Starter Company Plus Spotlight: Meghan Westendorp of Found & Free
Meet Meghan Westendorp, heart-centered entrepreneur and owner of Found and Free. Found & Free offers lasting solutions to Christians who are experiencing spiritual, physical, mental, and/or emotional problems. Meghan is a Christian Nurse Practitioner who utilizes her medical and spiritual knowledge to provide a holistic approach to meeting her client’s needs. The services offered at Found & Free include biblical psychotherapy and Restoring the Foundations’ issue focused ministry. Found & Free provides accessible care for anyone in Ontario through utilization of a virtual care model.
Read on to learn more about Meghan and her journey thus far.
Can you tell me about your journey as an entrepreneur? What motivated you to start your business?
Prior to starting my journey as an entrepreneur, I worked as a Nurse Practitioner at a family doctor’s office providing primary care. I enjoyed this role, but during COVID I started to question if I wanted to continue down that path long-term. My husband and I have been blessed with two daughters – one in 2021 and one in 2022. With my extended time on maternity leave, I had a lot of time to contemplate my future career path. I determined that returning to a traditional 9-5 office job didn’t align with the things that were most important to me (faith and family). The timing of this decision just so happened to align with our decision to move 3.5 hours north to the South Georgian Bay Region.
So, without a passion to return to my previous area of work… and without a job to return to in our brand-new location… I took a leap of faith into my entrepreneurial journey. It has been a huge learning curve, but I am thankful for where I have made it to currently and I am excited to see how my business continues to grow in the future.
How did you discover the Starter Company Plus program? What are you hoping to learn?
I learned about the program through my branding photographer approximately 2 weeks before the application was due. She was a recent graduate of the program and seeing the success of her business and hearing her speak so highly of the program were major motivators for me to get my application done in record speed.
Now that I am in the program I hope to expand my knowledge as an entrepreneur, to break free from any imposter syndrome, and grow a network around me and my business.
What role do mentorship and continuous learning play in your entrepreneurial journey?
Mentorship and continuous learning play an invaluable role in my entrepreneurial journey. My grandfather who is a successful entrepreneur once told me, “Why learn from your own mistakes when you can learn from someone else’s?” The opportunity to work with a mentor provides the ability to learn from their experiences (including their mistakes), so that I can accelerate my entrepreneurial journey on a path towards success rather than a winding path of trial and error.
Continuous learning is not only a mandatory pre-requisite to maintaining my nursing license but has been a necessary component of gaining competency in psychotherapy. There are so many different types of psychotherapy and such a wide variety of therapeutic techniques, it would take a lifetime to learn them all. I am continuously learning in this area so I can provide the highest quality evidence-based care possible.
What services or products do you offer?
I currently offer two primary services.
Biblical Psychotherapy – 50 minute one-on-one virtual psychotherapy sessions personalized to each client’s unique concerns. I combine my medical expertise as a Nurse Practitioner Psychotherapist and my knowledge of biblical principles to facilitate my clients’ journey towards spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional wellness. The highly effective method of cognitive behavioural therapy is used throughout these sessions.
Issue Focused Ministry – 2–3-hour session facilitated by myself and my husband where clients receive in-depth analysis of one issue in their life. We use a scripturally based process, developed by Restoring the Foundations International organization, to address four problem areas that interact in all peoples lives to contribute to the issues they are facing (generational baggage, wounded places, ungodly beliefs, and spiritual oppression). By addressing these areas simultaneously, clients receive lasting freedom from their specified concern.
I also offer a free 15-minute discovery call for anyone with unanswered questions about my services or anyone who wishes to have a “meet and greet” with me prior to making any commitments.
In the near future, I intend to create some courses that use cognitive behavioural therapy to address common mental health challenges, such as anxiety and depression, from a faith-based perspective.
Who do you look up to for ideas and inspiration?
A friend of mine, who is also a Nurse Practitioner working in independent practice has been a major source of inspiration for me. She has walked alongside me for almost my entire nursing journey. She was my mentor for my final placement in nursing school, we attended nurse practitioner school together, and we even had our first babies 8 days apart. After achieving these other things together, when I saw how successful she was in launching her own business, it gave me the inspiration and encouragement I needed to believe that I could do the same thing.
What is unique about your business? What is something you want potential clients to know?
A unique thing about my business is the comprehensive nature of my services to address four major components of health – spiritual, mental, emotional, physical. Through my knowledge as a Christian, I can address spiritual concerns and I integrate faith into every aspect of my care. Through my training in psychotherapy techniques, I can address the mental (thoughts), emotional, and behavioural components of a problem.
Lastly, I can use my Nurse Practitioner scope of practice to assess for underlying physical causes for client’s concerns, make formal diagnoses as necessary, order diagnostic testing (ie. bloodwork) and prescribe medications. I would consider Found & Free a “one stop shop” for attending to your concerns from a faith-based perspective – no matter how big or small.
Why South Georgian Bay? What made you start a business in this region?
My family moved to the South Georgian Bay region about 1 year ago. We were drawn to the area for two main reasons: to be closer to my husband’s family and to be closer to the beautiful areas of wilderness that we enjoy spending our time vacationing in. From a business perspective, it made sense to make my business home the same place as my physical home. I have a vision in my heart for the future of Found & Free to include a retreat centre in a serene wilderness location where Christians can seek refuge from the demands of their everyday lives to receive spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional freedom.
What better place for a tranquil retreat than nestled among the vast forests, the expansive waters and the majestic mountains that are all located within the South Georgian Bay region.
What’s been the most rewarding aspect of building your own business?
The most rewarding aspect of building my own business has been the flexibility that it has allowed me to have between my work and personal life. It has certainly been a busy time in my life with a young family and trying to launch a business, but I have not felt that I have missed out on major events and milestones in my home life. Also, having the opportunity to work alongside my husband to provide issue focused ministry has been such a great joy. Working from home and being my own boss has truly provided me with the best of both worlds. It is not without its challenges, but it is so satisfying when you are able to accomplish a new task for the first time and gain the skill and confidence to move forward as an entrepreneur.
What do you consider to be your core strengths as an entrepreneur, and how have they contributed to the success of your business?
As a faith-based business, I think one of my greatest strengths is my faith itself. I know that all my strengths and abilities are gifts that God has given me and it is my desire to use them wisely and effectively within Found & Free. One of the core strengths that has helped me succeed academically and will certainly translate to my entrepreneurial journey, is my commitment to giving 100% in everything I do. Sometimes being an entrepreneur can come with a heavy weight of self-reliance, but because of my faith in God and my commitment to working with excellence to fulfill God’s calling in my life, I can trust that He is establishing the path forward for Found & Free. I can breathe a sigh of relief that the success of my business is not riding on my strengths alone.
What are your favourite local spots to visit on a day off?
On my days off, you will catch me spending time in the great outdoors with my family. There are so many local places that we have yet to explore since moving up here, but so far this summer we have really been enjoying the Nordic Trails and the beach.
If your business had a theme song, what would it be and why?
If my business had a theme song it would be “Lord Send Revival” by Hillsong Young & Free. This is a song that I have played repeatedly as I have brainstormed about and prayed over my business idea. The lyrics of the song speak to the experience that I want every client of Found & Free to have; to experience peace washing over them, the healing embrace of God’s love, God’s presence in a new and real way, and to experience God’s power in their life and be revived by it.
What is the most random or unexpected item on your desk right now, and is there a story behind it?
Full disclosure, my desk is kind of messy right now. We were out of town recently visiting family and my desk became a catch-all when we got home. But, if I had to pick the weirdest thing… it would be two blank canvases and paint supplies, so that my husband and I can try the viral trend of painting your significant other. Wish me luck… I am not artistic in the least lol.
Website: www.foundandfree.ca
Email: meghan@foundandfree.ca
Instagram: @foundandfree.ca
Facebook: Found & Free