Today we’d like to introduce you to Essence Scott.
Hi Essence, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My journey has been anything but linear, but I think that’s part of what makes it meaningful. I’ve always been interested in understanding people, what shapes us, how we navigate difficult experiences, and what it takes to create meaningful change in our lives. That curiosity eventually led me into the mental health field, but I don’t think I could have predicted just how many different directions my career would take.
I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Psychology from Virginia State University and later completed my PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision at Hampton University. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with individuals from different backgrounds, many of whom were navigating significant mental health challenges, difficult life circumstances, and systems that weren’t always designed with their needs in mind. Those experiences shaped not only the clinician I became but also the kind of business owner I wanted to be.
In 2020, I founded New Beginnings Counseling Services (NBCS), a community-based mental health agency in Virginia. I wanted to create an organization where individuals and families felt seen, supported, and treated with dignity, particularly those who often face barriers to accessing quality mental health care. Building an agency taught me more than I could have imagined about leadership, resilience, and the realities of entrepreneurship. It also challenged me to grow in ways that extended far beyond my clinical training.
As my career evolved, I found myself wanting to reconnect with the part of mental health work that initially drew me into the profession: the therapeutic relationship itself. I love the opportunity to sit with someone, understand their experiences, challenge their perspectives when necessary, and help them recognize patterns they may not have noticed before. I wanted to create a space where therapy felt less intimidating and more like an opportunity to genuinely understand yourself.
That desire led me to establish INNER SANCTUM Therapy, my virtual private practice. The name reflects what I wanted the practice to represent: a space where people can turn inward, explore the parts of themselves they don’t always share with the world, and feel comfortable showing up exactly as they are.
Outside of mental health, I’ve also ventured into real estate, short-term rentals, and interior design. Those interests may seem unrelated on the surface, but for me, they’re all connected by a desire to create something meaningful, whether that’s helping someone feel more grounded emotionally, creating a welcoming physical space, or building opportunities for long-term financial independence. I’ve never believed that having a passion for one thing means you can’t explore others.
Today, I’m still figuring things out, still learning, and still growing. I wear a lot of hats, and I’ve learned that success isn’t necessarily about having everything perfectly mapped out. Sometimes it’s about being willing to take a chance on yourself, adjust when things don’t go according to plan, and keep moving forward anyway.
I’m proud of what I’ve built, but I’m equally excited about what I’m still becoming.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not! I wish I could say it’s been a smooth road, but that would be far from the truth. Entrepreneurship has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, but it’s also been one of the most humbling.
When I started New Beginnings Counseling Services in 2020, I had a strong clinical foundation and a clear vision for what I wanted to create. What I didn’t have was a roadmap for everything that comes with running a business. Being a good clinician and being a good business owner require two very different skill sets, and I had to learn that pretty quickly. Suddenly, I wasn’t just responsible for providing quality care. I was responsible for employees, payroll, compliance, finances, difficult decisions, and the overall sustainability of an organization.
One of the biggest challenges has been navigating the unpredictability of the behavioral health industry. Regulations change, reimbursement structures shift, staffing needs fluctuate, and sometimes you’re making major decisions without knowing exactly how things will play out. There have been moments when I’ve questioned myself, felt overwhelmed, or wondered whether I was making the right decisions. I’ve learned that being the person in charge doesn’t mean you always have the answers. Sometimes it means being willing to make the best decision you can with the information you have and taking responsibility for the outcome.
I’ve also had to confront my own relationship with productivity and success. I’m naturally ambitious, and for a long time, I measured progress by how much I was accomplishing. If something wasn’t moving forward, I felt like I needed to be doing more. But I’ve learned that constantly being busy isn’t necessarily the same thing as being effective, and building a successful business shouldn’t require losing yourself in the process. I’m still learning how to give myself permission to slow down, delegate, and recognize that everything doesn’t have to happen on my timeline.
Another challenge has been learning to evolve professionally without feeling like I have to remain attached to one version of success. Building and leading a community-based mental health agency taught me a tremendous amount about leadership, responsibility, and resilience, but it also helped me recognize what I wanted the next chapter of my career to look like.
Creating INNER SANCTUM Therapy was an exciting step, but it also required me to approach entrepreneurship differently. With my agency, much of my attention was focused on building and managing an organization. With INNER SANCTUM, I wanted to be more intentional about creating a practice that reflected my personality, my clinical philosophy, and the type of therapeutic experience I wanted to offer. It meant thinking about how I wanted to show up as a therapist, how to build a brand that felt authentic to me, and how to create a business that supported both my professional goals and my personal well-being.
As a Black woman in business, there’s also the reality of navigating spaces where you may not always feel represented or have access to the same networks, resources, or guidance as others. I’ve had to become comfortable advocating for myself, asking questions, and creating opportunities rather than waiting for someone to open a door. At the same time, I don’t want my story to be defined solely by the challenges of being a Black woman entrepreneur. There’s also a tremendous amount of pride, creativity, resilience, and joy in building something of your own.
Maybe one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that growth isn’t always cute. Sometimes it looks like making mistakes, changing your mind, or admitting that something you worked hard for isn’t unfolding the way you envisioned. I still have moments when I’m figuring things out as I go, but I’ve stopped viewing that as a weakness. I’ve learned that success isn’t about having all the answers or constantly doing more. Sometimes it’s about getting clearer on what matters, being willing to evolve, and giving yourself permission to build a life that reflects who you’re becoming.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about INNER SANCTUM Therapy?
INNER SANCTUM Therapy is a virtual psychotherapy practice I created with the belief that everyone deserves a space where they can show up authentically, without judgment or the pressure to have everything figured out. The name reflects that deeply personal part of ourselves we don’t always allow others to see. I wanted to create a space where people feel comfortable exploring those parts of themselves, even the uncomfortable ones.
I specialize in working with adults navigating anxiety, relationship challenges, boundaries, people-pleasing, life transitions, and patterns of overthinking or overfunctioning. I’m especially passionate about working with Black women who have spent much of their lives being the strong one, the dependable one, or the person everyone else leans on. I want them to have a space where they can put some of that weight down and focus on themselves for a change. While that’s an area close to my heart, I welcome adults from all backgrounds and genuinely enjoy working with men as well.
What sets my approach apart is that I’m compassionate, but I’m also direct. I’m not the therapist who’s going to simply nod and tell you what you want to hear. I believe therapy should be a space where you feel supported and challenged. Sometimes that means having uncomfortable conversations, recognizing patterns you’ve been repeating for years, or learning to take accountability for the role you play in your own experiences. I bring warmth, humor, and authenticity into the therapeutic relationship because I believe meaningful work can happen without therapy feeling overly clinical or intimidating.
What I’m most proud of is creating a practice that genuinely reflects who I am, both personally and professionally. INNER SANCTUM is about more than managing symptoms. It’s about helping people understand themselves, build healthier relationships, and make choices that align with the lives they actually want to live. You don’t have to be in crisis to benefit from therapy, and you certainly don’t have to wait until you’re completely overwhelmed to start prioritizing your emotional well-being.
Ultimately, INNER SANCTUM is about creating space to come back to yourself.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without the people who have supported, encouraged, and poured into me along the way.
Two people who deserve special recognition are my mentors, Rasha and A’Tasha. They played an instrumental role in my journey toward professional licensure, helping me navigate the process and prepare for the licensing exam. Having people who were willing to share their knowledge, offer guidance, and invest their time in my professional growth meant more than they probably realize. Their mentorship helped me reach an important milestone in my career, and I’ll always be grateful for that.
I’m also incredibly appreciative of my husband, family, friends, and the people who have supported my entrepreneurial journey. Whether they’ve offered encouragement, shared advice, referred someone to my services, or simply believed in what I was building, those contributions haven’t gone unnoticed.
One thing I’ve learned is that success may look individual from the outside, but there’s almost always a community of people behind it. I’m grateful for mine, and I hope to continue paying that support forward by encouraging and mentoring others as they navigate their own journeys.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://innersanctumva.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.innersanctum
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1dyJdogV48/
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@theinner.sanctum
