My Mentors
Breanna Dedeker, LADC I met Breanna two treatment centers ago, and was immediately drawn to her warm presence and welcoming aura. We became instant friends when I met her, despite our almost 20 year age gap. I found I had more in common with her free spirit and adventurous nature than most people my age, and I couldn’t have made it to Florida without her unconditional support and compassionate heart keeping me strong when I had nothing left to give. Breanna is currently working as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor working with Extended Outpatient clients, and I couldn’t be more proud of how strong she is and how much she has grown in the 3 years I’ve known her. Breanna is also finishing up school for holistic healing, and will be providing short homemade recipes readers can try at home to help alleviate a variety of symptoms correlating with the themes in the website. Thank you, Breanna, for remaining a bright light in dark situations and teaching me that age is just a number if your hearts and souls align! Brenda McMahan, Gallery Owner at Brenda McMahon Gallery and ceramicist I met Brenda my first month in Florida, and when I met her I had no idea she was the gallery owner. I just thought she was a nice, friendly employee who made me feel welcomed immediately. She was humble and kind and listened to my stories with open ears and a compassionate heart. When she was introduced as the gallery owner, I was struck at how someone so successful could be just as kind in return. I began frequenting the gallery regularly, and in doing so learned that Brenda wasn’t just open and accepting to me, she was very involved in helping the art community in general, hosting events for her artists to showcase their art while keeping the profits after the 2024 hurricanes destroyed many of their homes. I admire Brenda, the people she employs, and the artists in her gallery who left me awestruck with their creativity and talent. Thank you, Brenda, for taking me in and including me as part of your “family” while giving me the safe space to be my weirdo self without judging me for it. Keep putting your good vibes and community contributions into the world! Jennifer Blakemore, Esthetician I met Jennifer a few months after I moved to Florida, and immediately felt a strong spiritual and mental connection with her beautiful soul. Jennifer moved to Florida originally from Washington DC, after decades of traveling the world as a model and explorer. Jennifer has been through more rare medical conditions than anyone I had met, and was waiting for a cornea transplant due to some of those medical anomalies. She had to figure out her own treatments because doctors weren’t helping her and she had no family support to help her in Florida. During her healing journey, Jennifer learned resilience in the face of adversity, giving her more compassion and teaching her a humbleness she might not have learned otherwise. Jennifer taught me about alternative medicines, different ways to heal without medicine, and how to live a holistic life of healing. We have been on many adventures around our town already, and I can’t wait to include her on more adventures in the future! Thank you, Jennifer, for being an unconditional friend who always raises my vibrations and energy when I feel depleted. Kyle Sheeley, LADC When I first met Kyle, I was an intern at a residential treatment center. I was both intrigued and intimidated at the ease at which he ran groups and was able to relate to clients while still sounding professional. I remember training with Kyle and running my first group with him observing me, and running out of material with 45 minutes left. I looked to Kyle to help me finish the group, and instead of helping me like I was hoping, he leaned against the wall in the back and told me to figure it out. I remember panicking at first, but ultimately figuring it out. Over the next few years, Kyle remained a pillar of strength and calm in the midst of storms. Kyle continues to challenge me and push me to be the best version of myself, and I couldn’t be more grateful for everything he taught me about addiction counseling and maintaining boundaries. Kyle taught me that when life gets hard and stressful, to take a step back and absorb the information before reacting with emotion, and taught me to react with my head instead. Thank you, Kyle, for your dark sense of humor and unwavering patience with the process! Lulu Sveen, LCSW, LPCC, LADC I met Lulu a few years ago when she was working as a social worker who did treatment coordination for all the counselors at our treatment center. This was a HUGE job that took incredible patience, attention to detail, daily setbacks, and community involvement in multiple facets of recovery. Lulu has been through more hardships than any human needs to endure, while remaining the strength and wisdom behind the whole operation. Lulu taught me strength through endurance and the importance of post-traumatic growth in recovery. She also helped teach me to love myself and continued to encourage me to do my best with an impossible situation, while never judging me as a person or clinician with unconventional methods. Lulu is currently working at the same outpatient treatment center, but with a new and exciting role as a mental health provider and family education facilitator, and continues to make a lasting impression on clients and their families in those roles as well. Thank you, Lulu, for continuing to help others despite needing help yourself. Your strength in the face of adversity humbles me to all the things I still don’t know. Keep fighting for those who need your knowledge and power! Patrick Johnson; LICSW, RDN, LD, LADC I met Patrick at the treatment center we both continue
Testimony Tuesday – Mentoring
I chose to collaborate with the 12 individuals below for the first year of 3hotgirlshealing.com because not only are they brilliant and beautiful souls, they have also helped create the person I am today. Each mentor taught me different life lessons I didn’t learn from childhood, with the patience and grace of little angels. There are so many other friends and colleagues I could have included, but chose the following individuals for their continued love and support, as well as their expertise in the specific topics I’ve chosen for them to be interviewed about. Thank you, everyone involved, for giving me the self-worth to believe in myself and start this Helping through Healing campaign. I couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you! January’s theme is Post-Traumatic Growth, with one week that discusses boundaries. I chose my dear friend and colleague, Peter, to interview about boundaries because he is someone I always admired for maintaining professional boundaries while still creating a safe place for clients to be held accountable for creating a better life for themselves. Peter has a way of bringing out the best in everyone, and I appreciate his honesty and compassion when handling difficult emotions and life circumstances. Mine included! February’s theme is Community, with one week that highlights ethics. I chose to interview my good friend and mentor in the field of Addiction Counseling, Tim, because he taught me the counseling skills you don’t learn in a textbook. The skills that include making ethical decisions quickly and fairly, and collaborating with team members on all the gray areas in the field. Tim taught me how to explain difficult ethical decisions to clients through a compassionate lens that kept the community safe for everyone. Every workplace would benefit from having a Tim on staff! March’s theme is Women, which is important for the website because I want to highlight as many strong women pioneers and survivors to help readers relate to and feel inspired by as I can. For the topic of women in business, the first person I thought of was Brenda McMahon, who is a talented ceramicist and owns her own art gallery in Gulfport, FL. Not only does Brenda have the most stunning, eclectic collection of art and jewelry around, she also donates her time, her gallery, and her talents in the community and has taught me more humility and kindness than anyone I’ve met in Florida! April’s theme is Therapy, and I’m showcasing my best friend and amazing therapist, Rachel. Not only is Rachel an amazing therapist, she is also an inspirational mother to 11-year old twins, including a son with autism, and will be writing about her experiences during the week of Autism Awareness. As a former Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Teacher, I know how difficult it can be communicating with individuals on the spectrum because they view the world through a different lens. Rachel has taken on the task of doing everything she can to help her son fill in social/emotional skills he struggles with, while navigating the difficult emotions that materialize from feeling different and misunderstood. Rachel offers guidance and support for families living with autism, as well as clients living with trauma and mental illness. I learn from her every day and will continue learning with her throughout this lifetime! May’s theme is Mental/Physical Health, and the mentor I will be using is Patrick, a nutritionist and mental health therapist who helps clients understand the link between eating disorders and addiction, while providing information about healthy living to clients needing extra support. Patrick is passionate about what he does and the clients he supports can’t say enough good things about him. I will interview Patrick about eating disorders specifically, providing more information about a controversial subject that affects more people than previously understood. We are so lucky to have Patrick on staff making a difference one client at a time! June’s theme is Celebrating Differences, and I am interviewing my BFF, Ryan, who I’ve considered my gay brother from another mother since we became friends years ago during the week of LGBTQ+ Explained. I met Ryan working at an inpatient treatment center, and immediately admired his strength through adversity. Ryan is open and honest about his struggles, which became his superpower in helping others feel accepted and seen. Ryan taught me so much about the LGBTQ+ community by answering questions without judgement and always making me feel included, even when I was the only heterosexual in our group of friends. I never felt different, only included! July’s theme is Self-Care, and I will be showcasing my dear friend, Jennifer, who is an esthetician and self-care guru for the week of self-care. Jennifer is my neighbor and has more experience with different self-care methods than anyone I’ve ever met. By taking charge of her life while undergoing complex and traumatic medical circumstances, Jennifer was able to learn how to heal from the inside out. Jennifer is one of the strongest, most resilient, and newly humbled gorgeous women I know, and I’m excited to keep learning more with her and from her in the future! August’s theme is Friendship, with controversial topics like suicide prevention and Different Types of Therapy. The mentor and colleague most suited for both of these topics is my dear friend, Lulu, who was a huge supporter in helping me relocate to Florida by helping me navigate my feelings of guilt for leaving. Not only is Lulu an incredible mental health therapist, she has also survived her mother’s suicide and uses that experience to help others not feel so alone. Lulu is also a huge advocate for clients who need resources in the community, and always keeps staff up-to-date with new laws that affect our clients. I am honored to include Lulu on this journey, and excited for the world to see the compassionate and gentle soul I’ve grown to love! September’s theme is Recovery, and I will be interviewing Rick Dauer, co-author