Growth & Grief MVP

07/28/2026

Growing up, I would wake up some weekend mornings, or come home from school some afternoons to our entire front or dining room turned upside down, rearranged, and redecorated.

All these years later, I’ve learned exactly what my mom was thinking and feeling when she decided to change our environment in her manic state….

Sense of control.

When all the thoughts are messy in your head, when so many factors of your life feel out of reach—many of us grab a broom, sweep up all the particles cluttering our minds, and space—and shake up the room.

It probably doesn’t actually change those things we are dwelling on or want to “fix”—but it is amazing what a little reset and refresh can do around and within you.

Today I did just that in our little speakeasy of therapy space! 🧹 🧠🫀🌱

07/22/2026

Text or Call 319-505-8188 to schedule your CONFIDENTIAL therapy session. 🤫

07/09/2026

07/03/2026

It’s FRIDAY! What better day to book an appointment with me to:

🧠 BREAK YO SELF—no, I’m not gonna shake you down like D-Bo—but you should be prepared to submit—to yourself—your learned habits and the neuropathways your brain has created to survive prior circumstances.

🫀Find Yourself—explore patterns that no longer serve you—BYE FELICIA!—and replace thoughts with new ideas and beliefs that allow you to learn who you are at your core, and separate from what you’ve been through.

🌱 Be Yourself—Allow yourself to identify, feel, and grow into a completely comfortable version of your authentic self, YOU AIN’T GOTTA LIE CRAIG, live your truth.

If you’re ready to do therapy in a way that works best for you and with some real authentic life experiences comment HEYYYYYYY MS. CARTER ⬇️ or just text/call me at 319-505-8188 🤣

06/14/2026

Children who never have the opportunity learn what emotions feel like in their body and share with others what they are feeling, turn into adults who don’t understand and can’t regulate their emotions.

For ideas on practicing, regulating, and replacing maladaptive responses to emotions….follow or text 319-505-8188 to check on appointment availability! 🧠🫀🌱

06/10/2026

I was reading a book on grief recently where the author, speaking about the pain and heartache of grieving, noted “We stop saying it hurts because no one listens”….

This caused me to pause, and reflect.

No one stops hurting after a loss. Sure, we move forward, carrying the loss with us, experiencing new moments of joy and happiness, but we never stop noticing the weight of the pain.

We just stop speaking on it, and that creates a false narrative for those around us, and society as a whole—that we have “moved on” and we are “doing okay”.

But why do we stop talking about it? Like she said, “no one listens” and when they do, they shame us for still expressing ourselves. We are seen as “unhealthy” for standing in our truth.

But what if we stopped treating grief and loss as a disease to be cured and call it what it is: a part of the human experience to be acknowledged and celebrated?!

Today is the father of my children’s birthday. He was born June 9, 1983 and murdered June 25, 2013, just 16 days after his 30th birthday.

It’s been 13 years. My children have sang happy birthday at the cemetery, came home and ate lasagna and cake or snickers or orange sherbet with the krunch cone topping for the last 12 years.

We never stopped talking about the pain, or celebrating the love, and acknowledging the loss. And we are better equipped to face every moment in life because of it.

I challenge you to sit in your distress, stop treating grief as some “dust” you must sweep up and empty out of your home, and give it a place to live—with you—and in you—because that s**t ain’t going nowhere just cuz you don’t talk about it. 🧠🫀🌱

01/17/2026

If you’ve ever been forced to sit through one of my presentations, followed me on social media long enough, or just been in my presence when I talk about tools that got me through-you’ve heard about my “genie bottle”. 🧞‍♂️

You see, when I went back to therapy in 2024, after a short break (yes—your favorite therapist has a therapist…) I was having a REALLY tough time “compartmentalizing” my grief. ❤️‍🩹

There was SO much left unsaid and unresolved so it was HARD to handle daily tasks that needed addressed immediately with such HEAVY stuff weighing on me.

That’s when my therapist taught me about finding a place to put the heavy stuff so I could come back to it later. Sure—I was kinda already trying to do that, but clearly it wasn’t working.

The power of writing things and visualization came into play when we decided I needed to visualize or create a space to put these things, people, conversations, issues, and pain.

The most comfy place I could imagine IMMEDIATELY came to mind—that big comfy plush couch inside of the bottle from my favorite childhood television series, “I dream of Jeannie”. 🛋️

I started actually envisioning opening the bottle and putting things inside until I could address them later…

Yes, picture me with a tiny “Polly Pocket” sized version of my ex, dropping him in the bottle, putting the top back on, and letting all my heartache rest on that couch with him until I got done with my daily duties, popped the cork, and sorted it out! 🍾

Imagine how excited I was when I found out that Jim Bean made an almost exact replica of the bottle in 1964. I bet I fill this FAST ✨

01/08/2026

I’m a dreamer so I often look at the whole staircase. It keeps me motivated for the end goal.

It’s important to pause and look at each step as well—to remember you’re making progress.

A leak in the roof, some drywall and a light switch in the public restroom felt like a step backwards….and then…

The supply of bottled water and the first issue of our magazine subscription arrived at the office.

Seems this little space to speak, grieve, and grow will be accepting people in person soon after all. 🙏🏼

See ya soon—and stay tuned—there’s BIG surprises on the horizon!! 🧠🫀🌱

12/26/2025

Someone recently asked me why I was trying to make my office so “bougie” when I strategically selected a location that was accessible to individuals who may not have access to healthcare coverage, or who typically do not seek out brain healthcare.

The answer is simple. EVERYONE deserves access to a safe, comfortable, inviting space to speak, grieve, and grow.

I’ll be inviting my clients in person to share that space VERY soon. Come visit. 🫀🧠🌱

12/19/2025

So the other day, in a clinical setting, someone asks me “How do know you know when someone has reached maximum benefits?”

It was pertaining specifically to my practice of applied behavior analysis, but it got me thinking about my overall field—and, life….

Take today for example, I have the afternoon off from my corporate job to do some last minute holiday mom’n. On my drive, I came across this amazing painting of the American Gothic on the side of a barn in Linn County. I wanted a photo SO bad.

After nearly two decades of working in an institution of government, my brain is trained to believe certain things. My initial reaction was to think of all the reasons I couldn’t just veer off my path, and have an impromptu photo shoot. It’s during working hours (even with the afternoon off), or will someone be upset I pulled on this lawn (imagine painting such a masterpiece and never having someone park on the grass to appreciate it?!).

I am *coughfortycough* years old, and I haven’t yet reached maximum benefits. I used my brains neuroplasticity to form a new connection. “Missy, it’s not working hours, no one will be upset about this besides you if you don’t do it…”

And alas, on a cold December day I danced around doing a dorky photoshoot to capture this moment of replacing old thoughts that were once useful with new ones that are more relevant to my current lifestyle and needs.

Give it a try 🧠🫀🌱