Black Bridge Mindset

Psychology & Charcuterie: A Journey with Maria Houston

• Black Bridge Mindset • Season 2 • Episode 17

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Creativity, Grief, and Purpose: Dr. Maria Houston Beck on Mental Health, Mentorship, and Beck Boards

On the Black Bridge Mindset Podcast, hosts Mike, Ken, and CJ welcome Columbus-based licensed clinical psychologist and entrepreneur Dr. Maria Houston Beck, founder of Houston Wellness Solutions and Beck Boards. Beck shares how a high school psychology class and learning about mental illness and suicide in her family inspired her to pursue clinical psychology, with a career spanning trauma, mood disorders, grief, and work with incarcerated youth, including at Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. She explains training paths (PsyD vs PhD), building a private practice brick by brick, and early business lessons like pricing, policies, and payment procedures. Beck also расскаunts how personal grief and hosting family holidays led her to create Beck Boards, offering charcuterie boards, grazing tables, a mobile cart, and workshops that blend food styling with therapeutic topics. She previews her participation in Columbus’ Color of Summer event and shares where to find and book her services.

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:35 Weekend Catch Up

02:35 Summer Plans and Festivals

03:39 Soccer Tangent

05:16 Meet Maria Houston Beck

08:20 Why She Chose Psychology

13:07 Clinical Focus and Juvenile Work

17:31 Mentors and Giving Back

20:24 Breaking Mental Health Stigma

23:52 Becoming a Psychologist

27:39 Starting Private Practice

29:03 Starting Private Practice

30:26 Brick by Brick Systems

31:39 Learning as You Go

32:52 Pricing and Policies Mistakes

35:55 Grief Sparks Creativity

40:15 Therapy Through Charcuterie

44:44 Events and Color of Summer

49:13 Where to Find and Book

52:39 Sacrifice and Self Care

55:29 Wakanda Peace Paws Finale

 

Instagram: @beckboards

Facebook: @BeckBoardsLLC

Morning Star Counseling

https://www.instagram.com/houstonwellness_solutionsllc/ 

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 Hosts:

CJ

Hello and welcome to the Black Bridge Mindset Podcast where culture, entrepreneurship, and business intersect to fuel inspiration. This podcast celebrates the power of diverse voices shaping the future of business. So whether you're building a business, breaking barriers, or just looking for some serious inspiration, you're in the right place. The Black Bridge Mindset. Podcast is hosted by your three favorite best friends, Mike, Ken, and CJ. So now sit back, relax, and absorb the gems being dropped on you by today's special guest.

Mike

So how's everybody doing? How's your weekends? How's the week? Here in Chicago we finally got some sunny weather. It's been storming. Trees have been uprooted. My back deck look, looks a hot mess 'cause the storm has blown any and everything onto it. But not complaining because are ready to go outside and chill out for the next three months, 'cause that's all we get, and then after that

CJ

"I'm sure you are. You have good reason to."

Mike

Yeah. Yeah, I've had a lot of good news the last couple of days. Not gonna share it with everybody. Y'all know what I'm talking about, but it's great news. On some business acquisitions that may happen within the next 60 to 90 days. Who knows? Hopefully everything goes well. of course, if those happen, you'll definitely hear me bragging about those. So life is good. Can't complain. Smiling and

CJ

Hey, entrepreneur

Mike

doing my thing. Trying. Trying. Blackapreneur. Is that a word? I just made it

Ken

It is now

Mike

I does what I can. Yeah. Yeah

CJ

ArtFest got out and enjoyed something of nice weather. Actually, it was the best night to go 'cause it's supposed to rain again at some point this weekend, but not much here. I started work and that's pretty much it. I'm finally getting to a point where I can live my life and not work all the time, like we discussed. But, yeah, things are okay. And I finally got my backyard and front yard looking the way that I want flower-wise, plant-wise that'll last for the summer

Ken

I can't wait to come walk through them next weekend

CJ

Listen, you're messing around to be on the next Greyhound back to Atlanta if you mess up my char- look, my charcuterie.

Ken

Grandpa has plants. I'm all right with that.

Mike

Yeah

Ken

it

CJ

your way back to the GA if you mess me up

Mike

I'm jealous that you two are gonna be hanging out next week

Ken

Yeah. Yeah, I'm looking forward to hanging out in Columbus next week. I feel like it's been a minute. But things are good here in Atlanta. The the same thing that you guys just said, the weather has broken and the plan is to be outside this summer, despite the fact that it's already hot and humid. That's okay. That's totally okay. You know, now I think at any, at pretty much any point in history, now is the time to be outside celebrating life, right? And like Mike said earlier, letting our soul glow, right? Like, so yeah, looking forward to the summer. It's gonna be a good one

Mike

Yeah.

CJ

Look, I

Mike

Plus

CJ

out when that mimosa festival is that we tried to go to

Ken

Yeah, 100%, we can make that happen. There's always a festival. As a matter of fact, they got the They're displaying the World Cup down here in the park close to my house, like, near the, where the hotel is. So they got all that blocked off. They got a, you know, big screen, speakers. They got DJs. They got food trucks and booze and all that stuff, so yeah. There's...

CJ

city?

Ken

Yeah, we are a host city

Mike

Yeah, they are. do you guys watch soccer or football?

CJ

I don't watch typically, but I watched a little bit last night. We we-- After the the festival, we went to a couple bars, and they had it on in there, so I kinda got into it while I was having a beer, but not necessarily... Not that kind of football. NFL, yes

Mike

Well, of course, yeah. And I know our guest is waiting, but just real quick. So I have, you know, all my friend, my other friends in Columbus, they all watch soccer. And so they were texting last night like, "America is on playing whomever," blah, blah, blah. And I was like, you know what? After volleyball when I got home, I was like, "Let me turn it on for a minute. Let me watch it." I don't understand how people watch soccer. Like, there's 70 minutes of them just running back and forth kicking a ball, and then 10 minutes of them maybe trying to score a goal. And I was sitting there like, "I... Like, I'm bored." Like, I don't, I don't get it. I don't get it. I feel like the field needs to be smaller they could, like, at least try to score goals more. But just sitting there watching them kick the ball back and forth, I was just like, "I'm not excited." So... And I think America won last night. I, I changed it before

CJ

when I left, I think it was like three, three-nothing or something like that. I don't know what the final score was, but were doing it. And it's-- I was not that I should be surprised, but one of the main guys that was hot last night was some Black guy that I've never... I don't pay attention to soccer anyway, but he seemed like he's the truth,

Mike

Mmhmm

CJ

is.

Mike

There's a lot of us playing soccer. Yeah, there's a lot of us playing

CJ

you know what? That's a conversation for another day. We going off tangent

Mike

All right, well get back on tangent, and if you wanna introduce our guest for today, that'd be great, 'cause I think she's gonna be awesome

CJ

get into the introduction I've already mentioned to her, but we definitely have to thank our guest for agreeing to be on the show 'cause I just reached out to her on a whim, and she responded within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours, and we just started engaging in conversation, and we are today. So I'm very happy to have our guest on today. Today's episode brings together two powerful stories of creativity, healing, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship. these two stories highlight what happens when creativity meets purpose and when personal healing becomes a pathway to helping others heal too. First, we have Beck Boards, a Columbus-based charcuterie brand born from a moment of deep personal grief. started as one woman's way of slowing down and finding beauty in the smallest details has grown into a full-fledged business offering curated charcuterie boards, grazing tables, and even a mobile charcuterie cart. Every board is crafted with intention, designed to bring people together, elevate everyday moments, and create meaningful experiences through food. And if that wasn't enough, our ultimate entrepreneur is also a licensed clinical psychologist whose work is rooted in authenticity, cultural awareness, and emotional healing. earned her Doctorate of Psychology from Wright State University School of Professional Psychology and has dedicated her career to serving diverse communities across Ohio. Inspired early in life by family members who struggled with mental illness in silence, she now uses an integrative, holistic, and strength-based approach to help people live the lives they truly deserve. Gentlemen, please stand, salute, and welcome Miss Maria Houston Beck.

Ken

Welcome to the show

Mike

Hello, hello, hello

Maria Houston

Thank you. I need a copy of that intro. Thank you.

CJ

We do our research

Maria Houston

I see, I see. I am impressed

CJ

Welcome to the show, and again, thank you so much for being here with us

Maria Houston

Yeah, thank you for having me. I really don't take these opportunities for granted, so it is a privilege to share some space with you all this morning

Mike

Yeah, same here. I'm very excited to talk to you today

CJ

I'm, I'm-- So before we dig in, I'm curious have information about both of your businesses. Would you like to focus on one first and then focus on the other, or just jump in with both at the same time?

Maria Houston

We can jump in with both. Next month, yes, July, I will be 12 years post doctorate. so I have certainly been in that field for some time, and so I know that pretty well and, you know, have served in different capacities. and the charcuterie business is my newest baby, if you will. But yeah, we can go back and forth or whatever feels, you know, just kind of genuine

Mike

All right, well, since you've been a psychologist, I think you said 12 years, let's, let's

Maria Houston

Yep

Mike

dive into that. Like, what made you wanna become a psychologist?

Maria Houston

Yeah, it's, it's funny because as, as CJ, as you were reading my bio, I was actually picking up on sort of a common theme in my life or about me. And for me, a lot of things are personal and professional. I typically find that I like to integrate a lot of, different parts together. And so real quick story born and raised here in Columbus. I'm proud to say, you know, I'm a local girl. I went to a Columbus public school, the Eastmoor Academy. Did my undergrad at University of Akron. Spent some time in Chicago, but then completed my doctorate, as mentioned, at Wright State. So so I represent Ohio and I'm proud of that, and especially the, the city school's district, 'cause we got some good folks that have, have come out of that system. But I was a student athlete always have been. And Mike, you were talking about volleyball earlier you know, that's my love as well, in addition to basketball.

CJ

Okay. You talking to

Maria Houston

so--

CJ

players

Mike

I know.

Maria Houston

yeah

Mike

Next time Ken and I are in Columbus, we may have to get together and do a little pickup game. And CJ, obviously. Yeah, I don't know

Maria Houston

I'm always trying to find a team to do tournaments. There's this one it's, it's called, like, All Day. It's, it supports all Alzheimer's, and so you play volleyball, like, all day as a tournament, so I, I typically pull people together for that. But anyways,

CJ

cool

Maria Houston

as a student athlete we had a, a teacher at my high school, and he had taught this preliminary kind of psychology course. He also had this comfy couch in the back of his classroom, so you know, study hall, athletes sometimes we would go hang a little nap or something in Mr. Thompson's class. So I don't know, I think we might've had a game or a meet or something. They made, they made me run track in the off-season just to stay in shape. But I was like, "All we do is run." But anyways, so I'm in the class getting ready to take my nap. Kids, don't do this. But so he's showing this video of who we know as Sigmund Freud and this woman kind of in this therapy space, and I could not go to sleep. I was so intrigued and so interested. even really spell psychology at the time. I was like, "Is it the O or the G? Where, you know, how does that fit together?" I talked to him about the field in general. I go home and talk to my parents. Now, my father he was born and raised in Alabama, but family moved here to Columbus, so you know, he got some of those Southern roots. And he's like, "Oh yeah, we got a bunch of crazy people in our family." And so at 16, I just didn't really understand what that meant and I asked more and more questions. And I actually learned that my grandfather's sister died by suicide on the west side of Columbus. So at 16 years old, trying to understand this thing called PTSD and CPS, you know, involvement and domestic violence I continue to ask questions and research, and it sounds a little cliché, but quite honestly, from that moment, I really, I really never looked back. You know, I wanted to be able to help people through those tough times because especially in the Black community, it's like you take it to the altar or you, you know, you keep it between the front and the back door. And so learned that my aunt was suffering in silence. And so I said I didn't want anyone else to feel as though, you know, it wasn't physical, it was something mental that they were struggling with, and that they had to keep it and deal with it alone. So even as a student athlete, as I'm getting recruited and, you know, they're bringing up the question, "What do you wanna study?" I knew right off the bat it was psychology. You couldn't tell me any different. and I'm, I'm really grateful and blessed that as I started taking the classes, I was just as interested. But it really has become my life's work, you know, to help at least one person, one family, to feel like they don't have to deal with these mental challenges alone. So that's how I, long story short, really became a psychologist. And I liked school. I was a, a bit of a nerd, and I had wonderful mentors and coaches and parents that really faults- fostered you know, my interests and love for school.

Mike

I love that. Can you, I have two questions and I don't know which order to ask them in, so here we go. What lane of psychology are you in? Or is it sort of all-encompassing?

Maria Houston

Yeah, no. So I was trained as a clinical psychologist. So those are individuals that kind of are meeting diagnostic criteria in what we call the DSM-5. I saw your last episode with the mental health provider, so I li- I listened in to that, which was a great episode. So I do, you know, have worked with people with more acute disorders. I'm trained to do psychological testing and other things. But my lane, if you will would be working with individuals with trauma, mood disorders. That's your anxiety and depression, and then major life transitions, and then also grief. I actually started my career out working primarily with juveniles. That was... My whole dissertation was around Black boys and you know, serving juvenile life and looking at the challenges for re-entry. so I worked in any setting you can think of as it relates to you know, correctional setting. I worked at Cook County Juvenile Detention Center for a number of years, and I was told if you could work there, you could work anywhere in the world.

Mike

I bet

Maria Houston

But yeah. And so I've since pivoted from working primarily with that population. If you can imagine it's been... It's, it's tough work. Actually, at Cook County, one real quick story. I worked on the unit, it was called Automatic Transfers. So in Chicago, they have been, And this was a number of years ago, but trying to cut down on cu- gun violence. So a juvenile that committed any type of crime with a firearm was being charged as an adult. I was the psychologist on that unit, so all my boys were in fact being charged, looking at about forty-five years to life. But in the state of Illinois, you can't mix juveniles with adult prisons. So on their 18th birthday, they would wake them up, shower shackle them, and then take them over to the adult jail. And one of my boys he was one of the gang leaders, and he would l- say, "Doc, I, I don't wanna do this." we actually share... Our birthdays were similar. And you know, it, it just got to be some tough work. But I felt as though if I didn't do it, who would? but since moving back to Columbus I found myself in other administrative and leadership roles which I really enjoyed because I got to impact larger systems. But I always have maintained my private practice so I can have that direct service. And so with that, I currently see a lot of young or professionals you know, men and women of color who are looking to kind of process a lot of that childhood trauma, again, who may be going through major life transitions and then certainly grief as we're finding, you know, our parents you know, even peers that are going on. So that's kind of been the focus population that I've recently been working with.

Mike

Like I've never thought about that transition of, you know, if you go into the system as a child and then have to go somewhere else as an adult. Like that has never crossed my mind. Never once thought about that.

Maria Houston

It's a different

Mike

And I'm sure that's probably terrifying for

CJ

the anxiety

Maria Houston

A lot of my clients, they were on w- suicide watch. it was, like I said, I had, 'Cause, you know, a lot of the providers and people didn't wanna w- I wanted to work with the hardest youth to give them hope. And so I mentioned I worked with one of the largest ga- he was a gang leader. Now, when we say leader, if you know anything about gang life, these gang leaders, like the generals, they're 16, 17, maybe 18 years old. And so he would look at me and say, "Doc, I don't wanna do this," know? And he was, like, the scary dude, like, you didn't me- Like, he was the general. But he said, you know, "My grandma banged." Like, "My dad is a legend serving two li-," you know, you know, two sentences of life. Like, he really had no choice in terms of wanting to get into, you know, into the life. So yeah, it is, it is quite challenging at times

Mike

Yeah

Maria Houston

especially for our young people

Mike

I could have you on just to talk about that 'Cause I, I have a million questions, but I know we have a lot of other things to talk about. So my second question that popped into mind when you were introducing yourself, and then I'll shut up and let them talk, but is important to you, was it to have mentors? You mentioned your mentors, your family, and everything else in order to guide you to where you are today

Maria Houston

It was everything. I mean, really tremendous. I, I know I'm blessed. I grew up with both my parents. So my mother and father met when they were, I think 16, 17, 17, 18. My dad worked store. My mom came in, you know, with an attitude, and he, you know, threw that line out there, like, "You're too pretty not to smile," kind of thing. and then about a year or so later, here I came. So they are really my true role models and my foundation and I'm, I'm so grateful for them. My father has gone on, and we'll talk probably more about that. That's kind of how StarCouture came about. But yeah, the mentors, my parents th- they were everything that I could imagine. I'm trying to find the highest kind of compliment. But it was people that believed in me. I love sports and so, you know, coaches kind of poured into me. My mom made me do drill team this cheerleading thing because she was so worried about me being a tomboy. And even though I love to get my hair done, it's not done right now, so, but... she made me do this, like, drill team thing or whatever, and I was so mad, and I made it known. But I think, you know, the coaches seen that, and I'm-- again, coaches are just invaluable. And she saw that in me, but she also saw that I was the loudest, and I wasn't scared. so she actually used that and made me, like, not necessarily the captain, but I got to call out the commands. And so there wasn't a lot of, you know, young girls that looked like me in the space too, so, but I'm in there yelling, screaming. But you know, again, they kind of they poured into me. So yeah, the mentors are inevitable. I've, I still have mentors to this day. I've learned just the value of them. I serve as a mentor, which is a honor. I have one young lady who actually slid in my DM, years ago, and I wrote her letter of recommendation to get into Wright State University's doctoral program. And I'm meeting her this afternoon to give her a bottle of champagne because she's going off on her residency to Vanderbilt University.

Ken

That's fine. Congratulations

Maria Houston

yeah. Yeah. So it's so I've received so much, and so I certainly try to give back. So anybody who's like, "Oh, my niece," or anybody who's into psychology, I'm like, "Give 'em my number. Text, you know, just text me."

Mike

awesome. it.

Maria Houston

Yeah.

Ken

I, I wanna just ask a quick question around the stigma that is cultural, right, with Black people around

Maria Houston

Mm-hmm.

Ken

health, mental awareness, you know. And so talk a little bit about how that has impacted your practice and kind of what, what you know, processes do you kind of employ to get people more comfortable with the services that you provide and, you know, getting them to be able to talk to you about what's going on in their life?

Maria Houston

Yeah. A couple things with that. I will say nowadays in kinda 2026, there's still certainly a level of stigma that runs through, particularly for maybe a older generation. My mom still is not talking to somebody else. Fill in the blank. But honestly, I think since COVID COVID exposed a lot of people and their maybe lack or limited coping skills. I did a lot of interviews during that time. But so I think since then people have been op-mo- a little more open to it. You know, I think celebrities are talking about it. You know, Kanye, call me. We can get, do some good work. But yeah. So sorry.

Ken

Okay.

Maria Houston

Yeah, so I think people are interested in it. And I think more people are going in, so then they're talking to their friends and family. so for me, I've done some marketing as it relates to kind of the private practice, but really it's a lot of word of mouth because, you know, like I said, a couple people are going and so people are learning about it and it's like, "Well, hey, you know, who are you going to?" Or the girls at my... I go to an all women's gym here in Columbus, they know I'm, I'm not gonna be their therapist, but they're like, "Hey, can you give me some recommendations?" Right? So people are feeling a little bit more comfortable. Maybe not just kind of going out and just, you know, finding somebody, but they are asking, you know, close friends or family, like, "Can you recommend someone?" A couple, about a year or two ago, I actually did kind of this social media campaign. I said, "Shopping for the right..." Or what is it? what I entitled it, but it was like, if you're shopping for shoes Right? You take different measures to shop for the best shoes or the best, you know, maybe hairstylist or barber, right? There's certain things you're looking for, like a good fit. Do they take my form of payment? Like, like do I have to order online? Do I have to pick them up in person? So it's a lot of those things that I've tried. Education for me is huge, right? If we can educate, you know, one another, knowledge is power. We feel a little bit more equipped. So I've put out different kind of educational tips, and then I also offer a free consultation. So I, I highly encourage people, your therapist, you know, or potential provider. Ask them questions. You know, "What are your credentials?" 'Cause we're not all made equal. That is the reality. And, you know, "What's your training background?" I am a little biased. I won't... You know, that's another show. But, but you know, ask them questions because you want it to be a good fit for you and it should be a good fit for them. So I will tell potential clients if, you know, if I don't think that I'm a good fit for them, but I'll certainly give them some referrals. So yeah. Hopefully that answers your question completely.

Ken

Yeah. Yes. Thank you

CJ

Can you talk about your experiences have shaped I'm assuming your how you provide I don't know your professionalism to other participants or patients or what have you you talk about what is it your Houston Wellness Solutions and how you took your experiences and started your business what steps did you take what for I guess for say young people that might be listening what certifications did it take to get there what things do they need to do to to become a psychologist and how did you get the business started

Maria Houston

Yeah. I made a lot of mistakes as I think we all do, and we learn from them. But to become a psychologist, excuse me, so I- I'll try to go through this quickly. But you're looking for graduate programs, and as I was going through, my, m- one of my mentors, he had a PhD, and he was encouraging me to go that route. have a PsyD, so that's a doctor in psychology. is PhDs are more focused on academia. So you're wanting to kind of contribute back to the literature in doing research and research labs. The PsyD is you're focused more on being a practitioner, you know, providing services. There is research, as I mentioned my dissertation, and you did-- you do some research along the way. But really quick, I think I could give you... When we did interviews for residency we're competing with people all across the country. So, you know, some of my the PhD peers, they had maybe one year of a practicum or internship. We had three years. So that kind of gives you a little insight to just the focus. So before I even, you know, got to residency, I had three full years training, other... another psychologist versus them having the one year. But you essentially apply to the programs. You can go right after undergrad. So again, quickly with my story, I had only applied to a couple of doctoral programs. Had a high school sweetheart, and his cousin went to Wright State, and she vo- spoke very highly of it. And so that's where I wanted to go. There was a couple other schools I interviewed too. I didn't get in. I cried, bought a car and talked to mentors, and they said, "Well, you know, you could, like, apply for a master's program." I was like, "Oh, well," you know, first generation. So that's what took me to Chicago the first time. So I went and studied. I was in a, a master's clinical psych program at Roosevelt University. And I got all A's, and the, the advisor was like, "Well, what do you wanna do?" And I was like, "Well, ultimately, I wanted to get my doctorate." so a psychologist, if you think about the highest level of credentials, so me as a psychologist, I am the business. You know, I'm independent, and I think in your last show she explained, you know, like a LPCC you have to be independently licensed to operate your own business versus a LPC, you have to work under someone else's license. So I can supervise anyone if, you know, if that kinda makes sense. so So yeah, I am the business being a psychologist because I can sign off on anything. I've been deemed by the board of psychology to pr- provide you know, any form of psychological treatment, signing off, and things of that nature

Mike

Nice

Maria Houston

So went, transferred to Wright State. But so that's... You would go through a graduate, program to become a psychologist. And again, that's a whole nother topic to decide versus, you know, master's level therapist. There's a lot that goes into that. But how I started my business when I first moved back to Columbus, actually in 2016 I was done running the streets, I guess. Came on back home. And it's funny because while I was in graduate school, I worked in a private practice, and at that time, I said I would never work in a private practice. Because with entrepreneurialship, it was like, if you didn't see clients, you didn't get paid. So as a young, you know, 20-some, I'm like, "That doesn't make sense to me." And then, like, they were seeing, like, clients back to back to back to back. And if you could imagine, that could be emotionally taxing. So I was like, "That's something I would never do." Fast-forward, I get back to Columbus, and people are like, "Are you taking clients? Can you see clients?" And I was like, "No, like, not doing that." And I have a good girlfriend she's a minister down at OU, and she's like "There's this student, there's this, this pretty well-off family. They will pay anything." Now, sounds terrible, but I was like, okay, you know, praying about it and, like, people, like, keep asking because I feel as though I say what you see is what you get. You know, I'm, I'm just very authentic. I'm not gonna show up to the therapy space and be like, "So, you know, like we're..." Like, no, like, this, this is what we're doing. And so people felt, I think, comfortable, like, oh, if you're a psychologist... You know, people say I'm pretty, you know, humble or down-to-earth. They're like, "Oh, I could do, I could do therapy, like, if you would be my therapist." I took it as a compliment. But I'm like, yeah, it doesn't have to be scary. But I said, "We're friends. We, we can't. You know, there's ethics." But so she said, "There's this, you know, there's this student, they're really struggling. This family will literally pay anything." So because I had some working knowledge of a private practice and I'm a licensed psychologist, it was really a matter of kind of found... Well, I was doing in-person at the time, so my pastors, they had an office space that they were willing to rent to me for nothing 'cause I, you know, I served a lot. That was a blessing. And then I just created a invoice off of, it wasn't even Canva at the time. This was like 10 years ago. PayPal or something. so I, I did my consultation with the, the client and just brought them in, created the invoice, and took payment. It sounds simple, but that's where I said I made a lot of mistakes, right? But as I learned more and I said, "Okay, if I'm really going to do this, I have to do it with excellence." And so I learned about the electronic health record system, excuse me, for professionals to maintain you know, your, your records where I'm able to provide telehealth or virtual sessions. You know, and then I got on a couple of insurance panels and then, you know, with marketing professionals kind of to put the information out there, got a website and things like that. So, you know, you build it sort of brick by brick. But it's taking what I did know and then finding out, you know, the information that I did not know how to run a successful private practice. But it... I, I feel like I'm making it sound easier than it was. But, you know, it is a matter of kind of putting the pieces together for people to be able to find you. And then, you know, the behind the scenes, the processes, the policies. You know, I learned quickly, put a card on file of thing.

Mike

Yeah

Maria Houston

you know, no-shows, it's, you know,

Mike

I'd pay for that.

Maria Houston

is valuable.

Mike

Yeah, it sounds like you you took the leap and then you were just building as you went along. what, again, we, we talk about this all the time is, you know, some people think that when you start you have to know everything, know how to do everything, you know, you're a professional from day one. But everyone that we've spoken to who's gotten to a point where, you know, they're, they're doing great things, all started and was like, "We had no idea what we were doing. We just went and did something. as we were doing it, we, we realized like, oh, you need to learn this or you need to learn how to do this," and you literally just built off of that foundation brick by brick throughout the years. So, I think it's important for people to hear that and understand that it's not something you just jump into and you're, you know, you're just, you know everything about the business, you know, how to do everything you need to do. You just get started and learn as you go

Maria Houston

Yeah. As long as you're not breaking any laws, you

Mike

But don't do that part.

Maria Houston

Don't do that part. So I knew about that. I knew the ethics. And so then it's just like, okay

Mike

Nice.

Ken

Can you talk a little bit about the mistakes? You've mentioned, I think a couple times, like you made some mistakes. Can you talk about the mistakes and you know, what y- how you figured out you were making mistakes and then what you did to correct them

CJ

It sounded like

Maria Houston

Yeah

CJ

on file was one of them

Maria Houston

Yes. Yes.

Mike

Gotta get paid

Maria Houston

Because... Right. You're like, "Oh, yeah, you can pay me later." No.

Mike

Three years later

Maria Houston

And I... Well, and I think that's the thing, too like a misperception that, in the kind of helping field, if you will, that we really wanna help, which we do, but we also have to get paid for our service, And that's important. So I think one of the, the mistakes was what I was charging. You know, just... was just like, I just didn't feel comfortable. You know, I, I was a psychologist. You know, I was trained. Like one of the feedbacks is they didn't train us, like, as business professionals, right? I, I feel like a lot of that I just got over the years on... in terms of how to run a business. Now, I knew how to be in leadership, And I gained different skills from there. But being business savvy was not something that skill-wise I had. But... And then charging people. You know, it's, it's your people. It's people with these stories, and you're... and they're like, "Well, how much do you charge if you don't take insurance?" And then I say it, and they're like, "Oh, that's too high," you know? But as long as I've done my market research and I understand, you know, my numbers and my value, you know, my pe- people will, you know, who can afford, I guess you will, will, will find me. But I think, you know, what I was charging it was just kinda like, "Oh, just give me a little gas money," thing. I mean, that might be a little dramatic, but what I was charging then, you know, I just didn't feel comfortable versus what the sort of standard or average, right? I didn't know that

CJ

What do you

Mike

had imposter syndrome

Maria Houston

Say it one more time

Mike

I was gonna say you had imposter syndrome

Maria Houston

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Imposter syndrome, I think ignorance, again, just knowing kind of what to charge. I think the system, the policies, the procedures, those I think if, if new... people starting new businesses, if you spend time, you know, at the outset of getting your policies, your procedures, you know, your structures in place, it just will save you a lot of time and probably a headache, right? You know, like I didn't have policies that if you are going to cancel, how far in advance do you need to cancel, right? So it's, it's those things I think you learn with experience, but again, like sitting down, okay, what things do I need to, like, try to have in place? So I think that was some of the biggest things that I

CJ

Oh can we switch gears now and talk about your business your other passion How did the two relate and how did that come about

Maria Houston

Yeah. So I like to think I'm fairly creative or have been just kind of in my life, whether it's, you know, with my home or, you know, clothing and things like that. So I've always enjoyed being creative. but really how it started my father, who I mentioned, was really a pillar in my life. I was a daddy's girl, like through and through. like, that was my guy. And he passed about a year or so after I moved back to Columbus. And, as I mentioned, my mom... Him and my mom have been together since they were kids. And I'm the oldest. I have a younger brother who was actually also going through some legal challenges at the time. So my father, he had kidney failure, so they would say he was a walking miracle. He was on dialysis for 20-plus years. And then my mom... Yeah, the average is three to five, but then my mom gave him a kidney. and so he had it for a couple of years. It did unfortunately reject after a few years. And then, you know, he passed. And my mom also has a chronic illness. She has epilepsy. And then they-- If you do give an organ, the person that gives oftentimes has sort of the worst recovery, so she kind of had some challenges there. That's really what brought me back to Ohio. And so I say that during that time when my father passed, I didn't really grieve. It was, I think as a lot of Black women, we had to keep it moving. You know, my mom, I was supporting her. As I mentioned, I was supporting my brother. So I, I was supporting my family not only financially, you know, emotionally, just trying to kind of keep us together. And so it wasn't till really years later I found myself needing to grieve and, you know, wanting, wanting to grieve and then just trying to find... Take my own advice you know... And I like to do things with my hands or be creative. It's just-- It, it feels really good. It's a nice outlet. So I saw it on social media es- especially during the holidays 'cause couple years later actually my grandmother passed on a Saturday, and I was planning the funeral with my uncle and aunt, my, my dad's siblings, and then that following Saturday, my uncle passed. And so we had a funeral with both on one side of, you know, at the front was my grandmother and then my uncle. So I had experienced a lot of grief in a short period of time. And with that, my, with my mom, and I have like a, a, some aunts and stuff, they said, "Well, you and your cousin, guys you can take over the holidays." You c- you can imagine, like our family just kind of was really impacted. My grandmother who passed was the matriarch. And that was my dad's mother. And so they're like, you know, "You and your cousin can figure out the holiday dinners and stuff." So, We decided she would take Thanksgiving, I would take Christmas, and then holidays were just extra hard, right, without my family members. And so just online you know, doing flower arrangements, like creating pumpkins. Then I saw these charcuterie boards, or my uncle would say cheese boards. And so I just started making them. I started making these like trees out of like grapes and strawberries, and people were like, "You're really good at this." And so I was just doing it for, you know, the holidays, family and friends, kinda if you knew, you knew kinda thing. And I'm so blessed to have some girlfriends that are like, "You, you really enjoy this, and you should, you know, make it a business." And imposter syndrome came on back. I'm like, "I don't have no degree. I never even worked in a restaurant or culinary, like I know nothing this." But I knew that I enjoyed it and, you know, people enjoyed it. So for me, how I really marry the two food brings all people together. It brings, right? It... And that was the time, you know, like for my family, the family that was still here, right? We had to like recognize that there are people that are still here and we need to love on one another even though there's a lot of our family members not here. So I mean, with anything, like a date night, we gonna get some food. You know, you know, your friends or, "Oh, we're gonna watch the game. Do they got some wings there?" So food is kind of like this thread throughout our lives if we want it to be or not. so I enjoy hosting and kind of bringing people together. I love people. And so again, between my friends and family saying, you know, "Take this serious," and just my love for how it comes about, I've actually created a workshop and I'm gonna provide my first workshop to this y- girls youth empowerment, summer program. So I'm gonna teach them how to create their own charcuterie board while I'm infusing sort of these therapeutic topics. So healthy relationships, you know burnout even as a, you know, as a teenager. You know, the pressures that they're under and things like that. So that'll be like our dialogue while we're styling some meat and, you know, cutting up some cheese.

CJ

Considering how do I say this without being too political Considering the environment that Columbus is in right now AKA the violence that happened last weekend at that church on the east side this would be a very necessary thing Very helpful in that our community especially

Maria Houston

Yeah. Yeah. So it's just with, even with my own, my, my therapy, like I'm out of the box, right? And I think we have to be, especially for young people and then just people in general.

Ken

Uhhuh

Maria Houston

think, you know, the charcuterie is just a nice way to get people talking maybe about some difficult topics, but then it looks good and it tastes good. that's been one of my highest compliments is that people, they're like, you know, they're like saying, "It's so pretty to eat." But then when they do eat, they're like, "It's actually really good." I'm like, "Yes,

Mike

Mm-hmm. You ha- you can have both people.

Maria Houston

Yes, yes, yes

CJ

I've seen on your Instagram page it looks amazing Like the creativity that you have and the you just look at something and wonder like what were you looking at when you made this How did you come up with this how has this even come together Like it it's amazing

Maria Houston

Thank you. Yeah, I feel like I always say, like, God just deposits different things and, like, it comes easy and, you know, I just, I so enjoy it. Like, I could be tired or, you know, just wanna, like, lay on the couch, but somebody will give me a idea and I'll pop up. That's what happened with my Mother's Day, like, charcuterie bouquet if you guys had a chance to see that.

CJ

did

Mike

Looking at it

Maria Houston

yeah, a girlfriend just sent it to me. I was like, "Let me see what I have in the refrigerator and just create something." it just allows my mind to escape from, as you mentioned, a lot of, you know, the stress and just things that we're experiencing as people

Mike

Yeah, I'm looking at your, your Instagram right now and two things. One, the next time I'm in town, I would love this breakfast board that you put together. I started to say but it wasn't coming out fast enough. breakfast board that I see laying here with the waffles and the fruit and everything else on it, I'm, I'm getting hungry right now. second, we may ha- we may need to book one of these where can I find it? The sip and something. I forget what it was called. Sip and Celebrate with Beck Boards. We may need to do a little sip and celebrating with one of your events. That looks, that looks fun

Maria Houston

Yeah, it was fun. I like to have fun. I mean, I think we work so hard, right? And life is so hard. So it's like work hard, play hard kind of thing,

Mike

Yeah.

Maria Houston

and have beautiful things

Mike

This, and this is the right group who loves to sip, so we will, we will be there

Maria Houston

Okay. perfect

Mike

so tell us about 'cause we're coming up on time, so we have to start wrapping it up here in a minute. But it looks like you have an event coming up Color Color of Summer?

Maria Houston

Yes. Ken, you said you were coming to town. I was eager to learn if you were going to Color of Summer or if you guys were planning on it

Ken

No, I, I have not heard of that, but it's not off the table, so please enlighten us

Maria Houston

Yeah, so Color of Summer, it is put on by First Fridays and the NOW Foundation. So it is like the event of the summer, and it's a full weekend. I do have tickets, and you guys could be maybe my special guest. You know, so I mentioned it's all weekend. it starts Thursday. There's Royal Lounge, which is a cigar lounge. CJ, if I, I don't know if you're familiar, over on, on Georgesville Road. Yeah, so Thursday is the kickoff at the cigar lounge. You know, people just hanging out. Then Friday is an all-Black you know, kind of outside event. And then Saturday is the big event. So it's at the Columbus Museum, which is one of, one of the museums. So there's indoor and outdoor, so there's gonna be a lot of activations going on. There's a fashion show. There's live artist art kind of happening. And then year they select 13 to 16 culinary artist, who will have tables throughout the museum. So Eckforth's is one of the artist.

CJ

Congratulations

Maria Houston

I will... Thank you. And so I'll have my mobile cart, and we'll have samples, if you will. So I'm doing different pairings. So one thing about charcuterie, I think people typically who aren't, excuse me, aren't well-versed will go with kind of what they know, right? They'll pick up the fruit, you know, maybe a pepperoni, a little Colby-Jack. But one of the things, as I mentioned earlier, how I love education, you know, I'm like, "Try this, and try these two things together." And people are like, minds are blown. So I'm putting together... So the idea is while you're at the event, you can go to all, you know, all 16 tables and kind of eat what, you know, they're provide sampling. So I'm putting together different pairings. So like this sriracha hot cheese with this spicy, you know salami on a sea salt cracker. You know, so I'm gonna have those different pairings that you can kind of come, come and grab and So that's Color of Summer. And then there's a after-party at the Renaissance Hotel. But yeah, it's a time where, you know, people come out and, know, it's big parties, big, you know, summer activities.

Mike

That sounds like a

CJ

you mentioned I have heard of it and I've seen photos online but I've never been

Maria Houston

Okay, well, this is your opportunity. I'm personally inviting you

CJ

oh let me we'll make it happen

Ken

Yeah.

Maria Houston

Okay.

Ken

done

Maria Houston

Even if you just maybe come out to the cigar lounge or something, but but yeah, I think, you know, something to check out

Mike

Bluestone. We've been to Bluestone before, right? Yeah. That's the restaurant with the bar up front. Yeah, 'cause it looks like one of the events on Saturday is at, or Friday, is at Bluestone.

Maria Houston

Yeah

Mike

that may be cute. But but yeah, we're, we're coming up on time. We try not to keep people over an hour, and we're at 54 minutes right now. So I really appreciate speaking with you and learning more about you and what you do. There's a lot to unravel. I still have questions and wanna talk about,

CJ

say

Mike

you know, your experience with, you know, the, the juvenile detention and everything else, and the transition there. also wanna know more-- I feel like they should've been two separate episodes, more about your, your charcuterie business and how you started that, and what it entails in order to you know, get that started and keep it running. 'Cause I'm sure there's a lot of people who, who are probably watching this and like, "Ah, I wanted more details about, you know, like, what goes into building the business and everything else." So we may have to have you back if you're open to that, to just talk about one or the other. And fo- I mean, both of them are great topics, and I would love to talk about them, both at some point. Yeah, with that said I don't know if one of y'all, Ken or CJ, wanna sorta start walking us down the end of the, the road here

CJ

So before we even get into this can you tell our listeners where they can find you and your businesses social

Maria Houston

Yes. Yes, so social media for the charcuterie business, it's just simply Beck Boards. That's on Instagram and Facebook. On TikTok, we're beckboards614. So find us there. And then for the private practice, we do have a social media page, not as a- as active but it is, it's Houston Wellness Solutions. for the website for the practice, it's www.the, T-H-E, drmaria.com, so T-H-E-D-R-M-A-R-I-A. then for the charcuterie business, it's beckboards614.com.

CJ

And just as a I'm not sure if you're comfortable giving them out but can you give them an idea of physical locations as well Especially

Maria Houston

so yes. So actually I just transitioned out of my office which was on Bryce Road. So we're looking for another location. So right now for the private practice, it's solely telehealth or virtual sessions. but we are going to go back into a kind of physical location, just trying to find the best, best location for that. So online is available for people that feel comfortable. And I would, you know, encourage people to try it out. Pros and cons to in-person and video and, and then for the charcuterie business I do have a commercial kitchen that I utilize. And then we have our business address, but we don't have a brick and mortar not yet for the charcuterie. So you simply would want to go to our website or our social media and message us. If you wanted to place an order you could email us at contact@backboards614.com for more information. If you know your corporation, you know, you're you wanna maybe do some team building I can come do a workshop you know, businesses and I've done a variety of, you know happy hours for corporations and you know, different spreads and conferences. yeah, certainly reach out. The business number is area code 614-706-2085. So those are ways people can find me.

CJ

just out of curiosity how much of a lead time do you need to create a board

Maria Houston

So I like to have at least for our boards, so we have boards of v- a variety of sizes would be five to seven days. But I get a lot of last minute orders, which is fine but there is going to be a rush fee added to that. for our grazing tables, we ask for 14 days, and then for the mobile cart we're looking at about 21 to 30 days in advance notice

Mike

So CJ, what are yours today?

Maria Houston

Yes, Father's Day is coming up.

Mike

Oh, I know.

Maria Houston

up. I have a couple orders for the charcuterie with the fried ch- you know, with wings added. Because we definitely customize all of our boards you know, upon request. So get the orders in. So I'll be making boards and crying. It's fine.

Mike

So the, the next part is where we ask you the question from the prior guest, and then after the-- after you answer that, then we will ask you for a question for the next guest. So with that said the question from the prior g-guest is, what's one sacrifice people never see behind your success?

Maria Houston

Hmm, he went deep. I think it's a, and this'll lead into my question. Sometimes you, starting out, always get paid. And what I mean by that is once I've, you know, pay all the expenses, especially if I'm doing a big event I like to pay people a livable wage. Again, you know, I've been in leadership and worked for nonprofits a lot, and so I want people to feel good about, you know, the time that they spent with my business in getting compensated appropriately. So sometimes, again, with paying the expenses and paying, you know, people that I've supported you know, you-- I may ha- I have to wait kinda to see the big

Mike

Mm-hmm.

Maria Houston

Payout, if you will. So I think that sacrifice has been... Like, it's coming. You know, people are like, "Oh, I see you everywhere," you know. "You're doing big things." And I'm like, "Yes, we are." But, you know resigned from my nine-to-five in April. And so still trying to figure out you know this life lifestyle, if you will. And so the sacrifice might be that putting the, the big bucks, I guess, coming back to me they might be coming down the line, you know. They're postponed.

CJ

Speak it into existence

Maria Houston

oh yeah, oh yeah, it's coming, for sure, so, but... Yeah, it might be a little delayed. You won't see it in the very beginning

Mike

right on time. It's gonna come

Maria Houston

Oh yeah, for sure

CJ

have figured you'd say time management with you running two businesses

Maria Houston

Yeah. Yeah, and then just I'm trying to sell my house. It's a lot going on. I got a, a Yorkie that just-- He's been down here. He's been good today.

Mike

That is cute

CJ

So what would be your question for the next guest?

Maria Houston

So my question for the next guest would be kinda twofold. What are they doing to take care of themselves? And if they're not doing the necessary things to take care of themselves, what's something they want to start doing?

Mike

I like it. That's a pretty great question

Maria Houston

yes

Mike

All right, Ken, you know what you're, you're up to do

Ken

So the next part if, if you've watched any of the episodes and watched to the end, you know that we do our signature move at the end and wh- which is called the Wakanda Peace Paws. Did you see her chuckle at that, Mike? And so what we're gonna...

Maria Houston

I gotta watch my face

Mike

Oh, you can laugh, 'cause the first time I said it, we were like, "What?"

Ken

What I ask you to do is hold up your hands like this, a peace sign for approximately, what, 10 to 15 seconds so that we can take a picture. And that will end the the, the podcast.

Mike

I'm gonna need you to put your thumbs away 'cause you look like you got two, two shooters.

CJ

I noticed that, but I

Maria Houston

I don't have it now, but kick

Ken

Who, me? Or... I

Mike

You're like...

Ken

mean, listen, listen, you gotta be ready

CJ

Bang, shoot 'em up.

Mike

about to say you may end up in juvie.

Ken

Listen, you always, you always, gotta s-- listen, what do they say? If you stay prepared, you ain't gotta get prepared

Mike

So I'm gonna be calling you next week.

CJ

be doing that, kid.

Mike

Like, "Hey Maria so remember when you talked about..."

Maria Houston

Like, he is in Atlanta, I mean

Mike

Truth. So yes, if you wanna count us down, Ken, that would be great

Ken

Yeah. You guys ready? Three, two, one And we're good Awesome. Thank you very much.

Maria Houston

You guys are awesome

Ken

You are fantastic. We appreciate you

CJ

Absolutely. You're gonna have to charge me a fee because I need to put in an order

Maria Houston

All right. Send me a message. I got you.

CJ

Okay. Okay.

Mike

Don't, don't be giving him any

CJ

big. It's nothing big

Mike

Don't be giving him any, any, any discounts, any it's okay.

CJ

Listen,

Maria Houston

all

Mike

Charge her full Charge her full, price

CJ

You stay where you are in Chicago. Don't worry about what's going on in Columbus.

Maria Houston

Right, right. You're gonna promote the business so I can show some love.

Mike

I love it. But yeah, but

CJ

you on Saturday while we eating it, just to eat it in

Mike

Don't do that. do that. Charge them double now. But

Maria Houston

guys

Mike

it's been a pleasure. Thank you.

Ken

Thank you very much. Have a great weekend

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Mike Lovett

Host
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Chris Johnson

Co-host
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Ken Peak

Co-host