Today we’d like to introduce you to Chrystal Dunkers.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I didn’t start out as a therapist. I actually spent 20+ years in corporate America. And listen…I hated it. Like clock-watching, soul-draining, “there has to be more than this” type of hate. But I stayed. Because I had kids to raise, and I was determined to give them the kind of stability I didn’t grow up with. So I did what needed to be done. I built the career, paid the bills and showed up everyday. At some point though, I knew I couldn’t keep doing that forever. So in my early 30’s I made a move that felt both invigorating and a little crazy. I went back to school for my Master’s in Counseling. And I didn’t make it easy on myself either. I went part time, took me 4 years, all while still working full time (still hating it….just to be clear – LOL) and working part-time in community mental health. It was a lot. But I was laying the groundwork for something different. Then, life opened up. Both of my kids went off to college and I finally had the space to ask myself, Okay…what do I actually want to do. And my answer was…I’m done!
I left corporate and opened my mental health private practice full time. Best decision I ever made. Hands down. No question. Now I get to do work that actually means something to me. I sit with women who are strong, capable and carrying a lot (I know all about that!). I help them slow things down, see what’s really going on and respond differently instead of repeating the same old patterns. That’s the work. That’s the pivot. And I don’t take for granted that I get to wake up and do this work every single day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been meaningful but not easy. Trying to go back to school in my 30’s while working full-time and raising kids? (0/10 do not recommend – LOL). There were plenty of days I questioned why am I doing all this and is it even worth it. And then there was the in-between phase. Working in community mental health while still in corporate. I was stretched real thin. Even after I made the leap, it wasn’t like everything just clicked overnight. Starting a private practice comes with it’s own stress and pressure. Building something from scratch, figuring out the business side of things, wondering if clients will come, learning how to actually be seen and talk about what I do. Shifting my identify from “stable corporate professional” to entrepreneur took some adjusting. That safety net is hard to let go of. But every challenged forced me to get clearer about what I wanted, how much I wanted it, how I work and who I’m here to serve.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Point and Pivot Counseling Services is a therapy practice for high-functioning Black women who look like they have it all together but are carrying way too much underneath. I specialize in helping women who are dealing with anxiety and emotional overwhelm, people-pleasing and overfuntioning, and relationship tension (especially mother-adult daughter and partner dynamics). What I’m known for is helping clients get out of the same emotional and relational cycles. Not just talking about it. Not just venting. We are actually identifying the pattern and shifting it. That’s where the name comes from: Point – we get clear on what’s happening (the trigger, the reaction, the meaning underneath it) and Pivot – we practice responding differently in real time. So my work sits at the intersection of awareness, emotional processing and actual behavioral change. What sets me apart is I don’t hide behind therapy jargon or vague language. I’m very direct, very clear and very focused on helping clients connect what they feel to how they show up in their real lives. Culturally I get it. My clients don’t have to over-explain family dynamics, expectations or the pressure to always hold it together. What I’m most prod of brand-wise is the Point and Pivot is clear. I’m not trying to be everything for everyone. My brand speaks directly to the woman it’s for and she knows it when she sees it. If there is one thing I want people to know. It’s this isn’t a space where you come to vent and cope. This is a space where you come to understand yourself differently so you can respond differently and finally feel some relief.
How do you think about luck?
I wouldn’t call it luck. I’d call it timing, readiness and a whole lot of intentional decisions. If anything looked like “good luck” from the outside, it was really me playing the long game. I didn’t just wake up one day and start a private practice. I spent years staying in a career I didn’t love (I’m trying to be be nice…but I really hated it – LOL), going back to school while working full time and raising kids, getting real clinical experience in community mental health while working full-time and raising kids, etc, etc. So when the opportunity came and I had the space to pivot, I was actually prepared to move. Now there have been moments that felt like luck like the right clients finding me a the right time. Or opportunities lining up when I needed them. Or things working out in ways I couldn’t fully plan. But even in those moments I had to be in position to receive them. And on the flip side of what people may call “bad luck”, like being stuck in a career I couldn’t stand, being stretched thin for years and the uncertainty of starting over….that didn’t work against me. It actually pushed me to made a change. So no, I don’t think luck had too much of a hand here. I think it was doing what I had to do even when I didn’t love it. Making a plan before taking the leap. And being willing to pivot when the time came. If anything, luck just met me where I was doing the work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pointandpivot.com
