Therapist, Minister, Speaker: Dr. Kelly Maldonado Launches Vozavida to Take Her Message to the Stage

Dr. Kelly Maldonado, DSW, LCSW, founder of Seravida, LLC, launched Vozavida, LLC this month to take her message on mental health, voice and ministry to stages and wedding ceremonies.

By Herald Staff · Nov. 10, 2026, 4:30 PM ET

Dr. Kelly Maldonado, founder of Seravida and Vozavida — Dr. Kelly Maldonado, DSW, LCSW, founder of Seravida, LLC and Vozavida, LLC. (Photo: Dr. Kelly Maldonado) Photo: Dr. Kelly Maldonado / Vozavida, LLC, supplied by the subject.

Dr. Kelly Maldonado spent her early career in court, advocating for people experiencing homelessness. Today she treats OCD and anxiety through a virtual practice, and this month she launched a second company to carry her message to stages and wedding ceremonies.

Maldonado, DSW, LCSW, is the Founder and Clinical Director of Seravida, LLC, a virtual therapy practice specializing in OCD and related disorders, including trichotillomania, excoriation, body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) and phobias. It serves clients in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Kentucky. In November 2026 she launched Vozavida, LLC, for speaking, ministry and officiant services.

The Path to the Podium

Maldonado started as a young social worker. "I served people experiencing homelessness and advocated for them in court, and I fell in love with standing up for people who felt voiceless," she says. "The pay was pennies, but the work was priceless."

That led to a master's in social work from Rutgers University and a doctorate from Monmouth University, then to founding Seravida. Her training includes a study abroad program in India on the reintegration of mental health and Campaign School in Connecticut, where she trained in public leadership and advocacy. She earned her Doctor of Social Work in Human Rights Leadership from Monmouth University. Her doctoral capstone, "Shelter is a Human Right: Fighting Homelessness Through the Lens of Lived Experiences," gathered what people with lived experience of homelessness recommend to social workers and policymakers.

Before opening her private practice, Maldonado ran therapeutic groups at a partial care program and created the therapeutic content for them. Her doctorate included an education track in curriculum design and teaching, and she recorded a presentation for Seton Hall University, "Shelter is a Human Right," which is available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSNs67elVJc). She was inducted into the Phi Alpha National Social Work Honor Society in both her master's and doctoral programs.

Dr. Kelly Maldonado, ordained minister and officiant. — Dr. Kelly Maldonado, DSW, LCSW, ordained minister and officiant. (Photo: Dr. Kelly Maldonado)

From Practice to Platform

"After years of helping clients find their voice one session at a time, I realized I was being called to bigger rooms," Maldonado says. Vozavida is the result. Through it she speaks at universities, conferences, corporations, and women's and Latina leadership events, and leads workshops on burnout prevention and organizational wellness.

She has already presented at the Macro United Conference and Teaching Institute at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. As a ordained minister, she also officiates weddings and ceremonies, including destination weddings and last-minute celebrations.

Breaking the Silence

The problem Maldonado wants to solve is fear and silence. "People living with OCD and anxiety feel trapped inside their own minds," she says. "Their condition quietly steals their identity, their confidence, and their voice."

Her approach has a clinical side, specialized therapy that helps clients face their fears and break the cycle, and a public side, speaking that gives audiences the courage to talk about mental health openly. "My clients don't just manage symptoms," she says. "They get themselves back."

A Distinct Voice

Maldonado is a proud Latina and the daughter of Brazilian immigrants, and she speaks on Latina leadership and breaking generational barriers. Her message is, in her words, not "fix yourself" but "come back to yourself."

Looking Ahead

Vozavida, LLC launches with its new website, vozavida.com, live now. Next year she plans to expand keynote and workshop bookings, develop continuing-education courses for clinicians and grow her officiant services. She hopes to bring her signature talk, "Relearning Yourself After OCD," to national mental health and OCD conference stages.

Her advice to other entrepreneurs: "Start before you feel ready, and don't wait for permission. Done and real beats perfect and silent, every time."

Maldonado is now booking keynotes, workshops and ceremonies for 2027. She can be reached at dr.kellymaldonado@gmail.com, vozavida.com or @vozavida_llc on Instagram. Her tagline: "Calm in the now. Confidence in the next."

Provided by the subject and Vozavida, LLC.