We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Kostura, LISW-S. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Alright, Amanda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

In 2018 I put in my notice and left a job for the first time in my life with having a secure job lined up to move into. I was at one of the most challenging times of my life physically, mentally and emotionally due to excessive job stress, demands, and lack of fulfillment in my ability to make an impact in my role. I was calling off work often, using sick time and FMLA for flaring chronic health symptoms due to the stress, as well significant depression and active suicidal thoughts. I knew at my core that I would not be here much longer to be able to do the work I’m called to if I remained where I was.

With support from my partner, family, and friends, I took the leap and sent in my 30 day notice. This was one of the most terrifying AND liberating decisions I’ve ever made in alignment with what I truly wanted and needed in life. I saw that I built the bridge on the way down from the leap, and I’m still adding bricks onto that bridge today.

In the process of interviewing for a new job, I founded Carve Your Own Path, a 501(c)3 not for profit organization which offers an inclusive, holistic, community approach to mental health and wellness. I wasn’t sure how I was going to build an organization on my own, yet I knew I was determined to learn. I wanted to create an environment where the staff and the clients served feel safe, comfortable, and welcome to address their mental health concerns without fear of stigma. I also was committed to providing truly individualized care which gets to the root issues of the surface level symptoms, and empowered clients to care for themselves using tools and resources they hadn’t previously been taught.

November 2, 2023 will mark 5 years of Carve Your Own Path’s incorporation. It is amazing to look back and see all of the growth we’ve made since my initial leap of faith. Fear held me back from making a leap far too long, keeping me in my comfort zone (but it was actually quite uncomfortable to endure).

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Carve Your Own Path, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization located in Copley, OH.

Mission: Carve Your Own Path offers an evidence-based, trauma-informed, inclusive, community approach to mental health and well-being through holistic wellness services, education, and consultation services.

Vision: We envision a world where individuals seek wellness services without fear of judgment, and communities are empowered to thrive together.

We believe everyone has the right to receive confidential, ethical, and individualized care, regardless of background, and without requiring a permanent diagnosis. We cannot deny the research on the mind-body connection, and the necessity of integrating the two for true healing. We envision a world where mental health and physical health are always talked about together in conversations, without hesitation.

Service offerings:
Art Therapy
Embodied Therapy
Yoga
Reiki
Community Wellness Workshops
Professional Training, Education, and Consultation
Grow Your Path to Wellness Podcast

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Support – surrounding yourself with intentional support systems. We often miss the value of social capital to support our personal and professional journeys. Without my support system – including my spouse, parents, friends, colleagues, and my own therapist, I would not be able to continue to build our organization and empower more individuals to care for themselves. As a service-oriented, social workers, counselors, and therapists are often putting ourselves last by prioritizing the needs of others around us. If we are not intentionally pouring into our own healing, growth, and development, we are limited in our ability to serve and empower others.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

This advice is rooted in both experience and research, however it has typically been seen as taboo for many HR specialists. My most valuable tool as a supervisor and leader has been authenticity. I work toward being honest, transparent, communicative, and genuine in my engagements with my staff, board, and mentees. Research has demonstrated that the most important factor in determining beneficial outcomes in therapy, is the rapport and relationship between the client and therapist. This factor is also shown to be crucial to the supervisor-supervisee relationship. We must be authentic and relatable. My supervisees have stated how valuable it was to them that I was willing to show my humanness, admit mistakes, and share about how I handled past challenges to give them tools to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cyopinc.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cyopinc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cyopinc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cyopinc/?viewAsMember=true
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrowYourPathtoWellness

Image Credits
Sandi Sasser, Captured Moments Photography