Be consistent. Work with a sense of intention and set realistic milestones, goals and deadlines and maintain a level of structure in your schedule in order to maximize productivity.
Parveen Brar is a seasoned Mental Health Professional and Entrepreneur with over 10 years of experience, education and training advising clients in the fields of clinical & forensic psychology, corrections & re-entry, non-profit management, and media & entertainment. She is also an accredited and certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor.
Prior to launching her business in Los Angeles, In Between the Lines, Parveen counseled and treated incarcerated offenders in jails and correctional facilities across the states of New York and New Jersey. She then went on to oversee county-wide multi-ethnic health and human service county programs at a community non-profit in Orange County. She has also consulted with actors and screenwriters in role, character and plot development for films and television series landing her into to her current career path as a Psychological Consultant, Mental Health Trainer and Nutraceutical Counselor for organizations and professionals in the entertainment and sports industries.
Parveen completed her BA in Psychology, Legal Studies & Criminology at the University of Waterloo in Canada along with a Master’s in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY). Her thesis focused on domestic homicide behavior, in collaboration with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit.
Parveen currently lives in Los Angeles, California and is originally from Toronto, Canada. Some of her hobbies include listening to music, podcasts and reading books about professional and personal development, watching the latest crime dramas and psychological thrillers, exploring various local events related to her passions, and trying new keto-friendly cuisines and restaurants with friends.
Where did the idea for your company come from?
The idea came from a desire to combine some of my personal and professional passions and interests in psychology with the entertainment and sports industries. I have a background performing more traditional jobs in psychology/mental health field including counseling/assessing/treating incarcerated offenders as well as administrative work directing mental health training and treatment programs in the non-profit sector. I wanted to find a way to apply my expertise in the field developed from my background and graduate degree in Forensic Psychology in a way that is different from providing traditional therapy to one person at a time. By providing psychological consulting, mental health training, and nutraceutical counseling services to both individuals as well as organizations (regardless of their size), I can work on a much larger scale, resulting in a wider impact, especially given the major and deep-rooted influence of the (entertainment/media/sports) industries on the general public, around the world. This is also much needed given the significant increase in recent drug overdoses/suicides and rising awareness of mental health issues in these industries which have largely been stigmatized and hidden from the public eye. With the consulting side, I want to bring authenticity to the small and large screens in the development of plots and characters in genres such as psychological thrillers, crime dramas, and any topic or area in which I can provide a psychological perspective based on scientific evidence and research, even if it’s entirely fantasy-driven or fictional. With the mental health training side, I want to train as many individuals and organizations as possible on the basic signs and symptoms of major mental health disorders with a step-by-step action plan that is scientifically backed and developed by a credentialed training program in partnership with the National Council of Behavioral Health. The nutraceutical counseling side is my third service, and is meant to educate and coach on ways in which one can bio-hack and benefit from the many psychological benefits of CBD and the ketogenic diet/exogenous ketones rather than seek traditional forms of drug therapy which only really only mask mental health related signs and symptoms and worsen your health and mental health in the long-term. I love watching shows, movies and sports as much as anyone, and by creating In Between the Lines, I’ve been able to bring out my creative side and intertwine my passions and hobbies to create a profitable business.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
There’s no such thing as a “typical day” when you’re an entrepreneur. One day, I could be engulfed in sending emails and making phone calls to offer/pitch a mental health training course. Another, I could be attending a workshop or conference since I am constantly developing myself both personally and professionally. Another, I can be working on my marketing materials and learning new ways to reach various individuals and organizations. Or I could be spending an 8 hour day teaching, or consulting on a specific project or discussing/brainstorming with another entrepreneur ways in which we can collaborate (which I’m currently prioritizing given that Mental Health Awareness Month is coming up in May). I am still in the early stages of building my business so as you could imagine, there have been and will continue to be a lot of hiccups along the way. It’s all about being consistent, working with a sense of intention in order to maintain control over your work and your day, setting up realistic milestones and reachable goals and deadlines, as well as maintaining a level of structure in your work schedule. Without these, it is much more difficult to stay focused and be productive.
How do you bring ideas to life?
With the type of business I have, this really depends on each specific idea. For me, bringing an idea to life means writing it down and envisioning it by mapping it out step-by-step. Anytime I have an idea, I write it in the notes section of my iPhone or MacBook and then I revisit it. Or I go to a whiteboard and create a chart or table. If it still sounds and looks like something that is tangible, I create an action plan. And then I tackle it, one small step at a time. This could be anything from doing background research on said idea to calling a friend or business partner to get an opinion and/or brainstorm a potential collaboration, or going out and buying whatever product or resources I may need to make said idea happen.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The recent transparency and openness of celebrities and public figures in coming out with their personal stories of struggles and issues related to mental health. This has been gradually increasing, especially over the past year and has definitely become a trend as more and more people are feeling comfortable and willing to share their stories and bring awareness as well as reduce the stigma associated with mental health disorders.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
My lifestyle when it comes to nutrition/health and I think should be number one for any and everyone, entrepreneur or not. I try to make sure I am sticking to my nutritional goals and practicing what I preach. This includes eating healthy and taking exogenous ketones and CBD oil every single day, two to three times a day. Ketones and CBD are such amazing supplements that give you improved and increased productivity, energy, and focus among a host of other benefits.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t worry about the opinions of others, especially your family and friends and always go after what you want. Be yourself. Listen to your intuition. They’ll always be the ones playing devil’s advocate and feeding into your doubts and insecurities. While it’s great to have your loved ones there to support you and encourage you through your passions and ambitions, it’s very easy to let others’ opinions of you limit you and place a cap on your creativity and potential.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
You are not your situation or your circumstances. You are not what happened to you or your life. Most people have a hard time separating these and react to events or people rather than being proactive and intentional by realizing they are not a product of circumstance or timing. People also define themselves by what has happened to them, regardless of what this could mean. This is coming from my own personal opinions and perceptions but is also backed by years of personal and professional life experiences and hardships that have led me to where I am now.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I review my mission and vision every single morning and allow for modifications/tweaks to these as I grow and develop my business. This is one thing that keeps me motivated and helps me start my day right by reminding myself why I started what I started and what my goals are.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Social media marketing (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook). In current times, technology and social media are evolving faster than ever and I’ve learned that these are the best resources to grow any type of business. Like I mentioned before, I’m still in the early stages of my business and learning various marketing techniques and strategies but I have already been able to gain traction and connect with business partners and clients solely through a social media post or online messaging.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Trying to juggle too many things at once. What this led to is me not being able to accomplish even the smallest of tasks because I was trying to do it all and expecting immediate results. I also spent a lot of time planning instead of doing. Realizing I’m only one woman and need to prioritize my various passions and ideas and tackle them one at a time actually took a while. You can’t do everything exceptionally and you can’t do it alone. Being an entrepreneur is not about doing it all or doing it all yourself. I overcame this by learning to use my resources and creating more of a structure in my schedule as well as defining which part of my business idea I wanted to get off the ground first. By surrounding myself with like-minded people who understand the trials and tribulations of entrepreneurship and that can mentor and offer advice as well as collaboration, I’ve been able to gain a lot more clarity when it comes to my business and my overall journey.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A creation of an app that you can input your health history and current symptoms and issues into along with your basic biometric information, which is then processed according to an algorithm designed to give you a specific and holistic nutritional and treatment plan. It would also have other features including the ability to have a live consult with a medical or mental health professional with expertise in your areas of concern. I’d like to see this created, where you no longer need to see a professional live and surpass the traditional forms of seeing a doctor or mental health professional in order to be thoroughly assessed and treated. This goes beyond tele-consulting and would be large enough to have a wide array of professionals with various areas of expertise to address any concern from anywhere in the world. As a result, this would greatly increase accessibility to the best care to almost everyone and be inexpensive.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Uber rides to attend various events related to personal and professional development this past week. I finally took a friend up on an offer to attend the private filming of “Impact Theory” by Tom Bilyeu and met some amazing people which ended up in my attending the “Powerful U” press event for an upcoming weekend conference pertaining to tapping into your greatest potential with a focus on changing and developing your mindset and perceptions. I love these types of workshops and events because I meet like-minded people with an entrepreneur mindset who also want to make a real impact through their passions and career pursuits.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
Google/G-Suite/G-mail. I use G-Suite for my business to keep my work calendar up to date on Google calendar, to share notes and documents (Google docs) with business partners or clients, to send/receive emails (G-mail). It was very simple to connect my domain with Google and this helps me be productive since it’s proficient and Google/Gmail has been my go-to web service for years.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” by Robin Sharma. Robin Sharma is one of the industry’s top leadership experts and has worked with some of the greatest leaders and entrepreneurs. He shares some very valuable advice and insights into life and work that fit and shape you to look at your life, day and work with deep perception and clarity. Great read for all entrepreneurs.
What is your favorite quote?
“All human knowledge begins with intuitions, proceeds from thence to concepts, and ends with ideas.”
-Immanuel Kant
Key Learnings:
• As an entrepreneur, it’s important to be consistent, work with a sense of intention and set realistic milestones, goals and deadlines and maintain a level of structure in your schedule in order to be more productive.
• Write down and envision an idea and then revisit it before taking action on it.
• Don’t allow others’ opinions of you interfere with your creative pursuits and overall potential.
• Consistently and regularly review your “why” to continue striving forward and to help you stay motivated.
• Don’t try to do everything at once. Be aware of your priorities and limitations and focus on execution to achieve solid and tangible results.
Connect:
Instagram and Twitter: @thinkinbetween
LinkedIn:
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.