We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jess Tiergyn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jess below.

Jess, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

As both a mental health therapist and a specialized organizational coach I respond to the topic of suicidality with a very different focus and view point then many in my field. The needs and autonomy of the individual is my focus and I don’t view suicidal ideation as something that necessarily points to mental illness. In seeking solutions for folks experiencing suicidality on the micro or macro level I believe it is imperative that we consider the degree of how their environment is impacting them and consider ways that we can adjust the poorness of fit that might be present.

As we are discussing this, the gentle smile and kind words of one of my dear friends who lost his life to suicide, are entering my mind. He was not mentally ill, he was not unstable, he was simply suffering in a world that did not fit for him. He was bullied for being queer, he faced constant discrimination and he finally could not find the reasons to keep doing life. Our communities, our friends and our children deserve better, let’s work together to de-stigmatize and come together to change many of the stories.

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

I am a trans/non-binary suicidologist, photographer, therapist and coach. I am white, disabled individual who does life with an amazing service dog, named Kindynos. If you are wondering what that all means- basically it means that I invite people to imagine a world that they want to live in and support them in seeing themselves, truly experiencing the wonder that is self. As we understand who we are, we begin to be able to imagine how to change our world. I am an agent of chaos in the world, walking alongside organizations, groups and the individual that dares to dig deep into chaos to find a life that is worth living. I choose to not walk away from the reality of death or the reality of life, but instead to invite us to stand and hold them both.
Caliber Counseling and Caliber Coaching Collective supports organizations and groups through trainings, courses and presentations on topics such as suicidality, suicide response, queerness, diversity and bold moves towards a life worth living. These organizations support small groups and individuals through psychedelic assisted psychotherapy and 1-5 day intensives that use somatic intervention, community, art and alternative photography to create positive chaos. Muse Still is a photography studio that focuses on the gritty, the artsy, the real. Muse Stills partners with Caliber Coaching to provide photography sessions that are catered to support you in truly seeing YOU! Many of these photos are done in a boudoir style that allows the layers to be stripped away and for you to experience yourself more deeply through the camera’s lens.
If you have tried the ordinary, the pretty and have found it to not be enough, I invite you to connect with us, to join us in using chaos as a way to see yourself, to enter the gritty world of knowing self and creating a life worth living.

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

When I consider the idea of resilience, I feel the extreme weight of what that means in the world. I have a deep desire that those I love don’t have to spend so much of their life being resilient because of how hard life is.

I want to share a brief story that is very vulnerable and could bring up some uncomfortable feelings for folks. When I first started my therapist business many year ago, I had taken a hard look at my life and the world around me and was left with a sense of no hope. I was actively running a successful therapy practice, but found myself unable to make myself want to live my own life. I had reached out to many therapists and was struggling to find someone who was the right fit, which further deepened the sense that even though I was an expert in mental health, I couldn’t change my own life. At the darkest moments I found myself practicing the steps that I needed to go through to end my life with a bullet through my head. I would repeat the actions over and over, making sure I would get it right and not miss any elements. I looked successful and happy on the outside and this further created a sense of isolation. Nobody could actually see the depth of the pain and frustration that was eating me alive.

As I was working to sort out my life and my work, I realized that I had people in my life that were valuable to me and I might be able to shift things if I didn’t need to do it completely alone. I also realized that I needed to introduce chaos to my status quo and actively find ways to change my world so I could change my experience. The following years were not easy, there were many moments of deep pain and hard, hard work. But, I learned to have a deeper respect for life and death and I learned that there are times to not play it safe anymore and instead to get dirty and start creating a real life. My work and my life are about fully being present and living the life that matters to me, not about going through the motions. It is now my honor to partner with others who are, in their varying ways looking to shift and move their world. Let’s decrease the resilience we need, because we do this hard work together!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building a brand, creating a reputation in the mental health field is about knowing what you do incredibly well and sticking with those values. Organizations that spend their energy on trying to be what they are expected to be or trying to meet the needs of all potential clients, often end up with a murky brand and missing the clients who would be a perfect fit for them. As a therapist and entrepreneur it is vital to consider who you want to work with the most and what type of work you want to do with them. This type of clarity will allow you to customize and focus your work. It will also help you know when to say yes and when to say no to opportunities when they arise. I also believe that knowing what you want to do, how to do it well and charging appropriately for what you offer is a far better focus for creating success then just focusing on what will make money. Providing a valuable service you are passionate about is far more sustainable then chasing trends or possible income pockets. Be authentic and provide your people with what they need and your reputation will continue to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.calibercounseling.com
• Instagram: musestills
• Other: www.calibercoachingcollective.com www.musestills.com