Meet Ria Flanagan | Counselor, business owner, author, mother, wife, artist, consultant, coach
We had the good fortune of connecting with Ria Flanagan and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Ria, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up in Vancouver, Canada, until I was 21 years old. I moved to San Diego, California, where I went to college, and moved to Los Angeles, where I lived for over 10 years, pursuing acting and writing and completing my Master in Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. I later moved to Arizona and worked as a counselor at The Claudia Black Center for Young Adults and The Meadows in Wickenburg, AZ. I think being raised by a young single mother and having experienced my own traumas growing up allowed me to have a compassionate approach to working with others with addiction and trauma issues. I lived on my own for a while when I was only 14 years old and had to grow up quickly, working and paying bills to survive. I experienced sexual harassment in several professional environments, never really feeling safe working for other people. I was motivated to run my own business where I can also help others who also experienced difficult circumstances growing up and want support. I can now reflect on my life with gratitude for everything I experienced because it has made me resilient and wise and provided me the ability to give back through my workshops, courses, counseling, consulting, and with my new book about to be published, Happiness is an Inside Job_Playbook, which came from a course I created for my clients during COVID to help them ground and focus on things they could control during a time when things were out of control. The Playbook coming out soon is about increasing happiness levels by committing to daily practices such as gratitude, setting intentions, mindfulness, kicking out limiting beliefs and welcoming in affirmations and positive self-talk. This book supports anyone interested in being more embodied and connected to their authentic self by immersing themselves in quick and easy daily practices to expand their ability to hold and feel joy, passion, and love in daily living. The Playbook has a nurturing conversational tone with a motivational edge that encourages the reader to dive deeper into unconditional self-love, bucking the conditions that may have been holding them back from having deeper intimacy in all relationships and allowing for a more playful and exuberant life. As a mother of two young children, I was inspired during my pregnancy with my daughter during a pandemic to reach for hope, lean into faith, and write every night all of the things that have helped me survive through many a dark night so I could offer these tools to others. There are many shoutouts to other authors, mentors, therapy practices, techniques, and many masters who have helped me. I am currently completing a PsyD program in Psychology with an emphasis in Health and Wellness and hope to retire in Santa Barbara, where I plan to continue to write a series of books while raising my children. My goal is to work less and play more as I have been working since I was 14 years old so as much as I can masterly juggle many things at once I am ready for more fun and less work in my life so I can focus on my family.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Rise Up Recover, LLC is my counseling practice and, hopefully, my legacy, as it has expanded enough to allow me to continue my education, have my second child, and create a course, which is now a book about to be published. I get to help my clients and supervise associates while continuing my own training and making more time for my family. I am blessed and pay it forward every day! Working with trauma and addiction can be challenging. Still, the transformation is amazing to witness the clients begin to love themselves, accept support, and live more embodied, purposeful lives. I have learned never to give up, let mistakes be my teachers, and enjoy success while staying humble and true to myself, knowing that perfection is not real and that we are all more relatable to our imperfections. I have learned I can only see as many clients as I have energy for, and conserving energy for self-care and my family is necessary. I have learned that living with purpose infuses passion, a natural energizer with no crash. I always strive for moderation in everything, but I know it is practice, and I have compassion when I stay up too late working on a project. I now understand the importance of living amends, supporting others in shining and applauding on the sidelines, and getting comfortable also shining. I think there is enough room for us to shine, and the world needs more of that. A practice I try to maintain is yoga because it reminds me to focus on myself and do what is suitable for me and my body. I understand success is never about being better than someone else. I can only focus on being the best of me on that day and allowing it to change daily because some days I am tired and others I am full of energy. I always give 100%, which looks different depending on the day, and that is enough. I am proud of where I am and excited for the future. I love having the freedom to grow and experience new adventures. I would love to write a movie that inspires others as film has been an essential part of my life for as long as I can remember and is an incredible medium to teach and inspire positive change in the world. I dream of peace on earth and believe it starts with having peace within ourselves for this to be possible. As a child, I attended peace marches with my mother, and I advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and women’s rights and strive for a world that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. If your beliefs don’t hurt yourself or others, you are probably on the right track, but if your beliefs limit you from fully loving yourself and isolate you from connection and joy, remember a belief can be changed, and we all have a choice and if we make that a loving choice it has a ripple effect!
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?
Vogue Bistro, Scottsdale Aquarium butterfly exhibit and aquarium, Wigwam.
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 want to Thank Patricia Plum owner of Imagine Therapy for the referral to Shoutout and all the mentors included in my book, and all the life experiences that made it possible to write this book, Happiness is an inside Job_Playbook coming to Amazon and Barnes and Noble soon! I also want to thank the counselors who work with our community at Rise Up Recover, LLC, Brittany, Cindy, and Maribeth who are incredible counselors to work with. I am so grateful for my two children and my husband who partners with me in raising them! I am so grateful for everyone who took the time to read my book and provided reviews and endorsements which motivated me to keep going through the publishing and marketing process despite juggling many other projects. I appreciate every kind word of support and love through this life journey. We could all benefit from more unconditional love in this lifetime! Pay it forward and please check out my book about to be born into the world. Love you!
Website: https://www.riseuprecoveraz.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riaflanagan/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riseuprecoveraz
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rise-up-recover-goodyear-6?osq=Rise+Up+Recover
Other: https://www.iwsuccessworkshops.com
Image Credits
Adobe stock photos, unlimited license.
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