Modern Path: Pride Edition
Happy Pride, y’all! To wrap up our summer pride month, I want to introduce you to our team and share their thoughts and feelings about pride. I say “summer pride month,” because our team is in the Greater Atlanta Area, where a majority of the pride events are in October. Not only do we get two pride months here, but the Modern Path team celebrates pride, strives for authenticity, and advocates for the queer community every single day of the year.
I’m Karen, a clinician at Modern Path as well as our Team Lead, which basically means I’m Modern Path’s team organizer, admin trainer, assistant to Nick’s wonderful ideas, and our hype person. One of my all-time favorite things is when someone asks what our practice does, who we work with, or even mentions one of our clinicians. I’m so proud of this practice and if you've ever talked to me, you know that. I love talking about each member of this team and I feel absolutely honored to support these wonderful, unique, and vibrant personalities that make up the clinical part of the Modern Path Team.
Let me introduce you to some of my favorite people: pride edition!
If you know Modern Path at all, you know Nick. He is our fearless leader and he fights for all of his communities to increase access to resources, to create affirming and knowledgeable clinicians, and to advocate for the changes that are always desperately needed. Nick is incredibly authentic and shows everyone how to be a businessperson and clinician exactly as you are.
Nick shares his thoughts on pride, “Pride for me means liberation. Focusing on the stories and experiences of those who came before me. Remembering that Black Trans women and gay leathermen who were dying of AIDS paved the way for where we are today. Remembering that I get to be out as a transmasculine genderqueer Dominant consensually non-monogamous leather person because of those that came before me. It's directing funds to small businesses and not for profits operated by those who have been historically marginalized instead of participating in rainbow capitalism. My Pride is Political. It is not one month of a year.”
Our clinical team is comprised of seven additional clinicians who have joined the Modern Path family over the past few years. Let’s get to know everyone!
First in the alphabet and most recent to join our team is Alexi. When I asked Alexi to share pride thoughts with me, she shared her pride anthem, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Same Love”, as it was a song that resonated with Alexi’s experience of learning about themselves and their identities. With lyrics like, “And I can't change, Even if I tried, Even if I wanted to,” we are reminded about how hard pride and visibility can be when people in your life want you to change. Alexi shared their first pride experience and that they were pleasantly surprised by how the protestors were outnumbered and how churches opened their doors to anyone, even if it was just to use the bathroom.
“I get energized by the amount of love you feel. This aura of positivity and love… seeing free parent hugs shirts… highlights how much support people need.” Pride is a celebration but it’s not always an event with just happy feelings. Alexi reminds us how much love and support people need, within their families or with their “framilies” a.k.a. “friend families.” Welcome to the Modern Path family, Alexi. We are proud to have you.
Andy and Modern Path go way back to the beginning to the formation of the practice. The very first clinician officially on the team with Nick, Andy shows up daily proud of who they are. Supportive of authenticity, Andy shared memories of their first pride experiences, going back to childhood. Their stories span the spectrum of pride experiences and emotions, the good and the bad. Andy is protective, not only of his family, but of those who get to know them, whether that’s as a friend, colleague, or client.
Andy shares, “I'm a big, strong, white, often angry, often loud, often unapologetically offensive queer. I'm here for anyone who needs help, acceptance, safety, or permission. I don't want anyone to go through the things I went through, and yet I know they will. I hope I can be present for them, and they will not have to go through it alone. PRIDE is a PROTEST. The fight is far from over.” Andy’s a fighter and I’m very grateful that he’s on our side.
If you’re looking for a gentle, but hilarious clinician, you have to meet Kahlor. And then you have to follow her IG @PrideVibess. Open in her authenticity as a queer, multiracial person, Kahlor shows up for her communities in so many meaningful ways. From providing education and positivity on her IG to advocating for AAPI individuals, Kahlor is a breath of fresh air and seems a bit scrappy too. She’s a strong teammate and clinician, and is another important member of the Modern Path family.
In true Kahlor fashion, she shares her inspirational and very authentic thoughts in this post on @PrideVibess:
You definitely want to follow her content to feel love, support, and pride.
Now, you have to get to know Marne. When I hype her up to interested clients, networking with other providers, or sharing her as a resource, I feel like I could just summarize her with, “she just clinically does everything.” Working with teens, adults, families, individuals, and relationships, she’s truly a therapy boss. And what makes her even more special is how her clients connect to her in her authenticity. She shows up as she is with her work, with our team here, and still has energy to love on and support her beautiful family.
Pictured here is Marne with one of her kiddos at Pride a few years ago. She shares, “I am so proud of him and how free he feels to explore who he is, what he likes, and ways to feel strong and authentic in this world.” When she talks about the way she raises her kids, she is a true example of being a loving and an affirming mom.
Marne’s unconditional love and positive regard are just two of the reasons we are proud of her and her contribution to the team.
When I think of authenticity and being yourself exactly as you are, Peyton’s fun-colored hair and ongoing fibers projects in her lap on Zoom always come to mind. A lesson that Peyton taught me, without even knowing it at the time, was how she fully embodies a shame-free existence. #Goals
Being proud of yourself is truly wonderful and I’m so proud of how far all of you, readers, have come. Learning from Peyton and her confidence, we can start to explore what feeling shame is all about. Have we been told to change and “not be like that”? That our very existence is wrong? That we should have to hide parts of ourselves to be “normal”? When we start to challenge those very ideas, we slowly shed the weight of the shame and move through the world more confidently, just like Peyton in our family.
Talking about Regine, one of our more recent members of the family, is super easy. She knows exactly the clients she wants to work with so the hype comes naturally. She shows up in so many spaces outside of just the individual and relationship therapy spaces.
Here are some ways to see and feel Regine’s presence and support, no matter what month it is.
Starting with her online presence, @MelanatedAndMisunderstood, Regine shares content about her passion for “minority mental health, with an emphasis on the Black community, and I aim to help eliminate stigma one mind at a time.” I highly recommend following her on Instagram and checking out her website!
Speaking to her audience, Regine shares, “Black Queer pride is about celebrating all the intersections of your identity & loving yourself enough to stand in your truth, regardless of how others may feel."
If you’re feeling her words of wisdom, Regine is currently accepting clients for her Queer in Color group, which was created for individuals self-identifying as both Queer/LGBTQIA+ AND a member of the Black/African American community. Though she’s only been with the Modern Path team for a short time, she is proving herself to be a confident clinician who proudly shows up as herself daily. Welcome to the Modern Path family. Our hearts swell with pride as you create safe(r) spaces for minorities and the Black/African American communities.
Hyping up Sofia to a new person always starts with, “she’s the nicest person I’ve ever met.'' An experience full of smiles, laughs, sunshine, and wonderfully cool eyeglasses, spending time with Sofia is a warm mixture of enthusiasm and excitement, while still simultaneously being grounded in reality. Not surprising to anyone who meets her, Sofia is a fantastic role model of self-love and being very proud of who you are.
Sofia shares with us an experience that reflects the journey of discovering her self-concept. “My first Pride memory was going to Pride in Atlanta for the first time (many moons ago) and getting all the free stuff and wearing all of it at the same time! I was really insecure in my appearance and in my self-concept as a whole at this time, but I remember feeling super safe and super comfortable in a way I had never felt before. It was like getting into the perfect temperature pool and just feeling really good. I also remember meeting very awesome people as we chatted and hid from the rain together under a canopy. And I remember getting a free STI test for the first time and that the person who administered it was so thoughtful and kind. Today, anytime I get to be around queer-identified folks and allies, it feels like getting into that perfect temperature pool of Pride again!”
I love the temperature analogy about Pride events. There’s a certain warmth and comfort many people feel as they are validated and accepted within the community. The Modern Path family feels that same warmth and comfort from Sofia.
Sofia also shares the importance of Pride. A reminder that this is both a celebration time and a time of significance.
“To me, Pride means being an activist 24/7. It means the political is personal. It means voting. It means standing up for the oppressed whenever and wherever you can. It means having difficult conversations and confrontations. It means protecting and uplifting marginalized voices always. It does also mean rainbows and glitter!!! And it means remembering and honoring the queer folks (and especially the queer folks of color!) who fought for LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms generations before mine. They are the reason we have Pride today.”
It's now the end of June and the stores won’t carry as much rainbow stuff or flags that represent the many identities within this community. There won’t be quite as many queer events. Some people may feel like they have to escape within themselves until it’s October here.
Just remember that the Modern Path team supports and accepts you exactly as you are. We are here to celebrate your successes and happiness, or give you tissues when we talk through heavier emotions. We want to advocate for you, show up for you, and continue to be proud of our communities and our identities. The first Pride was a riot, and you’ve got us to help you fight.
If you’re looking for a clinician to support your mental health needs, you can learn a bit more about each clinician on the Our Team page here.