We were lucky to catch up with Brett Rein recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brett thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I graduated from the University of Delaware in 2012 with a B.S. in Health Behavior Science and with absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I did what any sensible person would do in that situation: I bought a suit, applied for a bunch of sales jobs, and attended several group interviews. I don’t remember much from those interviews other than deciding I highly disliked wearing a suit and that any job requiring me to do so would not work for me. I was an athlete growing up; I played hockey through high school and then rugby in college. Given my interests, my dad and step mom persuaded me to get a Master’s degree to be a physical education teacher. I wasn’t overly excited about it but I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I went for it. I also became a certified personal trainer and tapped into the fitness industry. Upon graduating from my first Master’s program, I completed a 200 hour yoga teacher training and then booked a one way plane ticket to Australia to further explore both my inner and outer worlds aka to put off being an adult. After putting off having an adult job for another year, I decided to give teaching a shot. I earned a job in an amazing district in New Jersey as a teacher in their wellness curriculum. I had the opportunity to teach and add to their yoga and stress management class as well as teach a sexual education and family studies class. I really enjoyed the experience and if that district had not been in New Jersey, I may have stayed forever. While teaching the yoga and stress management class, I gave students journal prompts and taught self-care and mindfulness techniques. I will add that I did let students know prior to writing that I would be reading their journals and offering feedback to them as that is how I would be able to give a grade for the class. In response, I ended up spending two weeks writing over fifty pages worth of feedback to students. One student wrote in their journal that they needed help and that they were struggling with the thoughts in their head and things at home. I went to a school counselor and asked him if I can/should approach her about what she wrote or if I should let him handle it. He said he actually already met with her occasionally but she would not really open up to him so if I felt comfortable, I should ask her. At first, she said thank you but she did not want to talk about it. A week or two later, she came back up to me and said she thought about our brief conversation and asked if it would be okay if she talked about some things with me. I said yes, and then immediately went back to the school counselor to let him know and ask if there is anything I should do to ensure I help without causing damage. He told me I had good instincts and I should follow them and then consult with him when needed. He also said her parents were aware of what was going on and let them know she was going to speak with me. I met with her during her lunch period, and she shared things she was struggling with. I listened, asked questions, asked how I could support, and then I would ask the school counselor if I was saying or asking the correct things. I met with her at lunch a few times per month and eventually helped get her to the point where she was willing to try working with a therapist outside of school. At the end of the school year, the school counselor asked me if I was sure I was in the correct profession. He told me that I had a special ability to connect with and help people and that I should consider looking into therapy programs. One year later, I wrote my essay for my eventual therapy program at Adams State University and the rest, as they say, is history. Unlike my first Master’s program where I had constant doubt and felt I didn’t want to be there, I fell in love with my program, my professors, my fellow students, and my future profession. I am a therapist, and I get to make a living by helping people every day.

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.

I thought I would never have to answer the “please tell us about yourself” interview question once I started my own business but alas, here we are. There are so many ways to answer this question. I constantly tell people that they are not their jobs, they are not their thoughts, and they are not the worst things that have ever happened to them. I think some combination of our values, how we treat people, a sprinkle of our personality traits, our passions, and the imprint we leave in the world are closer to an answer that feels right. Based on that explanation, I am a witty, worldly, stubborn try-hard who enjoys an adventure in the mountains between bouts of helping people to find their purpose in life. I love to push my limits physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I want to see what I am capable of and learn as much as I can about the world and the people I share it with. I then enjoy taking the lessons I have learned and sharing them with the wonderful people I am fortunate enough to work with.

I am a mental health therapist and I like to think I create magic. Really, I believe the therapeutic relationship with clients is magical and healing, and that relationship can lead to some beautiful places for people. I enjoy working with a variety of clients and meeting them where they are at. For some, I get to help people find their purpose, work on communication skills, mindfulness/stress management techniques, build stronger/healthier/happier relationships, and create more fulfillment in all aspects of life. For others, I get to help people work through a challenging circumstance, navigate a traumatic experience from a different part of life or a transition period, or manage longer term struggles with anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health topics. I love all of the work I do with clients. I am always their biggest fan, and I always give unconditional love and support which typically includes insightful questions, sarcastic comments, and hard truths.

There are a lot of great therapists in the area, some of which I have personal relationships with and they are wonderful people and do great work with their clients. As a male in his mid-30s with an athletic background who comes with a therapy dog, I think I stand out just because there aren’t a lot of therapists who share that description. Aside from that, I think the thing that makes me or any of us different is our personal experiences that led to our work. I had a challenging childhood, a lot of struggles as a teenager and in my early 20s, and then had many peaks and valleys throughout my 20s. I have overcome struggles with substances, suicidal ideation, anxiety and panic attacks, negative body-image, under-eating, over-exercising, intense/obsessive thought processes, anxious attachment in relationships, loneliness, etc. I lived out of my car at one point, struggled to pay rent and other bills making $35,000 per year with no benefits while working full time with side jobs while also a full time graduate student with the knowledge that I already had one master’s degree and had already grinded so much. I finished the infamous Death Race a little over a month after passing out on the side of the mountain in the first Death Race I attempted. I have trained for big races or challenges and failed, worked on my weaknesses and come back more prepared for the next one. In a world filled with instant gratification, I learned the value of delayed gratification and the importance of continuing to work harder and smarter to reach goals. I have always chased my dreams while riding my magical unicorn, found my own way out of the woods, and lived life my way. It’s a mindset; a way of life where failures are lessons and stepping stones to something greater. Psychologist and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl coined the term tragic optimism which means the ability to find meaning and to maintain hope despite inevitable pain, loss, and suffering. I always believed no matter how bleak my circumstances seemed that there was something greater out there for me, and I always held onto that hope and used it as motivation to continue to grind and problem solve my way out of the woods. During my ultra-marathons and adventure races, the nights would be cold and dark and I’d be fighting my body’s natural inclination to want to go to sleep. The mantra I would always say to myself was “greatness is only a sunrise away.” Whenever we have dark times in our life, things can always get better if we give ourselves the chance to reflect, reassess, and to find our next sunrise to a new beginning. There is always another mountain to climb and that is what I think gives life purpose – the constant pursuit of summits in different areas of life. I do my best to help clients to find a similar mindset to find their own yellow brick road to their own Emerald City.

In my first master’s program to be a teacher, I had a professor who would always say “be the change you want to see in the world.” I am most proud of the fact that I made that happen. I love getting to help people to find their purpose and to work through challenges from the past or present. I love getting to help people to create a better future for themselves. This is how I leave a positive impact on the world and take my life’s challenges and turn them into something positive and beautiful. I easily could have become a bitter person and brought more hate into the world. I could have become someone who gets sucked into rage bait on social media or arguments with strangers over politics or any other thing that people get riled up about in our world today. I could have been a druggy or alcoholic with a meaningless job and brought negativity to the people around me. Instead, I got sober, sought out resources for healing, created peace for myself, and brought that peace and healing to others. I honor my inner child by being the person he needed for others. I put in the work to heal so I can help others to do the same. It means every client who reaches out to work with me and then shows up to put in the work is going to get my best every single time because I am living my purpose by having the privilege to help people to solve their own problems. Each person I help to heal becomes a person who can spread peace and healing to others. Together, we are creating an army of healers to make our society a better place for all of us to live. In the words of the 12th doctor from Doctor Who: “Never be cruel, never be cowardly. Remember – hate is always foolish…and love is always wise. Always try to be nice and never fail to be kind.”

Have you ever had to pivot?

The year was 2016 and I was living and working on farms in the land down under. I had spent the previous few years doing intense races and challenges as an adventure/endurance athlete which included The Death Race, swimming twelve miles in Lake Tahoe, winning a fourteen hour overnight eco/adventure race, doing a ten day vipassana meditation, running Rim to Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon, climbing Mt. Doom in New Zealand, running the Grand Traverse and then turning around and running back over Maroon Bells Pass, and too many more to list. While in Australia, I met a man who prone paddled 500 miles down the east coast of Australia beginning near Coolangatta and ending in Bondi Beach. He did it for a non-profit organization he created called Paddle Against Child Abuse (PACA). I immediately decided I needed to be a part of it and decided I would stand-up paddle board the same route beginning the same day he did the previous year. This was a cause near and dear to me and I wanted to show people that despite a challenging childhood, anyone can accomplish anything they worked hard to do. I knew the risks and I had a lot of people try to talk me out of doing it. At that time, I didn’t really care for the feedback or my safety. I felt like I needed to do something to that extent to be validated, to be redeemed and recognized for what I had been through, and I was willing to risk everything for that purpose. I wanted to be able to help people with similar challenges in childhood and to be able to share my story and hear theirs and be a symbol of healing and resilience. As I was set to begin, a tropical storm hit that part of Australia. I decided to give it a go anyway and the end result was a major crash that had me thrown into a headland repeatedly until I got sucked beneath the ocean. It felt like minutes were passing while I got tossed around but from what people on the shore said, I was gone for about 30 seconds. I magically got pulled around the headland which then blocked the current and I was able to get to shore and then collapsed. I was devastated that everything I trained and worked for didn’t work out, and I felt like a failure and a fraud. After eventually going to the hospital and recovering in bed for a few days, I went back to the farm I had been staying at the longest with the people who became my Australian family. They sat down with me and told me that the universe gives you a jolt when you end up on a path that you are not meant to be on and it would be wise to listen to that message and try to understand it. I didn’t know at that moment but that was the beginning of me understanding that I didn’t need to sacrifice myself or torture myself to feel the way I wanted to feel or to contribute in the way that would give me purpose. A year after returning back to the U.S., after a bit more traveling and self-exploration, a school counselor was telling me I should look into therapy programs and a year after that, I was receiving my acceptance letter from Adams State. It has been almost a decade since that accident and so much has changed in my own life and in the world but one thing has remained – my mission to help people to overcome whatever stands in their way of feeling fulfillment, happiness, and inner-peace. As a therapist, I get to do that every day. It gives purpose to what I went through and for what I fought so hard to battle within myself for my teenage years and through my twenties. I feel a sense of pride for how far I’ve come and for the way I am able to help people now. I still like to push my limits, for me, and then I sit in my little therapy throne in my cozy office with my therapy dog to help everyone else find and surpass theirs.

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

I think this question can have different answers for every therapist with some general crossover. I will make the assumption that most therapists generally have higher levels of empathy than the general population and care about people and want to help. Beyond that, we all go into this field for different reasons and have different areas we specialize in and different passions so I will answer this for what I think helps me to be successful. The obvious answer is having an adorable therapy dog. Less obvious – I have been told I am worldly and genuine, ask insightful questions and have creative solutions to problems regardless of what the problem is. I think all of those things are true. It helps to have had a challenging childhood and to see different family dynamics play out and to then have had many of my own challenges including challenges with substances, body-image, under-eating, over-exercising, suicidal ideation, intense/obsessive thought processes, anxiety, panic attacks, anxious attachment in relationships, loneliness, etc. I had to work extremely hard to overcome all of these challenges. I spent over a decade working with different therapists, doing my endurance races, guiding domestic tours for teens, traveling the world by myself, doing a homestay in a small village in Nicaragua, climbing volcanoes, running across the Grand Canyon and back, doing a ten day vipassana meditation, a yoga teacher training, a week long voluntary hospital stay, ketamine assisted therapy, and so many more experiences. These experiences allowed me to meet so many different people, exposed me to different cultures and perspectives, and offered me the opportunity to explore the world around and within myself. They led to self-growth, self-confidence, self-love, a greater level of understanding, compassion for myself and others, a belief that hard work + smart work will lead to positive results, and that with a little bit of care, love, support, and a little guidance sprinkled in, we are all capable of finding our purpose and living it. A book can’t teach my experiences or yours. I had a 4.0 in my counseling Master’s program and passed all of my exams on the first attempt so I am not saying I don’t have the book knowledge but a book can’t teach you how to feel and a book can’t give you life experiences. If all therapists read the books but were blank slates and showed up to work, there would be no real specialties or differences. It is our lived experiences, our own struggles that we have overcome, our triumphs, and everything in between that empowers us to help others. My experiences, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the peaks and the valleys are me and why I am successful as a therapist. And the cute therapy dog, obviously.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brettreintherapy.com
• Instagram: milesfromordinary_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brett.k.rein/
• Other: Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/brett-rein-arvada-co/941094