Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jason Polk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jason, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was your school or training experience like? Share an anecdote or two that you feel illustrate important aspects or the overall nature of your schooling/training experience.

“What is shareable is bearable.”

This was a quote from one of my favorite professors, Debi Grebenik.

I loved her energy and passion for the counseling field.

I also loved this quote as it’s the heart of what we offer as therapists – we encourage our clients to share.

Over ten years later, I often share this quote in my office.

I don’t give her credit. However, I say I learned it in grad school.

Debi, if you’re reading this, thank you!

As a couples therapist, couples often get into trouble by not sharing.

Some reasons for this may be that:

They’re not entirely aware of what they’re feeling at times.

They have yet to learn the benefit of sharing their inner reality.

They may be too ashamed to share what it is that’s bothering them.

Sharing has the potential to build connection with your partner, and that’s why it makes whatever you’re feeling bearable.

We feel validation and acceptance if we share our imperfections and humanness with someone listening and responding without judgment – hopefully our intimate partner.

And so, we’re brought closer together by sharing our struggles, which is what emotional intimacy is.

Brene Brown says, “If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive.”

Shame exists in silence.

So, if we dare to share our imperfections and struggles, they may not be resolved at that moment, but it’s now bearable, and our humanness is affirmed.

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?

I became a couples therapist as a result of a painful divorce.

I wanted to know how an initially strong relationship turned toxic and painful.

My ex-wife and I participated in many couples therapy, some good and some bad.

Our last therapist was getting somewhere, but it was too little too late at the time. I was checked out.

As a therapist at the time, I asked our last therapist where they were trained. They told me, and then I was off to that training, and my journey to help myself and others have healthy relationships began.

Now, I make a living doing so.

I help couples have more harmony and passion to avoid the pain of divorce.

I also help people heal from early childhood wounds such as neglect and abuse. These are often the root of relationship problems as adults.

I guide people in “re-parenting” themselves and cultivating a loving relationship with their younger ego states that experienced such neglect or abuse.

I’m grateful for my opportunities and modalities to help.

Now, I run a couples therapist agency in Denver, Colorado.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I started my business, I thought clients would just come to me.

I was hoping to get referrals from the full-time job I just quit. But I didn’t get many – a couple here and there – not enough to live on.

I had just moved into a lovely downtown Denver apartment with my girlfriend. It was expensive. I only had a couple of clients, and I was living off my credit cards.

I was racking up credit card debt.

When I finally told my girlfriend (now wife) at the time, she was not happy. The debt was close to 10k (not counting student loans), and I had no real income…

This is when the self-doubt kicked in. I told myself that I was a failure and that I sucked.

Eventually, I realized that I wasn’t a failure.

It’s just that I didn’t have a plan. For example, to get new clients, my marketing plan was “hope.”

I was even offered a full-time, well-paying job at this time. I know my girlfriend wanted me to take it.

But I didn’t want to work full-time on someone else’s business. I wanted to keep trying on mine.

So, I did side hustles to keep the dream alive.

I drove Uber and Lyft.

I did contract work in my field.

I didn’t really enjoy that work, but it provided enough income to keep me going and to keep the dream alive.

I had time during the day to work on my business.

I believe if you want something bad enough, with patience and work, chances are you can get there.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I would say yes.

There’s a lot of meaning in my work.

As a therapist, you also do a lot of your own personal work, discovery, and recovery. It’s been an incredible journey.

However, in terms of amassing wealth, I wonder if I picked the wrong profession.

I sometimes think… Should I have been a real estate agent or a house flipper? Because I think they have the potential to make a lot more money.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coloradorelationshiprecovery.com/
• Instagram: @jason.a.polk
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denverrelationshipexperts/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corelationshiprecovery/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@relationshipadviceforparents?si=PMhIJ7V-W59S5vCQ

Image Credits
I paid a photographer for them.