Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michael Russell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Michael, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?
If your employer informs you that you must be at work at 9am, every individual never forgets that mandate and majority of individuals ensure they are at work for 9am; why should I show up for someone else and not myself? Excuse or not, employers don’t accept that traffic was bad, then why am I accepting such things from myself? Why should I accept that I’m too tired to attend the gym at 5am or I’m too tired to cook and order out? This is the origin of my self-discipline. Through-out my adult years I recognized how I could show up for an employer, but not stay as disciplined for myself; thus I decided I can’t do more for others than I am willing to do for my self. As such, I began to view and treat myself as my own employer.
I recognized that there were times I over leveraged myself for others, but couldn’t find the time or motivation to input the same energy for myself. I learned that I had to cultivate my “why” from pure internal motivation. Currently, I’m driven by own desire to achieve my goals; it isn’t linked to any external motivation such as a societal standard, a cultural narrative, to overcome generational limitations, or to influence the perspective of others. The criteria for those factors can change at any time; I will always have self and as such, my discipline and motivation will remain consistent because it’s internal.
Lastly, my self-discipline comes from my own self-love. To be loyal to myself, to hold myself accountable, to show up in the hard times, or to show up regardless of my emotional state, is a love that one can’t imagine unless your actively engaging in it. Self-care and wellness is how you maintain one’s self from burnout and rejuvenate, but self-discipline is how you show love and how you acknowledge your worth. In finding my purpose and understanding my own value, it allowed for my self-discipline grow
Ultimately, my self-discipline is comprised of these aspects. I believe it has allowed me to achieve great accomplishments; from my masters degree to now being a business owner. In order to live a life of satisfaction and fulfillment, self-discipline is an essential
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Michael Russell, I’m 32 years old, and I was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. I obtained a dual bachelor’s in psychology and human development & family studies from UCONN and my master’s in social work from Fordham University. I’m a poet, gym enthusiast, and full-time entrepreneur. Currently, I am the Founder & CEO of Therapy & You, a NY based, private practice that provides mental health services with authentic care and the latest in evidence-based practices to provide long term solutions and change to the mental health community without compromising quality.
I’ve spent the last 14 years dedicated to the mental health field. My purpose through this time was to hone my clinical techniques/interventions, gain first-hand experience with various populations/demographics, and to bring about long-lasting change to those I served. Therapy & You is a symbol and accumulation of this experience and dedication to improving mental health. One thing about Therapy & You is our vision of normalizing the presence of in everyday spaces.
Therapy & You provides various modalities of therapy, and we serve all demographics while allowing patients to feel safe, supported, and understood on their journey to reach their full potential and resolve their concerns. Some of our initiatives include support groups and yoga classes as supportive tools patients can engage in. Additionally, we are currently expanding to bring on more competent and passionate therapist to serve the mental health community.
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?
I believe this journey that I embarked on was one that tested me but is one I wouldn’t trade anything for. However, I had to cultivate the right skillset and knowledge to be successful. Stoicism, appreciation, and patience; these three concepts had the most impact on my day to day, which became the building blocks of the journey. I actively had to practice these concepts until they became second nature.
Stoicism can be viewed as learning to control what you can and having the perspective that situations/things are neither good nor bad. Cultivating this mindset was essential for I never knew what was coming my way as an entrepreneur. It provided me assistance in learning where to invest my energy and time. Additionally, it taught me how to not personalize situations or become overly arrogant of any accomplishments.
Appreciation was essential because it allowed me to fall in love with the process and journey. I was able to appreciate the moments that went as planned and those where things went astray; I was able to use each to grow and learn from vs. the short-lived celebrations or unexpected feelings of despair. By being appreciative and focusing on lessons I was able to reproduce easier what was working and adjust what wasn’t. This ultimately resulted in long term progress.
Patience is a concept that many discuss but aren’t always aware of its impact. I had to learn how to be patient and allow time/processes to take their natural course. Insurance claims, contracts, finding the right person for a task, licensure, experience, results, debt reduction, and more are just a few things I had to learn can’t be rushed. Furthermore, that patience brought about focus and intentionality. I learned how to remain still and not divide my focus or resources due to impatience.
For those early in the journey, I highly recommend adopting or learning more about stoicism, appreciation, and patience. To truly develop these, I believe one must take the time to practice each in their field, in their line of work, or in their free time. It becomes harder to develop and utilize when one only relies on these concepts in moments that are negative or testing. I guarantee anyone it will improve the emotional and mental well-being.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Therapy & You is always looking to collaborate with others regarding mental health; it takes a village/community to enact long lasting change. Our vision is to normalize the presence and conversations around mental health and networking in today’s technological age is one of our strongest tools. We are looking for opportunities to speak to young adults who may have questions regarding their emotions, to speak to those who are marginalized and don’t feel heard/seen, to attend or host events to give back to the community, to educate those who may not understand mental health, to show up and create spaces for people to feel safe, and more. We are open to speaking engagements, events, schools, hospitals, and projects. We are willing to collaborate with leaders, community advocates, other practitioners, private practices, non-profits, small businesses, and individuals who are looking for change. Lastly, even thou we are NY-based, that doesn’t stop us from collaborating with those out of state. We do vet and assess opportunities and collaborations to ensure there are clear goals, objectives, and understanding of whats to be expected. We can be reached at the following:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 914-342-7020
Fax: 914-342-7021
Contact Info:
- Website: www.therapyandyou.org
Image Credits
Tyquan Evans
