GUEST HOST: Brooke Bralove with Esther Boykin - Cultivating Compassion & Community on Retreats
In this episode, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Esther Boykin shares how she cultivates compassion and community on her Compassion Collective Retreats for high-achieving, successful African American women. Esther shares how important providing a safe space for marginalized communities can foster greater intimacy, connection, and community and lead to a profound shift toward self-compassion.
Brooke Bralove, LCSW-C is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, Master Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) Practitioner, and Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator. Brooke specializes in treating adults, couples, and groups with anxiety, trauma, and sexual and relationship challenges. Brooke helps women of all ages let go of perfectionism and move toward greater authenticity, joy, pleasure, and connection. Brooke’s new passion is Accelerated Resolution Therapy, a brief treatment modality using bilateral eye movements to provide lasting relief and healing to patients with PTSD, trauma, phobias, anxiety, and depression. She has maintained a private practice in Bethesda, Maryland for 21 years.
Esther Boykin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, executive coach, and keynote speaker recognized for bridging the gap between clinical insight and real-world business strategy. A former CEO and founder of a thriving therapy practice, she is now celebrated for her Compassion Collective Retreat, an immersive experience designed specifically for high-achieving women of color.
Rooted in the belief that true success depends on self-compassion, community, and cultural relevance, Esther helps leaders, entrepreneurs, and everyday professionals cultivate workplaces—and personal lives—that “light them up.” From corporate consulting on mental health equity to one-on-one coaching for executives wrestling with burnout, she’s known for her warm, inviting style and thought-provoking insights.
A TEDx speaker and media mental health expert, Esther has shaped conversations around modern wellness, challenging harmful norms like productivity obsession in her popular talk, “Laziness is a Lie.” As President of NAMI DC, she tirelessly advocates for more inclusive mental health resources. Drawing on two decades of expertise, Esther offers workshops, retreats, and custom trainings that blend empathy with action, empowering clients to lead authentically and maintain meaningful connections.
In This Episode
Brooke
IG: @brookebralovepsychotherapy
FB:@brookebralovepsychotherapy
TikTok: @bbralovepsychotherapy
Esther
IG & LinkedIn: @estherbmft
www.estherboykin.com
You can learn more about what I do here:
The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free!
Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa
The Trauma Therapist Podcast: I interview thought-leaders in the fields of trauma, mindfulness, addiction and yoga such as Peter Levine, Pat Ogden, Bessel van der Kolk and Bruce Perry. https://bit.ly/3VRNy8z