B.O.O.S.T. Podcast
B.O.O.S.T. Podcast
The Messy Magic of Human Connection: Alison Sullivan on Mental Health & Leadership | EP159
How can business leaders strengthen relationships, navigate challenges, and maintain balance—all while staying true to themselves? In this episode, we chat with Alison Sullivan, a therapist, speaker, and consultant who has helped hundreds of women reclaim their voices and align with their deepest dreams.
Alison shares powerful insights on integrating mental health principles into professional relationships, overcoming obstacles, and the transformative impact of self-care. If you're looking to lead with authenticity and build meaningful connections, this conversation is a must-listen.
LinkedIn: https://alisonsintegrativehealth.org/
Website: https://alisonsintegrativehealth.org/
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It can be both true that you have opposing beliefs with this person that you have to intersect with and also possible to find common ground to get the task done. All of that can exist in the same place. And what's really interesting about that in groups and in working with individuals is that simple shift of perspective usually de-escalates conflict and opens up creative opportunities for solutions that you can't see if things have to be either this or that.
SPEAKER_02:That was Alison Sullivan. She's my childhood friend, a therapist, speaker, and consultant of Alison Sullivan and Associates where she's helped hundreds of women reclaim their voices and use their personal power and alignment with their deeply held dreams. In this episode, Alison shares strategies to optimize relationship I'm Kelly Leonard, and this is The Boost Podcast.
SPEAKER_00:Welcome to The Boost Podcast, the podcast created to ignite your business and career potential. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur launching your entrepreneurial journey, an established business leader, or early career professional, we've got you covered. In each episode, host Kelly Leonard and her guests dive into one aspect of of Kelly's signature Boost Framework, ensuring you get practical, actionable insights, tips, and takeaways to build your brand, optimize relationships, obtain more leads, secure thought leadership space, and tap into new markets. Get ready for bite-sized, power-packed interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders. Greatness awaits you. So let's boost together. And now, here's Kelly Leonard.
SPEAKER_02:Hey there, Allison. Welcome to the Boost Podcast.
SPEAKER_03:I'm so thrilled to be here with you, Kelly.
SPEAKER_02:I'm excited for you being here too. And so for folks who are meeting you for the very first time, share a bit about
SPEAKER_03:yourself. My name is Allison Sullivan. I'm a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Virginia. And I have a private practice in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I work primarily in the area of trauma with women. I host all kinds of workshops, retreats, groups, all the good things.
SPEAKER_02:Awesome. Thank you for that. And so I know your practice focuses on an integrative approach to mental health. How can entrepreneurs and business leaders apply these integrative approaches and principles to optimize their professional relationships?
SPEAKER_03:They can do that in a really simple way. I view integrative health from a mind, body, spirit lens, also from a person in environment. And that matters because when we can factor in not only who a person is, is, but the context of their environment, factors that influence their life, have historically influenced their life, then we have a broader, wider understanding of who they are. When we have a broader, wider understanding of who they are, we can optimize relationships through optimizing communication.
SPEAKER_02:And so practically speaking, what's a like, what's a way like if I'm meeting someone for the first time, and when we're thinking about, you know, when you talk about mind, body, spirit, and understanding other folks's like their lived experiences and things like that, what's a practical way that you see that playing out in building relationship with people?
SPEAKER_03:That's a great question. I think we typically go to when we're meeting somebody for the first time, small talk questions like, hey, you know, what do you do? How have you been enjoying the weather? You know, simple things like that. I think if we change that up a bit and ask people, you know, what's something fun you've done recently? Where have you traveled to? What kind of food are you into right now, then it gives us all kinds of openings to start to understand in a deeper way who that person is.
SPEAKER_02:And so even from that perspective, like what advice would you have have for business leaders who are facing challenges in their relationships with like either clients or their colleagues? Like how can they navigate these difficulties effectively?
SPEAKER_03:Challenges just happen in relationships. And I don't know anybody really, myself included, who really enjoys those things. I don't think any of us are like, woohoo, got some good conflict going on. Love when this happens. It's just not, it's not what we want to deal with. And so I think sometimes reactively or reflexively, we try to avoid those types of things, move around it, smooth it over, bypass it. The problem with that is that it just really pushes the problem into the future, sometimes in a bigger way. So I think People can approach this from a perspective of listening. When we listen to understand, then we figure out where common ground is. We're really well-versed in our worldview, our point of view. And many times conflict happens because there's just a difference in a point of view. So when we can really understand another person's perspective, then it's pretty easy to find that common ground to build on.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, so our view, we don't have video. So our viewers can't see me giving you the side eye right now. Because right now, more than ever, like, With the climate, like when we talk about listening to seek understanding that we should, I would hope, be able to find some sort of common ground. And the reality is, is we're living in a time that. like relationships are really on the brink because, um, people are like 10 toes down on, this is what I stand for. This is, so how do, how do we realistically even navigate that type of challenge when we like diametrically oppose what someone else may think, feel, believe? Um, yeah, but, but yet and still we need to like, this could be, let's say it's a colleague. Let's say it's, you know, in a work environment, it could be a client, it could be someone that you lead in the business, or maybe it's your leader in the business. So what are practical ways that we approach where we are right now?
SPEAKER_03:Well, how much time do we have? I mean, yeah, let's just dive right in. So That is the reality that we're all living in. And there's not a simple answer for that. I think a useful framework to start from is moving away from dualistic thinking to a more non-dualistic approach. What you know simply you can think of as both and it can be both true that you have opposing beliefs with this person that you have to intersect with and also possible to find common ground to get the task done all of that can exist in the same place and what's really interesting about that in groups and in working with individuals is that simple shift of perspective usually de-escalates conflict and opens up creative opportunities for solutions that you can't see if things have to be either this or that.
SPEAKER_02:I appreciate what you're sharing. And yeah, I definitely appreciate that perspective. And, you know, a part of me is always like,
SPEAKER_03:but this is... Yes. So it's important to make room for that too. When we make room for all of it, then we have a better vantage point to see what we need to see related to the role we're in in that situation. I think the interesting thing that can happen sometimes with that approach is that you see a part of a person you wouldn't see before. You see maybe a glimpse of... common humanity that isn't really readily visible.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and that's good. And it takes time too, right? I think that's where we get tripped up is that oftentimes, especially in business, it's like you're so you're in these systems where you're working to whether it's a deadline or something. And so it's like building meaningful connection with people takes time. It takes time and attention. It takes energy. And oftentimes when we find ourselves in these spaces, it's like, well, you know, you are making a choice who you want to exert energy towards. with or receive energy from. And so I think it's really easy to fall into this place where it's like, it's almost becomes like a protective mechanism as well to just say, well, yeah, I could do what Allison suggested, but the quick way for me to respond to this is to just disconnect, which isn't healthy either, right? Because I feel, and especially for people who are really feeling people and who are really People, people, it really hurts you to your core because you're like, oh, I'm so sad that I can't be your friend anymore. So like, yeah, so it's navigating those spaces as well.
SPEAKER_03:It's navigating those spaces and it really is. I think the veil has been pulled back on this, this illusion that there are simple fixes. There are easy solutions. There are quick workarounds. Those just don't exist in our messy human experience. Things are complicated. Things are uncertain. Things certainly aren't reasonable and don't make sense sometimes. And so we, In the midst of these deadlines, in the midst of these competing priorities, when we can also understand that we can slow down a bit to listen more deeply, we can open our perspective to see what else is there that maybe we haven't seen before? Does it mean that we're turning away from what we need to get done? It doesn't mean that we're betraying ourselves or our values. It just means, honestly, that we're cultivating the capacity for more complexity.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I appreciate that. And so let's talk about self-care. You emphasize the importance of self-care in your practice. So how does taking care of oneself impact the quality of professional relationships? And then what self-care practices do you recommend?
SPEAKER_03:So I had an argument with one of my grad school professors about this, and I just wouldn't back down about this. I firmly believe you can only meet people as deeply as you've met yourself.
SPEAKER_01:There's
SPEAKER_03:just no way that that can't be how connection happens. And so if you're not caring for yourself, understanding yourself more deeply, then that's going to impact how you show up in everything you do. And unfortunately, self-care has gotten really distorted in media. We look at self-care as spa treatments, an afternoon lunch, a brunch with people. And while those things at times may be self-care, self-care is really something deeper and more profound. It's and it often actually is broken down into components of our life self-care can be related to relational self-care emotional self-care physical self-care financial self-care so it's hard for me to give tips but i can say that when you take the time to really understand okay where do I need care in my life? Do I need connection? Do I need to journal because I'm overwhelmed and all the thoughts are, I can't get all the thoughts in my head. Do I actually need to go to therapy? Do I need to sit down and write a budget out because I'm just spending, spending, spending? If we try to put a Band-Aid where a wound doesn't exist, it's not going to care for the wound. And so we have to understand to actually care for ourselves where we need the care.
SPEAKER_02:Wow. And so how do we even identify... that like what does that process and i know you're probably gonna be like how much time do we have once again but like yeah how do you even identify what the best like where do i need care
SPEAKER_03:pay attention to what is uh living rent free in your head If you're worried, worried, worried about money, chances are you need some care there. If all you can think about is running away from everything and everyone, if you're having all kinds of escape fantasies about just living on the beach, then maybe you need to start looking at what psychological and emotional self-care you need. If you feel overwhelmed and overburdened, And your thoughts are centered on that. That's a good clue to look at relational self-care. What's the quality of my connections? Do I need to invite more connection in my life? Do I need to invest more in connection in my life?
SPEAKER_02:Nice, nice. So Allison, if someone's listening and they're like, hey, I need Allison in my life, what's the best way for them to tap into you and your team and the extraordinary work and workshops that you all provide?
SPEAKER_03:Well, they can find me on the internet. You can Google Alison Sullivan, LCSW. You can go directly to my website, alisonsintegrativehealth.org. We're everywhere. You can find us on social media. I actually have a half-day retreat coming up that I have partnered with a good friend and colleague of mine who's skilled in Reiki and embodied movement. We're offering a half-day retreat for women, experiential, to help them connect more deeply with themselves in a more authentic way. That's happening in April and I'm pretty excited about that.
SPEAKER_02:Awesome. Congratulations. Thank you so much for investing time in your busy schedule to share just some strategies to optimize relationships for our listeners.
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely. My pleasure. Thank
SPEAKER_00:you for tuning into the boost podcast. Thank you.
