We recently connected with Nicole Delli Paoli and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
For almost a decade, I worked as a W2 salary position in community mental health. It was July 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was on what I thought would be “maternity leave” with a newborn in tow. Once my son was born, I realized I couldn’t return to the high-pressure, low reward demands of my 24/7 on-call agency position. After working in community mental health for almost a decade, I realized that people weren’t getting well with a traditional medical approach to mental health. This combined with the birth of my beautiful son, motivated me to take a risk. I resigned from my salary job and registered my LLC on the same day. Fast forward to 2022, I scaled my private-pay only private practice to a 6-figure group practice. In 2024, I made the most I’ve made in my career thus far, and knowing I paid that to myself working less hours while making a difference in the lives of women has been so rewarding. Great rewards don’t come without great risks!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi, I’m Nicole! Thank you for being here. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a Licensed Mental Health Therapist, Master’s Level Certified Addictions Professional, Qualified Supervisor, ART Clinician, and Entrepreneur. I have over 14 years experience working in the mental health field.
I am the Founder & CEO of Women Empowerment Counseling, a hybrid private practice providing an array of mental health and wellness services in-person in Florida and via Telehealth in FL, NC, and WI. Our services not only include Individual, Family, & Couples Counseling, but also Accelerated Resolution Therapy, a specialized trauma therapy technique that requires additional training and practicum. We also provide Mental Wellness Yoga, Guided Meditation, Therapeutic Book Club, Women’s Support Groups, and sponsor & host community events.
After a decade working in the community mental health and substance use world, I saw that people weren’t getting well with a traditional medical approach to mental health. My personal and professional experiences inspired me to create my own practice so I can ensure that each counselor I hire aligns with our Mission & Vision, and offers quality functional mental health & wellness services.
Our foundational approach is holistic– an understanding that all parts of who you are are interconnected. At WEC, we help you cope with life’s current stressors while also exploring, identifying, and resolving root causes to prevent these issues from returning in your life in another form.
We are passionate about understanding the true meaning of trauma, and helping people heal. Our goal is to empower you to overcome barriers in your life that prevent you from experiencing wellness and joy.
I believe that we are survivors of our past rather than victims. We can learn from it, heal through it, and come out the other end healthier and happier. There is light and we will help you find it!
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Being a successful therapist doesn’t necessarily equate to being a successful business owner. I encourage all therapists to be continual learners and continue fine-tuning their craft and improving their skills across their careers. Quality care is the first step in creating a brand and succeeding in the private-pay private practice world. It’s important that you align with your mission and vision in everything that you do, and that you create a positive feeling connected to your brand. This starts with being good at your craft.
Staying humble is important as both therapist and business owner. I don’t personally believe that business has to be cut-throat and full of competition. Rather, I head into each decision I make with gratitude and alignment of what inspired me to work in this field and open my own practice. I collaborate with other business owners and work as a team to help improve the lives of others.
When you’re humble and graceful (and good at your craft!), the universe will reward you.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My entire life feels like a story of resilience! As a trauma and repeated grief survivor myself, resilience is demonstrated through many stories in my life, but for the sake of the target audience here, I will briefly share a few that may resonate and inspire other fellow therapist entrepreneurs.
Throughout my entire career, there were repeated hurdles of negative people who thought less of me, wanted to dim my light, and stop me from pursuing my dreams. From high school guidance counselors to work supervisors, and others in between!
The first graduate school I planned to attend randomly deferred my admission. I requested a meeting with the Dean to explore why and was placed in front of a panel of professors, where I was told I needed to gain “real world experience to see if this field was right for me”. After six months working entry level at a local mental health agency, I submitted 3 additional letters of recommendation from the agency, yet I was deferred again. I fought this decision— filed a complaint, went thru a hearing, where I was asked questions about my last name and my New Jersey accent (nothing to do with being a counselor, right?) Ultimately I went to another [and better] graduate school.
Fast forward, I am now working in community mental health with children, adolescents, and young adults in a day treatment program. I passionately advocated for a child client who was being abused. The program manager wanted me to pretend I wasn’t aware of the abuse a child was experiencing due to the agency’s liability and I wouldn’t take no for an answer, leading said program manager to express that she didn’t feel this wasn’t the right field for me.
Fast forward to another agency, I was denied promotions because I challenged the status quo and an outdated treatment approach, seeing repeated clients return, not getting well. I advocated for my staff and clients. I never gave up and eventually became supervisor, then manager.
Looking back I’m so grateful for these challenges because I ended up in the best graduate program that I truly believe gave me a solid foundation and confidence as a counselor. I still rose the ladder into leadership roles, with goals followed by action, to support my team and the clients we served despite those who tried to silence me.
Weak leadership tried to limit and discourage me because I used my voice. I called out the toxicity. I brought solutions that required real work. I advocated for improved client care.
I chose not to internalize these barriers as a reflection of me. I chose to leave toxic work environments that didn’t serve me or provide quality care to clients. These experiences were important despite the challenge. They helped me design Women Empowerment Counseling and fueled me to study real leadership.
Moral of the story- never, ever give up. Your future self will thank you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://womenempowermentcounseling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenempowermentcounseling/#
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@womenempowermentcounseling
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/women-empowerment-counseling-tampa-bay
- Other: Psychology Today Profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/women-empowerment-counseling-llc-brandon-fl/858151
Google Business Profile: https://g.co/kgs/2GaUyJe
