Today we’d like to introduce you to MarQuita Buckholtz.
Hi MarQuita; thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstories.
I am a Melanated, Farm-Raised, God-Fearing, Foundational African-American Queen who offers mental health advocacy with the uniqueness of personal experiences to back up the true depths of mental health in blacks. I was raised on a farm, in a 2 parent home, in Two Egg, Florida. I had a good upbringing (being Daddys Baby Girl and My Brothers World), with 2 educated parents who instilled in me the importance of your relationship with God and how to carry myself and treat others. I’ve had more than six mental health diagnoses (such as anxiety, depression, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) throughout my life, some of which come and go based on how much or how well I’m handling them. I have experienced sexual victimization, losing a child, suicide, substance abuse, domestic violence, police brutality, narcissistic abuse, losing multiples, and more. I am here because the enemy thought losing 2 very important people at the same time, my daddy and another brother would kill me. I used to think I was a cat because every time something traumatic happened, part of me died with it. Don’t get me wrong. After that, I wanted to die again because I didn’t understand why good people suffer. But God promised me another chance if I held on. So I did, and each day after that, I gained more strength. You go a while longer.
I needed God to come to me a different way than before; I needed him to come as in your face as possible, and since October 2020, he has been sending any confirmation like a youtube video, a text message, a prophetic message, or conversation ensuring that there is much more in store in my life than just pain. My pain started turning more into my purpose by taking my pain and being vocal about it to serve as a purpose for those with the same challenges. I stand as the example of a chosen route that requires openness and selflessness in the face of issues facing the black mental health community.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My childhood was smooth, with no worries in the world. As long as my daddy was near, I was smooth sailing. The middle and high school were somewhat of a challenge for me for wanting to fit in with the wrong crowds and not staying completely true to myself from insecurity to peer pressure. My mental health issues didn’t fully crank up until after experiencing sexual victimization, then dealing with a great loss in my family, with the death of one of my brothers, to suicide, then losing my oldest daughter. This all happened within 5 years, and that started to break me; I thought I was going crazy. From triggers of hearing the word rape to single sound gunshot sounds to being unable to watch a baby diaper commercial, life had me not wanting to stay here to feel it all because it was just too hard to bear. I had mostly white therapists. All wasnt bad, but all didn’t understand my culture even to understand me.
We’ve been impressed with Strength You Cant See, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
Strength You Cant See brings Black Mental Health Awareness Through Personal Testimony. Some of my community is suffering, and here we offer support and advocacy to those with mental health challenges. I bring mental health awareness with creative ways to help break the stigma.
I offer 2 services right now (but don’t sleep on them because there are big plans for the future)
- Help you find a black therapist near you
- Motivate 1 or more people to start therapy and the importance of mental health in our community
What sets me apart is I’m not a therapist. I’m an advocate with personal experiences in mental health for over 15 years. This brand is about being honest, vulnerable, and open about my past pain instead of taking it all to the grave.
I want readers to know that my brand will inspire you by my testimony just as I am liberated by telling it this is the same effect we all can possess. There is power in your testimony. I have been through a lot, and I’m sure you have, so let’s share and connect and be there for each other through our stories.
Subscribe for free with www.blackseedmediaproduction.com. This is where my Black Mental Health Awareness Show will be shown. (I have recorded 2 shows, I have 7 more to go in this season). Check out my Black Mental Health Awareness Show page on Instagram @sycs_tv. Other guests and I discussed traumatic experiences, how they affected our mental health, and ways to start unpacking. I talk about the beauty of my heritage, the book mentions herbs to drink, resources, and strategies to support the start of your healing.
How would we have described you growing up if we knew you were growing up?
Growing up was fun 2 parent home; both parents were smart, educated, and ambitious. I was the baby girl, so I was spoiled rotten—farm life with hogs, cows, and horses from a farming family. My mother was a 4th-grade teacher, and my daddy was a Quality Mental Health Professional, a peanut farmer, a hot rod street racer, and a dedicated deacon. I had older brothers who offered me tough love and a protective bond for whom I would do anything. I also used to be confused because the white therapist had me confused. After all, I grew up in the care that I did; life shouldn’t have been so traumatic. But no matter who you are, where you are from, who your daughter is, how much money you have, how many times you attend church, or how faithful you are to God, life still happens. Yeap, I come from. Yearly family vacations, Nightly Family Dinner at the Table, Active Church Family Membership, bedtime stories and kisses, Goodnight, and so much more! I am a down-to-earth, sensitive, goofy, yet serious person who enjoys deep conversation about the true essence of my heritage and how amazing it is to be a Melanated woman. I love to cook. I cry if I see something that reminds me of past pain. I enjoy watching my kids laugh. I enjoyed making people laugh. I love writing when it’s not too painful. I love spending time with my family.
Pricing:
- Book Me for speaking engagements see website www.strengthyoucantsee.com
- Therapy Locator $20
- Will be selling my Ebook soon and retail coming soon
Contact Info:
- Website: www.strengthyoucantsee.com
- Instagram: @strengthyoucantsee; @sycs_tv
- Facebook: strengthyoucantsee
- Youtube: @strengthyoucantsee
Image Credits
Photography by Nicole LeAnn Williams, Video and Photo by Black Seed Media Production Company
