Meet Laniqua Collins | Entrepreneur | Filmmaker

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

Hi Laniqua, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I chose to become a therapist because of the many experiences that I encountered throughout my life. From growing up in Mississippi to getting my Masters of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling at Georgia State University in 2020, I have seen and interacted with so many people throughout different walks of life. Being a counselor has afforded me so many opportunities from working in neuropsychology labs, hospitals and clinics, and now at a private practice.

One of my favorite places that I have begun to use my expertise in now is the film making world. It has been fun for me to mold and adjust my knowledge to fit into filmmaking and storytelling the way that I see fit. I have had the luxury of being hired on as an Intimacy Coordinator for a few projects. In this role, I used my skills obtained throughout my academic and career experiences to facilitate exploration of thoughts and feelings with the actors to help them become comfortable within themselves as well as with the context of what the character is going through in the proposed scene.

My overall goal is to help individuals become insightful, confident, and empowered. I love my career because of the people I get to meet and the experiences I get to live.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Entrepreneurship has always been a goal of mine, but it is recently that I developed the passion in being a “helper” in multiple disciplines. I currently have a business geared toward assisting and guiding individuals collaboratively into an optimal realm of life. I actually began the establishment of my business March of 2021. Next month will be my year anniversary to starting my business, and I can definitely feel the growth and drive that has increased inside of me. I can truly say that without the support and motivation I constantly received from my family, I would not be here today. I am surrounded by so many individuals who want to work hard to achieve the goals they set for themselves. Being around people like this daily pushes me to be the best in all that I do. It was far from easy developing what I can call today a thriving practice. From the research and conversations about the business side of therapy and counseling, I felt as though I was learning a new skill.

Transparently, I can say that the challenges ranged from confidence to the technical difficulties of starting a website. With the minimal knowledge I had about starting a business, I was slow to getting started and reaching out for help. I would ask myself questions like, “What’s make me different from the thousands of counselors and life coaches in the world, What if I don’t get clients, How do I market myself”, etc. Without knowing the answers to these questions, I began to doubt myself and I fell into the belief that it may be better to just work under someone else at their firm. Like I said before though, my family knew my goals and my passion for helping and did not allow me to give up on my dream of starting my own practice. Another way I overcame these challenges is because I too have a therapist, who does so well at facilitating exploration of myself and thoughts about myself. Through love from my family and insight from my therapist, I was able to become the confident businesswoman I am today.

The most exciting things about my business that set me apart from others are my lived experiences, the education that I have received and most importantly, my creativity. I have shadowed and worked on film sets and with this knowledge and perspective, I have been blessed to be able to provide additional services besides counseling. Although Intimacy Coordinating does include counseling and coaching, I am able to ensure the well-being of actors who participate in scenes with sexual content or other intimate scenes in theater, film and television production.

I am most excited about the lives and people that I come in contact with because my hopes are to always enter a person’s life and help them see their life in the best way that it can be. My practice currently provides the services: Career Counseling, Family Counseling, Independent Living Support, and Intimacy Coordinating. I am credentialed as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Clinical Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). I also specialize in assisting those who identify as having a disability and these individuals are more than welcome to acquire my services as well. If anyone has additional questions about my practice or the services that I provide please do not hesitate to contact me. My email is optimalbalancecompany@gmail.com. I just want to end this answer with reminding people to always make sure that they take care of themselves first before taking care of others.

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.
I am such a big foodie, so the most exciting experiences will be places I can take people to eat. The three main places that I would take a friend visiting from out of town would be Slutty Vegan, specifically the one on Ralph David Abernathy. The best experience is when you take it back to the car and eat it fresh.

The other place that I have always enjoyed visiting and eating is a restaurant Downtown Atlanta called Anatolia Cafe & Hookah Lounge. This place is versatile, so if my friend was looking for a place out on the town this is a cool spot to go. I would go here to have lunch, hangout or study in between classes, and even hang out with friends at night. The last place I would have my friend try is this Mexican restaurant called Las Cuatro Milpas Atlanta in Riverdale.

I just found this place, and it has easily reached my top five in favorite places to eat in the area. I think that is a pretty solid list of places to try. Of course, you can always go to Six Flags or Piedmont Park, but I am more of a stay at home person, so my friends would come into town knowing that.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Of course! I would not be here if it were not for my parents, Lance and Turkesha Collins. I still hold true to the upbringing and discipline instilled in me as a child, and now those characteristics have helped shape my work-ethic and gotten me to where I am today. And to my lovely sisters, who are my biggest cheerleaders, I cannot leave them out. They are absolutely my confidants. I am truly grateful for all of them.

Timothy Richardson, who is my very best friend, has been such an encouraging and empowering person in my life. He has helped me enhance and increase my confidence personally as well as professionally. He is the person that has helped me jump into the film making industry and find a voice of my own.

I would be remiss if I did not mention my Great-Grandma Jessie who passed away recently. She was always the strong and iconic pillar in our family, and the woman she was will always and forever live inside me.

Website: optimalbalancellc.com

Instagram: optimalbalancellc

Image Credits
Photography by: Untraditional Films LLC