We recently connected with Kelly Ryan and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, appreciate you joining us today. 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 me, taking a risk is synonymous with a leap of faith. Jumping into the unknown is exhilarating and energizing. A fun personal risk I took was when I went sky diving/tandem jumping to celebrate my 50th birthday: what a rush and memorable experience.

I’ve taken many professional risks, and I’m going to share with you one that didn’t work out so well, which left me abandoned and unemployed after 90 days on the job. I had a national business development position representing mental health and substance abuse programs and had been employed by a company for 13 years. I had different roles as the company expanded through acquisitions and developing start-up programs. I built a national reputation for my integrity and knowledge and was well respected.

A small, individually owned company pursued me on more than one occasion over several years. The company had seven years of operation. I felt a change might offer some new challenges and opportunities for growth, but the timing and stability of the company hadn’t felt right. Then the company got an influx of new financing from an investor I knew well and trusted. I was assured the company was financially stable and had strong leadership.

I left my secure position of 13 years and joined the company with enthusiasm, excitement, and a renewed sense of purpose. Within 30 days, the company began laying off office support staff. Within 90 days, the company defaulted on its lease and went bankrupt. I was devastated. I couldn’t believe that people I trusted had lied to me, seemingly with no regard for the risk I took. I felt embarrassed. My ego was crushed as I disclosed to colleagues and friends what had happened. I felt betrayed; however, I ultimately had to acknowledge that I took the risk and had made a poor decision.

After several days of staying in bed, crying, and working through my anger, I did some meaningful soul searching. I decided I would start my own company. I would be responsible for my success or failure. I would not leave my future in anyone else’s hands. Good or bad, I own it!

I launched an Educational Consultant business named GPS Family Consulting. I was providing guidance, purpose, and solutions to families. I built a successful practice and, after ten years of operation, retired.

I’ve heard that you can reinvent yourself in retirement, which is what I’m doing. In 2021 I published my memoir, co-authored by my sister, Karen: Warrior Sisters: One was a drunk, the other a junkie. To help each other, they had to save themselves first. I know that Warrior Sisters provides hope and inspiration for those who read it.

Today, I can say that I’m grateful for this failure because it became a meaningful life lesson. My professional and personal struggles allowed me to learn and practice resilience. I trust that I’m living my life’s purpose and know I will continue to make contributions and enjoy new adventures.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always had a desire to help others and a strong work ethic. As an adolescent, I volunteered as a candy striper, reading to elderly patients in the hospital. Each professional experience I had became a building block to more education and practical application. For me, it seemed that the right mentors and situations appeared when I was ready for a new challenge. I want to demonstrate a spirit of learning and growth in all I do, no matter the situation. I have something to learn regardless of my training, experience, and age.

No matter the circumstance, my willingness to be a student served me well. I began my career as a special education teacher for emotionally disturbed and learning differences in a self-contained classroom. I taught all subject areas to middle school students in Santa Ana, CA., which was predominately a Hispanic neighborhood at the time. I didn’t speak Spanish, but my classroom aide was bilingual and a gift to the students and me. I enjoyed teaching, but after six years wanted to be able to study family systems.

I went back to school at Chapman University and earned my master’s degree in psychology. Six years post-masters, I completed the 3,000 hours of supervision and took the oral and written exams to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I began a 30-year career working with adolescents, young adults, and family systems in various settings. My first clinical experience was working at an adolescent intensive outpatient program (IOP). Students come to Back on Track four hours per day, five days a week, for individual counseling, group therapy, tutoring, and life skills. Parent skills training classes were mandatory one time per week in the evenings. One goal of an IOP is to avoid youth needing psychiatric hospitalization or higher levels of care. My mentor and supervisor was magical with kids and families, and I’m so grateful to him for his time and investment in me and my development.

I moved to Colorado and found a new position as Executive Director of a 20-bed group home for adjudicated boys ages 13-20. These youth were transitioning from locked, secured settings to transition back home and to the community. It was a challenging population to serve. I was in charge of hiring, training, and supervising all staff who could be more challenging than the kids! This program had an experiential component, and I saw the value in doing activities outdoors. We went white water rafting, backpacking, and hiking. I could see how these experiences built confidence and resilience in the students. Clinically I was burned out. I had been on call 24/7 and dealing with daily emergencies. I knew I didn’t want to be doing direct clinical services, but I wasn’t sure what my next step would be.

I had an opportunity to do marketing and business development for national residential treatment programs. These programs had innovative experiential components and specialized in adolescents, young adults, and families. I thought, “I don’t know anything about marketing, but why not .”These programs specialized in mental health, substance abuse, and learning differences. The company offered different program options like short-term wilderness programs, residential treatment centers, and therapeutic boarding schools. What a wild ride it was! I enjoyed connecting professionals and families to these services. I met my desire to make a difference and yet not have to provide the services myself. Some of the most memorable times were visiting the programs with referral sources and being able to participate in the experiential components. I was able to do high-low ropes courses, live cattle drives, equine therapy, and much more. It was an excellent fit, and I was on a new learning curve. I had a 13-year career with this company.

All of the skills I learned in my previous positions gave me the courage to launch my own business as an Educational Consultant in 2010. GPS Family Consulting provided “guidance, purpose, and solutions” for families who needed residential treatment services.

In school, I was not taught how to operate a business. Often, therapists lead with their hearts and aren’t prepared for the business side of having a private practice. I was fortunate to learn these skills and balance both compassion and accountability. I had a successful career and business for ten years. In 2020 I retired.

My latest accomplishment is writing my Memoir: Warrior Sisters. It was published in September of 2021 and co-authored by my sister, Karen. Writing about our childhood trauma, generational addiction, hope, and recovery has been a healing journey for my family.

I trust that I will continue to have the right mentors, circumstances, and opportunities appear because I have an open heart and mind for where life is leading me.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Since COVID, employers, and employees have had to adapt. I home officed for 25 years before it was commonplace because when I was employed and ran my own business, I traveled often. Not everyone is suited for this, and I think it takes discipline and a level of personal accountability. I have seen interesting trends in the workplace that I don’t quite understand. I’ve witnessed a level of passiveness and entitlement from the employee.

I generated millions of dollars per month in revenue at the company I worked for. Often I was the top sales performer on the team. I took pride in this, but occasionally, I would not feel recognized or acknowledged for my contributions. Another way to say this was my ego was getting too big! My boss had the perfect balance between encouragement and accountability. She told me one of the most valuable things: “You get your thank you every two weeks when you deposit your paycheck.” WOW. So true. An employee/employer relationship is an exchange and mutual agreement. The company owed me nothing, and I had agreed to the duties and responsibilities in the job description.

Another great lesson from my boss was not to bring her a problem unless I had some ideas and suggestions to solve the issue. In other words, don’t come to her just to complain. She wanted an exchange of ideas and for me to think through problems thoughtfully and respectfully. She expected me to be part of the solution, not the problem. On one occasion, when I asked a question, she told me, “I was paid to think.” These one-liners stuck with me and were personally incorporated into my values as my skill set grew and developed over the years.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

All we have to offer is ourselves! The best way to build your clientele is by achieving excellent results, building a positive reputation, and having consistent outcomes. I worked with over a thousand families and hundreds of staff in my career, and I learned how to resolve conflict and keep my side of the street clean. If something went wrong in a relationship or placement, the first question I asked myself was, what could I have done differently?

I got comfortable with asking for referrals. A referral is the highest compliment that I could receive. Early in operating my business, I would give financial discounts or offer scholarships. It seemed to me that these families’ level of commitment and engagement was lower than those paying the total price. I learned that it was up to the family to work out their financial burdens and obligations and that it was vital for them to have “some skin in the game.”

I learned to recognize my value. It takes practice; frankly, through different failures, I learned when to take a risk and when I shouldn’t. I learned discernment. When do I show vulnerability, and when do I hold a boundary?
I stayed grounded in knowing the tremendous responsibility I had when a family hired me during one of their family’s most stressful and chaotic times.

Contact Info:

• Website: kellyandkaren.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071970254003
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-ryan-74a230b0/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUAXDybCJD4
• Other: Radio, Podcast interviews, and speaking engagements can be found on my website: KellyandKaren.com under events and media.