We were lucky to catch up with Brittany Hannah Bennett recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brittany Hannah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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.
Surprisingly, my dream career started when I was a kid in 1996. I watched the movie ‘Harriet the Spy’ which was my first introduction to the profession of psychology and therapy. And I remember thinking even that young ‘how special it is to have a private space to speak to someone about your thoughts, and I want to be that special person for someone.’ I knew right then that would be the career I pursued. 20 years later in 2016 I’ll never forget sitting in my very own private practice thinking about that movie being the reason I landed where I have. It gave me chills and made me chuckle. I STILL find it remarkable.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
What I am most proud of is creating different styles to discuss mental health wellbeing. Upon many years of providing mental health counseling and therapy I have found that I thrive, and am most fulfilled when I am sharing mental health education to the public in a speaker and reader friendly manner. I enjoy doing so in a conversational approach and using everyday relatable words that make most sense to the listener and reader. Not long ago I was lucky enough that someone read my email to the Niagara Gazette Newspaper when I took a chance asking if I could write monthly mental health articles for their paper and they graciously gave me the space to do so. It is one of my most cherished met goals (because I reached out to a lot of newspapers and they were the only one interested). My favorite endeavor to date (that truly reflects mental health and wellbeing education in a conversational way) has been sharing my modern self care, self love book titled SELF-ISH is the new SELFLESS. The take away is “we cannot be our best for others if we are not our best for ourselves.” This little book is a guide to feeling good without all the guilt! Taking care of ourselves is necessary and invaluable to both our mental health and physical health as they go hand in hand. I really took much attention and care to weaving mental health concepts into everyday ups and downs within ourselves, and others in our lives (through the therapist lens, and the human lens). I want to share the words in the book with everyone.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
What I often find myself reflecting about is the value and essential need for genuine enthusiastic supportive humans who want you to fulfill your goals and dreams because they connect with your brand, your meaning, and your product. It is physically and mentally taxing to work towards your goals knowing every single step matters (even backwards) to get in the direction you want. And it’s even more challenging when others do not see the vision of purpose. What I have learned, is share your energy with those who deserve to know. Those who truly connect with your genre. Those who truly light up when you discuss your path and share where you’re going. It is a priceless gift to have pure interest- in your interest. Especially when the real deal Imposter Syndrome kicks in. It is a real thing. But we got to keep on keeping on. And most importantly, I believe true blue resilience comes from understanding, accepting, and embracing bumps in the road, mess ups, failures, financial challenges and steps backward because it 1) gives us the opportunity to make necessary changes to try again, and again, and 2) one can only know what true success feels like from the obstacles it took to get there. I often tell myself “it’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when.”
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I gravitate towards content that is easy to understand, where I do not need to look up a word in the dictionary, and can hear or see relatable examples. This type of presentation is how I best interpret information and I have adopted this style into my own practices as a business owner, a therapist, and a writer. Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk’s video content, and seminars have given me undeniable motivation to pursue my goals no matter how long it takes or how hard it is. And it’s because his style of language, his real life examples are all so relatable. And last but certainly not least his ability to empathize as a human while being a business owner is unmatched.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.botwservices.com
- Instagram: hannahbrittany
- Linkedin: Brittany H. Bennett
Image Credits
Adore Photo Studio