IAM2501 – Therapist Finds Passion in Improving Clinicians and Professionals Lives

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Sharon Lawrence Teaser 00:00

I always tell people that the therapeutic relationship really does not start when they walk in your office.

It starts at the first phone call. And so as much as possible, I try to be the person that answers the phone because that's right in that moment where I can say, okay, let me figure out what's happening with you.

And then I can tell you whether or not I'm the right person for you. I need to make sure I can actually support you in what it is you're doing.

But the other thing is helping them to understand what therapy looks like, what my philosophy is about therapy.

Intro 00:30

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:57

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today.

I have Sharon Lawrence of Selah Wellness and Therapeutic Services. Sharon, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Sharon Lawrence 01:07

Thank you so much for having me, Gresham. I'm glad to be here.

Gresham Harkless 01:10

No problem. Super excited to have you on. And what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Sharon so we can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.

And Ms. Lawrence is a licensed clinical social worker, certified anger management specialist, certified prepare and rich facilitator and trainer, certified life coach, board director, telemental health provider, and credentialed as an employee assistance specialist clinician.

She also holds a certification in Christian Ministries from the Evangelical Bible College in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

She has over 15 years experience working with children, adults, couples, and families within the following settings, mental health, substance abuse, foster care, family court, and developmental disabilities.

Ms. Lawrence is a therapist for therapists, professional, and couples. Her passion is to improve the lives of clinicians and professionals who manage the day-to-day responsibilities of caring for others.

Ms. Lawrence is also an author, speaker, presenter, trainer, and blogger for subject matter topics related to mental health education, marital, slash, relationship enrichment, self-care and motivating entrepreneurs.

She is the owner of Selah Wellness and Therapeutic Services located in Largo, Maryland. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Sharon Lawrence 02:24

I am ready.

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Gresham Harkless 02:25

Let's do it. So the first question I had was to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story.

What led you to start your business?

Sharon Lawrence 02:32

Oh, gosh. Well, this is something that has been a passion. It has been a passion of mine to do this for about seven years prior to launching Selah.

So what ended up happening was I went to a networking event with other mental health professionals who had launched their practices or were leading companies.

And I've always been in a leadership position, but not really certain of when I should launch mine or how I should go about launching mine because of the niche that I have, which is therapy for therapists and professionals.

And I remember a mentor saying to me, what sets you apart from anyone else to be able to say, you're the therapist for therapists.

And so that's something that sat with me for several years. But after I went to that networking event, I came home, Gresham, and I just kept running my mouth about it.

And my husband was like, OK, have a seat. And I was like, have a seat? Like, why?

So I sit down, and he says, it's time. And I'm like, time for what? He was like, time to start the business.

And I really thought he had fell and bumped his head. But he was like, no, you have not talked about this with such excitement until now before it was more fear, but he was like, I think the time is now.

And so before you knew it, I just started pulling together all the things that I had written down, all the things that had been on my heart and realized, okay, if I'm going to do this, I want to do it the right way.

And so I got myself not one, but two mentors that helped me along the way to make sure that I did not miss anything.

And even if there were bumps in the road, I made sure that I was repairing the process as well.

And so, that's how Selah got started. And it was really because I knew it was time and there was also a need. I was meeting more and more clinicians and professionals.

Because remember, I'm not just serving people in the mental field, but I realized that people were not taking care of themselves.

And if I was going to do this, I wanted to make sure that I was advertising and marketing the right way to meet the right people. And so, so far, it has been amazing.

Gresham Harkless 04:40

Nice. That's awesome to hear, especially, how important it is to have a great environment.

Like you mentioned your husband being able to kind of see sometimes what we don't see or don't want to see sometimes to be able to point you in the right direction.

But it also seems like you even took it a step further because you also made sure that you had those mentors, those people that you can tap into their expertise so that you can be more successful.

Sharon Lawrence 05:01

Absolutely. And my mentors have been great because I'm like, even when I've tried to pay them for their time, they're like, no, pay it forward.

So I've done exactly that by sharing the information that was freely given to me and just their support and encouragement that still continues to this day has been extremely beneficial to what I'm doing. So I'm grateful.

Gresham Harkless 05:22

Nice. Thank you. Well, we're grateful to have you on as well. So I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper and hear a little bit more on what you're doing to kind of help support these clients.

I know we talked a little bit offline on how important it is to make sure you're taking care of yourself, especially for people that give so much and have such taxing professional jobs and positions.

But I wanted to hear a little bit more on how you serve the clients you work with.

Sharon Lawrence 05:43

Okay. Well, the first thing is helping them find the courage to even come in. I always tell people that the therapeutic relationship really does not start when they walk in your office.

It starts at the first phone call. And so as much as possible, I try to be the person that answers the phone.

It's not, I try to be the person that calls back. If it's not me, it's going to be my assistant, Nikki.

Right. But even with Nikki, Nikki will say, hey, this person has some questions. I'll say, okay, schedule 15 minutes for me to talk to them.

Because that's the that's right in that moment where I can say, okay let me figure out what's happening with you.

And then I can tell you whether or not I'm the right person for you It's not so much always as me saying, okay, maybe you're not ready or maybe you are ready and I'm just gonna pull you in.

No, I need to make sure I can actually support you and what it is you're doing but the other thing is helping them to understand what therapy looks like and what my philosophy is about therapy, what my role is.

Because many people think therapy is I'm going in and they're gonna tell me what to do.

And I'm going, no, I'm gonna help you pull the answers out of yourself. Because you already know what to do.

You need somebody who can push you to make better decisions and better choices for yourself.

And so I'm pretty much helping them to one, improve their self-care, but not just self-care, Gresham.

It's really about making sure their mental health is stable. Because self-care, people see that as getting your nails done, getting that pedicure, getting your hair done, going to get a face shield, things like that.

And what I'm saying is, no, go and talk about the things that bother you.

Go and talk about those family stressors that are happening or that workplace trauma that could be taking place.

And so helping them to understand that there are things externally that really make a major impact internally. And it's up to you if you want it to be negative or positive. And you really do have control over that.

Gresham Harkless 07:34

Well, that's awesome. And I love the point that you drove home is just that I think sometimes when so many things happen.

Whether that be in business and life, whatever, you often feel like you're kind of stuck and you don't have any power to do anything.

But you're saying that you do have the power to in fact do it and how you react to it and what you do as a result of whatever has already happened.

And you might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce.

And this is kind of that thing that you heard at the networking event. What do you feel kind of distinguishes you and sets you apart?

Sharon Lawrence 08:07

I would say that's exactly it, that I'm the person basically highlighting that therapists and professionals need therapy and couples.

I think my secret sauce, if I had to kind of clump it all together like that Big Mac sauce, right?

Because you're like, what is in there? And everybody's like, it's mayo and ketchup.

And I was like, no. I tried it at home. It doesn't work the same. Same color, but it's not the same, right?

There's some stuff missing. I'm like, that relish is happening. But I would say probably for me, it's helping people to understand that this is a judge-free zone.

So when they're coming in, like I said, first it starts at the phone call, but when they come into this office, I'm letting them know, one, when they say, I just feel like it's a mess, sometimes I have this big smile on my face and they're looking at me like, why are you smiling?

I said, because I'm so honored and grateful that you're taking the first step to take care of you or you guys to take care of your relationships, right?

And I'm grateful that you're trusting me, but all I see is, hope and optimism.

And I often tell them that you guys drive the train, I'm the second conductor, and I'm with you along the way. I'm checking for safety. I'm making sure people have their tickets stamped.

I'm just making sure the doors are closed and open in the way that they should be. And I'm basically saying, hey, you can do this.

Gresham Harkless 09:30

Yeah, I absolutely love that. And I think we even talked a little bit more offline is just how important it is to have an environment, just know that somebody believes in you and is there for you.

You're not alone, because a lot of times, whether you're a therapist, entrepreneur, business owner, whatever.

Sometimes those can be lonely environments where you're holding on to so much that you need to and want to just know that somebody is just like you said, looking for safety and over your shoulder, just to make sure you get to where you want to be.

And would that be what I call like your CEO hack and what you feel kind of sets you apart? It could be like a book or an app or something, but is that having that environment in place something that you would consider your hack?

Sharon Lawrence 10:06

Absolutely. Absolutely. It's important for me to have support systems. And I recently shared with a colleague that I actually met through social media.

But I had an opportunity to meet her in person in Atlanta, her and actually several other clinicians.

And I talked to her, I was vulnerable. And I said, I was so nervous about going to Atlanta and meeting these new people. Right. And I was like, I don't know if I want to do this.

Like I almost canceled the trip. Because something said, no, you encourage people to step outside of their comfort zones all the time.

Do it and see what happens. That was in February. We're now in May and we have collaborated on stuff.

We're encouraging one another, checking in and just providing resources. And it's been amazing.

And I thought to myself, if I had listened to my fear or allowed my fear in that moment to cripple me, I would not have made this amazing connection or connections with people.

And just watching them flourish, we encourage one another, and it's not a jealousy thing. It's like, okay, hey, I heard about this.

Hey, you may want to look into this. It doesn't work for me, but it may work for you. Or, hey, I'm doing it. I love it. Please join me. And so, The connection piece is very important.

It's one of those things that you have to realize you're not on the island by yourself. You cannot do this by yourself.

Even if you are the primary person who's in your business, there's always people that you're connected to and make sure that they're meaningful relationships and make sure that they're very impactful. If it's not working, chop it off. It's like weeds, let it go.

Gresham Harkless 11:46

Yeah, absolutely, and you have to make sure to do that, because sometimes, just like weeds, it starts out as a flower.

But then sometimes it changes, so you gotta make sure that you take care of your garden and make sure that is intact.

So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget, and you might have already touched on this, and this is like a word of wisdom or piece of advice, or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Sharon Lawrence 12:09

Do it, and do it afraid. And if I could just kind of add a little bit to that, it's something my first mentor said to me, she said, she always asked me every time I came up with an idea, she would say, what's your end goal?

And that thing has been something very meaningful to me ever since she said that, because now every time I think of something, I'm automatically thinking about, okay, what do I hope to accomplish?

Who do I hope to impact? And how does this benefit me long term? And so whether there's fear or not, even if it takes me longer, I don't stop the process.

So even if I'm afraid, I still keep moving. It may not be at the rate that it could be if I wasn't afraid, but I don't stop the process.

So I tell people, do it until the fear dissipates. If it's part of your dream, do something every day that builds your dream and causes it to be a reality.

Gresham Harkless 13:08

Absolutely. The saying goes, feel the fear and do it anyways. And a lot of times, I think seven habits of highly effective people, it says, begin with the end in mind.

So you always want to know where you're going and make sure that, those actions that you're taking are in alignment with what you ultimately want.

So I think that's a great nugget. And I appreciate you for sharing that with us. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO.

And we're hoping to have different quote unquote CEOs on this show. So Sharon, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Sharon Lawrence 13:36

CEO means, it's not about power, but to me it's more about being responsible and committed to serving people.

So being a CEO means that I am basically committed to this process that I'm in and that I'm taking care of my business so that it truly has an impact.

And then also I always tell people, not trying to be funny, but hey, I don't look good in orange if it's a jumpsuit, right?

But if it's a shirt or a scarf, I'm great. Being a CEO means being a good steward over what you have, a good steward over your affairs, your finances, because you can't just do the work.

There are things that are behind the scene that you have to be responsible for, whether it's your bookkeeping, whether it's calling people back, whether it's policies and procedures.

Whether it's addressing any disputes with finances, making sure you're in line with state regulations and federal regulations and paying your taxes when it's due, right?

And so it's a matter of making sure that you know the ins and outs of your business.

And so for me, being a CEO means being responsible 100%, not 10% because you love just that part.

It's looking at everything. And then what you don't know, it means connecting with the right people.

Gresham Harkless 14:54

Absolutely. No, I love that definition and that perspective because a lot of times you never fully understand like how big of an impact everything that you do has.

So to be able to be consistent and holistically responsible allows you to be a great CEO, just as you mentioned and as you're doing as well.

So Sharon, I truly appreciate your time. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know. And then of course, how best they can get a hold of you.

Sharon Lawrence 15:19

Well, I would just encourage the listeners to really be mindful of where your heart's desires are.

So if you have a dream, really sit down and assess what that is and how it can truly make an impact.

And so I would encourage you to just follow that dream and think big. Don't think small, think big and get it done.

And so for everyone who wants to know where I am, you can find me on social media, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at MySelahWellness. I'm also on LinkedIn.

For all the business people who want to be able to look for me for either speaking engagements or just to know what it is I'm doing, you can find me on any one of those four platforms. And so that's me.

Gresham Harkless 16:02

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time today and giving us all this wisdom.

And of course, all the awesome work that you're doing as well to help out so many people. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Sharon Lawrence 16:12

Thank you, Gresham. You too.

Outro 16:13

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I Am CEO is not just a phrase. It's a community.

Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Subscribe and leave us a five-star rating. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

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