Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jana Giliberto. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jana, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
Some of my favorite self-care activities are meditating, engaging in therapy and energy healing, reading, creative activities, spending time outside in nature, setting and maintaining boundaries with myself and others, getting adequate sleep, drinking lots of water, journaling, and spending time with high-vibrational friends.
It’s easy in this culture to get busy, run out of time to spend on ourselves, and allow our tanks to get too low. Yes, I am speaking from experience. I have personally had to learn to be intentional with my self-care and prioritize my own health and well-being because I’m not as helpful to others if my tank is on empty. And it has had to become a non-negotiable on my schedule, because when I mindfully take time to engage in these activities, I keep my tank full, and I am able to show up wholeheartedly for myself and the people I care about. I can show up for everyone with more presence and intentionality. I can show up with less reactivity and more connectivity as a parent. I can show up with more clarity to help my clients work through their issues.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida. I am also an energy healer; Reiki Master, and certified in the Emotion Code, Body Code, and Belief Code. I am currently in the process of opening a private practice to provide telehealth services. I am super excited to be able to incorporate energy healing practices within therapy sessions in order to facilitate a higher level of healing and growth for my clients. I have sat in the chairs and done the work, and continue to do the work. I am passionate about taking what I have learned through education, training, and personal experience, and walking alongside my fellow humans while holding space and guiding them to discover their own magic.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Openness. Man, when I first started in my profession, I was on a mission to save the world and you couldn’t tell me anything. I was young and ambitious and needed to shut up and listen more. It took a few hard lessons, and I learned to. I learned that there isn’t always just one right way to a positive outcome. I learned that what I knew was just the tip of the iceberg and I had infinitely more to learn. And I am still learning. I discovered that I could learn from absolutely every person and every situation. I just had to learn to be open to hearing what other people had to offer. I had to be open to seeing other perspectives. I had to be open to trying new things. I had to be open to trying and failing. I had to be open to accepting my limitations and asking for help.
Alignment. I can look back now and see where I tried to do this in my early career. You know, that part where I knew it all and was out to save the world. I was quickly shrunk down and put in my place, and that alignment with my true beliefs was stifled by some toxic work environments and being fired for doing the right thing. My upbringing and experiences had taught me how to become a chameleon who could blend into any situation and fly below the radar. I stifled my truth out of fear of losing another job. I can see how every time I tested the waters and popped back up, I was knocked right back down like a game of whack-a-mole. It can be so hard to hold onto under certain circumstances, but I wish I had continued to push back. From this new, enlightened perspective, I wish I had trusted myself and held strong to my sense of self, because you get lost in not doing so. It seeped from my professional life to my personal life and affected my relationships. That being said, it is never too late to find yourself and alignment, and you are totally worth it.
Forgiveness. Of one’s self and others. Life will give you plenty of opportunities for practice with this one. Carrying resentments, or beating yourself up over your mistakes, only serves to hold you down and keep you small. You have a choice and you have the power. There is always an opportunity to do the healing work to let things go, or continue to carry the weight of those burdens to your own detriment. Let shit go. Leave it in the past. Carrying it on does not make you stronger or better in any way, it just eats away at you.
My advice. Do therapy. All kinds of therapy. Really dig in and get to know yourself. Learn how to love yourself and take care of your needs. Be vulnerable. Be authentic. Be wholehearted. Heal the hurts and learn to let them go. Take the lessons and transmute them into something magical. See an energy healer and release negative energy. Find your people. The ones you can be vulnerable with. The ones who hold space for you and don’t judge. The ones who empower you.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Self-love. Life is such a journey. The growth and learning never end. Sometimes everything feels really hard, and it’s easier to just keep things the way they are rather than upsetting the delicate balance, even if it is unhealthy and holding us back. Sometimes our attentions are focused in other directions and we don’t notice the unhelpful patterns we have slipped into. Sometimes the dividing lines between healthy and toxic can be hard to identify without an outsider’s vantage point. Sometimes when you’re in it, you just can’t see it. And then how do you find your way back out? Awareness. Acceptance. Self-forgiveness. And heaps of self-love. I love me and this arrangement no longer serves my highest good. I love me and this is the boundary I will set to be able to love me and you at the same time. I love me and I know I can do this; I know I have a lot to bring to the table. I love me and I deserve better.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/janagilibertolmhc?mibextid+2JQ9oc
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jana-giliberto-lmhc-9337b61a8
- Booking: https://calendly.com/jana-giliberto
