Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ciara Warren. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Ciara, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
First off, both of my parents were in the United States Marine Corps. Can you imagine having two parents in the military? Not only that, but they have a combined service of almost 50 years, longer than I’ve been alive. What did they do right? My parents raised me to be grateful for everything that we had- a place to live, the opportunity to travel abroad, the very limited time with our family in the United States, and thoughtful gifts. They encouraged me to learn and to consistently practice the leadership principles of the Marine Corps- judgement, justice, dependability, integrity, decisiveness, tact, initiative, endurance, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty and enthusiasm.
I can recall a time when I was 13 years old, and my best friend at the time, wasn’t a great influence on me. I was the new kid on the block (again), and I wanted to be cool. My friend wanted to see an R rated movie, instead of the PG-13 movie we had originally decided on. Unfortunately, I went along with it, knowing better so, I told my mom the wrong pick up time, and she quickly figured it out. I wasn’t and still am not a good liar. Long story short, when she picked us up, she was fully aware that I had lied to her, for no good reason. If I had given her the chance, she probably would’ve joined us, and sat in the way back, just to make sure we were safe.
My punishment, as a result, was to write a 10-page essay on how I violated these sacred leadership traits. She didn’t yell, she didn’t shame, she didn’t “ground” me from volleyball practice or anything. Instead, she ensured that I understood that I abandoned myself and my values, and what I knew to be right- good judgement, courage to say “no,” even when it’s difficult, integrity and so on. My mother was the rock, a quiet strength, in very challenging times, and she encouraged me to be true to myself, regardless of how difficult it may be. My mother often had to be both parents, as my father was deployed for years in total. She taught me through her consistent actions and words, that there is nothing that I can do that would make her not love me. This message impacted my journey in countless ways- to be true to myself, to dig deep when things are hard, to care for others and to lift them up, and that I am perfectly imperfect. Thank you, mama.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hello, by the way, my name is Ciara. I started working in the mental health domain when I was in high school. I sparingly volunteered for the Wounded Warriors Program, when we lived on Camp Pendleton, in California. When I was 19, and in college, I decided I wanted to work with families of active duty military members. My father was deployed for months, years on end. When he came back home after a long deployment, I could tell he was different. It hurt to think that he’d rather be fighting in some foreign land, for some unclear mission, than to be with us, his family. Little did I know, he met criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and wasn’t equipped with the tools to cope effectively. He is a warrior and always will be, but I didn’t understand it.
I started working as a research assistant in a lab at my university and ended up working very closely with active duty members and veterans in an inpatient setting. Almost all of the men I worked with had combat related injuries to include Traumatic Brain Injuries, PTSD and substance abuse issues. It was critical, life and death. A few years later, my father’s best friend and combat buddy, completed suicide, leaving his wife and daughter behind to figure out how to live beyond it all. I decided then, that I was going to dedicate part of my life to servitude.
Currently, I work with a variety of individuals- veterans, first responders, children. I have a soft spot in my heart for “challenging” children and teens, and my passion remains in working with individuals to reclaim their agency and personal power. My hope is that for anyone who is interested in working with me, that they know and feel my compassion and empathy. I’m a feeler, and always have been. I want to be someone’s safe space and strength, just as I’ve been fortunate enough to experience. I’m here to listen, I’m here to support and to cheer you on!
How’d you meet your business partner?
I met Adam Paine, the owner of Enteave Counseling in 2020. I was working at a private behavioral health hospital, directing three 24/7 departments. I was working 16, 18 hour days, sometimes sleeping at the hospital and forgoing meals. I needed a change, and I wanted to make a deeper impact than what I felt I was doing at the hospital.
When I met Adam, it was like a breath of fresh air. Not only was I going to partner with him in business, but he is a social worker, through and through. His warm energy is infectious, and working with him makes me want to be a better therapist.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Over the years, I’ve found myself in a leadership vacuum. I started as a case manager at a local mental health authority, fresh out of my undergrad. Quickly, I moved into a more acute program, promoted to team lead, and then the program director.
I don’t know that I’ve quite figured out how to best effectively manage a team, but I do know what I trust and respect in a leader… Competence. You don’t have to have all the answers and know everything, but you do owe it to your team to go find the answers. I want my team to know that I will find the answers for them, no matter how long it takes, or help lead them to their own answers. My mentor in undergraduate would often tell me “struggle for 30 minutes and if you can’t figure it out, come to me.” I rarely took him up on that, but it did teach me that we are all capable, and any self-limiting beliefs that we may have, are self-imposed.
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