Ever wondered how therapists maintain boundaries while genuinely caring for their clients? Dr. Galit Birk reveals the delicate balance in this illuminating conversation about mental health, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.
As founder of Core Counseling and Wellness, Dr. Birk (affectionately known as "Dr. G") shares her unexpected journey from aspiring trauma specialist to relationship counseling expert. Rather than forcing a predetermined specialty, she allowed her true calling to emerge organically. "They always say when you're going through school that your specialty will find you," she explains, noting how couples counseling chose her rather than the other way around.
The conversation explores the challenging yet crucial practice of setting healthy boundaries in both professional and personal life. Dr. Birk offers practical wisdom about communicating limits clearly and then—most importantly—honoring them yourself. Her approach to women's empowerment coaching similarly emphasizes giving women permission to prioritize themselves, something many struggle with in our busy world.
What truly sets Dr. Birk apart is her commitment to authentic connection. From posting morning videos with bedhead to acknowledging when she makes mistakes with clients, she embodies the "perfectly imperfect" philosophy she teaches. This transparency creates deeper trust with clients and followers alike. Her recent 50th birthday catalyzed a powerful shift—turning someday dreams into today's reality through a book project, business expansion, and even her first tattoo that reads "so she did."
Ready to transform your thinking about mental health, business boundaries, or personal growth? Connect with Dr. Birk for a free 20-minute consultation at drbirkpsychotherapy@gmail.com and discover how her personalized approach might be exactly what you need.
Instagram: @drgalitbirk
Website: core-counseling-wellness.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Storie (00:15):
Welcome back to Market it with Atma, where we share the
tips, tools and strategies tohelp your business be successful
.
Today we have on the show avery special guest.
She is the founder andpsychotherapist of Core
Counseling and Wellness, drGalit Burke.
Welcome.
Dr. G (00:32):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
Storie (00:34):
Thank you for coming today.
So tell me again what do youlike to be called?
How are you feeling right now?
Dr. G (00:43):
You know I get called all of the above, from Dr Berg to
Dr Ghali to Dr G and even G.
So whatever works for you, I'llanswer to all of the above.
Storie (00:55):
I like Dr G to be honest .
Perfect, it's great, we'll gowith that.
So what I want to ask first iskind of how long have you been
doing this and what inspired youto start your own counseling
and wellness center?
Dr. G (01:10):
You know I've been at this for a long, long time.
For me, where I am today isreally closing a loop.
I started a long long time ago.
I did my undergrad inpsychology.
At the time my mother, who iscurrently a psychologist in
Michigan, was going throughschool and I watched her and
(01:32):
decided to kind of follow in herfootsteps.
At some point I dropped off anddecided that isn't what I
wanted to do.
I pivoted, I went back andforth and I got my PhD quite a
while ago.
And then life happened and Iwent back to school and got
another degree in counseling andeventually got licensed.
Storie (01:54):
And here I am Wow, that's.
It's amazing.
You know, we all go throughthat right, the roller coaster
of what do I want to do with mylife and, and then this isn't
what I want to do, and thensomething else comes along.
It's kind of what do you callit?
Where the universe kind ofaligns and you're like ding.
Dr. G (02:13):
Synergy yes.
Storie (02:15):
Perfect synergy.
So tell me what type ofcounseling services you offer
and what encouraged youspecifically to focus on those
Sure offer and what encouragedyou specifically to focus on
those Sure?
Dr. G (02:29):
So part of it, I would say I found, and part of it
found me.
They always say when you'regoing through school that your
specialty will find you.
When I got started I thought Iwanted to work with women and
trauma and eating disorders andthat is not at all what found me
.
What found me was actuallycouples counseling and
relationships and it reallysurprised me, but I found that I
(02:52):
loved it and I would say thatthat's the major focus of my
work today.
I do a lot of couples work,individuals who are dealing with
relationship issues.
I also work with teenagers.
I work with families a little,a little bit of everything, but
(03:12):
mostly I would say, relationshipfocused with that being said,
what?
Storie (03:18):
what encouraged, what spoke to you about the couples
counseling and what discouragedyou from diving deeper into
helping trauma victims andthings like that.
Dr. G (03:30):
You know that world and that work is really really hard
doing therapy.
Back in my 20s or even before,I thought that I wouldn't be
able to separate kind of what myclients are going through and
(03:51):
myself and my life, and I thinkthat I have deep respect for
those who work in that heaviertrauma world because you have to
be really really, really goodabout your own self-care and
about boundaries so you don'ttake that on and take that home
and I still do that right.
(04:13):
We think about our clients evenoutside of the office.
So that's an important thingfor all therapists.
Storie (04:19):
You know, as a patient, I guess you would say Client.
Dr. G (04:24):
Yes, client.
Storie (04:25):
I've done plenty of therapy and I strongly encourage
it for anybody.
Just to keep up with yourself,right?
But I like that my therapistwill text me just to see how I'm
doing.
I love that that personalrelationship is there and she
cares enough to message me.
But how do you turn it off?
At the end of the day?
I think any entrepreneur or youknow business person out in
(04:49):
corporate America has that issue.
How do you turn it off?
Dr. G (04:53):
I think it's so important really in most industries and
absolutely for mine is that you,you have to.
You have to figure out what yourboundaries are, communicate
them and then the hardest partis honoring them yourself, right
(05:14):
?
So if you say that I'm notavailable past, you know, 8pm,
let's say unless it's anemergency, and then someone
writes you or texts you or callsyou after 8 pm, you have to
hold yourself right, honest toyour own boundaries, and not
respond and remind yourself youknow what.
I'll respond in the morning,right, right, unless it's an
(05:35):
emergency.
It's a whole differentsituation, but you just have to
be really, you have to putyourself first.
Right, which is actuallysomething I talk to my clients a
lot about is putting ourselvesfirst.
Storie (05:47):
And how do you define?
I guess?
I know, for instance, what youjust said is a great point, but
I had to learn the hard way,right?
I didn't have somebody to helpme through.
It is you can receive messages,you can receive e-mails after 5
, but it's your choice as towhether or not you respond.
So I always take a deep breathand I think am I mentally able
(06:08):
to answer this and still bepresent?
Yeah, and most of the time I'mnot, of course, and you know
what?
It can always wait, but havingto learn how to do that is so
hard, especially when you're anempathetic person or you want to
help everybody it's practice.
Dr. G (06:25):
We have to be gentle with ourselves, we have to be
compassionate with ourselves andwe keep practicing, just like
anything else.
When we fall, we get up again,we start again right, whether
that's a business or a careerchoice that we've pivoted and
come back to, or otherboundaries or goals that we
start and stop and we can alwaysstart again.
(06:47):
We always have that choice andthat capacity as human beings to
start again.
Storie (06:54):
Yes, and what I just realized is you also coach.
Dr. G (07:01):
I do.
Yeah, I am a women'sempowerment coach as well.
Storie (07:07):
What does that entail?
Dr. G (07:09):
Essentially, it is giving women the space and the time
right to carve out the time forthemselves, to dare to imagine
the life of their dreams andthen to begin to create and
design what that looks like andthen step into it together in a
(07:32):
safe space.
And I do it both one-on-onewith women as well as in groups.
Storie (07:38):
Really one with women as well as in groups.
Really, do women, do you see alot of response when they're in
a group with other women?
Dr. G (07:45):
that are trying to empower themselves.
The group is really powerfulright.
It's about connection, it'scommunication, it's support,
it's.
There's just something reallypowerful about the togetherness.
Storie (07:58):
Wow, and so it's a coaching program.
So how long does it last for?
Dr. G (08:05):
I have various ways to work with me in coaching.
I don't so much like theone-off.
I think, to be honest with you,both with coaching and with
counseling, that there is athing about the commitment right
.
If we come once, or once amonth or once in a while, it
(08:28):
doesn't work.
I agree, right, we need to belike anything else that is
important to us and that we wantto work on.
We have to be consistent inorder to see results, in order
to really make change right andtransformation and so while I do
offer um one-on-one, um a lacarte, if you will, I prefer uh
(08:52):
programs.
So I have a six session, a 12session and an 18 session
one-on-one program, and then Ihave a group, a 90 day coaching
group.
I also have a support slashempowerment group coming up for
(09:16):
counseling clients in Texas, sothat's also based on divorce,
it's for single moms and again,it's it's.
I shy away from the traditionalsupport groups because they
often turn into opportunities tosit together and talk about all
(09:39):
the negative things that arehappening, and that is not what
I'm about.
Storie (09:44):
So you have a different focus.
Dr. G (09:45):
I have a different focus With all the different varieties
of counseling you offer.
Storie (09:49):
How do you tailor your approach to each demographic?
You have teens, you have women,you have couples.
How do you approach andadvertise who you are and how
you're different?
Dr. G (10:02):
Yeah, so it's a really great question.
I consider myself eclectic andintegrative in my approach.
So, I don't do a cookie cutteryou know which I love.
Absolutely.
I meet you where you are,depending on who you are right
and depending on what your needsare, and then I tailor my
(10:25):
approach to you.
Storie (10:27):
Wow See, and that's a lot of the way we do it.
So, um Advent Trinity MarketingAgency, we work off of a build,
launch, grow scale methodologyand we absolutely especially in
what you do, especially inmarketing If I can't understand
you, then we aren't going to goanywhere.
Marketing has to be customizedin any industry, right, of
(10:50):
course.
So I saw your website and I sawthat you have some social media
Great, by the way.
How do you leverage socialmedia to connect with your
audience?
Are you reaching out daily?
Are you updating them on yourday-to-day life?
How does that work for you.
Dr. G (11:09):
I wish I had a streamlined approach or process.
It's actually I try to stayaway from the word should, like
I should do that and all myclients know that I prefer that
something.
I am committed to somebody.
I'd like to work on my growthopportunity if you will.
(11:32):
I do post a lot on social media,mostly on my professional page
on Instagram, at Dr Galit Burke,as well as I just recently
started doing it on LinkedIn,and I do probably a good mix of
written content and videos.
(11:52):
I think that there's somethingabout seeing your face, seeing
your voice.
You know, sometimes thismorning I did it, you know, with
my bedhead straight out of bed.
Storie (12:03):
Because you're real right.
Dr. G (12:05):
You're a real person just like everyone else and you
bring up such a good point.
That's something that I thinkdifferentiates me is that I like
to show up real.
I like to show up authentic,raw, as I am, transparent, all
those things.
I always tell my clients that Iam perfectly imperfect, just
(12:26):
like they are.
I'm human.
I'm not always going to get itright.
I don't always get it right andI like to.
It's kind of my, I guess, partof my process of normalizing for
my clients where they are, insharing, where I am right in a
in a appropriate manner ofcourse, therapists have to be
careful with how much they share, but they have to feel like you
(12:49):
understand.
Storie (12:50):
And how can you understand if you haven't
experienced a portion of of yourexperience?
Yeah right, I mean I know thatwhen I saw your energy is
amazing, but you could tellyou're authentic and in
everything you do.
I think in any industry, ifyou're not authentic, people can
feel it.
Dr. G (13:06):
Yeah.
Storie (13:06):
You know it, it's out there, guys, so just be yourself
good bad ugly, just be yourself.
So I also see here that you'vestarted writing a book as well.
Dr. G (13:17):
I also see here that you have started writing a book as
well.
Yeah, so this has been a longtime dream of mine, and you know
, what separates our dreams fromstaying dreams and becoming
reality is action.
Yeah, and not just action.
But back to that word I think Iused earlier is consistency,
(13:38):
absolutely Right.
So we have to show upconsistently in order to get the
results that we want and toturn our dreams into reality.
And so I turned 50 a couple ofweeks ago.
Congratulations.
Storie (13:51):
Thank you.
Dr. G (13:52):
And I decided you know what the time is now.
Like all these things I castoff into someday.
Someday I'm write a book,someday I'm gonna start a
business, someday I'm gonnastart a get a tattoo which, by
the way, I got a tattoo, thankyou.
It's very pretty too, thank youfour days before my birthday, I
got a tattoo it says so she did,which for me is a very
(14:12):
meaningful, empowering umstatement.
It's not like a part of a quotethat I live by.
And so you know, with the timebeing now, and this fire that
kind of got lit under me withturning 50, I decided that this
is the year, this is the yearI'm going to write a book, this
(14:34):
is the year I'm starting abusiness, all the things.
So I started basically gettingup a little bit earlier every
morning to have time to write.
And back to that perfectlyimperfect thing my goal is to do
it every day.
Do I do it every day?
No, and when I don't, it's okay.
I do beat myself up about it alittle bit because I'm human.
(14:56):
And then I remind myself tomeet myself with compassion and
to get up and start again.
Storie (15:01):
That's amazing.
So is there?
Is there one thing that youlook back on in your journey
into into this industry, or evenin life, that you wish, dang, I
wish I'd told someone wouldhave told my younger self this,
or I wish I knew?
Dr. G (15:16):
Probably so many things.
Storie (15:19):
We all have so many.
Dr. G (15:21):
I would say probably the number one thing and I've had
this lesson over and over andover again at different points
in my life is that Even when youdon't have all the answers or
you don't know how it's going toturn out, or you feel like you
don't know what you're doing, doit anyway Right.
For a long time I said I had nobusiness running a business
(15:44):
because I I really did For years.
I said this because I felt likeI didn't know what to do or how
to do it.
And you know, I don't have abusiness background, don't have
a marketing background, don'thave an accounting background,
like I don't know how to do anyof these things, and what I
really needed to do was tochange the narrative and change
(16:04):
the conversation.
And I still don't know what I'mdoing, but I'm running a
business.
Storie (16:09):
Do you have mentors or you know people you look up to
that kind of help you guide?
Would you say that that's a keyinfluence that you need to have
as a business owner?
Dr. G (16:19):
Absolutely.
I have my own therapist, I havemy own coach.
I have, you know, other peoplein the industry that I regularly
meet with that I look up toright, like people who run group
practices, who have their ownbusiness, who have been doing it
longer than me, and I meet themfor coffee and I say, okay,
(16:40):
what can you teach me?
Storie (16:42):
Right, and maybe you teach them something in the
process as well.
Right that mutually beneficial?
Exactly those are awesomerelationships to have.
I love that.
So you still see you're atherapist and you still have
those mentors because you'realways growing right, we never
stop, of course, therapist andyou still have those mentors,
because you're always growingright.
Dr. G (17:00):
We never stop, of course.
We're always on a ongoingjourney of becoming.
Storie (17:01):
That's what I like to say absolutely and to touch on
that to never stop, even if it'sone step at a time.
I know I had a problem withthat.
It's like I want to doeverything in a hurry, but then
life kind of sits you down.
So even if you're moving, tomove forward right right.
Dr. G (17:18):
Yes, the baby steps get us there too.
They add up.
Storie (17:21):
They really do and it's hard to kind of slow down and
focus on those.
So I'm glad that you encouragepeople to do that.
So can you tell me maybe we'vetalked kind of about what's one
thing you wish you would learnan experience with a client that
really changed your way ofthinking or really touched you
that you can share with us?
Dr. G (17:42):
god there's so many.
Um, this is gonna sound funny,but you know, I I often.
I tell my clients always thatI'm direct in my approach, that
we all have people in our lifewho tell us what we want to hear
.
And if we're lucky enough, wehave us.
(18:03):
We have people in our life whotell us what we don't want to
hear but need to, and I putmyself in that category and, as
such, I tell my clients that youknow, push back If I say
something in therapy thatdoesn't fit for you.
you know, if I say, oh, I'mnoticing X or I feel as if
you're anxious today, orwhatever it is, and I get it
(18:25):
wrong and I will because I'mhuman push back and so I often
have clients pushing back.
And I have this one client ofmine who is part of a couple
that I see and for some reason Iseem to push his buttons and he
often gets mad at me and I cantell and he either shuts down or
(18:48):
he says something and I'll saywhat's going on for you.
Storie (18:54):
Are you?
Dr. G (18:54):
upset, are you angry?
And he will often tell me thathe is really angry at me right
now.
Right, and I actually love thatbecause that's a place from
which we can explore and we canexplore what's going on for him.
But I also get to check in withmyself and say, okay, where did
(19:16):
I go wrong, where was Imisunderstood?
I get to own up and clean upand repair with a client right
and say, okay, what about what Isaid?
Upset you and takeresponsibility.
That's hard, it is, but I findthat it's so powerful and it
helps me be a better therapist.
Storie (19:36):
Wow, that's amazing.
I think a lot of people can say, oh yeah, I want that feedback,
that honest feedback, but a lotof people don't deep down if
it's not going to change.
This team that we work with uphere that's one thing that I
emphasize to everybody I talk tois, no matter what, I'm going
to know what kind of mood I'm in, because they're going to tell
(19:57):
me and they're going to love me,right through it and that's
okay and I hope everyone outthere has that in their life in
some way, shape or form.
Do you think that's necessary tohave to have a positive life or
mindset?
Dr. G (20:13):
Absolutely.
I mean we can't be positive allthe time right.
But we do always have, again,the capacity and the choice and
the ability to redirect ourthoughts, to change our thoughts
, to choose what to focus onright To focus on the positive,
(20:36):
because what you focus on grows.
What to focus on right To focuson the positive because what
you focus on grows and to shift.
When we do that, we shift our,our mindset, yes, but also our
experience in the present.
Storie (20:46):
Be a better person.
It turns you into a betterperson at the end of the day.
So how would you gauge orconsider success in your
business?
What is success to you?
It seems like you're evergrowing and changing.
When is it successful?
Dr. G (21:01):
Yeah, that's a great question, I think for me.
You know there's two pieces tothis.
One is success in terms ofbeing a business owner, right,
and I think.
For me that is againconsistency.
I feel like I say that word alot, but I guess we could call
(21:23):
it scalability, right.
Storie (21:24):
In a business sense.
Well, consistency turns tohabits and habit becomes routine
, right?
Yes, so it all flows.
Dr. G (21:32):
And then, from a clinical standpoint, it's the wins, it's
the client wins.
Storie (21:39):
As long as you're still seeing those wins.
Dr. G (21:41):
Yes, well, and when they share them with me, right,
that's huge for me.
When they tell me oh, I hearyou in my voice, you know in my
head, like I hear, oh, whatwould Dr Burke say?
Oh, dr Burke would say this,that is wonderful, right.
So, for me that's a win.
Storie (21:57):
So you've already succeeded in your, in your life,
and you're just making the bestof it?
Now it seems like yes.
Dr. G (22:05):
Well, you definitely have a client in me for sure so.
Storie (22:06):
is there anything as we kind of wrap up this little
session that I've absolutelyadored?
Is there anything else you'dlike to share with the audience,
particularly those looking tolive life?
Dr. G (22:18):
love.
Yeah, you know I would say gofor it, be you, do you?
I know it's hard sometimes toum, quiet the noise, whether
it's your own inner noise, likethe negative self-talk, the self
self-limiting beliefs, all thatyou know I can't or the outside
(22:41):
noise.
Right, people have a lot to sayabout a lot of things.
Right, but remember that we canhave the lives that we imagine.
We can have our dream lives.
We can have dream lives.
(23:03):
We can have our preferredfutures.
We just have to believe that wecan.
We have to be willing to dreamit up and then to, little by
little, begin to step into it,to be your future self now.
Storie (23:13):
I love that.
It's kind of scary to take thatfirst step.
Dr. G (23:17):
Absolutely it is.
It's worth it though it is.
We need to be willing to feelthe fear and do it anyway.
Storie (23:23):
Well, thank you so much for sharing, and if anyone wants
to reach out to you to learnmore about your program or
one-on-one counseling, how canthey reach you?
Dr. G (23:32):
They can reach me at drburkspsychotherapy at gmailcom
.
And I would be happy to talkwith anyone.
I do a 20-minute free phoneconsult, both for coaching and
counseling, and I'd be honored.
Storie (23:48):
Awesome.
Thank you so much, dr Burke.
Thank you so much for having meand to all of our listeners out
there.
We'll see you next time onMarket it With Atma.
Welcome back to Market it with Atma, where we share the
tips, tools and strategies tohelp your business be successful
.
Today we have on the show avery special guest.
She is the founder andpsychotherapist of Core
Counseling and Wellness, drGalit Burke.
Welcome.
Dr. G (00:32):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
Storie (00:34):
Thank you for coming today.
So tell me again what do youlike to be called?
How are you feeling right now?
Dr. G (00:43):
You know I get called all of the above, from Dr Berg to
Dr Ghali to Dr G and even G.
So whatever works for you, I'llanswer to all of the above.
Storie (00:55):
I like Dr G to be honest .
Perfect, it's great, we'll gowith that.
So what I want to ask first iskind of how long have you been
doing this and what inspired youto start your own counseling
and wellness center?
Dr. G (01:10):
You know I've been at this for a long, long time.
For me, where I am today isreally closing a loop.
I started a long long time ago.
I did my undergrad inpsychology.
At the time my mother, who iscurrently a psychologist in
Michigan, was going throughschool and I watched her and
(01:32):
decided to kind of follow in herfootsteps.
At some point I dropped off anddecided that isn't what I
wanted to do.
I pivoted, I went back andforth and I got my PhD quite a
while ago.
And then life happened and Iwent back to school and got
another degree in counseling andeventually got licensed.
Storie (01:54):
And here I am Wow, that's.
It's amazing.
You know, we all go throughthat right, the roller coaster
of what do I want to do with mylife and, and then this isn't
what I want to do, and thensomething else comes along.
It's kind of what do you callit?
Where the universe kind ofaligns and you're like ding.
Dr. G (02:13):
Synergy yes.
Storie (02:15):
Perfect synergy.
So tell me what type ofcounseling services you offer
and what encouraged youspecifically to focus on those
Sure offer and what encouragedyou specifically to focus on
those Sure?
Dr. G (02:29):
So part of it, I would say I found, and part of it
found me.
They always say when you'regoing through school that your
specialty will find you.
When I got started I thought Iwanted to work with women and
trauma and eating disorders andthat is not at all what found me
.
What found me was actuallycouples counseling and
relationships and it reallysurprised me, but I found that I
(02:52):
loved it and I would say thatthat's the major focus of my
work today.
I do a lot of couples work,individuals who are dealing with
relationship issues.
I also work with teenagers.
I work with families a little,a little bit of everything, but
(03:12):
mostly I would say, relationshipfocused with that being said,
what?
Storie (03:18):
what encouraged, what spoke to you about the couples
counseling and what discouragedyou from diving deeper into
helping trauma victims andthings like that.
Dr. G (03:30):
You know that world and that work is really really hard
doing therapy.
Back in my 20s or even before,I thought that I wouldn't be
able to separate kind of what myclients are going through and
(03:51):
myself and my life, and I thinkthat I have deep respect for
those who work in that heaviertrauma world because you have to
be really really, really goodabout your own self-care and
about boundaries so you don'ttake that on and take that home
and I still do that right.
(04:13):
We think about our clients evenoutside of the office.
So that's an important thingfor all therapists.
Storie (04:19):
You know, as a patient, I guess you would say Client.
Dr. G (04:24):
Yes, client.
Storie (04:25):
I've done plenty of therapy and I strongly encourage
it for anybody.
Just to keep up with yourself,right?
But I like that my therapistwill text me just to see how I'm
doing.
I love that that personalrelationship is there and she
cares enough to message me.
But how do you turn it off?
At the end of the day?
I think any entrepreneur or youknow business person out in
(04:49):
corporate America has that issue.
How do you turn it off?
Dr. G (04:53):
I think it's so important really in most industries and
absolutely for mine is that you,you have to.
You have to figure out what yourboundaries are, communicate
them and then the hardest partis honoring them yourself, right
(05:14):
?
So if you say that I'm notavailable past, you know, 8pm,
let's say unless it's anemergency, and then someone
writes you or texts you or callsyou after 8 pm, you have to
hold yourself right, honest toyour own boundaries, and not
respond and remind yourself youknow what.
I'll respond in the morning,right, right, unless it's an
(05:35):
emergency.
It's a whole differentsituation, but you just have to
be really, you have to putyourself first.
Right, which is actuallysomething I talk to my clients a
lot about is putting ourselvesfirst.
Storie (05:47):
And how do you define?
I guess?
I know, for instance, what youjust said is a great point, but
I had to learn the hard way,right?
I didn't have somebody to helpme through.
It is you can receive messages,you can receive e-mails after 5
, but it's your choice as towhether or not you respond.
So I always take a deep breathand I think am I mentally able
(06:08):
to answer this and still bepresent?
Yeah, and most of the time I'mnot, of course, and you know
what?
It can always wait, but havingto learn how to do that is so
hard, especially when you're anempathetic person or you want to
help everybody it's practice.
Dr. G (06:25):
We have to be gentle with ourselves, we have to be
compassionate with ourselves andwe keep practicing, just like
anything else.
When we fall, we get up again,we start again right, whether
that's a business or a careerchoice that we've pivoted and
come back to, or otherboundaries or goals that we
start and stop and we can alwaysstart again.
(06:47):
We always have that choice andthat capacity as human beings to
start again.
Storie (06:54):
Yes, and what I just realized is you also coach.
Dr. G (07:01):
I do.
Yeah, I am a women'sempowerment coach as well.
Storie (07:07):
What does that entail?
Dr. G (07:09):
Essentially, it is giving women the space and the time
right to carve out the time forthemselves, to dare to imagine
the life of their dreams andthen to begin to create and
design what that looks like andthen step into it together in a
(07:32):
safe space.
And I do it both one-on-onewith women as well as in groups.
Storie (07:38):
Really one with women as well as in groups.
Really, do women, do you see alot of response when they're in
a group with other women?
Dr. G (07:45):
that are trying to empower themselves.
The group is really powerfulright.
It's about connection, it'scommunication, it's support,
it's.
There's just something reallypowerful about the togetherness.
Storie (07:58):
Wow, and so it's a coaching program.
So how long does it last for?
Dr. G (08:05):
I have various ways to work with me in coaching.
I don't so much like theone-off.
I think, to be honest with you,both with coaching and with
counseling, that there is athing about the commitment right
.
If we come once, or once amonth or once in a while, it
(08:28):
doesn't work.
I agree, right, we need to belike anything else that is
important to us and that we wantto work on.
We have to be consistent inorder to see results, in order
to really make change right andtransformation and so while I do
offer um one-on-one, um a lacarte, if you will, I prefer uh
(08:52):
programs.
So I have a six session, a 12session and an 18 session
one-on-one program, and then Ihave a group, a 90 day coaching
group.
I also have a support slashempowerment group coming up for
(09:16):
counseling clients in Texas, sothat's also based on divorce,
it's for single moms and again,it's it's.
I shy away from the traditionalsupport groups because they
often turn into opportunities tosit together and talk about all
(09:39):
the negative things that arehappening, and that is not what
I'm about.
Storie (09:44):
So you have a different focus.
Dr. G (09:45):
I have a different focus With all the different varieties
of counseling you offer.
Storie (09:49):
How do you tailor your approach to each demographic?
You have teens, you have women,you have couples.
How do you approach andadvertise who you are and how
you're different?
Dr. G (10:02):
Yeah, so it's a really great question.
I consider myself eclectic andintegrative in my approach.
So, I don't do a cookie cutteryou know which I love.
Absolutely.
I meet you where you are,depending on who you are right
and depending on what your needsare, and then I tailor my
(10:25):
approach to you.
Storie (10:27):
Wow See, and that's a lot of the way we do it.
So, um Advent Trinity MarketingAgency, we work off of a build,
launch, grow scale methodologyand we absolutely especially in
what you do, especially inmarketing If I can't understand
you, then we aren't going to goanywhere.
Marketing has to be customizedin any industry, right, of
(10:50):
course.
So I saw your website and I sawthat you have some social media
Great, by the way.
How do you leverage socialmedia to connect with your
audience?
Are you reaching out daily?
Are you updating them on yourday-to-day life?
How does that work for you.
Dr. G (11:09):
I wish I had a streamlined approach or process.
It's actually I try to stayaway from the word should, like
I should do that and all myclients know that I prefer that
something.
I am committed to somebody.
I'd like to work on my growthopportunity if you will.
(11:32):
I do post a lot on social media,mostly on my professional page
on Instagram, at Dr Galit Burke,as well as I just recently
started doing it on LinkedIn,and I do probably a good mix of
written content and videos.
(11:52):
I think that there's somethingabout seeing your face, seeing
your voice.
You know, sometimes thismorning I did it, you know, with
my bedhead straight out of bed.
Storie (12:03):
Because you're real right.
Dr. G (12:05):
You're a real person just like everyone else and you
bring up such a good point.
That's something that I thinkdifferentiates me is that I like
to show up real.
I like to show up authentic,raw, as I am, transparent, all
those things.
I always tell my clients that Iam perfectly imperfect, just
(12:26):
like they are.
I'm human.
I'm not always going to get itright.
I don't always get it right andI like to.
It's kind of my, I guess, partof my process of normalizing for
my clients where they are, insharing, where I am right in a
in a appropriate manner ofcourse, therapists have to be
careful with how much they share, but they have to feel like you
(12:49):
understand.
Storie (12:50):
And how can you understand if you haven't
experienced a portion of of yourexperience?
Yeah right, I mean I know thatwhen I saw your energy is
amazing, but you could tellyou're authentic and in
everything you do.
I think in any industry, ifyou're not authentic, people can
feel it.
Dr. G (13:06):
Yeah.
Storie (13:06):
You know it, it's out there, guys, so just be yourself
good bad ugly, just be yourself.
So I also see here that you'vestarted writing a book as well.
Dr. G (13:17):
I also see here that you have started writing a book as
well.
Yeah, so this has been a longtime dream of mine, and you know
, what separates our dreams fromstaying dreams and becoming
reality is action.
Yeah, and not just action.
But back to that word I think Iused earlier is consistency,
(13:38):
absolutely Right.
So we have to show upconsistently in order to get the
results that we want and toturn our dreams into reality.
And so I turned 50 a couple ofweeks ago.
Congratulations.
Storie (13:51):
Thank you.
Dr. G (13:52):
And I decided you know what the time is now.
Like all these things I castoff into someday.
Someday I'm write a book,someday I'm gonna start a
business, someday I'm gonnastart a get a tattoo which, by
the way, I got a tattoo, thankyou.
It's very pretty too, thank youfour days before my birthday, I
got a tattoo it says so she did,which for me is a very
(14:12):
meaningful, empowering umstatement.
It's not like a part of a quotethat I live by.
And so you know, with the timebeing now, and this fire that
kind of got lit under me withturning 50, I decided that this
is the year, this is the yearI'm going to write a book, this
(14:34):
is the year I'm starting abusiness, all the things.
So I started basically gettingup a little bit earlier every
morning to have time to write.
And back to that perfectlyimperfect thing my goal is to do
it every day.
Do I do it every day?
No, and when I don't, it's okay.
I do beat myself up about it alittle bit because I'm human.
(14:56):
And then I remind myself tomeet myself with compassion and
to get up and start again.
Storie (15:01):
That's amazing.
So is there?
Is there one thing that youlook back on in your journey
into into this industry, or evenin life, that you wish, dang, I
wish I'd told someone wouldhave told my younger self this,
or I wish I knew?
Dr. G (15:16):
Probably so many things.
Storie (15:19):
We all have so many.
Dr. G (15:21):
I would say probably the number one thing and I've had
this lesson over and over andover again at different points
in my life is that Even when youdon't have all the answers or
you don't know how it's going toturn out, or you feel like you
don't know what you're doing, doit anyway Right.
For a long time I said I had nobusiness running a business
(15:44):
because I I really did For years.
I said this because I felt likeI didn't know what to do or how
to do it.
And you know, I don't have abusiness background, don't have
a marketing background, don'thave an accounting background,
like I don't know how to do anyof these things, and what I
really needed to do was tochange the narrative and change
(16:04):
the conversation.
And I still don't know what I'mdoing, but I'm running a
business.
Storie (16:09):
Do you have mentors or you know people you look up to
that kind of help you guide?
Would you say that that's a keyinfluence that you need to have
as a business owner?
Dr. G (16:19):
Absolutely.
I have my own therapist, I havemy own coach.
I have, you know, other peoplein the industry that I regularly
meet with that I look up toright, like people who run group
practices, who have their ownbusiness, who have been doing it
longer than me, and I meet themfor coffee and I say, okay,
(16:40):
what can you teach me?
Storie (16:42):
Right, and maybe you teach them something in the
process as well.
Right that mutually beneficial?
Exactly those are awesomerelationships to have.
I love that.
So you still see you're atherapist and you still have
those mentors because you'realways growing right, we never
stop, of course, therapist andyou still have those mentors,
because you're always growingright.
Dr. G (17:00):
We never stop, of course.
We're always on a ongoingjourney of becoming.
Storie (17:01):
That's what I like to say absolutely and to touch on
that to never stop, even if it'sone step at a time.
I know I had a problem withthat.
It's like I want to doeverything in a hurry, but then
life kind of sits you down.
So even if you're moving, tomove forward right right.
Dr. G (17:18):
Yes, the baby steps get us there too.
They add up.
Storie (17:21):
They really do and it's hard to kind of slow down and
focus on those.
So I'm glad that you encouragepeople to do that.
So can you tell me maybe we'vetalked kind of about what's one
thing you wish you would learnan experience with a client that
really changed your way ofthinking or really touched you
that you can share with us?
Dr. G (17:42):
god there's so many.
Um, this is gonna sound funny,but you know, I I often.
I tell my clients always thatI'm direct in my approach, that
we all have people in our lifewho tell us what we want to hear
.
And if we're lucky enough, wehave us.
(18:03):
We have people in our life whotell us what we don't want to
hear but need to, and I putmyself in that category and, as
such, I tell my clients that youknow, push back If I say
something in therapy thatdoesn't fit for you.
you know, if I say, oh, I'mnoticing X or I feel as if
you're anxious today, orwhatever it is, and I get it
(18:25):
wrong and I will because I'mhuman push back and so I often
have clients pushing back.
And I have this one client ofmine who is part of a couple
that I see and for some reason Iseem to push his buttons and he
often gets mad at me and I cantell and he either shuts down or
(18:48):
he says something and I'll saywhat's going on for you.
Storie (18:54):
Are you?
Dr. G (18:54):
upset, are you angry?
And he will often tell me thathe is really angry at me right
now.
Right, and I actually love thatbecause that's a place from
which we can explore and we canexplore what's going on for him.
But I also get to check in withmyself and say, okay, where did
(19:16):
I go wrong, where was Imisunderstood?
I get to own up and clean upand repair with a client right
and say, okay, what about what Isaid?
Upset you and takeresponsibility.
That's hard, it is, but I findthat it's so powerful and it
helps me be a better therapist.
Storie (19:36):
Wow, that's amazing.
I think a lot of people can say, oh yeah, I want that feedback,
that honest feedback, but a lotof people don't deep down if
it's not going to change.
This team that we work with uphere that's one thing that I
emphasize to everybody I talk tois, no matter what, I'm going
to know what kind of mood I'm in, because they're going to tell
(19:57):
me and they're going to love me,right through it and that's
okay and I hope everyone outthere has that in their life in
some way, shape or form.
Do you think that's necessary tohave to have a positive life or
mindset?
Dr. G (20:13):
Absolutely.
I mean we can't be positive allthe time right.
But we do always have, again,the capacity and the choice and
the ability to redirect ourthoughts, to change our thoughts
, to choose what to focus onright To focus on the positive,
(20:36):
because what you focus on grows.
What to focus on right To focuson the positive because what
you focus on grows and to shift.
When we do that, we shift our,our mindset, yes, but also our
experience in the present.
Storie (20:46):
Be a better person.
It turns you into a betterperson at the end of the day.
So how would you gauge orconsider success in your
business?
What is success to you?
It seems like you're evergrowing and changing.
When is it successful?
Dr. G (21:01):
Yeah, that's a great question, I think for me.
You know there's two pieces tothis.
One is success in terms ofbeing a business owner, right,
and I think.
For me that is againconsistency.
I feel like I say that word alot, but I guess we could call
(21:23):
it scalability, right.
Storie (21:24):
In a business sense.
Well, consistency turns tohabits and habit becomes routine
, right?
Yes, so it all flows.
Dr. G (21:32):
And then, from a clinical standpoint, it's the wins, it's
the client wins.
Storie (21:39):
As long as you're still seeing those wins.
Dr. G (21:41):
Yes, well, and when they share them with me, right,
that's huge for me.
When they tell me oh, I hearyou in my voice, you know in my
head, like I hear, oh, whatwould Dr Burke say?
Oh, dr Burke would say this,that is wonderful, right.
So, for me that's a win.
Storie (21:57):
So you've already succeeded in your, in your life,
and you're just making the bestof it?
Now it seems like yes.
Dr. G (22:05):
Well, you definitely have a client in me for sure so.
Storie (22:06):
is there anything as we kind of wrap up this little
session that I've absolutelyadored?
Is there anything else you'dlike to share with the audience,
particularly those looking tolive life?
Dr. G (22:18):
love.
Yeah, you know I would say gofor it, be you, do you?
I know it's hard sometimes toum, quiet the noise, whether
it's your own inner noise, likethe negative self-talk, the self
self-limiting beliefs, all thatyou know I can't or the outside
(22:41):
noise.
Right, people have a lot to sayabout a lot of things.
Right, but remember that we canhave the lives that we imagine.
We can have our dream lives.
We can have dream lives.
(23:03):
We can have our preferredfutures.
We just have to believe that wecan.
We have to be willing to dreamit up and then to, little by
little, begin to step into it,to be your future self now.
Storie (23:13):
I love that.
It's kind of scary to take thatfirst step.
Dr. G (23:17):
Absolutely it is.
It's worth it though it is.
We need to be willing to feelthe fear and do it anyway.
Storie (23:23):
Well, thank you so much for sharing, and if anyone wants
to reach out to you to learnmore about your program or
one-on-one counseling, how canthey reach you?
Dr. G (23:32):
They can reach me at drburkspsychotherapy at gmailcom
.
And I would be happy to talkwith anyone.
I do a 20-minute free phoneconsult, both for coaching and
counseling, and I'd be honored.
Storie (23:48):
Awesome.
Thank you so much, dr Burke.
Thank you so much for having meand to all of our listeners out
there.
We'll see you next time onMarket it With Atma.
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