Meet Bonnie Mosby | Master of Social Work Student & Mental Health and Performance Coach

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

Hi Bonnie, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I popped out of the womb playing sports. I am a black belt in taekwondo, blue belt in Brazilian jiujitsu, retired D1 Elite college rugby player, and have experience running track, playing soccer, cheerleading, weightlifting, and wrestling. Commitment and dedication were instilled in me at a very young age. So, knowing when to give up is something I have worked hard to learn. Here are my thoughts: Don’t wait until giving up is your only option, and nothing is important enough to sacrifice your favorite parts of yourself.

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.
Today, I am a Master of Social Work student at the University of Georgia, CEO and Mental Health and Performance Coach at The Imperfect Human, LLC, and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The road to this place was long and treacherous. In early 2020, before a certain virus shut the world down, I sustained a concussion while playing college rugby that would trigger what I now call “The Great Unravelling.” My post-concussion symptoms hit the height of their intensity in the middle of 2020, right as the lack of human connection began taking its toll on us all. After struggling with my symptoms in isolation for months, I began seeking professional medical support. I began working with chiropractors, functional nutritionists, and a primary care physician to address the physical symptoms. I soon realized that my mental health had deteriorated and needed immediate attention, so I reached out to an amazing psychiatrist in October, 2020. This relationship set the foundation for me to become everything I am today. My psychiatrist identified expressions of DSM-V diagnoses and gifted me the labels “bipolar type 2, social phobia, and OCD-traits.” She was the first person to recommend psychotherapy for my nightmares and a neurologist for my headaches. So, my journey home began.

During 2020, my concussion symptoms forced me to drop out of my undergraduate studies in nutrition. At that moment, I felt lost with nowhere to go. I had already lost the ability to play college sport due to my concussion, and now I was losing the ability to attend university altogether. I was somewhere around 24 years old and terrified that my life was ending. In early 2021, I had pulled out of my depression with the support of medicinal therapy and began experiencing expressions of hypomania – increased energy, sleeping less, and an inflated sense of self. My therapist at the time recommended that I start a project to pour all of this excess energy into. I logged into Instagram and created the account @the.imperfect.human. Today, The Imperfect Human, LLC is a business and a brand. While it still embodies its early goal of advocacy and education, as my capacity increased, so did The Imperfect Human’s. I built this community of support from my medical team, to my chosen family, to my Instagram feed. In the fall of 2021, I reenrolled in college, but this time to study psychology. My struggles with my own mental health sparked a love for studying the mind-body connection, and psychology was one of the only online programs available at my undergraduate university. I graduated with my bachelor’s in 2023 and began my studies at the graduate level in social work immediately.

I have learned along the way that community is key. If you don’t have community, everything else will fall apart. So, if you’re wondering where to begin, begin there.

I am now in my second semester and will begin my internship in the fall of 2024. My target graduation year is 2026 after which I will continue working toward achieving my license as a clinical social worker in private practice. So, I will be a fancy therapist in addition to coaching mental health and performance with athletes and other people looking to begin building their community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
You absolutely have to check out the food halls in and around Atlanta – Chattahoochee Food Works is one of my favorites. Ponce City Market is a must-experience spot as well. It includes a food hall, incredible shopping, and has access to a rooftop experience and the BeltLine. You can ride on your skates and scooters from Ponce to The Victorian Atlanta – the most aesthetically pleasing plant shop with an upstairs bar! If you’re looking for a brunch spot, I 10/10 recommend Sun in My Belly on College Avenue. If your friends love all things whimsical and are looking for a magical meal, you might want to visit The Garden Room Atlanta. If you’re a foodie and are interested in the best meal of your life, visit The Iberian Pig in Buckhead for dinner.

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?
Stephanie Townsend, Owner of and Licensed Master Social Worker at The Cozy Couch Counseling and Consultation, deserves all the recognition for supporting me to where I am today.

Website: https://www.theimperfecthuman.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.imperfect.human/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-mosby/

Image Credits
Ly