We asked some brilliant folks to tell us about the best advice they’ve ever given to a client and have highlighted some of the responses below.
Alyson Crawford
The best client advice I’ve ever been given came from three key moments in my career. The first came when I was a young manager at Brinker International. My mentor told me, “Every week is Shark Week.” It meant that you should never settle and always face challenges head-on with a relentless mindset. In business, obstacles will always come your way, but when you treat every week like it’s Shark Week, you remain focused, aggressive, and determined to succeed. The second piece of advice came from a CEO I worked with in healthcare. She was old-school and intimidating, almost like royalty. After she approved my request for a new office space, she made an unexpected visit. She complimented my clean and organized office, but she pointed to one small thing: a full trashcan. She said, “If you don’t keep that trashcan empty, they won’t keep the kitchen clean.” That lesson was powerful: people notice the small details, and if you don’t set the standard, no one else will. It’s those small things that can make or break success. Read more>>
Steven Bradshaw
Strike While the Iron is Cool! Over the years, I’ve had many clients share with me heated letters and text messages that they are about to send to a romantic partner or business associate. These are the kinds of communications that burn a hole in the pocket. The sender feels compelled to get it off their chest as soon as possible. However, as we spend a session speaking through and discharging the strong feelings the client inevitably gains more perspective and starts to reevaluate how they might communicate to best advantage. If you can just slow down when there are strong feelings involved you almost always improve the outcome. The gap between stimulus and response is your freedom. This gap changes reactions into responses. Reactions are hardwired and driven by past experiences. Responses are present to all the possibilities that lie in the current moment. Read more>>
Kelly Houseman
Stop caring about what other people think and never live your life for someone else’s approval. Life is short and if we are trapped in the cycle of outside approval you can never win. You don’t want to look back at the end of your life with regret for not doing (or doing) something. Do the thing, make the mistakes, live the life you want. People will judge and that’s. fine but at least they can judge you while you are happy living the life you actually want to be. Read more>>
Beth Freese
The best advice I’ve given to a client is that healing is nonlinear, and it doesn’t always feel good. Sometimes, when we start the journey of therapy, it can feel like things are getting worse before they get better. This often happens because clients begin to peel back the layers and face life’s adversities, realizing their experiences hold pain. It’s like taking off a veil that’s been hiding those painful truths, which can be both enlightening and incredibly tough. I’ve had clients who felt discouraged when they hit these moments, believing they were moving backward instead of forward. I reminded them that this discomfort is part of the process. It’s not a sign of failure; it’s a sign that they’re bravely facing their truth. I encouraged them to create space for activities that bring a sense of calm, connectedness, and play while they navigate these emotions. It’s about balancing the hard work of healing with moments that ground and rejuvenate them. Read more>>
Heather Gray Fdn-p
Common Symptoms Aren’t Normal: Here’s Why You Should Listen to Your Body In today’s world, it’s easy to shrug off certain health symptoms as “normal.” We’ve all heard it before—things like bloating after meals, headaches from time to time, or that afternoon slump where you feel like your energy has tanked. These symptoms are so common that most people just accept them as part of daily life. But here’s the truth I share with my clients: no matter how common a symptom is, it’s never normal. It is always your bodies check engine light coming on and begging for attention. All to often we put tape over that check engine light and ignore it until we get diagnosed with some sort of autoimmune disease or other chronic conditions. Read more>>
Gabrielle Hardesty
Treat yourself like an ATM: everything you deposit into your body matters. Every choice we make either adds to or subtracts from our health and well-being. Just like deposits and withdrawals from an ATM, what we consume and how we care for ourselves contribute to our overall balance. Nutrient-dense foods, regular exercise, and self-care practices enhance our vitality and energy, while processed foods, stress, and neglect can diminish our health. It’s essential to be mindful of how our choices impact our bodies; prioritizing habits that add to our well-being we create a “rich life”. By consciously evaluating our “deposits,” we can create a life that nourishes us inside and out rather than leaving us depleted. The goal is to feel like a million bucks. So, pause the next time you make a choice and ask yourself: Is this adding to my life, my body, my well-being, or subtracting from life force?! Read more>>