Meet Kanika Bell | Psychologist, Professor & Joy Coach

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

Hi Kanika, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Existence is based on taking chances. Taking risks is a way of saying to the universe that you bet on yourself, that you are in your own corner. I own two businesses that entail taking a risk and choosing joy. But because positive mental health components can appear esoteric and out of reach to many, it was a risk to invest so heavily in it. Risk is required to meet goals and achieve desired rewards, but it is also required to prove to yourself that YOU believe in your own vision. Every expansion of A.T.L. Psychotherapy & Consulting Services, LLC required risk. Investing in larger office space with the prayer than people would come through the doors was a risk. Building the business in an entirely Black area of the city, because I believed that though there can be stigma attached to mental health care, Black people deserved services in their own communities, was a risk. Keeping the office open during the pandemic and staying committed to the vision, was a risk. I had to learn that a certain amount of uncertainty would always be present, If I waited until I was completely sure everything would work out optimally…I would still be waiting. Bravery does not involve lack of fear, it involves jumping in while afraid and swimming anyway. Taking risks made me proud of myself. It made me feel like I could conquer anything. The risks I have taken in business remind me that risks can pay off. Love is a risk. Friendship is a risk. Charity, faith, parenthood, travel…all risks. Though calculated and made with as much wisdom as I could garner from mentors and elders, I put myself and my ideas out there, and the risks have produced fruit.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a licensed psychologist and owner of two businesses. One is a private practice in southwest Atlanta where I treat a number of different mental and behavioral health challenges in children and adults. When I was a little girl I remember saying I wanted to have a big building where folks from the community can come in and be healed…and I seem to have done just that. I am most proud of not only being able to make mental health care tangible and useful for so many people, but also serving as a training space for so many talented mental health care workers. It was not at all easy to reach this point. It took a great deal of faith and good old fashioned work to put a vision like this into practice and sustain it. I have a very supportive personal community of friends and family that have been instrumental in helping me overcome challenges…and frankly the challenge is usually me! I am far more likely to get in my own way than anyone else and having people who love me enough to hold me accountable to the principles and goals I set for myself. My clinical specialties include working with individuals and couples who are looking to find joy again. This was so much of a personal and professional goal I decided to start another business with a very good friend called addJOY. We are essentially joy consultants. We help individuals and organizations operationalize joy and make it a part of their daily lives. I am proud of our hilarious yet poignant podcast that we like to call “edutainment” as we laugh heartily but provide real tools to help people define, capture and sustain joy for lasting personal satisfaction in their jobs, relationships and worlds.

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.
Atlanta has so many spots to just mill around and eat and drink: Chatahoochee Works, Krog City Market, Pullman Yards, Ponce City Market, etc. I would definitely take someone to one of those spots. We would eat in Colony Square and one of the many Caribbean fusion places with great music like Rock Steady, Apartment 4B or Spice House. If it is a week that includes a first Friday of the month, several events are taking place that are assured to be a good time. High Frequency Fridays, Underground Arts, and Deeper parties can all be found on the first Friday of any month. I love a good taco! Atlanta has some of the best taco places and they are more than just great food, many have great music and a fun atmosphere. Rreal Taco, Velvet Taco, Hankook Taqueria and my favorite, Buteco, are all strong options. Buteco has live music on some nights and on Wednesday one of my favorite DJs Salah Ananse spins old school, house, rare grooves, and Afrobeats. If there is one thing one MUST eat in Atlanta…it’s brunch. The boozy, music laden brunch is an Atlanta staple. Breakfast Boys, Gocha’s, Atlanta Breakfast Club, Toast at Lenox, Milk and Honey, and so many more give Atlanta its unique flavor. My favorite DJs in Atlanta are Salah Ananse and DJ Kemit. The second I hear that they are on the 1s and 2s I start prepping to go! I’m not a big “club” person but luckily in Atlanta, there are so many places to just hang out, going out does not necessitate club entrance. BUT, when a club is on the menu for the evening, Whisky Mistress and Rock Steady gallery are my likely haunts. But with all of the hotel lobby bars and rooftops like Drawbar, Spaceman and the Skylounge, you don’t really need to get dressed up and stand in line to see and be seen, get a cocktail and have a good time. And when we aren’t partying, Atlanta is a great place for museums. You can park in one place and go to the Coca-cola museum, the Civil Rights Museum, which is one of the most awesome of it’s kind in the country, the Georgia Aquarium, and the Children’s Museum for the kiddos. I personally love the College Football Hall of Fame as well. No visit to Atlanta is complete without visiting the campuses of the largest conglomeration of HBCUs in the country: The Atlanta University Center. Six different and unique schools created for, and committed to, Black students sit in the same area offering excellent educations to thousands of students a year. Homecoming season in Atlanta is an entire force. So is festival season, which includes celebrations of wine, beer, BBQ, oysters, jazz, Black art, cheese, bourbon, and almost anything else one feel festive about…and it lasts for much of the year due to the warm weather.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have a mentor by the name of Dr. Daniel Black. Though Dr. Black is an accomplished, best selling author and full professor at CAU, he never misses the opportunity to pour inspiration into his charges.

Website: www.atlpsychology.com/www.addjoy.com

Instagram: @addjoynow/@ATLPsych

Linkedin: @addjoy

Twitter: @addjoynow/@atl_housecalls

Facebook: @addjoy/@atlpsychology

Youtube: @addjoy

Image Credits
Leslie Andrews (just one)