After three years of setbacks, test anxiety, and self-doubt, Tiara Johnson finally saw the word PASS on her LCSW exam screen. In this powerful conversation with exam coach Shara Ruffin, Tiara shares her journey from tears of failure to triumph, how she learned to manage anxiety, and the mindset shifts that helped her succeed. Her story is a reminder that resilience, structure, and belief can turn your hardest battles into your greatest victories.

In Part 2 of Sayida Farmer’s journey, we catch up after she passed her LCSW exam — to explore what life looks like after the win.

Sayida opens up about the emotional shifts, renewed confidence, and what it really feels like to move from surviving to thriving. She shares the inner healing that continued well beyond test prep — and how she’s now stepping fully into her calling.

🎧 In this follow-up episode:

Sayida reflects on what passing meant to her identity

How she overcame imposter syndrome post-licensure

Her advice for others stuck in cycles of fear, doubt, or delay

This is more than a success story — it’s a liberation story.

In this powerful episode, Sayida Farmer opens up about her 20-year journey to finally passing her LCSW exam. After failing the exam three times in the past by just five points total, Sayida faced major hurdles: severe test anxiety, sensory sensitivities, possible undiagnosed ADHD, and deep-rooted self-doubt.

She joined Journey To Licensure with the hope of finally breaking the cycle. With trauma-informed coaching, structured accountability, and emotional support, Sayida rebuilt her confidence and developed new ways to study that worked with her neurodivergent brain — not against it.

Listeners will learn:

• How Sayida’s mindset shifted after decades of academic trauma

• The coaching tools that helped her score higher on practice exams

• The emotional moment she realized she passed her official LCSW exam on June 6, 2025

• Why support, strategy, and believing in your growth make all the difference

Sayida’s story is not just about passing a test — it’s about reclaiming identity, building resilience, and proving that it’s never too late to succeed.

After five failed tries, Christal Dewberry, LMSW refused to quit. On her sixth attempt, she finally passed her exam—just one point over the cutoff. In this episode, Christal shares how she overcame setbacks, trusted her instincts, and leaned on community support to reach her goal.Her story is a reminder that persistence pays off and that your license is always within reach if you keep going.

After three failed attempts, Kimberly Simmonds finally passed her LCSW exam—and her story is pure inspiration. With coaching, strategy cheat sheets, and mindset shifts, she overcame self-doubt, test anxiety, and perfectionism to achieve her dream. If you’ve ever struggled with setbacks, Kimberly’s journey proves that success is possible with the right tools and support.

On her 4th try, Kimberly Simmonds called her coach in tears of joy — she finally passed her LCSW exam. In this emotional conversation, Kimberly shares how faith, strategy cheat sheets, and trusting the process helped her push past anxiety and self-doubt to reach her dream. Her journey is proof that perseverance pays off.

After missing the LMSW exam by just two points, Jabari Douglas faced family caregiving, health challenges, and a demanding career. With coaching, he not only passed the exam but also rebuilt his professional brand—attracting recruiters before test day. His story shows how resilience and strategy can turn setbacks into career and licensure success.

In this episode, Shara Ruffin sits down with Faith Loyal, a new graduate who discovered Journey To Licensure on TikTok after following Shara on YouTube in 2024. Faith joined the April 2025 Mastery Group and, without even taking a practice exam, passed her LMSW on the first attempt.

Faith shares her fears, how she built confidence through group support, and the strategies that helped her succeed—offering encouragement and golden nuggets for other social workers preparing for their own exams.