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

Alright, Lynn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on?

One of my favorite pieces of advice is to plan for the worst and expect the best! In this case the plan for the worst was to be willing to be fired! The client was unhappy with the disconnect between the values that his company claimed to have and how they were actually doing business. We had been working on next steps for him and dealing with his high functioning anxiety, impostor syndrome, doubt, and inner critic.

As he appeared on the screen during our session with a baseball cap on and in his bedroom, I was not surprised to have him announce that he had been fired (let go) AND that he was actually excited for the opportunities that this opened for him.

Turns out our work together had helped him see that getting fired would actually be in his best interest as the company offered him a great severance package. In fact, he was the one that helped them see that eliminating his position was a way for the company to save money and restructure.

He was able to take the severance package and move his family to a location where they wanted to be AND take his time deciding on his next career opportunity, which he did find.

Lynn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For as long as I can remember people have told be two things: 1) you are a great listener and 2) when I share a different perspective on how to deal with their negative thinking, they say “I never thought of it like that….thanks!”

Getting to my current business has been a winding road. I resisted becoming a counselor for a long time and so worked in early childhood education, as a school psychologist doing testing, and even motorcycle sales (family business) for some time.

Even once I was licensed as a counselor I found that I didn’t fit the traditional mold of “how does that make you feel”? type of therapist.

Over time I came to specialize in working with clients with anxiety and found that it was important to encourage them to take action steps rather than just doing the cognitive work. I developed my own brand of directive cognitive behavioral therapy and also branched into transformative coaching.

One thing that I noticed along the way was all of the tips and words of wisdom that I repeated over and over to clients was valuable, so I decided to put them into a book in order to be of service to more people. That’s how my first book ALIGNED As F*ck: Transforming Your Inner Assholes (like Anxiety) into Allies was born.

Over and over again I connect with people who let their negative inner protectors control them. They let anxiety, doubt, and some subconscious beliefs about not being good enough run them ragged. Like going through life with their foot on the gas and the break at the same time.

Clients and those who have read my book all share that I have a gift for breaking down the psychobabble into digestible bites with doable action steps. The combination of changing thoughts and taking action helps my clients (and those who have read my book) change their relationships with those Inner Assholes in a way that helps them become the Leaders they were born to be.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth is my best source of new clients, so nurturing relationships with members of my communities, both in person and online has given me the best ROI.

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

Three things. The first is being great at what I do so that clients tell their friends and family. Then having a way to regularly connect with colleagues so that they keep me in mind for referrals. Third and most recently, having the courage to write the book and then talk about it with my friends, colleagues, and literally random people that I meet.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lynndutrow.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynndutrow/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynn.dutrow
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-dutrow-78047173/

Image Credits
Julie Hipkins Originations Photography