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the app or learn more at Incummental.com. That's I-N-C-U-M-E-N-T-A-L.com. Welcome to the Traum-T-Ribbethers podcast. My name is Guy McPherson. I interview incredible people who've dedicated their lives to helping those who've been impacted by trauma. Here we go.

Chenair, you ready? I'm ready. All right, here we go. So five, four, three, two, and one. Our folks, welcome back to the podcast. Very excited to have us to make it today, Dr. Shanaia Thomas. Shanaa, welcome. Hello, guy. Thank you for having me here. Awesome. Dr. Shanaa Thomas is a TEDx speaker, award-winning sexuality educator and clinical social worker

with over 20 years of experience in Washington, D.C. They serve as the LGBTQ-plus training

specialist at the University of Maryland School of Public Health and lead Thomas Counsel,

Thomas Consulting and Therapeutic Services, helping organizations create more inclusive, trauma-informed

spaces. A former USC lecturer and ASX-2020 educator of the year, Dr. Thomas focuses on grief,

identity, and preventing burnout among marginalized providers. Their upcoming book,

Accountable Care and Identity Comeroy for Transgender and Career Service

Providers Preventing Burnout will be published by Bloomsbury in 2026.

All right.

Just a little bit about you,

Shania.

Before we go in here,

share with the listeners where you're from originally and where you are currently. I'm originally from Hampton, Virginia, most famously where

Alan Iverson is from and Virginia Beach, Thai water area. And then now I live in Temple Hills,

Maryland. So not too far from D.C. and a little bit from Alexandria, Virginia.

Okay. So how did all of this start for you, this interest, this specialty, the specialization?

Sure. And I'll speak to kind of grief in sexuality education because they kind of came hand in hand. Again, I'm originally from Hampshire, Virginia. I was kind of like every other kid. I didn't know what I wanted. I knew I wanted to go to college. I didn't know what I was going to do. In high school, I did, you know, I worked in the hospital. I was kind of candy striper, so go doing volunteer.

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