IAM539- Psychologist Helps People Become a Better Version

Dr. Eleni Boosalis is co-owner of Del Ray Psych and Wellness in Alexandria VA. She has been a licensed clinical psychologist for 12 years. Her passion is working with individuals with anxiety and depression to help them become the best version of themselves. Del Ray Psych and Wellness is less than 2 years old and employs 8 therapists who utilize a holistic treatment approach in psychotherapy. Del Ray Psych was named a finalist by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce for the Best New Business Award in 2019.

• CEO Hack: Meditation with the help of Insight Timer app
• CEO Nugget: No one is better than you
• CEO Defined: Being a manager both internally (yourself) and externally

Website: http://delraypsych.com/

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Delraypsych/?_rdc=1&_rdr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delraypsych/

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Transcription

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, Hello. Hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Dr. Eleni Boosalis of Del Ray Psych and Wellness. Dr. Eleni Boosalis, it is awesome to have you on the show.

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 0:40

All right. Thank you for having me.

Gresham Harkless 0:42

Yeah, no problem. Super excited to have you on and what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Dr. Eleni Boosalis so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Dr. Eleni Boosalis is co-owner of Del Ray Psych and Wellness in Alexandria VA. She has been a licensed clinical psychologist for 12 years. Her passion is working with individuals with anxiety and depression to help them become the best version of themselves. Del Ray Psych and Wellness is less than 2 years old and employs 8 therapists who utilize a holistic treatment approach in psychotherapy. Del Ray Psych was named a finalist by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce for the Best New Business Award in 2019. Dr. Eleni, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?

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Dr. Eleni Boosalis 1:19

Yes, thank you for having me here.

Gresham Harkless 1:21

No problem, super excited to have you on. So I want to jump right in and hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story. What led you to start your business?

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 1:29

So my partner and I went to grad school together and we met, we didn't know each other until we were in private practice after graduating. And we were in a very private practice that we didn't enjoy being in. So we started to brainstorm and say, we needed to do this on our own. So we were very hesitant, I guess, when we left. And we started our practice. And at first, we were independent.

So we work together, but independently. Fast forward about eight years after that, we ended up purchasing a building here in Delray and Alexandria, joining and growing a practice, and so on employing people. So it started just she and I. And I think the way that initially grew was we just started hiring unlicensed psychologists to supervise them toward their licensure. That became it was fun, and we were helping others launch on their own. We decided why don't we just do this on a bigger level? Right. And it happened.

Gresham Harkless 2:47

Yeah, I appreciate that. Because I think so many times you hear about business, you think it just opens up, and then it just grows on its own. But there's a process that it takes to do that. And as you talked about the maturation of the business, the maturation of the people, and adding people on, there is a process that it takes to get to where you are.

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 3:04

Yeah, it's definitely, people say, Oh, how did you do that. And we're like, we didn't know what we were doing. Very much with a lot of growing pains, and a lot of just faking it till you make it and researching it and meeting the right people. You have to talk to different lawyers, different accountants, and different people until you find your team that's guiding you along the way. And just realizing that really how many people know how to just do that nobody really starts off being a business owner and knowing having been trained, how often does that happen? Right?

Gresham Harkless 3:49

Yeah, I would go with never because I never met anybody who was born in the womb and knew how to be a business owner. So a lot of times you have to glean this information from all the people that are around you. He talked about lawyers and accountants and all these people you ask questions to. And I think that I love how you broke that down. Because I think so many times, we as business owners sometimes will have that impostor syndrome where we feel like we shouldn't do it, or we don't want to do it, or we're not good enough to do it. But a lot of times just that natural curiosity and the desire to want to create something to help out others is what fuels you to be able to have that engine to to create something awesome.

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 4:21

Yeah, completely. I think that impostor syndrome, I realized that I think most people have that. And so even the huge CEOs that you see, are running like humongous corporations, and I see some of them in therapy, right? That's how I know because you're telling me in therapy, they're not telling anybody else. And I'm thinking, well, if they feel it, and then nobody knows that they feel then it's very natural and normal to feel that.

Gresham Harkless 4:54

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that once you understand that it's natural and normal, you can feel them comparability if that's the word and feel the fear or fear or whatever it might be, and continue, because I think there's definitely, power in doing that. So, I know you touched on it a little bit in some of the CEOs that you talked to, but could you take us through exactly the services you're providing and how you're helping out this Alexandria in DC, Maryland, Virginia community?

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 5:17

Yeah, so we do psychotherapy, mostly for adults with anxiety and depression. But the reason why we say we're holistic is that we consider a person, mind, body, and spirit so we do acupuncture, we have a career counselor, we have a naturopathic physician who works alongside us, and a massage therapist who works in our building as well, independently, but we consider that people come and there's a lot of sides to them. There's a lot of different parts of us. And oftentimes in psychotherapy, I think that people go in, and they're like, Oh, well, this is the psychological part of me.

But we are made up of so much. So much of us is made up of all these different parts of us that aren't addressed in psychotherapy. And, I think also in the US is book that as separate, right, the mind and the body is separate. And so we want people to see themselves as that's one. So, I also do hypnotherapy, I use hypnosis for weight loss, and we have a lady here who does mindfulness for stress management. And we do family therapy, couples therapy, so and we also do a lot of community outreach.

So we're involved in the Delray business community, and we do free yoga in the parking lot in the summertime. You know, things like that try to give, we pick a charity of the month that we give money for different free services that we offer through donations. So we're trying to just help people that maybe wouldn't be able to access the services, we also do take insurance. And so what we have found is, especially in the DC area a lot of therapists do not take insurance anymore. So we pride ourselves in like, we just want to continue by making psychotherapy accessible to people that may not be able to get it if they didn't have to pay out of pocket. Right?

Gresham Harkless 7:30

Yeah, then that makes so much sense. I appreciate that, for hearing, of course, that community feels, but I think as you said, a lot of times, people might not for one, they may not have heard of psychotherapy, they may not have heard a lot of the different kind of modalities as well, too. But they'd be able to hear of that, but also hear, as you talked about at the beginning, where the mind and the body are not too dissimilar things that have nothing to do with one another, but even creating awareness around the way that they integrate the way they connect, and how that helps us to be who we are and develops who we are and some of the decisions that we make.

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 8:02

Yeah, totally. We think that also we want to stigmatize psychotherapy, and that, I think that I don't know anybody that wouldn't benefit from being in therapy. And what I have found is that when people tell me that they do not need therapy, those are the people that need it the most.

Gresham Harkless 8:23

Yes, they want you to work with them. That's why they say that it makes so much sense, especially from a lot of people that are listening to this, and that is those type and typically driven people that are that often, you're putting so much of yourself into your business, and everything that you're doing, and even people especially in this DC, Maryland, Virginia, just with traffic in and of itself is stressful. So, a lot of times, you need that outlet, you need somebody to talk to and just having that opportunity to lay it all out and talk about all those things helps us so much as far as being our best selves.

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 9:01

Yeah, and realizing that a lot of what we do and our behaviors are led by our subconscious so at least 80% of our behaviors are motivated by subconscious factors, which means that we don't know why we're doing what we're doing. So there's a reason why we keep finding ourselves in this place where we're like, why does this keep happening to me? Like, why do I keep repeating the same pattern in my life over and over again, that I can't break? And so it's just like allowing people to see that you are choosing these things without knowing you're choosing them. So it's like really how to get people to become more conscious and aware and intentional with their life so that they don't feel their life is happening to them so that they feel like they are choosing it.

Gresham Harkless 9:51

Yeah, absolutely. I think you want to try to be in control as much as possible but understanding that you're not in control sometimes gives you power but helps you to maybe do the work and do the things to help you to control not control but maybe understand or direct that subconscious mind in the direction that you wanted to go.

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 10:07

Yeah. And having like an unbiased third party say, oh what was that all about? Why did you choose that? And so you can get a little bit more introspective?

Gresham Harkless 10:19

Absolutely. So, and I know you kind of touched on that holistic aspect, do you feel that is what you consider to be your secret sauce, I mean, sauce could be for you or your organisation, but do you feel like that's the thing that kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 10:31

I think that's usually what people will seek us out for. But I also think that one of the main qualities is that we all pride ourselves on being authentic. You know, so that means I'm not opposed to telling my story on, and being open about my path and our paths and because really when you go in to see somebody, you have to have that connection. And if you can't have that connection, but at a heart level, then you feel safe enough to open up to that person.

Gresham Harkless 11:06

I appreciate that tremendously. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app or book or habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 11:18

So one thing that I recommend everybody does, and I noticed that when I do not do it, I am not as I guess, balanced. I use an app called Insight Timer that I love. I noticed that if I meditate for about 15 to 20 minutes a day, my everything, whether it's emotional, cognitive, or psychological, everything is just better.

Gresham Harkless 11:49

Absolutely. I can say that myself. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be like a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. Or if you can happen to a time machine. What would you tell your younger business self?

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 12:01

I think it's more like what we were just talking about, that like most people are walking around feeling like an imposter and that no better than you. Nobody is like I always, as a younger person, especially in college felt like, well, they're smarter than me, or they know better than me, or I can't possibly do that. And so there's this I wish that adult part of me was there to say, they're not better than you. Why can't you do it? Why not you?

Gresham Harkless 12:36

Yeah, that makes so much sense. So now, I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote unquote, CEOs on the show. So Dr. Eleni what does being a CEO mean to you?

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 12:51

Think about that. I feel like being a CEO is just like being a manager. In that doesn't mean maybe even if you're just by yourself, it's just you, I'm just my CEO, but it's just being like a manager. Yeah, like just being in charge, but in a good way, like not a boss, I don't think of it like a boss. Being very intentional. And managing yourself internally and managing your environment externally.

Gresham Harkless 13:31

Yeah, I love that perspective. And because I think it speaks to some of the things that we talked about, we talked about understanding your Zona genius, I think you're not necessarily managing as like a boss, as we were talking about, but you're managing to understand, this is what I do well, so this is what you do well, or, you're managing your environment. So you're making sure that you're around those positive vibes. So make sure that you're managing your environment so that you can be more successful. But I do think that management doesn't necessarily mean that you're doing everything, it means that you're creating that environment so that you can be successful.

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 14:05

Yeah, and along with what you said your vibe is contagious, right? So you do have to just create your environment, that fits the vibe that you want to create. And if there's anything toxic in that environment, it's going to mess you up. Just get it out.

Gresham Harkless 14:29

Exactly. Be very conscious of it and kick it out the back door. So Dr. Eleni, I truly appreciate your time. I appreciate that definition. And what I want to do is pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you want to let our readers and listeners know and then of course, how best they can get a hold of you find out about all the awesome things that you and your partner are working on. Yeah,

Dr. Eleni Boosalis 14:49

Yeah, you can find us @delrepsych.com and in the upcoming New Year in 2020. We're going to be doing more groups on mindfulness weight loss hypnosis and career counseling dating. So check us out. We also have a Facebook page and Instagram, it is  Del Ray Psych and Wellness.

Gresham Harkless 15:11

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well thank you so much again appreciate it we will have the links and information in the show notes. But I thank you so much for all the awesome things you're doing helping out CEOs and helping us out during this interview and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Outro 15:23

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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