Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in mental wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ashley Ramstead, Co-Owner of Revitalizing Minds Project, located in Malibu, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Revitalizing Minds Project is comprised of colleagues and friends - Jacqueline Metcalfe and me. Together with our passion for creativity and experience in the creative arts field, we create the backbone of Revitalizing Minds Project and have brought you our ultimate passion project. Our mission is to enhance the lives of individuals who may be facing physical, emotional, and/or energetic difficulties managing their overall wellness. Revitalizing Minds Project focuses on the use of creative art forms along with traditional therapeutic practices to curate a safe space to express and process what it is that you might be moving through. By blending conventional and alternative approaches, our team draws from a variety of stylistic clinical techniques to create custom sessions catered to each individual client and their personal goals.
BIO:
Ashley Ramstead is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT113535) that specializes in Art Therapy. She received her Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Ashley has specialized training in Clinical Art Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and Trauma Recovery Yoga (T.R.Y Method). Her previous work experience includes intense individual treatment and group work at Sylmar Mental Health and Rehabilitation Center with individuals diagnosed with a variety of severe chronic mental illnesses, Ventura County Behavioral Health – Simi Valley Youth and Family Clinic as an outpatient therapist providing art therapy to youth and families in the Simi Valley, Moorpark and Ventura areas, Milestones Ranch in Malibu and a Program Therapist at Cliffside Malibu Outpatient Services working with individuals and groups struggling with polysubstance abuse disorders and dual diagnoses. Ashley enjoys utilizing the art process as a cathartic way to process major underlying issues related to the social, emotional, or behavioral aspects a client is struggling with. Aside from her employment experiences, she enjoys partaking in community activities and spending time with her family.
Jacqueline Metcalfe is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT93622) and Registered Art Therapist (ATCB 15-131). She completed her master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Clinical Art Therapy at Loyola Marymount University. Jackie has over 10 years of experience, and alongside her academic and work experiences in several community mental health agencies, she's developed the knowledge of mentoring and counseling couples, families, and individuals. Having been a counselor at special education schools for nearly 7 years, she is well versed in working with adolescents with moderate to severe mental health diagnosis. She is prepared and believes in offering comprehensive support services to clients from all backgrounds with a wide range of needs. As an Art Psychotherapist, she focuses on the art-making process as a therapeutic way to assist with emotional, behavioral, or any mental health-related problems. Jackie is an emerging Ecotherapist, which is a form of psychotherapy that believes our psyches are not separate from our environment and provides individuals with an opportunity to explore their relationship with nature.
Tell us about yourself
We firmly believe that wellness is a full-spectrum concept. We feel that in order to operate at our highest potential, our mental, physical, energetic, and nutritional health must be in balance. That's our mission, to help our clients find their way into a life full of balance through creative and supportive practices.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Creating Revitalizing Minds Project together and building our business and our friendship into what it has become today.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Setting aside our emotions and doing what is best for the business can always be a challenge. They say that you should never go into business with your friends, but I say I couldn't have picked a better friend to go into business with. Constant open communication and bouncing ideas off of each other are some of the most important things we can and must continue to keep up with. We each have established our roles within the company and have done so quite gracefully, and even in challenging times, we make sure to keep our friendship our priority and work hard together.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Always look at every opportunity as a learning opportunity - what can you take away from it, even if it was a challenge?
- Remember that it is okay to ask for help.
- Whatever you do, if you love it, keep going... hard work pays off.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.revitalizingmindsproject.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RevitalizingMindsProject
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RevitalizingMindsProject/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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