Meet Julie Jacobs | Psychologist, Attorney, and Risk Management Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Jacobs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My initial thought process was “no way!” I was never interested in starting a business and always assumed I would work for other people throughout my career. When I decided to go to law school at 39 years old, my older brother kept saying “you need to hang your own shingle” and I would laugh and respond that I am not a business person and don’t know enough to run my own company.

Then I started to work at a firm and had a realization one day that because of my unique background and experience, they needed me more than I needed them. It also became clear fairly quickly that I was not the typical attorney and that I value relationships with my clients far more than I value extracting as much profit from my work as possible – not a popular opinion at most law firms!

So, I took the plunge – a very calculated risk – and I have never looked back.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My professional life has been a journey that I would never have imagined possible. My initial plan was to become a psychologist to help people – I had struggled myself with some mental health issues as a teen and wanted to help others overcome their own struggles. When I graduated with my Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology), I got a job at a small practice in a very rural part of West Virginia – a universe away from where I grew up in Miami – and expected to work as a therapist in private practice. This was in 2000, and things were humming along well until September 11, 2001. I lived about 45 minutes from the site of the plane crash in Pennsylvania and about 2 hours from DC, so the impact of the 9/11 attacks was immediate and local. I didn’t know what to do, but knew that I had to do something, so I decided (much to the shock of my family and friends) that I would join the military as a psychologist – it was all I knew to do.

After completing my active duty commitment, I went to work at The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, SC. Then came the burnout – 9 years of working within military systems as a bit of a bleeding heart liberal was wearing me down, and I needed a change. I learned about the Post 9/11 GI Bill while working at The Citadel and decided to make another huge change – why not go to law school at 39?

I dragged my husband with me to Boulder and went to CU Law, without a clear idea of what the heck I was going to do with a law degree. Over time, I decided to do what I knew best – work with mental health providers. I started to focus on risk management and legal issues for therapists and found my niche.

The rest, as they say, is history. I took a few calculated risks and started my practice in 2017. I work exclusively with mental health providers, helping them set up and maintain their practices in an ethical and risk-managed way. I have the freedom to work the way I want to work – focusing on relationships with my clients and helping them help others through their mental health practices.

One of the most important things I have learned along the way is that you never know where life will take you, and you need to stay open to opportunities and challenges that the universe brings your way. My professional life has been one unexpected detour after another, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in beautiful Lyons, Colorado, and I have everything I need right here to show my loved ones the best time ever! I am an avid music lover, so I would definitely take them to Rocky Mountain Folks Festival at Planet Bluegrass – what better way to live than to camp along the St. Vrain river in the summertime and listen to live music for days on end? If the timing is right, we might even be able to join a bluegrass jam with KC Groves, Emma Rose, or one of the many incredibly talented musicians in Lyons.

Then how about a picnic at Laverne Johnson Park? There is an active golden eagle nest right on the cliff, so we can watch the eagles feed their babies while we listen to the water, then maybe hop in a tube and head down the river.

I always take folks to downtown Lyons to hit the shops there, and we can even do the walking art tour through town . More live music, you say? Oskar Blues, MainStage, Diner Bar, The Rock Garden at A-Lodge – we can do a musical tour of Lyons.

I suppose some people might want to leave Lyons at some point, so I may be willing to take a day trip down to Denver, maybe hit Meow Wolf (because, wow!) then dinner at Blue Bonnet to finish the day.

There are too many hikes and camping trips to even try to outline, but any guest of mine can be sure to spend time in the mountains and foothills with me, Sean, and our pit bull, Boozoo.

Life is good:)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people who have influenced my journey, I have no illusions that I would have done this without the confidence that others have shown in me over the years.

My husband, Sean, has been my biggest fan for 20 years now and has always believed that I could do more than I believe I can.

My brother, David, planted the entrepreneur seed and kept trying to nurture it until I finally gave in.

And Jana Martin, the CEO of The Trust, accepted a phone call from me when I was basically a random first year law student and was utterly gracious and generous to me. She believed in my potential and has helped me get to where I am today.

Website: https://www.julieajacobspc.com/

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-jacobs-8347a452

Image Credits
Stuart Benas took the absurd one of me sticking out my tongue. Totally unprofessional and inappropriate, just like me! 🙂