Today we continue sharing about our team at Academy of Therapy Wisdom. These are the leaders and contributors behind the scenes of our online therapy courses and content of high-value, trainings that make a real difference in your psychotherapy practice, as a therapist as well as for your clients.
We asked Ian McPherson, our Co-leader/President and Chief Marketing Officer to share a bit about himself, his role, and what inspires him most about our Therapy Wisdom mission and work. Here’s what he shares:
Therapy Wisdom Team Feature: Ian McPherson
While Therapy Wisdom is based in the U.S., our team enjoys the freedom of remote work and we contribute from lots of interesting places. Where do you work from, Ian?
Currently, I live on a small, quiet, Danish island named Ærø.
Tell us a bit about your family…
I live with my absolutely incredible, brilliant, talented wife, Thea, who is an artist and writer. We have a gregarious, spirited 2-year-old son, Owen.
What is your professional background?
I was on a very well-planned and linear trajectory to get a degree and a career somewhere in the field of psycholinguistics when I graduated high school at 16… but then I didn’t get in anywhere I applied, and worked in retail for a year instead. I ended up majoring in vocal music, Russian, and political science as an undergraduate. All of which made it my next logical step to get a Master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine (doing acupuncture, herbs, and massage).
Most of the time that I was in higher education, I worked as a freelance proofreader – about 7 years. Then a friend of a friend hired me to run a kickstarter campaign for a mission-driven startup, and I had to teach myself digital marketing. Later, I found the position Authentic Presence (our partner company) and quickly formed a strong relationship with Brian that has endured many further life changes over the last 7 years.
We have a strong commitment to team care and work/life balance. What activities or practices help you stay balanced in life?
1. Rest
As a holistic medicine practitioner, I really took to heart the immense value of REST. Optimizing my sleep is a big part of that, but so is taking every Saturday completely unplugged from work.
2. Sustenance
I love cooking, and I do most of the cooking in our family. Nourishing myself (and feeding others) keeps me in balance with spending so much time on a computer.
3. Movement
The other antidote to being stationary most of the workday is being in my body as often as I can. I’ve practiced Tai Chi for 10+ years and I walk everywhere I can, often with a toddler strapped to my chest.
4. Relationships
Being with others, feeling connection, even virtually, keeps me resourced. My wife and I started and lived in a few different intentional communities for 7 years. Nowadays, whether it’s spending time one-on-one with my son, playing DnD online with my brothers, or recording Whatsapp messages to my friends in other countries, I have found that when I’m in relationship I flourish and when I’m not, I wither.
When did you join the team at Therapy Wisdom?
June 2016. I made a commitment to myself that if I was going to spend all day in front of a computer, it had to be doing something that benefited the world. I felt in alignment with the Authentic Presence mission of amplifying wisdom and compassion for global transformation, and that translates strongly to Academy of Therapy Wisdom, as well.
What do you enjoy most about the team and being part of it?
Brian’s leadership, creative genius, humor, humbleness, and deep relational wisdom are a continual source of inspiration to me (Brian is my co-leader/President and founder of Authentic Presence). Our team is a phenomenal group of people who function at a very high level together. We have gone through lots of growth and change since I joined, and always rise to meet the moment as a group.
I really enjoy that our workplace is so friendly, and that people are easy to talk to. I think we are pretty vulnerable with each other, and we are really supportive also. Back before the pandemic started, we would all meet in our office in Boulder, CO. The office had desks facing the windows around the outside of the room, and one big oak table in the middle. Everyone always ended up around the big table. That culture of togetherness has persisted even now that we work almost 100% remotely.
What is your title and role at ATW?
Co-leader/President and Chief Marketing Officer. As co-leader, I work with Brian to set our strategy and we work closely with our Company Operating Officer, Nikki, to make it happen. As CMO, I oversee our course promotion activities.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
The fact that every year, what we produce touches at least thousands if not millions of lives in a positive way.
What do you personally feel is the role our courses and faculty play in the world of therapy, and the world at large?
I had an unfortunate experience with my wife and toddler of witnessing a random, psychosis-related assault in a very familiar, peaceful neighborhood in California. Over the ensuing few hours, my wife and I both noticed our bodies were really tense, and we were snapping at one another without apparent cause. We had been traumatized.
Because we both have access to a high degree of mental health education, we recognized our reactions quickly, did what we needed to for processing, and by the end of the day we had moved on from all but the faintest effects.
Not for the first time, I was confronted with the question: if such a thankfully ‘mild’ event in which I was not even injured could be so upsetting and even change how I treated my loved ones, how much more so might someone be impacted who had encountered far worse in their lives? On a daily basis? Without the tools I have? Without the baseline privilege of safety, belonging and dignity that I carry as a white male in the U.S.?
I believe that if our courses can help helping professionals be their best and help them give their clients tools to process trauma, be less anxious, be more embodied, or be kinder, we are in some small way a part of the solution to the awful stuff that people do to other people and to the planet.
What ATW course inspires you the most, and why?
Probably Jules Taylor Shore’s Experiential Therapy Techniques: A Neurobiological Approach to Self-Compassion Therapy…. I love how Jules explains brain science, and it’s probably a thoroughly unfair prejudice, but I almost wouldn’t want to see a therapist who didn’t understand what Jules teaches, now that I’ve seen it.
Is there anything else you wish to share about the Therapy Wisdom mission and vision?
It is sincerely an honor to serve helping professionals. We really mean it when we say you are heroes, facing the biggest humanitarian issues of our time on a human scale. The care and attention you give your clients is priceless, and truly changes the world. You are our inspiration.
Learn more about Therapy Wisdom online training for psychotherapists, coaches, social workers on our online therapy courses page.
