Today, I'm joined by Jane McCampbell Stuart, a licensed psychotherapist, and coach. Jane shares how her former career in marketing and strategy isn't so different from what she does now and why she decided to pursue the more personal side of answering the big "who" and "how" questions. More at bemovingforward.com.
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Jane McCampbell Stuart
Figuring out who and how: a consistent constant
Today's episode is a reunion. Jane McCampbell Stuart and I used to work for the same company in our former lives. Jane was a branding and marketing communications strategist, spending countless hours helping account managers and consultants like me who worked with clients in the field. Naturally, I was curious as to how and why she made the transition from marketing with a big corporation to becoming a therapist, coach, and healer. And much like in the old days, when Jane would educate me and my colleagues on understanding who our clients were, it turns out the motivation behind her life's work hasn't changed all that much.
"People say that seems very different but actually, branding and marketing communications is really working with a company on who we are, and how we communicate, and how we relate to our customers, our employees ... and really what we do on a therapy level is taking all of that and make it more personal." -Jane McCampbell Stuart
Jane explains that her past and current careers aren't as divergent as they may first appear. There is a connective thread between the two, which is to explore two fundamental questions: 1) who are we and 2) how do we relate to others. As a therapist, this entails exploring what past obstacles or traumas need to be addressed that impede our ability to connect, and moving past them. Much like in our earlier careers, I gained yet another "aha moment" from Jane.
From the external to the internal
As you listen to this week's episode, you'll discover a story that's more than simply a career change. As Jane reveals, her mission to uncover the big why and how questions has evolved much as she has. She became interested in using her talents and skills to help individuals discover their best selves and through that process, she has discovered her best self.
"It was a really scary, courageous step to have to make and to have to go through ... and it was just a big step in terms of who am I going to be in the world, what is my identity going to be in the world on the other side of this." -Jane McCampbell Stuart
But Jane didn't simply practice or preach. If life does indeed imitate art, then it could be argued that sometimes life lives practice. As she started her therapy practice, following the bold decision to leave the corporate world and go back to school, Jane experienced her own tumult; notably the dissolution of her first marriage. She candidly shares that dealing with her own personal traumas and seeing a therapist helped her heal, which in turn made her a better therapist.
Bridging the gap from looking at the past to moving forward
Interestingly, as Jane's practice grew so did its scope and her desire to help her clients. As Jane explains, therapy is largely about healing old wounds; a necessary step towards effecting change, and becoming the person you want to be in the world. However, therapy can fall short when it comes to guiding someone who is ready to move on. That's when Jane worked with a life coach, and had a major revelation: that she too could coach individuals forward in addition to helping them heal the past. Jane became a certified coach, and today, she has created a unique practice that combines the power of both to help individuals reinvent themselves.
"[I]t is so, so different, the energy is so different, the forward momentum is so different, what was made possible from it, I'm just so thankful." -Jane McCampbell Stuart
As for her own future, Jane is also moving forward, literally and figuratively. She recently relocated to Canada with her husband and their cats, and is branching out into training other coaches on how to recognize and treat trauma. Jane has also created a protocol called "healing the birth story," which is about facing and dealing with the circumstances surrounding our births that may still impact us today.
For more on Jane's story and practice, check out MF 440.
Watch the video of episode 440 (available on the Spotify app):
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