The Vision
How becoming a therapist led me to want to teach you everything we should have learned in school.
When I was in graduate school studying to become a marriage and family therapist I was learning about how to communicate better in relationships, how to understand what makes us who we are, and how to make changes in our lives to live the life we actually want to live. I loved every minute of learning how people tick and what the best way is to support people to move, grow, and live happy, connected, and prosperous lives. I just kept hearing a nagging question surfacing in the back of my head over and over, again and again. That main question was...
"Why on earth isn't everyone taught this stuff?!"
Now, I don't want to step on schools, I absolutely LOVE LEARNING, I think teachers are a gift to all of us, and I champion a good education. That said, I have noticed that there have been key components missing from the education that I received. Chances are, if you are like me and most people I talk to, you were missing it too. I could not understand how schools could teach math, english, science, music, art, and even gym, but fail to teach us how to communicate with each other!
They failed to teach young people how to choose a good life partner. They didn’t consider how to teach teens how to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Chances are, if you're like most, the message sent was: “Get good grades, graduate, go to college, start a career (we won't help you figure out which one) and become successful by making a lot of money."
There was never any help to learn how your emotions work, or how emotions influence your decisions.
No lesson to help you understand who you really are , who you're meant to be or how to identify your purpose in life.
There was never a lesson on how to get yourself out of loneliness, depression, or anxiety that can bring you to your knees.
There were no tools on how to build a good relationship with money so that you can access the financial freedom that you deserve. And YES, having a great relationship with money is actually key to making A LOT OF IT!!!!
Yet, ALL people I talk to, INCLUDING MYSELF, go through at least one, but usually MANY or ALL of these experiences at some point in the course of their lives.
When I was in graduate school I was learning that there was actually a place to learn all of these things. I just kept asking that SAME QUESTION. "Why aren't we ALL taught this stuff?!" IT'S NECESSARY FOR LIFE!!!
Over the years, I realized I wasn't the only one asking these questions. My clients were asking it too.
As I grew as a clinician, I eventually opened up my own private practice. The more I perfected my craft of being able to educate, teach, ask the right questions, and convey the information I had learned to the people I saw, they started asking the same question too. “Shelby, this is amazing! Why are we all not taught this stuff in school?! Do you know how different my life would be had I learned this stuff in high school or even college?!”
Eventually the statements of my clients turned into
"Shelby, can YOU find a way to teach this stuff?"
It was at that moment that I realized... just maybe... I could bring this knowledge to others in a way that could be helpful.
And so I created...
Connections Rising
to give YOU the SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND TOOLS you need so that you can TRULY KNOW WHO YOU ARE, become MORE DEEPLY CONNECTED in your relationships, and wake up ACTUALLY LIVING YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE.
A Name with INTENTION
The name Connections Rising was chosen for a very intentional reason. One consistent observation I have made both in my own life and in my years of service to others is that when people connect around similar topics, we don’t just get through it, we thrive. We support each other. We find hope and resolve in the arms of one another. We feel stronger because we don't feel alone. We achieve some of humanity's greatest accomplishments when we work together. It is absolutely critical to have the support of others to create change in order to live the life we want to live.
So, Connections Rising seemed so very fitting as a name. It would be a place for people to CONNECT and RISE together. It would be a place to rise up as a collective whole and to help each other rise to greater individual heights than we could have in isolation.
The power and magic of connection makes people BELIEVE they can do more than they could alone.
Think about this. Have you ever been part of a team? Didn’t you push yourself to run faster, try harder and do more because of the support of your teammates or your coach? Have you ever felt you could do something that you were scared to do just because somebody believed in you? Have you ever read a book or heard someone speak and felt inspired to take action in your own life simply by your CONNECTION to the words of the author? The power and magic of connection makes people believe they can do more than they could alone.
I do not believe I would be where I am today without the powerful and supportive connections I have been so lucky to have in my life.
I firmly believe that we do our best when we learn to lean on each other. When we are in something together or someone believes in us, we work harder, go farther, and take risks to fulfill dreams that we might not have had the courage to do otherwise.
BUILDING A BRIDGE TO CONNECTION.
One thing I've noticed over the years, is how just ONE good connection in a person's life can make the difference between staying STUCK where they are, or propelling them to life altering changes beyond their WILDEST DREAMS.
PEOPLE NEED A BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS THEM FROM THEIR CURRENT SITUATION, TO WHERE THEY WANT TO BE.
Social connection combined with new knowledge IS THE BRIDGE that gets people to where they want to be.
WITHOUT SOCIAL CONNECTION TO PEOPLE WHO THINK DIFFERENTLY AND DO DIFFERENTLY, PEOPLE REMAIN IN THEIR CURRENT UNWANTED CIRCUMSTANCES.
That is why I HAD to create
this place.
I believe that everyone deserves to have
access to human connection.
We all deserve to have the best education on our emotions, relationships, and how to know who we are.
I believe that is crucial because it serves as the foundation to live the life we all
dreamed was possible when we were young.
We will hold each other up to do and be all that we were
collectively meant to be.
I want this to become a place where you not only seek what knowledge I can give you, but you also learn to seek each other as a resource for light, hope, and to pass the knowledge forward. You gain the opportunity to be the magic and light in someone else’s life. Through this, our connections will truly rise and we will hold each other up to do and be all that we were collectively meant to be.
If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far,
go together."
-African Proverb
