Why I’m Doing This (Even Though I’m Not Totally Sure What This Is)

Rootwise Mental Wellness started as a way to synthesize several streams of therapy theory and practice in my own voice. I also believed (and still do) that for many people (not everyone!) having access to helpful mental health information and exercises can be a great way to work on their mental health. It was also a place where I could potentially transition into as a full-time private practice, as well as a way to make money on the side to pay off my student loans more quickly.

And then I realized a few things:
- I really like the clients I work with at my current full-time therapist job.
- I really like a lot of other things about my current employer.
- I would likely make less in full-time private practice unless I invested a lot of money, became very niche, and charged a lot per session.
- I don’t really like the hustle culture that tends to come with starting a business.

With these realizations (and many other reflections), I decided that I want Rootwise Mental Wellness to be a… space? …platform? …website? …entity? …community?

Whatever it is, I want it to be a place where I get to write, teach, and create things that (hopefully) help people make more sense of their inner world—without paying a ton for therapy or spending lots of time and effort to find a therapist who really fits.

And, Rootwise Mental Wellness is also… a business.
Not a flashy one. Not one with a sales funnel or a ten-year vision board.
In addition to giving me an opportunity to create (and some accountability to actually do it) as well as to be helpful to you, Rootwise is something I’m building to also help me pay off my social work student loans a little more quickly.

Also I use ChatGPT to help me write, and Canva’s Magic Media to help me create the images I use for this. That’s not a secret. I actually find it to be a really helpful writing/editing partner. I feed it parts of my thinking, language, and voice, and then shape what comes back. I know there are very real concerns about AI, authorship, and its impact on our water and energy supplies, to name a few, and I think those critiques matter and need to be addressed by OpenAI and others. I also know that I could spend endless time trying to write perfectly and then never write anything at all.

So, right now, Rootwise is mostly a place for writing and reflection. Occasionally, I might invite you to buy a resource I’ve made.

I don’t know if it will become a full offering or community or something else entirely. But I do know I want it to be grounded in honesty. I don’t want to overpromise. I don’t want to create hype. And I really feel allergic to community or audience building (my years as a pastor taught me both the immense rewards and immense risks of trying to do that well). For the time being, I just want to write and create things, share them with others, and maybe make a few bucks.