Dr. Shamira
Change Maker. Strategist. Coach
Let’s talk
Dr. Shamira Michelle is a passionate advocate for early mental health awareness and emotional regulation. With over 20 years of experience as a Certified School Counselor and a PhD in Psychology, she specializes in supporting students, educators, and families in navigating emotional well-being. As the founder of Mocha+Mindful, Dr. Shamira creates culturally relevant resources to help children develop emotional regulation skills, while breaking the stigma around mental health in African American communities. Her work blends education, personal growth, and practical strategies to foster healthier, more resilient individuals.
meet
Dr. Shamira
Her Mission
Dr. Shamira's mission is to empower schools, families, and communities to engage in early, age-appropriate conversations about mental health. She aims to break the stigma surrounding emotional well-being by equipping children with the tools to recognize their emotions, build resilience, and seek support. By fostering open dialogue, she creates safe spaces for children to thrive mentally, emotionally, and socially.
Her Vision
Dr. Shamira's envisions a world where mental health is a normalized, integral part of early childhood education, where children are empowered to talk about their emotions and mental well-being without fear of stigma. Her goal is to create environments in schools, homes, and communities where emotional literacy is just as valued as academic achievement, and where every child is given the tools and support to thrive—emotionally, socially, and academically.
HER-story
Dr. Shamira’s passion for working with students began early, volunteering in ESE classrooms during her elementary school years. Her educational journey led her to a career in school counseling, where she pursued a BA in Psychology, an MEd in School Counseling, and a PhD in Psychology. After years of working as a Certified School Counselor, Dr. Shamira recognized the growing emotional challenges students faced—both socially and academically. This led her to further explore the thinking processes that shape our responses to stress, emotions, and relationships.
​
Beyond her professional expertise, Dr. Shamira draws deeply from personal experience. As someone who identifies as the “CEO of Overthinking,” she spent years struggling to change her natural thought processes before realizing that understanding her unique thinking style was the key to unlocking her potential. She learned to leverage her thinking patterns as an asset and now teaches others how to do the same through mindfulness and emotional regulation techniques.
Dr. Shamira's work blends academic knowledge with personal experience, and her mission is to share these insights with teens, young adults, educators, and parents—helping them understand that emotional well-being is not just something to address in times of crisis, but an ongoing process that begins early in life.