Dove's Inner B.E.A.U.T.Y. Podcast
Join us as we delve into the complexities of our emotional worlds with Demetria Nickens, a certified mental health first aid instructor and trauma recovery coach. In this episode, Demetria shares her insights from her platform, Dove's Inner Beauty, which challenges conventional beauty standards and advocates for genuine well-being. We discuss the life-changing impact of mental health first aid, trauma recovery, and suicide prevention.
Off-air, Demetria embraces life's simple joys, reflecting her deep commitment to maintaining balance. She opens up about balancing a rigorous career with cherished family moments, offering listeners a personal look at managing wellness amidst daily pressures. Tune in to discover not only Demetria's professional expertise but also her personal strategies for fostering inner beauty and work-life harmony. This episode is more than a dialogue—it's an invitation to promote mental health and uncover the beauty that lies within us all.
For more information about Dove’s Inner B.E.A.U.T.Y. visit:
https://www.dovesinnerbeauty.com/
Dove’s Inner B.E.A.U.T.Y.
(336) 298-6599
Dove's Inner B.E.A.U.T.Y. Podcast
Unpacking Genuine Connection and Active Listening with Demetria Nickens
How Do You Approach A Discovery Call To Ensure Clients Feel Safe, Understood, And Confident About Taking The Next Steps In Their Mental Health Care?
Discover the essence of genuine connection with Demetria Nickens, a seasoned mental health first aid instructor and trauma recovery coach. With over two decades of experience, Demetria brings her unique perspective on how active listening can transform lives. By fostering a non-judgmental space, she empowers clients to speak openly and honestly, inviting them to explore their inner worlds with curiosity, courage, and compassion. Her approach isn't about having all the answers—it's about asking the right questions that matter. Listen as Demetria sheds light on the key to effective discovery calls and how they can serve as a powerful first step in one's mental health journey.
Join host Garfield Bowen as he sits down with Demetria to unpack how understanding and empathy can lead to meaningful relationships with oneself and others. Demetria's insights will leave you inspired to cultivate your own emotional awareness and challenge you to rethink how you engage in conversations. Learn why listening to understand, rather than to respond, can make all the difference in building trust and encouraging bravery. Whether you're a mental health professional or simply looking to improve your connections, this episode promises to equip you with practical strategies for fostering authentic and supportive interactions. Tune in for an enlightening discussion that may just change the way you listen.
For more information about Dove’s Inner B.E.A.U.T.Y. visit:
https://www.DovesInnerBeauty.com/
Dove’s Inner B.E.A.U.T.Y.
(336) 298-6599
Welcome to the Doves Inner Beauty Podcast, where we foster emotional awareness one individual at a time. Leading the way is Demetria Nickens, a certified mental health first aid instructor and trauma recovery coach with over two decades of experience in fostering emotional awareness in others by engaging their mental health.
Speaker 2:A discovery call sets the stage for a trust and understanding. Demetria shares her method of creating a compassionate, judgment-free space where clients feel empowered to move forward. Welcome back everyone. This is Garfield Bonko, host slash producer, back in the studio with your host, demetria Nickens. Demetria, how are you doing?
Speaker 3:I am doing great. How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm well, I'm well. So, Demetria, how do you approach a discovery call to ensure that clients feel safe, understood and confident about taking that next step in their mental health care?
Speaker 3:I think you said it in your question actually, right, this idea of helping people feel safe, included, understood, right? I want people to feel helped, feel like I've heard them. So for me, it's not about me talking, right, I do a lot of talking in the podcast, right? Honestly, I do a lot of listening. And it's not listening to respond, it is listening to understand, it is active listening. I do a lot of asking questions with what I like to call the three C's, right, this idea of curiosity, courage and compassion. If I'm going to ask you a question, I'm going to make sure that I'm asking it in such a way that it is genuine curiosity for what's going on with you. I'm going to ask it with the compassionate right that you're going to feel this empathy from me in terms of how I care about what's happening with you. And then, with courage, I want you to be able to answer the question with bravery. I want you to be able to feel like you can answer that question, because not all spaces provide that. And it's interesting because it's not necessarily some secret formula that I have. It's just kind of almost sometimes you got it and sometimes you don't. People feel safe talking to me and I appreciate that. I feel honored every time someone says it to me. And it's just this idea of really listening to people, right, I don't listen to respond. I listen to listen and to genuinely hear them.
Speaker 3:What's your relationship like with yourself? Right, I am not asking to put judgment on that, I'm not asking to be mean, I'm not asking to be ugly, I'm not asking in any of those ways. I'm genuinely asking to say, hey, what are you thinking about yourself? What are the things you say to yourself? Because it matters, right, and people feel that. Right, there's a sense right there that people feel that my question was important and it hits them differently, right? What is your relationship to your family? What is your relationship to others? Who do you consider other in your life? What are your connections? What do you feel in your body? Seeing the right questions matter? Right, because people feel like, oh, wow, you know what I talked about this and then she asked me about this. Oh, that's awesome. People get to start to see the connection and so when you really listen to someone, you can figure out the questions that they need to be asked. It's just about really listening to them and understanding where they're coming from and not putting judgment on that.
Speaker 3:People don't talk to people because they don't like the response that they get. Right, they don't like the response that someone is giving them. They don't like the judgment or the negativity that people kind of put forth after they've said something. I try to come to every session without any type of judgment or negativity in my thought at all. Right, it's not who I am as a person.
Speaker 3:I'm much more optimistic. I'm much more thinking the best out of people. I'm going to approach you with a genuine sense of hey, let me learn about you. And so when I think about this discovery call, I want people to feel that I want people to know that I genuinely care about what they're saying and how can I help them. Am I the best fit of person to help them? Because I'm not the best fit for some people. And so really figuring that out in that first kind of discovery call is helpful so that no one ever feels like their time is being wasted. I never want to waste anyone's time. I want to make sure that you feel like I am the right person for you and that I can help you in that. First you know 15, 30 minutes that we may spend talking together.
Speaker 2:How do you balance professionalism with empathy during these calls?
Speaker 3:Being professional doesn't mean being cold, right, I think people attach professionalism often to a coldness, and that's not necessarily true. Right, you don't have to be cold to be professional. I can show you empathy but also keep a sense of professionalism within me. Right, I can keep a standard. And so it's really about being able to manage my own emotions when people come with me with different topics that are heavy, recognizing the things within myself. Right, every good coach has a coach. Every good therapist has a therapist.
Speaker 3:If there's something that weighs on me, I need to be able to handle that for myself. Right, I need to be able to go talk to my coach or be able to go talk to my therapist and manage those things, so that I can come back to you and be good. I notice when I'm triggered. I notice when I feel a way. I notice that if someone comes to me about something and it makes me feel uncomfortable, I want to make sure I handle that. And so I go handle that with my folks, the people that I hold dear to me, that help me, and then I'll come back to the situation professionally and say whether or not I can continue or what that looks like, based on those feelings, but always from a lens of professionalism and the craft of what I do.
Speaker 2:And how do you follow up after a Discover call to enforce the client's decision?
Speaker 3:So I normally like to send an email. I never want to be intrusive to people. If the first call, I like it to be virtual if possible, because I think seeing someone is important. So I like that to either be in person or virtual. It can be a phone call, but I prefer that virtual. I want to be able to look at you, type of thing. I want you to be able to see me and see the genuineness in who I am. But if not, like I said, I will follow up in some way. Normally it's an email just to check in, make sure you're okay, type of thing, letting you know, hey, I'm still here if you need me, if you're still interested. You're still thinking about these things, so I try to do a follow-up email, normally after an initial discovery call.
Speaker 2:Okay and last, I just want to follow up on something you said before. You said the. Whether it's a coach or a therapist, they have somebody who they see and they have somebody. What's the name of the person on top?
Speaker 3:What do you mean? Who's the name of the person on top?
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you need help, you see your therapist or coach right, your therapist or coach right, right. Who does that person see?
Speaker 3:Oh Sorry, I was like wait what.
Speaker 2:Listen. Once again you knocked it out of the box. Love it. Catch you on the next episode. You have a wonderful day.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you for tuning in to the Doves Inner Beauty podcast, where we foster emotional awareness, one individual at a time. For a complimentary consultation, visit DovesInnerBeautycom or call 336-298-6599. That's 336-298-6599.