About Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D.
Born in the late ’60s to a fifteen-year-old mother and an absent father, Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D. was taken in at nine months by his great-grandparents (hereafter referred to as his grandparents), and they legally adopted him when he was two.
He was highly precocious as a child, and his grandmother would add, quite loquacious. His grandmother exploited his innate learning ability and inexorable desire to talk. She sat him down at age two, switched in hand, and began teaching him the creation story revealed in Genesis, chapters 1-3. Once he had committed it to memory, she taught him to recite it with passion. She then took him from church to church, and other organizations put a microphone in his hand and made him recite it before the crowd. He became known as the little boy who does the Creation Story. His affinity with the stage and crowds has never dissipated.
Dr. Wallace’s grandmother believed it was her God-ordained responsibility to invest in him as she did. Although his journey through academia and experiential observation has given him much to anatomize about the Christian faith, that background provided the foundation of discipline that has underwritten his successes and strengthened his faith in God.
Dr. Wallace says that his grandfather taught him how to be a man. Born in 1909, his grandfather had to stop schooling in the second grade to help his parents, who sharecropped. Because of this, he stressed education and achievement. Though he passed away at 83 in 1992, he is still very much a part of Dr. Wallace. His grandmother passed away in March 2010 at the age of 92.
Dr. Wallace is a proud father of 13, ages 10 to 38. He happily shares that he considers each one a blessing from God. You will be introduced to each one individually through his writings, videos, and speeches. His children are a constant reminder of his responsibility and purpose. He does not claim to be a perfect father but strives daily to learn and improve.
He had a wonderful childhood thanks to his grandparents, despite never meeting his father and an absent mother. During this time, he was greatly appreciated for a scholarship and carried the natural gift of athleticism. Throughout his life, he has put both to use.
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Dr. Wallace Describes the influences specific educators had on his life.
"Ms. Geraldine Franciois was my 4-6th-grade teacher. I was part of an experimental program called the Accelerated Learning Program. Ms. Franciois challenged all of us to be our best. I remember in the 4th grade, after a spelling test, she pulled me aside and said, you are quite brilliant, but no one will ever know if they can't read your writing. She made me stay after school to practice my handwriting, and now my handwriting is an adapted version of hers; she was so much more than a handwriting instructor.
Mr. Brewer was my seventh-grade history teacher. He instilled in me the intrinsic value of self-discipline. Mr. Brewer was a former college instructor who discovered that many college students, especially those of color, were unprepared to transition to a less restricted learning environment. He resigned from his position and taught and prepared younger students at the seventh-grade level. Thanks to Mr. Brewer, I found that regardless of ability, one who lacks self-discipline would be overcome by failure. He insisted that obedience, punctuality, diligence, and patience were all keys to success.
Ms. Williams-Leonard, my high school journalism instructor, took an interest in me. She was married to one of my football coaches. She knew that my biological father was not a part of my life and suggested that as a way of dealing with the situation, I should write an article on absentee fathers. I wrote the article entitled The Invisible Father. Ms. Leonard was instrumental in publishing the article in several publications, including one national publication (Teen Magazine). That article inspired my first book, “The Invisible Father: Reversing the Curse of a Fatherless Generation.”
Lastly, Mrs. Dewberry, my eleventh-grade English teacher. Ms. Dewberry had a reputation for being the most demanding teacher at the school. Students would literally cry when they received their schedules at the beginning of the year and found that they would have Ms. Dewberry for an entire year. I took it as a challenge. Within the first week, Ms. Dewberry noticed something within me worth cultivating. As Ms. François did, she pushed me. I remember a specific conversation in which she said, “Mr. Wallace, you possess that something special, that intangible asset that will allow you to soar beyond the clouds; you are a young black man with limitless potential. Don’t ever allow anyone to tell you that you can’t. The words “you are not good enough” or "can't" will never apply to you. Whatever your mind conceives, you will achieve.” I took that to heart. I have been successful in many areas, and based on the intent of my divine purpose, I have only scratched the surface.”
Dr. Rick Wallace holds dual doctorate degrees in Theology and Psychology. He is recognized internationally for working with clients in Europe, Africa, Australia, Canada, and the Caribbean in performance psychology, epigenetics, and trauma healing.
In addition to his academic success, Dr. Wallace has experienced a great deal of business success. Over the past 35 years, he has founded, launched, and brought more than 47 companies to profitability. He is the current Founder & CEO of Rick Wallace Enterprises, which includes subsidiaries like The Visionetics Institute, Odyssey Media Group & Publishing, Master Fitness 21, The Financial Braintrust, Myriad Business Solutions, and more.
In addition to his work through The Odyssey Project, Dr. Wallace has contributed to many charitable endeavors. His passion for saving young Black boys is revealed in the Black Men Lead Rite of Passage initiative, a program created to fill the gap of missing fathers in Black communities. Black Men Lead is designed to effectively and appropriately racially socialize young Black boys, reducing their proclivity toward violence, lower dropout and incarceration rates, and increasing their chances of success in society. He is a leader in research surrounding the enigmatic issues plaguing the Black community and continues to be an international thought leader in healing trauma. Dr. Wallace is a leading mind and voice regarding multigenerational trauma, epigenetics, and complex trauma.
Dr. Wallace has authored and published 28 books, including his latest work, Transcendent: The Remarkable Ability to Rise Above the Chaos to Win in Life, The War on Black Wealth, Academic Apartheid, Critical Mass: The Phenomenon of Next-Level Living, Born in Captivity: Psychopathology as a Legacy of Slavery,” The Undoing of the African American Mind, and “The Mis-education of Black Youth in America.” He has written and published thousands of scholarly and prose articles and papers, with the overwhelming majority of his work surrounding the enigmatic issues plaguing blacks and inner-city communities on every level. Papers that he has published include: “Special Education as the Mechanism for the Mis-education of African Youth,” “Racial Trauma & African Americans,” “Epigenetics in Psychology: The Genetic Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma in African Americans,” and “Collective Cognitive-Bias Reality Syndrome” — to name a few.
Dr. Wallace is also a powerful and electrifying public speaker who speaks to various types and sizes of audiences on several subjects. He is also a personal life enhancement advisor, life strategist, consultant, and counselor.
As the Founder and CEO of The Visionetics Institute, Dr. Wallace uses a wide range of disciplines. These disciplines include quantum psychology, psycho-cybernetics, neuro-linguistic programming, psychology, neuro-associative conditioning, embodied cognitive conditioning, and transformational vocabulary to help people improve their performance in every area of their lives, including finance, marriage, business, parenting, and more.
Learn how you can support the Black Men Lead rite of passage initiative!