“Working with Marla has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.
“When I first came to Marla for help, I was a bit of a disaster inside. On the outside, a lot of people thought I was doing really well. I was running what looked like a successful business and seemed confident and skilled. Underneath all of this, I was suffering from MAJOR impostor syndrome, depression, and anxiety, and had all but lost my will to go on. My business was a daily – no, hourly – struggle to keep up with, and I had so much negative self-talk going on in my head that I felt I could actually see it affecting my employees and family as well. In addition, I was dealing with major self-sabotage issues around financial and emotional success, and those were most definitely affecting my business as well.
I have also always had issues with my mind being very noisy. I always have had multiple versions of myself arguing loudly within me, and it caused my mind to feel inhospitable and ruined my efficiency or even my ability to be productive at all. I’ve always called this phenomenon “the forum.” I came to Marla from a place of desperation; now, I can hardly even remember what that felt like.
To begin with, Marla got to know me. I mean, she really got to know me, asking detailed and directive questions to get the information she needed to heal me. Even through this process, sharing doubts and fears, and traumas with her that I had never shared with anybody else, I could feel the burden beginning to lift. But then we really got to work.
Marla helped me using Time Line Therapy, among other methods, to unlock the traumas of my past that had caused me to feel the way I did. We dug deep, and I think we really struck gold. My outlook began to change quite suddenly. One of the first things I noticed was that the forum had quieted, and the argumentative, accusing thoughts in my head were gone. My self-hatred and criticism were suddenly replaced with compassion and understanding for myself. It made my mind a much better place to be.
In addition to this significant and immediate change, I also very soon found myself running my business with more confidence and efficiency. I no longer felt anxious or panicked about making everything happen, which made me much more efficient. Marla quickly helped me set my nullify my self-sabotage regarding finances and success, and it helped my business really start to take off.
This also affected my family life. First, I noticed that with my improved efficiency, I had both more time and mental energy for my wife and daughters. I have been much more mentally present and involved and far less grumpy. In short, I’m good to myself so that I can be good to others. It’s a beautiful thing.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention something else Marla helped me through. When I had been working with Marla for a couple of months, I was hit by a semi on the freeway. The accident could easily have killed me, but I walked away from it unharmed, or so I thought. The accident had very serious implications for my back and my mental health, as it turns out. My 10-year-old daughter was also greatly affected by this car accident. She began having multiple panic attacks daily as she suddenly (and prematurely) began to fear her own death, as well as that of her parents.I was able to work with Marla on pain management techniques that helped get me through this time and was very quickly able to bypass the PTSD that was preventing me from driving on the freeway again. Likewise, Marla was able to help my daughter find peace within herself and be able to go to sleep at night without terror.
These days, I am happy and healthy. I am following my calling with gusto. I am a good boss, a good father, a good husband, and most importantly, I am the best Me there is. And this is, in very large part, all thanks to Marla.”
David Pew, CEO of Sew Generously
