I love hearing about the pivots and turns that paint the journey of a woman’s life and how it contributed to where they are today. It is in these details that make people’s stories so interesting and Joelle Maletis is no exception.
Joelle is a Bay Area-based therapist, with an expertise on military psychology and post traumatic stress disorder. When I first met her, I immediately assumed this was her first career, one that she has aspired to be in from the very beginning - only to find out that her first career was actually as a professional dancer for many years (20!) before an injury prompted her to return to school to become a therapist. And yes, all this while being a mother to her then-one and three year old children!
She is the CEO of Joelle Rabow Maletis & Associates and I am so honored to feature the story of this remarkable woman in today’s Bay Area Women in Business spotlight!
Image by Heartbox Photography
Hair & Makeup by Daisy Gonzalez-Duarte of Beautiful One Makeup Artistry
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Can you share a little bit about you and your business?
I am a native Californian and the CEO and Clinical Supervisor of Joelle Rabow Maletis & Associates Inc. I am also a psychotherapist, military psychology, and PTSD expert. I specialize in trauma, relationship issues, addictions, and life transitions. The work I complete each day allows me to be of service to others while using my educational background and real-life experiences. Outside of the office, I enjoy sports, cooking, running, biking, hiking, reading, and watching women’s soccer.
I started as a ballet dancer by training and was in the dance world for 20 years. I had a career-ending injury and thought therapy would be interesting.
From my own backstory, I fell in love with working through my own stuff and doing that with a therapist. All of a sudden, I was newly divorced with a one and a three-year-old, so I went back to graduate school for the third time and said, “okay well therapy sounds interesting, and I don't know if I’ll be any good at it but let's give it a go.” I have been a therapist ever since and have ended up loving it as much as I loved being a dancer.
What do you enjoy about what you do? What are some of the challenges?
I love that my job is multi-faceted because this makes it exciting. I also enjoy doing mentoring and career development with new therapists and working with clients on growth. Doing media work and talking to people and female business owners in a variety of discipline on mental wellness is something that I always look forward to as well.
Some of the challenges are taking care of myself while taking care of my children, family, team, and clients. It's so hard to be a people pleaser, a perfectionist, and wanting to give everyone everything all the time. As therapists, we give so much all the time, we forget to give to ourselves! I'm definitely guilty of this! It's why I love micro-self-care.
Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 18-year-old self?
Who you are right now is not who you will be forever. Stay open minded and willing to try new experiences because even if you fail, that’s okay because growth comes from failure.
What do you appreciate/are most proud of?
What I appreciate and am proud of as an entrepreneur is being fortunate enough to go from borrowing $600 to purchase a couch for my office to growing my business into what it is today. I am very appreciative of the privilege that has allowed me to do that. What I am most proud of is what my kids have accomplished so far in life and the doors they have opened for themselves.
Who inspires you and why?
Amy Poehler because of the work she does with her smart girl’s foundation.
Her Smart Girls organization encourages uniqueness and intelligence in young people so that they can become themselves without trying to fit in.
The work she does gives young people the opportunity to feel like they fit in while being themselves which is so important.
A fun or surprising fact about yourself?
I have appeared in over sixty movies, commercials, and music videos as a backup dancer.
If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?
Emily Dickinson who bucked the patriarchy and wrote poetry anyway!
Misty Copeland the first black prima ballerina for the American Ballet Theater in NY; and, who redefined ballerinas’ bodies, showing the world that dancers are athletes, not stick figures! And Emmiline Pankhurst who started the suffragettes in the UK during WWI, helping women get the right to vote shortly after the war.