How can you better prepare yourself to chase your dreams?  As we enter the penultimate episode of Chasing Dreams, I try to make sure that I’m bringing you the best guests I can. In this episode, I get to chat with experienced licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Connecticut, Julie Hall - who also happens to be my cousin. I know her well and wasn’t wrong with bringing her on the second to the last episode of the show to share her knowledge and expertise.  YOUNG JULIE As a young girl, Julie’s dad was a mechanical engineer. He would do a lot of drawing which inspired her to become an architect. But life happened and her path changed. She went to college for engineering but pretty quickly knew that this path wasn’t where she wanted to land. So after college, she got a job in corporate as a programmer. She then moved into product management on the web side.  Working in different sectors in corporate, having experience in government, non-profits, and start-up, Julie has had vast experience when it comes to working with different types of people in different types of companies. This was her path for more than ten years.  During her marriage, she and her husband were having a difficult time getting pregnant. And during one of her regular check-ups with her doctor, this doctor slips her a card for a therapist. Being in shock and not knowing how to feel, Julie felt so offended. They were already dealing with issues of her physical body, but she felt the doctor wanted to tell her that there was also something wrong with her mentally.  But, despite what she felt, Julie took the card and made an appointment with the therapist. During this session, she had a cleansing experience. She came out of the session and felt so powerful. She didn’t know that an experience like that existed. That for her, started the journey for her in her career as a therapist.  Through that process, she really decided that she wanted to be on the other side and help people the best way she could. After a few years, she began her private practice as a therapist and Julie cannot be any happier with the path she took.  JULIE’S JOURNEY Julie Hall is an experienced licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Connecticut. She specialises in supporting individuals, families and couples navigating issues of self-worth, life transitions and/or trauma. Julie draws upon compassion and curiosity to foster a safe environment for clients to explore their lived experiences. She desires for her clients to feel seen, known and valued. Julie also explores family systems with clients as a tool in self understanding, strength and empowerment to ultimately foster healthy growth and change. TWEET “When we don’t see ourselves in therapy (or as therapists), we don’t think it’s for us.“ #chasingdreams WHY MENTAL HEALTH AND THERAPY ISN’T TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH Although we as a society have achieved a lot when it comes to talking about and raising awareness around mental health, the fact is that there are still hundreds of thousands of people who are afraid to talk about their own mental health struggles.  As far as the immigrant experience, Julie...