Meet-a-Ram: Iresha Picot makes a mark from mental health to media, from self-care to cycling

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Growing up, Iresha Picot never imagined a life outside of her small hometown city of Franklin in Virginia's Hampton Roads region. Then she came to Virginia Commonwealth University.

"It was the first time I saw myself differently," said Picot, a 2007 graduate with degrees in African American studies and gender, sexuality and women's studies from the College of Humanities and Sciences.

Inspired by her VCU experience, she moved from Richmond to Philadelphia, where she earned her master's degree in urban education studies at Temple University. Picot then pivoted to the mental health field, and as a licensed behavioral specialist in the city, she now is a clinical lead at the Center for Autism, the nation's oldest autism center. She also has co-authored a book, directed a film about trauma and funded a Black women and girls cycling group in Philadelphia.

Picot said her philosophy reflects her life: The world will open up to you if you see more for yourself.

"I got so much support at VCU," she said. "People saw things in me that I didn't see in myself as a child. They said, 'You can do these really big things.' I want my life to reflect that."

VCU News caught up with Picot for some insight about her multifaceted journey.

How did you find VCU?

I dropped out of school in eighth grade. When I turned 18, I took courses at Paul. D. Camp Community College in Franklin so I could get my GED. My teachers encouraged me to go to a four-year program. I was interested in women's history and African American studies, so I chose VCU.

Through my studies, I discovered the Black feminist movement, and I connected with like-minded students. I loved the diversity at VCU. I met so many people with different cultures and backgrounds. I liked the social student groups at the time, like Africana and the Black Student Union.

There were so many professors I could point to that helped me - like Melanie Njeri Jackson, Ph.D., former chair of the Department of African American Studies, and professor Elizabeth Canfield, Ph.D., in the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies. They encouraged me to go to graduate school.

What prompted your shift to become a counselor?

At first I thought I would go into education and reform, but after a fellowship working in a school, I changed my mind. There were so many layers of things, such as trauma, that I saw these children struggling with. They had a lot of behavioral issues, and my focus shifted.

How did your 2015 book, "The Color of Hope: People of Color Mental Health Narratives," come together?

I met my co-editor, Vanessa Hazzard, when she was experiencing her own mental health issues. She reached out to me for books for Black women with a focus on mental health, but there were only two. She suggested we write a book and put out a call for people of color to submit their own narratives. We did interview some folks, and we put some essays in, too. We realized it was important to have that piece of work out there.

You've been tapped as a "self-care queen," too.

I have written articles and created Instagram videos on self-care and self-love. I tell people to prioritize happiness and joy, and people caught on. Different publications like the Washington Post and USA Today saw my work and wanted me to talk about self-care. I've also been on television to shed light on mental health.

Tell us about directing the 2021 short film "The Do Over"

I was surprised when Love Now Media reached out to me. They found me on Instagram.

The film, which is part of the Just Love Stories series of mini-documentaries, is a story about trauma and the most important love: self-love and self-preservation. It focuses on a woman who talks about growing up in Philadelphia, surrounded by drugs and alcohol. She developed risky behaviors and often found herself on the streets. She finally saw an opportunity to get her life together. and she really changed her life.

What prompted you to start the Black women and girls cycling group in Philadelphia in 2023?

I hadn't been on a bike for 10 years when I started the group. I knew I always wanted to go back to riding bikes, and the cycling community in Philly lacked Black women. I started group rides for Black women and girls. It became a big thing. We just like being together.

I started writing a grant to get funding so women who were using city bikes could have a bike of their own, and we have been able to purchase 15 bikes. With the grant money that is left, I will be able to buy 16 more bikes. I also teach bike safety and bike maintenance classes because I want the women to feel like cyclists.