Beyond The Session

Meet Essie Connor, LGPC, a licensed therapist at Zola Counseling Solutions who specializes in supporting LGBTQIA+ adults and women of color in Maryland and Virginia. If you have been feeling overwhelmed, unseen, or uncertain about your next steps, Essie provides a compassionate, affirming space where you can build clarity, confidence, and a clear path forward with support.

Therapist Samantha Kendall and practice owner Asia Rodriquez guide new and expecting parents through the emotional work of staying connected as partners after a baby arrives. The session covers the real shifts that happen in postpartum relationships, new forms of intimacy that work even when energy is low, the three building blocks of closeness, and a guided five-minute check-in practice couples can use at least three times per week to maintain emotional safety and honest communication.

Therapist Samantha Kendall walks couples through what happens to communication when stress takes over, and what to do about it. The session introduces the "Pause, Name, Reframe" tool, breaks down four common communication pitfalls drawn from Gottman research, and closes with a concrete repair ritual couples can use after conflict to rebuild safety and trust. The content applies to the postpartum period specifically and to any relationship season when tension runs high.

Marriage and family therapist Samantha Kendall walks new parents through the practical and emotional work of rebuilding intimacy after baby. The session covers why postpartum intimacy looks different, what gets in the way (for both partners), and two concrete tools that couples can begin using right away, without pressure and without perfection.

Have you been told your emotions are too much, too intense, or too sensitive? In this panel discussion, Zola therapists unpack where those messages come from and what they actually cost you over time. The conversation offers practical tools for managing big emotions without shame, particularly for women of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals who have been taught to make themselves smaller.

You do not have to be out to celebrate Pride, and you do not have to feel joyful to have your experience be valid. In this conversation, Zola therapists Alex Earley and Essie Connor, both queer clinicians specializing in LGBTQ+ care, talk openly about what Pride actually means, who it belongs to, how to protect your mental health this season, and how to find affirming care when you are struggling. Whether Pride brings you joy, grief, or something in between, this conversation was made for you.

Therapist Essie Connor explains why shame is not a reliable motivator. This video is for anyone who has ever used self-criticism as a productivity tool and found it leaving them more stuck, more exhausted, and further from the results they actually want. 

In Episode 2 of the Private Practice Lab, Asia Rodriquez walks therapists through the foundational steps that every successful private practice is built on. Covering everything from legal business structure and HIPAA compliance to EHR selection and writing your mission statement, this episode gives you a clear, actionable blueprint for building a practice with a solid structure beneath it, before the marketing, the scaling, or the revenue diversification begins.

In Episode 3 of the Private Practice Lab, Asia Rodriquez addresses one of the most common fears therapists have when building a private practice: that choosing a niche means closing doors. This episode offers a clear, practical formula for identifying your clinical focus in a way that sharpens your marketing, streamlines your intake, and makes your practice more sustainable without locking you into a box you can never leave.

In Episode 4 of the Private Practice Lab, Asia Rodriquez breaks down how to build a private practice brand that authentically represents who you are, communicates your value clearly, and consistently attracts the clients you most want to serve. This episode covers brand identity, messaging, visual consistency, and what actually makes a practice stand out in a crowded market — whether you are just starting out or ready to sharpen what you already have.

In this Therapy 101 video, Asia Rodriquez answers the questions most people have before starting therapy but rarely know who to ask. She covers how to know if therapy is right for you, where to search for the right therapist, how to use health insurance or FSA and HSA accounts to pay for sessions, and where to find free or reduced-cost options if standard rates are out of reach. Clear, practical, and jargon-free from start to finish.