Today we’d like to introduce you to Candace Jeffries Mendy Shriver.
Hi Candace and Mendy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Candace Jeffries and Mendy Shriver met when their husbands ran into each other at church after going to high school together 10 years prior. Since that day they have shared a faith-filled friendship for over 21 years. Their bond has strengthened through motherhood, ministry, and community leadership. Their friendship deepened further in 2011, when they traveled together on a life-shaping mission trip to Africa.
Professionally, Candace and Mendy pursued different professional paths — Candace as a licensed pharmacist in functional medicine, Mendy as a personal trainer specializing in women’s fitness. Personal life trials awakened in both of them a clear calling to offer Christ-centered care for the whole person. Eventually, they each pursued careers as licensed professional counselors with a strong belief that healing happens best through a holistic approach. That shared philosophy was the inspiration for Jars of Clay Counseling and Wellness, and it anchors everything they do.
What began as a friendship built on trust and shared values eventually evolved into a professional partnership. Today, they co-lead Jars of Clay Counseling & Wellness, a collective counseling offering holistic healing—body, mind, and soul.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Mendy and Candace both held leadership positions in other jobs when they began dreaming about Jars of Clay Counseling and Wellness. They were setting up their business on nights and weekends while still maintaining jobs and serving their children and grandchildren. Mendy was the director of a counseling center. Candace was finishing up her Masters and working as a pharmacist. Their time was limited, but they got it done!
Another challenge was finding a place to rent in Liberty that was conducive to counseling and within our budget.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Jars of Clay Counseling + Wellness is more than just a therapy practice — it’s a community rooted in compassion, faith, and holistic care. The center is dedicated to helping individuals and families grow in physical, mental, spiritual, and relational health through integrative counseling and wellness services.
Jars of Clay Counseling and Wellness is known for their deeply personalized, whole-person approach that merges clinical therapy with functional medicine insight. Clients come because they want:
-A counselor who understands both psychology and physiology
-A warm, faith-honoring environment without pressure or judgment
-Practical tools they can use immediately
-A thorough exploration of root causes instead of symptom-only treatment
-Someone who listens deeply and takes time to investigate the deeper context of your lived experiences
They specialize in:
-Trauma healing for individuals, couples, and families
-Play therapy
-Sex and stress hormones and weight management
-Identity work and self-worth
-Integrative mental health that addresses sleep, nutrition, inflammation, weight, and stress load
-Helping those going through hormonal changes to embrace the next phase in their lives
What sets Jars of Clay Counseling and Wellness apart is their unique blend of clinical excellence, functional-medicine insight, and faith-centered compassion.
They stand out for:
-Multi-faceted expertise — decades of pharmacy experience combined with current, evidence-based mental health training, decades of physical wellness training (pilates, mom/baby, TRX, postnatal fitness, etc.), as well as functional medicine training. Their nurse practitioner has decades of experience in cardiac rehab and organic produce farming.
-A comfortable, beautiful, and peaceful environment designed to make therapy feel safe, warm, and approachable
-A whole-body, whole-story philosophy that honors biology, beliefs, lifestyle, and lived experiences
-Personalized care—not cookie-cutter therapy
-The ability to integrate prayer or faith discussions upon request, while respecting all backgrounds
-A true partnership with clients, empowering them rather than directing them
Jars of Clay Counseling and Wellness is most proud of being unapologetically Christian at their center. They are guided by God’s Word and see each individual as made in His image.
Mental health is not just mental. Lifestyle, nutrition, hormones, and spirituality contribute to the overall mental health and resilience of an individual.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
We have taken a risk by being unapologetically Christian-based. Counseling is an extremely liberal field, and yet research validates that spirituality has a large influence on resilience, healing, and overall life satisfaction. Although there are many in the counseling field who would argue against Christian-based methods, we believe that there is a large population of individuals that desire this service.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jarsofclayhealing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jarsofclaycounselingwellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=jars%20of%20clay%20counseling%20and%20wellness
