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 of the Helping Men Recover/Helping Women Recover curriculum I started using years before meeting him myself. Rick has more knowledge about trauma-informed therapy than anyone I know, and uses that knowledge to help as many staff as he can navigate difficult client experiences with dignity and poise. I am honored to include Rick on this journey, because he represents the healing through helping campaign 3hotgirlshealing.com represents better than anyone!
October’s theme is Abuse, and I chose to use my compassionate, mild-mannered, kind friend and colleague, Terry. The first place I worked with Terry was under minimal yet micro-managed supervision that created a very stressful work environment. Terry ended up leaving first and encouraged me to follow him to Elite Recovery, where he was treated with respect and appreciation. To this day, Elite Recovery continues to be a safe place for both counselors and clients, and I couldn’t be prouder to continue to work there remote from Florida. Terry was the one who introduced me to the topic of Adult Children of Covert Narcissists through his mother’s workbook, which ultimately was the catalyst that provoked the change I needed to be free of a lifetime of abuse I didn’t realize I was living in in Minnesota.
November’s theme is Spirituality, and I am thrilled to introduce my sweet and fun-loving friend and colleague, Breanna. I met Breanna when I was working with Terry, and consequently brought her to Elite Recovery with us. Breanna is almost 20 years younger than me, but more “like me” than any other colleague I’ve worked with. She taught me that you don’t need years of experience dealing with addiction to be an amazing addiction counselor. She treats clients with respect and meets them where they are at, creating a safe space for clients to share and be vulnerable. She is also continuing her education by learning plant-based therapies and holistic healing, which makes her the perfect candidate to discuss the topic of Plant Medicine.
December’s theme is Family/Holidays, and I chose my close friend and former colleague, Kyle, to be interviewed on Toxic Family Systems because he is an expert in trauma-informed therapy and trained in family systems. Kyle has a certain style to his counseling that makes people feel comfortable and validated, with personal and professional experiences that make him relatable as well. Kyle has taught me patience, given me self-worth when I needed it the most, and continues to be an amazing friend and source of support from across the country!