Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Pardy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Emily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.
I didn’t know I was starting a business when I established my practice, Ready Nest Counseling. If it had already existed, I would have happily applied to work here. But, there was a glaring gap in the system between medical care and motherhood that spoke to me as a woman, a mother, and now as a therapist. The need seemed obvious to me, to care for the emotional and relational well-being of a couple as they transition through conception, pregnancy, infertility, loss, or early parenthood. It’s a stressful, monumental milestone most people encounter at some point in their journey; and yet, the strife that comes with it is rarely addressed. It was a challenge to carve out this new niche, but having four daughters of my own, I deeply understand the need for help in this season of life. Making connections to the birth community, the medical network, and the families in our city was no easy feat. I literally DIY’d gift baskets and brought them around with my business card to anyone who would give me a chance. I held free workshops and spoke at every panel I could find. Soon, the office I was renting for only one day a week was not enough. Six years later, we have a full staff and are growing in multiple cities and states. I have learned so much over the last several years, and look forward to learning more in the years ahead. It’s hard to say I’d do anything differently knowing what I know now, because I don’t think I would have learned as much if it was easy, risk-free, or done perfectly. My advice is to take risks, pace yourself, and create a balanced work life that you find fulfilling so that it will sustain itself.
Emily, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Emily Pardy, and I’m the Founder and CEO of Ready Nest Counseling, a family therapy practice that focuses on helping individuals and couples navigate conception, pregnancy, postpartum, infertility, loss, and early parenthood. We offer one-on-one private counseling, as well as a myriad of resources including some online courses, Free support groups, and community events. All Ready Nest Counselors have been specially trained in perinatal mental health and are specifically educated to help families make the most of this precious season of life. Ready Nest Counseling believes no one should feel alone. Trying to conceive, suffering through a loss or postpartum depression, or just struggling with early parenthood can feel incredibly isolating. We want to help you learn ways to cope, relax, thrive, and connect. Ready Nest Counseling has a main office in Nashville, TN, with additional locations in Knoxville, and teletherapy available in Tennessee, Florida, and South Carolina. Ready Nest Counseling also has a partner agency, Empty Nest Counseling, which specializes in helping you navigate relationships with your adult children and beyond.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Word of mouth. It sounds so simple, yet trusting others to share their experience with their friends, family, or community, is incredibly risky. You can’t control it, buy it, manage it, or put a price on it. It’s the invisible, invaluable thing that you’ll need to trust in as you start your business. But, don’t let this scare you! The most successful strategy for growing this word of mouth is consistent, professional, and effective follow through. In other words, exceed in the quality of your service or product. In order to make an exceptional service or product, posture yourself to learn and keep learning and never stop learning. Listen to feedback, solve the issues, do better. Thank the people around you for helping shape your vision. Then, continue to serve at that same level again and again. Give them something to talk about – and the word of mouth will keeping going.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I don’t particularly think of myself as a creative person. I grew up in a creative family, so compared to my siblings who are accomplished musicians and artists, my skills are not notable. However, starting a business brought out a new side of creativity that I didn’t know I would need to build my dream. When I graduated from grad school, I had a dream, two toddlers, a husband who had just been laid off work, and was due with our third daughter any day. We had no extra money or time (or energy!) to pause life and start a private practice. So, I had to get creative. My husband (who is NOT a web designer) built my first website, I couldn’t afford office space, so I offered in-home counseling. I didn’t have a marketing budget, so I baked cookies and attached my business card. I hustled, I networked, and I kept myself surrounded with voices who believed in what I was doing. People have asked me many times over the years “how did you do it”, wanting to know the “secret sauce” in building a dream into fruition; and, the reality is harsh and risky. The reality is staying up late, working when you don’t want to, and maintaining a vulnerability for failure. Sometimes I would hold a free workshop and no one would sign up. Sometimes I would bomb a speaking event. But, I kept learning and trying. And, I got better at it. There is no “secret sauce”, there is no magic wand or short cut. If you want to start a business, you will fail. If you want to run a business, you will fail many times. Keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.readynestcounseling.com
- Instagram: @readynestcounseling
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/readynestcounseling
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy4dW6YmKKTma7IQwdaCp6Q/featured
Image Credits
Sarah Beatty