Season 2, Episode 3: Dual Heritage, Belonging & Finding Your Place – Mary-Claire Wilson
This honest discussion explores how early experiences of not belonging can shape our sense of self, and why therapy became the catalyst for understanding and embracing her identity.
This episode explores themes of dual heritage identity, racial identity, belonging, feeling like an outsider, and cultural displacement.
Join us for an inspiring and deeply personal conversation with psychotherapist and trainer Mary-Claire Wilson as she shares her transformative journey from feeling like an outsider in two different worlds to becoming a specialist who helps others navigate the complexities of dual and multi-heritage identity.
In this compelling episode, Mary-Claire openly shares:
- Growing up in a village in Nigeria with her mother’s family
- The experience of dual heritage in a Nigerian community
- Moving to the UK with her White father to a small village in Norfolk
- Being singled out as the only person of dual heritage in both environments
- Asking herself as a child: ‘what’s wrong with me?’
- Feeling profoundly different and like an outsider
- Studying at Oxford University and continued feelings of not belonging
- Training as a primary school teacher
- Experiencing a persistent feeling of emptiness she couldn’t shake
- Seeking therapy to address her emotional struggles
- The transformative and healing power of her own therapeutic journey
- The decision to change careers and train as a psychotherapist
- Specialising in dual and multi-heritage identity work
- Lecturing for various counselling and psychotherapy organisations
- Running workshops on inclusion and social equity
- Using her lived experience to support others navigating identity
This essential conversation offers invaluable insights for anyone navigating dual or multi-heritage identity, struggling with belonging, or seeking to understand how cultural displacement shapes our sense of self.
Key Topics Discussed:
- Dual heritage identity and cultural displacement
- Feeling like an outsider in multiple environments
- The impact of being visibly different in predominantly White spaces
- Racial identity development and self-perception
- Childhood experiences of not belonging
- Identity struggles at university and in professional settings
- The persistent feeling of emptiness and disconnection
- Therapy as a path to understanding and accepting yourself
- Career transition from teaching to psychotherapy
- Specialising in dual and multi-heritage therapeutic work
- Creating inclusive spaces and challenging social inequity
- Using lived experience to support clients authentically
- Finding belonging and peace with your identity
Learn more about Mary-Claire Wilson.
