Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 400: Modern Dating and Real Commitment: The Hidden Key to Lasting Connections

• Sophia Yvette

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0:00 | 11:49

What Makes Briana Bass with The Wellness Institute a Good Neighbor?

Looking for progress you can feel, not platitudes you forget by Monday? We sit down with North Texas therapist Briana Bass of The Wellness Institute – Briana Bass Therapy to explore how high-functioning, driven people can get unstuck with practical tools, clear structure, and a refreshingly no-fluff approach to mental health and relationships. Briana blends advanced training with a decade of corporate experience, so her guidance lands where many of us live—deadlines, boardrooms, and the daily grind—without losing the human touch that makes change possible.

We unpack one of the biggest myths in couples work: that therapy is a last resort. Briana explains why earlier is better, how small habits compound into lasting connection, and what it means to invest in all eight forms of intimacy so your relationship can weather the natural ups and downs. From simple weekly rituals to rating your strengths together, you’ll hear concrete ways to build trust, closeness, and momentum.

Modern dating gets a reality check too. If apps have you exhausted, Briana’s strategy is to treat the process like a light, repeatable system: skim profiles for basics, rely on in-person data, standardize first dates, and cap the time to protect your energy. The goal isn’t to be robotic—it’s to stay curious and consistent long enough to find better matches without burning out. We also talk about accessibility, why her practice relies on word of mouth over ads, and how keeping operations lean helps her maintain lower rates while staying fully booked.

If you’re feeling 70 percent and want to climb higher, this conversation is your permission to start before the crisis. Tune in, pick one small change to try this week, and tell us what moved the needle for you. If you enjoyed the conversation, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more neighbors can find practical help close to home.

To learn more about The Wellness Institute  Briana Bass Therapy go to: 

🌐 www.brianabass.org

📍 Serving Dallas, Austin, and all of Texas through in-person and virtual sessions

📞 (972) 755-9608

SPEAKER_00:

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

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a therapist? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Brianna Bass, with the Wellness Institute. Brianna, how are you today? I'm doing great. Thank you so much. Yes. Now we are so excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you start off by telling our listeners just a little bit about your company?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I have a private therapy practice here in North Texas. I work with both individuals and couples. A lot of the individuals that I see are, you know, high functioning, they're driven, but they either feel stuck in life, anxious. A lot of folks are dealing with modern dating, swipe right, dating fatigue, things like that. So when people come to me, it's not uncommon that they've tried on a few other therapists for size, or at least listened to a lot of podcasts, a lot of YouTube videos. You know, they've thrown some stuff at it on their own. So I love getting those people. I love being the last knock because I do tend to be, you know, rather direct and really focused on productivity and results and moving the needle.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, Brianna, it certainly sounds like you have a passion for doing this. So let's go back in time for a second. Tell us a little bit more about your backstory and how you originally got started in this industry.

SPEAKER_01:

I was actually in corporate for a very long time, about a decade, um, before turning uh a new leaf into becoming a therapist and doing what I do now. That's been an incredible asset to draw on that corporate background. It also helps me identify with clients. I don't think I would know what I didn't know. And working with them and they're they're they're you know experiencing burnout or they've got you know high pressure boardrooms and all those things happening. I totally get it. And it's it's it's nice to come from that space to sort of meld or combine both of those worlds. Um, but ultimately, you know, I thought there's gotta be more to life whenever I was in that rat race. I just thought, oh man, you know, I don't want to be chained to this desk every day. And a lot of what I was doing was coaching and developing uh people, trying to figure out why we're not doing what we need to be doing, trying to kind of look under their hood and collaborate with them. So there was just an incredible amount of overlap. So I went back to my roots. I had my bachelor's of science in psychology, my master's in clinical mental health, and then the PhD is in in clinical sexology, but um, it all just sort of fit together and I took the leap, very scary, and decided to go off on my own and take this path. And I never regretted it for a moment.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow. Now, Brianna, thank you for sharing your story with us. Being in your industry today, though, what is the most common myth or misconception? Let's start off with couples when it comes to couples.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. This is an easy one to answer because it is that when things are really going south, the house is on fire, we're not communicating anymore, we're not being intimate anymore, um, we're we've lost ourselves, we've lost our connection, let's go to therapy. And uh, you know, guys, if I could encourage you to get in before that, uh, you'll have better odds. Uh, you'll you'll be so glad that you did it from a more proactive standpoint, and then versus, you know, after all of those things. So the idea that you need to come only in crisis to therapy is the biggest misconception. And I would change that above all if I could. Uh, people that go proactively or while they're not in crisis, but maybe even just feel, you know, general sort of malaise, great. That's great. And you're gonna give your relationship the best chance.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, Brianna, I can certainly tell we are gonna have a great interview today. I'll get back to asking you some more questions, but let's switch gears for just a second here. Now we know marketing is the heart of every business. So, who are your target customers outside of couples and how do you attract them?

SPEAKER_01:

You're not gonna believe this. Uh, everything I do is word of mouth. So I don't do any advertising. I have been on uh over 20 podcasts this year. Um, and I continue to do interviews typically, you know, several times a week, a couple times a week, something like that. It ebbs and flows. But yeah, just word of mouth. So it's people that I work with telling a loved one, a colleague, something like that. But yeah, I don't do any advertising actually. Uh, and that's so that I can put dollars towards other things and I can keep my rates really, really low for the Dallas market area. Um, I don't accept insurance, but my rates are are considered, you know, I would say probably the lowest 25%. Um, and that's how I'm able to do that. So it's a big honor when I get a new client because uh I know that they've probably found me through either an interview or already had some background on me, or they had a loved one or someone that they trusted that endorsed um me. So that's what I do for marketing.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, have you ever thought about maybe in the future having your own podcast?

SPEAKER_01:

I absolutely have. Yeah, I'd love to do that. Uh, I need a partner though. You know, I'm not that interesting. I wouldn't want anyone to listen to just me for an hour. So I need somebody to balance me out. Uh and yeah, I've actually kind of been very passively on the hunt for that partner, but I would love to have a podcast about either relationships or just modern life and the struggles. And I wouldn't want it to be self-help fluff or like everyone else, you know, I know it's such a saturated market. I'd really like to be as practical and concrete as possible and uh have some of those difficult conversations, but deliver it in an entertaining way. Uh, but short answer, yes, absolutely. That is on my agenda.

SPEAKER_02:

So, Brianna, let's get back to you for a second. Now, outside of work, what do you or you and your family like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I I love Dallas and uh I'm I'm pretty defensive of Dallas. I think it's like the greatest city in the United States. And so I'm always soaking it up. So I'm trying new restaurants. I really pride myself on staying on top of, oh, this new place open, gotta go check it out, or this new cocktail lounge, or something like that. I like going um, you know, out in nature. I'll go to White Rock and Cedar Ridge Preserve. Those are some cool places, Arbor Hills, things like that. Um, I am a dog foster, so I typically have some sort of foster, and uh, and then I have dogs of my own. So they also um, you know, are a big part of me having fun.

SPEAKER_02:

Aw, so you have a little bit of a dog family going on for yourself.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Yeah, I've only got one that's that's mine, and she's uh about 14 years old. But yeah, I typically have another one or so in tow.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, nothing wrong with that. Now, Brianna, please tell our listeners the number one thing you would like them to take away from learning about the wellness institute overall today.

SPEAKER_01:

I would say above all, would be one that it's not overly clinical, right? It's it's it's humans talking to other humans, but one happens to have you know extensive education and expertise in in the space. That's why you're going, but it's still people-to-people. So it's not sterile, it's not clinical, it's grounded, it's collaborative, and you don't need to have either everything figured out to start or the opposite, like we were talking about, you do not need to be in crisis, facing some sort of big issue. If you even just feel curious, you're on a path of personal evolution, you feel like you're living life maybe to 70%, something like that. That is all more than enough to come in. So I and I, if it's not me, uh to someone.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, Brianna, for our listeners who may be here, you know, looking for love or open to it, when it comes to the apps, what piece of advice do you have for them?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, uh, you know, I think it's a little bit of a volume game. So the profile, when we overly lean on the profile, it's it's not the best data. It's not the best representation of someone. So I would say go in with an open mind on the profile piece, you know, check for your basics, your fundamentals, right? Do I even find this person physically attractive or do they align with me on a couple things that can jump out on a profile? But then past that, roll with it and go in with an open mind and become efficient with it. Treat it like you would your own business, right? So you have your go-to outfits. They don't know that. That the that's your, you know, the outfit that you typically wear on all the first dates. You have a couple go-to places. Maybe you're not grabbing a full dinner, so you're not investing two, three hours. Maybe it's just a drink or just a coffee, but figure out what works for you as far as efficiency and the least amount of impact, energy, taxation, things like that to just make this process a little bit lighter. That's how you would treat a business. That's how you would treat your job, your work. You try to work smart, not hard. So you didn't burn out. So you didn't burn out. And I'd want you to treat online dating the same way.

SPEAKER_02:

And what about for our couples who are, you know, looking to grow together? What piece of advice do you have for them?

SPEAKER_01:

A great piece of advice would be to look into the eight forms of intimacy. Uh, sex is only one of those eight, the other seven are not. So that's really important information to have so that we're lulling in one of those eight while perhaps in the other few, they can carry us through that time. So you want to invest across all eight forms of intimacy, and so that your relationship can kind of have a great balance in the intimacy department. So it's everything from watching a Netflix show together, um, you know, and we're gossiping about the characters uh to a number of other things that really aren't difficult. They don't take, you're probably already kind of doing them to an extent today. So some of them can be very integrated very quickly. Um, so yeah, look into the eight forms of emotional intimacy and start investing in all eight. And I would also recommend that you rate yourself on all eight of them and have your partner do the same thing and then compare your notes.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, Brianna, we are just about out of time today, but one final question for you. Where can our listeners go to learn more about the Wellness Institute?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolute best place would be my website, which is Brianabass.org. It's one in, so Brian A B-A-S dot org. That has everything from FAQs. You can contact me there. You can book a session directly online, no administrative burden or back and forth. Everything's bookable online directly through the website. The website also has social links and things like that. So I would just go to Brianabass.org.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, Brianna, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Frisco dot com. That's GNP Frisco dot com or call four six nine two two two two two two two two two two two two one nine three four five.