So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

Thank you! My name is Nadia Ramsaran, and I’m a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, business owner, wife, and mom. I’m the founder of Best Life Counseling Services, a California-based group therapy practice focused on supporting women through anxiety, burnout, motherhood, and major life transitions.

I was born and raised in Southern California and come from a West Indian/Guyanese family, which has played an important role in shaping who I am and how I view family, community, and mental health. Today, I’m based in the Inland Empire, where I’m raising my family while also growing a practice that reflects my passion for helping women feel supported in the many roles and seasons they navigate.

Outside of my work, I’m a wife and mom, and my faith and family are at the center of my life. I’m currently in a particularly special season as our family prepares to welcome our third child.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now?

I love the sense of community and family-centered lifestyle here in the Inland Empire. We’re close enough to enjoy everything Southern California has to offer—from the mountains and beaches to great restaurants and activities—but we can still come home to a place that feels a little more grounded and connected. I also love that this is where we’re raising our children and building both our family and my business, so there’s a real sense of home and belonging here.

Tell us a little bit more about what your company does and how it started? How does it help your customers?

Best Life Counseling Services is a group mental health practice supporting women and couples through anxiety, burnout, motherhood, perinatal mental health, relationship challenges, and major life transitions. We provide individual and couples therapy, groups, and community-based education, both virtually throughout California and in person in the Inland Empire.

I started Best Life in 2020 as a solo private practice when my firstborn was still an infant. At the time, I was working full-time as a school counselor and found myself wanting a different kind of life for our family—one that would allow me to continue doing meaningful work while also having more flexibility to be present with my son. Private practice initially became a pathway for me to transition out of my full-time role and create a schedule that worked around caring for him.

What started as a way to create more flexibility for my own family gradually grew into something much bigger. As I moved through motherhood myself, I became even more aware of how much women are carrying—the mental load, career demands, relationships, parenting, identity shifts, and the pressure to somehow manage all of it well. That experience helped shape the heart behind Best Life and the population we serve today.

Over time, my solo practice grew into a group practice with a team of clinicians who bring different specialties and perspectives to the work. We help our clients not only manage symptoms but also understand themselves more deeply, establish healthier boundaries, strengthen their relationships, and build lives that feel more sustainable and fulfilling.

I also believe mental health support shouldn’t only happen behind the closed doors of a therapy office. A growing part of our mission is bringing these conversations into the community through support groups, workshops, partnerships, and education—especially around women’s and maternal mental health.

There’s something very full-circle about building a business that began because I wanted to be more present in motherhood and now having the opportunity to support other women as they navigate motherhood and all the other parts of themselves alongside it.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

One of the biggest pieces of advice I would give is you don’t have to have everything figured out before you start. When I started my practice in 2020, I wasn’t setting out to build a group practice or create everything Best Life has become today. I was trying to create more flexibility for my family while continuing to do work that I loved. I started with what I knew, took one step at a time, and allowed the vision to evolve.

I would also tell new business owners to get comfortable with learning as you go. There will be decisions you second-guess, things you invest in that don’t work, seasons of growth, and seasons that feel much slower. Entrepreneurship has taught me that being willing to pivot is just as important as having a plan.

And finally, know your “why.” Revenue and growth matter, but there will be days when those things alone aren’t enough to keep you going. Having a deeper purpose behind what you’re building helps you stay grounded when business feels uncertain. For me, that has always come back to creating meaningful work that serves others while also allowing me to be present for the life and family I’m building outside of my business.

What was one feedback from a happy customer/client that you won't forget about?

As a therapist, we often meet people during some of the most vulnerable, overwhelming, or uncertain seasons of their lives, so hearing that someone feels more confident, grounded, and connected to who they are is incredibly meaningful.

I’ve also had clients express that therapy with us was one of the first spaces where they felt truly heard without judgment or without feeling like they had to have everything together. That always stays with me because it reflects exactly what I hoped to create with Best Life—a space where people can put down some of what they’ve been carrying, feel genuinely supported, and begin making meaningful changes in their lives.

Those moments remind me that behind all of the business decisions, numbers, and day-to-day responsibilities of running a practice, there are real people and families being impacted by the work we do.

Where do you see your company in the future?

I see Best Life continuing to grow beyond the traditional therapy model while staying deeply rooted in high-quality, compassionate mental health care. I want us to become a trusted resource for women and families throughout California, particularly in the areas of women’s mental health, maternal and perinatal mental health, anxiety, burnout, relationships, and life transitions.

In the future, I envision expanding our team and services while also growing our community presence through support groups, workshops, speaking engagements, partnerships with other organizations, and educational resources. I’m especially passionate about reaching women earlier—before they reach a point of crisis or complete burnout—and creating more opportunities for connection, prevention, and support.

I’m especially passionate about expanding conversations around maternal and women’s mental health and ensuring that women from diverse backgrounds, including women of color who have historically faced barriers to accessing culturally responsive care, feel seen and represented in these spaces.

Ultimately, I want Best Life to be known as more than a place people come for therapy. I want it to become a community-centered mental health brand that helps change the way we talk about women’s emotional wellness and makes seeking support feel normal, accessible, and empowering. I’m excited to see what that vision grows into while remaining intentional about why I started the practice in the first place: creating meaningful work that positively impacts people’s lives.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

One of the biggest misconceptions about mental health is that therapy is only for people who are in crisis or experiencing a serious mental health condition. In reality, therapy can be just as valuable for someone who appears to be doing well on the outside but feels overwhelmed, disconnected, burned out, or simply knows something in their life needs to change.

I see this especially with women who are accustomed to being the ones everyone else depends on. They may have careers, families, relationships, and responsibilities they’re managing successfully, yet privately they’re exhausted or struggling to make space for themselves. You don’t have to wait until everything falls apart to seek support.

I would love to see us continue shifting the conversation from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What support do I need in this season?” Therapy isn’t just about treating a diagnosis—it can also be a space for greater self-awareness, healthier relationships, stronger boundaries, personal growth, and learning how to build a life that feels good on the inside, not just one that looks good from the outside.

What has been one of your biggest struggle building your business and how did you deal with it?

One of my biggest struggles has been learning how to be both a clinician and a business owner. I went into this field because I love helping people—not because I had a background in entrepreneurship, marketing, finances, hiring, or managing a team. As the practice grew from just me into a group practice, I quickly realized that being a great therapist and running a healthy, sustainable business require very different skill sets.

There have definitely been growing pains, including learning when to delegate, making difficult financial decisions, navigating changes in the industry, and accepting that not every idea or strategy is going to work the first time. I’ve dealt with it by being willing to ask for help, invest in mentorship and education, surround myself with people who have expertise where I don’t, and give myself permission to pivot when something isn’t working.

I’ve also had to redefine what growth means to me. I don’t want to build a business that is successful on paper but leaves me burned out or disconnected from my family. I’m continually learning how to grow Best Life in a way that is financially sustainable, serves our clients well, supports my team, and still allows me to be present for the people and priorities that matter most to me.

Who was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

I’m a millennial through and through, so my music growing up was definitely shaped by the late ’90s and early 2000s! I loved artists like the Backstreet Boys and so many of the iconic pop and R&B artists from that era. That music still brings back so much nostalgia for me.

I’ve never been a huge sports aficionado, but I’ve always admired athletes like Venus and Serena Williams. Beyond their incredible talent, I admired their discipline, confidence, resilience, and what they represented as sisters succeeding together at such an extraordinary level. As a young woman of color, seeing two women of color dominate on a global stage, break barriers, and succeed unapologetically was especially inspiring.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

First and foremost, I give all glory to God. My faith has been the foundation that has carried me through every season of my life and business. There have been so many moments when I didn’t know exactly what the next step would look like, and I’m incredibly grateful for God’s guidance, provision, and grace along the way.

I also have to give a huge shoutout to my husband, who has supported this journey from the very beginning, and to my children, who are such a big part of my “why.” They continually remind me that success isn’t only about what I build professionally, but also about the life we’re building together.

I’m incredibly grateful for my parents and siblings and the foundation, love, sacrifices, and support my family has given me throughout my life. So much of who I am and the values I bring into my work were shaped by them.

And finally, a very special shoutout to the Best Life Counseling team. Building something is one thing, but having people believe in the vision and help carry it forward is something I never take for granted. I’m so thankful for each person who shows up to serve our clients, represent Best Life in the community, and contribute their own gifts to what we’re building. Best Life would not be what it is today without them.

Where can our readers learn more about you and your company?

Readers can learn more about me and Best Life Counseling Services by visiting our website, Best Life Counseling Services, where they can learn more about our team, services, resources, and ways to work with us: https://bestlife-counseling.com/

You can also connect with us on Instagram, @best.lifecounseling, where we share mental health education, encouragement, practice updates, and conversations around women’s mental health, motherhood, anxiety, burnout, and relationships. I love using our online platforms as another way to build community and remind women that they don’t have to navigate everything alone.

And if you’re interested in learning more about me personally and the story behind Best Life, you can also visit my founder profile, @insessionwithNadia.

I’m always grateful for opportunities to connect, collaborate, and continue conversations around mental and emotional wellness.