Meet Mimi Connell (she/they) | Therapist and Nutritionist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mimi Connell (she/they) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mimi, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
When I think about work life balance, I think about the idea that when we take care of ourselves, we tend to have a great capacity to advocate and take care of others. For me, balance is concept that I am consistently checking in with myself about, and is a journey that has been more and more important as I’ve gotten older and more invested in my practice and career. When I find myself questioning my work life balance, I ask how connected I feel to myself (and others), and how grounded in my body do I feel? These are questions that years ago I wouldn’t know how to answer, but now I see how vital connection is both professionally and personally. For me, connection with others starts with connection with myself. I find when I am connected to myself, my capacity to connect with and hold space for others amplifies and brings me so much fulfillment and joy.

Connection for me typically looks like a variety of things that make myself me. A non-exhaustive list includes: time outside skiing, trail running, and marveling at wildflowers, making art, dancing, cooking, taking care of my cats (who you’ll probably see in our online therapy sessions) and chickens, giggling with friends, spending with mentors, other therapists, and my own therapist, all of which fills up my cup and allows me to show up as my most authentic self.

In a world where it can feel so tempting to check out, I want to make a conscious effort to check in and encourage other to do the same.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Headwater Therapy is a practice that specializes in providing therapy for those who would describe themselves as caregivers, people pleasers, have experienced trauma, or disordered eating, or are in the lgbtqia2s+ community. I offer many types of somatic (body oriented) therapies, in addition to traditional talk therapy, such as Internal Family Systems, EMDR, polyvagal and nature based therapy.

Something I am feeling excited about in this next year is continuing to grow my business by taking on new clients, and continuing to integrate recent education and training that I have completed in the last year. Specifically, the Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Institute certificate. This was a 100 hour program that further enhanced my understanding of how trauma impact us and our nervous systems, and how I as a therapist can facilitate spaces that are trauma informed and safe enough for people to effectively move reprocess these stored emotions and memories.

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.
Great question!
I feel incredibly grateful to be living in Leadville and love showing people around. I would start off by telling you to pop by Zero Day coffee, they have an amazing cardamon cortado that I will have any time I want an extra bit of caffeine. After that, I would recommend walking around Leadville and checking out some of our shops, you might already know Melanzana, but I would highly recommend checking out Galena Mountain Projects, and Harper Rose Art Gallery to name a few.

If it’s snowing, I would tell you to go take some laps at Ski Cooper, which is only 15 mins from town and only $45 for a day pass during the week days. Once you are finished up, make sure to stop by Tennessee Pass Cookhouse and grab a homemade cookie and hot cocoa.

If you’re here in the summer, I would take you to hike or bike on the trails in town! We have a great trail system in Lake County that is maintained by Could City Wheelers, a non profit dedicated to grow and preserve the cycling community in Leadville.

After our day of adventure, we’d probably want something tasty, so I would say to check out the High Mountain Pies, a Leadville staple! Whether you want a classic margarita or something more adventurous toppings wise, High Mountain Pies has the option for you.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The list I could make of humans (and pets) to shout out to is probably endless! I will try to keep it (somewhat) brief. I would start with my loving partner and our two cats, and their infinite support during two cross country moves, four years of grad school, starting my own business. Thank you for holding space for all the tears, laughs and psychological sighs along the way.
Professionally, thank you for all my supervisors, Rachel Miller, Sondra Beres, and Laura Durkin. Thank you all for sharing your wisdom, experience and helping my growth as a clinician and human. All my friends who have been with me and bore witness to growth I’ve been through in the last 10 years. There are too many to name but I feel incredibly grateful and privileged to have such a force of a team surrounding me.

Lastly, thank you to my client’s, who none of this would be possible without. Thank you for trusting me with your story. As cheesy as it sounds, it is truly an honor to be apart of your journey.

Website: https://headwater-therapy.com