Episode 19: Erin Bircher - Psychotherapist and Life Coach Talk Of 12 Oaks

In this episode, we learn more about another amazing 12 Oaks neighbor.  I am talking with the Maggy Award winner for Best Therapist in Western Wake and the Food Truck Queen of 12 Oaks. She was also a finalist during Indy Week, Best of the Triangle 2020 for Best Couples Therapist and Best Therapist. We talk about her move from Rhode Island, Virginia, then Florida and finally to North Carolina.   
Erin Bircher is a Psychotherapist, Life Coach, and owner and founder of Foundations 4-Change.   She helps individuals break through barriers, work through difficult situations, set boundaries, and helps to explore any limiting belief systems that may be preventing them from leading the life they truly desire.  Erin was born in Providence, Rhode Island.  At the age of two, she and her mom moved to Northern Virginia where she grew up in the small town of Leesburg.  After graduating high school, Erin’s mom told her she had to take at least one class at the local community college.  She ended up taking psychology and that class captured Erin’s love and focus on what she wanted to do with her life.  Erin has been married to her husband Jay since 2017 and has two boys, Ashton and Dylan. 
It was wonderful getting to know Erin and learning more about her and how she helps people every day through some of the most difficult times in their lives. We are so fortunate to have Erin as our neighbor and soon to be a friend to many more of us. 
In This Episode:
[02:35] Welcome Erin Bircher our 18th “P” in the pod[cast]. She is a Psychotherapist and Life Coach.   [04:52] In 2003, she moved to Miami to gain her Masters of Counseling degree from Florida International University.  [06:11] In 2019, Erin completed the certification to become a Life Coach.  [08:23] She grew up in the small town of Leesburg, Virginia.  She played a lot of soccer growing up and also spent a lot of time working with children.  [09:24] Even though Erin had no interest in college her mom pushed her to take one class at the community college.  The one class she took was psychology and she realized what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.   [10:07] She went to the Dominican Republic and worked in an orphanage for a week.  It was a life changing experience.  [11:22] She values all of her experiences because she has learned and grown a lot and she has helped a lot of people because of the things she has gone through.   [11:56] She has a true love of the outdoors which she credits to growing up on 8-10 acres as a child.   [13:08] Respect goes a long way.  Everybody wants to feel appreciated and respected. [13:47] One of the biggest things that stood out to Erin is the importance of working hard.   [15:19] Erin shares why she fell in love with psychology.      [16:14] Working in the Nonprofit Agencies was a lot of hard work, she learned a lot, and it laid the groundwork for what she is doing now.   [18:12] She shares that everyone that comes into therapy has some aspect of their life that they want to be different, so they have to do something different. [20:12] She realized that the more vulnerable that she became, the more vulnerable her clients became.   [21:25] Erin tells what it's like as a Day in the Life of a psychotherapist.  It is different since the pandemic because now she sees her clients virtually.  [22:52] At first the virtual meetings were hard for Erin because she liked sitting with people, but she is getting used to it now.  [25:35] Being a life coach opens up more doors for Erin to be able to do different work in different capacities and mix it up.  [27:14] In the next 5-10 years Erin hopes to be doing more speaking engagements and workshops. She is putting her hands in different areas and meeting new people to see what different doors open.    [29:45] She is working towards different credentials for life coaching.   [31:44] Erin is the Food Truck Queen of 12 Oaks and is excited to host more foo