We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paige Keisler Collins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paige below.
Paige, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
When I was 23 years old, fresh out of grad school, and had just started my first job in the field, my “plan” went way off course – I ended up being a single, adoptive mother for the first eight years of my career. I have had sole full custody of my daughter, Kymberli, since 2010. I could not have predicted or envisioned it as part of my story and, at the time, my parents even offered to petition the court for custody of Kymmi if I felt I was not able to take on the responsibility of raising a child on my own. However, I had known Kymberli for nearly five years at that point (since I was 18 and she was 2), and I was determined to provide her the safety, security, and support she needed. After being granted temporary custody, I pursued adoption. Not having any biological relation to her, we had two stressful, emotional years where there was no future guaranteed between us. Looking back, that was definitely the most challenging, hardest years of my life because of the emotional stress, but thankfully, our adoption was finalized in late 2011.
In a lot of ways, I feel like we grew up together. Kymberli was by my side as I navigated working in community mental health (and all the crisis and on call work that comes with it), pursed licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist, took a leap to go into my own private practice, enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training, and then expanded my practice into a full mental and physical wellness center. We grew from just the two of us to a big family. I am now married and my husband adopted Kymberli as well. We have a 3 year old, a baby on the way, 2 dogs, and a cat. Kymberli has excelled in countless ways. Academically, she had a high school diploma, Associates degree, and started the University of Tennessee as a junior at age 18. She is now 22, has less than a year left of graduate school, and plans to become a therapist herself. Given her personality, life circumstances, and determination, I know she will be wonderful in the field. Kymberli has a heart of gold and has shown strength, courage, maturity, and dignity throughout her life.
We have come full circle now. We became “official” from a legal perspective when I was 23 in 2010. Now she will turn 23 in 2025 and soon become my colleague. Lucky for me, I always get to be her mom no matter how grown she is, and I simply do not have the words to express my gratitude that my “life plan” did not go according to plan.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have a Masters of Science degree in Clinical Mental and Behavioral Health Counseling. I am a Marriage and Family Therapist, licensed in Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico, and Maine. I spent four years working with at-risk youth and continuum of care services. My work in community mental health was part of a national clinical research trial involving youth aging out of foster care services. I was also working part-time in private practice during this time. I made the leap to full time private practice in 2014. I primarily utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Somatic practices, and other evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatment for a wide range of mental and behavioral health issues. I now have 15 years of experience in working with children, adults, and families, which includes providing individual, couples, and family therapy, play therapy, group therapy, in-home therapeutic services, psychoeducation and life skills trainings, parenting classes, and crisis response services. I have both professional and personal experience with blended families, foster care, and adoption. I also offer post-grad supervision and employment for therapists working towards licensure.
I received specialized training in integrated services that support holistic health, including yoga, meditation, and breathwork while in graduate school. While I enjoyed the independence of working for myself in private practice in order to implement these evidence-based practices, I found myself limited on space, as well as not enjoying the sedentary nature of psychotherapy. I decided to pursue yoga teacher training as a means to provide well-rounded services focusing on a mind-body modality to help improve clients’ emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing, as well as improve my work-life balance. When expanding my psychotherapy practice to include more physical skills and group classes, I created Mind Body Knox, which was just me at the time. I have been teaching group yoga classes since 2017. I am a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-500) and have certifications in trauma-informed yoga, aerial yoga, and prenatal yoga.
After renting office space for psychotherapy and yoga studio space to offer group wellness classes for many years, I teamed up with my longtime friend and colleague, Lynn Smith, to purchase unfinished commercial space in January of 2021. We designed and built a mental and physical wellness oasis, with private offices and studio spaces, which operates under the name Mind Body Knox. It is the first of its kind in our community.
Mind Body Knox is now a team of 21 offering numerous services in one location. We have 10 mental health therapists, a psychiatrist, massage therapist, sound therapist, and 8 additional certified wellness instructors. We offer numerous weekly group wellness classes, some movement based including yoga, aerial yoga, pilates, and intenSati, and non-movement classes including mindfulness meditation, breathwork, and soundbath. We also have classes specific for kids and families. All of our services are trauma-informed and evidence based. Beginners are always welcome. In addition to our weekly classes, we offer private wellness classes, numerous courses, including Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Performance Enhancement, Awareness & Knowledge (mPEAK). We are the only facility in east Tennessee that offers such a vast array of mental health services in one location.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
Yes, if it’s not already obvious, I am very passionate about the work we do. I truly cannot imagine a more fulfilling work life than what we have created at Mind Body Knox! Mental health was still very stigmatized and not openly talked about when I started in the field. It’s been a pretty amazing transformation over the years with so many people normalizing therapy, encouraging self care, and speaking up about mental health issues. This is a field that you can truly make a difference in the lives of others, there are many pathways to do so, and you can maintain a work-life balance, including being a mom.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
I would say connection with others, including mentors and community involvement. A big learning curve in both private practice and now operating a wellness center is navigating the business side of things and insurance companies. My degrees are in psychology and mental health – not business. I have definitely made mistakes, and learned from them, along the way. I have had to pivot and change plans a few times and had plans delayed many times, including the pandemic and numerous construction delays. Having mentors and relationships with colleagues who are willing to answer questions, provide guidance, and offer support has been priceless. Although I also had to practice what I preached throughout the entire process of expanding and building our facility – deep breaths, yoga, meditation!
With the yoga studio, community partnerships have been a wonderful support in growing our business. Mind Body Knox has partnered with Knox Co. Parks and Rec., several businesses, a resort, educational institutions, conferences, and more. We have hosted events for musicians on tour, book readings, and numerous clinical training for mental health therapists, several being the first time these trainings have ever been offered in person in East TN. I personally love to expand our offerings and think it helps destigmatize mental health, as well as make yoga and meditation accessible in our community. Plus word of mouth helps businesses grow tremendously!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mindbodyknox.com
- Instagram: @mindbodyknox
- Facebook: @mindbodyknox
Image Credits
Dani Rose Photography