Meet Brooke Owens

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brooke Owens a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brooke, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?

Self care can take so many different forms. It isn’t just baths and massages. It can also look like holding myself accountable, reaching out for help from a friend, or allowing myself to cry even if it feels embarrassing. No matter what kind of care I might need in the moment I try to listen and tailor my care to what my body is saying and to dialogue with it with wisdom and compassion.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I own my own counseling clinic called More Life Counseling. I work with individuals and couples using a combination of somatic therapy, IFS, emdr and trauma-centered care. I work with a lot of religiously traumatized folks and people that are struggling with their sexuality and/or sexual shame. I also work with people exploring non monogamy or wanting to strengthen their sexual connection in their relationships. I love helping people connect back to their bodies and experience pleasure without shame!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Honestly I think that curiosity, an acceptance of failure, and connectedness to others are the traits I’ve worked the hardest to cultivate in myself and I *think* have helped me navigate through the world of mental health and starting my own business. I can often get frozen in a desire for perfectionism and sometimes stall growth for myself. I also tend to isolate when I feel I’m failing which cuts me off from support from others as well. It’s a constant work in progress for myself to accept and not judge failure as I (or anyone) does something new and will inevitably make mistakes. THAT’S OK! Mistakes are how we learn and they don’t mean anything about who you are, just that you’re trying.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel. I love all her books and podcasts. This book sparked my love for sex therapy. I think of the most stand out things I learned from that book is that desire is context specific and that every human has a desire for both closeness and autonomy. All relationships are trying to find the balance between these two things between individuals. Sometimes more distance is what’s needed to spark intimacy ironically.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spicycounselor/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@spicycounselor?lang=en