Angela Ficken Specializes In Working With OCD, Eating Disorders, And Anxiety-Related Concerns
1. One sentence that describes what you do:
My name is Angela Ficken; I am a psychotherapist and entrepreneur based in Boston and I specialize in working with OCD, eating disorders, and anxiety-related concerns.
2. The first thing I do when I wake up is:
I always check the baby monitor. If my daughter is awake in her crib, I get up and quickly get ready before I get her up and ready for her day. If she’s still sleeping, I take a few minutes to lounge in bed. Any opportunity for lounging, I’m in!
3. The quote I live by:
“If it makes me anxious, do it anyway.”
If it makes you anxious... do it anyway.Click To Tweet4. My favorite business tools are:
- Mailchimp allows me to send out my newsletter to my subscribers and stay in touch. It has been such a helpful tool.
- I use an accounting product called My Clients Plus. It allows me to write my session notes, schedule appointments, and keep track of my billing. I love that all I need is one system; it’s been a lifesaver.
- I also love Pinterest as it allows me to build my email list and create my own vision boards from home décor to fashion to business ambitions. I also love it for cooking and baking recipes. It saves all the recipes I want to make or have made; I am on it almost every day!
5. On my bookshelf, you will find:
Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen is a book I should own stock in. I recommend it to everyone. It focuses on different communication styles and how we can learn new effective ways of talking through difficult conversations with people in our lives. Instead of avoiding conflict or hard conversations, the author teaches us strategies we can use to become better communicators.
6. Every woman needs to try this at least once:
Take yourself out on a date. Go to a museum or go on an adventure. It doesn’t even need to cost money. I find a self-date can be restorative and allows for reflection and creativity.
7. My favorite beauty brands and items:
I use Rhonda Allison products for my face. I have a morning and evening spray and cream and find them gentle and most importantly, effective! When I was pregnant, the previous skin products I used started to burn my face (gasp!) and continued to do so post-partum. It’s crazy how your body changes with pregnancy. I then switched to Rhonda Allison and haven’t looked back!
I also love the Beauty Blender for applying makeup. It always goes on smoothly and evenly. I have been using this product for years.
8. The best piece of advice I’ve ever received:
I have a few several pieces of advice that I’ve received actually. They are:
“Sit at the feet of giants and learn as much as you can.” I never forgot that piece of advice. I was fortunate to start my career at McLean Hospital, which is one of the best psychiatric hospitals in the country. I learned from world-renowned clinicians who have been wonderful mentors and are now close friends.
My work at Harvard University also provided constant learning and helped catapult me into the next phase of my career. When you learn from the best, you open yourself up for emotional and intellectual growth. It’s a win-win.
“Embrace failure and see it as an opportunity for growth and creativity.” Being in business, failure is going to happen. Mistakes and missteps are needed to learn. At first, they can bruise our egos, but once we get past that initial hurt, failure can open doors to possibilities we weren’t able to see without it.
As entrepreneurs, we sign up for stress to be a part of our daily lives. We are creating something new and everything is uncertain, so stress is never far behind. I do my best to practice what I preach to help manage my own level of stress. I encourage you to find ways that help you manage your stress.
Embrace failure and see it as an opportunity for growth and creativity. Click To Tweet9. Daily things you do in your business:
As a psychotherapist, I see clients for a bulk of the day. I help people who are anxious and stressed learn skills and strategies they can actively use to feel better and more in control of their emotions.
After that part of my day ends, I focus on returning emails, phone calls, and tackling any writing that is on my agenda–whether it’s writing for my monthly blog or writing articles for other sources such as PopSugar.com, ThriveGlobal.com, Today.com/Parenting, HuffPo.com, Marriage.com, and Yourtango.com.
I also spend a chunk of time preparing for upcoming interviews and have recently been featured in Oprah Magazine, RD.com, MSN.com, and Bustle.com as a mental health expert.
Additionally, I spend time brainstorming ideas with my team to market my products like Breaking everyday into slivers not chunks: Practical skills to manage everyday stressors, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Workbook.
10. List all your social media platforms:
- Pinterest @progresswellnes
- Instagram @progresswellness
- Facebook @progresswellness