We recently connected with Nicholas Hardy and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicholas thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

When my family moved to Houston, Texas – I was unemployed. To further complicate matters, my wife was pregnant and we had only been married for less than a year. From the outside looking in, it was the worse time to have an “aha” moment and relocate. Although historically, this would not have come as a surprise. I had a history of changing jobs and cities in search of something bigger and better. Some would call it being upwardly mobile, and others would suggest I was running, but in either case, it was customary for me to grow bored and transition to the next phase of life. However, this time was different. Not only was I married with a daughter on the way, but I wasn’t running away from anything but instead, I was running toward something. Counseling and mental health have always been something I dreamed about pursuing as a career. Yet, there was limited representation and the pre-established trajectory for a career in counseling didn’t fit well with what I envisioned. So instead, I cringed to my comfort zone and remained at a job I hated. Until, I could not longer stand it. That’s when, we decided to move to Houston and invest in the process full-time of being a therapist and eventually opening my own practice. It was a risk because I had not been accepted into the Ph.D. program at the University of Houston yet. In fact, I hadn’t even applied. Secondly, I had no job or prospects that would offer comfort to a pregnant wife who was temporarily staying with my brother in his apartment. Fast forward seven years, and I am living my dream and believe the move was one of the best decisions I made.

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 am a licensed Psychotherapist and run a private group practice in Houston, TX. I provide counseling to adult, individuals and couples with an emphasis on improving relationship satisfaction. The problems I help clients solve are diverse, and range from marital conflicts like communication, dating woes, anxiety, and general next steps in life. I take pride in walking with clients on their personal journey and having the opportunity to support them during a season of life. Authenticity is used a lot, but I believe this is one of the things that sets me apart as a therapist. I am the same in a counseling session, as I would be at dinner (minus the drinks) – which I believe, creates an environment for people to feel safe. This is foundational to our healing, and something that we are not always afforded in our daily lives. I am proud that I can create this space for so many people. I have seen transformation occur before my eyes and the overall benefits of therapy.

I begin this journey more than a decade ago, when I started work as a case manager in Memphis, TN. I call it the best worse job ever. Visiting with people in their homes, and having candid conversations on a daily basis allowed me to see what people go through behind close doors. It’s also where I found my niche in counseling, and developed the confidence in what I previously took for granted.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn that it’s not personal. For a period of time, when someone did something that I was upset about, whether that’s not delivering a project on time, not showing for an appointment, etc. I would take it personal. Growing up, everything was about principle and the unwritten codes of life. However, this led to me internalizing things that I shouldn’t have and harboring unnecessary ill feelings. Not only was it unproductive, but my perspective was often limited and skewed. I had to unlearn this in order to maintain a healthy emotional state, improve my empathy, and continue despite distractions.

Any advice for managing a team?

In regards to high morale, I believe transparency is key. Secrets create suspicion, which breeds doubt and reduces confidence. When we are transparent, we also give others the opportunity to make decisions with full knowledge of everything that is going on. I also believe in investing in people according to their dreams and goals. We sometimes in invest in people, but it’s for our own personal agenda. Which, when they no longer serve us, we pull back. I strongly believe people can sense when this is the case, and morale is negative affected as a result.

Contact Info:

• Website: nichardy.com and Untherapeutic.com
• Instagram: nichardy_
• Facebook: nichardycounseling
• Twitter: nichardycs
• Youtube: Nic Hardy Counseling