Mental Health Speaker for Workplaces, Healthcare Teams, Faith Communities, and more
Shakira O'Garro, LMHC-D, LPCC, LPC, NCC
Your people are carrying heavy workloads, grief, and chronic pain. Most will never sit on a therapy couch, but they may attend a workshop.
Where Shakira Has Spoken
Weeksville Heritage Center
What Problem Does a Mental Health Speaker Solve?
Leaders usually see the signs first. Multiple conflicts have broken out among your employees due to stress and in-office policy changes. A staff member keeps calling out sick and won't say why. The deacon who used to lead prayer stops coming to church after a devastating loss. Grief and burnout show up in your building whether anyone names them or not.
Most leaders want to help and aren't sure what to say or do to address these issues as they arise. That’s where a mental health speaker helps your group understand what they're carrying and gives leaders the tools to respond.
Where Shakira Speaks
Workplaces, EAPs & Organizations
Employee resource groups, EAPs, HR teams, nonprofits, patient advocacy groups, and hospital teams. Focuses on burnout, critical incidents (e.g., death of an employee), chronic pain and productivity, and grief in the office. Secular and scientifically grounded.
Churches & Ministries
Clergy gatherings, women's ministries, retreats, and chaplain trainings. Integrates Christian faith, focusing on grief, self-care, biblical lament, caregiver burnout, and bridging faith with mental health care.
Signature Keynotes & Workshops
Shakira offers talks and workshops for communities, organizations, and fellow clinicians on trauma, chronic illness, medical trauma, caregiver burnout, faith and healing, and culturally responsive care for BIPOC women. Each one is designed to be experiential, grounded, and immediately useful to the people in the room.
Every talk is tailored to your audience and time frame (45 to 90 minutes, a half-day, or even longer). Below are three core pillars, customizable for secular or faith-based environments.
Workplace Wellness, Crisis & Burnout
Helping teams manage heavy workloads, organizational change, and sudden crises without losing themselves.
Key Takeaways:
- Identify the difference between everyday stress and burnout.
- Learn immediate grounding skills and nervous system regulation to use the same day.
- Equip managers and leaders with clear roadmaps for post-crisis critical incident response.
Ideal For: Corporate Retreats, HR Wellness Days, Healthcare Workers, EAP Workshops and other initiatives.
Medical Trauma, Chronic Illness & Women's Health
Addressing medical gaslighting, life with chronic pain, and the intersection of emotional and reproductive health.
Key Takeaways:
- Understand how medical trauma and chronic illnesses (like Endometriosis) impact professional and daily life.
- Provide managers with language and tools to support employees struggling with chronic illness.
- Explore the emotional complexities of perimenopause, menopause, and hormonal changes and how this may show up at work or at home.
- Actionable strategies for workplaces and communities to respond with appropriate accommodations and care.
Ideal For: Patient Advocacy Groups, HR Teams, Women's Retreats, Medical Training Programs, BIPOC Wellness Events.
Grief, Loss & Faith-Integrated Care
Holding space for complex loss, working through disenfranchised grief, and supporting those who care for others.
Key Takeaways:
- Define anticipatory and disenfranchised grief and understand signs and symptoms.
- Learn the framework of biblical lament and how faith and mental health care work together.
- Tools for chaplains, pastors, and caregivers to avoid compassion fatigue while serving.
Ideal For: Churches, Clergy Retreats & Gatherings, Caregiver Support Teams, Christian Organizations.
Who Is Shakira O'Garro?
Shakira O'Garro, LMHC-D, LPCC, LPC, NCC, is the founder of Cheerful Heart Mental Health Counseling PLLC. She is licensed in six states and specializes in medical trauma, grief, chronic illness, and faith-integrated care using EMDR and Brainspotting. Living with Stage IV endometriosis, Shakira brings rich lived experience to her advocacy for women's health. She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity and has a heart for supporting therapists and pastors who often go without the care they give others.
Shakira also has extensive experience in workplace mental health and has worked with a range of EAP vendors. Through the City of New York's Employee Assistance Program, she led workshops and provided critical incident response, helping staff across agencies cope with workplace stress, organizational change, and distress about events in the world. As a former EAP clinical supervisor, she understands what employees carry and what leaders need to support them.
Attendees often describe Shakira’s talks as memorable and personal, sharing things like “I heard your voice in my head” or “I remember what you talked about” long after the event.
“Shakira, you helped me to understand what I am experiencing as disenfranchised grief. You also helped me to think about how my husband may be dealing with grief too. You set me free, and this talk was such a blessing.”
How We Work Together
- 1
Discovery & Alignment
We connect to discuss your event goals, the unique culture of your audience, and the desired format.
- 2
Custom Preparation
Shakira customizes her clinical frameworks, talk structure, and practical tools specifically for your attendees.
- 3
Keynote & Impact
An interactive, memorable talk paired with actionable next steps so leaders know exactly what to do when someone needs more support.
Past Speaking Engagements
- Grief & Unprocessed Loss: How Grief Uniquely Affects ClergyS.W.I.M. Clergy Care Retreat, Rockland, NY (Oct 2026)
- The Waiting Room: Endometriosis, Body Autonomy & Collective Care (Panel Discussion)Brooklyn, NY (Oct 2026)
- Perimenopause & Menopause: Mind, Body & BeyondCharmine's Circle of Voices, Virtual (Sept 2026)
- Rooted and Restored: Emotional Wellness for BIPOC WomenCharmine's Circle of Voices, Bronx, NY (April 2026)
- Employee Workshops, Process Groups & Critical Incident ResponseCity of New York Employee Assistance Program (2024–2025)
- Medical Trauma and EndometriosisEndometriosis Foundation of America Patient Day, New York, NY (March 2025)
- Mocktails & Cocktails: Let's Talk Endometriosis and Mental HealthEndo Black, Virtual (May 2023)
- The Mind and Body Connection: Integrative Health and Your WellnessR.E.A.D.Y. Retreat, New York, NY (2020)
- Learn Me, Love Me (Panel Discussion)R.E.A.D.Y. Retreat, New York, NY (Jan 2020)
- Featured Endo Sister of the Month (Interview)(Sept 2019)
Shakira in the Room
Questions We Hear Often
Does Shakira speak at churches outside New York?
Yes. Shakira speaks virtually for churches and organizations anywhere, and in person across the New York metro area and other locations by arrangement.
How much does it cost to book Shakira?
Speaking fees depend on the format, length, and travel requirements. Reduced rates are available for churches and small nonprofits. Share your budget in the inquiry form and our team will follow up with options.
Is a workshop the same as therapy?
A workshop is educational and does not create a therapy relationship with attendees. Every talk ends with clear information on where to find ongoing support and how to connect with licensed professionals.
Does the workshop offer continuing education credit?
No. Community and organizational talks are educational and built for general audiences. Shakira's clinician trainings are a separate offering, with CE approval in progress.
Book Shakira to Speak
Planning a retreat, staff training, women's ministry event, or clergy gathering? Fill out the inquiry form below, and you'll hear back within two business days.
Contact us today to schedule your consultation
You were not meant to be strong all the time. In this space you get to set the mantle down.
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