Today we’d like to introduce you to Bronwyn Hockersmith and Toni Moran.
Bronwyn started Boost in February of 2018. The company she was working for was closing, and the biggest change in her life was about to happen… She was about to have a baby. She was unsure what the transformative journey of motherhood would bring. So, she was hesitant/scared/unmotivated to start applying to jobs in the field. After a long conversation with her life partner, lover, and believer (Scott), she decided to take a risk and believe in herself, her craft, and her community. Through this vulnerable conversation, she was able to trim down that she truly loved being a therapist and educator. And realizing that she felt so deeply that she needed to nurture this inner healer, she decided to start Boost. Boost started as a blog and quickly the universe began to offer incredible gifts that reinforced this brain spark of a company.
Bronwyn quickly felt the rush of energy and sat down and formulated goals. She remembers laughing as they were putting ideas on paper because they felt so outlandish at the time. Boost was in its infancy… it was a blog and a half-bad blog at that. The blog lacked a genuine voice. Boost needed a physical space. Boost lacked any prospects. There wasn’t a logo, or a website, or an inkling as to how to put it all together. Bronwyn was pregnant, working a full-time job, and not very motivated to add one more thing to her plate. But after those goals were on paper, it’s as if Boost became its own living and breathing thing. There was no turning back. That very same day, she found a space, and Scott made them the badass logo you see today.
As Bronwyn continued to explore what Boost could be, she realized that Boost needed more. Boost needed a grounding force. Bronwyn had seen Toni in passing at Regis University (their graduate program) and was now working with her at the same company (that one that was about to close). They had chatted about life and gotten along. Dinners together became more frequent and soon, Bronwyn and Toni started working on the same team. At that point, Bronwyn saw it. Toni was real. She was smart, compassionate, authentic, quick, and an incredible therapist. Bronwyn knew she needed to grab this star quickly, or she would be gone… onto a different brilliant career paving the way for other people and organizations. The two had become close enough that Bronwyn knew she needed to take a risk, so she asked her if she had an interest in joining in with Boost. Like a romantic proposal, Toni beamed and said yes.
They both finished their jobs. Bronwyn had a beautiful baby girl. Toni moved on to another organization. Boost paused. That pause felt tough and yet was so important in gaining traction. After five months of learning how to be a mom, Bronwyn and Toni felt ready to move past being a company that solely posted on Instagram and turn their knowledge into the practice and agency they dreamed. Bronwyn started seeing clients again. They gained seven brilliant consultants. They started doing training with some reputable companies. All the while, Toni kept her 9-5 until she, too, had a beautiful baby girl.
Initiate 2nd pause. This pause showed them their edge. The edge forced them to decide to fully commit/believe or stay steady and keep it as a side gig. This second pause offered space for Toni to leave her 9-5 and commit to Boost full-time. Fast-forward to today, Boost is a fully operational—and thriving—as counseling, coaching, and consulting firm. They have our own office (not shared)! They’ve surpassed their 5-year business goals (at two years). They both have thriving private practices. They are offering both monthly trainings and workshops. Their first workbook is launching on June 1st. AND they get to spend most of their time with their thriving baby girls. Life is good.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have definitely been struggles along the way. Raising a family and running a business has been far from glamorous. When Bronwyn and Toni were laid off from their corporate jobs, Boost could have ended then. There was no income coming in and very few hours available to invest in it.
Bronwyn had her baby one week prior to the company closing. She was learning how to be a mother and a business owner. Financially it was a struggle, as Bronwyn was on unemployment and not seeing counseling clients. It didn’t feel like there was much space to dream. So, Bronwyn decided to look for work elsewhere. Bronwyn started applying for jobs. She applied to over 50 jobs during the duration of being on unemployment. Out of the very few interviews she got, the compensation they were offering would barely pay for childcare. She felt defeated. After several tough love conversations with friends and family, she realized that the universe was telling her to slow down and trust the process. So, Bronwyn leaned into motherhood and invested in Boost when she could. It wasn’t until her daughter turned a year old that Bronwyn felt she had the energy and space to build her private practice and start networking for the consulting side of Boost.
Toni’s journey was also wrought with struggle. Toni found a wonderful position working for a new company, after finding out the one she worked at with Bronwyn was closing. She got promoted within the first year she was there and learned a ton while challenging herself and growing. Also, during the first year, she found out she was pregnant! This was exciting news and gave Toni a lot to think about regarding her future. After giving birth to her daughter, Toni decided not to return to her full-time job because she was not ready to leave her daughter with a nanny. Instead, she decided to jump full-time into Boost! This meant being a mom and business owner full time with no days off.
Then enters COVID-19… (cue dark, ominous music), they (like the rest of the world) have shifted all of their work to online platforms. As somatic therapists (a body-based therapy practice), seeing clients via Zoom has come with struggle. They have had to shift how they approach communication. They have had to set new and tricky boundaries with family and clients because everyone is at home. And it’s the first experience they’ve had that they are also experiencing the same stressful event as their clients.
Learning the intricacies of owning a business is tough. Manifesting their dreams has forced them to face a lot of their own demons. They’ve had to change their relationship with money, they battle imposter syndrome daily, they’ve had to make quick and flexible changes to their business during an unprecedented health crisis, and they have had to learn how to be transparent/vulnerable/honest with each other. It was (and continues to be) well worth it.
Boost Counseling & Consulting – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Bronwyn and Toni are the owners of Boost Counseling & Consulting. Boost focuses on the 3 C’s – Counseling, Coaching and Consulting. Toni and Bronwyn are both licensed professional counselors. They each have a private practice where they see clients for psychotherapy—individuals and couples. They come from a trauma-informed care lens and practice mindfulness-based and somatic-based therapeutic methods with their clients.
These ladies also offer coaching for clients that have a vision and want results. Bronwyn and Toni help their coaching clients access their values and remove limiting beliefs. The consulting side of Boost dives into organizational development and wellness. They bring educational forums and packages to leadership and employees. Their training offer strategies to better understand how to support employees’ mental health and ensure the work they do is connected to the vision/mission of their organization.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Bronwyn and Toni believe that having work/life balance and balanced life in general shows both personal and professional success. Having the basics like water, nutrition, sleep, movement, connection, and nature offers them the resources they need to have and experience a sense of achievement. When Toni and Bronwyn experience their beliefs and values aligned, they know they have attained success. They believe in the pursuit of never-ending learning opportunities, financial security, and being seen as experts in the field. Boost having its own TedTalk or publishing a book would offer them the evidence that success has been realized.
They would love to help build a world where their daughters believe and understand they can find purpose, meaning, and financial stability in whatever they pursue. Witnessing their daughters feeling confident and taking risks would offer them a deep sense of accomplishment.
Pricing:
- Coaching: 4 sessions for $400, individual sessions are $125
- Counseling: $115 per session for individuals, $125 per session for couples
- Consulting: $250/hr for standard trainings and packages ranging from $1500 – $7500
Contact Info:
- Address: 2373 Central Park Blvd #100, Denver, CO 80238
- Website: www.boostcounseling.com
- Phone: 303-803-1664
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @boostcounseling
- Facebook: @BoostConsultants
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boost-counseling-consulting
Image Credit:
Scott McCormick
Merne Judson III
Meredith Moran
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