About Mayumi's Entrepreneurial Journey
Mayumi is a proud US Navy Veteran, Trauma/PTSD therapist, and founder of Insight Therapy and Consulting, a group mental health practice dedicated to meeting the unique needs of the underserved and underutilizes of mental health care through representation and specialization. Our mission is to represent the communities we serve.
Share with us how your personal journey has shaped your business’s values and strengths, and how those experiences will be highlighted in the upcoming Minority Women Lead live pitch competition.
I am a Japanese-American Trauma Therapist and proud U.S. Navy Veteran. When I started in the mental health field, I never intended to focus on Veterans or Asians. From the start, I was taught that they don’t do therapy, so what difference did it make that I was one of them? And yet, when I went into private practice, I was overwhelmed with comments like “I’ve been trying to find an Asian/Veteran/BIPOC therapist for months,” or “I just want to work with someone who gets it.” I realized that the lack of representation and specialization has created a real barrier for people actively seeking out help, while also being labeled as non-users of therapy.
My first group practice has been successful because we are a representation of our community with specialists that meet specific unmet needs. Using the same model, we launched a second practice. This time, with a focus on meeting the unique needs of the military, law enforcement, first responders, and frontline workers community, with every team member also being part of these communities. Our mission, values, and continued success proves that representation and specialized care has a place in reaching historically overlooked communities with the simple message, “We get it.”