Dr. Jean Pollock: Embracing Holistic Health by Uniting Mind, Body, and Spirit

When healing takes center stage, it's essential to look beyond the body and into the soul—a philosophy wholeheartedly embraced by Dr. Jean Pollock, founder of Innovative Life Coaching. Our latest episode features her compelling journey from nursing, through the depths of psychology, and into a realm where mind, body, and spirit converge for holistic health. 

 In our conversation, we traverse her path toward a balanced existence, infusing her psychological practice with compassion and an integrative touch that extends well past traditional methods. She underscores the importance of nourishing not only the mind but also the body with proper nutrition and the soul with daily joys. Whether you're striving for mental clarity, physical vigor, or financial stability, Dr. Pollock's insights offer guidance on the subtle yet powerful lifestyle and cognitive shifts that pave the way for profound well-being. Join us for an episode that promises to nourish your curiosity and offer tools for a richer, more conscious life.

Contact Dr. Jean Pollack
561-576-1641
https://innovativecounselingservicesinc.com

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

Welcome, welcome everyone to the 19th episode of Local Living. We are a community podcast for Palm Beach to Parkland. I'm David Conway, I am your host today and we've got a great guest. We have Dr Jean Pollock. Dr Pollock is a licensed psychologist and also a practicing life coach down here in South Florida. Dr Pollock, welcome to Local Living.

Speaker 2: 0:39

Thank you.

Speaker 1: 0:40

It's a pleasure to have you on. I appreciate you joining us today, so why don't we just get started and tell us a little bit about what you do?

Speaker 2: 0:51

I moved here about three years ago after having a practice, a psychology practice, for a couple of decades in Pennsylvania, and before that my first career was in nursing and I transitioned into psychology, realizing that there was a combination of medical and physical problems related to illness, and then went on to get a doctorate in integrative medicine, which is a holistic approach to mind, body and spiritual healing.

Speaker 1: 1:32

Now you started out as a nurse. Yes, was there a specific moment that you can recall where you decided to make the transition more towards psychology?

Speaker 2: 1:47

Yes, I remember the moment. I was working at Johns Hopkins University and that was when open heart surgery was just starting. So I worked in intensive care and I had been there about two years and I was sitting there one night. I was on a night shift watching clients, patients and something and this has happened in my life many times with big transitions occur Someone came over me and the voice or whatever the instinct was these people have more than a medical problem, a physical problem. There's a psychological problem, because a lot of them were in for many illnesses related to psychological problems, such as stress, overeating, anxiety, obesity, eating disorders, trauma, all kinds of things. So that was the moment I decided and I left within two weeks.

Speaker 1: 2:54

Isn't it amazing how that one moment, one minute in time really shaped the next 20, 30 years of your life?

Speaker 2: 3:03

Yes, and I really believe that people have that intuition. We're born with it and we tend, as we get older, to lose it or not have faith in it or pay attention to it. But sometimes you're lucky enough for it to come through. So after I went to school, I returned to the university and got my degree in psychology clinical psychology and practiced for a while probably another 15 years and I saw thousands of people children, adults, couples and it was again.

Speaker 2: 3:48

I was leaving my office one day and this thought came to me. It was like a. It was a definite intuitive moment that lasted about 45 minutes and the message was stop analyzing and theorizing, just be. And so I was so used to analyzing and theorizing I was losing the. You know, in psychology there's a lot of diagnosing and insurance requires a diagnosis within the first session, and I always thought that was unethical. You know, to put a label on someone in such a short period of time without really knowing them. So that drive home lasted about 45 minutes, that message. And what came out of that was my desire to study integrative medicine, which is a holistic approach, includes a spiritual, physical and emotional mental part of a person. So, yeah, so when?

Speaker 1: 4:56

you say study integrative medicine. Where does one study integrative medicine?

Speaker 2: 5:04

Well, I went to a school well, this is the other thing. I was certified in a type of therapy which is very holistic. It's called EMDR therapy and now the APA approves it as one of, or the best treatments for, trauma. So I was very involved in that and became certified. I practiced that for about 15 years and then I came across a client and this is a whole other story and another message came to me. While I was listening to this poor, traumatized man, I just took my notepad out and started writing and said this has to become a book. I never thought of writing a book, I never thought of anything like that. It just came to me as like this is what needs to be done. And I treated him for dissociative disorders with EMDR therapy and I combined that in my thesis when I applied for my doctorate. And there was a doctorate program in Sonoma, California, that I attended and did. My whole book and thesis based on those two things how to treat people who have severe trauma with EMDR therapy.

Speaker 1: 6:42

So the book was published then.

Speaker 2: 6:44

I self published it.

Speaker 1: 6:46

Is there somewhere that someone could find the book if they wanted to?

Speaker 2: 6:51

Yeah, they could go on Amazon or on my website or LinkedIn any of my social media.

Speaker 1: 6:59

And while we're on that, so what's the name of the book?

Speaker 2: 7:03

Well, it's called Tango from Chaos to Creativity, because I met the man when I was a ballroom dancer. I met him. He was dancing and dissociated, right on the dance floor. While I was, I was the hostess of a dance event and at that time he contacted me and we worked for the next three or four years together and then I did a two year follow up with him.

Speaker 1: 7:32

And yet interesting, and you mentioned it and of course we'll circle back, but what's your website address?

Speaker 2: 7:39

It's wwwinnovativecounselingservicesinccom.

Speaker 1: 7:47

So a lot of people have preconceived notions about your industry. I know for me probably was Bob Newhart right. I grew up in that area. Yeah, you used to love the show, but are there any myths or misconceptions that you hear? Or I mean, are some of those antico? Have we moved on from that or do people still have hang ups and really false preconceived notions about your industry?

Speaker 2: 8:18

About coaching or about psychology?

Speaker 1: 8:21

Well, really, let's start with psychology. Do you find that we've evolved to where it's more normalized now?

Speaker 2: 8:31

I find it very refreshing that more men are calling for counseling. I find that very encouraging, and I also see a lot of couples and it's usually the man, if he's invested in, he's seeing improvement in communication and improvement in their overall lifestyle or their ability to connect and function together in a better way Very usually the ones that are scheduling more than the women now, almost so. But on the other side I do see that there's still the old thought about you have to be nuts or crazy to have to go to a psychologist, which I think that myth is still there, but it's not as overall I don't think there's that much of a negative connotation as there was maybe 30 years ago.

Speaker 1: 9:43

Oh, I agree. I think much of the stigma in regards to that I think we've moved on from maybe not totally like you said, but I feel like it's a society we've evolved to where it's very normalized today and people realize the benefits.

Speaker 2: 9:58

Right right.

Speaker 1: 10:00

Now, in regards to life coaching. When I think of life coaching, I think of who would call a life coach. Well, maybe someone who's achieved a certain level of success in their life already and maybe wants to optimize or take it to the next level. Is there an ideal prospect for life coaching, or who could that benefit the most? Or can it benefit all of us?

Speaker 2: 10:25

I think life coaching can benefit all of us and it depends on what type of coaching you need. I do wellness coaching, but there are people who do career coaching, which I also have dabbled in. Some couples have called me about their child, maybe who goes off to college can't handle it the first year he comes home. We do a year of coaching. He goes back and he's successful, and that could be very helpful because not only does it not, it doesn't stigmatize the person with a diagnosis, but it helps them reach their goals and move on to the next stage of life. There are executive coaches I've worked as a mediator also, which also comes in handy with my couple sessions but there are coaches for everything business coaches, resume writing coaches, all kinds of and I think the important thing for the public is to you don't, in some states, don't even need credentialing to be a coach, so it's important to look at the person's background. It's important to look at their social media to see what their testimonials are and to understand that you don't Actually even have to have a problem to go to a life coach. It's just a way to assess where you are and where you want to be, and there are like as far as wellness is concerned, there's five or six areas of Coaching that I look at, of life, that I look at with people.

Speaker 2: 12:11

So when I first assess, we look at all the areas of their life and ask them. I ask them in what areas Are you most fulfilled and which ones do you feel you're not being fulfilled? And we start from there and it's like a wheel of life. Basically it could include your emotional, financial, environmental relationships, your environment, seven areas, physical health. So we look at what areas, on a scale of zero to ten, are most, are you most satisfied in and which are you not? And it's amazing that when you work on the one that needs the most help, eventually all of the other areas are positively affected, because when your emotional health is better or your physical health is better, you have more energy to do things that you would like to do, work on such as your finances, your work, maybe you want to change jobs. It's just a wonderful tool to use and it works really well. People are always amazed at how every area of their life gets balanced out by working on one at a time. They're all affected.

Speaker 1: 13:34

So do you find yourself using this in your own life? Do you Analyze or how does that work? Is? It a daily thing, or do you find yourself hey, maybe you're in a situation, or you're in a certain state, where this is what I need to do right now sure, I my routine in the morning.

Speaker 2: 13:56

I'm very introspective, I I love self-growth, so every morning I do a meditation, I do a yoga stretch, I go out on my porch and have my cup of coffee, and I've been really very, very interested in recently applying stoic philosophy to my coaching, which the bottom line is we, we can't. The only thing we can control is our reaction to things. We can't control other people, we can't control situations that are going to emerge, but we can learn to control our response to them.

Speaker 1: 14:42

You know, I've heard it said that meditations by Marcus Aurelius is really the only self-help book Will ever need. I know I believe it was the first, or regarded as the first, thing I read regularly.

Speaker 2: 14:55

Yes, oh Wonderful.

Speaker 1: 14:57

I find that very interesting. So you know, we all have challenges, mm-hmm. How about you, doctor? Was there something, maybe, that you've experienced, or a hardship that that you went through over came, that you find yourself drawing upon now, or that helps you today in life?

Speaker 2: 15:18

Yes, I Was divorced many years ago and at the time I had three children and I was working at a Psychology practice part-time. And as as time went on, I found that I was overwhelmed with the lack of flexibility at my work and the amount of patience we had to see every day which another to me is another ethical issue. Seeing 40 patients oh, you know it, it's just too much, it's. You can't really be present and Do any healing when they're coming in and out the door. We had to see people every 45 minutes. So I got to the point where I love being a psychologist, I love being a mother, but I couldn't balance the two.

Speaker 2: 16:16

I tried really hard and I was starting to get depressed and it was a real turning point for me because I was in my 30s and I I realized that I had never allowed myself to ask for help and at that point I Quit the job. I had to quit and I Then I panicked and I was in a lot of fear how am I going to do this, how am I going to raise three children? And and so it was the first time in my life I faced fear and I also faced my own vulnerability and was able to ask for help, which is really hard for me, but I did, and I as family and friends and I found that just having them there Comforting me, holding my hand, talking to me, listening to me, it was so healing. And a friend of mine at that time, who you know, just said to me one day after I settled down after a couple of days of anxiety and panic, he said why don't you start your own practice? And it had never occurred to me to do that.

Speaker 2: 17:28

And so I opened a home office and I was able to balance really well the children, my home office and I had colleagues that Referred consults for me. So I did evaluations and things like that. I did some court work, but it was all on my terms, which made a whole difference. You know, my time was my own and I worked it around my children. So that was a great learning lesson for me To say when you need help, just don't be ashamed to say what you're afraid of, because really out of the deepest fears, I think, comes the greatest acknowledgement of your strengths. And, untip, if you're hiding in fear, those strengths never get to come out and be revealed. Where your hero is I've heard that term. That's where your, that's where your hero emerges.

Speaker 1: 18:28

Yeah, I Love the way you put that, and so, for someone out there who May be thinking they need some help or they may know somebody and that they want to help, in regards to your practice specifically and what you bring to the table doctor, is there something that you'd like our listeners to know about what you bring and the type of help that you offer?

Speaker 2: 19:02

Yes, well, I bring that combination of medical, psychological and integrative medicine, holistic approach, to Anything. Really. It what I'm seeing a lot of now. I think people are looking for compassion. I think they're listening to slow down and have someone really listen to them. They're looking for answers, you know, not a long drawn out five-year plan, but Something that they can realistically see the end to in a timely manner. Solutions they want solutions and I'm very flexible as far as what I do all remote sessions at this point. But I work with people. I see parents who are I also. If I'm seeing someone and they want to bring a family member in, say a mother with a child, or a couple with a daughter or Son that they're having a little trouble with, or it could be a parent they're Caretaking for, it could be anyone that needs to come into the picture to help the healing. I I'm flexible with that, whereas when I was a psychologist I wasn't able to do that. That they're much more rigid God, that they're not. That they're much more rigid, god willing. So that I find is very healing and I think Basically is it's following the areas of wellness a lot of people think of health and wellness is going to the gym.

Speaker 2: 20:38

But it's. It's so much more than that. It's. It's listening to your listening to yourself through some type five minutes of meditation. It's about what you're eating, what you're putting into your body and what it is that Makes you excited in the morning. What, what is it that you love about just the smallest things, or what you did use to love that you gave up? What your financial situation is, how that can, how you're emotionally attached to what that outcome is, and how we can just cognitively favorably change things but also Make some changes in Anywhere that you are in your life and bring it more toward where you want to be to be a more healthy, well-rounded person with life balance. And it's so much more than just losing weight or going to the gym. There's a lot of components that need to be addressed.

Speaker 1: 21:47

So how can people reach you? What's the best way to reach out to you, doctor?

Speaker 2: 21:53

They can reach me through my website and I offer a 15-minute free session if people have any questions and they can go to my calendar and just book that. On my website they can also find I wrote for Psychology Today for many years, so I'm on their website and I also have a LinkedIn account and I your website address again wwwinnovativecounselingservicesinccom. Perfect, it's a long one.

Speaker 1: 22:34

So they can reach you on the website. They can reach you through Psychology Today, through back channels. They could go on LinkedIn and look for Dr Jean Pollock right.

Speaker 2: 22:44

Yes.

Speaker 1: 22:46

And any other way that might make sense for them to reach out to you, or is that about it?

Speaker 2: 22:52

I think that's it. Also, I have been writing blogs on my website for years, if they want to read more about the kind of work that I do, and on LinkedIn and on Psychology Today. So there's a lot of maybe five years of writings that I've done.

Speaker 1: 23:14

Great, I can get some free help before they even speak with you. Then Sure.

Speaker 2: 23:20

They get an idea.

Speaker 1: 23:21

Yeah, that's great Listen. I really enjoyed our conversation today, Doctor, Thank you very much for joining us.

Speaker 2: 23:28

You're welcome.

Speaker 1: 23:30

Everyone, this was Dr Jean Pollock and once again, I'm David Conway, your host for today, the 19th episode of Local Living, and we look forward to having you on next time.