Board Member & Chief Coaching and Culture Officer at Squirrel Space | Executive Coach & Founder, Your True Canvas | PhD Psychologist specializing in Burnout Recovery, Career Transitions, and Neurodivergent-Inclusive Cultures
In the quiet intensity of a Bronx housing project, a young girl sat with her books, making a silent pact with herself. Around her, the environment was often unpredictable and unsafe—a landscape where the margin for error was razor-thin and the path to “making it” was obscured by systemic hurdles. For Dr. Mirna Mejia, education wasn’t just a requirement; it was a rescue mission. She understood early on that while she could not control the world outside her window, she could curate the world within her mind.
Today, as a PhD, Executive Coach, and Chief Coaching and Culture Officer, Dr. Mejia looks back at those early days not as a period of lack, but as the drafting table for her leadership philosophy. “You can acknowledge fear without letting it dictate your direction,” she reflects. This realization—that one can walk alongside uncertainty without being consumed by it—has become the cornerstone of her work. Dr. Mejia has spent over two decades navigating the complexities of the human psyche, moving from the front lines of clinical psychology to the vanguard of executive coaching, all while championing a singular truth: leadership is not about the title you hold, but the authenticity with which you lead.
Bronx Grit and the Pursuit of Agency
Dr. Mejia’s professional journey began where many would have hesitated to tread. Her first role out of undergraduate studies was as a caseworker in the Bronx, a position that paid little but demanded everything. She found herself navigating drug deals in apartment hallways and riding elevators with intoxicated strangers at dawn, all to reach the families who needed her. At 22, she wasn’t looking for comfort; she was looking for a “foot in the door.”
This period was a masterclass in initiative. While technically underqualified for higher-level roles with only a BA in psychology, she persistently applied for hospital positions, eventually landing a role doing master’s-level work through sheer determination. She saw these challenges not as exploitation, but as invaluable exposure. This relentless drive led her to St. John’s University, where she earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology, specializing in forensic psychology and behavioral health.
Her upbringing taught her that growth requires motion. She often shares a piece of advice that she now offers to the next generation: “If you do nothing, nothing changes. But if you move—even imperfectly—you gather data, build resilience, and expand your capacity.” For Dr. Mejia, the Bronx was the forge where her resilience was tempered, turning a survival instinct into a sophisticated leadership tool.
From Clinical Excellence to Executive Insight
Over the next twenty years, Dr. Mejia climbed the professional ladder with distinction. Her career is a roadmap of high-stakes environments: from managing PCMHI programs for the VA Portland Healthcare System to serving as the Director of Therapy at Headspace and Virtual Medical Director at One Medical. She was the person organizations called when they needed to build behavioral health programs from the ground up or lead teams through the stressors of rapid scaling.
However, the higher she climbed, the more she witnessed the “quiet epidemic” of the corporate world: burnout. She sat with leaders who felt they were failing, when in reality, they were simply drowning in unsafe or under-resourced workplace cultures. Eventually, the person she was helping was herself. Dr. Mejia lived the story she now helps others rewrite. She experienced the relentless demands and the internalization of systemic flaws as personal failings.
Instead of staying in the cycle, she took a bold leap. She retrained as a coach, earning her Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credentials and becoming an Energy Leadership Index (ELI) Master Practitioner. She founded Your True Canvas, a coaching practice dedicated to helping high-achieving women move from survival to “thrival.” Her transition was not a retreat, but an evolution—one that was recognized in 2025 when the National Latina Business Women Association honored her work as one of their Small Businesses of the Year.
Culture, Neurodivergence, and the Power of Choice
Dr. Mejia’s current work is a blend of deep psychological insight and strategic organizational leadership. As the Chief Coaching and Culture Officer and Board Member for Squirrel Space, she is at the forefront of creating inclusive, psychologically safe environments for the neurodivergent community. Her mission is to ensure that “belonging” does not come at the cost of “burning out.”
She challenges the common misdiagnosis of personality flaws in high-achievers. In a recent impactful reflection, she noted: “Too loud. Too quiet. Too oppositional. Too sensitive. What if ‘too much’ was never the problem? You weren’t ‘too much.’ You were under-resourced.” By using the Energy Leadership Index (ELI), she provides teams with a shared language to navigate stress and mindset, transforming conflict into collaboration.
Her coaching philosophy is deeply human. She is the “steady, observing presence” for leaders at a crossroads, helping them realize that burnout is not a personal flaw—it’s a signal. Whether she is birding on a beach hike or leading a board meeting, she lives by the question posed by Mary Oliver: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” For Dr. Mejia, the answer is helping others reclaim their agency and design a life that is truly their own masterpiece.
Leading on Your Own Terms
As she looks toward the future, Dr. Mejia is focused on the “architects” of the next era. She envisions a corporate world where psychological safety is the baseline, not the exception. Her goal is to continue supporting emerging organizations in building cultures where people can lead from a place of alignment rather than depletion.
She remains a steadfast advocate for the idea that our brains are wired to scan for fear, but our spirits are designed for intention. “Progress is built on courage, not perfection,” she asserts. Through Your True Canvas and her leadership at Squirrel Space, Dr. Mejia continues to prove that when we stop trying to fit into someone else’s frame, we finally have the space to paint our true canvas.
Editorial Note
Dr. Mirna Mejia’s journey is a powerful reminder that our most challenging chapters often provide the ink for our most inspiring stories. From the Bronx to the C-suite, her path underscores that resilience is not just about “hanging on,” but about having the courage to pivot toward alignment. To the leaders reading this who feel the weight of burnout: let Dr. Mejia’s story be your signal that it is time to stop surviving and start designing your own “True Canvas.”
