We recently connected with Dr. ReBecca Heckl and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. ReBecca, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
Overcoming or avoiding burnout differs for each person, much like self-care. For some, self-care may be sleeping in and reading their favorite book, while others may enjoy going out and doing activities. For me, to overcome burnout, I had to focus on the self-care that was best for me, long-term. The doctoral process is an in-depth degree taking up much of someone’s time. For several years I had to ensure I was getting enough sleep, enough music, and enough fresh air in my day. I also had to ensure I spent an hour every evening relaxing and meditating.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As a Psychologist, I spend my time dedicated to helping others and love to see others thrive and discover their best self. As the President of a local LGBTQIA+ nonprofit, West Coast Pride, in Florida, I’m also able to use my expertise to provide resources and coordinate events for those within their area seeking support and socialization.
We are a growing organization and strive to bring unity to the community and welcome new supporters and performers to join. We host socials throughout the year and enjoy aligning with local LGBTQIA+ communities to further expand support systems and visibility for all interested.
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?
The qualities and skills that were most impactful on my journey were dedication, patience, and persistence. If someone is early in their journey to obtaining their dreams, it is important to develop a system of ensuring that priorities are in order, as life occurs and things come up on our journey. It assists in staying the course.
Having a daily routine of dedication and determination is key to reaching both small and large goals. It allows for the momentum to begin and the process to have a workable plan.
Being kind and patient with themselves in achieving their goals is also a key to success. Learning from any failures is as valuable as enjoying and celebrating the wins.
Persistence is also key because if it were easy everyone would do it, so by sticking with it and trusting that the hard work pays off, an individual’s originality, creativity, and passion will stand out,
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
West Coast Pride is welcome to collaborate with other nonprofits, LGBTQIA+ organizations, and anyone interested in becoming involved. We seek to expand our resources to reach as many as possible and to become a beneficial and vital role for many in the state of Florida.
We provide services that range from medical information to legal connections. We seek the expertise of professionals ranging from the fields of medical, legal, educational, and more, to further advance their services by offering them to the local LGBTQIA+ community.
If anyone is interested in connecting, supporting, or networking, please reach out directly to [email protected] and/or WestCoastPride.org.
We are on several social media platforms and look forward to assisting anyone with any interest.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.westcoastpride.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestCoastPrideInc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/west-coast-pride
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/west-coast-pride-homosassa
