Meet Gina Gheller of Walk and Talks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Gheller.

Gina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been a psychotherapist for 20 years, as well as an outdoor exercise enthusiast. I am also an actress and artist and rely upon exercise and nature as an important way to feel more balanced, healthy and creative.

I often travel to L.A. for auditions and projects, and of course, am infatuated by the beauty and the climate of the California landscape. The restrictiveness and general unhealthiness of sitting in an office hour after hour all day feels unbalanced for both myself and my clients. We often look outside saying, “What a beautiful day. I wish we could be outside.”

I began incorporating walking sessions into my practice in 2017, walking right outside of my office. Soon thereafter, I launched, “Walk and Talks” first in Houston, and logically next in L.A. I also added Life Coaching to my professional skills which allows me to practice across the country in a less restrictive way, balancing my love of acting with my love of helping others.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
“Wow! What a great idea!” That’s what I usually hear about my services, which is very encouraging, however, walking psychotherapy sessions are still is a relatively novel concept. Advertising for this idea has been challenging due to the unique “niche.” We are a health-related service, but also a holistic exercise mind-body service.

Walk and Talks – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a diversely talented team of licensed psychotherapists and life coaches who also embrace the opportunity to offer a more holistic, positive approach to helping clients, offering the benefits of nature and exercise in every session. All of our unique provider profiles are available on our website, www.walkandtalks.com.

Clients are able to read through bios and select a therapist on their own, or they may call or email me to help them to select a therapist who might fit well. Our focus is on wellness and utilizing strengths, a refreshing change for many clients who are tired of rehashing old problems over and over. We meet at area parks, trails, and beaches seven days a week.

Many of our therapists work weekends and evenings, easing the pressure of trying to find time to fit in therapy. We want to fuse together as many time saving and stress-reducing benefits to psychotherapy as possible. We always welcome our clients to walk their babies or pets during their session, should they choose. I am pretty sure that there are no other psychotherapy services which offer this option!

Walking has been linked to so many mind and body health benefits, and it is such a simple way to elevate the mood, burn calories, relieve stress, and clear the mind. It is amazing to see how clients express more insight and awareness during walking sessions, and it all happens so naturally. Walking sessions also take the pressure of off the intense eye contact and directness of office sessions. The freeness of motion in nature allows a session to become more than just psychotherapy.

We are actually connecting the mind and body in every session. Mind-body balance is so important. The process of walking during a psychotherapy session offers something that has been missing. Clients report increased energy, clearer thinking, higher confidence, greater awareness, and feel more accountable for goals and changes in their lives. I hope anyone interested in therapy or life coaching considers giving Walk and Talks a try so they can experience for themselves the healthy, empowering benefits of walking psychotherapy sessions.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as an outcome which brings happiness and fulfillment achieving a previously set goal in the areas of career/finance, relationships, health or hobbies.

For Walk and Talks, success means that we are able to improve the lives of as many people as possible in need of psychotherapy or life coaching.

Pricing:

• The cost of a Walk and Talk session is $150 for a 45-50 minute walking session.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.walkandtalks.com
• Phone: 323-642-9439
• Email: info@walkandtalks.com
• Instagram: @walkandtalks
• Facebook: @walkandtalksla
• Twitter: @walkandtalks

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.