrying silent financial stress, send this to them.
People deserve support without judgment while figuring their money out.

Because struggling with money does not mean you are failing.
Sometimes it means nobody ever taught you how to heal your relationship with it.

Www.freedomlifetherapy.com

05/07/2026

I used to think success meant choosing one lane.

One title.
One specialty.
One version of myself.

But the older I get, the more I realize:

I love all the roles I carry.

The psychotherapist focused on money.
The public defender social worker.
The entrepreneur.
The speaker.
The wife.
The mother.

And I don’t want to shrink any of them.

I love being a public defender social worker.

Sitting in courtrooms.
Advocating for people.
Helping tell the fuller story behind what systems often reduce to one moment.

I love being a psychotherapist.

Helping people unpack the emotional weight of money and build healthier financial lives.

And I love building a business that allows all of those parts of me to exist.

Because none of these roles compete.

They strengthen each other.

Each one sharpens how I show up in the next.

And outside of all of it?

I love my family.
Quiet mornings. Good coffee. Good music. Traveling. Laughing loud in the car.

I’m learning that success isn’t about fitting yourself into one box.

It’s about building a life big enough to hold all of who you are.

Growth. Freedom. Purpose.

That’s the vibe.

05/06/2026

I’m starting to think I need an Emma Grede book club because she keeps it too real and I need time to process after every chapter. 😂

What I appreciate is that she talks about business, wealth, and ambition without pretending the journey is soft, balanced, or perfectly curated all the time. That honesty matters.

As someone building a business in a space that didn’t really have a blueprint, I respect conversations that tell the truth about leadership, risk, money, and the emotional weight that comes with wanting more for your life and your family.

05/04/2026

The uproar around Cheyenne Bryant on the Joe Budden podcast has people divided.

Here’s my honest take:

I am for regulation.
I am for licensing.
And I am absolutely for protecting the integrity of clinical work.

I also believe some of this conversation got lost in reaction instead of context.

From what I heard, I think Cheyenne misspoke. And words matter, especially when you have influence.

But I also want to say this:

I believe in coaching.

When I first entered the financial therapy space, I had a real issue with coaches calling themselves “financial therapists.”

Why?

Because therapist is not a casual title. I worked hard for mine. Years of education, supervision, licensure, and clinical training. That title carries responsibility.

And if I’m honest, part of my frustration was about public confusion.

People deserve to know the difference between coaching and therapy because the intervention matters.

But my perspective has evolved.

Because I’ve stayed open.

I’ve seen coaches do incredible work helping people build accountability, confidence, and momentum.

And I’ve also seen licensed clinicians dismiss coaching like it has no value.

Neither extreme is helpful.

I’ve seen coaches tell people to “just get over” trauma.

Dangerous.

And I’ve seen trauma-informed coaches support people in ways that changed their lives.

Powerful.

Both things can be true.

As for me?
I will forever stand in my identity as an LCSW.

My clinical skill is not up for debate.

At Freedom Life Therapy and Wellness, we help people navigate mental health diagnoses that show up through money struggles—financial anxiety, compulsive spending, financial avoidance, shame, trauma responses.

And yes, we bill insurance for that.

Because money struggles are not “just money.”

They impact sleep. Relationships. Nervous systems. Depression. Anxiety. Functioning.

That is health.

My biggest takeaway?

Stop spending so much energy policing everybody else’s lane.

Know your lane.
Protect your lane.
Respect other lanes.

And most importantly—make sure the people you serve are getting the right kind of help.

04/28/2026

I made a decision a long time ago that my life was going to be big.

Not reckless.
Not at the expense of my family.
Big on purpose.

I’m a mom. I’m a wife. I’m a CEO. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. And I genuinely love all of it. Not one of those things cancels out another.

Emma Grede has been speaking to my soul lately because she lives that truth publicly and unapologetically. She reminded me that ambition isn’t something to shrink. It’s something to own.

Here’s what I know for certain while building Freedom Life Therapy and Wellness:
The women I work with, the professionals, the high achievers, they don’t just have money questions. They have identity questions.

Am I allowed to want this? Will I lose something important if I go after this?
My answer every time: No. And yes. And go anyway.

I’ve learned that fear is not a stop sign for me. It’s a green light. The bigger the fear, the more certain I am that I’m standing at the edge of something that will change my life.

So I jump.

If you’re a professional navigating wealth, ambition, and all the emotions that come with it, you’re not alone. This is exactly the work we do at Freedom Life.

Your relationship with money is part of your relationship with yourself. And you deserve both to thrive.