Conversations with Lisa Marie Stringer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Marie Stringer.

Hi Lisa Marie , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Sure. My journey didn’t start with a business plan—it started with pain. For years, I lived with undiagnosed mental illness. I was navigating bipolar disorder, PTSD, and ADHD without language for what I was feeling. I wasn’t diagnosed until my 20s, and even then, it took decades to feel seen. For a long time, I just kept pushing through. I was labeled as quiet, shy, sensitive—but in truth, I was overwhelmed, overstimulated, and carrying a weight I didn’t have the tools to unpack.

I created The Mental Cookie because I couldn’t find a space that felt like it was made for women like me—Black, neurodivergent, and in need of real healing. Everything felt too clinical or too surface-level. So I built what I needed: a space that honors softness, spiritual depth, and emotional healing. A place where we could be whole, not just high-functioning.

Parallel to that, I also launched Brand Image Architect—my luxury visual branding studio—because I saw how often brilliant, creative Black women were overlooked, undercharged, and visually misrepresented. We deserve elevated branding that reflects our excellence, not just templates and trends. So I started designing identities that feel like home—beautiful, bold, and rooted in purpose.

Both brands are deeply personal to me. They’re not just businesses, they’re extensions of my becoming. I’m still healing, still building, still becoming. But now I get to bring others along with me. That’s the real win.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not. There were years when I didn’t even have a road—I was just trying to survive. I’ve experienced homelessness, not once, but multiple times. I’ve lived out of my car. I’ve cried in silence on church pews and hospital beds, still trying to hold everything together. There were days I didn’t know where my next meal would come from, but I still showed up online trying to encourage others. It felt like I was building a brand with broken bricks.

I’ve had launches that I poured my heart into fall completely flat. Products that got praise but no purchases. Events I planned that no one signed up for. And each time, I had to sit with the disappointment and ask myself if I still believed in the vision even when it wasn’t validated by results.

Spiritually, there were seasons where I felt disconnected from God, even while serving others. I was praying for clarity but barely hanging on. But those spiritual pivots—the moments when I finally surrendered—changed everything. I stopped performing and started healing. That’s when The Mental Cookie really started to take shape, not just as a brand but as a sanctuary for women like me who have been overlooked, overworked, and emotionally exhausted.

The truth is, my journey hasn’t been smooth—but it’s been sacred. Every setback, every silent breakdown, every closed door has given me more compassion, more creativity, and more clarity. And that’s what I now pour into my work: realness, resilience, and a whole lot of grace.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I wear a few hats—but they all center around one mission: helping Black women heal, build, and show up in the world fully as themselves.

Through The Mental Cookie, I’ve created a soft, spiritually rooted space for Black women to care for their mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. I design guided workbooks, healing challenges, audio journals, and intuitive resources that meet women where they are. One of my proudest projects is The Becoming Her Series, which includes a workbook, a self-guided course, and soon, a full healing audio experience. Every single product I offer is handcrafted—because I know what it’s like to not feel seen, and I want every woman who encounters my work to feel held, heard, and honored.

I also run Brand Image Architect, a luxury visual branding studio where I help Black women entrepreneurs elevate their brands with strategy, style, and soul. Whether it’s crafting a visual identity, styling a brand shoot, or creating custom packaging, I bring a deep level of intention to each project. I specialize in building brands that feel like home—soft, powerful, polished, and unapologetically feminine.

What sets me apart is that my work doesn’t separate the woman from the brand. I blend lived experience with luxury branding, healing with design, strategy with softness. I don’t just create visuals—I translate personal breakthroughs into brand presence.

And recently, I’ve stepped into a new lane as Lisa Marie – The Voice of Soft Power. I’m releasing a three-volume affirmation/soul EP series that blends healing messages, soft neo-soul vocals, and spoken word storytelling. The first volume, Becoming Her: The Audio Journal, is my heart in audio form—gentle, empowering, and deeply personal. It’s for the woman who’s healing in silence, trying to soften without falling apart.

I’m most proud of creating work that feels like medicine. When women tell me, “I didn’t know how much I needed this,” I know I’m doing exactly what I was called to do.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was born and raised in Detroit, and looking back, I think I’ve always been a mix of quiet strength and creative spark. I was that girl who loved to read and write—I’d get lost in books for hours and fill notebooks with poems, short stories, or whatever I was feeling. Writing was my safe space before I even knew I needed one.

At the same time, I was very involved. I was a cheerleader, in the Glee Club, and a member of Future Business Leaders of America. I didn’t fully understand it then, but I was already shaping into a leader—someone who could motivate, create, and bring people together, even while staying somewhat behind the scenes.

People often thought I was shy, but I was really just observant and inward. I felt things deeply, and I think that emotional depth made me sensitive to the energy around me. That part of me hasn’t changed—I still lead with intuition, creativity, and care. I just have more language for it now.

Pricing:

• Becoming Her Guided Workbook (Hardcover): $55
• Affirmation & Soul Audio EP – Becoming Her: The Audio Journal (Coming Summer 2025): Starting at $11
• Luxe Brand Strategy Session (60-min virtual): $197
• Soft Power Brand Audit: $197

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thementalcookie.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thementalcookie
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/thementalcookie
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMentalCookie