- CEO Hack: Setting boundaries when it comes to work hours
- CEO Nugget: Tap into other resources such as talking to peers and learning from other businesses (ii) Don't be afraid to have a product that someone else already offers
- CEO Defined: Being a leader and at the same time being part of a team
Website: http://www.solcounselingandconsulting.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solcounseling/
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Transcription
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00:24 – Intro
Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gretch values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.
00:51 – Gresham Harkless
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Myrja Paul of sole consulting, counseling, and consulting. Mirja, great to have you on the show.
01:03 – Myrja Paul
Thank you, Gresh. Good to be here.
01:06 – Gresham Harkless
Definitely super excited to have you on. Before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Mirja so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Mirja is the owner and clinical director of Soul Counseling and Consulting. Mirja received her bachelor's of arts degree in psychology from Penn State University and her master's of science degree in clinical community counseling from Johns Hopkins University.
Mirja is a licensed therapist and approved clinical supervisor in Maryland. In April 2020, Mirja opened Soul Counseling and Consulting, a group mental health practice that provides individual and family services to adults as well as children. Mirage's mission is to decrease the stigma of mental health, particularly in communities of color mirror. Just super excited to have you on and for all the work that you do. I know you've been very busy, I imagine, over the last, like, year and a half or so, but are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?
[restrict paid=”true”]
01:57 – Myrja Paul
I am. I am.
01:58 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Well, let's do it then. So, to kind of kick everything off, I want us to rewind the clock a little bit, and hear a little bit more about how you got started, what I call your CEO story.
02:07 – Myrja Paul
Sure. So, I've been in this field for many years. I've worked with just different mental health practices, and then I decided that I was tired of working for other people. And, you know, I was underpaid and overworked. And I did see that the way certain practices were running their businesses, I felt like I had some knowledge and some skill that I could do it a little bit differently. So when I started the company back on April 22, at the peak of the pandemic, I thought that I was going to have a small group practice.
I thought it was going to be three people, maybe four tops, and it would be like the little part-time thing that I would do on the side and then I would again go work for someone else part-time to supplement my income. But then I guess the universe had other plans. So here we are servicing over 150 clients. I have about twelve contractors on my team. So it went from a very, very small vision to what we have now.
03:15 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah. And I appreciate you so much and the work that you do. And it's so funny you mentioned, like the universe. And a lot of times when we have plans to do something when we're in the right place, the right time, in the right spot, doing the right thing, a lot of times we get rewarded with that and we realize that the thing that we do, our zone of genius, our expertise, is not only helpful to sometimes the people that we have, and we think that we're going to do something part-time, but it ends up being something that is of such a need to so many people. So I truly appreciate you for leaning into that and probably having to lean into that a little bit more over the past year and a half or so.
03:46 – Myrja Paul
Right, right.
03:48 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I know I touched on it a little bit, like when I read your bio. Could you take us through a little bit more on how you work with your clients, how you serve them, and what that process looks like?
03:57 – Myrja Paul
Sure. So we do pretty much individual therapy services and we see children, adolescents, adults, we do couples counseling, we do family counseling. I did not know that I would be doing virtual therapy and so much telehealth, but obviously, with the pandemic, that is the bulk of the services that we provide. But the nice part is we do have an office in Laurel, Maryland, and we can see clients in person as well, which we find is a little bit better when working with the younger kids to see them in person. But obviously, with a pandemic, people do have the choice and have the option and it's been very, very convenient for those to get services because we're virtual as well.
04:40 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes so much sense. And I imagine that probably, you know, probably depends on, I imagine for every person, but I think being able to kind of be, you know, comfortable, I guess, wherever you're virtually going to be calling in from probably helps a lot with a lot of the work that you do. I imagine, too.
04:56 – Myrja Paul
Absolutely. And a lot of people have been able to access services that they weren't before because they can see us on their lunch break. They can see us, you know, right? At 515, instead of having to leave work, take the metro, get in your car, and drive home, the next thing you know, it's almost 637 o'clock. No one really wants to talk to a therapist at that time. So it's been really nice to be able to, like, log off of work at 05:00 hop on to your virtual session with your therapist, and kind of have that. That time. So that's been very good.
05:26 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, absolutely. And anybody who's dealt with a little bit of the traffic in this area knows a little bit about sometimes going 1 mile or even 10 miles. 10 miles can sometimes take an hour, it feels like. So being able to kind of have that convenience, like you said, to be able to kind of have that in your schedule and still get the help and the support that you need, right?
05:45 – Myrja Paul
Absolutely.
05:46 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. And this could be for yourself individually or the business, or a combination of both, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart, you unique?
05:57 – Myrja Paul
Well, I think first, we're black-owned women. Owned black-owned women. One me, not several. We have a lot of therapists of color on our team, and I think a lot of times you'll see practices that have diversity. And sometimes when people say diversity, it's one or two. But for us, the majority of our therapists are of color. So I think that makes it really nice for people who do want to see someone who looks like them. We can obviously provide that service to them. I think the other part is, that although I'm the CEO and I'm the clinical director, I really give a lot of attention to the clients, even if they're not necessarily my clients. I take the calls that are coming in.
If someone has questions, they can reach me directly, and I feel like it gives that personal touch. I think it's really hard to reach out for services in the first place. So when you do call and you're not getting an administrative assistant, you're getting either me or you're getting a therapist in training, you're getting someone who is in the field of mental health. So when you make that first call, it's not, you know, it's not a layperson, I guess we could say it's not a person who is trained to do administrative tasks. It's a person who is trained to build rapport listen to what you're going through and answer certain questions. So I feel like that really helps because before you even meet with your therapist, you already have some sense of comfort. So I think that that kind of sets us apart as well.
07:28 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So 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, a book, or a habit that you have. What's something that makes you more effective and efficient?
07:41 – Myrja Paul
So I am learning to set some boundaries. I think as a CEO, you feel like you're never off. You don't have the typical nine-to-five schedule, right? We don't work Monday through Friday, 09:00 to 05:00 so I think especially as a new business owner, I think your thought is, well, I have to hustle. And I think that especially in the world that we live in and the time that we live in, like, if you go on Facebook or Instagram, everything is about hustling, right? It's about like, what are you doing? Who's an entrepreneur? What's going on?
Like, it's all about drive and motivation, which is awesome. But sometimes I. That can be very overwhelming. So I really try to set boundaries, not just with other people, but also just in terms of my work hours, just kind of making sure that I shut it off at a certain time and certain things don't have to be responded to within the hour. It's like, especially when you're first starting out, it's just like, well, I don't want people to wait and I got to get my clients and I want them to know that we're here, we're going to answer their call.
But it's just like, you have to be realistic and you have to be able to sustain that because you don't want to start off providing all kinds of services and really getting back to them within three minutes. And then as you get bigger and you get busier, you can't maintain that. And then it may look like, well, your customer service has decreased. Well, what happened? They used to call me back in five minutes, and now I have to wait two days. And it's just like, what is actually realistic? Not just for you, but, like, for the business and what can be sustainable? So for me, I mean, I guess as a therapist, we always talk about boundaries, right? But you really have to practice what you preach. And it's like if I don't set boundaries, then I'm going to just be all over the place and then I won't be any good to my clients or to my team.
09:25 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be more of a word of wisdom or piece of advice. It might be something if you were to hop into a time machine, you would tell your younger business self.
09:38 – Myrja Paul
I would say a couple of things, I guess one would be, I think as a CEO it can be kind of lonely. So definitely tapping into other resources, talking to peers, talking to, just having some kind of consultation. I'm part of a couple of Facebook groups that are private practice owners and not just sticking with CEOs that are in your field, but also you can learn so much from other types of businesses as well. You know, even though it can be a loner kind, kind of job, but just kind of make sure that you're tapping into resources also, like, don't be afraid of having a product or service that somebody else may already have. Right.
So it's like sometimes you don't go for something because you think that, like, oh, well, you know, for example, like, our office is in PG county. It's like, do you know how many therapists are in PG county? So it's just like, why would mine be different? But it's just like, you do offer something different to people and that can be important, too. And I also heard somewhere that, like, well, think about fast-food restaurants, right? There could be a McDonald's, a Wendy's, and a Burger King, like, all in the same shopping center.
It's still fast food and they all sell burgers, but there's something different and unique about each of them. The other thing that I always remember is my therapist actually asked me one day, and she said, are you more afraid of success or failure? And my first, you know, first answer was like, oh, well, failure. Because that just makes sense, right? And that's appropriate to say you're scared of failure, that, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. But she was like, no success. And I was like, oh. And when I thought about it, I was like, you're absolutely right.
So sometimes when I want to go for something or I'm not sure if I should try this thing, I really sit with myself to say, are you afraid of success or failure? And then kind of tap into that and figure out where's that fear of coming from? And, you know, fear has held us back from doing a lot of different things. And so it's like, sometimes you just got to make sure that it's not the fear that's holding you back and really plan accordingly with that.
11:42 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, I love that you mentioned that. And we have a lot of nuggets there. So I absolutely love that because we have, like, a mountain of great information and knowledge and advice that you give. And I love that you talked about, you know, fear of success, because I think it's something that doesn't get as much, um, light, I guess, and it isn't. People aren't as aware of it, but a lot of times when we drill down, we. We don't want to go further. We start having that success, and you start to self-sabotage.
You do certain things because it's not that you're fearing failure, what quote-unquote change might come with that success, and really drilling down to make sure that you understand that, um, is absolutely huge. And I think that you know, going back to understanding that, you know, a lot of times, part of that success is doing what you do in the way that you do it and tapping into your secret sauce. As you mentioned, the burger, the burger king has a completely different secret sauce than the McDonald's one.
And understanding this is the thing that I do, and this, is what makes me unique. This is the. The thing that fuels me. This is the way that I have. This is the passion that I have. Sometimes it's completely different from the exact same, quote-unquote, service that somebody else is providing, and it's how you execute it, you know, in a completely different way. And I love being able to kind of tap into that community as well, too, because your community and being able to kind of lean on those in and outside of your industry, what is. What kind of makes you understand that you're not by yourself? And sometimes when days aren't the brightest, you realize that it's part of that journey, which I think is absolutely huge, too.
13:05 – Myrja Paul
Yeah, I agree. Totally.
13:07 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different, quote-unquote CEO's on the show. So, Mirage, what does being a CEO mean to you?
13:19 – Myrja Paul
So my first thought was, that it means being a leader, but I think it also means being part of a team at the same time. So I don't want to be a leader that doesn't stay humble or that doesn't identify with my team, because if I don't have them, then I don't have a business. Right. So it's like, just trying to keep company morale, trying to keep focus on the people that you serve, focus on your team. And that way it's like, yes, be a leader, but also remember that you're one with them as well. And if you can understand what their needs are, then you can help to provide that need for them as well.
14:01 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, I love that. And it kind of speaks to that servant leadership. And I think so many times we forget the different people that we're serving, that we're providing that support for. And often the work that we do, especially as leaders, creates a ripple effect. So if you are empowering and creating that environment for the people that are on your team, they're going to serve your clients on an even better level. And I think so many times we skip over them and we skip over our team, we forget about that aspect and we don't provide the impact that we could have.
14:31 – Myrja Paul
Yeah, absolutely.
14:33 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Mary, I truly appreciate all the awesome work that you're doing. Of course, appreciate the time that you took today. What I wanted to do was just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know and of course, how best they can get ahold of you and your team and find about all the awesome things that you're working.
14:48 – Myrja Paul
Not sure. So once again, we are soul counseling and consulting. We have an Instagram page, Ounseling Soul is spelled Sol. I named the company sold. It's kind of after the sun, you know, rising, shining, having a new chance at life. Hope, that kind of thing. You can go to our website www.solecounselingandconsulting.com. you can contact us that way. Again, we do individual services, and family services, trying to branch out a little bit into more self-care and things like that. So please keep an eye out for those types of things. And I guess my last nugget would be. What I've learned from starting this business a little over a year ago is to write your vision in pen, but your plan in pencil.
15:36 – Gresham Harkless
I love that. And we'll definitely have the links and information in the show notes as well too, so that everybody can get in touch with you. I truly appreciate you for the work that you do. I know it's something that is of a huge need. And I appreciate you for, again, you know, pouring from your cup and being able to kind of help so many people and reminding us of how important it is, especially to understand that we want to have that vision of what we want to do we want to have that? Why? But we don't want to get attached to the how. We want to write that and pen those plans in pencil because that's going to allow us to change and adapt and to grow as things have changed and adapted as we have seen around us. So I appreciate you for doing that and reminding us of how important that is, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
16:17 – Outro
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.
00:24 - Intro
Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gretch values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.
00:51 - Gresham Harkless
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Myrja Paul of sole consulting, counseling, and consulting. Mirja, great to have you on the show.
01:03 - Myrja Paul
Thank you, Gresh. Good to be here.
01:06 - Gresham Harkless
Definitely super excited to have you on. Before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Mirja so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Mirja is the owner and clinical director of Soul Counseling and Consulting. Mirja received her bachelor's of arts degree in psychology from Penn State University and her master's of science degree in clinical community counseling from Johns Hopkins University.
Mirja is a licensed therapist and approved clinical supervisor in Maryland. In April 2020, Mirja opened Soul Counseling and Consulting, a group mental health practice that provides individual and family services to adults as well as children. Mirage's mission is to decrease the stigma of mental health, particularly in communities of color mirror. Just super excited to have you on and for all the work that you do. I know you've been very busy, I imagine, over the last, like, year and a half or so, but are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?
01:57 - Myrja Paul
I am. I am.
01:58 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Well, let's do it then. So, to kind of kick everything off, I want us to rewind the clock a little bit, and hear a little bit more about how you got started, what I call your CEO story.
02:07 - Myrja Paul
Sure. So, I've been in this field for many years. I've worked with just different mental health practices, and then I decided that I was tired of working for other people. And, you know, I was underpaid and overworked. And I did see that the way certain practices were running their businesses, I felt like I had some knowledge and some skill that I could do it a little bit differently. So when I started the company back on April 22, at the peak of the pandemic, I thought that I was going to have a small group practice.
I thought it was going to be three people, maybe four tops, and it would be like the little part-time thing that I would do on the side and then I would again go work for someone else part-time to supplement my income. But then I guess the universe had other plans. So here we are servicing over 150 clients. I have about twelve contractors on my team. So it went from a very, very small vision to what we have now.
03:15 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah. And I appreciate you so much and the work that you do. And it's so funny you mentioned, like the universe. And a lot of times when we have plans to do something when we're in the right place, the right time, in the right spot, doing the right thing, a lot of times we get rewarded with that and we realize that the thing that we do, our zone of genius, our expertise, is not only helpful to sometimes the people that we have, and we think that we're going to do something part-time, but it ends up being something that is of such a need to so many people. So I truly appreciate you for leaning into that and probably having to lean into that a little bit more over the past year and a half or so.
03:46 - Myrja Paul
Right, right.
03:48 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I know I touched on it a little bit, like when I read your bio. Could you take us through a little bit more on how you work with your clients, how you serve them, and what that process looks like?
03:57 - Myrja Paul
Sure. So we do pretty much individual therapy services and we see children, adolescents, adults, we do couples counseling, we do family counseling. I did not know that I would be doing virtual therapy and so much telehealth, but obviously, with the pandemic, that is the bulk of the services that we provide. But the nice part is we do have an office in Laurel, Maryland, and we can see clients in person as well, which we find is a little bit better when working with the younger kids to see them in person. But obviously, with a pandemic, people do have the choice and have the option and it's been very, very convenient for those to get services because we're virtual as well.
04:40 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, that makes so much sense. And I imagine that probably, you know, probably depends on, I imagine for every person, but I think being able to kind of be, you know, comfortable, I guess, wherever you're virtually going to be calling in from probably helps a lot with a lot of the work that you do. I imagine, too.
04:56 - Myrja Paul
Absolutely. And a lot of people have been able to access services that they weren't before because they can see us on their lunch break. They can see us, you know, right? At 515, instead of having to leave work, take the metro, get in your car, and drive home, the next thing you know, it's almost 637 o'clock. No one really wants to talk to a therapist at that time. So it's been really nice to be able to, like, log off of work at 05:00 hop on to your virtual session with your therapist, and kind of have that. That time. So that's been very good.
05:26 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, absolutely. And anybody who's dealt with a little bit of the traffic in this area knows a little bit about sometimes going 1 mile or even 10 miles. 10 miles can sometimes take an hour, it feels like. So being able to kind of have that convenience, like you said, to be able to kind of have that in your schedule and still get the help and the support that you need, right?
05:45 - Myrja Paul
Absolutely.
05:46 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. And this could be for yourself individually or the business, or a combination of both, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart, you unique?
05:57 - Myrja Paul
Well, I think first, we're black-owned women. Owned black-owned women. One me, not several. We have a lot of therapists of color on our team, and I think a lot of times you'll see practices that have diversity. And sometimes when people say diversity, it's one or two. But for us, the majority of our therapists are of color. So I think that makes it really nice for people who do want to see someone who looks like them. We can obviously provide that service to them. I think the other part is, that although I'm the CEO and I'm the clinical director, I really give a lot of attention to the clients, even if they're not necessarily my clients. I take the calls that are coming in.
If someone has questions, they can reach me directly, and I feel like it gives that personal touch. I think it's really hard to reach out for services in the first place. So when you do call and you're not getting an administrative assistant, you're getting either me or you're getting a therapist in training, you're getting someone who is in the field of mental health. So when you make that first call, it's not, you know, it's not a layperson, I guess we could say it's not a person who is trained to do administrative tasks. It's a person who is trained to build rapport listen to what you're going through and answer certain questions. So I feel like that really helps because before you even meet with your therapist, you already have some sense of comfort. So I think that that kind of sets us apart as well.
07:28 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So 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, a book, or a habit that you have. What's something that makes you more effective and efficient?
07:41 - Myrja Paul
So I am learning to set some boundaries. I think as a CEO, you feel like you're never off. You don't have the typical nine-to-five schedule, right? We don't work Monday through Friday, 09:00 to 05:00 so I think especially as a new business owner, I think your thought is, well, I have to hustle. And I think that especially in the world that we live in and the time that we live in, like, if you go on Facebook or Instagram, everything is about hustling, right? It's about like, what are you doing? Who's an entrepreneur? What's going on?
Like, it's all about drive and motivation, which is awesome. But sometimes I. That can be very overwhelming. So I really try to set boundaries, not just with other people, but also just in terms of my work hours, just kind of making sure that I shut it off at a certain time and certain things don't have to be responded to within the hour. It's like, especially when you're first starting out, it's just like, well, I don't want people to wait and I got to get my clients and I want them to know that we're here, we're going to answer their call.
But it's just like, you have to be realistic and you have to be able to sustain that because you don't want to start off providing all kinds of services and really getting back to them within three minutes. And then as you get bigger and you get busier, you can't maintain that. And then it may look like, well, your customer service has decreased. Well, what happened? They used to call me back in five minutes, and now I have to wait two days. And it's just like, what is actually realistic? Not just for you, but, like, for the business and what can be sustainable? So for me, I mean, I guess as a therapist, we always talk about boundaries, right? But you really have to practice what you preach. And it's like if I don't set boundaries, then I'm going to just be all over the place and then I won't be any good to my clients or to my team.
09:25 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be more of a word of wisdom or piece of advice. It might be something if you were to hop into a time machine, you would tell your younger business self.
09:38 - Myrja Paul
I would say a couple of things, I guess one would be, I think as a CEO it can be kind of lonely. So definitely tapping into other resources, talking to peers, talking to, just having some kind of consultation. I'm part of a couple of Facebook groups that are private practice owners and not just sticking with CEOs that are in your field, but also you can learn so much from other types of businesses as well. You know, even though it can be a loner kind, kind of job, but just kind of make sure that you're tapping into resources also, like, don't be afraid of having a product or service that somebody else may already have. Right.
So it's like sometimes you don't go for something because you think that, like, oh, well, you know, for example, like, our office is in PG county. It's like, do you know how many therapists are in PG county? So it's just like, why would mine be different? But it's just like, you do offer something different to people and that can be important, too. And I also heard somewhere that, like, well, think about fast-food restaurants, right? There could be a McDonald's, a Wendy's, and a Burger King, like, all in the same shopping center.
It's still fast food and they all sell burgers, but there's something different and unique about each of them. The other thing that I always remember is my therapist actually asked me one day, and she said, are you more afraid of success or failure? And my first, you know, first answer was like, oh, well, failure. Because that just makes sense, right? And that's appropriate to say you're scared of failure, that, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. But she was like, no success. And I was like, oh. And when I thought about it, I was like, you're absolutely right.
So sometimes when I want to go for something or I'm not sure if I should try this thing, I really sit with myself to say, are you afraid of success or failure? And then kind of tap into that and figure out where's that fear of coming from? And, you know, fear has held us back from doing a lot of different things. And so it's like, sometimes you just got to make sure that it's not the fear that's holding you back and really plan accordingly with that.
11:42 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, I love that you mentioned that. And we have a lot of nuggets there. So I absolutely love that because we have, like, a mountain of great information and knowledge and advice that you give. And I love that you talked about, you know, fear of success, because I think it's something that doesn't get as much, um, light, I guess, and it isn't. People aren't as aware of it, but a lot of times when we drill down, we. We don't want to go further. We start having that success, and you start to self-sabotage.
You do certain things because it's not that you're fearing failure, what quote-unquote change might come with that success, and really drilling down to make sure that you understand that, um, is absolutely huge. And I think that you know, going back to understanding that, you know, a lot of times, part of that success is doing what you do in the way that you do it and tapping into your secret sauce. As you mentioned, the burger, the burger king has a completely different secret sauce than the McDonald's one.
And understanding this is the thing that I do, and this, is what makes me unique. This is the. The thing that fuels me. This is the way that I have. This is the passion that I have. Sometimes it's completely different from the exact same, quote-unquote, service that somebody else is providing, and it's how you execute it, you know, in a completely different way. And I love being able to kind of tap into that community as well, too, because your community and being able to kind of lean on those in and outside of your industry, what is. What kind of makes you understand that you're not by yourself? And sometimes when days aren't the brightest, you realize that it's part of that journey, which I think is absolutely huge, too.
13:05 - Myrja Paul
Yeah, I agree. Totally.
13:07 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different, quote-unquote CEO's on the show. So, Mirage, what does being a CEO mean to you?
13:19 - Myrja Paul
So my first thought was, that it means being a leader, but I think it also means being part of a team at the same time. So I don't want to be a leader that doesn't stay humble or that doesn't identify with my team, because if I don't have them, then I don't have a business. Right. So it's like, just trying to keep company morale, trying to keep focus on the people that you serve, focus on your team. And that way it's like, yes, be a leader, but also remember that you're one with them as well. And if you can understand what their needs are, then you can help to provide that need for them as well.
14:01 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, I love that. And it kind of speaks to that servant leadership. And I think so many times we forget the different people that we're serving, that we're providing that support for. And often the work that we do, especially as leaders, creates a ripple effect. So if you are empowering and creating that environment for the people that are on your team, they're going to serve your clients on an even better level. And I think so many times we skip over them and we skip over our team, we forget about that aspect and we don't provide the impact that we could have.
14:31 - Myrja Paul
Yeah, absolutely.
14:33 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Mary, I truly appreciate all the awesome work that you're doing. Of course, appreciate the time that you took today. What I wanted to do was just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know and of course, how best they can get ahold of you and your team and find about all the awesome things that you're working.
14:48 - Myrja Paul
Not sure. So once again, we are soul counseling and consulting. We have an Instagram page, Ounseling Soul is spelled Sol. I named the company sold. It's kind of after the sun, you know, rising, shining, having a new chance at life. Hope, that kind of thing. You can go to our website www.solecounselingandconsulting.com. you can contact us that way. Again, we do individual services, and family services, trying to branch out a little bit into more self-care and things like that. So please keep an eye out for those types of things. And I guess my last nugget would be. What I've learned from starting this business a little over a year ago is to write your vision in pen, but your plan in pencil.
15:36 - Gresham Harkless
I love that. And we'll definitely have the links and information in the show notes as well too, so that everybody can get in touch with you. I truly appreciate you for the work that you do. I know it's something that is of a huge need. And I appreciate you for, again, you know, pouring from your cup and being able to kind of help so many people and reminding us of how important it is, especially to understand that we want to have that vision of what we want to do we want to have that? Why? But we don't want to get attached to the how. We want to write that and pen those plans in pencil because that's going to allow us to change and adapt and to grow as things have changed and adapted as we have seen around us. So I appreciate you for doing that and reminding us of how important that is, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
16:17 - Outro
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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