Faith Fringes Podcast Dawn Gabriel

Leading and building a team doesn’t have to be hard. With a commitment to creating a value based team culture,  you can have a more successful and amazing work environment. Dawn, together with Christy Pennison, talk about all the things you need to get the right people in place and a shared sense of purpose, to take your group practice to the next level. 
Christy Pennison, founder of Be Inspired Counseling & Consulting in Alexandria, LA and a board-certified counselor discusses why it is important to start thinking about building a team if you want to achieve long-term success and growth. As a leader, it's important to embody values such as trust, transparency, and empathy, and to create a system that empowers team members to take ownership and be involved in decision-making.
Christy also shares that branding your values and mission can help attract like-minded individuals to your organization, while creating a clear system for roles, responsibilities, and accountability can help ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives.
Are you planning to build a team and be a good leader? Tune in to this episode for useful insights!
Episode Highlights:
Why should you start to think about building a team?
Important values of leader and how to create a system that gives people the opportunity to jump into building a team
About branding your values and mission
Creating a system as you're starting a leadership team
Roles and responsibilities
Accountability structure
The book that took Christy’s team through the years



About Christy Pennison:
Christy Pennison is a board-certified counselor and founder of Be Inspired Counseling & Consulting in Alexandria, LA.  She has coached and advised dozens of women, mental health professionals, and business owners from across the country to help them grow through the many challenges they face.  Due to her knowledge and leadership, she is highly recognized by other professionals in her field. As a result, she was awarded the 20 under 40 Acadiana Leadership Award. In addition, she has been a guest on the Montel Williams’ podcast Free Thinking, and her expertise has been regularly featured in articles on NBC, Today, and many other media outlets and publications.  She is passionate about mental health professionals and women in leadership to live with confidence, conviction, and limitless belief that anything is possible.
 
Connect With Christy:
Website| christypennison.com
Instagram| @christypennison
Facebook| www.facebook.com/christypennison
Linked In | www.linkedin.com/in/christypennison

Therapists, including those who are mothers, can experience emotional challenges that are not always visible to their clients or to the public. While therapists are trained to maintain a professional demeanor and provide emotional support to their clients, they are also human and can experience their own struggles and emotions.
 
MacKenzie Bradtke, a licensed social worker and clinical social worker in Missouri, shares why she is so passionate about working with mom who also works as a therapist. She also shares her journey of infertility and what helps her to feel better. Her inspiring story of adoption and her wonderful journey of becoming a mom for the first year.She stated how being a mother has made her more spiritual.
 
Listening to MacKenzie's story would provide insight into the personal experiences of a therapist and mother, including the emotional challenges they may face and the importance of self-care. It can also offer encouragement and inspiration for those going through similar experiences of wanting a child.
 
Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insight and inspiration from MacKenzie Bradtke's personal journey as a therapist and mother.
 
Episode Highlights:
Why does MacKenzie work with moms or why is she so passionate about that? 
MacKenzie’s journey of infertility and trying to get pregnant
What helped MacKenzie feel better about not having a child and where is she now
Where does she get to share her feelings about wanting a child
How did she get to the point where she decided to adopt
MacKenzie’s first year of motherhood
The other side of motherhood
Why did she choose a therapist and mom as her focus on her therapy sessions
How being a parent made her more spiritual
Importance of being understood by others, particularly in the context of being both a therapist and a mother.
About her collective and special retreat coming up. 
 
About MacKenzie Bradke:
MacKenzie is a licensed clinical social worker in Missouri. She studied Family & Consumer Sciences at University of Northern Iowa and  graduated in 2000. I received my Masters in Social Work at Saint Louis University in 2002. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Missouri and Arizona. MacKenzie  offers In-person in Missouri and Telehealth services in both states. Her  past jobs have included residential care for adolescents, community based mental health, insurance, elder care and Hospice. I opened my part-time private practice in 2007. Her life took her in other directions until 2017 when she returned to private practice full-time.
Connect With MacKenzie:
Website| followyourarrow.info
Instagram| www.instagram.com/the_mom_therapist
Facebook| www.facebook.com/BradkeCounseling

Have you or someone you know ever gone through the experience of losing a loved one? If so, you're not alone. In this episode, we explore stories of resilience, hope, and growth in the face of loss, and offer practical tips and insights for moving forward.
 
Michele Benyo, a certified Grief Recovery Specialist, early childhood educator and parent coach, and the founder of Good Grief Parenting. She shares her personal story, how she got into the field of helping grieving parents, how children experience grief differently than adults, and the challenges that adults face in dealing with it. Michele also discusses the importance of support groups during the grieving process and how spirituality can play a role in healing.
 
We all know that losing a loved one can be a harrowing and challenging experience; even for therapists who are educated to assist others in coping with loss, Michele offers encouragement and advice to therapists and grieving people.
 
Listen to this episode and discover the power of turning pain into purpose.
 
Episode Highlights:
Michele’s personal story and how she became a grief recovery specialist
Children's developmental stage and understanding of loss
Importance of support groups in the grieving process
Things Michele notices to her clients who is a parent grieving and also helping their child grieve
Working on spirituality at home
Early childhood child loss and sibling loss
How they grow closer to God
Michele explained what living forward is
Starting her course with what she called Your Way Forward After Child Loss
Is being spiritually positive and helpful for her patients as she walks with them? 
Words of encouragement and advice she gave to therapists who also go through grieving and people who are grieving.
 
About Michele Benyo:
Michele Benyo is a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist®, early childhood educator and parent coach, and the founder of Good Grief Parenting. After her 6-year-old son died of cancer, her 3-year-old daughter said, “Mommy, half of me is gone.” This heartbreaking statement defined Michele’s life purpose. At a time when her steadfast Christian faith could have been shaken, Michele was able to remain steadfast, determined to discover gifts and offer blessings out of her pain. Her mission is twofold: to help parents through the unimaginable challenges of parenting while grieving the death of a child, and to equip parents to meet the unique needs of a child who has lost a sibling in the early childhood years. The desire of Michele’s heart is to see families live forward after loss toward a future bright with possibilities and even joy.



Connect With Michele:
Website| goodgriefparenting.com
LinkedIn| www.linkedin.com/in/michelebenyo
Instagram| www.instagram.com/goodgriefparenting
Facebook| www.facebook.com/goodgriefparenting
 
FREE RESOURCES:
The Good Grief Guide:  www.goodgriefparenting.com
Caregiver Letter:  www.goodgriefparenting.com/caregiver-letter

As Therapists, we often care too much about our client’s well-being that we forget ourselves. We think that we need to nurture them and that we can heal them, but at the end of the day, we’re only humans. Therapists also need support and a safe space to unload and be free.
Connect with God and listen to this episode today!
Highlights and Resources: My group practice journey
What is Soul Care?
Why is Soul Care Important for Therapists Specifically?
Spiritual Exercise: Lectio Divina
Group connecting and closing
The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery - www.goodreads.com/book/show/1080607.The_Gift_of_Being_Yourself
What is Soul Care? International Practice of integrating all aspects of caring for the whole person: Mind, body, and spirit.
A paradigm shift that views all of life as spiritual and interconnected.
Intentionally making choices to create space, attention, time, and care for your soul to thrive.
Intentionally slowing down to be. Not just the hustle of doing. This feels counterintuitive but is instrumental in preventing burnout.
Why is Soul Care Important for Therapists Specifically? Consider all the stories and trauma we hear during our careers.
We must acknowledge that this affects how we internally interact with ourselves, God, and others. You can't “unheard” and “unknown” all the stories you heard.
Soul Care helps Therapists to unload all the stress and burdens they have to carry from their careers to their personal life.
Spiritual Exercise: Lectio Divina Lectio Divina is a dynamic method of reading  God's word that dates back to AD 300. It takes a four-step procedure, which is as follows:
Reading
Meditation
Prayer
Contemplation
Lectio Divina prompts you to quietly, slowly, and intently savor and meditate over God's words. It allows you to respond to what you believe God is saying and assists you in constructing a vital bridge between your experiences with God and daily life.
Feel free to invite God into your space and meditate with me in this episode! 
 
Connect with me
Instagram @faithfringes
Facebook
Pinterest
Email Dawn: dawn@faithfringes.com

Humans are connected to nature, and its power runs through our veins, especially the moon. It affects the tide of our waters and energies. 
 
In this episode, guest Jamie Hanley, a licensed professional counselor, shares her spiritual journey as someone who blends holistic and psychological practices to create a wonderful experience for her clients. She shared her knowledge about how the moon affects our tides and energies and explained why you should align your energy based on the phase of the moon.
 
Jamie also shared her book: The Anxious Goddess Workbook: A Survival Guide for the Modern Moon Child. This journaling prompt workbook will guide you through a magical spiritual journey as you deal with anxiety while walking toward your higher self.
 
Stay tuned because she made a run-through of her book, and you don’t want to miss out on that! 
 
Highlights and Resources Mentioned:
Jamie’s Spiritual Journey How Moon Cycles Affect People Aligning Your Energy With The Phase of the Moon All about Cycles and the Sense of Time The power of Nature Jamie’s Book: The Anxious Goddess Workbook: A Survival Guide for the Modern Moon Child Jamie’s deck: The Anxious Goddess Oracle Deck Anxious Goddess Therapy Tools  
About Jamie:
Jamie is trained in EMDR, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Sand Tray Therapy, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and Positive Psychology. She incorporates holistic practices such as mindfulness, breath work, meditation, yoga, and guided relaxation into therapeutic sessions. Jamie has worked with clients diagnosed with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, OCD, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, trauma, cancer, infertility, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and chronic pain.
 
Connect With Jamie:
Website: www.jamiehanley.com
Podcast: The Spiritual Counselor Podcast
Contact: www.jamiehanley.com/contact/

Leading a spiritually diverse team does not have to be as complicated as it seems. You just need to give space and be a role model for your team. It’s not our job to change and save everyone, our job is to give space.
 
In this episode, We will be joined by Valorie L Harris, the Founder & Clinical Director of the Trauma & Therapy Center Of Tennessee and she will share her journey in leading a spiritually diverse team. She also shares how she creates a safe attachment to each one of her team and how she would deal with parents who want to change their children. 
 
Do you want to learn more about leading a spiritually diverse team? Tune in now!
 
Highlights
About Valarie Creating a safe attachment with employees Religious and Professional practices Diversity in workspace Setting a model in a diverse team  
About Our Guest
Valarie is the Founder & Clinical Director of the Trauma & Therapy Center Of Tennessee and is passionate about promoting healing for those who have a history of trauma. She has a unique way of helping mental health providers, clients, and the public understands trauma and the way it affects the brain and body.  
 
She is practical and straightforward in her approach utilizing humor, compassion, and authenticity to ensure that her audience feels connected, understood, and heard! She has over a decade of experience counseling a variety of populations and isn’t afraid of a challenge. In fact, she frequently gravitates towards working with complexity and sees herself and her staff as “Specialists” in the world of therapy rather than as “Generalists”. 
 
She is an advocate at her core and actively seeks opportunities to be of service through writing and guest appearances for the purpose of educating the general public and reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness and psychological disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). 
 
Connect With Valarie
Website: www.traumatherapytn.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TherapistVal
Instagram: www.instagram.com/valarie.l.harris/