Strength & Soul was born from a shared recognition — that too many people were not getting the care they truly needed.

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Dr. Manmeet Rattu (Mini) and Dr. Pembe Ethem-Talbert (Pem) met at JFK University while completing their doctorates, and quickly found in each other a kindred spirit. As women of color who had both navigated working in spaces dominated by privileged voices, they understood firsthand what it means to feel unseen, to learn how to quiet yourself in order to fit in, and to slowly, painstakingly learn to believe in your own worth. That shared experience didn't just bond them as friends — it became the foundation of a practice.

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They saw a gap in women's health and community care. Research and lived experience both point to the same truth: people thrive when their health and mental health needs are genuinely believed and taken seriously, when they are nurtured within a community, and when they are given a safe space to show up as exactly who they are. Strength & Soul was built to be that space.

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Dr. Manmeet Rattu, PsyD (Mini)

Dr. Mini's path has always been guided by a belief in the profound connection between mind, body, and culture. Drawing on her background in neuropsychology, she integrates the science of the brain with the healing power of yoga — a combination she deepened through Stanford University's Yoga X program. Her work centers on helping people from diverse backgrounds understand and harness the power within themselves. Through research, workshops, and retreats, Mini creates spaces where people can heal, reconnect, and step more fully into their own strength.

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Dr. Pembe Ethem-Talbert, PsyD (Pem)

Dr. Pem’s career has been shaped by a deep commitment to meeting people in their most challenging moments and walking alongside them as they rediscover who they are beneath the weight of expectation. With a foundation in neuropsychology and specialized training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), she has worked across a range of complex and unique mental health presentations — developing a nuanced understanding of how people adapt, cope, and sometimes get stuck in patterns that once protected them but no longer serve them. She later trained in Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT), where her work came into its fullest expression — working with people who are highly self-disciplined, detail-oriented, and driven, but who may find it difficult to truly relax, connect, or let others in.