Pretty and Black Owned is a celebration of brilliance, beauty, and bold business moves. This series spotlights Black women who are building powerful brands, creating impact, and owning their lane with confidence and purpose. From passion to profit, these women represent what it looks like to lead, thrive, and win.

DaJonese is the founder and CEO of Me in the Making, a mental wellness enterprise she built with grit, grace, and a vision that refused to quit. What started as adream now stands as a thriving two-part organization dedicated to supporting Black and Brown communities through healing, education, and empowerment.

Through Me in the Making, DaJonese leads a boutique therapy practice providing trauma-informed counseling, and a growing community arm offering group support, SEL programs, and wellness workshops that make mental health accessible beyond the therapy chair. Her work reaches individuals, families, schools, and community-based programs—proving that real change happens wherever people gather, not just in offices.

With over 12 years of experience in the field, DaJonese has become known for blending clinical expertise with cultural fluency and lived truth.

She is also a Community Psychology Ph.D. candidate at National Louis University, where her research centers the emotional survival of Black women navigating identity, relationships, and community violence.

A therapist, researcher, speaker, and boundary-pushing entrepreneur, DaJonese leads with authenticity, strategy, and purpose—and she’s proof that you can build something transformative from vision alone. No shortcuts. No silver spoons. Just courage, consistency, and calling.

What inspired the start of ” Me in the making “?

Me in the Making didn’t start as a therapy practice — it was born from watching young girls step into adulthood without the tools, support, or confidence they deserved. I was a case manager working with youth aging out of DCFS, and it broke my heart how many of them were expected to figure out life with no roadmap.

So I started running workshops for girls — teaching life skills, confidence, boundaries, and self-worth.

That turned into EmpowerHer, an enrichment program I created and facilitated in community spaces across Chicago beginning in 2015.

Therapy came later, in 2017, when I realized that workshops weren’t enough — women needed a safe space to heal, grow, and unpack their stories on a deeper level.

Me in the Making has always been about helping people “grow through what they go through” — without having to pretend they’re okay.

What has been the biggest challenge of running a brand like “Me in the making “?

The biggest challenge has been building the plane while flying it — learning business, leadership, and branding on top of the clinical work I already do. When you’re the founder, you wear every hat until you can afford to hand one off. Funding, capacity, and time are all real hurdles. Learning how to build structure while still serving real people is an ongoing balancing act. The work has always been there — the hard part is making sure the business can hold it.

How does “Me in the making” impact its local community?

Me in the Making shows up where the community lives, learns, and grows — not just in therapy offices. We support individuals and families through counseling, but we also partner with community programs to offer wellness workshops, SEL groups, and real conversations about trauma, relationships, emotional safety, and healing. We normalize mental health, reduce stigma, and make support accessible to people who often get overlooked.

How can women in particular benefit from what your brand has to offer?

Women – especially Black women – benefit from having a space where they can take off the cape, stop performing strength, and actually be held. Whether it’s therapy, a support group, or a community workshop, we focus on emotional wellness, boundaries, identity, self-worth, and relationship health. We help women navigate life transitions, relational trauma, and identity shifts — and remind them they deserve softness, not just survival.

Where do you hope to see your brand in the next 3-5 years?

In the next 3–5 years, Me in the Making is growing into a full wellness ecosystem.

We will be expanding programming, bringing on additional clinicians, and deepening community partnerships — while continuing to amplify voices and stories that deserve to be heard.

Ultimately, I want Me in the Making to be a staple in the community — a first stop for support rather than a last resort.

What advice do you have for the next generation of entrepreneurs?

Start with what you have and stay true to the mission — don’t wait for perfect funding, perfect timing, or a perfect business plan.

Be curious, take risks, ask for help, and don’t be afraid to pivot.

And most importantly — protect your energy. The business will grow when the person running it is grounded, rested, and supported.

What does being “Pretty and Black Owned” mean to you?

It means building something meaningful with authenticity and power — not despite being Black and a woman, but because of the unique brilliance, depth, and perspective that comes with it.

It means showing up fully — emotional, visionary, strategic, creative — and refusing to shrink.

And it means creating space for others to rise, rest, and feel — not just endure.

Social Media Links:

IG: @healwithmnm

FB: MNMWellness

Personal:

IG: @loadingdr.d

FB: @dajonese.renae

Website:
www.meinthemaking.org