“Healthy relationships are like healthy bodies,” writes Dr. Melanie Joy. “They thrive when their immune system is stronger than the germs they are exposed to.”  Alison Cromie of Cromie Creative Consultants is a remarkable example of withstanding and bouncing back from stressful and trauma imposing situations. She is the definition of resiliency.

Once you hear the first part of her transformation, you will understand why focusing on website redesigns with wellness practitioners makes so much sense. Alison’s upbringing is one of the more complex ones. There is a lot of relationships and dynamics to navigate. Parent divorces and remarriages, blending of families, moves, chronic health crises of both parents, accidents. Adding to the mix of relational complexity is a male adolescent babysitter who found a young Alison to sexualize while her parents were going through a divorce.

Alison speaks of her complex upbringing with compassion toward her parents and appreciation of another family who role-modeled functionality as they awaited news of a plane crash. You won’t hear a blaming voice or a child speaking from an adult body. You will hear the voice of someone asserting herself as a teenager by refusing to go through Catholic confirmation because her questions were not satisfactorily answered. Some might call this acting out and force their child through the process. Her devoutly Catholic father could have done that. Instead, he listened to his daughter and found her reasoning sound. He allowed her to form her own beliefs and practice her faith and spirituality in a way that makes sense to her. This was the launching pad Alison needed to steadily take charge of her experiences, seeing them as learning opportunities. The picture coming into view of a thousand-piece puzzle is a beautiful, vibrant woman entrepreneur coming into an adult self.

The opposite of healthy relationships is what Dr. Melanie Joy describes as ‘ dysfunctional relating’.  “A pattern of insecure, disconnecting relating.” To disrupt dysfunctional relating, we need to interrupt the pattern by focusing on a secure connecting way of relating and meeting needs more directly, no competing. An easy concept to understand; it takes creativity to implement. How can you gently yet firmly set boundaries by disrupting a  conversation? Or how can you listen for words of disconnection and shift the relating into a connecting conversation?

Those questions reminded me of the Netflix documentary about Tony Robbins when an audience participant was describing his depression. Tony Robbins interrupts the participant’s narrative by starting a conversation about his red tennis shoes. A major thought-pattern disruptor. Everyone paused for a moment. This participant went on to have a significant breakthrough with his state of depression. Clever, right? It took a moment to shift into a connecting way of relating that made us witnesses feel secure. After that disruption, the interactions between the two of them were healthy so the participant’s transformation could gain traction.

Today’s conversation is the first part of Alison’s transformative journey. I thought I might feel overwhelmed at the end of our first conversation, but no. We maintained a confident and relational tone. Alison expresses her life story with focus, ease, and openness. I felt, when I relistened, an enticing desire to know more of how Alison’s life will continue to unfold as she secures healthy relationships.

We leave you with three marketing tips for emerging entrepreneurs. Seasoned entrepreneurs can make sure they are doing the last tip on an annual basis. DOWNLOAD