Dr. Claire J. Green-Forde Is An Unapologetic Humanist And Intersectional Mental Health And Racial & Social Justice Thought Leader, Speaker, Practitioner, And Advocate
Dr. Claire J. Green-Forde is an unapologetic humanist and intersectional mental health and racial & social justice thought leader, speaker, practitioner, and advocate. She is Barbadian born and a lover of travel, art, culture, soca, and people!
Health equity is at the core of her work, and she is a strong advocate for elevating equity through dismantling systems of oppression. She is the Founder and CEO of Dr. Claire SPEAKS, LLC, an advisory and speaking consultancy dedicated to dismantling systemic inequities in healthcare and healthcare education, advancing racial and social justice, and fostering organizational wellness. Dr. Claire is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker whose work and interests focus on the intersection of behavioral health, criminal justice, social disparities, and human development. Dr. Green-Forde firmly believes in the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of wellness and advocates for holistic and culturally humble practices that consider both a trauma and healing informed lens. She has training and experience in areas including organizational leadership, mental health, program and policy development, positive youth development, criminal and juvenile justice, trauma, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is a firm believer in the power of advocacy and is passionate about service.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur? Is having your own business something you always wanted?
As a healthcare professional, woman, immigrant, and person of the global majority, I have experienced and witnessed pervasive inequity in healthcare organizations, institutions of higher learning, and society at large. When organizational cultures are harmful, particularly in healthcare, it is impossible for them to foster healing for the communities they serve.
Growing up in a culture and world that told me to be quiet and ignore the injustices I experienced never felt honoring to my soul or humanity. Navigating a world that demanded that as a woman, and especially a Black immigrant woman, I should be silent to avoid the harmful stereotypes thrown upon me, meant that I learned to suppress my thoughts and suffer injustices to appease others. I made the decision to release that pain, be empowered, and to help empower others through refusing to be silenced any longer.
Dr. Claire SPEAKS! was born from a desire to reject the social pressure to be silent, help empower others, and make healthcare and workspaces healing for all. Dr. Claire SPEAKS! is an evolving act of radical love to myself and to the many people who face injustices, are intentionally silenced, and those who are often marginalized and oppressed.
How do you push through your worst times? What are some tips on how we can motivate ourselves when we’re not really feeling it?
I’ve found that one of the most challenging aspects of navigating my worst times isn’t me… it’s others' expectations that I push through in spite of everything I’m experiencing. We live in a world that often dehumanizes us and our experiences. We are expected to separate our experiences neatly in boxes so they don't impact our work, obligations, friends etc. The benefit of being a trained and licensed mental health practitioner is that I recognize that in order to honor others, I need to first honor myself. I no longer try to push through these times, I allow myself grace and fully acknowledge that I’m not ok. I communicate my needs, and while I may not provide details to everyone about everything I’m going through, I set boundaries with my time, space, and who has access to me so that I can heal.
If we had to burn all the books in the world, but keep just 3… Which ones should we keep and why?
I love this question and I'm also equally terrified of the thought of this question! As a self-proclaimed bookworm and as someone who was punished growing up by having my precious books taken away, I literally can’t imagine a world without books! OMGOSH I want to hide all of the books now in an alternate universe just in case!
I like challenges, so here goes!
The Bible. I identify as Christian and my faith is really important to me. My belief in God is central to who I am and the lessons of love, tribulation, sacrifice, hope, accountability, redemption, justice, equity, and the necessity of leading with love and kindness that are woven throughout, are a great blueprint to how we can live a life in service to others. My beliefs aren’t that of others and so I’m taking liberty here but my workaround is that while it is The Bible for me, whatever spiritual and faith based people identify with (if at all), should be what they get to keep!
The Four Agreements: A practical Guide to Personal Freedom. Love, self-esteem, and freedom starts within. This is a great book and a really helpful guide to practical steps that we can implement to live a life that is honoring to ourselves.
The entire Harry Potter Series (I simply can’t pick one!). We ALWAYS have to keep the magic (and fun) alive! Belief is a powerful thing and has the power to create or destroy worlds and our imagination is how humans have continued to innovate and evolve cultures, society, technology, health, and relationships!
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