Meet Verlancia Tucker | Founder and Executive Director of BOHEMIA Cares

We had the good fortune of connecting with Verlancia Tucker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Verlancia, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
Responsibility is a principle that matters most to me. I feel strongly about this because we are our brother’s keeper. I know that there were many people who sowed seeds of encouragement, motivation, and blessings into my life. There were many individuals who labored hard and long before I entered this world. They understood the meaning of responsibility. They paved the way for my successes throughout this journey called life. To pay homage and honor to those sweet souls who have been responsible before me. I owe them royally and operate in responsibleness because of them. I ensure that my walk is as pure as it can be. I hold myself accountable for my fair share of responsibility. As the founder and executive director of BOHEMIA Cares, a nonprofit organization, I allow God to help me develop programs that display the responsibility that is required of me. Our (BOHEMIA Cares) responsibility is displayed through our acts of kindness, love, and generosity.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am the founder and executive director of BOHEMIA Cares as stated earlier in the article. Our mission is to inspire individuals to build strong self-esteem, become leaders, and discover untapped talents that will lead to a prosperous life. Our guiding principles are empowerment, mentorship, and social emotional learning. Our nonprofit organization promotes self-love while spreading mental health awareness. Why did I want to start a nonprofit? There are several reasons. Personally, the lack of self-love and mental illness almost cost me my life. I contemplated suicide because I was in a dark, dark place. Thankfully, God intervened. What I do is different because it takes courage and humility to share my experiences in hopes of helping others who struggle with emotional and mental issues. My social responsibilities include that I share transparently. I understand that the organization is a ministry. Therefore, there are many burdens that I encounter as a result. I am set apart because I walk in my truth whether it offends others or not. I take pride in sharing my story because it helps me to continue healing because it is never-ending. Arriving in this peaceful state was no joke. I endured many, many sleepless nights filled with crying, worrying, and bitterness. Even though I managed to attain college degrees and accolades, it meant absolutely nothing because my inner joy and peace were in a place of unrest and discontent. Therapy saved my life. It taught me coping strategies. I learned how to set healthy boundaries for peace and healing. It allowed me to shed the resentment and pain that I had harbored for years. Therapy and the get back up taught me how strong I am. It showed me that God loves me so. It helped to begin making wiser choices. It helped me chart out new positive goals for my life. It taught me that self-love is the best love. Professionally, I did not have a clear plan for college when I graduated high school. I wanted to be an accountant and a cosmetologist. After my first two accounting classes, my career field changed. Accounting was not for me. I did graduate from a barber college. In fact, I earned a Barber Teacher License. But due to a bad back and neck, I could not style or cut hair. So back to college I went. Again, I didn’t have a clear degree in mind. I only knew that I wanted to get a business degree. After receiving my bachelor’s degrees in business administration I wanted to go to graduate school because I didn’t have any sense of direction. I was just winging it. A good friend who I worked as a graduate assistant within the teacher education department at UA-Little Rock was entering the master of secondary of education program. I decided to enroll. I was only trying to keep from repaying student loans, can I be honest. After graduating with a Master of Secondary Education I began teaching middle school Keyboarding. I loved my job. I later enrolled in the Learning Systems Technology in Education matters program. I was six hours from graduation when mental illness said just stop. At that point I didn’t care I knew I had to see a therapist. That was most pressing at the time. After therapy I tried to return to the classroom but it was so much tension surrounding those times until God told me to stop trying to work for everyone else and run this organization (BOHEMIA Cares). I said, “Okay.” Obedience was my moving force. I knew that if God said it, it would not fail.

Through it all, the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and the good and bad, God is always there. I just have to trust Him and remain obedient. I understand that the devil tries to attack me more than he does other people is because I have a special gift that God has placed within me and he wants to devour me. I have learned that it is such a blessing to help others because those blessing to return back in an overflowing manner. I learned that responsibility is the key to life.

BOHEMIA Cares is not just any nonprofit organization, we are a healing ministry. We allow individuals to share openly about self-love and mental illness in safe, nonjudgemental spaces. We allow God to shine through us so that others will know that there is a living God and savior. Our programs set us apart. We provide a supportive system of organized, safe, and collaborative space for clients to explore personal growth and success. We share behavioral and mental health resources in a safe, non-judgmental setting. We are passionate about helping people become better versions of themselves. We understand that as people explore and improve their mindsets, their perspectives on life, and life’s situations will also change and improve. We meet our clients where they are.

We are excited about the direction we are headed in. We are restructuring our programs to reach more individuals and families in Pulaski County, Arkansas. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, incidents of suicide in Arkansas is almost four points higher than the national average. Symptoms of anxiety and depression are prevalent in Arkansas at rates higher than the national average (40.4% vs. 37.7% in the United States).

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend were visiting the area I would first bring her here to my home, the “Tropical Oasis”. The Tropical Oasis is my happy place that I created after being quarantined due the Coronavirus pandemic. My backyard turns into a party island oasis where we eat, dance, socialize to catch up on fun. On day two we would visit the Clinton Presidential Library and eat dinner at Samantha’s Tap Room. On day three we would shop at the local malls and have dinner at Sonny’s Steakhouse. Days four, five, and six would be spent in Hot Springs. I love visiting Hot Springs. We would stay at an Airbnb on Lake Hamilton. We would hire a chef to cater breakfast and dinner daily. We would go to Oaklawn for gaming and racing one day. We would enjoy a riverboat ride on another day. We would definitely eat at Cajun Boilers for lunch on one of those days. We would get pampered with massages and facials.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wholeheartedly shout out my God. He has allowed me to navigate through a world of dysfunction, chaos, confusion, physical and mental illnesses, and losses without losing it all. Mental illness rearranged my life for the better. Normally, when you hear about someone with mental illness, there are negative narratives to go along with it. Mercifully, mine is different. I can honestly admit that you can live an abundant life after mental illness. I am living it now. I would not be able to share with you in this article if I had not experienced mental illness. Intensive therapy, stillness, and giving God back His control caused me to abort the plans that I made for my life and operate in His’ entirely. I thought I had figured my career out as a middle school teacher. I realized that things had been shaky for quite a while, but I managed to overcome them through determination and prayers. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, anxiety and depression went into overdrive. It got the best of me. I was afraid to teach in my building due to inadequate safety measures. My personal life was already spiraling out of control and then the shooting occurred. I became very ill. I had to stop everything. I left my job because of mental illness. I needed therapy and self-care. I shout out God because He was the one who picked me up from the pit of hell and restored my mind and my soul. He allowed me to start healing and gave me the vision and resources to organize BOHEMIA Cares. “You had to go through it,” God told me when I questioned him, why all the heartaches, pain, and hurt. Instantaneously, I gained a sense of peace for once in my life. I began thinking differently. I became deliberate and intentional about making the best of any situation. I started seeing the glass as half full as opposed to half empty if you will. To sums things up, God and therapy save my life. I learned to love me. I will shout it out to the end of my days, “God Did It! Thank you Lord!”

Website: www.bohemiacares.org

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bohemiacares

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bohemia-cares

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bohemia_cares

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bohemiacares

Image Credits
Randall Lee