We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shamni Dougall, LCSW a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shamni, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I hit a wall in my previous nine-to-five a little over a year ago. There didn’t seem to be any growth opportunities, and I was no longer being challenged. The organization’s structure appeared to be falling apart and the mission no longer seemed to be at the forefront of anyone’s decision-making. It no longer felt like “Heart Work”. The entirety of it began taking a toll on my mental health, but I was happy to have a mentor who understood what I was experiencing and where I was in my career. She took the time to pour into me and recognized my time there had expired. She knew that my potential was far beyond my current role. My mentor told me what I already knew, but I was holding on to the job out of fear of the unknown. I began applying for other opportunities, but I’ve had the vision for my current business for the last three years, so I wasn’t sure I’d be satisfied moving into another nine-to-five position. I didn’t know how to leave what I knew for the unknown, for the fear of how I’d earn money, and what people would say. Questions of “What if I fail?” and thoughts of how irresponsible it would be to leave, with nothing else lined up kept stalling me. Out of faith and vision for something more meaningful, I did it anyway and left my employment of eight years. I didn’t consider any backups; I just kept the saying in mind to “burn the ships.”

So far, I’m six months into going ALL IN on my business and still developing my vision. It took me a little while to adjust to leaving a typical nine-to-five work schedule, but I have so much more peace, clarity, time, and freedom for my mental health, creativity, and the ability to meet my clients with a full cup. I look back now, and it was a risk not knowing what things would look like, but in this season I’m in, I’ve learned that I have so much support and encouragement that keeps me moving forward; even on days where I wonder, “What was I thinking”?

Shamni, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a Florida native, behavioral therapist, mindset coach, and the owner of The SD Mindset, LLC. The last 8+ years have been dedicated to working with female clients focused on behavior change and mental health. In that time, my focus and expertise have expanded to coaching leaders within the non-profit setting and how to manage their teams to success. I pursued social work for two reasons; I knew I had a natural ability to care for others, paired with my observant nature and patience, and I knew there were numerous disciplines available for me to apply my skills and services in the field, which meant there was room to grow, shift and expand my reach. Growing up, all signs led me to believe my purpose would involve guiding, teaching, and supporting other people through their problems and to their solutions. I now hold the highest level of licensure in the social work profession as a licensed clinical social worker; which means that I can provide mental health services, with a focus on how people interact and are influenced by their environment. Being licensed allows me to coach with the understanding of mental health and effective communication at the individual and group levels. I use various counseling approaches, recognize emotional and behavioral strengths, and formulate individualized plans for every client.

After deep diving into my own personal development, I learned how to create new habits and build successful routines that strengthened my mindset and outlook on life. This ultimately led to a significant shift in my thinking, optimism, and opportunities. I realized I wanted to apply my clinical social work background and learned mindset tools to focus on moving people past their mental blocks, teach them sensible skills and actions to reach short and long-term goals and help move them past their barriers. That’s when I created The SD (Shamni Dougall) Mindset.

The SD Mindset, LLC currently provides online-based individual coaching and counseling services throughout Florida. I proudly support children, teens, and adults through a multitude of presenting issues. My passion is to nurture mental health and mindset and increase resilience in those looking to move past their daily struggles, who are facing life transitions, and looking to grow into the next version of themselves. My approach is integrative, providing an expert coaching experience with applied counseling techniques.

What sets me apart from most others is that I’m not running a mental health practice, as most licensed mental health professionals are. Yes, I provide individual one-to-one services for people with an array of difficulties and barriers; but after so many years of working in the non-profit and mental health sector and understanding where leadership has missed opportunities with team and employee satisfaction, program outcomes and reaching overall organizational goals, I am expanding my offer. I’m in the process of creating an online offer and community where I can teach (through self-guided online courses) the expert experience, tools, and skills that I’ve taken with me from the non-profit middle management experience and perspective to address major issues like high turnover, burn out and when to apply management vs. leadership. There, they can connect with other managers and leaders to share their perspectives, experiences and support one another to achieve their respective organization’s mission, increase team morale, and professional growth and satisfaction.

Right now, I’m most proud of myself for giving The SD Mindset a chance to leave the inspiration stage and into implementation. I’m very proud of the dedication and commitment I’ve had to the vision thus far and I’m very excited for all the people I get to impact while working in my purpose. As I continue to move towards the expansion of services and products, I want my potential clients to know that The SD Mindset brand is me. As I continue to guide and support others through their journey, I will operate with a foundation of servant leadership, a spirit of excellence, and impact.

Any advice for managing a team?

Remember that your team is always watching. They watch what you do and don’t do. Be willing to jump in to do the “grunge” work that no one wants. I have found that a new level of respect and trust comes from those you supervise when they see you rolling up your sleeves and making an effort to get closer to the company’s objectives, upholding values, and having your everyday actions show that you support the mission. Look out for your team in the workplace through advocacy and support; it won’t go unnoticed. Encourage your team to meet, plan, make decisions, and bond without you. It’s important, and may even be a testament to your leadership, that they can operate without you. They’ll learn to look out for one another and collaborate in solving problems, even before they get to you.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I’ve shown up and followed through with what I said I was going to do. That has played a massive part in what has helped me to build a positive reputation throughout the years. What’s more important, is that I believe my spirit of excellence and stewardship over my relationships, responsibilities and my dedication to the mission have helped to build my reputation with colleagues, clients, and community partners. My hallmark is that I’m always present in my communication with others, because they matter, and I think they feel that with every interaction. Those impressions are lasting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thesdmindset.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.sd.mindset

Image Credits

Jeidy Marrone- The Captivating Collective