Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in mental health but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kim Sargent, clinical director of Canadian Family Health Counselling, located in Peterborough, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We provide a holistic approach to counseling called Neural Network Therapy® that uses practical tools to boost mood, reduce anxiety, manage anger, break unwanted habits, and develop strong, healthy relationships. NNT was developed in 1997 and continues to evolve with advancements in neuroscience. We know so much more about the brain than ever before. It's of critical importance we upgrade the counseling experience as we increase emotional intelligence. This evidence-based approach also dramatically reduces the time spent in the therapeutic process.

Tell us about yourself

I completed my internship at the Hospital for Sick Children. I moved to Peterborough, Ontario, to begin the Counselling Practice at St. Joseph's Hospital in 1997. In an effort to leave behind the more clinical setting, I restored a historic building offering a calm and inviting space to deliver innovative exercises that are steeped in science.

Neural Network Therapy® provides an education-based approach to individual, couple, and family counseling. In order to create lasting changes, we must create structural changes to the patterns in our brains. Our lofty goal is to integrate these teachings into the education system in our growing healthy food for happy brains in schools around the world Grow Happy® program. We're also writing a curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12 to begin to make emotional intelligence a priority in the school system. Why are we teaching about the planets in our solar system before we are talking about the chemicals in our brains? We don't know either. And finally, we have our Emotional Health Matters education ecosystem in the form of a blog, FB Group, and podcast to educate in bite-sized bits.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

In 2022 we applied to have a formal study done on the benefits of Neural Network Therapy® by Trent University. It compared the benefits both during and after to the well-known CBT. We were thrilled to move from anecdotal evidence to qualitative and quantitative research findings that explain why NNT has made its mark. canadianfamilyhealth.ca/research

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Finding time to do the many things I feel are important to build my community, educate and inspire, and treat challenging mental health issues that are growing by the minute. The work is so necessary, but we need a more hands-on deck.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Trim away anything you don't do well, or that drains your energy. When you hire people to do what they align with best, and you do what you align with best, your productivity will surge. As well, never work more than four consecutive days in a week. While we're now exploring the 4-day workweek, Canadian Family Health Counselling has only ever been in Practice Monday through Thursday since 1997. We must live the changes we seek. Restore your enthusiasm and your energy in a three-day week break every single week.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If we all did exactly what fuelled us most, what kind of a world would it be? Let's support one another in living our best lives.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://canadianfamilyhealth.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canadianfamilyhealthcounselling
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canadianfamilyhealthptbo/
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3kNY8dr

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.