Story and Lessons for VoyageDallas
Priya Tahim shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Priya, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Mornings are my favorite part of my day. I’m a pretty routined person, so i always start my morning off with prayers & my manifestation journal. My manifestation journal was something i started doing at the beginning of 2025 & i find it helps set the tone for my day. Then i head to Orangetheory Fitness (if you know, you know the addiction is real).
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Priya Tahim and i am the proud founder of Kaur Counseling. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Washington, DC, Virginia & Texas-who provides individual, family, and couples therapy to children, adolescents, and adults.
I am also an author who loves telling stories that help others find their voice. I grew up falling in love with stories, both fiction & non-fiction- and always found reading/writing as a way to express my feelings.
My motto is falling in love with yourself is the greatest love story of all. I find that once we can cultivate love within us, we allow it to radiate around us.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I always believed that my voice didn’t matter. Whether it was because i always got made fun of for having a voice that sounded like “Minnie Mouse” or because i didn’t look like those around me. I always had this feeling that my voice was less than.
As i grew up (and still growing), i learned that my voice mattered. What i had to say mattered. My experiences helped shape me into the strong, confident therapist & human i am today.
Truth is everyone’s voice matters & so do their stories. It’s up to us to help those around us & finding your voice is a powerful way. We have the power to make changes & it all starts with the voice inside our heads.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
There was this trend on social media that was about meeting your younger self for coffee. It really got me thinking about what i’d say to my younger self & one thing that stood out to me is that everyone’s timeline is different.
Here’s my take on the trend:
I met my younger self for coffee ☕️
I spotted them before they saw me, sitting at the corner table, legs swinging like they didn’t know what knee pain was, sipping what I now recognize as a Frappuccino with enough sugar to fuel the energizer bunny.
My first thought? “Wow, I really did think skinny jeans and confidence were a personality.”
My second thought? “Why is my 17 year old self here, and how did they find this café before unlimited data for a GPS was a thing?”
Not gonna lie, skinny jeans/leggings are still my vibe, but humor is my new confidence?
They looked up and squinted at me like they were trying to figure out whether I was a time traveler or just someone who’d had a really rough but inspiring decade.
“Whoa,” they said, blinking. “You’re… me?”
“Yep,” I said, sliding into the seat across from them. “Just with more confidence, healthy body and better taste in coffee. Trust me, you’ll switch to black eventually.”
Younger Me wrinkled their nose. “Why? Did we get cool or just healthy?”
“Little of both,” I replied. “Mostly the second.”
They sipped their frappe and studied me like I was a museum exhibit. “So… did we make it? Like, are we rich, famous, or at least verified on something?”
I chuckled. “We’re not rich, unless you count emotional growth. Not famous, unless you count that one time we did an interview for TV. And no, still not verified. But we are alive, have your dream practice, and have finally figured out what loving yourself means.”
Their eyes widened. “So, dreams… did we give them up?”
I paused, sipping my coffee slowly, wondering how much honesty was too much. “Some, yeah. And that’s okay. Others turned out better than we expected. Also, plot twist, you learned that love doesn’t come from others, it comes from within.”
Younger Me gasped. “We’re still hopeless romantics?”
I grinned. “A proud, hopeless romantic that didn’t let her scars limit her ability to spread love, kindness & respect. Oh yea, the most important thing, we found our voice.”
Mental health affects all of us. Everyone has an internal struggle/battle. Here’s to acknowledging growth and that life always works out the way it’s meant too.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I think in today’s culture in America, we are seeing so much hate towards one another. There are people whom seem intelligent, have all the educational credentials they want-yet they lack the simple concept of humanity.
In a lot of ways, the US has gone backwards. We are fighting for basic human rights, equality & justice-all because the “intelligent” people in power have chosen ego over community.
The concept we are getting wrong is that instead of working together to create a better future for the next generation-we are fighting out of ego. We are spreading hate & are turning back time.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would stop wasting energy on things & people who drain me. I would try my best to focus on more things that bring me joy & happiness; as well as, prioritize spending time with my loved ones. I’d use my energy to help those around me & hopefully allow my stories to help someone who may need a reason to find their own voice.
