Allie Wojcik shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Allie, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
Yes. Acting fast has always been a comfort zone for me. When I want something, I want it now. I want to make it happen right now and if I don’t act fast on it, my brain totally convinces me there won’t be an opportunity like this again. That has always been one of my biggest weaknesses. I’ve been practicing a lot of patience over the last year or two and I’m so glad I have. I truly believe now that if it’s the right thing, the opportunity will present itself again or a better thing will present itself. A moment that comes to mind when I think of this question is well over a year ago, I was looking around for an office for my private practice I was starting. I was desperate at the time to find something because I wanted change so badly but the universe in so many ways showed me I needed to slow down. I would find the right thing, I had time. I thought I had found THE place. It was beautiful, it was a good location, and I saw a vision for it the second I toured the place. I jumped right into negotiations with the property manager and for a second there – I thought everything was going to work out. NOPE and I am thankful now that it didn’t. Unfortunately, the property manager was dealing in bad faith and saw an opportunity to take advantage of a new business owner. Luckily, I had a mentor and an investor who told me to have some hope that the right thing would come around. We would find the right thing and we did. I toured multiple places. I had moments where I would’ve settled just to get the ball rolling. Instead, I slowed down. I took a breath and said I’ll keep trying but I don’t need to sacrifice or settle. Close to two months after looking and contacting and touring… I toured the office location I am currently in and everything fell into place. The waiting game was well worth it. Not taking the fastest route proved to be the best scenario. I cannot even imagine what scenario I would be in if I had gone with the original plan.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Of course! My name is Allie and I am a Mental Health Therapist and the owner of Chasing Nine Therapy in Richmond Heights, Missouri. I have been serving the STL area for 5 years now in the mental health sector. I opened my own practice at 28 years old because it’s always been my dream. I created Chasing Nine Therapy to be a place where everyone is welcome. We really pride ourselves on building rapport with our clients. I wanted to take the clinical aspect out of the therapy space as much as I could. Environment to me is everything when it comes to putting someone in a space to be vulnerable with their thoughts and feelings and so I created a space where our clients get to do just that. We as therapists know it’s a huge honor to get to walk along the journey of our client’s lives. We want the absolute best for all of our clients. Our brand is based upon a “No BS approach” which essentially means – when you are a client at Chasing Nine Therapy, you’re not going to be filled with fluff or us just telling you what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. We take on clients who want to be challenged, who want therapists who are going to be real with them, and also be in the room with someone who gets it.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The most critical and judgmental part of me has served it’s purpose. I released her awhile ago and gave that part of me another position. Protect me when I need to be protected. The part of me that was mean to myself, negative self-talk, and harsh expectations for myself no longer exists, instead she still holds space to be critical but it’s constructive. She still holds space to make sure I am being reflective and being accountable. That part of me is no longer knocking me down but instead lifting me up. That part of me is making sure I am always staying aligned to who I am and who I want to continue to be.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Oh boy, I have rejection and abandonment wounds that I think I will always be healing them. Healing is NOT linear but I know I am a lot further on my healing journey than I was in the past. Therapy has been a game changer for me. I’ve been in therapy since 2019 and I’ve had to tackle a lot of wounds and trauma in my life. When you experience a lot of childhood trauma, it impacts how you navigate situations and relationships in your adult life. I was people pleasing at a very young age. I learned how to keep myself safe when I was younger by being complacent. I begged for love within people who were unable to give that to me, especially because they didn’t love themselves. I learned early on how to be critical and shameful of myself. The wound of “you’re only loved by how you service others” was deeply embedded. I healed from that (and am still healing) by doing a lot of inner child work and parts work. It was important for me to reparent myself and unlearn a lot of the things I was taught as a kid. As an adult, I don’t hold so much pressure on myself. The best way towards healing I’ve found is to do the things that heal my inner child and to give adult me so much love.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I think my closest friends would say authenticity really matters to me. They’d say my sisters and my relationship with them matter to me. Overall, I think my closest friends would say that being a good person, being yourself, and living the life you want to live, matter the most to me.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I’ll give you a bullet list here :
* caring too much about what people think
* ruminating over if people are mad at me
* avoiding going on the trips
* letting my body image dictate what I wear, what I do, & how I interact with the world
* I would stop being so careful and instead be more carefree
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chasingninetherapy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_alongcameallie/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@al_frances
Image Credits
Marie White Photography
