As early as she can recall, Leslie Davis, PhD, NCC, LCPC, always had a passion for counseling. At age 13, Dr. D, as she is known to her clients, enjoyed offering advice to both her peers and adults on their relationships.  

Dr. D’s personal experiences in these formative years gave her the inspiration to launch a professional counseling career, becoming what she refers to as “a healing agent to the brokenhearted.” Her specialties center on helping women navigate romantic relationships and empowering single mothers. 

“My passion grew from witnessing women, including myself, repeatedly fall into toxic cycles within relationships. I was determined to help them find genuine love, which was often sought in the wrong places,” explains Dr. D. “This journey led to my deep interest in attachment theory and the ways relationships evolve across different cultures.” 

Shortly after becoming a professional counselor, Dr. D quickly recognized that these unhealthy patterns extended beyond romance, affecting friendships, family dynamics, and professional relationships. This motivated her to launch her own business, Eva Empowered, LLC, and podcast, SHE Matters, in 2022. 

Eva Empowered, LLC is a relationship coaching service that emboldens women around the world to break free from toxic relationships and learn to thrive in life-giving relationships. SHE Matters is the product of Dr. D’s doctoral dissertation. She wanted to create something that would have continual and long-lasting effects, not just something no one would ever read again.  

“SHE Matters is a free tool to help Black single mothers overcome toxic patterns in relationships. The goal is to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as suicidal ideation and attempts. Basically, I want to save lives by facilitating healthy connections,” says Dr. D.  

Since earning her PhD, Dr. D has been the recipient of numerous accolades and awards and has published numerous works.  

“It’s been a whirlwind since earning my doctorate,” says Dr. D.  

Some of her most notable honors include: 

• being offered the opportunity as an executive contributor, now a premium partner, to Brainz Magazine, where she writes relationship articles. 

• speaking on various mental health topics at numerous organizations and events, such as the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Heart Center; SheCan Connect; Women Empowering Women; and the Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation, where she is now a board member. 

• the 2025 Trailblazer of the Year award from the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP).  

• the 2024 Empowered Woman of the Year award from IAOTP. 

• the 2024 Mental Health Advocate of the Year award from WomELLE, an online space dedicated to empowering women to overcome challenges and seize opportunities. 

• co-authoring Voices of Women: Creating Ripples of Brilliance, a bestselling anthology where she shares her own journey of becoming a leader as a single mom.  

More recently, Dr. D has focused on creating more content for her YouTube channel, The Real Dr. Leslie. 

Given Dr. D’s success, she offers sound advice to other counselors and counselors-in-training desiring to work in relationship counseling. 

“Begin by reflecting on your own relationship history and understanding the impact it has had on your life. It can be challenging to manage your emotional responses when working with clients who are navigating relationship trauma, and it’s essential to remain mindful of not letting your own experiences—or even your fears—unduly influence the guidance you offer,” suggests Dr. D.  

Dr. D also urges “getting into the heart, not the mind.” She attributes her training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to learning that counselors can’t always help clients rationalize their behaviors in relationships without understanding their emotions and basic need for human connection, which comes from the heart.  

When she isn’t “healing the broken-hearted,” Dr. D utilizes her strong leadership skills in other ways, too. 

Dr. D has always loved martial arts, but she could never find ample time to train until 2017, when her journey with jiu jitsu began. In classes, it wasn’t uncommon for her to be the only woman in the room. Therefore, once she received her blue belt, she felt the desire to give back to other women. 

Dr. D, in conjunction with a training partner, launched We Roll Too, a women’s jiu jitsu empowerment program. Their goal was to create a safe space for women to connect with each other through their love of jiu jitsu.  

Always looking for the next opportunity to help empower women, Dr. D 

 already has sights set on a new goal. 

“My hope is to combine my passions for mental health and jiu jitsu and speak at various jiu jitsu seminars, catering to women who have been victims of domestic violence,” concludes Dr. D. 

Leslie Davis, PhD, NCC, LCPC, is an award-winning counselor serving Illinois and Missouri. She specializes in empowering women, youth, and couples to overcome anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges. Dr. Davis is the 2023 Top Mental Health Counselor from the International Association of Top Professionals and is an international bestselling author. 

**Opinions and thoughts expressed in NBCC Visions Newsletter articles belong to the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or practices of NBCC and Affiliates.