Dr. LaDonna Butler, EdD, LPCC, LADC is a storyteller, healer, and visionary dedicated to creating spaces where people can JustBE—whole, seen, and free. As the Founder of The Well, JustBE, and A Brunch of Us Project Series, she curates transformative spaces that center healing, liberation, and radical love at the intersections of mental health, identity, and community care.
A Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC), Dr. Butler specializes in healing-centered engagement, expansive relationships, and the reclamation of joy—especially for Black people. Grounded in Womanist thought and inspired by the works of bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and other Black feminist thinkers, she challenges traditional narratives of love, faith, and belonging, reframing them as tools of self-determination, care, and resistance.
Her work has been widely recognized and featured in both local and national media. A leading voice in conversations about healing, justice, and community transformation, she has been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, Freethink Media, ABC News, NPR, St. Petersburg Times, Weekly Challenger, and several others.
Her latest initiatives include:
A Brunch of Us – More than a gathering, it’s a movement designed to cultivate rooted connections, ignite relevant conversations, and embody real joy. It is an intentional and diverse space (EVERYONE is welcome) where Black and other diverse voices, experiences, and brilliance are centered—a space where individuals don’t just show up, but belong.
Here, we reclaim community as a source of power, strengthen social bonds, and nourish collective well-being through: Storytelling—remembering, learning, and knowing; Somatic experiences; solidarity and celebration—because joy is resistance
JustBE – A specialized healing space where individuals can rest, process, and reclaim the fullness of their identities.