Clinton Nunnally is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the co-owner of both Foundations Family Counseling and Caring Heart Counseling. He is also now the podcast host of It Can Be Better Than That with Clinton Nunnally. Clinton absolutely loves what he does and leaves his workday energized by the transformative process he gets to engage in day after day! Working with older adolescents, individual adults, couples, parents, and families, Clinton simply devours the counseling process; exploring issues of anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, relationships, life-stage adjustment, family life, spirituality, and sexuality. With an intense interest in working with couples who are struggling in relationship or want to enhance their relationship with advanced awareness and skills, Clinton capitalizes on the current strengths of the individual and couple to help couples advocate for what they are wanting in relationship, learn new ways to navigate conflict, and co-create the things they most want with their partners. With a background consisting of public school education, early childhood development, work with adolescent youth and their parents, graduate school instruction and clinical training, public speaking, clinical therapeutic practice, and practical relationship experience stemming from years of life-giving partnership with his wife (also father of two really fun boys), Clinton offers a unique integrative style that draws from the diversity of his experience. In this episode, Clinton and I discuss making sense of our stories and the importance of the relationship with oneself. We explore the need for safety, security, and predictability, and the balance between safety and adventure, as well as our tendencies towards avoidance and control. This conversation explores the concepts of order, disorder, and reorder, and how they relate to personal growth and development. It emphasizes the importance of questioning and reevaluating our beliefs/values, as well as the need for a secure base within ourselves and in relationships. We also delve into the concepts of openness, curiosity, and creativity, and how they are influenced by our sense of safety and security. We highlight the difference between living above the line (openness, curiosity, and creativity) and below the line (fear-based living), and the importance of self-reflection and attunement to our bodies. For more mental health content, find me on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @joshkorac. Please leave a rating and review for the show as this helps me track how you guys are liking the show. If you're interested in seeking services from Clinton or one of his fellow clinicians, check out his websites at foundationsfamilycounseling.com or caringheartcounseling.com. Takeaways Having a secure base within ourselves and in relationships allows us to explore and be open to new experiences. Living above the line (openness, curiosity, and creativity) is essential for personal growth and a sense of fulfillment. Self-reflection and attunement to our bodies can provide valuable insights and guide our decision-making. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 04:15 The Feeling of Being in Flow 07:24 Transitioning from Interview Style to a Different Approach 11:44 Making Sense of Our Stories 18:50 Assessing the Relationship with Oneself 23:08 Identifying Patterns in Thoughts, Behaviors, and Emotions 30:15 The Tendency towards Avoidance or Control 40:46 The Need for Safety, Security, and Predictability 50:53 Balancing Safety and Adventure 01:01:19 Order, Disorder, Reorder 01:06:27 The Normalcy of Disorder 01:07:59 Reordering and Integrating 01:08:54 Breaking Out of the Container 01:09:45 Embracing Differences and Learning from Others 01:14:06 Assessing Openness, Curiosity, and Creativity 01:15:27 Above the Line and Below the Line 01:19:34 Living in a Fear-Based Culture 01:21:26 The Influence of Early Experiences 01:22:42 Differentiation and Enmeshment 01:26:58 Attunement to the Body
