36: Climbing the Mountain: Risk, Resilience, and Building a Thriving Practice with Michelle Petty

00;00;02;26 - 00;00;28;09

Cherie Lindberg

Welcome to another episode of Elevated Life Academy, and I am your host, Cherie Lindberg. And as you all know, if you're keeping track, we are in our Women Entrepreneurs series. And so we have another female business owner here today to share her story. And her name is Michelle Petty, and I'm going to let her introduce herself. Thank you so much for being here.

00;00;28;11 - 00;01;07;15

Michelle Petty

And thanks for having me. Cherie. Yes, I'm Michel Petty. I am a co-owner of Alternative wellness therapies in McChesney Park, Illinois and I am a brain spotting consultant now. I am also a registered play therapist supervisor. I've been doing brain spotting since 2016. I've been doing play therapy since 2011, and I started off in early intervention, working with children and families to be able to support them in their development and just kind of always connected with understanding the growth, the brain development, but also the connections within families.

00;01;07;15 - 00;01;36;10

Michelle Petty

So that kind of motivated me to get going in some attachment work and seeing and knowing from my own life just the support that I've had for my family and how that has impacted me. And then as I've evolved and truly, you know, grown up in the career, I should say that having my support around me as well, which, you know, is part of where I'm at today and why I do have a business.

00;01;36;12 - 00;01;40;29

Michelle Petty

So I where I started.

00;01;41;01 - 00;01;55;22

Cherie Lindberg

Okay, great. So can you talk a little bit about how you went from, you know, to getting to to owning a business? Like what were some maybe some inspirations for that or maybe even what were some challenges?

00;01;55;25 - 00;02;31;18

Michelle Petty

Yeah, So I know that I am definitely an achievement based person. I've always been in a task oriented high performer, so even when I was in grad school, I always knew I just didn't want to have my degree, I wanted to have my LPC and I'm in Illinois, so it's a two tier state, so I always do. I want to have my LC P.C. and in the background it's always I always want to have my own practice, but I also have a piece that was always and is still, you know, I still work on it of that like taking a leap and kind of doing the next step and, and which is where my support

00;02;31;18 - 00;03;01;02

Michelle Petty

system always comes into place. So when I started in my career in another community based agency, I was able to get my footing and build my confidence and do my trainings. And I think there was a part that just I was giving my all, but I wasn't getting all the back in return. And so that's when I honestly, you know, was the I was doing my work and learning how to go in and build my confidence and build my trust.

00;03;01;02 - 00;03;22;09

Michelle Petty

And specifically at one of our deep dives is when I had this visual of process, when I was processing of just going up this mountain and I had my, you know, people that kind of brought me into this field. And, you know, some stayed at the bottom, some journeyed with me up. And there is one specific time and it was you.

00;03;22;11 - 00;03;43;02

Michelle Petty

So I was going, you know, because, you know, I appreciate you for all of the stuff that you've supported me in. But but you said I have like you cannot take me anymore up the mountain, that this was my journey and that it was meant for me. And so then I knew I had to go out and there was fear, but it was very spiritual processing too.

00;03;43;02 - 00;04;09;15

Michelle Petty

So I had these very large figures. It felt safe, but it was I knew I had to do my work to build my confidence. And and here I am. So, you know, certain things fell into place bad and ugly, and but they allowed me to take the step. My business partner was right there with me, ready to, you know, take the leap with me, which was nice, because it's always nice feeling that you have support and connection.

00;04;09;17 - 00;04;34;23

Michelle Petty

And as we started, people just keep finding us. We just hired another new employee and the community is embracing us and seeking us out for support too. So it's almost like the stuff that you'd always wished for, you know, back in the day as it's kind of playing itself out. It's amazing to see and and to be able to trust that process.

00;04;34;23 - 00;04;57;29

Michelle Petty

So as a business owner, I'm continually pushing myself to support my employees. We have a through practice with eight clinicians, so we're pushing, you know, to support ourselves but to support them and their growth. And we are of the mindset that we're not, you know, trying to trap, for lack of a better word, we want everyone to grow and so we model that for them.

00;04;58;02 - 00;05;33;11

Michelle Petty

So I think especially as women, you know, women supporting women, because there could be cases where we can kind of feel attacked by others or, you know, we're all making our way in the field. And a lot of us have, like I grew up with, like more men dominated, you know, patriarchal type system. So being able to have my mom was more of a go getter to my grandmothers were both, you know, I think that that all has set the stage for me to keep pushing and feel confident that I can and still getting my nudges.

00;05;33;11 - 00;05;47;02

Michelle Petty

But but yes, you know, kind of doing it and taking risks, even, you know, making decisions. We're currently doing a remodel, so it's a risk. But, you know, I'm comfortable now that there's a bigger reward, so the risk is worth it.

00;05;47;05 - 00;05;56;27

Cherie Lindberg

Yeah. Can you talk a little bit about how you navigated being a single mom and being able to, like, take that leap and take that risk?

00;05;57;00 - 00;06;27;22

Michelle Petty

Yeah, I kind of think COVID was also a piece in some of this two, right? Because, you know, there is multiple journeys as a single mom that's, you know, even like selling my house from when my ex and I were together to getting a condo and okay, can I figure this out and still pay my car payment and still pay, you know, my my son was in a I need to pay for his tuition and sports and and so then I started to describe this mindset of work, work, work, work, work.

00;06;27;22 - 00;06;55;16

Michelle Petty

And I'm naturally a workhorse, so it's kind of like it fit in, but also having balance of how do I also have that relationship? Because, you know, with my attachment background, especially of like, how do I still have fun? Community is obviously important, but I watched my mother go to grad school when I was in middle school, and I think that gave me insight perspective because I never felt that she was like taking away time from us.

00;06;55;16 - 00;07;14;12

Michelle Petty

So I always felt like, Oh, she's learning, she's doing good for herself. And education was big for both of my parents. So so I never saw that as a bad thing. So when I was in grad school, even when we separated and I was evolving as a single mom, I had, you know, family support me, friends support me.

00;07;14;12 - 00;07;32;12

Michelle Petty

But my kid was a part of all of my trainings. He would travel with me if I could take him. And then COVID happened. And, you know, then of course, it was panic for everyone. And what are we going to do, especially when you're an office or in-home therapist, and then how do we do it? And then it's like, how am I going to pay my bills?

00;07;32;12 - 00;07;52;17

Michelle Petty

And so it was just like I my boss, you know, and I were doing a lot of work behind the scenes to get figured out via video calls and and then it was just almost like, Oh, this is working. I mean, I was at one of the people that were sitting and banging on Netflix. I was doing more of the work because it just felt more natural for me.

00;07;52;20 - 00;08;21;03

Michelle Petty

And then as like, I can still pay my bills, I'm like, Oh, you know? So I think I learn more of the adaptability piece going through that experience. One of the positive takes I what take away from COVID, I guess. And then knowing that especially for my son, because I, I want him to be able to take risk and not have the fear and to be able to like just like try it out and see.

00;08;21;03 - 00;08;43;09

Michelle Petty

So I think having him be a part of that and watch me, I still remember to this day him helping me move my office and he was like, I can carry that box, mom, and and then helping me paint things. And so I think as he has seen things evolve too, for me, it's allowed him to know that he can take a little bit more risks that I think I just innately didn't have in me.

00;08;43;09 - 00;09;12;01

Michelle Petty

Or maybe I was kind of like groomed to have some of those pieces. So I think being a single mom has empowered me to know, like, I know there's a lot more on me, but it made me very intentional with who I brought in my life, who I surrounded myself with, and also opportunities that I gave myself so that he can see me, you know, even as a business owner when he says, like, when do I get the keys to the castle?

00;09;12;01 - 00;09;37;00

Michelle Petty

He's just about that. And because he's interested in going into the mental health field, too know. But I think he realizes that there's a world of possibilities out there. And I honestly tried to even model that with the kids I work with, with especially the adolescents I work with, that we don't have to always take on other people's agendas of what we think we should do of like just go out and try and see.

00;09;37;03 - 00;09;58;21

Cherie Lindberg

Mm. Beautiful. Well clearly you're, you're, you're role modeling for your son, you know. So that he can see taking risks and taking chances and creativity and exploring is definitely, you know, part of what you're trying to show him.

00;09;58;24 - 00;10;17;19

Michelle Petty

And you know, to add on to that and this has come up for me multiple times, even in like my brain spanning sessions and particularly deep dives, I've this has come up a few times. Even when I go back sometimes in my sessions, I go back to this mountain visual. I've done that quite a few, honestly, and each time it's a little bit different.

00;10;17;22 - 00;10;40;19

Michelle Petty

But I know that part of my journey is also to model. So that's where like even having a group practice, yes, it's a lot of work, but I believe that people do lean on me and, and, and sometimes it's overwhelming, you know. But, but I embrace it because I see that people are looking to me as a role model.

00;10;40;21 - 00;11;05;06

Michelle Petty

And it's empowering me really, to do better for myself, even, like take care of my health, take care of my energy, but to proactively grow, you know, in all of the areas. So, yes, so not just my son, I, I take that job pretty seriously with what I can do and how people believe in me but rely on me.

00;11;05;09 - 00;11;19;02

Cherie Lindberg

And it sounds like, you know, we were talking before we got on here that you're going to be, you know, using some of your creative juices to create some trainings, to share your knowledge with other healers.

00;11;19;04 - 00;11;49;05

Michelle Petty

Yeah. So, you know, my my journey in and counseling field started. Well, let me go back a little bit when I was doing the Birth of three program. A lot of the trainings that we do are looking at all areas of development. So physical development, sensory development, speech development, social emotional development. And a lot of the pieces of just like how to just, you know, organically bring this in and support children so it's not like stop and listen.

00;11;49;05 - 00;12;10;15

Michelle Petty

It was more of this experience became natural for me and that's when I knew I wanted to be a provider. I didn't want to be someone that sat behind a desk. I wanted to be like doing the experience of work. And then as I got into mental health and counseling piece that a lot of the trainings especially gravitated more towards like play therapy based experiential.

00;12;10;15 - 00;12;31;02

Michelle Petty

There's Adlerian, play therapy, which really kind of fits in my narrative and synergetic play therapy, which is just kind of like about those felt sensors. So when I feel like it just kind of makes sense to me, then I can just sit back and just like I go up to like, Oh, what can I do with this? How can I kind of make this into more of my peace?

00;12;31;04 - 00;12;50;27

Michelle Petty

So then when I started doing brain spotting, it's just like, Oh, well, this can make it go deeper and here's how we could do that. And so to this day, I was just telling you, I, I just did a training on Friday and how I can start incorporating some of these things. So it gets me excited to do it, whether it's brainstorming trainings, play therapy, trains, and even quite honestly, just some other trainings.

00;12;50;29 - 00;13;14;15

Michelle Petty

Sometimes I feel like, Oh, they're missing the mark, they're not going deep enough. There's so much more potential in there connecting some of these. So I'm I'm wanting to help support, you know, even some of the code regulation pieces with families of how to build that deeper connection between parent children. So that way it gets to evolve and to grow into, you know, like actual adult relationship pieces.

00;13;14;17 - 00;13;49;29

Michelle Petty

But even looking at like early recollections because we talk about going back into some of the parts of our childhood stuff too, but some of those stories and being able to better understand ourselves and doing it with Sandra therapy, doing it with I have a visual board thing that I have created that helps tell stories. So it's like a storyboard, but it allows for, you know, the processing and the deeper level, but it allows for like a concrete, something that's external, you know, from us that we can see and have, but also that it changes so that it's got more of that fluidity.

00;13;49;29 - 00;14;18;27

Michelle Petty

So it's not just this fixed picture sometimes that sometimes we need to see movement so that we can also feel it. But also when we feel the movement, we can see it. So kind of that internal external worlds to being able to combine. So that's one of my pieces. I'm, you know, now that I have kind of more settled, I'm doing my work, I'm working, I'm focusing on now taking the time to block off some of this piece because I have it in me and I trust it at this point.

00;14;18;27 - 00;14;29;14

Michelle Petty

And I believe in myself. I just need to start because I'm excited and I hope people learn this stuff the way that I see it, because it's healing.

00;14;29;17 - 00;14;55;29

Cherie Lindberg

Mm hmm. Well, yeah. And you can clearly feel the passion that you have. And that's what drives all this creativity and desire to to share what you know. And because at the core of it is, you know, helping people heal and watching them heal. So I really I really hear that, you know, in your voice. And then I was listening to what you're talking about, the inside and the outside with the vision board and you know it.

00;14;56;02 - 00;15;03;10

Cherie Lindberg

People have an opportunity, whether it's with Sandra, with the vision board, to rewrite their narrative to a new normal.

00;15;03;12 - 00;15;25;00

Michelle Petty

Yes, yes, yes. And currently I incorporate the sanitary pieces with the processing where, you know, because sometimes it's like they can't tell it, We can't access the story or we don't have the right words. And so just using a simple when are you able to show me or would you like to try to show me or would you just like to see what that might look like in the sand tray?

00;15;25;02 - 00;15;40;24

Michelle Petty

And it just kind of moves it into, you know, going right into the body because then it's a felt sense. And when I do sand tray work, you know, there's so many it's dynamic, right? You can look at it from so many angles. So we can sit and look at it. We can get down at eye level and look at it.

00;15;41;00 - 00;16;08;25

Michelle Petty

We can look at it from other sides. But each of those brings a different felt sense. And I do that with kids. I do that with adults, I do with families. And then we kind of like just process what's that feel like? Because it allows just that even that simple technique allows for movements and shifts. And then and then I think that more we can process and then as we process and feel those shifts and then go back to the sand trail, do you want to move anything?

00;16;08;25 - 00;16;20;15

Michelle Petty

Does it feel different that it gives us insight? Because I think there's a lot of people that need that concreteness too, that can't always just do abstract conceptual pieces.

00;16;20;18 - 00;16;28;06

Cherie Lindberg

Right? Right. Yeah. Some people don't get images in their mind and that helps the sand tree helps them have a visual of what it might be like.

00;16;28;09 - 00;16;50;13

Michelle Petty

Yes. Yeah, yeah. And even some of the stuff one of our colleagues that she still tells me about when I did attachment stuff with her and her parts, that that was a world of difference. So being able to go in and not just do therapy with, you know, adult child in front of me or even couples, I do therapy with couples too.

00;16;50;13 - 00;17;23;26

Michelle Petty

But but to be able to go in while we're inside, while we're processing in the parts are up as different ways to connect to and support that bond because then we get to feel safe. You know there are parts and have a playful energy. There was a time when we were in our group and you had talked about like just feeling more playful and that, you know, even something as simple as that has, you know, it's inspired me because it's like, yes, that's where, you know, when we look at families or couples that as a play therapist, that's one of the things we're looking at.

00;17;23;26 - 00;17;33;07

Michelle Petty

Do they have sun? Where is the energy at? If the energy is only around conflict, we need to bring an energy around playful because that's that bonding part.

00;17;33;10 - 00;17;58;28

Cherie Lindberg

So yeah, so and I think, you know you know that I switched to doing high performance coaching and flourishing so what I hear you talking about is flourishing, you know, helping A lot of people don't even know what that means. And so bringing the joy into life and some people, it's a skill like some you have to like, play around with it.

00;17;58;28 - 00;18;03;15

Cherie Lindberg

Like, what is joy? What does this feel like? Like taking it in in a different way. Yeah, I hear.

00;18;03;15 - 00;18;19;16

Michelle Petty

That. And I think so many people get kind of and rightly so, you know, not to say this as a shame thing, but and we have done this too, You know, we get caught up in just like the everyday tasks and, you know, and then it's a Groundhog Day thing. So it's like, oh, now I got to do this again, I got to do this.

00;18;19;16 - 00;18;41;16

Michelle Petty

And and sometimes it's teaching people even take a minute to like, feel in their body and then to like actually have permission to feel good because there's a lot of people and I think this is old stories, too, That's having fun. It's not considered work or productive. So but truly, we need to have fun to be more productive.

00;18;41;18 - 00;18;52;21

Michelle Petty

That was my undergrad. Research I did was leisure time and work. So I think that as a society, especially in this country, we forget that.

00;18;52;24 - 00;19;09;03

Cherie Lindberg

Yeah, we're very much doers and beers and very much many of us are on automatic pilot as what you're what you're suggesting is learning how to be present, learning how to be more intentional and bring some of these things into your life.

00;19;09;06 - 00;19;14;18

Michelle Petty

Yes. Yes. And I think that as we do that and model that we start shifting generations.

00;19;14;20 - 00;19;17;29

Cherie Lindberg

Yes. Yes. And that's a beautiful idea.

00;19;18;02 - 00;19;48;19

Michelle Petty

Yes. Yeah. I mean, my family, I come from a family that was automotive workers. They all worked in the Ford plant. You know, there was a sense of safety for them. Right. I've got the job. I'm set for life. But then it was then it was routine. And that's all you do. And, you know, and going back to even like the single parenting thing, it's just like you have to learn how to figure things out and navigate things and take on lots of tasks and roles and and stepping into owning your own practice.

00;19;48;19 - 00;20;05;29

Michelle Petty

It's like you have to be able to be okay with, you know, kind of sitting with your stuck and your yuck and say, okay, what do I do? You know? And that just kind of, you know, collapse or run away from it. But that courage allows the the growth process and then to be able to sit back and enjoy it.

00;20;05;29 - 00;20;26;06

Michelle Petty

So knowing you and Heather talk about this, having that grit to push through it, to get to the part where that life can be easier and it's okay to have fun along the way. But I think a lot of people don't realize it because they have not been taught that the work does lead to good stuff too.

00;20;26;08 - 00;20;57;02

Cherie Lindberg

Yeah, well, and I think it's important. You've highlighted this a couple of times that really letting people know they don't have to be alone. Like here you're coming up alongside them, you know, with your clients and the children's and the family. And then even for your own self, like building a community so that we're we're not alone. And in a community where we feel connected, where we feel like we belong, where we can be our essential self and be accepted, I mean, that's a biological need.

00;20;57;02 - 00;21;22;29

Cherie Lindberg

We all have. And I think our culture has you know, we've got a lot of disconnection role modeling going on and so I hear what you're about is re remodeling basically, you know, connection and flourishing and play and joy so that they can feel revitalized by this energy you're talking about.

00;21;23;01 - 00;21;25;04

Michelle Petty

Right, Right. And valued.

00;21;25;07 - 00;21;25;28

Cherie Lindberg

Yeah.

00;21;26;00 - 00;21;54;01

Michelle Petty

You know, as you know, as a as a business owner but even as a friend that relationships, you know, can get lopsided at times but that there's that connection of we value. And even as you're talking, it's like bringing me back. I do a crucial sales training, which is an Adlerian piece of like we have to make sure that we're we count, you know, that we're capable and that we have courage and that we connect.

00;21;54;04 - 00;22;15;21

Michelle Petty

And that when we have those four pieces, that's, you know, the foundations of our identity development, self esteem, our attachment relationships. And so that is a driving force in our business to, you know, that we can model so that our employees it's like even when we have work meetings, it's like, how can we make it fun? You know, do we go out to dinner?

00;22;15;24 - 00;22;30;10

Michelle Petty

Do we do a comedy club sometimes? And because we want to be able to be playful or do we just step outside our doors in passing and we're dancing as we're kind of going from appointment to appointment. So that way it helps kind of break up sometimes the heaviness or the stress of the day.

00;22;30;13 - 00;22;35;26

Cherie Lindberg

And it sounds good for a secondary. Just saw you dancing down your hallway.

00;22;35;29 - 00;22;39;19

Michelle Petty

Yeah, yeah, I do it quite often.

00;22;39;21 - 00;22;57;25

Cherie Lindberg

Oh, cool. So do you have, you know, in in all of this time, what are, what were some of your inspirations for taking these risks? Like what What was what got you moving in this direction.

00;22;57;28 - 00;23;21;18

Michelle Petty

Yeah. So, you know, I like I said, there are some things that were just kind of happening that were just kind of pushed me into it. But I think, you know, like I said, there's a, there's a piece of me that always just knew that this was where I needed to go. But I think there's like, there's this outward peace of just needing to feel fulfilled and and that it's something that I need to do and not relying on other people.

00;23;21;18 - 00;23;47;10

Michelle Petty

And some of that like it was like internal peace, but also watching women around me and watching them take the leap and men to, you know, I'm not trying to not say men, but but knowing that women can be successful and supportive and do it. And I was raised in a family that didn't shun that at all. So I had that ability that was already kind of built in me and boom through me.

00;23;47;10 - 00;24;16;07

Michelle Petty

But I think my business partner was a big piece of that too, that she is more of a risk taker just in general. So she was like, I'm able to do it. And she, you know, loves the research and figuring things out. So it was great to have her who was doing the background piece. We met at Starbucks many, many mornings of and for like 4 to 5 hours a time, you know, figuring out insurance panels and figuring out X, Y, or Z and getting it put together.

00;24;16;09 - 00;24;39;18

Michelle Petty

And, you know, I think the other inspiration is trust. That word keeps coming up for me as I'm talking. So even our business location, I was going to meet my family for dinner and I thought, you know what? I'm going to take this route and see and and I saw a space. I had a for sale sign. It was in an industrial area, which has like some small businesses.

00;24;39;18 - 00;24;58;12

Michelle Petty

So I was just like, what about this space? And and I sent her a message and she's like, let's check it out. And then I think the next day we went and looked at it and just right away we're just both like. And then and then it was just kind of like, well, let's sleep on it. And, you know, and so just like trusting as we are doing things just to like, stop and breathe.

00;24;58;12 - 00;25;19;27

Michelle Petty

Even our business name I came up with, I sent a message to her and and we're both like, Let's sleep on it. And I got a text from her the next morning. She goes, Yep, still like it. And and so that things will come and fall into place and, and just being able to kind of like be aware and have our eyes open so that we can take that.

00;25;19;29 - 00;25;26;17

Cherie Lindberg

But know you're talking about intuition and just smiling. You trusted intuition. Yeah.

00;25;26;19 - 00;26;01;00

Michelle Petty

Yeah. And so one of the readings I had also was I've got lots of things out in the work and to be able to just to trust that those things are evolving. I don't have to always like have my hand on them. So there's a, you know, using the word intuitively, there's pieces that are kind of falling into place and and I'm letting them instead of feeling like I always have to control everything and, and my support system, you know, in the midst of all of this was still saying, like, we'll figure it out.

00;26;01;00 - 00;26;22;09

Michelle Petty

You know, you'll figure it out. They all had faith in me, too. So I think that was, you know, one of the biggest piece. My mentors, obviously, I'm knowing that people have done it before because some of the fear was was not my fear. It was fears that were told to me. You know, I had reached out to you many mornings during this process, too.

00;26;22;09 - 00;27;01;02

Michelle Petty

And and even just having your voice of that, you've walked this journey. So, you know, too. And so I think just kind of we talk about like you have to let go in order to grab on to new things. And that in and of itself as a grief process and knowing that I was needing to let go because it wasn't serving me anymore, I was I was evolving into something different, but that the new things that I was grabbing on to, I wasn't alone in which made up areas and things like that would be words of wisdom is just, you know, of your support system and, and kind of sit back and and enjoy it

00;27;01;02 - 00;27;18;00

Michelle Petty

too. I remember, you know, like the first day when it all starts working, right, you get the first check and you're like, it works. And I just was crying when I got the check and and I called my business partner right away and she's like, We did it. We did it. And then I called my mom and she's just like, I'm so proud of you.

00;27;18;00 - 00;27;24;02

Michelle Petty

And then she's like, I always knew it would work for you. And so, you know, having the cheerleaders.

00;27;24;05 - 00;27;49;13

Cherie Lindberg

Yeah, Yeah. Well, and I just hear women rising together, right? Women rising together. So that's really beautiful as any other story is. Because, you know, this is stories of hope and healing. This is a very much a hopeful story. You talking about, you know, your beginnings in being a single mom and, you know, running a clinic and listening to your intuition, so forth.

00;27;49;15 - 00;27;56;18

Cherie Lindberg

Any anything coming to mind about stories of hope and healing when I say that?

00;27;56;20 - 00;28;20;00

Michelle Petty

Well, it's like in my gut, I just kind of like went right to my stomach. And I think the stories that are really coming up is like I'm visualizing just kind of women, like almost like arm in arm together. Like I'm seeing like there's like fatigue, there's tiredness or exhaustion, but there's this energy, which I think is the drive.

00;28;20;00 - 00;28;59;20

Michelle Petty

So, you know, I think my story specifically, which I would always encourage, is just having your people around you. I think those relationships are huge and and as best you can be authentically you, because then people get to see you. And and even then, the vulnerabilities you know, of just like I'm pretty good now and even like sharing with my colleagues of just kind of like I'm overwhelmed, you know, and, and I need to like pause for a minute and, and not going into this like the I'm a terrible person because I can't handle all these things.

00;28;59;22 - 00;29;32;23

Michelle Petty

So being gentle with herself, I teach a lot of people, too. And I and I remind myself, because it doesn't always come automatically of that as we are growing and healing and healing stuff and stuff that's not necessarily ours is that we do have to be gentle with ourselves because we deserve grace to. And, you know, I think like one of the pieces which I'm getting more towards now than I was before, is like really kind of having what do I want it to look like?

00;29;32;26 - 00;29;51;29

Michelle Petty

Peace. And I think as you know, as a new business owner, too, I just kind of like you're just kind of putting it together, right? And now four years in, it's like getting settled in. We're growing, but now I feel like I'm targeting more of just like, what do I want to do through the business and allow myself all those pieces.

00;29;51;29 - 00;30;12;07

Michelle Petty

So just knowing that it's going to be chaotic at times, it's going to be hard at times. But like, what's the you know, it's like I just thought of like a fishing rod. Like, what are you throwing it out there? You know? And it's like, you'll get out there and there's a path that's out there, but just kind of trust in your own process.

00;30;12;09 - 00;30;16;19

Michelle Petty

And failure is good because it allows you to figure things out.

00;30;16;19 - 00;30;23;16

Cherie Lindberg

And you know, it might not even be failure. It might just be the next step to success.

00;30;23;18 - 00;30;41;18

Michelle Petty

Absolute failure is really to me, failure is not really failure. That's just the society where the real issue is, is that even when my son was learning to play hockey and one of his very first classes, I use this metaphor all the time with people like I say, metaphor story. The first thing they teach you when you're ice skating is how to fall.

00;30;41;18 - 00;30;56;15

Michelle Petty

They want you to fall. And then because they want you to get up without having to crawl to the sidelines and but it's just kind of like we have to know what you know, what happens when we fall and that we have those tools to get back up. But truly, the confidence.

00;30;56;17 - 00;31;20;21

Cherie Lindberg

No, that's a beautiful couple of points there that I just want to highlight. You basically were saying, you know, like if you're overwhelmed instead of isolating, you know, having the ability to ask for help or pull in your your supports. And then I couldn't help thinking about an analogy of like you've birthed this baby of a business and now you're raising it when you're when you're saying, like, what do I want to do within my business and how do I want to go?

00;31;20;21 - 00;31;21;09

Cherie Lindberg

Yeah.

00;31;21;12 - 00;31;42;01

Michelle Petty

Yes, yes, yeah, absolutely. Because as you know, and go right back to using that one, it's just kind of like, you know, our first years of motherhood, it's kind of like, what are we doing? What are you doing? Here's this was kind of like, okay, I got this, you know? And so, yeah, it's a new experience, but it's it's self-fulfilling, you know, at the end of the day.

00;31;42;01 - 00;32;02;10

Michelle Petty

And knowing that, you know, specifically, this has always been a piece in my business and I both believe it it's our agency is not meant to be kind of like this niche where we, like, do all these things. It's to support the community and and that's why we even have our conference room and the yoga studio is because we want it to be a place of healing.

00;32;02;10 - 00;32;14;03

Michelle Petty

That's that even the community can feel safe to come to and evolve and grow that it's not just like, you know, like the secretive place of like I go here for, you know, doing some work.

00;32;14;11 - 00;32;27;08

Cherie Lindberg

So good energy. I hear that. Yeah. Is there anything that I haven't asked you that you might is there anything that you would like to share that maybe I haven't asked you? Just double checking.

00;32;27;10 - 00;32;48;19

Michelle Petty

I don't know. I mean, the only other sorts of advice is, I would say is, you know, through all of this and it's where I'm at, too, is take time for yourself and keep discovering new things and new areas of of yourself that you enjoy. Like, you know, I'm gotten big into hiking the last few years and going out to Colorado is a big part of who I am going.

00;32;48;19 - 00;33;24;01

Michelle Petty

When we went to Sedona and, you know, pushing myself to climb, you know, and even crawl up the rack sometimes. So, you know, what has changed in me, you know, even from when I was in Peru to a year and a half ago versus now, it's vastly different. So it's like sit back and take inventory of your own story and, you know, just remember your journey and that purpose, because that just allows you to feel good and feel the connection to yourself, to keep having the courage to try new things and, you know, dare to be great.

00;33;24;03 - 00;33;36;20

Cherie Lindberg

That's awesome. That's a great finishing line right there. Thank you so much, Michel, for being here with us and for sharing your story on this. Women entrepreneur series. I appreciate it.

00;33;36;22 - 00;33;39;23

Michelle Petty

Thank you.

00;33;39;25 - 00;34;07;13

Cherie Lindberg

This is the Reflection to Michelle Petty’s podcast. I hope you enjoyed this podcast. Listening to Michelle's journey of becoming a clinic owner and all of her knowledge on working with attachment and just about her, you know, following her intuition, her inspiring story, being a single mom and how she became a business owner and all the things that she had to work through to be able to to achieve that.

00;34;07;15 - 00;34;30;11

Cherie Lindberg

And if you're interested, she mentioned Deep Dive several times on my website cherielindberg.com If you go under specialty trainings, I offer deep dives for, health care practitioners that are brain spotters so that they can come for two days straight and do their own processing because we are human too. And that stuff accumulates as we hold space for our clients.

00;34;30;11 - 00;34;53;00

Cherie Lindberg

So I've created a space for healers to come so that we can all hold space for each other and heal the healers so if you were inspired by Michelle's story or this podcast, if you could please share it, because we are really trying to elevate people's lives out there. And so until we meet again, thank you very much.