Meet Melanie Covert | Visiting Assistant Professor, Oglethorpe University, Owner/ Director Awakenings Counseling Center, Phd, LPC, CPCS

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melanie Covert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melanie, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I first graduated college I was really invested in the idea of “paying dues” and working as hard as I could to build something. Since getting my master’s degree and through my Phd I have had no less than two jobs including my business, sometimes working 3 or 4. After graduation I was also holding a position as a full time professor and doing consulting on the side while also growing my business. At some point I began to realize that while I was able to take advantage of a lot of opportunities at once, engaging in “grind culture” wasn’t sustainable long term. I started to see the benefit of creating a pace that was sustainable for the next decades instead of just the next few years. I read a great book called “Essentialism: The pursuit of Less” by Greg Mckeown which helped to develop one of my core principles. If something is not 100% yes, I don’t waste my time on it anymore. Rather than using my finite time and mental/emotional capacity on a lot of “maybes” in my life, I free myself up to do what I am passionate about and take the most joy from. This has helped to create a work life that energizes and excites me versus draining me.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Awakenings Counseling Center started when I was working under another person who gave me the chance to finish up my years of supervised practice while also teaching at the local college. Eventually I took over on my own and worked alone for a few years. My goal from day one was to provide exceptional mental health service that was approachable and affordable for anyone who was in need in a community where mental health care was not as readily available.

While teaching in a graduate program, there were a few students who also needed a similar opportunity and I invited them to finish up their time with me so that I could help them in the same way I was helped. Over time these interns have stayed with our practice and we now have a team of 5 therapists and two locations, Atlanta and Cartersville, where we are able to continue with this vision while also giving new professionals an environment to grow in their craft and their confidence.

There has been a huge learning curve for me as I am not a business-women, I am an academic and a helping professional but I had no training in business or accounting. I’ve grown with the business, learning how to do bookkeeping and taxes, establishing relationships with vendors and knowing when to scale up or stay put. I’ve also had to learn how to delegate, how to build a team and when to allow that team to work on their strengths and give control over to them in areas that they are gifted. Trying to grow from where we currently are is precarios, we’re a women and minority run business and that is not without its challenges. From self-funding each step of growth to finding an affordable office space that doesn’t leak every time it rains (still working on that one) in the current real estate market, it is a weekly labor of love.

Our business works on a co-op model meaning that everyone who works there has equal say in how the company is run. This allows everyone to bring their voice and vision and skills to the table. We continue the vision of making excellent care accessible and affordable for everyone who needs it in the communities we serve and we do our best to let those values take the lead as we make decisions about growing the business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Where to begin….. Atlanta has so many amazing spots. Food is definitely the itinerary if you are coming to Atlanta. One of my new favorite little spots is Politan Row, it’s a small food hall but I haven’t been disappointed by the choices yet. The vibe on a Friday night is fun with the live music and we would finish off our meal with some great boba. We would have to spend another day checking out some of the great coffee shops and bakeries like Chrome Yellow, highland bakery and Hell yeah gluten free. Can’t forget about Sweet Auburn. Definitely need at least a day to hit up buford highway and maybe even head up OTP in duluth for some korean bbq at Embop and make a stop at Onezo for their flaming dirty tea.

We would also have to make a day to go a little OTP to Cobb for a Game, Rev coffee, the best french cafe in Atlanta Douceur de France, Sessions Stand in downtown Marietta and Marietta food market.

Grab some BBQ on the way back downtown at Fox brothers and grab some wings, you can’t come here without getting some wings there are too many places to mention.

After all that food we would have to get outside Piedmont Park, Chattahoochee Nature Trail or Sweetwater Creek. Atlanta and its surrounding cities have some of the most beautiful natural spaces for an urban area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I know it can be a bit cliche to thank God these days but I do think that its a mistake to neglect ourselves as spiritual individuals. I take a lot of grounding, balance and wisdom from my spiritual life. God has been a constant throughout my growth as a professional, reminding me of my values and giving me greater purpose in what I do beyond myself. Additionally, I have been extremely lucky to have many amazing, strong and wise women throughout my education and early career that have been mentors to me as I made decisions about grad school, about my career, about life. Whether they were professors or people I worked under, it was meaningful to me to have women as role models who showed me what I was capable of and what it means to be a woman who builds.

Website: https://awakeningscartersville.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-covert-3a3901168/