Thrive's Mission
Thrive exists to create a purposeful future for students, professionals, and leaders.
What if you could feel incredible satisfaction and purpose in life? Maybe you are a student considering which career path to pursue or an adult seeking help with a life transition. You could be a young professional figuring out your best career path. We are here to help you work through those transitions so that you can become the best version of… You!
Luke DeLaVergne, LMFT
Dr. Emily Newbury
Bryan Davis
Jessica Watkins
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
About Luke
Luke lives in Middle Tennessee with his wife, Erica and children, Mayz and Olive. Luke obtained his M.A. in Counseling from Harding Graduate School in Memphis, TN. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Tennessee. Luke has worked in non-profit leadership for the past 18 years. Luke’s passion is helping others uncover their talent and using their natural abilities in the workplace.
Certified Highlands Consultant
Rotary Club of Nashville
Past President of Selmer Rotary Club
Certified Prepare-Enrich Consultant
Certified Darkness to Light facilitator
Certified to provide Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
About Dr. Guy
Dr. Sue Ann T. Guy is originally from New York City, relocating to Nashville, TN in 2021. She holds a Bachelors of Arts (BA) degree in Psychology and Sociology from Brooklyn College and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Organizational Management from St. Joseph’s College. She is a Doctor of Education (EdD) with a focus of Executive Leadership, graduating from St. John Fisher College in 2014. She specializes in Career Counseling, Mental Health and Psychology, Teaching, Adult Motivation, Small Business Consulting, Executive Leadership, Small Business Development for Economic Improvement, Lean Tech Startups, Business Ethics, and Organizational Efficiency. Presently, Dr. Guy is preparing to complete State licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC-MHSP).
Dr. Guy has been an Adjunct Professor at Kean University (NJ) since 2019, but has taught in higher education for 12 years. She has careers in consulting, college teaching and corporate finance. In addition to teaching and counseling, she most recently held executive roles as a Financial Controller at Garden State Sealing (NJ) and Interim Chief Financial Officer at Healthy Kids First (NY). She retained an 18-year career in corporate finance. Dr. Guy has also completed independent business planning and development projects for multiple small businesses in New York. Career counseling and therapy provided by Dr. Guy helps you navigate employment and small business challenges. She counsels students and non-students in job satisfaction, career planning and transitions, employment tools, training, time management, performance, social skills and teamwork, support systems, coping, emotional intelligence, confidence building, conflict management, communication, strategy, work-life balance, goal attainment and professional growth. Additional services include, psychological testing and assessments, resume development, business plan development with budget and forecasting, mock interviewing, presentations, projects, blogs and research studies.
For career counseling and therapy, Dr. Sue Ann T. Guy utilizes individual sessions, small groups, workshops and teletherapy to counsel an array of clients (i.e., women, men, teens, adults, retirees, students, employees, managers, executives and leaders, immigrant, military veteran, essential workers, couples, families, groups, teams and organizations, etc.). She believes in developing the whole self in preparation for career success. As a Career Consultant of Thrive Consulting, Dr. Guy’s holistic, clinical approach encompasses positive psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), psychoanalysis, strength-based, solutions-focused (SFBT), emotionally-focused (EFT), trauma-focus, coaching, motivational interviewing, testing and assessments, family systems, multicultural, support groups and government support services. The approach is integrative as necessary.
About Dr. Newbury
Dr. Emily Newbury is originally from Connecticut and relocated to Nashville in 2020. She has a PsyD in clinical psychology from Antioch University New England in Keene, NH, and although she enjoys living down South, she is truly a New Englander at heart. While Emily is currently working at Thrive as a coach, she is in the process of obtaining LPC/MHSP licensure in TN to practice as a psychotherapist as well.
Emily’s clinical training is in working with college students and young adults who are struggling with anxiety, depression, school/career stress, disordered eating, identity, and life transitions. She completed her doctoral internship and post doc at Georgia State University Counseling Center. She has worked in higher education for 7 years.
As a coach, Emily specializes in burnout recovery work with early career professionals. She utilizes integrative wellness strategies to help her clients move from burnout back to wellness. Emily works with young professionals who feel overwhelmed, are high achieving, people pleasing, and who may be questioning career decisions. Through her clinical training and semi-structured coaching programs, she helps her clients navigate difficult decisions, find their voices, and live a more balanced life.
Emily’s therapy and coaching styles are a mix of compassionate, curious, & solution focused. She believes the client/coach relationship is based in equality; the client is the expert of their lives and she is there to reflect back and guide. Together with her clients, she creates a personalized, semi-structured integrative coaching programs designed to address the common struggles of early career folk & help clients bounce back.
About Bryan Davis
Bryan Davis is originally from Columbus, Ohio and relocated to Nashville in 2000. He graduated from Capital University with a degree in Psychology and his career path has been an adventure ever since. Bryan has a wide range of career experience ranging from state government, performing rights, medical device sales, corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, and real estate development. He attributes his success in these roles to his outside-the-box thinking, innovative and creative approaches, and his ability to hang in there until he figures it out. Be sure and ask Bryan how he broke into medical sales.
As a certified coach and career coach/consultant, he specializes in helping his clients “figure it out”, whether it’s moving up, or moving on into an entirely new career. Bryan utilizes his experience, creative problem-solving, and perspective to assist his clients in discovering their next passion, creating a plan, and then working together to strategically execute that plan while developing the necessary mindset, leadership skills and executive presence to overcome the challenge ahead.
He believes a person’s work-life is one of the most important aspects of life, and it’s here that a person can realize their greatest sense of achievement and fulfillment. Bryan is committed to helping his clients reach a new level of purpose in their lives.
Jessica Watkins has roots in the South, after moving out West for her parents’ careers. She grew up in Boise, Idaho and earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Boise State University. Jessica enjoyed working in an adolescent residential psychiatric facility throughout college and afterward, as a technician and later therapy intern. She returned to school the following year to earn her Master’s Degree in Social Work. During graduate school, she accepted an Assistantship that allowed her to train prospective foster parents in the State based curriculum. Jessica later fostered teenagers for a few years after being inspired by working with foster families.\
Jessica has worked in inpatient, outpatient, and with in-home services. She loves learning families’ and individuals’ strengths and helping meet others along their growth paths. She has lived in Bolivia, South America, where she volunteered with a non-profit organization supporting orphans. As a result of this experience, addressing trauma and systemic barriers to accessing support became a high priority of hers. She then returned to graduate school, this time at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, to earn her Master’s Degree in Public Administration, focusing on systems improvement work.
Jessica trained in Cognitive Behavioral approaches in graduate school and has learned skills from Dialectical Behavioral therapy and Acceptance and Commitment therapy. In working with others, Jessica believes that all interactions should come from a place of deep compassion for people’s past traumas and their narratives surrounding their histories. Jessica loves connecting with others and seeing them thrive, adapt, gain self-awareness, and find peace.
Jessica’s favorite pastimes are wandering on her family’s third generation tree farm, beating her family at card games, and spoiling her dog.
