Meet TaTanisha Copeland | Professional School Counselor

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

Hi TaTanisha, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
As an elementary school counselor , I am always looking for resources to help my students. I noticed that a lot of my students suffered from anxiety and displaced anger. Mindfulness and meditation had really been a major help to me and my daughter (as we both had our challenges with anxiety). However, I found it difficult to find mindfulness resources that my Black and Brown elementary students could relate to. So with the help of my son and daughter, I decided to create my own mindfulness resource. It is a YouTube Series called Mindfulness Maya. We upload a new video every week that teaches early learners about the concept and practice of Mindfulness and Social Emotional Learning.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
This is my 18th year as an educator. School Counseling is an amazing career that teaches you new things everyday. Advocating for students is a honor and leaves me in awe on the regular. Being able to create something that can help students be their best is very fulfilling and it’s what drives me everyday. It frustrates me when people, even my peers doubted me and my mindfulness ideas. They felt that the students would not buy in to the concept of mindfulness and meditation. It was challenging to convince others that no matter how young children can learn and find their inner peace and use that as a self soothing coping skill. I have learned that if you believe in something and have genuine intent to help others , you should trust your heart, yourself and the process., it will work. We created Mindfulness Maya to give early learners a way to cope with those feelings that they might not understand. Also, to promote concepts such as : self-love , positive self-talk, and self-awareness. If taught at an early age , it can be a life changer for the better.

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?
What I love about Atlanta is the Beltline. It literally has everything you need; restaurants, SpeakEasy , dance spots and trendy cafes. It’s something for everyone.. www.beltline.org Some other must visits : The Georgia Aquarium, The Ferris Wheel , The Selfie Museum, and depending on the season, they can always catch a game (Hawks, Falcons, Braves, Atlanta United. Also the rooftop at the Ponce City Market is a must see .

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My daughter Maya Copeland and my son Jacobi Copeland are the co-creators of our Mindfulness Series and our book series. Without their encouragement and commitment, there would be no series. Maya does the voice of our main Character (Mindfulness Maya) and Jacobi does the voice of our boy character Carleton and the graphics for the video and the books. Working with my children to help students all over the country is a true blessing.

Website: https://mindfulnessmaya.wixsite.com/mysite

Instagram: @mindfulnessmaya

Twitter: @counselorlady08

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCNpFzEQp1DlLbHxNaFIorJA

Other: Links for the Books : Mindfulness Maya Says Hello https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mindfulness-maya-says-hello-tatanisha-copeland/1138717495?ean=9781666237283 Mindfulness Maya Shows Some Love https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mindfulness-maya-shows-some-love-maya-copeland/1138996989?ean=9781666256024