Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Wells.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After eight long years of rock-busting in conventional counseling practices, I founded The LifeWorks Group – now Lifeologie Institute – in 1999 to offer clients a fresh, innovative approach to the everyday problems of life. Since my team and I have trained hundreds of interns and helped tens of thousands of families in the DFW area.
After growing up in the Texas panhandle in a family of musicians, I went to SMU on a music scholarship (I’m a fiddle player), graduated with an English degree and headed for graduate school. While studying theology at Dallas Theological Seminary, I took my first counseling course and was hooked. I later helped found and develop DTS’s MA in Biblical Counseling program and taught in the counseling department there. I have an MA in Biblical Studies from DTS as well as a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy, from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, where I also taught as a member of the adjunct faculty.
In addition to my work at Lifeologie, I’m the founder of Lifeologie Franchising and The LISPY School for psychotherapeutic yoga. I’m also founder and president of The DAWG Project – Dallas Animal Welfare Group – a 501(c)3 dedicated to the welfare of Dallas pets and their people.
Melanie still plays a mean fiddle and is the author of several best-selling novels, including the acclaimed Dylan Foster trilogy — When the Day of Evil Comes, The Soul Hunter, and My Soul to Keep (Random House). She is the proud parent of two of our therapy dogs, Gunner and Goliath and a frequent foster parent to Dallas Animal Shelter dogs.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When I started this business in 1999 after several years in private practice, I had zero experience in running a business. 17 years later, I could write a dozen books about the hard lessons I’ve learned. Because our collaborative team concept is innovative and unique, clients flocked to us before we were really ready for them and we ended up building the plane as we were flying it.
I ran it off a cliff a couple of times before I finally hired a business coach who asked me one of those questions that ruin your life: what do you want from your business and what are you willing to give up in order to get it? I wanted my vision of a collaborative therapy practice to come to fruition, I wanted it to be wildly successful, I wanted to help as many people as possible and train as many clinicians as possible — and I was going to have to give up control.
I looked around at my team and practiced some basic systemic psychology. I put people in roles they were naturally suited for. A colleague who had four teenagers who actually talked to him clearly had an ability to confront people without alienating them. So I put him in charge of personnel. Another therapist struggled with OCD and had an amazing capacity for detail. So I put her in charge of creating systems. After that, the business just took off and before I knew it we were rocking it with four locations.
Please tell us about Lifeologie Institute.
At Lifeologie, we live and die by our team approach. We believe working in isolation is not only limiting (and no fun), but It robs our clients of the opportunity to receive valuable insight and ideas from the rest of the team. 33 heads for the price of one.
We keep our crazed commitment to collaboration by shutting the place down for three hours every Monday afternoon to spend time together as a staff; to discuss cases and put together treatment plans and teams for our clients. It’s a time-consuming and expensive way to practice, but we think it is the ONLY way to go. Our clients get optimal care and our clinicians have 24/7 support from an amazing team.
We specialize in creativity. We believe that with some creative thinking, our team of specialists can offer hope in the most discouraging situations.
We’re so committed to creative thinking that we trademarked the phrase “creative solutions to stuck problems.” That’s what we do. We unstick problems – sometimes decades old problems – and help people find a new way.
In 2016, I decided to share the love. I founded Lifeologie franchising with the intention of changing the field of psychotherapy. We’re now in four cities, training dozens of amazing clinicians and helping thousands of people live better, happier lives.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’ve made every mistake in the book. Probably the most important thing I’ve learned is never to do anything I’m not good at. I have my gifts. I’m an innovative thinker. A visionary. I’m fearless but calculate risk well. But I can’t stand dealing with details and I have the memory of a gnat. So I surround myself with people who can fill in the gaps in my personality and we do the hard work together. No decision is unilateral. We get everyone’s point of view before we move forward. And it works. It just works.
Pricing:
- We have groups and classes that start at $10 a session. We have a fee level for everyone.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3303 Lee Parkway #102, Dallas TX 75219
- Website: www.wefixbrains.com
- Phone: 214.357.4001
- Email: hello@wefixbrains.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/wefixbrains
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/wefixbrains
- Other: www.lifeologiefranchising.com
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
