We had the good fortune of connecting with Monica Denais and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monica, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
The single most important decision for me that contributed to my success is investing in my growth as a leader and allowing someone to coach me. I had to sit with myself and understand where my weaknesses lie as a business owner. In graduate school, I was not taught about business and they often don’t teach wellness and mental health professionals to run a business that is sustainable and profitable. I had to let go of scarcity mindsets and overcome challenges as a business owner and learn the best way I can serve my clients.

What should our readers know about your business?

I am a therapist for women entrepreneurs and a podcast coach for wellness and mental health professionals. I help women entrepreneurs stop questioning themselves so they can feel confident in both life and business. As a podcast coach, I help wellness and mental health professionals create podcasts that help their businesses stand out and create impact. What makes me stand out is that I am providing a solution-focused approach to my business it’s not just talk therapy it’s getting to the root of the behavior that is not serving and you creating radical change.

Creating my business was not easy. I started building my brand Café with Monica as a therapist intern in 2019. I had a lot of imposter syndrome and fear of showing up. I started a podcast called Café with Monica to call out to my dream client so that when I was ready to step into providing therapy I was already nurturing my ideal person. It took a lot of trial and error to figure the logistics of podcasting while still working a 9-5 job. I was burned out. I hated my job at the time and felt building my brand was out of necessity. I wanted to take back my control. My podcast now has over 70+ episodes, has reached up 20k downloads, and has created a safe space for women entrepreneurs to feel heard.

The lesson that I have learned along the way is to invest in yourself before your ready. Invest in becoming a better leader, delegate work, and revisit your values, and boundaries often. Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster and we can feel lost when were are not reaching the goals we set so as a way to anchor ourselves during times of uncertainty revisiting what we value the most and setting healthy boundaries around our work and life.

What I want others to know about my brand is that I want women entrepreneurs to make their mental health a priority. I believe that we work to build the life we want and when we get lost in the work we do and do not provide the same amount of care to ourselves our business will suffer. You deserve to matter first!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Love this question, I would start off by taking them to my favorite coffee shop in Dallas Sip Stir which is located in uptown. We would then have lunch at the Standard pour. We would visit downtown and just walk around and admire the buildings. I would take them to the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge have a photo session for fun. We would probably go to Bishop Arts District and walk around to admire the murals and people playing music outside. We would then grab some amazing cocktails at Oddfellows followed by some live music at the Wild Detective.

If it was a full week, we would definitely hit all my favorite coffee shops. I am coffee obsessed so checking out new coffee shops is my favorite thing to do.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this to the man who pushed me and encouraged me, my husband Adam Denais if it weren’t for his constant encouragement and support I would not have leaped to entrepreneurship. I always said he believed in me before I believed in myself.

Honorable mentions are my business coaches Zeahlot Lopez & Hannah Nieves they have helped me grow as a leader. Additionally, the book that has helped shaped my habits both business and personal is Atomic Habits by James Clear he teaches how to change your behavior for good, you need to start believing new things about yourself. You need to build identity-based habits.

Website: https://monicadenais.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cafewithmonica/ https://www.instagram.com/wellnesspodcasters

Image Credits
Abbie Mae Clinton, Angelica Marie Photography

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