We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elizabeth Mintun a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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.

I have always been a very private person who preferred to be quietly doing my own thing. A psychotherapy practice suited me perfectly in this regard, because I could be behind the closed door, offering my expertise to those who chose to come in, and otherwise not have a public face.

When I decided to branch my work into The Calming Ground, this felt like a big risk. I went from being quietly behind the scenes with just a website and a profile on Psychology Today to creating and hosting a weekly podcast, offering mindfulness and wellness content online through social media, and being much more able to be “seen” and heard by the general public. This took me way out of my comfort zone!

I remember the first time my podcast aired and feeling like I was so exposed and vulnerable. I didn’t know how people who receive it (me), if they would like me, and to what extent they would find the content I offered valuable. It felt like such a risk to put myself out there in this way, but I did it because I truly believed in the incredible power short, simple practices and micro-shifts can have if we integrate them consistently into our everyday lives.

Because my own experience had been so transformative with these practices, I felt called to share them with the world and let others know that, even with extremely busy lives, these shifts are still possible. In order to get this message out, it was important to have a vehicle. For me, The Calming Ground podcast and social media was just that. It required me to show up differently publicly than I ever had before.

I’m so thankful I took the risk! I’ve gotten wonderful feedback from people near and far about the impact and resonance of my podcast and media, which has been amazing for me. I’ve also met such incredible people because I’ve been more outwardly expressive – I would have never made so many new meaningful connections with beautiful people had I not put myself out there. This has been such a great reminder that healthy risk-taking and moving out of my comfort zone can have huge rewards and be truly life-changing.

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

I began as a psychotherapist in a private practice in Columbus, Ohio. I still have my psychotherapy practice, where I focus predominantly on working through trauma, as well as general anxiety and depression, and deepening self-awareness.

I realized, however, that there is a very important wellness component that I also wanted to offer. This component was that of ongoing support with simple, regular mindful self-care practices that can provide ease, inner balance, and calm. That’s when I opened The Calming Ground, within which I share my other areas of expertise, including that of being a forest bathing guide, qigong teacher, and mindful life coach.

In The Calming Ground, in essence I help people transform stress into vitality. I help people go from feeling overwhelmed, depleted, and exhausted to feeling relaxed, inspired, and energized. I do this through several different offerings: The Calming Ground podcast (which offers free content), one-on-one mindful life coaching, retreats, and The Calming Ground Membership, which is particularly designed for women.

It is very important for me to show up authentically and compassionately present. I am just as human as anyone else. And, while I am extensively trained, my training doesn’t mean I know what’s best for anyone else. I trust that everyone has their unique truth, path, and experience. As such, I approach my work by deeply listening so that I can learn what matters to each individual I work with and what resonates with them.

I’m a strong believer in trusting the process, which has served me quite well for over a decade in my work. Of course, I bring my expertise into my work as a resource – but what’s much more important to me is the compassionate presence I can offer as I bear witness to my clients realizing their own wholeness, happiness, ease, and inspiration in ways that make sense for them.

The greatest gift of all for me is accompanying people on a journey within which they experience greater joy, relaxation, presence, and self-compassion. There is such freedom people experience when they are more at ease with themselves and their lives. They get to make such different choices when they’re feeling more balance within. And the beauty of it is that this can happen through such simple practices – and with trusted support.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn that I needed to please everybody. This was a hard one! I had wanted everyone to like me for so long. Every once in a while, that people-pleasing side of me still shows up within me and I have to kindly remind myself that it’s not my job.

I think owning a business has taught me a lot. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that it’s important to walk the line of supporting others and supporting myself. I can’t walk this line effectively if I do not have meaningful and defined boundaries. And, if I don’t have meaningful and defined boundaries because I’m bending over backwards to please others, I am compromising my work.

Whereas in the past I would walk all over my time off to meet clients’ needs, I learned that my time off work is restorative time that actually allows me to be fully present in my work. In order to show up the way that I want to, with integrity in my presence and compassion, I have to not burn myself out by people-pleasing.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I would! Though I think I would have dabbled in learning meditation, qigong, yoga, sound healing, etc. much sooner so that I could have integrated these practices more deeply in my own life and found the level of balance I have now when I was younger.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thecalmingground.com
• Instagram: @thecalmingground
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecalmingground
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-mintun/
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-calming-ground-podcast/id1704337948

Image Credits

kellykoolhovenphotography