Neff Inspiration

10 points in 10 minutes: Jen Westcott - Embracing Brokenness As Part Of Life

About Jennifer Westcott Hi I'm Jen. I am a therapist, artist, mother, wife, friend. I am a woman devoted and passionate to making therapists the best they can be, the most supported and human and kind to themselves. the reason I believe so strongly in this is through my own journey through healing and encountering both great and awful therapy! As the mental health field becomes more needed than ever, it's essential to support therapists as HUMANS. We already know how to get supervision, we already know how to get training, but there are not nearly enough places to talk about the human experience of being a therapist; how it affects us and how we affect it. I grew up in an alcoholic, dysfunctional family that looked really good on the outside with professional parents and kids who were 'bright' and went far...but inside the family were secrets of incest and alcoholism. When I was 36 years old I suddenly remembered being sexually abused by my mother. I nearly went completely mad and definitely went quite mad. This started my journey to healing and sobriety and I continue to trudge daily. The help I needed took me to many therapists' couches, psychologist appointments, psychiatry appointments, alternative healing circles, and 12-step meetings. Through this inside experience, I became PASSIONAtE about what helps people and what doesn't. I changed my complete approach to being a therapist after being a client and NEEDING HELP and getting it, and not getting it. My job as a clinical supervisor and private therapist became an experiment in 'what helps' clients heal from trauma and addiction and I tried a LOT OF THINGS and still do! What I've learned for sure is this: therapists who are authentic, real, and human help clients profoundly. How then do I support therapists to KNOW their own stories and wounds and USE this knowledge to have a healing impact on their clients? How do I support therapists in breaking out of the mold they became trapped in during their graduate program and remembering the sacredness and marvel of human healing? Creating Therapist Sanctuary is my attempt to do this and to hold up therapists in the sacred and meaningful work they do. Also, shout out to my old mentor Stuart Smally from 90's SNL who 'was not an actual therapist but a member of many 12-step groups'. Stuart; I love you.

Permission for therapists to be more vulnerable, making them love what they do more deny the culture of putting our 'best self forward', let's put our most wounded self forward too! Therapists support and hold each other up better than any cheesy self-care method that doesn't even work and that we try doing alone in the bath.

https://www.holistichealingcounselling.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@therapistsanctuary https://www.instagram.com/therapistsanctuary/ https://www.tiktok.com/@holistic_healing4 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-westcott-ba897023b/

10 points in 10 minutes: Denise G Lee - From Survivor to Leader: Healing Trauma and Reclaiming Your Personal Power

Denise G Lee is a Healing and Leadership Coach, guiding entrepreneurs and business leaders through personal transformation. A recovering sexaholic and alcoholic, and an incest survivor, Denise draws from her own experiences to help others break free from trauma, limiting beliefs, and emotional blocks. With over a decade of experience, she uses a blend of empathy, real-life examples, and straightforward advice to empower her clients to lead their businesses and lives from a place of wholeness and resilience. Her coaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that true leadership begins with healing the self, and she emphasizes emotional growth, self-awareness, and breaking unhealthy patterns. Through her podcast, blog, and coaching programs, Denise is passionate about helping others embrace their healing journey while leading with purpose and integrity. With the tagline "Heal, Grow, Lead," she focuses on guiding clients to transform their pain into power and their challenges into opportunities for growth. Denise has appeared on various podcasts, sharing her insights on overcoming trauma, building resilience, and leading authentically. She is also a writer and speaker, bringing humor, empathy, and straightforward advice to her audience. In her free time, she enjoys being a soccer mom, cheering on her son, who’s inspired by soccer legends like Messi and Ronaldo. Denise is committed to using her own life lessons to help others find strength, healing, and success, both personally and professionally.

1. Check People’s Veracity, Vision, and Values: Before forming close relationships or partnerships, ensure that the people you surround yourself with are aligned with your values. Evaluate their authenticity (veracity), what they aspire to (vision), and what truly matters to them (values). 2. Reject False Formulas: Society often pushes us to believe that our performance, status, and appearance determine our worth. But true significance, security, and acceptance come from a higher source/power, not from external achievements or recognition. 3. Miracles Often Come From Misfortunes: The challenges and hardships you face can be the very catalysts for the greatest miracles in your life. What seems like misfortune today may be the foundation for future growth, healing, and success.

deniseglee.com - all my socials are on the bottom of my website page.

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510 Crystal Hamilton: How To Redefine Family After Religious Trauma

In Crystal’s words: 
I was raised in a strict Mormon household with teachings about my purpose in life was only to be a wife and mother. At a young age, I knew there was more planned for me than this and I struggled with conforming to Mormon values. My parents pressured me into a young marriage when they discovered that I was having premarital sex. At age 18, the marriage was dissolved, and I wavered participating in the church for years. I struggled with finding a sense of belonging and turned to a partying lifestyle.
At 34 years old, I was "sick and tired of being sick and tired." That night I walked into a sober support meeting I knew that’s where I belonged. I cried and allowed other people to help me. I dove into the 12 steps and grew my sober support network. After 10 years of sobriety, I switched from traditional sober support meetings to secular. I haven’t been happier! Such a relief that I am no longer triggered by the G word.
Currently, I own a behavior health agency, I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and I have a passion for working with couples with addiction and codependency issues. With grief about infertility, I have redefined family from the ingrained Mormon beliefs that I was taught as a child. Today I embrace the roles as wife, step-mom, grandmother and dog momma.,
I’m excited to publish this memoir next year about how I recovered from religious trauma and hope my story can help someone else. We’re not alone! 

How to redefine family after religious trauma. 

3 Top Tips 
Trust your intuition
Question everything
Don't listen to your parents

Social Media
IG @crystal_redefines_family
FB Crystal Redefines Family
redefinefam.com

10 points in 10 mintues: John David Graham - From homeless, to business owner, to published author. A second-chance journey

In John Graham's words:
I have always been a curious person. Try taking a new road, a different direction, another adventure—or maybe failure. As a result, I have gone from homelessness to a business owner to a published author. Along the way I was a door-to-door salesman, children’s home counselor, substitute school teacher, truck driver, fireman, building contractor, minister and journalist.
Eventually I hit my stride at 53 when I started GOOD SAMARITAN HOME, a non-profit agency helping people restart their lives after prison.
 But there was a lot of resistance to our program, requiring years of legal conflict, community networking, and just plain hard work. Initially our budget was $5,000 with just one program house. Now we have 19 houses, a staff of 10 people, and a $2 million budget by constantly asking the question: “What is the need in the community, and how can we help meet that need?”
Then at 61, I finished my doctorate to better help me live our motto in the street where it was needed most.
 At 75, I published my debut novel called RUNNING AS FAST AS I CAN, a fictionalized story of one man’s journey to overcome an abusive background to find forgiveness and love. But even publishing was no easy journey. My novel was rejected nearly 200 times. But now it has garnered 23 awards, including the prestigious 2024 StoryTrade Book Award for debut novel of the year.
Finally, at 76, on a lark, I saw an advertisement for extras in the television series “1923” being filmed nearby, and submitted my name and was hired. Now I can add “actor” to my resume—although I don’t plan on moving to Hollywood anytime soon!
So I am very familiar with second, third and fourth chances that many of us need to reach our goals. It is in developing what I call "calloused hands and a tender heart" along the journey.

3 Top Tips:
If I were to offer advice to someone just starting his/her journey, I would say to remember that success NEVER comes overnight. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Above all, keep your eyes on your goal, AND ALWAYS PICTURE YOURSELF GETTING THERE.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Always keep running.
 Life is written in pencil. We get lots of second chances.
 It is our failures that develop the calloused hands and tender heart needed for success.

Social Media
https://johndavidgraham.com
 https://www.amazon.com/Running-As-Fast-Can-ebook/dp/B0CKK418FB/
 www.goodsamaritanhome.org
 https://johndavidgraham.substack.com/
 https://www.facebook.com/JGrahamAuthor
 https://www.instagram.com/JGrahamAuthor
 https://www.tiktok.com/@jgrahamauthor
If a reader is the leader of a book club, I would be willing to offer a free copy of my novel RUNNING AS FAST AS I CAN to him / her to encourage discussion of the "second chance journey" that is the focus of the book and my life. And based on the reader reactions thus far, it is the focus of the lives of many people as well.
Life is written in pencil. We get lots of second, third and fourth chances.

509 Laura Moulton: Grieving The Living - When The Heart Says Yes But The Brain Says No

Laura Moulton is the author of Boundaries: Grieving the Living - and helps others to live their life to the fullest. Her credentials: MA, LPC, NCC, CCTP-II, CIMHP, ACS, CAGCS, business owner. She has been a trauma therapist since 2017 and currently enjoys clinical supervision. 

3 Top Tips 
1. A solid definition of boundaries
2. The misconceptions of what we have been told about grief and healthier ways to view it
3. The benefit of grieving well and grieving hard 

Social Media
https://mountainsideconsultingpllc.com/
 https://www.tiktok.com/@lavalaura_11?_t=8qsrjebYLmg&_r=1
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-moulton-ma-lpc-ncc-acs-cctp-ii-cimhp-cagcs-772865325?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
https://www.instagram.com/lavalaura11/profilecard/?igsh=a2V2bmY5OHpnM2U2

508 Mary Beth Schrudder: Take back power and break free of toxic relationship patterns & addictions

Mary Beth Schrudder is a Spiritual and Transformational Life Coach. She is founder of Day One Life Coaching, author of Addiction Recovery with the Law of Attraction, and the host of the “Spiritual Transformation Podcast with Mary Beth”.
Mary Beth will help you heal addictions and transform relationships, including the relationship with yourself! Her approach is holistic, and her areas of expertise include relationships, marriage, divorce, mindset, happiness, freedom from addictions, optimal fitness, life purpose, and career.
As a professional Life Coach with years of experience, Mary Beth’s life-changing coaching will help you step outside of your comfort zone, and together you will create extraordinary results using innovative techniques.
You may e-mail Mary Beth to schedule a complimentary discovery call at marybeth@dayonelifecoaching.com
Mary Beth’s website and social media links may be found here:
https://linktr.ee/DayOneLifeCoaching

3 Top Tips
1) It’s never too late to change your life!
2) Traditional methods of healing trauma and addiction don’t work for everyone. We do have alternatives.
3) We have SO MUCH MORE power and control over our day than we are allowing. It’s time to take your power back.

Social Media
https://linktr.ee/DayOneLifeCoaching

I offer a free discovery call for anyone who would like to discuss the possibility of 1-1 coaching with me.

507 Alon C Ferency - Get through Your Creative Crossroads by Unburdening Your Soul of Bad Beliefs

Creativity Consultant, Counselor and Coach, Rabbi Alon Ferency is a cross-country bicyclist, Peace Corps volunteer, author, concert producer, chaplain, and Dungeon Master. He served Heska Amuna Synagogue, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Burt Reynolds' "The Last Movie Star," and was the first treasurer of the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking. In his spare time, Alon learns drums, reads science fiction novels, and plays on a soccer team.

3 Top Tips
- Play and attention are great ways to unlock creativity
 - We all have messages we must unlearn to be our most creative
 - The best art comes from deepest in the soul

Social Media
www.eclecticcleric.com
 https://www.instagram.com/eclecticcleric/
 https://insighttimer.com/eclecticcleric
 https://www.facebook.com/EclecticCleric

10 points in 10 minutes: Christopher Mack - Drug Addiction - Don't be a bad actor

Christopher Mack has been in recovery for the past 24 years. I found that their is a dynamic to recovery and healing, and speak to groups and individuals about the evidence and process. I have worked on Skid Row in LosAngeles for the past 21 years which is the largest recovery community in the world. People are recovering from all types of trauma and challenges. I have co-written a program to assist others in finding their own recovery and ultimately their authentic selves and freedom.
Top Tips
Indicators and Evidence of your Recovery....How are you doing?
 Simple tools that are available for everyone to assist in recovery.
 How we must Feel it to Heal it!
www.dynamicsofrecovery.com
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9tkReSLmQN5ryef5Q-D-Tw
 https://www.facebook.com/dynamicsofrecovery/
 https://www.instagram.com/websterwanda/?hl=en

506 Zulma Williams: I Had Breast Cancer, Cancer Didn't Have Me

In Zulma’s words: We all have our share of challenges, and sometimes doubt our ability to overcome them. I am a warrior, and I made it my mission to inspire people to discover and honor the warrior inside them.
I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and immigrated to the United States at age 31. At age 42, I started my Bachelor of Social Work program. I graduated at 46, in December of 2011, and two months later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
I had a lumpectomy, moved back to Argentina for three years, and in 2015 I came back to the United States. I enrolled for the Master of Social Work program at age 50.
I did my internship, and became fully licensed as a clinical social worker in 2018.
I am the founder of Dragonfly Therapy Services. I am a mental health therapist specializing in trauma, anxiety, and depression.
I survived cancer, domestic violence, depression, and suicidal ideation, but I never consider myself a victim. No matter what people are going through in life, I hope my message will help the audience discover and honor their own internal hero!

3 Top Tips 
It's never too late to fulfill your dreams.
You can do it!
Setbacks are part of success.

Social Media
www.dragonflytherapyservices.net
IG: @theswearingtherapist
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zulma-williams-ab7609214/

505 Ken Kunken: 50 Years of Challenging How The US Sees & Treats Disabled People

In 1970, while a junior in Cornell University’s College of Engineering, Ken Kunken broke his neck making a tackle on a kick-off in a lightweight football game against Columbia University. Ken sustained a spinal cord injury at the C 4-5 level, rendering him a quadriplegic, almost totally paralyzed from the shoulders down. Ken spent more than 9 months in various hospitals and rehabilitation facilities. While still a patient, Ken testified before a United States Senate Sub-Committee on Health Care, chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy.
 In 1971, almost 20 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Ken returned to the Cornell campus, where he completed his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering. Ken estimates that he had to be pulled up or bounced down close to 100 steps just to attend his first day of classes.
 Ken is the first quadriplegic to graduate from Cornell University.
 Upon graduation, Ken decided to change his career goal. He wanted to work with and help people, particularly those with disabilities. Ken went on to earn a Master of Arts degree at Cornell in education and a Master of Education degree at Columbia University in psychology. Ken is the first quadriplegic to earn a graduate degree from Cornell University.
 In 1977, Ken was hired by Abilities Inc. in Albertson, NY to be its College Work Orientation Program Coordinator. Ken coordinated a program which provided educationally related work experiences for severely disabled college students. He also maintained a vocational counseling caseload of more than 20 severely disabled individuals.
 While working at the Center, Ken became a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor and made numerous public presentations on non-discrimination, affirmative action and employment of the disabled. In 1977, Ken was named the Long Island Rehabilitation Associations “Rehabilitant of the Year” and in 1979 Ken was the subject of one of the Reverend Norman Vincent Peale’s nationally syndicated radio broadcasts “The American Character”.
 Wanting to accomplish still more, Ken enrolled in Hofstra University’s School of Law, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1982. Ken then went to work as an assistant district attorney in Nassau County, Long Island.
 Ken was promoted a number of times during his more than 40 years with the District Attorney’s Office, eventually becoming one of the Deputy Bureau Chiefs of the County Court Trial Bureau, where he helped supervise more than 20 other assistant district attorneys. In addition, over his years working in the Office, Ken supervised more than 50 student interns.
 In 1996 Ken received the Honorable Thomas E. Ryan, Jr. Award presented by the Court Officers Benevolent Association of Nassau County for outstanding and dedicated service as an Assistant District Attorney. In 1999, Ken was awarded the George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service Award presented by the Hofstra Alumni Association, Inc.
 Beginning in 2005, for nine consecutive years, “The Ken Kunken Most Valuable Player Award” was presented annually by The Adirondack Trust Allegiance Bowl in Saratoga Springs, NY, in recognition of Ken’s personal accomplishments, contributions to society and extraordinary courage.
 In 2009, Ken became a member of the Board of Directors of Abilities Inc., and in 2017 he became a member of the Board of Directors for the parent company of Abilities Inc., the Viscardi Center.
 In 2020, Ken was inducted into “The Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame,” as a member of the class of 2019.
 In March 2024, Ken was named one of the Long Island Business News Influencers in Law.
 Ken retired from full-time employment in 2016, but continued to work with the District Attorney’s Office for the next eight years in a part time capacity, providing continuing legal education lectures and litigation guidance.
 For years, Ken has tried to inspire people to do more with their lives. In October 2023, Ken’s memoir “I Dream of Things That Never Were: The Ken Kunken Story” was published.
 In 2003 Ken married Anna and in 2005 they became the proud parents of triplet boys: Joey, Jimmy and Timmy. On June 23, 2023 the triplets graduated from Oceanside High School, fifty-five years after Ken had graduated from the same school.

3 Top Tips
1 . Try to improve your knowledge, your skills and your performance. Get the best education possible, and never stop learning. Don’t be satisfied with the status quo.
 2 . Strive to make the impossible, possible. Just because something has not been done before, does not mean that you cannot do it now.
 3 . Find time to help others. Years from now be able to say that you did everything you possibly could to make not only your life, but the lives of those around you better as well.

Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/ken.kunken
 https://www.instagram.com/ken.kunken/
 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/