Building Cardinal Light Counseling: The Story Behind It
When I created Cardinal Light Counseling, I wasn’t just building a business — I was rebuilding myself. After moving back to Virginia in 2024, I spent much of that year reconnecting, recalibrating, and finding my footing again. It was a season of transition, reflection, struggle and challenges adjusting, silenced growth, and trying to rediscover stability in my life. By the time 2025 arrived, I wanted more than stability — I wanted passion, focus, and a renewed sense of direction. I wanted to build something that truly reflected who I had become and the kind of change I wanted to help others create in their own lives.
That’s how Cardinal Light Counseling came into being — not as a long-term plan, but as the natural outcome of a year devoted to transformation. The idea took shape in the late summer of 2025, right in the middle of what I began calling my “Glow Up” year. 2025 became my year of personal commitment to meaningful change - physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and professionally. I wanted to look back on 2025 and know that I had invested in myself, followed through, and grown stronger for it. What I didn’t anticipate was how that same dedication to my own growth would reignite my passion for helping others grow too.
From Growth to Creation
When I decided to fully recommit to private practice, it felt both exciting and intimidating. I had no idea I would end up creating an entirely new business in Virginia — but once I made the decision, the fire was lit. Within 30 days, I completed every administrative and legal step to bring Cardinal Light Counseling, PLLC, to life. What often takes new business owners 3–6 months to complete became a process I moved through with inspired and motivated speed. I was ready. Each step reminded me how much can happen when we believe in our own ability to begin.
Building Cardinal Light Counseling mirrored the same process I guide clients through: leaning into discomfort, trusting growth, and staying curious about what comes next. Designing the logo, building the website, writing blogs, and learning to use social media for the first time to share my work were all new forms of vulnerability. I’ve never been someone who enjoys self-promotion (personally and professionally) - I used to downplay my accomplishments. But the more I saw my clients’ reflections of how our work together had changed their lives, the more I realized it was time to take up space and own my story. If I want others to love themselves, I have to model what it looks like to celebrate my own journey too.
The Meaning Behind the Name
Cardinal Light Counseling represents both personal and professional rebirth. The name was inspired by three things: the cardinal as a symbol of hope and presence, and light as a symbol of guidance, clarity, and renewal. And the combination of these words: Cardinal Light, pays homage to the nautical term “cardinal mark” which refers to how buoys or other floating structures act as a compass to guide ships toward safer waters.
In moments of doubt or transition, I often notice cardinals — as if they appear to remind me to keep going, to trust the process, or to stay grounded in gratitude and reflection.
That symbolism became central to this practice. The cardinal reminds me that change can be beautiful and that clarity often arrives in unexpected ways. The light represents those moments in therapy when understanding deepens — when someone pauses and says, “I never realized that before,” or begins to see themselves with compassion for the first time. That’s the kind of light I hope to help others find in their own lives. Cardinal Light acts as the compass. Counseling provides the support to help people heal and grow with meaningful.
Lessons From the Process
Starting Cardinal Light Counseling has stretched me in new ways. Learning how to manage the business side of therapy, market myself online, and build a digital presence all required courage and humility. There were plenty of moments I felt out of my comfort zone, but each one reminded me that meaningful change rarely happens without discomfort.
The process of creating this practice helped me discover my most confident and grounded self. It also deepened my empathy for those navigating life transitions, identity questions, or new chapters. Through this process — my own version of a “glow up” — I’ve learned that change isn’t just about surviving the hard moments; it’s about learning to love yourself through them.
Clarity, Healing, and Growth
Those three words — Clarity. Healing. Growth. — have become a primary tagline for Cardinal Light Counseling, but they are so much more than a tagline. They are the foundation of everything I do, both personally and professionally. Clarity helps us understand who we are and what we need. Healing allows us to make peace with the stories that have held us back. And growth empowers us to move forward, even when the path ahead feels uncertain.
At Cardinal Light Counseling, I provide online therapy for individuals, couples (including those in open relationships or polyamorous partnerships), and members of the LGBTQ+ community across Virginia. My return to Northern Virginia has deepened my connection to this area and the people who call it home. I understand the unique pace and pressures of life here — from the busy streets of Fairfax and Falls Church to the vibrant neighborhoods of Annandale, Merrifield, Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Rosslyn, Shirlington, Crystal City, and Loudoun County. The constant motion of this region often leaves little space for rest or reflection, and therapy can help restore that balance.
I support clients navigating a wide range of concerns, including sex and intimacy issues, relationship challenges, ADHD management, anxiety, depression, life transitions, and even lifestyle changes related to nutrition and sleep that impact mental and physical well-being. My goal is to create a safe, affirming, and compassionate space where people can explore who they are, what they value, and what they want their next chapter to look like. Therapy is about more than insight — it’s about empowerment, embodiment, and real, lasting change.
Looking Ahead
As I look ahead, I feel both grateful and grounded. 2025 has been a year of transformation — personally and professionally. Building Cardinal Light Counseling reminded me how passion, self-love, and purpose can align to create something meaningful. My hope is that the services delivered through Cardinal Light Counseling continue to help people find clarity, healing, and growth in their own lives.
In the near future, I plan to expand the conversation by launching a podcast — a space to explore change, identity, and growth in new ways. Until then, I’m deeply grateful for everyone who’s supported this journey and for every client who’s trusted me to be part of theirs.
Let’s glow up together.
— Steven Spatz, LPC
Founder, Cardinal Light Counseling, PLLC
Instagram: @cardinallightcounseling (Steve Knows Therapy)
Facebook Page: Cardinal Light Counseling, PLLC
