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

Hi Michela, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I find this question so interesting, because we all have our own relationships to risk that are deeply rooted in our upbringing and intertwined with the narratives we have running through our heads each day.

What I have found is that despite my own personal traumas and anxieties I am not risk adverse. In fact, I would say that I am the opposite in that I trend toward finding risk. These can feel somewhat opposing at times and can cause inner stress. However, my ability to confidently look at risk and remind myself of the thrill that could accompany it has grown to be one of my favorite qualities of myself.

As a child, I was incredibly self conscious, a perfectionist and a caretaker (shocker that I would end up owning a business in mental health right? ;)). These qualities were largely internal for me. I thought the more I could navigate my internal struggles on my own, the more that I could move past them. This proved to be ineffective, though, and the coping mechanism I developed instead was to throw myself in somewhat impulsive and challenging situations throughout my later teenage and early adult years. Running a pizza shop at 16, moving to Italy on a one way ticket at 20, some wild late nights out that may would have seen as out of my character…these experiences all thrust me into the present. And though they were seen as “risky” they were actually when I felt most alive. These times of my life I look back on as the most present, vulnerable, and honest moments I have had with myself.

All of these moments took me out of anxiety, perfectionism and caretaking of others. I was focused on my own self growth, adventure and ability to feel rather than think my way through life. And this has translated into my time as a therapist and business owner in mental health.

It is risky to open a business independently. You are betting on yourself. You are investing money in yourself. You are choosing to tell yourself that no matter what is thrown at you, you will continue to manage it and grow. You are choosing independence and creativity and rebellion from the narratives of prior bosses and corporate America. This is all a risk. It is a risk, however, that has made me feel more alive despite stumbling through a good portion of it. I have found that settling on making money on a large business’s timeline in a way that they feel fits their goals doesn’t resonate with me as deeply as creating programs for mental health and healing from what started as just ideas and dreams.

While I understand this type of a risk is not for others, and that I still have much to learn, I have found that thrusting myself into risk keeps me present and connected and is ultimately a more honest way for me to live than the alternative.

What should our readers know about your business?
Connected Brain Counseling is a small, locally owned private practice for counseling and neurofeedback. We take a multi-modal approach to helping adult women process trauma though we have clients of all ages and genders! We have proven results in treating trauma, anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, insomnia and more with our average client seeing a 30-70% reduction in symptom severity (all self reported!) by the end of their time working with us.

With over 80% of our practice being devoted to women who have experienced trauma, we know a thing or two about how your brain as a woman works. Whether you have anxiety that is keeping you up at night, brain fog, hypervigilance, codependent relationships, a hard time focusing, or just a hard time feeling the joy you desire…we are confident in our ability to help you feel more like, well, you!

One of our clients submitted the generous statements below. We feel it is indicative of our average client’s experience and love to hear success stories. “After a number of traumatic events several years ago, I suffered bouts of anxiety and PTSD. Recently, I began having headaches and found myself tired a lot, even when getting what should have been enough sleep. Michela completed a brain map, which showed scientifically what was happening to cause these symptoms. It was enlightening and validating; it made me feel less crazy and gave me a clear pathway forward. I am halfway through my neurofeedback training program, and quickly noticed increased energy levels, faster processing and the ability to slow down my anxiety.”

We are most proud of our ability to hold space for women in Denver. We understand how navigating hormones, pregnancies, relationships, traumas, body image, self esteem…the list goes on…can so greatly impact this portion of our community. We believe in womens’ natural abilities to create, heal and love and we feel honored to be able to pour ourselves back into the women surrounding us.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oof, such a great question! We would start with a workout at Fierce45 (my favorite Pilates studio!) and then head to a brunch somewhere with a good view of downtown – probably Avanti in the Highlands! After that, I would take them up to Evergreen for a walk around Evergreen Lake and a beer somewhere downtown. We would visit some other cute mountain towns then head out to the Edgewater Beer Garden for an early dinner with a walk around Sloan’s Lake at sunset for some more pretty views. The more time outside, the better!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk changed the way I looked at mental health, trauma and the body in a way that I cannot begin to describe here. Not only that, but I have clients who continuously are referred to looking into neurofeedback programs because of his work. I have immense gratitude for his work and know it will continue to impact the lives of many other individuals

Website: www.connnectedbraincounseling.com

Instagram: @connectedbraincounseling

Linkedin: Connected Brain Counseling

Image Credits
Eedy Photo

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.