Dr. Bridgette Peteet is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Loma Linda University and a California Licensed Clinical Psychologist with more than 20 years of experience. She is also the author of (dis)Honor Thy Mother: Daughterhood, Dysfunction, and Deliverance, a hybrid memoir‑scholarly text that integrates personal narrative, clinical cases, and empirical research to illuminate the underexamined phenomenon of maternal maltreatment. In this Women’s History Month conversation, she reflects on success, mentorship, authorship, and the influences that shaped her career.
How do you define success, personally or professionally?
Dr. Bridgette Peteet: I define success less by visibility and more by impact. As a clinical psychologist and professor, success means that something I created actually changed a system or helped someone understand their own life differently. If a person recognizes their experience for the first time and realizes, “this wasn’t my fault,” that matters as much to me as a publication or speaking engagement.
Professionally, success is about building pathways at each step for those who come after me. Training students from underrepresented backgrounds in research and clinical practice strengthens the field and increases access to competent mental health practitioners.
March is Women’s History Month. Can you name two women who inspire you and why?
Dr. Bridgette Peteet: The two women who inspire me most are my late grandmother and my mentor, Dr. Kathy Burlew. My grandmother survived maternal abuse and rebuilt her life through faith, perseverance, and determination. Her example showed me that resilience is daily work. Dr. Burlew influenced me in a different but equally powerful way. She recognized potential in me that I could not yet see in myself and encouraged me to pursue opportunities I would have hesitated to claim. Because she believed I could do more, I did.
Who is your business role model and why?
Dr. Bridgette Peteet: My business role model is Dr. Ramani Durvasula. She is a clinical psychologist, former academic, and widely recognized voice on narcissistic relationship dynamics. What I admire most is her ability to translate clinical concepts into language the public can actually use in their lives. She maintains professional rigor while still showing authenticity and appropriate vulnerability in her podcasts and books. She demonstrates that you can educate, protect scientific credibility, and still connect with people in a very human way.
Do you believe in work‑life balance? If so, how do you maintain it?
Dr. Bridgette Peteet: I believe in long-term work-life balance, meaning that there may be intentional seasons of intensity where one thing is prioritized, and the other takes the back burner. However, prioritizing does not mean that everything else is completely neglected. I value family over everything and approach every priority with that in mind.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
Dr. Bridgette Peteet: Becoming a full professor is meaningful to me not simply as a personal milestone, but because of what it represents. Black women make up about 2% of full professors in the U.S., so reaching that level reflects persistence through structural barriers as much as individual achievement. What I am most proud of, however, is that the position allows me to mentor students who may not have previously seen themselves in academia, build training pathways into psychology careers, and expand access to care in underserved communities. The title matters, but the access and opportunities it creates for others matter more.
To learn more about Dr. Peteet be sure to connect on Instagram.
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