My Background
by Live Your Knowing Founder and Licensed Therapist Renee Ellis, MA LPC RMT
Starting Down The Path
My grandfather died suddenly when I was 12, deeply impacting my whole family. Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, and my grandfather was the one who everyone relied upon. We did the best we could given the circumstances, but without the support of a licensed therapist, we healed slowly and not fully—and we suffered greatly. Even as a child, I knew that there must be a healthier, more functional way to deal with loss.
In my grief, I also knew there was more to this life and whatever follows it. While my family wasn’t particularly religious, I remember turning inward and towards my spiritual beliefs as a way to get through this difficult time. For comfort, I would talk to my grandfather and I always had a very real sense that he was listening and watching over me.
That experience was part of what led me to choose grief counseling , internal family systems therapy , and spiritual therapy as counseling specialties, but that wasn’t until much later in my life. My childhood career aspirations were actually to be a singer, dancer, and actress (in that order). While I have enjoyed all of these in some form throughout my life, as I grew older, I succumbed to the pressures to narrow in on a more “down-to-earth” career choice: becoming a stockbroker. Fortunately, it only took one economics class to show me that this just wasn’t for me. I realized I wanted to help people in a way that felt more meaningful.
After much soul searching and giving myself permission to study areas that excited me, I decided to pursue a double major in psychology and women’s studies. This new path allowed me to delve deeply into understanding the human experience while being academically challenged. After graduating with distinction, I worked briefly in human resources for a start-up in the metro-Denver area and then settled into work as a social science researcher creating outcome evaluation programs for nonprofits.
Finding My Way
While I am grateful for my work experience in creating goals and outcome measurement, I have learned that this is only part of the picture. In pursuing my master’s degree in counseling psychology I became interested in healing and wellness—especially spiritual wellness—things which can’t easily be defined or measured.
Attending grad school, I learned about psychology as theories, frameworks, diagnosis, best practice treatments, and ethics. This experience has been invaluable in providing a solid, safe, and ethical foundation on which to build my practice. But I was always intrigued by the path to healing.
An internship at a wholistic center for people with life-threatening illnesses and their family members offered a new perspective. While some clients were helped most by things like art therapy, time in nature, or energy work, for example, others found the most value in yoga, meditation, spiritual exploration, or traditional counseling sessions. The combination of approaches needed to unlock the healing force of each person was different, and most readily discovered by the clients themselves.
My study abroad experience in the UK—a nation with a more integrative approach to healthcare— also opened my eyes to new approaches to mental health. I learned that even though many mental health issues and techniques aren’t widely practiced or even discussed in the US, they are nonetheless valid. I grew more and more curious about energy work, the experience of empaths, psychic ability, and past life work.
I continued to explore wellness after graduation by working as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, health coach, and presenter of corporate wellness programs. Teaching and presenting allowed me to live out a bit of my childhood dreams of dancing and acting, and I loved inspiring others to live better lives. I also sought training and certifications in mat-based pilates and yoga. These practices spoke to me as both have philosophies rooted in connecting the mind, body, and spirit in order to heal.
Looking Forward, Looking Back
Oftentimes we don’t understand the underlying meaning or purpose behind our personal paths until after we’ve walked them. I now know that everything I’ve learned and experienced leads me to this important knowing: healing happens in the space where we slow down and show up to honor what is really true for us. How we get there is often a winding road and no two paths look exactly the same. To reflect this belief, I approach my practice with an open heart and an open mind, empowering my clients to achieve all aspects of personal wellness through a wholistic, nonjudgmental, and highly customized approach (learn more about my approach to therapy here).
I guide my clients to wellness, in part, by seeking out and exploring my own formula for healing and balance. I practice meditation, yoga, Reiki and prayer. I bike, walk, and spend time outdoors. I enjoy singing and songwriting, and I know just enough on the guitar to be dangerous. I love learning and read a great deal thanks to my large personal library and my love of libraries in general. I value my close friends and family including Lucy, my amazing and adorable feline friend. All of this helps me to bring a sense of balance and vitality to my practice as I offer my clients the opportunity to do the same for themselves.
Renee Ellis, founder of Live Your Knowing, has been providing women's counseling services for more than 12 years. She is a licensed therapist with a master’s degree in counseling psychology.