Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Dodd.
Hi Natalie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Oh gosh, well, I usually joke that social work was always my path — I just fought it for about ten years. What I’ve learned is that when I surrender to what’s meant for me, things seem to fall into place exactly as they should.
Once I finally said, “Okay, let’s do this,” I completed my Master’s in Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville — Go Vols! — and landed my first position as an MSSW about nine months after graduation at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. From there, I transitioned to Rogers Behavioral Health, where I focused on OCD, family therapy, and depression recovery for several years. Eventually, I made the leap into full-time 1:1 therapy within a group practice here in Nashville.
When I became pregnant with my daughter, I wanted something with more stability and a more traditional schedule, so I returned to Vanderbilt, this time working in their Employee Assistance Program (EAP), where I’ve been for the past two-plus years. Now, I’ve stepped out on my own into private practice as an LCSW, where I focus on a holistic healing approach — integrating mind, body, and spirit into the therapeutic space.
Throughout this journey, I’ve also woven my 200-hour yoga teacher training into my work as a social worker. I’m deeply passionate about integrating Eastern practices into Western mental health models. Too many people are living in a chronic state of stress, fight-or-flight, and dissociation. Incorporating my yoga background has brought both ancient wisdom and fresh perspective into what can sometimes be a very rigid system of care in this country.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? Not so much. Impactful? Absolutely. I firmly believe we grow through struggle — and my life’s journey is definitely full of growth, ha!
One of the things I love most about where I am now is how my career and my passions are so deeply blended. It allows me the freedom to play, explore, and continue learning. But it hasn’t always been this way. Anyone who’s ever worked in community or hospital-based mental healthcare understands the rigidity and the major pain points within those systems. They are, frankly, built for burnout and compassion fatigue — and I was certainly not immune. I experienced significant injustice burnout, feeling demeaned and unsupported by the very institutions that were supposed to have my back. It’s a painful irony many of us in the helping professions know all too well.
Through years of tears, anger, passion fatigue, and confusion about humanity, I’ve begun to find my footing. I’ve learned how to integrate my needs as a healer and therapist with the needs of my clients. I still carry frustration about how dehumanizing mental healthcare can be in this country, but I’ve also come to embrace what is within my capacity to hold and change.
To anyone trying to find your voice as a social worker in this world, please know I hold so much love and acknowledgment for that struggle. It is so important to find your voice without guilt. We are often taught that we shouldn’t be “in it for the money,” and to accept being “overworked and underpaid.” This narrative keeps so many people trapped. It’s okay to be discerning and work with clients who truly align with your strengths and talents. There are enough gifts to go around, and I am deeply grateful to those who can care for the clients I no longer have capacity for. It takes a village — and I am proud to be part of the social work village.
To sum it up: I’ve struggled in this career, and I’m sure I will continue to, because I embrace growth, learning, and change. But I also recognize that some of these struggles are rooted in systemic issues within the industry that desperately need to be challenged. I want to be a voice for those who believe there’s room to play, to innovate, and to integrate the unconventional into this work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I honestly hope I’m known for being fully human alongside my clients. I take great pride in dismantling hierarchy within the therapy space and firmly believe that each person who walks through my door is the expert on their own life. Every person carries the innate capacity to heal from within. My role is to serve as a compassionate witness — someone who holds tools to support their journey so they don’t have to walk it alone. No one should have to heal in isolation; we heal stronger within community.
My passions are rooted in a holistic approach, grounded in the integration of mind, body, and spirit. I draw from yogic practices and somatic techniques to help people break through ego-driven patterns and rigid, harmful narratives that keep them stuck. I encourage my clients to face the mirror with honesty, to reclaim their power by surrendering conditioned beliefs, and to reintroduce themselves to their own inner wisdom and self-trust.
One of the things I am most proud of is my ability to create space for play even within suffering. This doesn’t mean I dismiss or diminish the very real pain and grief that come with healing — quite the opposite. I remind my clients that we are capable of holding both. We can hold immense pain alongside immense awe. We can hold grief alongside love. It’s when we become fixed in one emotional state that we lose our sense of flow. My work is to gently help people loosen that rigidity and re-engage with a new sense of what’s possible in their experience.
Above all, I lead with love — love for the true grit, the guts, and the unwavering effort it takes to heal. I am immensely proud of anyone who chooses healing over staying stuck. It is not for the faint of heart. And when someone forgets to love themselves for the courage this journey requires, I am there to hold that love for them until they can hold it for themselves.
What makes you happy?
Professionally, I feel most fulfilled when I’m learning something that fills my soul with wonder and excitement, or when I witness my clients break free from conditioned patterns that have kept them stuck. Those moments remind me why I do this work.
Personally, I’m happiest when I feel grounded, safe, and deeply connected with my family and friends.
I’m also a mother to a 2.5-year-old daughter, and I feel beyond blessed every day to experience the world through her eyes. It’s a constant reminder of the beauty, curiosity, and wonder that still exists all around us.
In nature, I’m happiest when I’m near water. Southern California is my happy place — it’s where my soul truly feels at home. That said, thanks to my husband’s ultramarathon “hobby,” I’ve also discovered so much joy and peace in the mountains. Both landscapes offer me a sense of belonging and perspective in different, but equally meaningful, ways.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nataliedoddtherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindbody.dodd/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-dodd-7b9b6398/
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/natalie-dodd-nashville-tn/1461325
