We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Dani Rosenkrantz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Dani, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
What was your thought process behind starting your own business?

I called my private practice Brave Space Psychology because creating change takes bravery. In many ways, starting this business was an act of bravery for myself and my community. I wanted to build a future where I had more time for wellness and rest myself as a queer Jewish human, and create space and resources for LGBTQ+, Jewish, and BIPOC folx. I wanted to be free of the limitations of harmful state politics impacting my work in the public sector and be able to use my voice to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare. I wanted to be able to be more creative, free, and healing-centered.

What’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?

I see a lot of recommendations around starting with lower rates for your services and increasing over time as you are more successful. I really resisted this message because I think it devalues the work and puts the business owner in a position where their wellness isn’t being centered. I took an amazing course with my brilliant friend and colleague Lindsey at Mind Money Balance to help me prepare for private practice and business ownership that really helped me challenge this message and resist setting myself up for burnout. We went through an intentional process to identify what I needed to sustainably take care of myself and set my rates with that intention at the center, rather than having my needs be an afterthought or a “maybe in the future.” I also see this as an act of advocating for folx with marginalized identities like myself to be paid well for their wisdom, knowledge, and skills. I am grateful to say this intention has really been effective in creating space for me so that I can be most effective with my amazing clients, and it also supports time I spend engaging in advocacy or resource sharing that is typically unpaid, which helps with sustainability, too.

Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

To me, taking a risk is really about asking myself, if this adventure takes a rough turn, do I trust myself to navigate it? Becoming a business owner has definitely been one of the biggest risks in my career, after taking the leap to go to graduate training for a PhD for 7 years (I know, so many years of school!). It really required working on my self-trust and challenging perfectionism and anxiety in the face of uncertainty. Self trust is at the core of ever big life decision I have made, whether it’s getting married, moving to a new city, career decisions, family planning. It’s about trusting myself and the community I have built around me that I can figure it out even when it’s not perfect or predictable.

What habits do you feel helped you succeed?

Intentional connecting to build awareness of my work has been the most effective for me. I schedule times to meet whether it’s in person or virtually for coffee or attending a community event. I’ve definitely experimented a bit with how to do networking best for me. I’ve had a share of awkward experiences but I always find that if I focus on building relationships with folx who I am genuinely feeling connected to and whose work I appreciate, my community grows and so does my referral list. I also try to set a goal that at a big event, if there is an opportunity to speak or ask a public question, I make myself do it. It’s stressful in the moment but it gets the word out about my work to many folx at once. The best part is, afterwards people usually come up to me to talk about my comment, which takes some pressure off me to approach others in a setting with lots of people.

What is the most important factor behind your success / the success of your brand?

I think the most important factor has been creating something my community really needs right now and showing up authentically as a queer, Jewish, liberation oriented provider. Whether you’re queer, jewish, and/or BIPOC, it’s been a really hard few years. I think people are craving spaces where they can be fully seen. I’ve had many folx say to me how important it is that I share an identity with them in this work too, and being out and clear about who I serve helps them find me. Authenticity allows values-aligned folx to connect with my brand, which makes the work more fun and meaningful for me and my clients.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What sets me and my practice, Brave Space Psychology, apart is the intentional focus on creating space especially for LGBTQ+ Jewish and BIPOC folx. The intentional focus on intersectionality is something I was personally craving for myself in my work, so I decided to build it. It has been easy and not easy all at once-there’s a learning curve being a business owner and taking the leap of faith, but doing work I love with my community is everything-I feel more authentically me and more well on this path! What do I want others to know about Brave Space Psychology? I want others like me to know there’s a therapy or coaching space for them to be fully seen as their intersectional selves. I also want communities and families that are learning to be affirming allies to know they don’t have to do it alone. I love coaching and consulting on building affirmation skills and watching communities become more inclusive! I am so happy to help and as a psypact provider, I offer virtual therapy in 39 states and coaching and consultation worldwide.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Brave Space Psychology is virtual, but I physically live in Tampa Bay. I would recommend starting the day at Pete’s Bagel or Cafe Clementine in St Pete, walking around downtown St Pete, grabbing afternoon coffee at Black Crow Coffee, and getting a Publix sub on your way to watch a sunset at Sunset beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The Jewish LGBTQ+ nonprofit Keshet, and specifically the Florida Training and Education Manager Tracey Labgold, have been so supportive of my work. I am so grateful to be collaborative partners and friends!

Website: Www.bravespacepsych.com

Instagram: Bravespacepsych

Linkedin: DaniRosenkrantz

Facebook: Brave Space Psychology

Other: Bravespacepsych on TikTok

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.