About Dr. Therese

A mashup of Oprah, Joanna Gaines, and Anthony Bourdain, Dr. Therese hails from Santa Monica, CA, and is a Filipina-American Licensed Clinical Psychologist, mental health and wellness expert, and professional life-enjoyer. After losing her brother to suicide in 2009, she realized that her priorities were all wrong, and made it her mission to live a more healthy, free, and connected life she loves and to help others do the same. Dr. Therese is the CEO & Founder of Exploring Therapy, a wellness community that helps people build a life they don’t need a vacation from. Berkeley educated, Dr. Therese has spoken around the world about toxic productivity, remote work wellness, and overall mental health. She also educates mental health professionals on how to succeed in branding their businesses. 

She has been featured in the US and internationally in Vice, HuffPost, Women’s Health, POPSUGAR, Women’s Day, Create & Cultivate, HelloGiggles, Darling Magazine, Psychology Today, PsychCentral, and Yellow.co, and has worked with the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the National Alliance on Mental Health, Bumble Bizz, AirCanada, the Phillipine Embassy in Portugal, USC, ban.do, and Dr. Henry Cloud, to name a few. Dr. Therese was a featured convocation speaker at Pepperdine University and has made guest appearances on Tastemade’s Just Jen, Deutsche Wells European News, the Holding Space Podcast, the Refined Woman Podcast, and others. Her spirited yet centered presence has led her followers to find her trustworthy, calming, and encouraging. 

In her personal life, she is a self-care evangelist, a green beauty enthusiast, an amateur cheese board artist, and on a never-ending quest to find the world’s best breakfast burrito.

Want to know more? Here are 15 fun facts about me ...

1. I cannot: Watch scary movies. Period.

2. My 3 main fuel sources: Mexican food, chocolate (Cadbury Mini Eggs, anyone?), and tea lattes (preferably Earl Grey or lavender).

3. The famous people I’d love to be friends with: Gwen Stefani, Oprah, and Chrissy Teigen.

4. My uniform if I could only wear one thing for the rest of my life: yoga pants.

5. Popular things I’d be fine living without: drinking coffee regularly, elaborate nail art, & cats.

6. Favorite travel memory: Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey.

7. My special skills/secret party tricks: doing the moonwalk, making pesto from scratch.

8. Best inventions ever: seat warmers in cars, the wireless cell phone charger, Japanese toilets (if you know, you know.)

9. My favorite things to do on a Sunday: Sleep in, farmers market, brunch, maybe go to the beach, read, meal prep, and plan the week.

10. I would go into mourning if: all the Targets in the world disappeared.

11. I’m never not in the mood for: a little Bruno Mars.

12. Best life hack: a toss up between white noise machines and audio books.

13. If I wasn’t a psychologist, I would be: a host for a cooking show or running a non-profit.

14. Favorite Disney Movie: Moana (because we have the same hair and love for the ocean.)

15. Songs that pump me up/boost my mood: “The Climb” and “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus,“Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, “This is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan.