Hi, I'm Nneka, (she/her)

an artist, author, medicine woman, and owner of In Bloom Therapeutic. I help people (mostly women-identified individuals of color) navigate adversity and process their trauma. Although I have years of experience in  the mental health field, the school of life threw me into this position at a young age.

I grew up, a first generation Nigerian-American, playing mediator in a home where my parents were at each other’s throats—literally and figuratively. Witnessing domestic violence showed me the healing power of creativity, as I was often alone in my room drawing, painting, and dancing to process my reality (I didn’t know that's what I was doing at the time, though). Art pretty much saved my life and my sanity.

I went through tons of situations where my wounds kept showing up—sometimes subtly and a lot of times, well, not so subtly. Even as I worked in the mental health field, myself. In 2018, I watched my life crumble before my eyes and only then did I realize how much healing I’d denied myself all those years. Which led me to Thailand…

I didn’t know why at first, but after almost three years of living abroad, a seed I’d planted six years ago in graduate school finally sprouted and well, bloomed. The exact life I tried so hard to make happen in the states literally fell into my lap while living in Chiang Mai.

I took it upon myself to create the space I so desperately needed in my darkest moments. And now, as a woman, I see others in need of a unique space which speaks to what they’ve endured, too. I no longer play small or shy away from telling my story; I wouldn’t be able to do this work if I did. I took the dirt and mud life handed me and created beautiful sculptures with it, so, I’m here to help other women of color do the same.

When I'm not holding space in session or ceremony, I'm probably entertaining my trusted pet sidekick and fur child, Esperanza, (a Thai Ridgeback I adopted from Chiang Mai) creating some paintings for fun or for an exhibition, working out, watching movies, or having a full-blown dance party by myself in my house. I'm a wander woman who lives for the excitement of travel and enjoys learning about new cultures and esoteric concepts.

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Philosophy

You are your healer. You are your master. You are your guru. I wholeheartedly believe this. I'm not here to tell you what you should feel, or think, or how you should be; the world has done enough of that as it is. What I do is witness, walk alongside you, and guide you. I may have the metal detector, but you have the shovel and you do the digging. We collaborate together to help you reconnect with yourself and rediscover that you've known you all this time.