Exploring Life & Business with Andrea Beardsley-Glover of MentPhys Wellness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Beardsley-Glover.

Hi Andrea, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in a small town in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Through family values and the small-town atmosphere, sports became a vast part of my life. I watched, played, and talked sports. I trained, dreamed, and worked hard to be the best athlete that my mind and body would allow me to be. Basketball and softball were the main sports that I played throughout high school, though basketball was my true passion. Like many athletes, my sports career took a turn when I suffered a knee injury my junior year of high school. After hearing that “pop,” my mind-body connection has never been the same. Through three knee surgeries, a rash teenage decision to die my hair black, and some weight gain, my depression symptoms grew rapidly, bringing a slew of body image and confidence issues with them.

​Ironically, during this time, I was taking an Intro to a Psychology college course and began to learn more about human behavior. I knew I wanted to have some sort of career in sports; however, psychology continued to become more and more intriguing. I attended East Carolina University and double majored in Psychology and Sport Studies. Through my sports studies major, I began to grow my interest in exercise and training. I developed a passion for fitness and eventually received my personal training and yoga certifications in 2014. Through my psychology major and my own experience in mental health therapy, my interest in counseling also grew. In 2015, I graduated from Seton Hall University with my Master’s in Professional Counseling. I continued with my education and received my Post-Masters Certificate in Sport Psychology from The University of California at Pennsylvania.

​I moved back to North Carolina in 2016 and currently hold the title of a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor from the North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors. When settling down in Raleigh, I decided to use my years of experience working with athletes and within the mental health field to officially establish my practice, MentPhys Wellness PLLC. My work with clients stems from concepts and theories of cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing, acceptance commitment therapy and exposure-response prevention. I specialize in sports performance and OCD which includes helping clients learn to manage issues around anxiety, body image issues, perfectionism, life transitions and injuries (just to name a few). I strive to increase my clients’ self-esteem through the activities of physical exercise, mental skills training, relaxation and calming techniques, yoga, focus and concentration techniques, and positive self-talk. My overall goal is to provide my clients with the help that I was unable to receive at the time of my injury and to increase their knowledge of what it truly means to be mentally fit.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Creating your own business has the expectation that there will be struggles and of course, with any start-up, it takes time and patience. Since. I was new to the area, it took some time for me to network and get my name out there. It was also (and still is) challenging fighting the mental health stigma, especially within the athlete and exercise communities. It is not easy at times, helping people understand and recognize the benefits of mental health.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about MentPhys Wellness?
MentPhys Wellness PLLC was developed from the concept of building both a positive mind and a positive body. It’s mission is to help you establish and improve the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and emotions about yourself and your body. Finding the right place to start when it comes to fitness and a healthier lifestyle can be frustrating. MentPhys Wellness was created around the belief that it all starts with a healthy mind. MentPhys Wellness goes beyond mental health therapy and integrates all wellness areas. As a client you are treated HOLISTICALLY, through the lens of who you are as a whole person; mind, body, and spirit. ​

In a way, we are all athletes and performers. MentPhys Wellness uses the ideology of sports with all clients through the concepts of goal setting, teamwork, and motivation. We all perform in one way or the other. Whether you are an athlete, a student, professional, or stay at home parent, we all have a commonality; we are human. At MentPhys Wellness the goal is not just to make you a better athlete, student, parent, or professional; it is to make you a better human being. This is accomplished by becoming the best version of yourself.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think I have taken a few risks over the course of the last 4 or 5 years since started my practice. For many years I shared office space with other clinicians but I knew that I wanted to grow my own practice so I took the risk of venturing out on my own. Unfortunately, I took the risk and got my own office suite a month before COVID hit. However, I currently enjoy having virtual sessions with my clients and hope to be back in my office part-time, sometime in the future.

Contact Info:

• Email: mentphyswellness@gmail.com
• Website: www.mentphyswellness.com

Image Credits
Finley (therapy dog)