Mother of 6 Suffers Several Losses and Turns Her Experiences into a Business – with Psychologist, Christina Hibbert – Episode 43

Show Notes

Dr. Christina Hibbert is a practicing psychologist, author, Internet radio show host, and mother of six. In this interview, Christina explains how she came to practice grief and loss counseling, through her own experiences with death and depression. She discusses how she balances her private practice, writing (blogs and books), family life, and public speaking engagements. Christina has become the authority on post-partum depression and other women’s mental health concerns in the greater Flagstaff, AZ area.

Interview Highlights

[3:10]  Christina talks about how she became a psychologist. In college, she loved her first psychology class and admired the professor. It seemed like psychology would fit in with how she wanted to arrange her life as a wife and mother. The loss of her 8-year-old sister, when Christina was 18, solidified her desire to go out and help people with grief and loss—her area of focus.

[5:05]  Christina talks about her personal experiences with death, and how these led her to be an expert. She’s been through post partum depression and anxiety. Her mother struggled with depression and, so from an early age Christina wanted to examine women’s mental health. She has six children (four her own, two that she “inherited” after her sister passed away.

[7:50]  Christina explains how self esteem became an area of expertise, after she realized how it underlies other mental health concerns.  Since it always comes up in therapy, she wrote about it in her second book. Her first book was a memoir about grief, and the story of how she inherited her two nephews just before giving birth to her fourth child.

[10:35]  Christina talks about setting up a blog after her first book was published. She was approached by another publisher and asked to write a second book, called, Who Am I Without You? After this, another publishing company asked her to write a third book, on exercise and mental health.

[12:06]  Christina breaks down how she uses her time, where and how she fits in her private practice. One day a week is all she can work with patients, and still have time for 6 children, public speaking engagements, and writing.

[14:00]  Christina explains the benefits of paid public speaking. She works on the side as an expert witness in court.

[15:00]  Christina describes her writing process. She gives herself six months of working full time to finish the first draft of a book.

[17:00]  Christina explains how she’s syndicating her radio show and developing webinars as an income source.

[19:13]  Christina offers advice for people who want to write a book: start small and write every day, even for fifteen minutes. Get a notebook, collect information, make yourself write.

[24:10]  Christina speaks about setting a schedule while working from home. Writing a book leaves your time sort of open.

[25:08]  Christina explains setting up her practice after grad school, getting her license, etc. She was working 28 hours a week and had 3 children while acquiring her license. A two-year break from practicing followed the death of her sister and the adoption of her nephews. She got back into counseling at the urging of a former patient. Her husband built her a small office behind his dental practice.

[27:43]  Christina talks about starting a nonprofit, Arizona Post-partum Wellness Coalition.  Through this coalition, she started a series of support groups and educational programs, and teaches at a national forum for mental health professionals.

[29:48]  Christina explains how word of mouth has built her reputation in Flagstaff. Her books, radio show, and blog have built her business presence online.

[31:21]  Christina speaks to the motivation behind her work. Her own experiences with grief, loss, anxiety, and depression push her to reach out to others. She doesn’t want people to suffer when she feels she can help them.

[34:00]  Christina talks about her self-education in business and social media. She had no formal business education, but learned as she went along.

[35:07]  Christina offers her business advice: find something you enjoy doing and go from there. Don’t pigeon hole your self with an identity attached to a degree, but allow room for branching out.

Christina Hibbert — Flagstaff, Arizona

Dr. Christina Hibbert is the bestselling author of This Is How We Grow, Who Am I Without You, and 8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise. She is a clinical psychologist specializing in women’s mental health, grief/loss, motherhood, parenting, pregnancy/postpartum, self-esteem/self-worth, and personal growth, and is host of the weekly radio show, Motherhood.

Learn more about Dr. Hibbert through her popular website and blog, “The Psychologist, The Mom, & Me,” on www.DrChristinaHibbert.com

Dr. Hibbert is a dynamic speaker, the Founder of the Arizona Postpartum Wellness Coalition, and producer of the internationally-sold DVD, Postpartum Couples. She, her husband, and their six children live in Flagstaff, AZ. Learn more about Dr. Hibbert through her popular website and blog, “The Psychologist, The Mom, & Me,” on www.DrChristinaHibbert.com.

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