"Once you think that you know everything and you've reached the top, realize that it's the worst place to be because that's when you stop growing."
Camille Tenerife is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles, CA. She is the founder of Diversified Therapy in Los Angeles. Camille obtained her Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California (USC) and now runs her private practice. Her work specializes in sitting side-by-side with BIPOC professionals, especially Black professional women. Having grown up Black in the Philippines, Camille’s biracial identity has fueled her passion in helping others heal from racial trauma and tap into the strengths of their identities. Camille has a passion for helping others, and she does this through her writings. Some of her work has been featured on Thrive Global, Therapy for Black Girls, Shaping Freedom, and Diversity Woman Magazine. When she’s not working, you’ll find her on her yoga mat or reading on the couch with her doodle, Koa. Camille finds joy in cooking, watercolor, and interior design.
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Table of Contents
Let’s start with a brief introduction first. Introduce yourself to our readers.
Camille Tenerife: I’m Camille, a psychotherapist. I am originally from the Bay Area and I moved down to Los Angeles for my graduate program and I am continuing to place roots here. When I’m off the clock, I am scrolling through Pinterest pages for interior design and new recipes to try. I enjoy being outside and appreciating nature!
Our audience is interested to know about how you got started in the first place. Did you always want to become a CEO or was it something you were led to? Our readers would love to know your story!
Camille Tenerife: I did not even think about being a CEO when I started working or started my career in mental health. I just never entertained the idea of it, but somehow I always believed that I could do more. Being a CEO offers liberty but requires discipline. It’s hard to stay motivated when no one else is hovering over you or giving you deadlines. A few of my strengths are to be self-driven and to always challenge myself to grow. These are what attracted me to start my own business and run it! There is still so much to absorb.
“Selfmade” is a myth. We all received help, no doubt you love to show appreciation to those who supported you when the going got tough, who has been your most important professional inspiration?
Camille Tenerife: I completely agree with this statement! One of the biggest values my mom taught me is to never forget those who have helped in my journey, and I’m so glad I never forgot that. My friends and family have always helped me, but I would say that my grandfather and mother inspired me the most. I grew up watching my grandfather go to work and remind me of the value of education and discipline. My mother started her own business and always supported my education and career. It is their work ethic and continued support that helped me get to where I am. This inspires me to do the same for others.
How did your journey lead you to become a CEO? What difficulties did you face along the way and what did you learn from them?
Camille Tenerife: The challenges I faced were surrounding how to balance work and personal life. I think there is a rich personal history behind every CEO! Learning to live a balanced life is a constant juggle. As an expert in mental health, I know the long and short-term emotional, mental, and physical impacts of distress on my body. Living in a busy city like Los Angeles, I struggled financially for a very long time. I sacrificed working for free and earning low wages to get to where I am. I had to spend more hours working and less time with friends and hobbies. I felt anxious all the time and fantasized about the life I am living now.
What I learned and am still trying to master is how to maintain my equilibrium. One hack I’ve discovered is to take time each week to plan work and to plan wellness. I was used to just planning commitments and anything that generated income. I thought that if it doesn’t involve me earning money, it was not productive. I skip on the activities that made me happy. Now, I am learning that for me to be efficient, there needs to be a balance between work, rest, and play.
Tell us about your company. What does your business do and what are your responsibilities as a CEO?
Camille Tenerife: Diversified Therapy LA is a psychotherapy practice that provides mental health counseling. DTLA offers individual therapy, couples counseling, and family therapy. Though DTLA offers services to most people suffering from anxiety or depression, the company specializes in multicultural and inclusive therapy for marginalized populations. As a CEO, I am responsible for everything that requires the business to run. I am in charge of making sure my practice is abiding by legal and ethical rules. I do accounting, marketing, and operations of the business. I also provide the service to my clients. I’m wearing all the hats!
What does CEO stand for? Beyond the dictionary definition, how would you define it?
Camille Tenerife: CEO stands for making your own decisions, having your voice, and being your best cheerleader.
When you first became a CEO, how was it different from what you expected? What surprised you?
Camille Tenerife: A lot fell on me and only me. I did not know about all the business responsibilities of starting and maintaining a corporation. And let me tell you, there is a lot to learn and a lot more to learn. Everything felt like a surprise! I was learning new information that was not taught to us in school or our training programs.
There are many schools of thought as to what a CEO’s core roles and responsibilities are. Based on your experience, what are the main things a CEO should focus on? Explain and please share examples or stories to illustrate your vision.
Camille Tenerife: A CEO should focus on the quality of the service/product the company is providing. The business I run relies on many factors, but the quality of service I provide is one of the most essential components. Part of my goals in the future is to have associates work under my license/practice. With that in mind, I believe leadership and integrity are important attributes of a CEO. Reliability and being vulnerable are essential factors as well. Showing up to work, letting them know when I’m not my best, managing expectations, and transparency are all necessary to establish leadership.
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
Camille Tenerife: One of the most difficult decisions is leaving my group practice and starting my psychotherapy practice. l loved working with a group and a team. I like bringing people together! Many other CEOs in my field mentioned their biggest challenge was feeling alone. I was afraid of that loneliness. It kept me stuck. But if I did not leap to go off and start my practice, I would have never started Diversified Therapy. Now, it is one of the better choices I have made. I get to challenge myself in healthy ways! Sometimes I reflect in gratitude and am proud of what I have accomplished.
How would you define success? Does it mean generating a certain amount of wealth, gaining a certain level of popularity, or helping a certain number of people?
Camille Tenerife: I’ve observed that most people think success is whatever society deems successful at that time. Some common ones I hear a lot are having an education, reaching a certain income, driving a specific car, or owning a house. Look, these are all great and I think are markers of success! However, I also hear a lot of people who have achieved these things say that they’re still searching for the next best thing.
I believe that success is rooted in your values. For example, I value a sense of achievement and connection. I won’t necessarily feel successful if these are not present in my life. As I climb up the ladder of success, I need to continue to create goals that are in line with my value of achievement and connection. To me, success means having a work-life balance, practicing activism/advocacy, generating enough money to cover expenses and have savings, achieving my dreams of traveling, and maintaining healthy relationships.
Some leadership skills are innate while others can be learned. What leadership skills do you possess innately and what skills have you cultivated over the years as a CEO?
Camille Tenerife: I would say that my compassion and grit are innate to me. Trusting myself, having a voice, and decision-making are ones that I had to learn along the way. I’m still learning how to.
How did your role as a CEO help your business overcome challenges caused by the pandemic? Explain with practical examples.
Camille Tenerife: My role as CEO forced me to make decisions that I otherwise wouldn’t have made. The pandemic was scary, and it’s that same fear that got motivated me to reach out to others for support. I started my consultation group with other CEO clinicians. I cold-called people who I looked up to and asked if they had time to connect. I asked a ton of questions no matter how unintelligent I thought they sounded. I read a lot of blogs, listened to podcasts, and asked the opinions of those I trusted. And with all that, I still made mistakes.
Though it was tempting for me to get down on myself, I had to remember that this is the first time I’m doing this, and my first time doing this during a pandemic. The hardest part of this job is guiding my clients through something I was also experiencing. I constantly reached out to other colleagues for support, which I think is essential when becoming a CEO. Most people believe that CEOs have it all figured out, but a helpful reminder is to tell me that I am a human first; a human who is destined to make mistakes but still worthy of pursuing this dream and role.
Do you have any advice for aspiring CEOs and future leaders? What advice would you give a CEO that is just starting on their journey?
Camille Tenerife: Stay humble and have gratitude to the people who have helped you. Celebrate each mini milestone and silence the inner critic. Invite people in your journey because this road can get lonely. Always stay curious, never judgmental. Once you think that you know everything and you’ve reached the top, realize that it’s the worst place to be because that’s when you stop growing.
Thank you for sharing some of your knowledge with our readers! They would also like to know, what is one skill that you’ve always wanted to acquire but never really could?
Camille Tenerife: I’ve always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, either the piano or saxophone. And you know what, I think I still can!
Before we finish things off, we have one final question for you. If you wrote a book about your life today, what would the title be?
Camille Tenerife: Great question – I think it would be “Two Worlds in One.”
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Camille Tenerife for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Camille Tenerife or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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