We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Paweleck Bellingrodt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.
Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
After treating patients for nearly two decades and staring at a very lengthy waitlist for my services year after year, I decided I needed to find a way to reach more people. So, I built a training platform and started a podcast to do just that. But that wasn’t enough for me. After publishing a 3-part series on marriage on both platforms, I heard from a lot of people and received a lot of questions about marriage and relationships. The continuum ran the gamut: Some partners were stuck in a rut and wanted a little boost to their marriage. Others were near destruction and needed salvation. And then there was everything in between. After considering all the points on the relationship continuum, I realized I had a lot more to say. I decided to take a huge risk and write a book about marriage because I found that no one approaches it quite like I do, which involves a direct, no-nonsense approach and a deep dive into how your history is getting in your way. After much consternation and prayer and countless hours of editing, 76,000 words later, I published my first book in September of this year. It’s called “Fix Your Freaking Marriage: Practical Tips to Just Start Somewhere.” It was such a rush for me that I’m already over 20,000 words into my next book, “Get On with Your Freaking Life.”
Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
After wanting to be a teacher, cosmetologist and lawyer at different times, I settled on being a psychologist when I was in high school. Our little school didn’t have the resources for a psychology teacher, so we took it virtually. I still remember Mrs. Pedersen and how she drew me in to the field. After that class, I never looked back.
I received my undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and my doctoral degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. I was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer in 1998, finished school and a residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and headed to Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona. In 2004, I left the Army and opened a private practice right outside the main gate of the post. I’ve been in practice ever since and am now licensed to practice in the majority of states in the U.S.
I specialize in personality disorders in my private practice, which keeps things interesting. Executive coaching gives me the opportunity to do something a bit different, and I really enjoy working with highly-motivated entrepreneurs.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
My direct but compassionate approach coupled with helping people understand the influence of past on present and how to change it is what makes me stand out. Many therapists just work with people in the present, without helping them understand WHY they behave the way they do. I believe you have to know where you’ve been to get to where you truly want to be. Once you truly understand your behavior and don’t feel driven to act in maladaptive ways, you can really evolve.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I think there have been many instances of resilience in my career. Every time I heard a no, every time a product I put out didn’t perform the way I wanted it to, every time I was denied a speaking engagement or coaching opportunity, I bounced back. I know this is what called me to do, so I don’t get to give up. I keep going, keep putting myself out there to pursue my calling. I don’t like the alternative.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.doctorbellingrodt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepsychwithamic/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jen.bellingrodt
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jennifer-paweleck-bellingrodt-psy-d-5621a3146
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mendyourmind9761
- Podcast: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1323763.rss
- Training Platform: https://thepsychoeducationacademy.thinkific.com/collections
- New Book: https://a.co/d/2eRfkOn