We recently connected with Ginny Kappel and have shared our conversation below.
Ginny , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I’ve developed my confidence and self-esteem over time, through experience, pain, failure, support and healing. Like most skills or qualities, they are learned, not necessarily inherent. When I reflect on this question, I think about self-acceptance first. If I don’t accept myself as I am, how can I truly be confident? Another major consideration is thinking through scenarios that make me feel like my best self. Once I stopped trying to fit in with people or groups, I started belonging. Once I started feeling like I belong, I gained much more confidence.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I own a private practice called Down to Earth Coaching where I offer Life Coaching and Therapy services. I specialize in treating anxiety disorders and have helped hundreds of people. I’m so excited to have two years of success as a business owner. It’s been a wonderful journey so far. In fact, it’s been so successful and rewarding that I’m joining forces with a lifelong friend and now business partner. Together, we have created Bloom Mind + Body Co. My business partner, Michelle Bloyd-Fink and I have recognized a need in the community. As two women that are on lifelong journey of health and wellness, we realize there’s a need for more support in this realm within our own community. With my education and background in counseling and coaching, paired with Michelle’s years of experience and amazing skill in massage we have a lot to offer. We are so passionate about this mission, but the best part is how excited our circle of colleagues, friends, clients and family are!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Persistence. Some dreams work out, some ideas are exciting and then fizzle out. But it’s important to press on and keep trying new things. Being patient and flexible while being persistent has served me well as a business owner, counselor and dreamer at heart. This one can be a hard quality or skill to have because you may have to push through your own mental barriers. I’ve overcome a lot of self-doubt by being persistent. I often remind myself that success only comes from failing multiple times first. Staying humble through challenges and failed attempts allows me to get back up and try again.
Grace. Extending compassion to myself is a learned behavior over time that has come from maturity, experience and hard lessons learned. As a former perfectionist, along with my personal journey of anxiety, giving myself grace has been a life changing skill to develop. Grace is validating, supportive and encouraging. It’s being there for yourself even if others are not. It does not mean making excuses, but allowing yourself to show up better tomorrow. I’ve noticed many times over the years that I’ve had to consciously choose grace rather than being hard on myself and I think it’s served me well. I teach my clients how they can care for themselves in this way too.
Perspective. This is the root of everything I do. The work I do, the lessons I teach others and the way I view life. All day, every day we are dealing with situations. We may have control, but most times we have a lot less control in situations than we realize. The one thing we will ALWAYS have control over is the way we think about it. Once you realize that, life is a little less uncertain and becomes more manageable. Questions that often help me adjust my perspective are: “what did I learn from that?” “How can I use that to help others?” “How might someone else thing about this?” “What would I tell a friend that was in this same situation?” This does not necessarily mean I always think positively, it does mean however, that I’m going to choose a healthy, helpful, and true view point rather than the alternative.
When it comes to these three qualities: persistence, grace and changing perspectives, I would suggest a few things for those starting out in their journey. The first is to consider how you might become more self-aware. It could be through journaling, meditating, talking with friends, or my favorite, working with a counselor. Someone that is self-aware is much more likely to recognize their pitfalls as well as their goals. Once you know those things, you can determine how you will best work toward your goals. Another suggestion is to quit comparing yourself to others. No two journeys are the same. Your day 1 might be someone else’s day 50. Don’t compare, it will only derail you. With that being said, who inspires you? What do you like about them and how can you fit those qualities into your own journey? If you aren’t ready to work with a counselor, a simple practice for a more empowering approach in your life is to start each morning with an intention and end each evening with a reflection. Do that for a month straight and I guarantee you will learn so much about yourself!
How would you describe your ideal client?
A typical client characteristic that I love to work with is simply someone that wants to get better. Sometimes that means they are overwhelmed and don’t know how or where to start, they just know they want to feel better. Other times clients are well on their way but don’t physically, emotionally or mentally feel well and need extra support. When clients bring their journal or notebook to a session, I’m immediately inspired to give them the best parts of me because they are ready to learn and they show up for themselves. It’s such a privilege to sit across from them and offer my time, energy, knowledge and support. Many times clients come to me because they relate to something from my website, profile or referral source. I tend to connect with clients on at least one relatable circumstance i.e. parenting, anxiety, holistic health and wellness, optimism, etc. Those genuine connections are such a valuable boost to building an effective relationship. And as most people know, building that rapport sets the foundation for all the amazing work to follow!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ginnykappel.com
- Instagram: Ginny_DowntoEarth and BloomMindBodyCo
- Facebook: Down to Earth Coaching Bloom Mind + Body Co.
Image Credits
Davion Sanderson
