From Side Hustle to Full-Time: Celebrating One Year of Metanoia Mental Health

Have you ever struggled with stepping out of your comfort zone, pursuing a dream that feels incredibly intimidating and that maybe others don’t understand or express concern or hesitation towards?  Me too! Others may not understand your choices as an adult, and that’s okay. Your role isn’t to sell others on the decisions you make and the life you are trying to create. It IS your job to build a life that brings you fulfillment. Maturity is knowing that not everyone will approve of these decisions or even understand them. A lot of projection can happen when we share our hopes with others. People may project their own fears, scarcity mindset, and limiting beliefs onto you because they themselves would not make the decisions you are making. It is important that you listen to what YOUR heart is telling you, regardless of what others say or think. If we seek constant approval externally we betray ourselves in hopes of pleasing others. This will only lead to resentment. 

It’s been ONE whole year since launching Metanoia Mental Health Private Practice FULL TIME. Words can not even describe to you the gratitude that I have for all my clients, social media followers, family, friends and colleagues who have supported me with my dream in opening a private practice. This was a MASSIVE step in my career, leaving a relatively stable place of employment to go into my own business. We can get trapped in the comfortability of familiarity, even though this may no longer be serving us in the way it once did.  For those of you thinking about taking some risk and moving towards your dreams, here is the way I did it.

What helped me make this big jump was to break this goal down into smaller chunks. I didn’t decide out of the blue to open up my own practice and jump ship from my 6 year career. NO! It felt much safer to me to take baby steps. So I continued to work full time at my ongoing place of employment and started seeing clients in my evenings within private practice. This helped me build the confidence I needed. My practice quickly grew to a point where I could no longer squeeze in the clients reaching out in my evenings. Due to this, I knew I would be more than okay moving into private at a full time pace. So this is what I did! 

Questions to consider: 

• How could you break down your goals into smaller, more tangible steps (baby steps)? 

• What does each step need to look like? 

• How would you know you are achieving success? 

• What risk feels tolerable to me right now?

• When would you know you are ready for the next step? 

• How might that feel? 

• What could this change mean to you? What are the risks and benefits?

• Who do you need on your team to support you with this goal? 

• What are your values?

• Do these decisions lead to living a life that is more aligned with your future career goals? 

By considering these questions, you can gain a better understanding of your motivations, goals, and potential challenges as you take a leap in your career. This can help you to make a more informed decision and feel more confident as you move forward.

“There is tremendous personal and professional growth that comes with trusting yourself and doing something out of your comfort zone. It can be scary as heck when you lean into the unknown, but a year later, you may be thanking yourself and wishing you took the risk sooner!”

There is tremendous personal and professional growth that comes with trusting yourself and doing something out of your comfort zone. It can be scary as heck when you lean into the unknown, but a year later, you may be thanking yourself and wishing you took the risk sooner! I’ll tell you, I am now the happiest, healthiest version of me from changes made only a year ago and I deeply believe this translates into the effectiveness and impact of my work.  

I hope that in sharing my story,  this can inspire you to lean into the unknown a little more-  at a pace that still feels relatively safe for you. You’ll likely thank yourself in a year from now! 

Sending the deepest thank you to everyone who continues to support me in making this dream come true. Looking forward to exciting new opportunities coming this next year!

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