May 8, 2025 ⢠40 mins
đ Mentioned on this Episode: Show Notes đ
In a world where âhaving it all togetherâ is the expected norm, todayâs conversation offers a refreshing reframe. Iâm joined by Maureen Codispodi, therapist and founder of Help Clinic Canada Canada, a counselling practice offering low-fee, accessible mental health care for Canadians, by Canadians.Â
With a background in education, coaching, international and expat living and community service, Maureen brings a grounded, real-world lens to mental well-being. She supports women in business, leadership, and life who are navigating burnout, overwhelm, and the quiet weight of âholding it all together.â Her work helps high-achieving women reconnect to themselves with clarity, compassion, and strength.
We talk honestly about the invisible weight many high-performing women carry â even when theyâre outwardly thriving. From the subtle signs of burnout to the myth of âhaving it all handled,â Maureen breaks down how over-functioning can mask as productivity, and how presence, safe community, and radical simplification are often the most powerful forms of self-care. This isnât another list of wellness tips â itâs a mindset shift.
Whether youâre scaling a business, navigating a transition, or feeling the pressure to keep it all together, this episode will meet you where you are. Itâs an invitation to pause, reflect, and rewrite your definition of success â one that feels more aligned, spacious, and sustainable.
With a team that spans multiple provinces, Help Clinic Canada makes it easier for clients to find a counsellor who meets their needs, aligns with their insurance, and adheres to local licensingâoffering more flexibility, access, and peace of mind from coast to coast.
Visit the Help Clinic website: https://helpclinic.ca/
Follow on Instagram: @helpcliniccanada
Connect on LinkedIn: Help Clinic Canada
Text us! What did you love about this episode?
Ever hit a revenue goal⌠but still felt anxious, stuck, or like you were barely holding it together? Youâre not alone. If youâre ready to break the cycle and finally feel good with money, I highly recommend checking out Relaxed Money: Tap this link for details. Doors are open now..
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Maureen (00:01):
You'd be surprised to know how much other people are
experiencing that sense ofdisconnectedness and fear.
When you reach out, you buildthat connection and then you can
build that safe space,recognizing the people and the
places that make you feel goodand make you feel safe and spend
time with those people.
I think that's the biggest giftthat you can give to yourself
(00:21):
to make sure that you're stayinggrounded and staying true to
who you are.
Sheila (00:29):
Hi, welcome to the Connect with Sheila Botelho
podcast.
I'm committed to helping youreconnect to your purpose,
elevate your wellbeing and buildyour version of a happy,
successful life, and I'm soexcited to bring you today's
guest, a woman whose groundedwisdom and compassionate insight
are such a gift in today'sfast-paced, high-performance
world.
(00:49):
Maureen Codispodi is atherapist and the founder of
Help Clinic Canada, a counselingpractice that offers low-fee,
accessible mental health carefor Canadians by Canadians, and
she brings a thoughtfulinternational and down-to-earth
lens to conversations aroundmental wellbeing, especially for
(01:09):
women doing big things inbusiness, leadership and life.
Her work is rooted in real-lifeexperience from years of
supporting entrepreneurs,creatives and high-achieving
women, and she has a gift forhelping us recognize when hustle
is quietly hijacking our joyand how we can overcome and come
back to ourselves withcompassion and clarity.
(01:32):
Maureen, welcome, I'd love tobegin by having you share a
snapshot of what brought youinto this work, like what you
were navigating before, whatcalled you into the work that
you're doing now.
Maureen (01:53):
Thank you for asking me , sheila.
So I like to say that I'm newto therapy, but I'm not new to
the world and I'm not new tolife.
So I've lived quite a life andhad lots of ups and downs and
pivots in my career and personaland professional lives and
every single twist and turn onthat journey has made me able to
do and be who I am in this roleand it's without like.
(02:15):
Without all of those pieces, Idon't think I would be able to
confidently step into what I amdoing today.
I, as you said, I have had theprivilege of working with so
many people over so many yearsin all of my various roles in
helping people in many, many,many places.
(02:35):
I've lived abroad, I've cycledacross Canada.
I've had so many adventures andtwists and turns, with becoming
a teacher and a therapist and acoach and all sorts of things.
And, quite honestly, what I dorealize is that, you know,
coming back to live in Canadaand seeing the gaps in mental
health care, I just realizedthat there are solutions, there
(03:00):
are ways to figure out how tonavigate a public and private
system where we can worktogether and kind of solve some
of the problems that we'reseeing, and so I'm using all my
experiences and bringing themall together to be able to, yeah
, just more successfully removeobstacles for people and, you
(03:21):
know, ideally promoting accessto mental health supports and
therapy for everybody.
Sheila (03:27):
Everything you just said really relates to.
I mean so much to the just thehuman journey, for sure, and the
entrepreneurial journey,because so often I find that
with people that that you knowI've been working with and
people that just are in mysphere, their methodologies,
(03:48):
everything it's not likenecessarily all coming from a
book.
It is coming from the livedexperience and even though you
can be classically trained,there is so much in terms of
layering that happens when youbring your own personal humanity
into it.
So I love that you started withthat and so how long has it
been now?
(04:08):
Maybe tell us a little bitabout how you know, you know how
long it's been for HealthClinic Canada and like what that
process has been, like puttingit together, because it's a big
deal, it's a lot of moving parts, I'm sure.
Maureen (04:19):
Yeah Well, yesterday we officially so May 6th we
officially celebrated our oneyear anniversary of having our
doors open, which is amazing.
However, that journey startedlong before one year ago.
For me, and I would say it'sbeen about two years, two and a
(04:41):
half years, of putting it alltogether.
While still the trajectory isquite steep in terms of building
this business, I'm proud ofwhat I have accomplished in such
a short time.
You know, from founding acompany to getting the word out
there, to getting you knowclinicians in place, to getting
clients, to getting our low feeprogram in place, to getting
(05:05):
place, to getting clients, togetting our low fee program in
place, to getting you knowstudent programs in place.
So we also much of our low feeprogram is is run through the
help of our amazing universitypartnerships and just getting
those in place and getting allof those pieces.
It's been.
It's been quite interesting and,quite honestly, there isn't a
day that something new is nothappening or changing behind the
(05:29):
scenes.
And you know my initial visionand where we are now look a
little different, and that'sokay, because I'm very much okay
with imperfection and I'm okaywith saying you know, this is
where I wanted to go and this isthe reality of where we are.
But I have to say that you know, I naively came into
(05:50):
entrepreneurship, like I've beenin human based professions for
my entire career, and I don'thave a background in business.
I don't have a background inmarketing.
I don't have a background inanything remotely connected to
building a business, Aside frommy skills dealing with people
(06:11):
and networking and buildingcommunity.
I think those are of what I'vedone so far, and you know
there's only more to do and I'mjust so, so excited about what's
(06:31):
next, because I'm starting tosee that, like all this effort,
all this energy and building it,you know the foundation is
there now and so we're startingto take off and it's so exciting
because I'm going to get tohelp so many people and that's
really the goal.
Sheila (06:47):
Oh, so beautiful.
And when I think about thesehuman-based skills that you have
, like that's really where we'reheaded, like having what I mean
by that is in business andentrepreneurship like those are,
that's where the gold is.
All of the other things we'reseeing that they can get taken
care of by so many differenttools and people who really
(07:08):
thrive in that area.
So really, what you have is thesecret sauce a lot of people I
experience in my coachingstruggle with is those
human-based skills.
So yay that you have those andthat you're using them for such
a really important way ofsupporting people.
And so here you are now in thisentrepreneurial space, and so
you're bumping up against andrubbing shoulders with a lot of
(07:31):
other high achieving women andentrepreneurs as well.
And as you've had the lens tolook through everything at, I'm
so curious to hear, like what isone misconception that you
often see when it comes to theterm like women handling it all?
(07:52):
Like you know what's that?
What does that mean to you?
Maureen (07:59):
Interesting question.
I really, you know, I'm afraidto answer for it being my only
opinion, because I think I havelike a few different vantage
points of answering thisquestion right and so.
I have, you know, my ownpersonal experience, which I
think is always a good place tocome from right.
So I wear lots of hats In myrole as a founder.
(08:24):
I wear a lot of hats In my roleas a therapist.
I wear a lot of hats In my roleas a partner and mother.
I wear a lot of hats, and onand on, I could go.
But here's the thing I don'tknow that I have it all handled.
(08:44):
And I think that when we saylike, oh, what does it look like
for a woman to have it allhandled, I'm not really sure
what that looks like.
Personally, I think that everyday that I get up, am I doing
something that brings me joy?
Did I check some things off thelist?
(09:05):
Did I, you know, support mychildren?
Was I there for them?
Did I do all of the things thatI said I was going to do?
Probably not.
Am I okay with that?
Yes, so at the end of the day,you know, having it handled for
me is about my sense ofself-worth, my sense of
(09:26):
contribution, right, and if Iwas like measuring it against
somebody else's ruler orsomebody else's measurement, I
don't know that I could live upto that standard, you know, and,
as I said before, I don't thinkthat I would be able to take on
what I have taken on withoutsort of the wisdom and knowledge
of my life experience to say tomyself like, oh well, that's OK
(09:49):
, right, I don't have to have ithandled Right.
And and the more that we speakopenly and vulnerably about
what's really going on, the morewe find we get supported Right
In conversations like this orwith other founders or with
other people that we can shareour experiences with you, can
you find, the more you open up,the more you realize that you're
(10:10):
not alone in that, and sohaving it all handled is is sort
of like a misconception, Ithink, for me.
I don't think I don't think I'llever have it all handled, and
I'm kind of proud of thatbecause I think that means I'm
taking on different things, I'mtrying new things.
I'm, you know, widening myscope.
I'm, I'm, you know, like I said, not not just saying, oh well,
(10:31):
this is exactly where I want togo and and just aiming to get
there.
I'm rather I'm, you know, justenjoying the journey and I'm
taking it one step at a time andthen, when you like, look at
having it all handled in termsof my company right as a founder
, I don't think, I don't know, Idon't know when, when that'll
(10:52):
be, that I'll have it allhandled and that's okay.
I I, I think that the perceptionthat having it handled you know
that's that's problematic to me, obviously, like coming from
the lens of a therapist.
If I had a client that said tome I've got it all handled, I've
managed it all, I would be verycurious about that, right, and
I think rightly so, yeah, right.
(11:14):
So I think at the end of theday, you know, you have to be
able to say to yourself is itpossible for me to take this on?
Is this going to bring me joy?
Is this what I want to be doingwith my time and energy?
And actually like thinkingabout it for yourself and not in
terms of, like, what societyexpects or what other people
(11:35):
expect.
Right, and we all have, unlessyou live, I don't know, in a
bubble somewhere.
Social media impacts how wenavigate the world and it
impacts our expectations ofourselves and others and it's
not always accurate, and so justchecking, wait, where did I get
the idea that I need to have itlike this, or it needs to look
(11:58):
like this, or it needs to belike this, all packaged up in a
bow.
We need to check, like wheredid I get that idea and is that
realistic at all?
You know, and I think one ofthe greatest lessons that I've
learned in the last couple ofyears is that I can't do this
alone.
You know I am an overachiever,I do a lot of things but I can't
(12:20):
do it alone.
And I know, before we got onthis recorded call, we were
talking about women networks andjust how important they are in
this industry and just tochampion each other and support
each other and have spaces wherewe can get vulnerable and say
like I don't have it handled andthat's okay.
Sheila (12:39):
I love it.
That's exactly why I asked thatquestion, because I really want
to highlight the fact that itis actually a misconception.
There's this idea that when weget to a certain place, when we
feel successful, whatever that.
Again, that's why I always talkabout creating your version of
success.
(12:59):
What is success today, in thismoment?
Every day is different, andthat's okay.
So I love that you responded inthat way, because there's no
such thing as ever having ithandled.
I completely agree, I don'thave it handled, and maybe in a
moment or two you might feellike, oh, I'm feeling like
really, like I've got thingstogether right now, and then
(13:20):
life, life and things happen,and so and I think this is
really a catalyst, for burnoutis when people think they have
to have it all handled.
So I am so curious in yourexperience, what does burnout
that people are always talkingabout burnout right.
What does it actually look likein real life, not just in
theory, because I mean, you'rewitnessing it, I'm sure, with
(13:41):
many of your clients.
Maureen (13:43):
Well, yeah, I do witness it and and, and you know
, burnout is something that istalked about a lot.
Quite honestly, as a therapist,it is.
It is a really important topicof conversation because it's a
human-based profession, right,and human-based professions
notoriously have high burnout,and so I am really familiar and
(14:06):
comfortable with that idea.
But in real life, it's notalways what you expect, you know
, and, and I think that it's notgoing to look the same for
every single person, but yourpeople know you and the people
that know you are going tonotice when things start to
(14:28):
change, and so burnout can looklike, you know, overcommitting
and then not being able to toactuate on your promises.
It can look like being reallygrumpy with your family, your
partner, your children.
It can look like being reallygrumpy with your family, your
partner, your children.
(14:48):
It can look like being overlyanxious, worrying about things
that you wouldn't normally worryabout.
It can look like sleeplessnights.
It can look like feelings ofoverwhelm and being, you know,
sort of like stuck right whenyou like.
You're kind of in those momentsof like grinding gears and you
(15:14):
kind of like but, but, but, like, and you can't make motion
towards actual like meetingexpectations or goals or
checking things off the actuallist, but you just like sort of
sit in this like rumination of,like I have a thousand things to
do and I can't take a stepforward into even completing one
of those tasks.
And so I don't think it looksthe same for every person.
(15:34):
And I'll just speak from mypersonal experience, not
necessarily as a therapist, butme personally when I notice that
I need extra downtime or thatI'm just my bandwidth for
dealing with discomfort orpeople that irritate me gets a
(15:56):
little less right.
And then I think, oh, what do Ineed to do?
What do I need to do to sourcemyself, to make myself feel
better?
And often it's like taking thethings, taking the things off
the list, reevaluating and thentaking a step forward.
But but again, it can never bethe same for everybody.
(16:18):
So it's often like check, checkyour people.
Your people are your biggestsort of indicators, like have
you noticed something differentabout me?
Am I acting strangely?
What's happening for me?
And also, you know as a, as anentrepreneur and as a person
that's big into creatingnetworks of people, that where
we support each other is likecheck in with each other, ask
(16:41):
each other the real questionsand wait for the real answer.
Don't just ask to say like howare you?
Oh, I'm fine, no, wait for thereal answer and give each other
that space to be open and share,because sometimes burnout can
be solved just by unpackingwhat's really going on and
making some priorities right andseeing like, okay, I don't have
(17:01):
to do the 25 things on my list,I can just start with three
right and and then saying, oh,that's enough, that's enough,
that's okay.
But sometimes we can't evenunpack the list until we feel
safe or we have a person thathelps us to unpack it.
And obviously, like being atherapist, I can see from the
inside of the therapy room thatlike that happens often and
(17:23):
that's a really helpful strategy.
Sheila (17:26):
But you know, you can start there with your trusted
people and just, you know, tryto recognize, like I'm not my,
I'm not my normal self what'sreally going on, yeah, and I
think another thing I'vewitnessed that comes up, and
I've witnessed this in myself aswell through the years because
we're always cycling throughdifferent starting something,
(17:46):
different seasons of business,and then you know delivering
things pivoting, and there'salways that constant shift and
it's something called functionalfreeze and it's like you're
operating.
No one on the outside wouldactually realize that you are
experiencing this kind offeeling inside of yourself, and
so it's like finding thatbalance between healthy drive
(18:09):
and harmful over-functioning aswell, because then we're able to
kind of navigate those busytimes instead of just being like
completely in overwhelm.
And functional freeze.
I think those two things goside by side.
Freeze, I think those twothings go side by side.
So actually out of curiositybecause that is kind of it's
(18:30):
linked to this idea that youknow we feel like so much rests
on us.
We have to do it, we have to bethe one.
So what would you say to thewoman who feels like if she
slows down, everything will fallapart?
Maureen (18:42):
Well, I think that that is a question for the ages.
I don't know that I've met manywomen that that accept that
fully, right, so so, even evenin theory, they might say, oh,
like, I'm taking care of myself,I'm taking time for myself, I'm
, I'm doing the self-care things, but self-care becomes another
(19:04):
thing on the checklist, right,and so so I don't know.
I mean, I think that we, as aculture of, you know, of women
right outside ofentrepreneurship, but just a
culture of women who want to,who want to achieve things, we
end up, we end up just umdeciding, based on all these
(19:28):
expectations, that, like, it'sour responsibility, we have to
do the things, just like yousaid, and being able to actually
, you know um, delegate, give upjobs, give them to other people
, um, is a source of shame andembarrassment, is a source of
like I'm not good enough, whycan't I just do it?
But at the end of the day, nomatter if you're running an
(19:51):
organization or a household, orwhatever your task is, you don't
have to do every job on thelist, the list.
One thing I can say isprioritizing your list.
Whatever you're running,whatever you're doing, whatever
(20:12):
your role is that day or thatmoment, prioritizing the list
and saying, okay, what's the onething I can do and what's the
one thing I can delegate.
But here's the thing delegationis really tricky for some of us,
and I speak with honesty.
Right, it's my company, I wantit to be perfect, I want it to
be exactly the way I want it tobe.
And how can they handle it?
(20:34):
I have learned to let somethings go through the last.
You know what I said.
You know couple years and Ihave amazing, amazing interns on
my team who help me every day,and what I've realized is that
if I give them the space, theyrise to the challenge and show
(20:55):
me and teach me things that Ididn't know before.
Am I okay if some things areimperfect?
Yes, have I always been thatway?
No, right.
And and I would say that I'mgetting better at it, but I'm.
I don't know that I'll ever bereally good at it, but I do
appreciate the team of internsthat I have and and, quite
(21:18):
honestly, so far all of myinterns have been female.
Most of them are social worksor counseling psychology
students.
So they they, they're inhelping professions, they're
amazing individuals and a lot ofthem are stepping into doing
things in business that theydon't have skills in, because
they're doing their practicumsin a private practice, in a
(21:38):
private setting, in a privateinstitution, and so it's really
amazing, because then I feellike, oh wait, they don't know
it either, even if they are somuch younger than me.
I mean, they don't know socialmedia.
I thought I was the only oneright, and so, whatever that is.
And so, whatever tasks they haveor whatever jobs they're doing,
what I've noticed is, when Igive the space, I feel a sense
(22:00):
of relief, I can let go of theperfection piece of it, because
I know that they're going tohave an opportunity to learn.
But it's only through thatrelationship that it's allowed
me to sort of let go of some ofthe control.
And I think that, you know,having students it's actually
been a gift to me to teach me somany things you know that a lot
(22:24):
of people wouldn't talk about,and it's that like grace for
myself and grace for others.
And because I have a backgroundas an educator, I know that in
order for students to learn,they need to feel safe, and so
to enable that safety, I have toshow the vulnerability too, and
so it's this complexrelationship that has allowed me
to sort of step back and bebetter able to let other people
(22:49):
handle and grow my business withme, as opposed to me saying,
well, it's my company and it allfalls with me and I have to
handle everything.
I much prefer sitting togetherwith people than sitting alone,
because it feels enormous whenit when I'm there and it's just
me.
Sheila (23:10):
I don't know that I'll ever be perfect at delegating,
though, and I don't know anyonethat is so yeah, it really is a
practice and and it is thissense I think of it's you put so
much into creating the idea.
It's your baby, it's soimportant to you, so it's only
normal and it's only human thatyou'll feel that way.
(23:31):
But I love that you've leanedinto it and that you're also
getting a different perspectivefrom your interns and realizing
that we're all just on thislearning journey.
We know it intellectually, butto be in it and to experience it
is so different.
It's like we're learning on adifferent cellular level really.
But yes, I agree with havingentrepreneurship can feel very
(23:54):
lonely.
Business ownership like beingthe person, the key decision
maker, where people maybe don'tfeel as accessible and
approachable as you may be.
There's still people thinkinghierarchy, so it can feel lonely
in a sense to say, hey look, Ireally want your ideas.
No, really, I'm not going tojudge you for them, I really
want them.
And to be seeing people asequals in the workplace, really.
(24:18):
And I think also, though,through this process,
conversations like this are sopowerful because it invites us
to always learn to prioritizesustainable mental health
practices without guilt, likeknowing that taking that space,
asking for help, delegating,doing those things, that's how
(24:39):
you're protecting your peace andthat's how you actually are
able to show up more powerfullyin the work that really you're
called to do.
Because if you're doing all thethings, your energy is depleted
, you're not able to actuallyserve in the way that you're
meant to.
And so you mentioned this, youalluded to it earlier.
What do you suggest for someonewho does want to begin tending
(25:04):
to their inner world but feelslike they don't have time for
one more thing, like I'm?
I have to say I'm really biglike.
Self-care is my jam and it's myself-care practice.
For people usually is what canwe let go of?
What can we do less of, insteadof do all of these things it's
like.
So what would your guidance beon that, for the people with the
(25:24):
one more thing constantly on?
Maureen (25:27):
their mind.
I love that.
I love the self-care list.
Being taking away the list,that's, that's a great, that's a
great priority.
But you know, for me, I thinkoften what I see with clients
with years of experience is thatI think we have this idea
(25:50):
self-care has to be somethingbig, expensive and arduous,
right and like.
The simplicity of like takingthe thing off the list is an
excellent example.
But you know, I think a way I'veI come to look at it.
It's like what, what makes mefeel like me, what brings me
back to myself.
(26:10):
And often those things aresimple, simple things, and I use
this example all the time.
Like maybe it's a cup of coffee, like I know, for me, when I
wake up in the morning and Igrind the beans and I boil the
water and I do all the steps andthen I smell the coffee and I
drink the coffee, I do thatevery day.
(26:33):
But do I do it consciously?
Do I stop to think about what Iam doing?
Do I stop to enjoy that ritual?
Do I relish in that moment ofsilence before the world comes
at me?
Yeah, I do, because that's myself-care practice, right?
Like that's one of the thingsthat I do.
(26:54):
Did I have to add it to a list?
No, all I needed to do wasdecide to pay attention to the
thing I'm already doing that Iknow brings me so much joy, and
like that's just a simpleexample.
But when you start to analyze,like the things that you're
doing on a daily basis, you cometo realize like self-care isn't
necessarily about, like, goingto the spa yeah, like that might
(27:15):
be a nice idea, but it's notthat it can be.
Those simple things like youknow, um, you know, looking at,
like your your rituals of ofmorning and night and adding
special treats in to thosethings, like maybe it's like, oh
well, I'll know, I'll use thatextra special cream for my face
(27:38):
or I will do that extra longwalk with my dog, or I will just
stop for a moment in the middleof the forest while I'm walking
my dog and just look at thetrees and just think, wow, how
beautiful this is and how luckyI am.
You know, sometimes self-care isjust being conscious of
(28:01):
everything that's going on inyour life and realizing like
you're already doing the thingsthat are nourishing your soul,
but you need to stop and payattention.
So that's how I do it, becauseotherwise I wouldn't be taking
care of myself very well,admittedly, because I have a
busy schedule Right, and so youknow the chores that I actually
love are coffee, walking my dog,taking my kids to school.
(28:24):
But I stop and enjoy all ofthose moments, and I think
sometimes we put the bar way uphere and it doesn't need to be
so.
Just simplify.
Sheila (28:36):
Maureen, you have made so many coffee lovers incredibly
happy, right now.
They're like yes, another reasonwhy we love coffee, we're going
to take more of our time whilewe're enjoying it.
Oh, my goodness, my husband,his ears are ringing somewhere
right now.
Yes, and I love this, you know,today on my walk, and so I went
(28:56):
to the gym and I did somewalking on the treadmill and I
was going to get right to workand I was like it's so beautiful
out right now and, hello right,canadians, it's May when this
is being recorded and there arebuds on the trees, there's
leaves coming out now.
I was walking down the street.
I said I'm just going to go fora quick walk.
It turned into a 30-minute walkand I heard the most beautiful
(29:19):
Cardinal song in the air and Iwas like I'm so close to one
right now.
Where is it?
And I literally just stoppedeverything I was doing and I
stood and stared at the tree.
I'm like it's this tree.
And I stared at the tree for agood five minutes and finally I
spotted it.
I took a video of it, of course, because I'm like I have to
(29:39):
remember this.
I sent it to my friends wholove cardinals and it was just.
It lit me up in a way that ishard to describe.
Cardinals have a special meaningto a lot of people.
They have a special meaning tome, and so what you said there,
yeah, like taking the moment,being present I love being
present with my kids, I love toon a walk, I'll lean against a
(30:00):
tree and just kind of breathe itin and sit in the sunlight and
literally feel my cells beingcharged by the sun.
These are things that are free,yet it takes time and our time
is technically not free, right,because when we think about it,
especially in business, time ismoney and I look at these things
not as something to rushthrough because we have to get
to something else.
They are an investment in theway we show up and the way we
(30:22):
serve.
You know, when I first, youknow, connected with you today,
you had a peace and a calm aboutyou and a grounded centeredness
, like I'm sure people watchingthis or listening can hear it in
your voice and see it in yourface, and that, obviously, is
something you've cultivated andI think it's the presence that's
doing it.
That's my thought for you, thankyou, which is really meaningful
(30:47):
right now because we're in atime in the world and we're
always in these times in theworld, but right now we're in
another one where the worldreally feels uncertain for a lot
of people.
Right, there's always somethinghappening on our economic or
just the global scale, and sowhat is?
These sound like beautiful waysfor people to reconnect with
themselves during times likethis, but I'm wondering if
(31:08):
anything else comes up for youaround that particular piece.
You know, guidance.
That may be something, apractice that you do, or
something you guide your clientsor friends to do.
Maureen (31:19):
I think I want to mention two things.
I think one is importantbecause of the work that you do,
sheila, and the people thatyou're working with, in that you
know, sometimes just gettingreally present with the person
that you happen to be with inthe moment can be such a great
gift.
Or being bombarded by socialmedia and news and stress of the
(31:43):
world, and like not to say thatI don't experience those things
.
But when I'm with you, here,for example, like I'm here with
you, I'm not.
I'm not thinking about my to-dolist, I'm not thinking about,
you know, whatever else is on mymind, I'm in this conversation
with you.
So, again, right, it's, it's,it's practicing presence, it's
practicing just attuning towhat's really going on.
(32:06):
And I think sometimes that canbe, that can be the biggest gift
you give yourself, and and andit's, and.
It's so simple, sheila, I'mgoing to ask you sorry, I hope
you're editing this Can yourepeat your question for me?
Sheila (32:21):
Oh sure, yeah, Sorry, I was just going to ask you.
You know how do we reconnectwith ourselves when the world
feels uncertain, especially whenwe're in a season of transition
too.
Maureen (32:35):
Thank you.
So reconnecting with ourselvessometimes is just as simple, as
I said, as like getting reallypresent with the people that
we're with, as opposed to, youknow, letting the lists, letting
the outside world sort ofconsume our thoughts or take us
away from what's going on.
You know, and you know I saidabout how we take care of
(33:01):
ourselves and our well-being,and that's actually connected to
like getting grounded forourselves, right?
So it's like that back to being, back to who I truly am, and so
often, you know, whether it'swith friends or with clients or
whoever, I'll have people make alist of tell me five things
that you know, if you did themright now, they would make you
(33:22):
feel really, really good.
Like, for me it's the coffee,the coffee or the walk in nature
, and so the world is going tokeep moving, things are going to
keep coming up and it's goingto continue to be stressful, and
those things, most of them, areout of our control, right, and
(33:44):
so just like reframing andsaying I'm here in this moment
doing this thing that I reallyenjoy and getting really present
to it.
So some things, things forpeople, you know, I don't know
what those are for everybody,right, and some of them can be
really silly, right, and some ofthem can just, you know, make
you laugh or bring you joy LikeI know lots of people like to
(34:06):
watch silly videos of funnyanimals or something right, but
it brings you joy, it brings youback to that place in your
heart where you know you feelgood and like the rest of the
world and the rest of the stresscan sort of fall away.
And I think one of the biggestones is finding safe spaces,
right.
So for different people theylook so very different, but
(34:28):
finding your safe spaces Right,spaces right.
And if you don't have thosespaces, ask, ask, you know,
reach out, share, be vulnerable,because you'd be surprised to
know, you know how, how muchother people are experiencing
that sense of disconnectednessand fear, right.
And so when you, when you reachout, you build that connection
(34:50):
and then you can build that safespace where you feel free to
share and free to be who you are, no matter what that is, and
you know it can be in a virtualspace or it can be in real life,
but recognizing the people andthe places that make you feel
good and make you feel safe andspend time there and with those
(35:10):
people.
I think that's the biggest giftthat you can give to yourself
to make sure that you're stayinggrounded and staying true to
who you are 100% agree.
Sheila (35:19):
Some of my most beautiful connections were made
in the online space and I thinkit's because you hear and for
years I heard this in my directsales business, in my wellness
business this whole idea thatI'm the only one in my family
who's doing this, or I'm theonly one in my community who's
trying to launch a business.
Like nobody understands, like Ihave loving family and friends
(35:39):
but they just don't get it.
And so being in a space wherepeople are understanding, like
finding that ecosystem where youreally can plant your ideas and
grow and nourish yourself andbe nourishment to others, is so
incredibly valuable.
I love everything that youshared.
That's so helpful and I think,during this time that we're in,
it's something we can actuallytake with us into all the future
(36:00):
times when we have theupheavals that come, and also
knowing that it's like theseasons are consistently
changing and we're movingthrough them and then we move
into a lot of times of beauty,and that we can use all of these
tough things we go through andthat we witness to really be
like fertilizer for the goodnessthat comes and we can really
(36:24):
celebrate.
I mean that's one thing aboutbeing in a community of people
who are, you know, growing andand and trying to bring
something to life into the world, like whether it be a business,
et cetera is the celebrationpiece being able to witness and
celebrate somebody in whatthey're doing.
It's just so empowering and itshows you what's possible.
(36:46):
So, maureen, I have so enjoyedour conversation.
I feel like you and I can havelike a weekend retreat, with
coffee for you, matcha for me,and knees up on the couch and
cozying in on another deepconversation.
I so could see that I wouldlove for people to find out
where they can find and followyou.
And also, let me know, like now, I know we talked about coffee
(37:07):
and certain things, but is theresomething like what did you do
today or what will you do todaythat you are expecting to do?
That would be like self-carefor you and light you up in the
best way.
Maureen (37:19):
Oh, thanks for asking.
I live in a really beautifulplace.
I'm going to answer theself-care for me question.
I live in a really beautifulplace and, as you said, it's
spring in Canada and I live onthe West Coast and I am very
privileged to live where I do,and it's very beautiful, but I
(37:40):
cannot see the ocean from myhouse.
But if I go just down the road,I can see it, and so my
intention is that at the end ofmy work day today, I'm going to,
you know, go walk and look atthe ocean and just spend some
time and enjoy it for all itsbeauty.
I think that's the thing that Iwant to do to nourish my soul.
(38:03):
And, yeah, I actually had thatthought this morning as I went
for a walk.
I thought just go a little bitfurther.
No, I don't have time.
So tonight is the time andfollow me.
You can find Health ClinicCanada.
You can find us on LinkedIn andInstagram.
You can also find me onLinkedIn, maureen Khadaswati,
(38:27):
and I would love to see you joinus in any of those spaces and
champion what we're up to.
Sheila (38:34):
So beautiful.
Maureen, thank you for yourhonesty and the gentle strength
that you bring to the work thatyou do and that you brought to
this conversation.
I know so many of the peoplelistening really needed to hear
your words.
It's really incredible when yousee what people are going
through, when they actuallyshare what's happening right.
(38:54):
We don't always see on theoutside, and so in these quiet
moments when someone's got theirear pods in and they're
listening to a podcast, I knowthat this probably landed for a
lot of people, and so, for thoseof you who are listening also,
if this conversation resonatedwith you, please take a moment
to share this episode with afriend or tag us on Instagram.
(39:14):
We would really love to hearwhat landed for you most, and
always stay tuned to the shownotes.
There'll be ways for you tofind and follow Maureen and see
what she's up to.
Maureen, thank you so much forbeing here.
Maureen (39:26):
Thank you, Sheila, for your time.
This was a lovely conversation.
Sheila (39:30):
So, everyone, thank you for listening.
I'm wishing you peace, powerand permission to care for
yourself deeply, because yourwell-being is not a luxury, it
is a necessity.
See you in another episode withblessings.
You'd be surprised to know how much other people are
experiencing that sense ofdisconnectedness and fear.
When you reach out, you buildthat connection and then you can
build that safe space,recognizing the people and the
places that make you feel goodand make you feel safe and spend
time with those people.
I think that's the biggest giftthat you can give to yourself
(00:21):
to make sure that you're stayinggrounded and staying true to
who you are.
Sheila (00:29):
Hi, welcome to the Connect with Sheila Botelho
podcast.
I'm committed to helping youreconnect to your purpose,
elevate your wellbeing and buildyour version of a happy,
successful life, and I'm soexcited to bring you today's
guest, a woman whose groundedwisdom and compassionate insight
are such a gift in today'sfast-paced, high-performance
world.
(00:49):
Maureen Codispodi is atherapist and the founder of
Help Clinic Canada, a counselingpractice that offers low-fee,
accessible mental health carefor Canadians by Canadians, and
she brings a thoughtfulinternational and down-to-earth
lens to conversations aroundmental wellbeing, especially for
(01:09):
women doing big things inbusiness, leadership and life.
Her work is rooted in real-lifeexperience from years of
supporting entrepreneurs,creatives and high-achieving
women, and she has a gift forhelping us recognize when hustle
is quietly hijacking our joyand how we can overcome and come
back to ourselves withcompassion and clarity.
(01:32):
Maureen, welcome, I'd love tobegin by having you share a
snapshot of what brought youinto this work, like what you
were navigating before, whatcalled you into the work that
you're doing now.
Maureen (01:53):
Thank you for asking me , sheila.
So I like to say that I'm newto therapy, but I'm not new to
the world and I'm not new tolife.
So I've lived quite a life andhad lots of ups and downs and
pivots in my career and personaland professional lives and
every single twist and turn onthat journey has made me able to
do and be who I am in this roleand it's without like.
(02:15):
Without all of those pieces, Idon't think I would be able to
confidently step into what I amdoing today.
I, as you said, I have had theprivilege of working with so
many people over so many yearsin all of my various roles in
helping people in many, many,many places.
(02:35):
I've lived abroad, I've cycledacross Canada.
I've had so many adventures andtwists and turns, with becoming
a teacher and a therapist and acoach and all sorts of things.
And, quite honestly, what I dorealize is that, you know,
coming back to live in Canadaand seeing the gaps in mental
health care, I just realizedthat there are solutions, there
(03:00):
are ways to figure out how tonavigate a public and private
system where we can worktogether and kind of solve some
of the problems that we'reseeing, and so I'm using all my
experiences and bringing themall together to be able to, yeah
, just more successfully removeobstacles for people and, you
(03:21):
know, ideally promoting accessto mental health supports and
therapy for everybody.
Sheila (03:27):
Everything you just said really relates to.
I mean so much to the just thehuman journey, for sure, and the
entrepreneurial journey,because so often I find that
with people that that you knowI've been working with and
people that just are in mysphere, their methodologies,
(03:48):
everything it's not likenecessarily all coming from a
book.
It is coming from the livedexperience and even though you
can be classically trained,there is so much in terms of
layering that happens when youbring your own personal humanity
into it.
So I love that you started withthat and so how long has it
been now?
(04:08):
Maybe tell us a little bitabout how you know, you know how
long it's been for HealthClinic Canada and like what that
process has been, like puttingit together, because it's a big
deal, it's a lot of moving parts, I'm sure.
Maureen (04:19):
Yeah Well, yesterday we officially so May 6th we
officially celebrated our oneyear anniversary of having our
doors open, which is amazing.
However, that journey startedlong before one year ago.
For me, and I would say it'sbeen about two years, two and a
(04:41):
half years, of putting it alltogether.
While still the trajectory isquite steep in terms of building
this business, I'm proud ofwhat I have accomplished in such
a short time.
You know, from founding acompany to getting the word out
there, to getting you knowclinicians in place, to getting
clients, to getting our low feeprogram in place, to getting
(05:05):
place, to getting clients, togetting our low fee program in
place, to getting you knowstudent programs in place.
So we also much of our low feeprogram is is run through the
help of our amazing universitypartnerships and just getting
those in place and getting allof those pieces.
It's been.
It's been quite interesting and,quite honestly, there isn't a
day that something new is nothappening or changing behind the
(05:29):
scenes.
And you know my initial visionand where we are now look a
little different, and that'sokay, because I'm very much okay
with imperfection and I'm okaywith saying you know, this is
where I wanted to go and this isthe reality of where we are.
But I have to say that you know, I naively came into
(05:50):
entrepreneurship, like I've beenin human based professions for
my entire career, and I don'thave a background in business.
I don't have a background inmarketing.
I don't have a background inanything remotely connected to
building a business, Aside frommy skills dealing with people
(06:11):
and networking and buildingcommunity.
I think those are of what I'vedone so far, and you know
there's only more to do and I'mjust so, so excited about what's
(06:31):
next, because I'm starting tosee that, like all this effort,
all this energy and building it,you know the foundation is
there now and so we're startingto take off and it's so exciting
because I'm going to get tohelp so many people and that's
really the goal.
Sheila (06:47):
Oh, so beautiful.
And when I think about thesehuman-based skills that you have
, like that's really where we'reheaded, like having what I mean
by that is in business andentrepreneurship like those are,
that's where the gold is.
All of the other things we'reseeing that they can get taken
care of by so many differenttools and people who really
(07:08):
thrive in that area.
So really, what you have is thesecret sauce a lot of people I
experience in my coachingstruggle with is those
human-based skills.
So yay that you have those andthat you're using them for such
a really important way ofsupporting people.
And so here you are now in thisentrepreneurial space, and so
you're bumping up against andrubbing shoulders with a lot of
(07:31):
other high achieving women andentrepreneurs as well.
And as you've had the lens tolook through everything at, I'm
so curious to hear, like what isone misconception that you
often see when it comes to theterm like women handling it all?
(07:52):
Like you know what's that?
What does that mean to you?
Maureen (07:59):
Interesting question.
I really, you know, I'm afraidto answer for it being my only
opinion, because I think I havelike a few different vantage
points of answering thisquestion right and so.
I have, you know, my ownpersonal experience, which I
think is always a good place tocome from right.
So I wear lots of hats In myrole as a founder.
(08:24):
I wear a lot of hats In my roleas a therapist.
I wear a lot of hats In my roleas a partner and mother.
I wear a lot of hats, and onand on, I could go.
But here's the thing I don'tknow that I have it all handled.
(08:44):
And I think that when we saylike, oh, what does it look like
for a woman to have it allhandled, I'm not really sure
what that looks like.
Personally, I think that everyday that I get up, am I doing
something that brings me joy?
Did I check some things off thelist?
(09:05):
Did I, you know, support mychildren?
Was I there for them?
Did I do all of the things thatI said I was going to do?
Probably not.
Am I okay with that?
Yes, so at the end of the day,you know, having it handled for
me is about my sense ofself-worth, my sense of
(09:26):
contribution, right, and if Iwas like measuring it against
somebody else's ruler orsomebody else's measurement, I
don't know that I could live upto that standard, you know, and,
as I said before, I don't thinkthat I would be able to take on
what I have taken on withoutsort of the wisdom and knowledge
of my life experience to say tomyself like, oh well, that's OK
(09:49):
, right, I don't have to have ithandled Right.
And and the more that we speakopenly and vulnerably about
what's really going on, the morewe find we get supported Right
In conversations like this orwith other founders or with
other people that we can shareour experiences with you, can
you find, the more you open up,the more you realize that you're
(10:10):
not alone in that, and sohaving it all handled is is sort
of like a misconception, Ithink, for me.
I don't think I don't think I'llever have it all handled, and
I'm kind of proud of thatbecause I think that means I'm
taking on different things, I'mtrying new things.
I'm, you know, widening myscope.
I'm, I'm, you know, like I said, not not just saying, oh well,
(10:31):
this is exactly where I want togo and and just aiming to get
there.
I'm rather I'm, you know, justenjoying the journey and I'm
taking it one step at a time andthen, when you like, look at
having it all handled in termsof my company right as a founder
, I don't think, I don't know, Idon't know when, when that'll
(10:52):
be, that I'll have it allhandled and that's okay.
I I, I think that the perceptionthat having it handled you know
that's that's problematic to me, obviously, like coming from
the lens of a therapist.
If I had a client that said tome I've got it all handled, I've
managed it all, I would be verycurious about that, right, and
I think rightly so, yeah, right.
(11:14):
So I think at the end of theday, you know, you have to be
able to say to yourself is itpossible for me to take this on?
Is this going to bring me joy?
Is this what I want to be doingwith my time and energy?
And actually like thinkingabout it for yourself and not in
terms of, like, what societyexpects or what other people
(11:35):
expect.
Right, and we all have, unlessyou live, I don't know, in a
bubble somewhere.
Social media impacts how wenavigate the world and it
impacts our expectations ofourselves and others and it's
not always accurate, and so justchecking, wait, where did I get
the idea that I need to have itlike this, or it needs to look
(11:58):
like this, or it needs to belike this, all packaged up in a
bow.
We need to check, like wheredid I get that idea and is that
realistic at all?
You know, and I think one ofthe greatest lessons that I've
learned in the last couple ofyears is that I can't do this
alone.
You know I am an overachiever,I do a lot of things but I can't
(12:20):
do it alone.
And I know, before we got onthis recorded call, we were
talking about women networks andjust how important they are in
this industry and just tochampion each other and support
each other and have spaces wherewe can get vulnerable and say
like I don't have it handled andthat's okay.
Sheila (12:39):
I love it.
That's exactly why I asked thatquestion, because I really want
to highlight the fact that itis actually a misconception.
There's this idea that when weget to a certain place, when we
feel successful, whatever that.
Again, that's why I always talkabout creating your version of
success.
(12:59):
What is success today, in thismoment?
Every day is different, andthat's okay.
So I love that you responded inthat way, because there's no
such thing as ever having ithandled.
I completely agree, I don'thave it handled, and maybe in a
moment or two you might feellike, oh, I'm feeling like
really, like I've got thingstogether right now, and then
(13:20):
life, life and things happen,and so and I think this is
really a catalyst, for burnoutis when people think they have
to have it all handled.
So I am so curious in yourexperience, what does burnout
that people are always talkingabout burnout right.
What does it actually look likein real life, not just in
theory, because I mean, you'rewitnessing it, I'm sure, with
(13:41):
many of your clients.
Maureen (13:43):
Well, yeah, I do witness it and and, and you know
, burnout is something that istalked about a lot.
Quite honestly, as a therapist,it is.
It is a really important topicof conversation because it's a
human-based profession, right,and human-based professions
notoriously have high burnout,and so I am really familiar and
(14:06):
comfortable with that idea.
But in real life, it's notalways what you expect, you know
, and, and I think that it's notgoing to look the same for
every single person, but yourpeople know you and the people
that know you are going tonotice when things start to
(14:28):
change, and so burnout can looklike, you know, overcommitting
and then not being able to toactuate on your promises.
It can look like being reallygrumpy with your family, your
partner, your children.
It can look like being reallygrumpy with your family, your
partner, your children.
(14:48):
It can look like being overlyanxious, worrying about things
that you wouldn't normally worryabout.
It can look like sleeplessnights.
It can look like feelings ofoverwhelm and being, you know,
sort of like stuck right whenyou like.
You're kind of in those momentsof like grinding gears and you
(15:14):
kind of like but, but, but, like, and you can't make motion
towards actual like meetingexpectations or goals or
checking things off the actuallist, but you just like sort of
sit in this like rumination of,like I have a thousand things to
do and I can't take a stepforward into even completing one
of those tasks.
And so I don't think it looksthe same for every person.
(15:34):
And I'll just speak from mypersonal experience, not
necessarily as a therapist, butme personally when I notice that
I need extra downtime or thatI'm just my bandwidth for
dealing with discomfort orpeople that irritate me gets a
(15:56):
little less right.
And then I think, oh, what do Ineed to do?
What do I need to do to sourcemyself, to make myself feel
better?
And often it's like taking thethings, taking the things off
the list, reevaluating and thentaking a step forward.
But but again, it can never bethe same for everybody.
(16:18):
So it's often like check, checkyour people.
Your people are your biggestsort of indicators, like have
you noticed something differentabout me?
Am I acting strangely?
What's happening for me?
And also, you know as a, as anentrepreneur and as a person
that's big into creatingnetworks of people, that where
we support each other is likecheck in with each other, ask
(16:41):
each other the real questionsand wait for the real answer.
Don't just ask to say like howare you?
Oh, I'm fine, no, wait for thereal answer and give each other
that space to be open and share,because sometimes burnout can
be solved just by unpackingwhat's really going on and
making some priorities right andseeing like, okay, I don't have
(17:01):
to do the 25 things on my list,I can just start with three
right and and then saying, oh,that's enough, that's enough,
that's okay.
But sometimes we can't evenunpack the list until we feel
safe or we have a person thathelps us to unpack it.
And obviously, like being atherapist, I can see from the
inside of the therapy room thatlike that happens often and
(17:23):
that's a really helpful strategy.
Sheila (17:26):
But you know, you can start there with your trusted
people and just, you know, tryto recognize, like I'm not my,
I'm not my normal self what'sreally going on, yeah, and I
think another thing I'vewitnessed that comes up, and
I've witnessed this in myself aswell through the years because
we're always cycling throughdifferent starting something,
(17:46):
different seasons of business,and then you know delivering
things pivoting, and there'salways that constant shift and
it's something called functionalfreeze and it's like you're
operating.
No one on the outside wouldactually realize that you are
experiencing this kind offeeling inside of yourself, and
so it's like finding thatbalance between healthy drive
(18:09):
and harmful over-functioning aswell, because then we're able to
kind of navigate those busytimes instead of just being like
completely in overwhelm.
And functional freeze.
I think those two things goside by side.
Freeze, I think those twothings go side by side.
So actually out of curiositybecause that is kind of it's
(18:30):
linked to this idea that youknow we feel like so much rests
on us.
We have to do it, we have to bethe one.
So what would you say to thewoman who feels like if she
slows down, everything will fallapart?
Maureen (18:42):
Well, I think that that is a question for the ages.
I don't know that I've met manywomen that that accept that
fully, right, so so, even evenin theory, they might say, oh,
like, I'm taking care of myself,I'm taking time for myself, I'm
, I'm doing the self-care things, but self-care becomes another
(19:04):
thing on the checklist, right,and so so I don't know.
I mean, I think that we, as aculture of, you know, of women
right outside ofentrepreneurship, but just a
culture of women who want to,who want to achieve things, we
end up, we end up just umdeciding, based on all these
(19:28):
expectations, that, like, it'sour responsibility, we have to
do the things, just like yousaid, and being able to actually
, you know um, delegate, give upjobs, give them to other people
, um, is a source of shame andembarrassment, is a source of
like I'm not good enough, whycan't I just do it?
But at the end of the day, nomatter if you're running an
(19:51):
organization or a household, orwhatever your task is, you don't
have to do every job on thelist, the list.
One thing I can say isprioritizing your list.
Whatever you're running,whatever you're doing, whatever
(20:12):
your role is that day or thatmoment, prioritizing the list
and saying, okay, what's the onething I can do and what's the
one thing I can delegate.
But here's the thing delegationis really tricky for some of us,
and I speak with honesty.
Right, it's my company, I wantit to be perfect, I want it to
be exactly the way I want it tobe.
And how can they handle it?
(20:34):
I have learned to let somethings go through the last.
You know what I said.
You know couple years and Ihave amazing, amazing interns on
my team who help me every day,and what I've realized is that
if I give them the space, theyrise to the challenge and show
(20:55):
me and teach me things that Ididn't know before.
Am I okay if some things areimperfect?
Yes, have I always been thatway?
No, right.
And and I would say that I'mgetting better at it, but I'm.
I don't know that I'll ever bereally good at it, but I do
appreciate the team of internsthat I have and and, quite
(21:18):
honestly, so far all of myinterns have been female.
Most of them are social worksor counseling psychology
students.
So they they, they're inhelping professions, they're
amazing individuals and a lot ofthem are stepping into doing
things in business that theydon't have skills in, because
they're doing their practicumsin a private practice, in a
(21:38):
private setting, in a privateinstitution, and so it's really
amazing, because then I feellike, oh wait, they don't know
it either, even if they are somuch younger than me.
I mean, they don't know socialmedia.
I thought I was the only oneright, and so, whatever that is.
And so, whatever tasks they haveor whatever jobs they're doing,
what I've noticed is, when Igive the space, I feel a sense
(22:00):
of relief, I can let go of theperfection piece of it, because
I know that they're going tohave an opportunity to learn.
But it's only through thatrelationship that it's allowed
me to sort of let go of some ofthe control.
And I think that, you know,having students it's actually
been a gift to me to teach me somany things you know that a lot
(22:24):
of people wouldn't talk about,and it's that like grace for
myself and grace for others.
And because I have a backgroundas an educator, I know that in
order for students to learn,they need to feel safe, and so
to enable that safety, I have toshow the vulnerability too, and
so it's this complexrelationship that has allowed me
to sort of step back and bebetter able to let other people
(22:49):
handle and grow my business withme, as opposed to me saying,
well, it's my company and it allfalls with me and I have to
handle everything.
I much prefer sitting togetherwith people than sitting alone,
because it feels enormous whenit when I'm there and it's just
me.
Sheila (23:10):
I don't know that I'll ever be perfect at delegating,
though, and I don't know anyonethat is so yeah, it really is a
practice and and it is thissense I think of it's you put so
much into creating the idea.
It's your baby, it's soimportant to you, so it's only
normal and it's only human thatyou'll feel that way.
(23:31):
But I love that you've leanedinto it and that you're also
getting a different perspectivefrom your interns and realizing
that we're all just on thislearning journey.
We know it intellectually, butto be in it and to experience it
is so different.
It's like we're learning on adifferent cellular level really.
But yes, I agree with havingentrepreneurship can feel very
(23:54):
lonely.
Business ownership like beingthe person, the key decision
maker, where people maybe don'tfeel as accessible and
approachable as you may be.
There's still people thinkinghierarchy, so it can feel lonely
in a sense to say, hey look, Ireally want your ideas.
No, really, I'm not going tojudge you for them, I really
want them.
And to be seeing people asequals in the workplace, really.
(24:18):
And I think also, though,through this process,
conversations like this are sopowerful because it invites us
to always learn to prioritizesustainable mental health
practices without guilt, likeknowing that taking that space,
asking for help, delegating,doing those things, that's how
(24:39):
you're protecting your peace andthat's how you actually are
able to show up more powerfullyin the work that really you're
called to do.
Because if you're doing all thethings, your energy is depleted
, you're not able to actuallyserve in the way that you're
meant to.
And so you mentioned this, youalluded to it earlier.
What do you suggest for someonewho does want to begin tending
(25:04):
to their inner world but feelslike they don't have time for
one more thing, like I'm?
I have to say I'm really biglike.
Self-care is my jam and it's myself-care practice.
For people usually is what canwe let go of?
What can we do less of, insteadof do all of these things it's
like.
So what would your guidance beon that, for the people with the
(25:24):
one more thing constantly on?
Maureen (25:27):
their mind.
I love that.
I love the self-care list.
Being taking away the list,that's, that's a great, that's a
great priority.
But you know, for me, I thinkoften what I see with clients
with years of experience is thatI think we have this idea
(25:50):
self-care has to be somethingbig, expensive and arduous,
right and like.
The simplicity of like takingthe thing off the list is an
excellent example.
But you know, I think a way I'veI come to look at it.
It's like what, what makes mefeel like me, what brings me
back to myself.
(26:10):
And often those things aresimple, simple things, and I use
this example all the time.
Like maybe it's a cup of coffee, like I know, for me, when I
wake up in the morning and Igrind the beans and I boil the
water and I do all the steps andthen I smell the coffee and I
drink the coffee, I do thatevery day.
(26:33):
But do I do it consciously?
Do I stop to think about what Iam doing?
Do I stop to enjoy that ritual?
Do I relish in that moment ofsilence before the world comes
at me?
Yeah, I do, because that's myself-care practice, right?
Like that's one of the thingsthat I do.
(26:54):
Did I have to add it to a list?
No, all I needed to do wasdecide to pay attention to the
thing I'm already doing that Iknow brings me so much joy, and
like that's just a simpleexample.
But when you start to analyze,like the things that you're
doing on a daily basis, you cometo realize like self-care isn't
necessarily about, like, goingto the spa yeah, like that might
(27:15):
be a nice idea, but it's notthat it can be.
Those simple things like youknow, um, you know, looking at,
like your your rituals of ofmorning and night and adding
special treats in to thosethings, like maybe it's like, oh
well, I'll know, I'll use thatextra special cream for my face
(27:38):
or I will do that extra longwalk with my dog, or I will just
stop for a moment in the middleof the forest while I'm walking
my dog and just look at thetrees and just think, wow, how
beautiful this is and how luckyI am.
You know, sometimes self-care isjust being conscious of
(28:01):
everything that's going on inyour life and realizing like
you're already doing the thingsthat are nourishing your soul,
but you need to stop and payattention.
So that's how I do it, becauseotherwise I wouldn't be taking
care of myself very well,admittedly, because I have a
busy schedule Right, and so youknow the chores that I actually
love are coffee, walking my dog,taking my kids to school.
(28:24):
But I stop and enjoy all ofthose moments, and I think
sometimes we put the bar way uphere and it doesn't need to be
so.
Just simplify.
Sheila (28:36):
Maureen, you have made so many coffee lovers incredibly
happy, right now.
They're like yes, another reasonwhy we love coffee, we're going
to take more of our time whilewe're enjoying it.
Oh, my goodness, my husband,his ears are ringing somewhere
right now.
Yes, and I love this, you know,today on my walk, and so I went
(28:56):
to the gym and I did somewalking on the treadmill and I
was going to get right to workand I was like it's so beautiful
out right now and, hello right,canadians, it's May when this
is being recorded and there arebuds on the trees, there's
leaves coming out now.
I was walking down the street.
I said I'm just going to go fora quick walk.
It turned into a 30-minute walkand I heard the most beautiful
(29:19):
Cardinal song in the air and Iwas like I'm so close to one
right now.
Where is it?
And I literally just stoppedeverything I was doing and I
stood and stared at the tree.
I'm like it's this tree.
And I stared at the tree for agood five minutes and finally I
spotted it.
I took a video of it, of course, because I'm like I have to
(29:39):
remember this.
I sent it to my friends wholove cardinals and it was just.
It lit me up in a way that ishard to describe.
Cardinals have a special meaningto a lot of people.
They have a special meaning tome, and so what you said there,
yeah, like taking the moment,being present I love being
present with my kids, I love toon a walk, I'll lean against a
(30:00):
tree and just kind of breathe itin and sit in the sunlight and
literally feel my cells beingcharged by the sun.
These are things that are free,yet it takes time and our time
is technically not free, right,because when we think about it,
especially in business, time ismoney and I look at these things
not as something to rushthrough because we have to get
to something else.
They are an investment in theway we show up and the way we
(30:22):
serve.
You know, when I first, youknow, connected with you today,
you had a peace and a calm aboutyou and a grounded centeredness
, like I'm sure people watchingthis or listening can hear it in
your voice and see it in yourface, and that, obviously, is
something you've cultivated andI think it's the presence that's
doing it.
That's my thought for you, thankyou, which is really meaningful
(30:47):
right now because we're in atime in the world and we're
always in these times in theworld, but right now we're in
another one where the worldreally feels uncertain for a lot
of people.
Right, there's always somethinghappening on our economic or
just the global scale, and sowhat is?
These sound like beautiful waysfor people to reconnect with
themselves during times likethis, but I'm wondering if
(31:08):
anything else comes up for youaround that particular piece.
You know, guidance.
That may be something, apractice that you do, or
something you guide your clientsor friends to do.
Maureen (31:19):
I think I want to mention two things.
I think one is importantbecause of the work that you do,
sheila, and the people thatyou're working with, in that you
know, sometimes just gettingreally present with the person
that you happen to be with inthe moment can be such a great
gift.
Or being bombarded by socialmedia and news and stress of the
(31:43):
world, and like not to say thatI don't experience those things
.
But when I'm with you, here,for example, like I'm here with
you, I'm not.
I'm not thinking about my to-dolist, I'm not thinking about,
you know, whatever else is on mymind, I'm in this conversation
with you.
So, again, right, it's, it's,it's practicing presence, it's
practicing just attuning towhat's really going on.
(32:06):
And I think sometimes that canbe, that can be the biggest gift
you give yourself, and and andit's, and.
It's so simple, sheila, I'mgoing to ask you sorry, I hope
you're editing this Can yourepeat your question for me?
Sheila (32:21):
Oh sure, yeah, Sorry, I was just going to ask you.
You know how do we reconnectwith ourselves when the world
feels uncertain, especially whenwe're in a season of transition
too.
Maureen (32:35):
Thank you.
So reconnecting with ourselvessometimes is just as simple, as
I said, as like getting reallypresent with the people that
we're with, as opposed to, youknow, letting the lists, letting
the outside world sort ofconsume our thoughts or take us
away from what's going on.
You know, and you know I saidabout how we take care of
(33:01):
ourselves and our well-being,and that's actually connected to
like getting grounded forourselves, right?
So it's like that back to being, back to who I truly am, and so
often, you know, whether it'swith friends or with clients or
whoever, I'll have people make alist of tell me five things
that you know, if you did themright now, they would make you
(33:22):
feel really, really good.
Like, for me it's the coffee,the coffee or the walk in nature
, and so the world is going tokeep moving, things are going to
keep coming up and it's goingto continue to be stressful, and
those things, most of them, areout of our control, right, and
(33:44):
so just like reframing andsaying I'm here in this moment
doing this thing that I reallyenjoy and getting really present
to it.
So some things, things forpeople, you know, I don't know
what those are for everybody,right, and some of them can be
really silly, right, and some ofthem can just, you know, make
you laugh or bring you joy LikeI know lots of people like to
(34:06):
watch silly videos of funnyanimals or something right, but
it brings you joy, it brings youback to that place in your
heart where you know you feelgood and like the rest of the
world and the rest of the stresscan sort of fall away.
And I think one of the biggestones is finding safe spaces,
right.
So for different people theylook so very different, but
(34:28):
finding your safe spaces Right,spaces right.
And if you don't have thosespaces, ask, ask, you know,
reach out, share, be vulnerable,because you'd be surprised to
know, you know how, how muchother people are experiencing
that sense of disconnectednessand fear, right.
And so when you, when you reachout, you build that connection
(34:50):
and then you can build that safespace where you feel free to
share and free to be who you are, no matter what that is, and
you know it can be in a virtualspace or it can be in real life,
but recognizing the people andthe places that make you feel
good and make you feel safe andspend time there and with those
(35:10):
people.
I think that's the biggest giftthat you can give to yourself
to make sure that you're stayinggrounded and staying true to
who you are 100% agree.
Sheila (35:19):
Some of my most beautiful connections were made
in the online space and I thinkit's because you hear and for
years I heard this in my directsales business, in my wellness
business this whole idea thatI'm the only one in my family
who's doing this, or I'm theonly one in my community who's
trying to launch a business.
Like nobody understands, like Ihave loving family and friends
(35:39):
but they just don't get it.
And so being in a space wherepeople are understanding, like
finding that ecosystem where youreally can plant your ideas and
grow and nourish yourself andbe nourishment to others, is so
incredibly valuable.
I love everything that youshared.
That's so helpful and I think,during this time that we're in,
it's something we can actuallytake with us into all the future
(36:00):
times when we have theupheavals that come, and also
knowing that it's like theseasons are consistently
changing and we're movingthrough them and then we move
into a lot of times of beauty,and that we can use all of these
tough things we go through andthat we witness to really be
like fertilizer for the goodnessthat comes and we can really
(36:24):
celebrate.
I mean that's one thing aboutbeing in a community of people
who are, you know, growing andand and trying to bring
something to life into the world, like whether it be a business,
et cetera is the celebrationpiece being able to witness and
celebrate somebody in whatthey're doing.
It's just so empowering and itshows you what's possible.
(36:46):
So, maureen, I have so enjoyedour conversation.
I feel like you and I can havelike a weekend retreat, with
coffee for you, matcha for me,and knees up on the couch and
cozying in on another deepconversation.
I so could see that I wouldlove for people to find out
where they can find and followyou.
And also, let me know, like now, I know we talked about coffee
(37:07):
and certain things, but is theresomething like what did you do
today or what will you do todaythat you are expecting to do?
That would be like self-carefor you and light you up in the
best way.
Maureen (37:19):
Oh, thanks for asking.
I live in a really beautifulplace.
I'm going to answer theself-care for me question.
I live in a really beautifulplace and, as you said, it's
spring in Canada and I live onthe West Coast and I am very
privileged to live where I do,and it's very beautiful, but I
(37:40):
cannot see the ocean from myhouse.
But if I go just down the road,I can see it, and so my
intention is that at the end ofmy work day today, I'm going to,
you know, go walk and look atthe ocean and just spend some
time and enjoy it for all itsbeauty.
I think that's the thing that Iwant to do to nourish my soul.
(38:03):
And, yeah, I actually had thatthought this morning as I went
for a walk.
I thought just go a little bitfurther.
No, I don't have time.
So tonight is the time andfollow me.
You can find Health ClinicCanada.
You can find us on LinkedIn andInstagram.
You can also find me onLinkedIn, maureen Khadaswati,
(38:27):
and I would love to see you joinus in any of those spaces and
champion what we're up to.
Sheila (38:34):
So beautiful.
Maureen, thank you for yourhonesty and the gentle strength
that you bring to the work thatyou do and that you brought to
this conversation.
I know so many of the peoplelistening really needed to hear
your words.
It's really incredible when yousee what people are going
through, when they actuallyshare what's happening right.
(38:54):
We don't always see on theoutside, and so in these quiet
moments when someone's got theirear pods in and they're
listening to a podcast, I knowthat this probably landed for a
lot of people, and so, for thoseof you who are listening also,
if this conversation resonatedwith you, please take a moment
to share this episode with afriend or tag us on Instagram.
(39:14):
We would really love to hearwhat landed for you most, and
always stay tuned to the shownotes.
There'll be ways for you tofind and follow Maureen and see
what she's up to.
Maureen, thank you so much forbeing here.
Maureen (39:26):
Thank you, Sheila, for your time.
This was a lovely conversation.
Sheila (39:30):
So, everyone, thank you for listening.
I'm wishing you peace, powerand permission to care for
yourself deeply, because yourwell-being is not a luxury, it
is a necessity.
See you in another episode withblessings.
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