Being the Work

Support us toward our mission of building connections between helping professionals and providing quality content. We’ll give you a shout out on a future episode!

Today Ben talks with an old friend, Danielle, who is a Clinical Professional Counselor. We get to know Danielle through her Strengths Finder, Enneagram, by ironing out an old conflict with Ben, having heartfelt conversations about personal and professional struggles, and what she needs for wellness.

Episode timestamps:

• 2:28- Strengths Finder and Ennegram
• 6:52- Helpers in Media
• 8:59- Resolution of an old conflict
• 18:37- What Brought Her
• 43:21-What Keeps Her
• 50:51- What She Needs to Stay in the Work

We'd love to hear from you!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Email us at: [email protected]

DM us on instagram @beingthework

Support us toward our mission of building connections between helping professionals and providing quality content. We’ll give you a shout out on a future episode!

In this episode, Blakely presents the definition of ritual and the idea that it’s is what is missing from her own self-care. Ben pushes back on Blakely's definition. Blakely, like many of us, feels bored and tied down by trying to stick to a routine, making self-care feel like an obligation.

How do you do with self-care habits? Share your experience with us!

We'd love to hear from you!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Email us at: [email protected]

DM us on instagram @beingthework

Helpful Links:

• Esther Perel Game
• Power of Ritual Book
• Waking Up Meditation App

Support us toward our mission of building connections between helping professionals and providing quality content. We’ll give you a shout out on a future episode!

We’re super excited to have Ben's old supervisor, Annas on BTW this week. We met her to record at the university where she was teaching. Annas shares about her journey to the Helping Field, what she been through while in the work and what she's learned about herself along the way.

She's got some great quotes throughout this episode- "practice makes permanent" and my favorite "If you don't feel it, it won't come out of your horn".

We'd love to hear from you!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Email us at: [email protected]

DM us on instagram @beingthework

Support us toward our mission of building connections between helping professionals and providing quality content. We’ll give you a shout out on a future episode!

In this episode, Ben talks with Sarah about competition and disconnection with other helpers. He shares his own history on how he used to strive to be the "best counselor ever" and how the culture at work supported and even encouraged this competition.

We'd love to hear from you!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

DM or Leave us a Voice message: @beingthework

Email us at: [email protected]

In this episode, Ben interviews Allison. He and Allison had only heard about each other through the social work grapevine until this interview. Allison shares her personal journey to social work, the stressors she faced, the physical toll it took on her mind and body, and how the personal choices she made for her wellness, her health, and to be true to herself.

We keep our community and show ad free and open to helpers, your investment will help to directly build the brave space we all need. Support Being the Work by

• Leaving us a Tip
• Join our Patreon community: bonus content, support groups, appreciation shout outs on episodes, & a voice in our community development.
• Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts
• Email us at: [email protected]
• DM us on instagram @beingthework

Support us toward our mission of building connections between helping professionals and providing quality content. We’ll give you a shout out on a future episode!

In this episode we welcome Sarah. She’s a new addition to our team! Blakely and Ben are balloons and Sarah is a string…every balloon needs a good string to be attached 😊. Welcome, Sarah!

What’s the difference between Empathy vs. Compassion?

Ben explores what’s he’s learned and his experienced to dissect the differences between empathy and compassion. He also explores the possible implications of the distinctions on his experience of Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout

Has he found a key to protecting himself from fatigue and strain?

We'd love to hear from you!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

DM or Leave us a Voice message: @beingthework

Email us at: [email protected]

Helpful links:

• The Weekend University- Compassion Fatigue & Burnout: What Works with Françoise Mathieu
• Empathy traits
• Empathy Stress- Rauvola et al (2019)
• Compassion: The Places That Scare You - Pema Chodron

In this episode, Ben and Blakely talk with Felicity who they met at a conference presentation they gave on Empathy-Stress and Identity. She quickly became a friend with her honesty and humanity. This conversation is open, inspiring and thoughtful. Felicity shares deeply personal stories of her journey to social work, her ideas on self-care and sustaining a career.

Just a Note: this is an uncensored show full of our personal opinions. So you will hear us cuss sometimes.

We keep our community and show ad free and open to helpers, your investment will help to directly build the brave space we all need. Support Being the Work by

• Leaving us a Tip
• Join our Patreon community: bonus content, support groups, appreciation shout outs on episodes, & a voice in our community development.
• Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts
• Email us at: [email protected]
• DM us on instagram @beingthework

And remember, we're not YOUR helpers. Everything here is our opinion and is intended to support you, not give professional advice. Get the help you need, when you need it, where you need it. Here are a few resources for mental health support for you and those you love: 

National Alliance on Mental Illness

US Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

In this episode Ben and Blakely take on self-care. What makes it work? What gets in the way? Is it the Self-Help sorry "Self-Care" industry? It’s it us? Our relationships? Are we too busy, getting too distracted?

Blakely embraces her desire to just be honest and say the "fucked up shit" that's on her mind. She explores her thoughts that we can’t be prescribed self-care practices that will “work”.  We need to be aware of what works for us and use these practices intentionally.

Ben explores self-consciousness, perfectionism, compassion for society through his process of deconstruction, and his hope that we can uplift each other as fellow helpers.

Helpful links:

• Charles Figley Compassion Fatigue Article

Just a Note: this is an uncensored show full of our personal opinions. So you will hear us cuss sometimes.

We keep our community and show ad free and open to helpers, your investment will help to directly build the brave space we all need. Support Being the Work by

• Leaving us a Tip
• Join our Patreon community: bonus content, support groups, appreciation shout outs on episodes, & a voice in our community development.
• Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts
• Email us at: [email protected]
• DM us on instagram @beingthework

And remember, we're not YOUR helpers. Everything here is our opinion and is intended to support you, not give professional advice. Get the help you need, when you need it, where you need it. Here are a few resources for mental health support for you and those you love: 

National Alliance on Mental Illness

US Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

In this episode we answer the question: Will the stress and demands of helping roles will inevitably lead to losing ourselves in fatigue and burnout?

We walk through our experiences, what we've tried to avoid losing ourselves, and talk about an abundant resource we rarely use as professionals.

Just a Note: this is an uncensored show full of our personal opinions. So you will hear us cuss sometimes.

We keep our community and show ad free and open to helpers, your investment will help to directly build the brave space we all need. Support Being the Work by

• Leaving us a Tip
• Join our Patreon community: bonus content, support groups, appreciation shout outs on episodes, & a voice in our community development.
• Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts
• Email us at: [email protected]
• DM us on instagram @beingthework

And remember, we're not YOUR helpers. Everything here is our opinion and is intended to support you, not give professional advice. Get the help you need, when you need it, where you need it. Here are a few resources for mental health support for you and those you love: 

National Alliance on Mental Illness

US Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

"Those of us that work in human services and even medical fields, face immense amount of joy and pain while caring for others and, often, failing to care for ourselves. But, Self-care has become an annoying message of 'don't be unethical'...'if you're stressed out it's your fault, you need to take care of it' ...That's Bull-Shit. Why are we expected to just do it by ourself?"

...

Blakely and Ben know what it's like to have a lot of pride in caring for of others and what it's like to feel alone and overwhelmed in their positions in social work and professional counseling.

No one should face that alone. Hang out them in exploring how helping professionals can support one another in taking care of themselves and each other.

And remember, we're not YOUR helpers. Everything here is our opinion and is intended to support you, not give professional advice. Get the help you need, when you need it, where you need it. Here are a few resources for mental health support for you and those you love: 

National Alliance on Mental Illness

US Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline