Meet Dr. Kathy Korell-Rach, Ph.D. | Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Barrel Racer, Mom, and Wife

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Kathy Korell-Rach, Ph.D. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Kathy, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
As a nation, we revel in the accounts of people who have the tenacity to overcome adversity. If you are old enough, you can clearly visualize posters on classroom walls of a kitten hanging from a rope proclaiming, “Hang in there!” We are drawn to accounts of the Thomas Edisons of the world with literally hundreds of inventions before one remarkable one comes along and shows the world their brilliance.

We SHOULD dream big, set huge goals, and attempt to smash through ceilings. Otherwise, true growth does not occur. We need persistence and resolve to break through the inevitable obstacles of life. At the same time, sometimes the best thing we can do is give up. That doesn’t sound very sexy, though. It can’t easily be printed on self-help cards or proclaimed by motivational speakers to sell their books.

When we are downtrodden, frustrated, and left feeling hopeless in the face of hindrances, it can be easy to give up. We want to be careful about falling into a life of regrets for risks not taken or mediocracy when we could have been great. However, what we also have to consider are the literally millions of stories where people sacrifice everything, including sanity and relationships, and never reach their goals. They wind up with hollow lives, full of a different kind of regret. The kind of regret where we feel guilty and embarrassed by how compulsively we strove toward a goal and wasted everything else along the way. The kind of regret filled with deathbed repentances of what will be on our epitaphs.

So, how do we know when to stay and when to stop? First of all, there are some things that we should never give up on. Namely, we should never give up on life; suicide is never a worthwhile option. We should also never give up on having relationships. We may need to give up on a specific relationship, but not on cultivating good ones. We should also never give up on self-improvement. An admirable feat is the ability reflect on previous versions of ourselves and recognize ways that we have developed.

Notwithstanding those issues, there are specific things that we can properly consider quitting. While oversimplified, I like to think about plugging various aspects of something into a “formula” of sorts and see how it computes out. Here are our variables:
A: How important is this to me?
B: How much do I stand to gain from sticking with it?
C: How likely is it that I will achieve it?
D: What do I need to sacrifice to make this a reality?
E. How important are each of those sacrificed things to me?

And this is our formula:

A X B
——– – (D X E)
C

When you start consistently getting net negative numbers, it’s time to consider stepping away from that thing you have been pursuing. Giving up might be for a game, a season, or a lifetime. Circumstances change, ideals shift, and pursuits evolve. Allowing yourself grace in letting go for however long is indicated does not mean you are a “loser” and is not shameful as long as it is thoughtful, realistic, and aligns with your values.

My family raised Quarter Horses and had a nationally-ranked barrel horse sire named Smoke N Sparks. Horses have always been a central part of my life; however, I put horses on pause to go to graduate school. Something had to give, and I “gave up” horses for a time in the pursuit of my degree. I resumed running barrels after the first few years of graduate school and became increasingly competitive again as I assumed my role in the community as a clinical psychologist. I started my private practice, Country Counseling, LLC, in 2013 to create flexibility to be both a psychologist and a competitive barrel racer. In 2015 and 2016, my mare, Smoke N Sunshine (affectionately known as “Shine”), won just about every major event I entered, including winning both the BBR World Championship and the Bonus Race World Championship. Balancing availability for clients and attending barrel racing events led to immense difficulties in upholding my high standards for myself as a psychologist. In 2017, I chose to close my practice in order to pursue professional barrel racing full time on the rodeo circuit. Alas, multiple injuries sidelined Shine’s (and subsequently, my) barrel racing career. After spending years of trying to rehabilitate her back to competition, it became clear that she would not be able to return to her glory, and I retired her to be fat and happy in my pasture. I could have bought finished horses or kept entering when I was not capable of winning, but that was not worth it to me.

In the wake of acknowledging that loss, my husband and I made another major life transition. Although neither of us had prior intentions of starting a family, we both spontaneously decided that we needed a child after 10 years of marriage. We now have a fearless, inquisitive, kind little boy who is the center of our lives. I’m so thankful that our circumstances pointed us to creating this beautiful life. It’s clear that God wanted him in this world and has big plans for him, so I’m grateful for the shift that made us aware of that need.

I resumed my private practice again in 2019, providing traditional psychological services and life coaching for rodeo and equine athletes, which combines my knowledge of horse sport and psychology. I continue to run barrels as my younger horses come of age and ability, and I enter races according to their merits.

At various points in my life, horses would “win.” At other times, my professional career would “win.” Today, I have a new balance between them alongside being a wife and mother; that balance is always shifting depending on circumstances. I walked away from a professional barrel racing career. I walked away from a private practice. I did so for both when my “formula” showed me that it was the healthy thing to do. I also came back to each when it was beneficial to do so again, and returned in the degree that was warranted. I suppose some could see me as being a “failure” in both pursuits, but I know that I have absolutely no regrets in halting either discipline when I did. I still grieved each as I left and had to restructure my sense of self and identity. Throughout it all, I have strived to maintain impeccable standards that are aligned with my values of integrity, discipline, and intrinsic human worth.

As your life brings changes and challenges, and you face similar choices of whether to stay the course or give up, know that any path chosen with wisdom and true reflection of the whole of the situation is going to be a great choice. Great choices often still come with a degree of bereavement for the dream no longer hotly pursued, and we can be kind to ourselves as we figure out that shifting paradigm.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I think that the main reason my practice is almost always full is simply because I treat clients the way that I would want to be treated as a client. You can’t go wrong with the “golden rule.” I do the things that seem so basic to me, such as returning phone calls and emails the same day (or at least the next when there are extenuating circumstances), collaborating with other treatment providers for continuity of client care, and offering a current client appointment times within the week. While this feels like it should be standard practice, I’m learning that it is often not.

I also take the time to educate myself when a client presents with a unique concern, and I actively find ways to adapt treatment protocols to best address that person’s intricacies. I’m a psychologist based in action, and I give homework designed to maximize someone’s time outside of session to more fully and effectively integrate the insights and changes made in sessions into real life. I aim to provide a balanced focus between sorting through daily stressors as well as those rooted in the past, and incorporate equal parts of learning strategies to manage and minimize distressing symptoms, identifying where those symptoms originate and shifting those historical aspects, and creating and pursuing intentional value-driven goals.

Colleagues have told me that I’ve earned a reputation in the community for being able to help those who have been unsuccessful in prior therapy attempts. Although I’m not entirely certain what I have done to deserve that status, I am grateful to be making meaningful contributions to my clients’ wellbeing and mental health.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Frankly, I’m a homebody. I love my house and the critters right here on my property. I spend hours in the saddle on the daily, and I relish in watching the hawks circle, yellow butterflies flitting around, and the sound of plodding hoofbeats as I walk through open spaces when I give my horses an “easy” day. One of my utter joys in life is when the Mountain Bluebirds migrate through here. I also don’t get many opportunities to have extended trips because of the menagerie of horses, ducks, cats, and a dog that I am blessed to have but am also anchored to with their needs. If someone visits, they get a lot of mundane so I’m not the best tour guide!

Loveland has some of the best restaurants, and I particularly like Henry’s, The Black Steer, and Mr. Chen Sushi. I’m also a fan of thrifting; who doesn’t love getting that name-brand sweater for a fraction of the cost? While it’s not a tour destination, I have a special fondness for the town of Berthoud. It feels like the towns of my youth in Wyoming, and we try to attend town celebrations. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because you get to make your own costume. I like being crafty and creative, so we always hit the Trick or Treat Street in Berthoud. It’s just wholesome to walk down the street with a community that supports small businesses and each other.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Gabriel Rach, has been my greatest ally and supporter in this wild ride of a life. His unconditional love and unwavering encouragement as he champions all my pursuits are what makes everything possible and worthwhile. I am exceptionally blessed by God to have Gerald and Iva Korell as my parents, who instilled the drive, the focus, and the ability to persevere and try hard to be a good person in the process.

Professionally, I owe a great deal to Dr. David Estes at the University of Wyoming and Dr. Thomas Petros and Dr. Doug McDonald at the University of North Dakota. All three of these spectacular men heartened me to push forward when I questioned whether becoming a psychologist was in the cards for me.

Finally, I have the utmost honor to have owned and ridden a slew of horses in my lifetime who have shaped me, taught me how to win and how to lose, and been safe places to cry, laugh, and be myself. They are: Smoke N Sunshine “Shine,” Tell Me Im Smoke N “Telly,” Julias Jewels “Julie,” I Be A Barjo Belle “Belle,” Perfection Pop “Cetra,” Sunshines Design “Sunny,” Smoke N By Design “Big D,” Isaw Legs Asmoken “Legs,” Sparks Perfect Spice “Spice,” Candys RhettButler “Rhett,” Twistex Jo “Jo,” Barjo Twist “Twister,” Im A Classy Barjo “Classy,” Lil Ivory Jane “Lilith,” Sunshines Skyroccket “Burnie,” and The Beige Bomber “BB.”

Website: https://countrycounselingllc.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CountryCounselingLLC

Image Credits
Lisa Mae Photography – Lisa Essen
Barrel Horse News & Pixel Worx
Piper Marsh Photos – Piper Marsh