Changing the Conversation: Insight from Brené Brown

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”  

-Rumi

Despite the evil display of hate crimes and bigotry in Charlottesville this past week, I’m still convinced we live in a loving universe.

Wait, before you look away in discomfort or write this post off as a political rant, stay with me.

We’re not going there today.

This post is really about relationships and at the core of any loving relationship is healthy communication.  I didn’t say easy communication…I said healthy communication.  This often takes shape in the form of hard conversations.

I had a lovely little number in the hopper for you today about the mind-body connection and just how important our life force of breath is to that mix.  However, after watching such horrific and seemingly dated images of racism, hatred, and violence; my heart has felt confused and my vision—very blurry.

In my bubble of what I now know of as privilege, I made up a story in my head that we were somehow past this as a nation.  Wrong.  It’s been simmering beneath the surface at a slow and steady boil all along.

While waiting to board a flight back to Nashville yesterday in Los Angeles, I numbly scrolled down my Facebook feed looking for something, I’m not sure what.

I came across a Facebook Live recording of Brené Brown entitled “We need to keep talking about Charlottesville.”  “Thank God,” I mumbled under my breath, “I need some direction here.” And from who better than a woman who has spent her life researching, writing, and teaching us all about shame and vulnerability.

Friends, these are critical times we can’t simply detach from or sleep through.  The root system of fear is so expansive and insidious, yet the power to effect change through our awareness and empathy is truly phenomenal.

We won’t get there with shame, as Dr. Brown shares.  We will get there by owning our stories and having thoughtful and open conversations.  They may feel uncomfortable and very imperfect and that’s okay.  I’m learning a lot these days about leaning into uncertainty and discomfort.

If you’ve thought to yourself this last several days, “What is my part in this complex and harsh reality unfolding before our eyes in Charlottesville?”, I’ve got some answers. (Well, technically, Brené Brown does.)

Please take 30 minutes and watch this video linked below.  Share it with friends.  It’s a humbling truth and a hopeful invitation to own our part in this fear-based meta story of hostility.

This is very much about you and I.  It’s about being human.  It’s about relating better to your loved ones and changing the conversation from judgement to accountability — from fear to trust.

I’d love to know your thoughts regarding her insight as well as how you’re conversations are unfolding in your spheres of influence.  *Be prepared, there’s a bit of language in this video, but I know you’ll see past that. 

Love & Gratitude,

Katie

xoxo

P.S.  Stay tuned next week for a VERY special guest on my podcast who has the privilege of knowing and working with Brené Brown.  I’ll be announcing who this is early next week!  Eep!

A Brainspotting Session with Dr. Grand

“Where we look affects how we feel.”

-Dr. David Grand

It’s 4:30 am and I’m wide awake. In fact, I haven’t slept a wink. Sure, I struggle on and off with insomnia, but that isn’t the reason for this lack-of-shut-eye situation.

I’ve got a bad case of fan girl. By the time you read this, I will have already had my highly anticipated, seriously geeked out over, 90-minute session with Dr. David Grand, psychotherapist, writer, humanitarian, and performance coach, perhaps most well known for developing brainspotting. That’s right, I’m about to get brainspotted by the original brainspotter.

If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Grand and his groundbreaking method, hop on YouTube and check out his informative 101 video. It’s a great introduction.

Throughout the last several years, I’ve become more and more fascinated by the brain, its incredible capacity to heal itself, and the beautiful mind-body connection. I’ve experienced remarkable personal breakthrough throughout the past year using brainspotting in my own therapy, so naturally, when the opportunity arose to connect with Dr. Grand at his NYC office this week, I did a triple salchow at the chance. (Or something like that.)

I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to share how it goes with you (video below).

If you’re intrigued, want to learn more about, or set up a brainspotting session, I’d love to connect. It’s a powerful resource that offers accelerated breakthrough for past trauma, emotional pain, as well as performance anxiety and enhancement.

Alright my friends, I’ll see you on the other side…and then…it’s nap time. 

Love & Gratitude,

Katie
xoxo

LOOKING FOR MORE INFO ON BRAINSPOTTING?

Read: “Forgiveness: How to Find Freedom from the Past“

{VIDEO} Therapy Packages Are Here (so let’s crush the second half of 2017)

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” 

-Maya Angelou

Jumpstart

Here we are already in June. 2017 is bounding forth. In fact, we are already half way through the year. I’m a big fan of any reason to jumpstart newness, growth, and positive change, so naturally, June always presents with the opportunity to take inventory of where we’ve been and where we’re going. I love a good excuse to evolve.

Therapy

So many people have the wrong idea about therapy. Perhaps I was guilty of criticism at some point. However, I’d like to challenge some faulty ideas around therapy, what it is, and who needs it. I’d also love to invite you into some exciting new opportunities to thrive I’ve got cooking for you.

More

Thankfully, our culture is also evolving and warming up to the idea that in fact, psychotherapy isn’t for crazy, weak, and troubled souls. There are so many types and levels of therapy, however, in my book,therapy is for anyone who longs for more: more self-awareness, more success, more joy, more healing, more creativity, and more healthy relationships to name a few. It is also for anyone who simply feels stuck and needs a safe place to process and heal from life’s often bloody punches. Therapy is not for the weak, its very much for the strong; those willing to look in painful corners, unlikely places, and perhaps blocked spaces in time in order to create a vibrant and joy-filled path forward. Therapy requires a ton of courage.

Uplevel

Also keep in mind that there doesn’t necessarily need to be a lack or deficiency present to validate investing time and resources into therapy. I work with countless clients who really just want to take their whole life to the next level and need the support, accountability, and structure necessary for that upleveling.

Full

I like to see the glass half full, and with that in mind, we’ve got six full, promising months ahead in 2017. This month, I’m rolling out a new model of therapy I’ve been building for a while now. I’m offering highly personalized therapeutic packages lasting anywhere from three to twelve months, depending on the specific needs of the client.

Three Things

I’ve found that we thrive in tangible and systematic ways when three things are present: structure, ritual, and guidance. As a therapist, I like to see myself as a guide of sorts who doesn’t necessarily have advice or answers to dole out, but who carries a bright flashlight and a slew of tools as I walk alongside you, creating safety and drawing out insight that’s already locked deep inside.

Reach

If this type of partnership sounds intriguing or at all appetizing to you in this stage of your journey, I’d love to connect! Learn more about this new way of therapy by inquiring here. I’d love to empower and help you specialize a beautifully designed path forward. I believe your best life is very much in reach—I’d be honored to guide you deeper into the process.

Love & Gratitude,

Katie
xoxo

The Enneagram Unveiled: An Interview with Ian Cron

Hi Friends!

Today is huge. I’m bringing you a podcast interview with the incomparable, Ian Cron. Ian is an award winning songwriter, author, priest, therapist, and teacher who recently co-authored a book called, The Road Back to You: Looking at Life through the Lens of the Enneagram. It’s the perfect companion for wherever you find yourself on the enneagram journey and I can’t wait for you to check it out.

Enneagram

If you are interested in learning more about the enneagram and other resources coming your way very soon, click here. It is such a powerful resource that helps unlock our truest, most essential selves and I’d love your company journeying deeper into its truth.

Online Quiz

For now, I know you will really enjoy this honest, intimate, (and funny!) conversation about all things enneagram. No matter what your current grasp of it is, this will be a delightful addition to your enneagram experience. Also, If you’d like to take Ian’s free online type indicator quiz, click here!

Love & Gratitude,

Katie

xoxo

P.S. Mark your calendars for my very first Enneagram Workshop on Saturday, June 10th 1-5pm at BuzzPlant in lovely downtown Franklin.  Much more on that soon!

I Saw the Light (thanks to my mentor)

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”
-Steven Spielberg

Hub

This month, we’ll be diving into relationship deeper than we’ve done before. At the root of it all, I believe we have this fiery desire to be seen, known, and accepted as the colorful birds we truly are. Relationship is the hub of this wheel called life and out of it, the spokes of our experience are filtered, tethered, and redeemed.

Heaven

There are countless types of relationships that create meaning and safety in life. This week, we focus on mentoring, the beautiful and life-shaping relationship that has proven invaluable for me. I must also note that I write this from a place of loss and heartache upon just hearing of the unexpected death of a remarkable woman who I had the privilege of working for several years ago, and who has been a beacon of light, joy, and encouragement for countless lives she’s touched. Robin Holland will be remembered in the Mentor’s Hall of Fame, as she surely mastered this selfless role all along the way. Heaven is a much brighter place with her sweet smile and song, embellishing its general splendor.

Align

One of the best words of advice I ever got early on was this: identify the people who inspire you and are doing the work you love and believe in, and then go align with them in some way, directly or indirectly. This has proven so valuable for me in everything I’ve put my mind to, whether music, business, therapy, or writing.

King

Connection is King when thriving is our focus, therefore strategically aligning with mentors who have stood in our footsteps and made it out on the other side victoriously is everything. We talk a lot about “finding our voice” here. I’m so passionate about facilitating this process for others not because I have anything remarkable to say, but because I’ve found my wobbly way by walking in the steady footsteps of mentors who’ve graciously given me courage to spread my wings.

Cover Songs

I like to think of it this way: when we first start to learn an instrument, we typically do so by learning the well-known, beloved songs of others, not by expecting ourselves to create genius out of nothing. I suppose Mozart and a few others were exceptions to the rule, yet I’m pretty aware of my need to stand on the shoulders of giants in order to one day improvise. Singing cover songs gives us confidence and phrasing that mold and eventually nudge us off the ledge, flapping and flailing our wings of authenticity. A good mentor will always stretch us beyond those comfortable, familiar scales and into the original songs we’re meant to sing.

Holes

No matter where we are in our career path or vocation, there is ample opportunity to lean into this beautiful brand of relationship. So what exactly is a mentor? I like Oprah’s simple definition: “A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” We all need loving mirrors of hope at different times along the way; those who’ve earned the right to poke holes in our story and offer a flashlight in times of darkness. We also tend to get so weighed down by the narrative of our own scarcity and frustration, we forget about the constant opportunity to lighten our load by sowing into someone desperately in need of hope.

Angela

Perhaps John Donne said it best: “No man is an island.” Pride-fueled isolationism is futile. We create and live most fully from a supported, safe place. I make no bones about the fact that I’d be completely lost and in the fetal position of a cold, dark room without the skill, patience, teaching, and opportunities given freely by my mentor, Angela. I’m humbled by her belief in me and beyond grateful for her wisdom and gifting.

Run

Who is your mentor? Are you in a place of transition or confusion as to where you are and where you are going? I’ve been there so many times along the way and know the bleakness of those corners. If today’s post sparked some desire in you for this type of connection, I’d love to help you find this if possible. Also, if you have ideas and insight into this process, please comment below. Loneliness is epidemic in this fast-paced, sprawling world of ours. I deeply desire for this to be a place we discover connection, feed on hope, and run with resilience.

Love & Gratitude,

Katie
xoxo