Rise, Sally, Rise®, Inc is dedicated to helping women overcome anxiety and fear from a psychological, spiritual, and Black perspective. Through its workshops, institutes, books, and CDs Rise, Sally, Rise®, Inc provides women with the knowledge and understanding to overcome anxiety and reclaim their lives.

The phrase rise, Sally, rise originates in the children’s song Little Sally Walker. A fond tradition among Black girls across America, the game tells the story of Sally, a little girl who is crying as she sits confined in a small saucer. The chorus of the song encourages the little girl to rise, Sally, rise, dry your weeping eyes. At the end of the song, Sally emerges as a bold confident woman, who keeps rising. Many women may find their dreams and aspirations drowning in their own saucers of anxiety and fear. At Rise, Sally, Rise®, Inc the vision is to give them the tools to break free, and to rise.

Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett is the Founder and CEO of Rise, Sally, Rise®, Inc. An award- winning psychologist and the country’s leading expert on anxiety difficulties among African Americans, she has conducted and published groundbreaking research on this topic. Determined to insure that the research findings are available to those outside of the academic and medical professions, Dr. Neal-Barnett began to develop workshops specifically for today’s Black woman. The seed was planted, and Rise, Sally, Rise®, Inc. was born.

With one of the fastest rising businesses in Northeast Ohio, Dr. Neal-Barnett and her Rise, Sally, Rise®, Inc staff conduct research as well as provide education and training workshops and seminars for businesses, as well as professional and non-profit organizations throughout the country. She serves as a consultant to several major universities and Fortune 500 companies, her research is included in the U.S. Surgeon General’s report on Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, her work has been featured in Ebony, Heart and Soul, and Psychology Today, and she has appeared on BET and CNN as well as on television and radio programs throughout Northeastern Ohio. Simon & Schuster will publish her forthcoming book Soothe Your Nerves: The Black Woman’s Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Fear in September 2003.

Dr. Neal-Barnett received her B.A. from Mount Union College (Alliance, Ohio), and both her M.A. and Ph.D. from DePaul University (Chicago). She also completed a renowned postdoctoral fellowship in anxiety disorders at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. The recipient of the American Psychological Association’s Kenneth and Mamie Clark Award, Dr. Neal-Barnett is a tenured faculty member at Kent State University. She is married to Edgar J. Barnett, Jr., and together they have one daughter.