We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mari Larrea a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mari, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
As divorced parents, they did their best to create inclusion rather than separation. They also worked hard in their jobs but even harder to co-parent. One thing I can always remember is that they didn’t try to hide their failures; they talked us through them. From the economic crash in 2008, to family issues, to failed job opportunities, they kept us together by walking us through what failure can look like, how to take space for your mental health, and then how to buckle up and keep it moving. I always joke that my patience came from my dad and my stillness and strategic abilities came from my mom. As a little girl, my dad would put me to bed with what I know now to be a mindfulness routine. He’d have my sister and I pick a destination and he would walk us through every step from packing up, to going through TSA and by the time we’d get to the plane, we would be knocked out. My mom, through instilling faith, would model stillness every morning when I’d run in asking for something- she would be in bed, eyes closed, and focused on prayer. When I’m having a difficult time, I may not have the strength to pray, but that image of her stillness helps me communicate with Jesus and then I’m able to strategize.
Mari, 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?
As a little girl, my curious mind led me to watch an incredible amount of Forensic Files and Criminal Minds. Somehow my parents never found it odd- thank goodness! Since then, I knew I wanted to be a forensic psychologist. I worked my whole career to get there. From double majoring in undergrad at FAU in psychology and criminal justice, to going straight into a clinical psychology doctoral program in Miami. During my graduate training, a very special professor sat down with me and described life as a forensic psychologist. I was well aware of the danger it could entail before this conversation, but I was not as aware that it would be more focused on reports and assessments. I decided to pivot and go the health psychology route. I got the chance to train at top Miami hospitals in transplant care, HIV/AIDs and special immunology, pediatric psychiatric inpatient facilities, but then COVID hit. During that time, I was unable to gain some experience in group therapy or other forms of treatment training that I had been wanting to experience, so when it came time to looking for a residency, I got selected to BYU’s program in Utah- big move, I know! Fast-forwarding, I was so blessed to be training with some of the best mentors and most wholesome individuals I’ve ever been with. I took that opportunity to be training in Compassion Focus Therapy (CFT), biofeedback, sex therapy, group therapy, couples therapy, and my favorite- sport psychology.
My mentor, Dr. Golightly, was incredible in showing me the ropes when working with elite-level athletes and went beyond by helping me expand that knowledge and experience to other settings where I might find myself working with such athletes- pro, retired, collegiate, and competitive youths. He trained me to work in multidisciplinary settings and teams, as well as individually. Through this, I also gained experience as a professor teaching Performance Psychology to elite student-athletes.
The robust experience I received has allowed me to work with individuals, groups, couples, teams, and staff to improve performance and offer therapeutic services to a wide range of clientele.
My passions for sports, performance, mental health, and faith all collaborated to get me to where I am at- a sport psychology fellow who will be fully licensed by August 2024 and able to practice in 40 states. Because of these passions, I also began a nonprofit April 2023 that focuses on implementing faith strategies and principles (rest, integrity, trust, accountability, etc) to improve mental well-being, as well as performance to a wide variety of individuals, teams, and programs through a lower-cost or scholarship opportunities. Elevate Global Ministry, Inc. will be up and running officially by October 2024. As part of the mission, we look to tithe a portion of our initial services by offering pro-bono opportunities.
I love what I do, I love the people I get to meet who allow me into their space at such vulnerable times. I love sports and medicine, and I love my faith. My hope is that even if you don’t believe in God, you still feel loved and cared for where you are at in life and that you have people in your corner to help you get through life.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
In a perfect world, with all the knowledge and wisdom I have now about my career, the only things I would add if I could go back in time would be a chemistry degree, a fashion degree, and my helicopter pilot license. Again, in my perfect world I would be a psychologist but also stylist for the NBA/WNBA. The chemistry degree and license would just be for fun!
Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?
The way I began funding my business endeavors was by opening a savings account and tithing my money there since I was probably about 24. I had a pastor once say, “it’s not about the percentage, it’s about the posture.” Giving to God what is His was always instilled in me and I instill that in my work. He gave us the creativity, mind, and resources. Sometimes we need to give them back and that trains your muscle memory for trust. I also kept a savings account for “giving” and would take money out to give to organizations, people, a random person in line behind me, or add my friend’s tab onto mine during a night out. That helped move generosity forward and has come back by friends and strangers wanting to collaborate or donate. Lastly, I donated my time and talent to other organizations I believed in. That has also been extraordinarily helpful as well. We are all born with gifts and talents, and we may want to protect those talents by hoarding them or always charging money for them- and rightly so, but we become richer when we share the talents as gifts and do just that- share them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elevateglobalministry.org/
- Instagram: Drmarilarrea
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-mari-larrea-bb5a6b136?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Other: https://bestwithinyou.com/about-us/dr-mariemilia-larrea/
