A Platform Connecting Clients And Practitioners For Seamless Mental Health Support – Exclusive Interview With Dr. Nicole Nasr
Dr. Nicole Nasr is the founder of Journey, a matching platform between clients and practitioners. After qualifying as a psychologist, she began her career working for two practices, but as time went on, yearned for greater flexibility and autonomy. She turned to Instagram which brought her 36 clients in just nine months, but soon discovered that filming herself, managing her account, and creating content was overwhelming and didn't align with her passion. Driven by the belief that she couldn't be the only one facing these hurdles, the concept of Journey was born. Dr. Nicole envisioned a platform that would free practitioners from the burdens of self-advertising, so they could wholeheartedly focus on their clients.
Dr. Nicole Nasr, Founder & CEO of Journey
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life so we can get to know you better.
I decided to become a psychologist in my teenage years and it was clear as day. I never applied to any other major as I just knew that my set of skills was made for this career. My sensitivity and curiosity about the people around me drove me into a career where human connection would be at the center of my everyday life. Since my qualifications, I understood very quickly the privilege I have to work in this capacity and become part of my clients’ life journeys. I was born and raised in Montreal and moved to Beirut and London all before the age of 24. These moves have been pivotal in my identity and my ability to understand cultural identities and generational trauma that we carry in our minds and bodies. Although becoming a therapist was a key moment in my life, going through my personal therapy was the real awakening I needed to become who I am today. In terms of my personal life, I’ve always had an interesting relationship with the little pleasures of life, mainly food and culinary experiences with friends and family. It’s another important vessel in my life where I get to experience my care-taking side and connect with loved ones over food cooked with intention.
What inspired you to create and launch this business, Journey Starts Here LLC and what is its primary mission or purpose?
The journey was born on the back of the pandemic. Many people were approaching me to ask for therapist referrals, as they had no idea who would be the right therapist for them. If you’ve ever been in therapy or coaching, you’ll know that the most important element of the work comes from the relationship you develop with one another. As many were struggling, I had to dig deep and understand why. I found that although there was an interest in therapy and coaching, practitioners were very difficult to find because they were not promoting themselves correctly. In fact, the majority of us don’t have any training when it comes to business, advertisement, or anything related to their business expansion. My vision became clear: I needed to create a platform that would become the benchmark destination for anyone who contemplates giving or receiving mental health support. We do this by equipping both clients and practitioners with the right tools for their journeys.
Can you describe the products or services offered on your business and how they cater to your target audience?
Our target audience are Therapists and Coaches. When they create their Journey account, they are given the choice of 3 membership plans that offer a variety of services. Our standout product is the Journey Profiles. These profiles are meant to become industry standard for practitioners worldwide, as they offer a transparent look into each how each therapist/coach practices. Practitioners can have access to a journey profile for free. The other two paying membership plans give you access to client matches, additional revenue streams, online exposure and more.
What is your long-term vision for your business, and how do you plan to evolve and grow in the future?
Journey is a platform to all. Hence, the next step will be to focus on our Journey App and offer a valuable experience to anyone looking to work on themselves. We aim to penetrate different industries and bring a deeper layer to the way we experience life.
Could you provide some information about your company's values and any social or environmental initiatives you are involved in?
We pride ourselves with our four core values: Passion, Trust, Innovation and Empowerment. All these values have been carefully selected to showcase our integrity to the human experience and promise to make it better. As for our environmental initiative, Journey will soon partner with Forestmatic on a very cool project!
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
I mean, there are many achievements that come to mind, like doing a TEDX Talk, publishing my book, and delivering a trauma response workshop in a time of crisis. But I genuinely believe that my biggest achievement is the one I am currently experiencing. My husband and I have been bootstrapping for the past two years, which has meant that I’ve had to keep my full-time job as a therapist whilst running a company. I never thought in my life that I would have such energy to do 16-hour days, but my passion for Journey has made the work not only bearable but actually enjoyable. Two years ago, I only knew about psychology, I did my invoices on Word, and I kept a pen and paper next to me for my work schedule. I felt like a dinosaur when it came to computers, and today I own a tech company.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
I would change the stigma people attribute to going to therapy or seeing a coach. People often overlook that this space is here to help you reflect and take a look inward. Most of us do not know how to do this on our own and we need someone’s guidance to help us experience ourselves. Although therapy and coaching may not be the answer to everyone, it is still important to work on ourselves. We’re the main product that drives our lives, so it is important to invest time, money and attention on ourselves.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
The most pivotal moment of my life happened in 2021. I was having frequent panic attacks, I was burn out and felt like the fire in me had been tamed. In November of that year, I found my therapist and I started what I today realise was my own homecoming. She removed all the fog that was surrounding my mountain, and helped me see beyond my insecurities and complexes. After eight months of serious deep inner work, I started feeling completely aligned on the inside and this is when the idea of Journey came to me. I often say that if it wasn’t for me own time in therapy, and the courage I had to work on myself and on my traumas, I would probably still be spending most of my time finding ways to feel good and loved enough.
