Dr. DeeAnna Merz Nagel
Dr. DeeAnna Merz Nagel is a Psychotherapist/Coach/Spiritual Teacher. She is a Phoenix- rising from the ashes as being a solopreneur takes patience and a constant rebuilding of one’s self and image to stay relevant.
What strategies do you employ to maintain a healthy work-life balance while running your own business?
I incorporate spiritual and mindful practices into my daily life such as essential oils, journal writing and expressing gratitude everyday. I believe that in order for me to be of service to others, I must be of service to myself first.
When faced with unexpected detours on your business path, how do you pivot with grace and resilience, showing fellow women entrepreneurs the way forward?
Pivoting becomes the name of the game for the entrepreneur so grace is learned along the way and becomes a more natural response to necessary change. I think the difficult piece is finding grace when the pivot comes unexpectedly. Many of us had to pivot during Covid. There have been other times my work has been affected by outside forces- like losing the internet for 2 months after a major hurricane. That was difficult since all of my work is conducted online.
How do you measure the success of your business beyond financial metrics, such as customer satisfaction or community engagement?
I teach therapists, coaches and healers, offering professional development courses that are sometimes required. Course evaluations are invaluable because I am given ideas about how to improve and the student is given an opportunity to give an endorsement. Every positive comment keeps me doing what I do. Reading the comments and then weeks, years later, seeing the student implement the learning through their own business is heartwarming.
Can you share a memorable moment where you witnessed significant growth or transformation in your business, illustrating the impact of your services/products?
For many years, I taught courses related to online therapy and telemental health. Many of those nearly 20 years prior to Covid, there was not much uptick. When Covid happened, the world shifted with regard to the delivery of mental health services and suddenly, my courses were in demand, which brought light to my other course offerings and my entire business grew exponentially. Now, online therapy is becoming mainstream so once again, I don’t have a lot of requests for those courses, but the growth I experienced allowed people to become acquainted with my other course offerings and this has sustained my business.
What role do you believe mentorship plays in the success of small businesses, and how have mentors influenced your own entrepreneurial journey?
Mentorship is very important. I have always had mentors along my path. Some were teachers and professors, others were former employers. And I still have mentors today. I also rely heavily on my “influencers”- those that I may not know personally, but who have influenced my path- both personally and professionally.
What’s your work all about, and how does it make a difference in the world?
I create, curate and teach professional development courses for therapists, coaches and healers. Most of my courses are experiential and introspective so the learner is taken on a path of personal growth as well. I give helping professionals a safe space to stretch their scope of practice so that they can expand spiritually and metaphysically into the ideal practitioner they long to be. I hope through my teachings, these practitioners go into the world and help people shine their light. That’s what it’s all about. Being a beacon for others.