We recently connected with Shaelene Kite and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shaelene, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I have taken many to get to where I am today and I think this is the story for all entrepreneurs. There is always a level of risk that comes with starting a business.

For me, it started with leaving the consistency of a salaried job at an agency to work privately, and then to leave the comfort of a group practice to open my own. Without an office location, I still made offers to employees despite not having the plan being perfected. 5 years later, I’ve continued to take risks both personally and professionally that always give me return on investment that made it more than worth it.

I’ll also say that oftentimes, taking a risk rewards you in other ways. We just don’t know for sure what the outcome will be, and that makes it scary!

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

I am a 3x entrepreneur which is not limited to my work as a counselor, yoga teacher and practice owner. I lead a group practice of 20+ that has continued to grow rapidly since its opening in 2018. DBT of South Jersey hit its first $1 million plus in revenue in just two short years after opening its doors, and continues to grow steadily in subsequent years. We just celebrated our 5th Birthday and now have 2 locations in the South Jersey area.

I’m a DBT Expert and Trainer, Yoga for Trauma Educator, International Speaker, Host of the T-Talk Podcast, and owner of Rebelmente-a mental health training and business coaching company. Through Rebelmente, I train numerous individuals in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, support them through obtaining the highest standards of clinical certification as well help them advance their clinical skills. Along with my colleague, Katie K. May, I  co-created the groundbreaking program Stabilize and Scale, where we help group practice owners run a thriving practice that supports their big dreams while creating a meaningful impact in the communities they serve.

I believe that healing is something that looks different in every individual and that’s why I started the T-Talk Podcast. On that platform, we showcase people’s healing journeys that are often out of the “therapy box” in many cases.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me at a concert or traveling, taking a long walk alongside a good podcast, and spending time with my two Christophers (one big, one little) and my two weiner dogs-Lucy and Ralphy.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Listen. I’ve continued to thrive by using one of the most basic, but not easy, skills in communication-just listen. There are countless problems in the world to be solved. How can you become the solution to one of these problems? Start there.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience is an ongoing act. Getting up and continuing to face everyday challenges as an entrepreneur rather than folding under pressure is a daily practice. Though, my favorite story is the one where my journey started. I often got overlooked in leadership roles when I worked for others despite having the required skillset. This is what pushed me to open my own practice. I made my first hires without an office or a crystal clear plan, but I plunged forward nonetheless. I met my new hires for meetings in the dining room of my small twin home, with stacked desks lining my kitchen and living room for the office that one day would house them but for now was a mystery. My carpets were bright pink with white roses on them. I wanted to get the carpets changed as soon as I bought the home (as you could imagine), but could never afford to. Fast forward to today, that house not only got a long overdue facelift, but it also now houses a tenant and is my first rental property. I live in a bigger house now, and got the carpet up before I moved in. This is all due to the success of my business and the return on my risks.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rebelmente.com and www.dbtofsouthjersey.com
• Instagram: @rebelmente and @dbtofsouthjersey
• Facebook: Shaelene Kite
• Email: shaelene@rebelmente.com
• Podcast: T-Talk (https://anchor.fm/t-talk-with-shaelene)