I Joined the Fearless Practice Podcast to Talk About Building a Culturally Responsive Therapy Practice
- Jennifer Bonilla
- Nov 21, 2025
- 2 min read
I had the joy of joining Fearless Practice Podcast with Julia Smith, RSW, where we dove into one of my favourite topics: how culture, identity, family roles, and lived experience shape the way therapists build their businesses, and the way clients experience therapy.
This episode honestly felt like sitting down with a colleague who gets it. We talked about the behind-the-scenes reality of building a private practice that reflects who you are, who you serve, and the communities you care deeply about.
What We Talked About: Culturally Responsive Therapy in Real Life
In this conversation, Julia and I explored how culturally responsive therapy shapes the way I support clients who grew up navigating multiple identities, languages, and expectations. We talked about:
Why I became a therapist, and how growing up in Toronto influenced my understanding of culture and community.
My journey into private practice, and why building a space rooted in culture, curiosity, and flexibility mattered to me.
How culturally responsive therapy shows up in the room, especially for clients dealing with cultural expectations, belonging, and intergenerational pressures.
The intentional, step-by-step process of growing my practice, including financial planning that reduces fear and supports long-term stability.
These themes are at the core of my approach at Therapy Across Seasons, where culturally responsive practice is the foundation of my support for clients.
Why This Conversation Matters
So many of the clients I work with, especially millennial women of colour, share the same themes: family expectations, feeling responsible for everyone’s emotions, being the fixer, and trying to choose themselves without guilt.
Culturally responsive therapy isn’t just about knowledge. It’s about nuance, context, language, humour, and understanding the unspoken rules we grow up with.
Getting to speak about this publicly and to normalize these experiences for other therapists and clients meant a lot to me.
A Small Reflection
This episode reminded me why I built my practice the way I did: slow, intentional, community-rooted, and aligned with my values. If you’re a therapist building a practice, or someone navigating your own cultural and emotional landscape, I hope this conversation makes you feel a little more seen and a little less alone.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 182: Building a Culturally Responsive Private Practice Hosted by Julia Smith, RSW at Fearless Practice Podcast
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