How to Thrive as a Therapist (and maybe host a Retreat!) with Megan Gunnell, LMSW

The Innovative Therapist

Episode 125. This week’s podcast episode was so good.

I had been following ​Megan Gunnell’s​ work for a while.

And then unexpectedly, she reached out to me. (!!)

This sort of feels like what it might feel like for a celeb to reach out and ask to hang out.

She asked if I might want to meet up and talk about the potential for collaboration.

Umm… yes please!

We talked about potential for collaboration sometime next year (yay), but first, we decided to record this podcast.

A wealth of experience with THRIVING

Megan really is a representation of how I want to feel about my business and frankly, she’s doing a lot of things that look amazing, like hosting retreats in Costa Rica and Italy.

She’s such a model of what creative thinking can do for you, and how it can help you develop more healing modalities as a therapist in and out of the therapy room.

I think this is a model any human can follow. And we cover the simple, but not easy steps to tapping into her intuition and having the courage to follow her path.

Without further ado, let’s dive in!

What to Expect in this Episode

We cover the following:

• How Megan came to doing the amazing work she does today, including a story about the time she hosted something that totally flopped
• The role creativity has played in her career journey, the times she was disconnected from creativity and how this impacted her
• How she incorporated playing the harp into her 1 on 1 therapy sessions and the impact it had for her clients
• Guidance for how to determine what work “sets your soul on fire” and the difference between fear because you aren’t ready, and fear because you really are
• Her journey with 25 years of hosting retreats and some of the many lessons she’s learned
• The book that lead her to realize that holding a retreat is a calling for her
• How to determine if holding retreats is right for you and how to explore this question in a low risk way (including several great questions to reflect on for yourself)
• Her specific process the month before holding a large retreat or event
• Upcoming offerings including her Costa Rica Summit and a Retreat Intensive Program, see her many offerings for therapists here
• And so much more!

Who is Megan Gunnell?

Megan Gunnell, LMSW is Founder & Director of the Thriving Well Institute, psychotherapist, group practice owner, speaker, #1 bestselling author of “Thriving as a Therapist” and international retreat leader with over 25 years experience. She provides coaching, online courses, retreats and summits to therapists who want to learn how to build and scale their business. She’s the admin of the Thriving Therapists® FB group with over 20,000 members. Megan received the Meta Community Accelerator Award for 2022-2023 for having one of the highest engaged facebook communities in all of North America. She has presented and facilitated workshops and retreats globally and nationwide. A recovering perfectionist and recklessly brave, she’s not afraid of most challenges. You can find out more at: www.thrivingwellinstitute.com

Wanting more support beyond these podcasts?

• I am currently accepting new therapy clients if you live in one of these 40 states in the US
• My rate for an intake session is $220 and for a 45 minute follow up is $195
• If interested in learning more, including my availability and details about my practice, email me at [e-mail] or call 616-227-0001
• Or if you are a therapist of helping professional looking to connect in community and learn more about or experience the IFS model, get on my email list here and/or email me at [e-mail] to introduce yourself!

Disclaimer: This blog and podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual professional advice or treatment, including medical or mental health advice. It does not constitute a provider-patient relationship.

Disclosure: Using the Bookshop.org links in this post means that I would get an affiliate fee if you purchase from the online bookshop (this supports my business, and local bookstores too!).