Today we’d like to introduce you to Thelma Franco.
Thelma, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
How did I get here? That is a big question. I will first say I didn’t expect what happened to happen. I grew up in a Latin home in El Paso, Texas, raised by two parents who didn’t give much thought to career. They had low-paying jobs and money was always tight. There wasn’t much encouragement or importance placed on education or career goals. The expectation was that I would marry, have children, and live close to home. I suppose it was possible for me to have taken that route but, fortunately and unfortunately, family problems forced me to pave a path that included a hope for better harmony, consistency, and security. My decision to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration was made in pursuit of those things.
My first career included Finance positions in the corporate arena. You could say this environment became my substitute family. Not knowing what I know now, I placed high expectations on what a corporate career could provide in my life. I gave a lot of myself to this career and I did reap benefits. I even went to graduate school mid-career to get an MBA to further secure my place. Sadly, I did not anticipate that this “family” would also come with heartache. There were many challenges, disappointments, and periods of great uncertainty. In addition, my business education did not prepare me to deal with the constant change that is typical of most corporate environments. No one else around me seemed prepared either.
Long story short, I eventually left that career and started a new one. I took myself back to graduate school but with a different goal in mind. This time, I wanted to take my knowledge and experience and use it to help other people. “What if I could help others manage well in an environment they may be ill-prepared to cope with?”, I asked myself. This is why I became a licensed therapist and founded Stress to Strength. I wanted to create a space that would help fill the gap that school and work environments don’t always provide. I wanted to help people develop tools to build resiliency and confidence so they can cope, thrive, and succeed.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Easy? Yes and no. It was easy in the sense that I had confidence in what I was bringing to the table. I didn’t feel like I was starting at square one because I had life experience that was going to help me tremendously. I think our society sometimes forgets the value of life experience. Education is great, don’t get me wrong, but life experience teaches you things if you are willing to always be a student.
The individual struggles were many but one of the biggest challenges of making a career transition like this is the huge investment in time. There was a huge investment in money too but my philosophy is that a person can always replace money. You can’t replace time. There were times I questioned my decision because I had already had this other successful career I could go back to if I wanted to. Your ego gets in the way and you think about quitting. What is ironic is that I often hear clients say in my office how much they want to quit something because they are exhausted by it. It’s universal. We all want to quit sometimes. My biggest challenge was not quitting when I wanted to.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Stress to Strength offers therapy to working professionals who are looking for support with their personal and professional development. Because working professionals may also need support in their marriages, couples therapy focused on improving communication and problem-solving is also available. I think when my colleagues hear the words “career” or “corporate”, they think of me.
I am not only the founder but I run this business by myself. There are three primary services I provide: Anxiety and Stress Management, Relationship Building, and Career Development. Extensions to a client’s personal therapy include periodic workshops and structured therapy groups in these areas. I love to present and teach, therefore, I plan to expand the area of workshops in the future.
How is Stress to Strength different from other therapy practices? It’s all about the clients. I don’t see everyone. I am selective with my clients and only accept those I am confident can benefit from therapy with me. I made a personal agreement with myself to ask, “can I really help this person?”. There is no point in wasting anyone’s time. If you haven’t already picked up on it, I am big on managing time effectively. I employ a coaching style that helps propel a person to action and, if that is what the client is looking for, it can turn out to be a very effective and beneficial therapeutic relationship.
What I am most proud of as a company is the synchronicity of my purpose as a company and the results of my clients. My clients are committed to their development process. They show up. They do the work. My company was formed out the idea that we can take our challenges and stressful life experiences and turn them into personal strengths. I have been a proud witness to this, again and again.
What were you like growing up?
This question made me smile, mainly because I envisioned myself as a child. I was a strong-willed child (that’s a positive spin on stubborn). I have always been highly independent and opinionated, much to my mother’s frustration. But, I think I have learned to reign that in a bit. I am determined and assertive but I also need time to myself to recharge. I think I have always naturally tried to balance mental activity with something creative, physical, or artistic.
For example, I have always liked the outdoors and I often spent hours and hours during the summer as a child riding my bicycle. Growing up I also played softball, danced ballet and contemporary, and walked often. If I wasn’t at school, I was outside.
Now, I balance my business with indoor workouts including; cardio, Zumba, or cross/weight training. I also love to read and spend quality time with my family and close friends. I meditate and do energy card readings. I also visit California at least once a year for the beaches and vibe. So I guess I haven’t changed much except for maybe the modality.
I am still stubborn.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5151 Headquarters Drive, Suite 155, Plano, TX 75024
- Website: https://stress2strengthcounseling.com
- Phone: 972-813-9314
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @stress2strengthcounseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stress2strengthcounseling/
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