Meet Anycia Grady of Soma Lotus Executive Coaching, Counseling and Consulting LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anycia Grady.

Hi Anycia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been drawn to people’s stories, even before I had the language for what that meant. Growing up, I noticed how much people carry, often silently, and I knew early on that I wanted to create spaces where people could feel seen, understood, and supported.

That calling led me to study psychology at Fisk University and later earn my Master’s in Social Science Administration from Case Western Reserve University. Over the past 17 years, I have worked across Cleveland’s behavioral health system as a Social Worker, supporting individuals navigating trauma, housing instability, and major life transitions. My career has evolved from direct clinical work into executive leadership, where I have had the opportunity to build programs and shape how care is delivered.

My journey has not only been professional, it has been deeply personal.

I have built much of this while navigating life as a single mother, balancing leadership, entrepreneurship, and the responsibility of showing up fully at home. There were seasons where I was operating in overdrive, holding space for everyone else while figuring out how to hold space for myself. That lived experience has sharpened my lens. I do not only understand burnout, high-functioning stress, or emotional overload clinically, but I have lived it in real time.

In 2023, I founded Seeking Supervision under Tricord CABEL after recognizing a major gap in the mental health field: access to quality clinical supervision. I was watching talented clinicians get stuck in the licensure process, not because they lacked skill, but because they lacked access. That frustration turned into action, and eventually into a platform designed to remove barriers and expand the workforce. I had the opportunity to pitch my concept and was honored to become the first person in the history of the Cleveland Leadership Center to win overall at the Accelerate Pitch Competition. This affirmed both the need and the readiness for innovation in how we approach mental health care.

By 2026, I launched Soma Lotus Executive Coaching, Counseling & Consulting to address another gap I continued to see, especially among high-achieving professionals. There is often a disconnect between how people are performing in the world and what they are carrying internally. Soma Lotus was created to meet people in that space, where leadership, identity, and emotional wellness intersect.

I also see myself as a convener. I have created experiences like Therapy Speed Dating to make finding a therapist feel more human and less intimidating, and Therapist Counselors and Cocktails to give clinicians a space to decompress and connect beyond the weight of their work. These are not just events; they are intentional interventions designed to shift how people access and experience care.

My work is deeply rooted in community. Through my involvement with the Cleveland Leadership Center, I have served as a Cleveland Bridge Builder to further civic engagement, connecting people, ideas, and resources in ways that move our city forward.

In addition to civic engagement, I am also passionate about education and shifting narratives around mental health. Thus, I spent the last two years serving on the board of directors of NAMI Greater Cleveland and supporting the Autism Walk in honor of my son, who is Level I Autistic. I hosted a Black History Month panel focused on epigenetics, helping the community understand how trauma can be carried across generations and what healing can look like in that context. More recently, I have had the opportunity to speak through organizations like HUES Institute, continuing to expand conversations around identity, healing, and access.

At the core of everything I do is a commitment to eliminating the stigma around mental health, one therapy session at a time. I am constantly exploring creative ways to help people access care, whether through technology, community-centered experiences, or reimagining what support can look like outside of traditional spaces.

My journey has not been linear, but it has been intentional. It has been built in real time, through responsibility, resilience, and a deep belief that the way we access care has to change, and that I can be part of building what comes next.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road, and I do not think the kind of work I am called to do was ever meant to be.

One of the biggest challenges has been funding, especially when you are building something innovative that does not fit neatly into existing boxes. There have been moments where I had clear vision and traction, but not the immediate resources to move at the pace I knew was possible. I have had to make difficult decisions to pause projects, place ideas on the shelf, and trust that I would come back to them when the timing and capacity aligned.

Another challenge has been navigating much of this without a consistent mentor. I have had to figure out a lot in real time, making decisions without a roadmap, learning through experience, and sometimes through missteps. That has required a level of resilience and self-trust that is not always visible from the outside.

Balancing leadership, entrepreneurship, and motherhood has also come with its own weight. There have been seasons of stretching myself across multiple roles, while still trying to remain grounded and present. It has forced me to be intentional about where I place my energy and how I define success.

In many ways, my journey reminds me of Mother to Son, the idea that life is not a crystal stair. There have been tacks, turns, and moments where the path felt uncertain, but I have kept climbing. Even when I had to pause, it was never an ending; it was a strategic reset.

Those experiences have shaped how I lead and what I build. They have made me more thoughtful, more resourceful, and more committed to creating pathways that are clearer for the people coming behind me.

I would not call it smooth, but I would call it purposeful.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Soma Lotus Executive Coaching, Counseling and Consulting LLC?
Soma Lotus Executive Coaching, Counseling & Consulting was created to serve individuals who are often overlooked in traditional mental health spaces, high-functioning professionals who are managing leadership, responsibility, and performance while quietly navigating stress, burnout, trauma, and life transitions.

The name Soma Lotus is intentional. “Soma” reflects the body and somatic experience, how stress, trauma, and emotions live within us physically. “Lotus” represents growth, transformation, and the ability to rise even from difficult environments. Together, Soma Lotus embodies the process of learning how to reconnect with the body, regulate the nervous system, and move through distress in a way that leads to growth and becoming.

At its core, Soma Lotus integrates therapy, executive coaching, and consultation services to support emotional wellness, clarity, and sustainable growth. We also specialize in trauma-informed immigration psychological evaluations, providing comprehensive, court-ready reports for asylum, VAWA, U and T visa, and hardship cases.

What sets Soma Lotus apart is our focus on somatic sensing and nervous system regulation. We teach clients how to understand what is happening in their bodies, not just their thoughts, and how to use distress tolerance and grounding techniques to move through overwhelm in real time. This approach is especially impactful for high-functioning individuals who are used to pushing through, often disconnected from what their bodies are signaling.

Our work also extends to youth through Girls Circle, where we create safe, structured spaces for middle and high school girls to build emotional awareness, confidence, and healthy relationships. This allows us to support not only individuals currently navigating life’s demands, but also the next generation as they develop the tools to navigate their own.

We are intentional about how care is experienced. From the environment to the way services are delivered, everything is designed to feel grounded, culturally responsive, and human. We understand that starting therapy can feel intimidating, so we work to reduce that barrier while maintaining clinical depth and integrity.

Beyond traditional services, Soma Lotus extends into community and connection. Through Therapy Speed Dating, we are reimagining how people find therapists by making the process more interactive and accessible. Through Therapist Counselors and Cocktails, we create space for clinicians to decompress, connect, and release the emotional weight they carry in their work.

What I am most proud of, from a brand perspective, is that Soma Lotus feels aligned. It reflects both structure and softness, professionalism and presence. It allows people to show up as high-functioning and human at the same time.

More than anything, I want readers to know that Soma Lotus is not just a service, it is an evolving approach to care. It is about eliminating stigma, increasing access, and teaching people how to come back into relationship with themselves, one session at a time, across generations.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are several ways to work with, collaborate with, and support the work I am building through Soma Lotus and Seeking Supervision.

For individuals, you can work with me through therapy, executive coaching, or consultation services designed to support emotional wellness, leadership development, and life transitions. For those in need of immigration psychological evaluations, I provide trauma-informed, court-ready assessments with a timely and thoughtful approach.

From a collaboration standpoint, I am actively looking to partner with organizations, companies, and institutions that are committed to prioritizing mental health in meaningful ways. This includes providing coaching, workshops, and mental health programming that support employees in navigating burnout, stress, and workplace dynamics.

I am also expanding Therapy Speed Dating and am seeking partners, venues, and community organizations on the central and west side of Cleveland who are interested in bringing this experience to their spaces. The goal is to make access to therapy more approachable and to meet people where they are, geographically and emotionally.

For schools and youth-serving organizations, I am looking to build partnerships to implement Girls Circle programming, creating safe spaces for middle and high school girls to develop emotional awareness, confidence, and healthy relationship skills early on.

On the innovation side, I am continuing to grow Seeking Supervision and am looking to connect with resources, advisors, and partners who can support the next iteration of the platform. This includes individuals and organizations aligned with workforce development, technology, and expanding access to care.

I am also open to speaking engagements, panel discussions, and opportunities to host community-based events in partnership with local organizations. Whether it is facilitating conversations around mental health, leading workshops, or creating experiences that bring people together, I am always looking for ways to engage with the community in impactful ways.

More than anything, I am looking to collaborate with people and organizations who are aligned in the belief that access to mental health care should be intentional, innovative, and rooted in community.

Pricing:

• Individual Therapy $150/Intake $350 (Some Insurances Accepted)
• Executive Coaching: $1,600 for an 8-session package
• Immigration Evaluation: $1300
• Therapy Speed Dating: Free to Community Seeking a Therapist
• Girl’s Circle/Workshops/Trainings: Varies based on size

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.somalotus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somalotuscounseling
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anycia-grady
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MaeRechae