21 Nov Motivation Monday: How she does it – Lisa Brookman
Picoum – Jennifer Braun
Woman across Canada are kicking butt in the workforce, all while maintaining their cool and doing the things in life they enjoy. “Motivation Monday: How she does it” is a news series where we profile notable women working in various fields to find out how they juggle work-life balance. For this installment, we chatted with Lisa Brookman – a psychotherapist and the co-director of the West Island Therapy Centre, in Montreal. She is also the co-founder of Wise Women Canada.
Can you describe what you do?
My day job, I’m a psychotherapist. I own a center in the West Island of Montreal called the West Island Therapy Centre. And my job there is to work with individuals, couples and families who are dealing with various issues such as anxiety, depression, infertility and other difficult issues.
And you also have a number of side projects?
I do! I am the co-founder of Wise Women Canada which is a Canadian lifestyle blog and I am also the co-host of Wise Women Radio on CJAD 800, which is a spin off of the blog. I’m also a regular contributor on Breakfast Television Montreal and I write regularly for Huffington Post Canada. I’m also really excited because we just launched a Wise Women Column in Best Health magazine! I’m passionate about mental health and breaking the stigma, so it’s so rewarding to be able to take what I do in my private practice as a therapist to now have this platform where women are helping women, and empowering each other.
So what does a typical day look like for you starting from the moment you wake up?
I love being busy. During the week, I’m always on the move running between my office, meetings and interviews. I often forget to eat Lunch. I wake up quite early in the morning reluctantly because I would love to sleep in a little bit. I wake up usually around 6. My house is often very hustle and bustle at that time with my three kids getting ready for school, and lunches, and showering, and just getting them off. So three days a week I work in my private practice. I usually start to see clients around 8 in the morning and I usually work with my clients throughout the day until about 4. It’s really important for me to be at home after school with my kids and that has been a number one priority for me, so I can do homework with them, make supper and talk with them. Then I’ll go to sleep really early usually by 10, because I can’t function on less than 8 hours of sleep.
And when do you find the time to maintain your blog?
So the two days a week when I’m not at my practice, I work on that. On monday and fridays usually, and a lot in the evenings and sometimes on the weekend. What’s nice is that my partner for Wise Women Canada, Elizabeth Wiener, is also my best friend, so we’re already on the phone 50 times a day anyway to discuss things. I try to make it a bit more leisurely. It’s us in front of our computer and it’s really something we can do from anywhere. Sometimes we’ll go to Starbucks or I’ll even work from my bed.
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