Issa Douglas-Smith is a trauma-informed coach, author, and the founder of Issa Safe Space - a healing brand built specifically for firstborn daughters carrying weight that was never theirs to hold. Born and raised in the UK with Caribbean roots, Issa writes at the intersection of identity, family systems, and emotional inheritance. Her work is grounded in neuroscience-based practice, drawing on narrative therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and compassion therapy - but delivered with the warmth and directness of a big sister who's done the work herself. Her debut book, Challenging the Crown, is written for Black firstborn daughters navigating the Strong Black Woman identity - the unspoken expectation to be unbreakable, self-sacrificing, and endlessly capable. It is a guided journey through grief, boundaries, and the radical act of becoming yourself. Issa's framework, The Unbecoming, maps the eight stages of healing that no one told us we needed. Her writing is honest, culturally rooted, and built to do real inner work - not just inspire, but transform. Issa Safe Space publishes books that centre the experiences of firstborn daughters across cultures and communities. Find Issa at issasafespace.com or on Instagram and TikTok @issa.safe.space