Good Neighbor Podcast: Port Saint Lucie

EP# 236: Embracing Life's Journey: Ashley Bryant's Shift from OBGYN Dreams to Mental Wellness Advocacy

• Garfield Bowen & Ashley Bryant • Episode 236

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What makes Ashley Bryant with Re-Written Counseling Services a good neighbor?

Stepping away from her initial dream of being an OBGYN, Ashley Bryant now champions mental wellness through her work at Re-Written Counseling Service. On the Good Neighbor Podcast, we sit down with Ashley, an extraordinary counselor with a personal commitment to aiding families of children with disabilities. She unravels the misconceived notion that counseling is about 'fixing' someone, and instead, illuminates the journey of embracing life's challenges to foster a healthier mindset. Her story doesn't end there; Ashley lets us into her world outside the counseling room, where fitness, reading, and playfully pestering her family are the cherished chapters of her everyday life.

In a world where digital connections are often a keystroke away, we also take a moment to appreciate the power of a good old-fashioned phone call, which still reigns supreme for many in our community. As we connect the dots between the increasing influence of social media and the enduring value of personal interactions, we're reminded of the balance that keeps our local businesses thriving. The conversation with Ashley leaves us both inspired and grateful, and we extend the inspiration to our listeners, inviting you to spotlight the local establishments that stitch the fabric of Port St Lucie. Share your nominations with us, and let's celebrate the pillars of our beloved neighborhood together.

To learn more about Re-Written Counseling Services go to:
https://re-writtencounseling.com/

Re-Written Counseling Services
(772) 812-3460

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Garfield Bowen.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of counseling services? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Ashley Bryant, with Rewritten Counseling Service. Ashley, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3:

I'm doing well, and yourself.

Speaker 2:

I am well Listen. We're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your practice.

Speaker 3:

I'm a solo practice, so it's just me. I've been in my practice since 2021. And I've been doing pretty well, helping more than I thought I would, but it's not a bad thing. It's very rewarding and I help with different kind of all general mental practice, general mental health, general mental health. But, um, my baby, I would say, is families of children with disabilities. Um, because I have a child with disabilities, I know how that impacts the family and our relationship within it, so I really love to work with them, but I pretty much work with them okay.

Speaker 2:

So ashley, how did you get into this business?

Speaker 3:

By complete and utter accident. I originally wanted to be an OBGYN and I was going to go to med school in the USF in Tampa. I got pregnant with my daughter. I had to move back home to Orlando and at that time the medical school for UCF wasn't open yet, so I didn't have that as an option. A friend of mine said you should be a, yet, so I didn't have that as an option. A friend of mine said you should be a teacher.

Speaker 3:

So I did that and in doing that I found that, like a lot of the kids that I had as students, they had really troubled lives and they were like the difficult kids that teachers didn't want to touch or didn't want in their classrooms.

Speaker 3:

And I would sit and listen to them and give them space and hold space for them, and I would invite them to church with me or I would email their teacher and let them come and do all their work in my class and just return it later on. And it got to a point where their teachers would call me before they called their parents and I would be able to help them out and get them to a place where they could function in class. And you know kids whose grandmother died the day before and they had to come to class the next day and I would give them that space and help them understand that things are going to be okay and all these different things. And someone the same friend, who recommended me be a teacher was like you would probably make a good therapist and I was like what is that? So I researched what it like oh, I do this anyway, I might as well get paid for it. Went back to school, I got my master's and here I am.

Speaker 3:

So, it was never anything on my radar, it was just kind of where my life led me.

Speaker 2:

Sound like this is your calling, huh.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I think so.

Speaker 2:

You just didn't know at first. I did not.

Speaker 3:

So when you think of mental health counseling, what are some myths and misconceptions that you can be fixed. You know you'll have a lot of people say, fix me. They'll sit on the couch and fix me or fix my child and in my opinion I don't fix anyone. There's no magic cure. There's no magic conversation that happens. It's. For me, it's more so learning to help people navigate their life and the thoughts they have and feelings that they have about their life in a healthy manner. But it's not a fix. You know it's not some magic thing. It's not us reprogramming you or what they call it brainwashing you or anything like that. Reprogramming you or what they call it brainwashing you or anything like that. Just from my perspective as a therapist, it's more just helping you to see how maybe we can restructure some things you know, maybe some misconceptions about what you're worth and you know your value in life and these different things that really determine how we move through life and interact with the people in our lives.

Speaker 2:

So it's it's not a magic fix so there's no such thing as a fixer. It's all about the perspective that they're looking at things in the context, the process, yeah, yeah, okay. So, ashley, when you're not busy running your business, what does Ashley like to do for fun?

Speaker 3:

Ashley likes to work out. I have really enjoyed working out. I work out at home in my garage and I have a four-year-old who, nine times out of 10, is in there with me trying to do the same thing. I'm doing that reading, going out to dinner, trying new foods, or really. I really love staying at home with my husband and kids and bothering them. I'm so annoying, but it's so much fun to bother my kids and my husband. It's so much fun to me. So that's usually what you're going to see me do.

Speaker 2:

Okay, so you like harassing your husband and kids?

Speaker 3:

I do. I'm so embarrassing. Oh my God, I'm so embarrassing.

Speaker 2:

Let's change gears a little bit. Life often does this curveball. Let's talk about one hardship, one struggle, something that you went through, and you can look back to the answer. You're better and stronger because of it. What comes to mind?

Speaker 3:

My son. I have a son. He is six years old but because he has two genetic disorders and a seizure disorder, he's developing to be about 10 months, so it's almost like having a forever baby. There's so many surgeries and traveling and doctor's appointments and all these different things. And then there's always those questions of well, why did I have to have to sound this way? And you often also wonder like if he weren't like this? But would it be like? And he doesn't talk. So you know the questions of will he ever be able to say I love you, mom? Or be able to say hi, mom, and all those different things.

Speaker 3:

But in having him in my life, the one that's allowed me to appreciate, you know, my own health and not take for granted the fact that I can feed myself, that I can tell people what I need, that I can walk and get the things that I want. So I appreciate my health in that way. But it's also been very compassionate because I never understand what my son is actually going through and what he might be thinking and what he might be feeling. And although his is more physical, I also take that into my relationship as well, because, although these people can talk, walk and all those different things. I still never know from day to day what they're experiencing, what their hearts are and what they might want to communicate but can't because they don't know how to, and things like that.

Speaker 3:

So I think it's made me a very compassionate person. It made me a person who's really eager to listen, and I'm very curious about why people do the things that they do and I don't really react as strongly or take them as personally, because I understand that nine out of 10, whatever they're doing doesn't have a lot to do with me. It's part of their own internal struggle. Whatever they're doing doesn't have a lot to do with me. It's part of their own internal struggle. I think my son himself has helped me, not only just as a wife and as a mom and as a person, but he's helped me be better as a character.

Speaker 2:

That's interesting. I've interviewed lots and lots and lots of people over the last 12 months and you know I'm learning here too. I mean, I'm learning from you, ashley, and it sounds like your son made you more observant. It makes you see things that you normally wouldn't see because you're, you know, you're so tuned in, you know, to everything else. You're so tuned in to everything else all the other contexts around what's going on, where you can pretty much, as a mother, know what he's saying without him saying it, which is powerful. I'm going to put you on the spot a little bit here. Would that be okay? I know you have a lot to say about your business, but I want you to narrow it down to one thing, one thing our listeners should remember about rewritten counseling services.

Speaker 3:

I think the one thing that I would want my potential clients, current clients or whatever to remember is rewritten to be true to who you are and be open to growing. A lot of us get stuck in one particular place, one particular memory that we thought kind of defines who we are, and we aren't that person. We grow and we change and we adapt and all these different things, and you know, if you're willing to be open to the fact that that's going to happen. You know, I may have had a terrible childhood, but that was the childhood. This is adulthood. I can come out of that, I can be better, I can still learn. I'm not worthless, I'm not unlovable. That happened, but it's not a fact of who I am.

Speaker 3:

I think for those people, I want them to be able to recognize who they truly are and the power that comes with that and, once they do, to never, never let that person go, regardless of whatever life throws at you all the curve balls and things of that nature. I think that's what I would want people to know about my practice is. That's what I'm looking for. That's my goal. When you sit on my couch for the first time, that is the person I'm trying to help find is whoever that internal person is that wants to be better and wants to see their full potential. And you know, love hard and laugh hard and live hard and all that stuff. You know that's what rewritten counseling is all about is helping you navigate your life in a way that always makes that version of yourself shine.

Speaker 2:

My listeners will probably listen like I'm listening and they may not know until now that they need mental health counseling. Or they may just want to talk to Ashley and the question on their lips is how? How do they get more information on rewritten counseling services?

Speaker 3:

Facebook. You can look up rewritten counseling. It's their Instagram at rewritten55. I also have a website, wwwre-wittentonstantcom. You can also just look up my name on Google in Port St Lucie. I'm pretty sure I come up that way as well, but those are all different ways of being able to find me. I think it's gotten pretty easy because I've been getting a lot of calls. I've seen you online Facebook.

Speaker 2:

Instagram? What about the old school people that just want to push the numbers on the phone? Is there a number?

Speaker 3:

you like to show. I do have a number, it's 772-812-3460.

Speaker 2:

Well, Ashley, we really appreciate having you on the show. We wish you and your business the very best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Port St Lucie. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpportsaintluciecom. That's gnpportsaintluciecom, or call 772-362-3840.