About

Hi, I'm Megan

I believe that life is meant to be lived to the fullest!

That you deserve to feel energized, healthy, prosperous and confident. As a therapist with over 25 years experience and #1 bestselling author, I have built a practice that supports a balanced and thriving lifestyle and now I'm teaching other therapists how to do the same!

When I built my business, I had no idea where to begin. I wasted a lot of time, energy and money trying to figure out what marketing worked and how to build my referral network. It was tons of trial and error!

But over time my practice boomed and I wanted to move beyond the 1:1 model to offer group therapy, workshops and retreats. I spent about a decade of my practice dedicated to managing my full time caseload while also designing, building and facilitating additional streams of income too and hosted many local and international retreats. Find out more about Megan's Retreats here.

Megan on retreat at Red Mountain Resort, Utah

See Retreats

The demand for information and solid resources was SO high within the Thriving Therapists community that I built several online courses.

This community also needed coaching and consulting services. So I built that too and have helped a lot of therapists learn how to build and scale their thriving businesses too!

As a business owner, psychotherapist, coach, writer, international retreat leader, course designer and keynote speaker, I love helping people transform, restore, reach their highest potential and really learn how to thrive!

I'll admit, I'm a recovering perfectionist, but I'm also recklessly brave. I'm not afraid of most challenges and I'm super motivated to dive into projects that feel outside my comfort zone. I'm determined to design and build just about anything I feel there's a need for and I'm always ready to help others learn how to do the same!

Megan Gunnell, LMSW
Founder and Director Thriving Well Institute

I also love to write and speak and have been invited as a keynote and plenary speaker to conferences all across the US and abroad. Find out more about Megan's Speaking here.

In 2020, there was such a huge demand for therapy services, I could barely keep up. So I built a group practice to meet that growing need for more services.

Over time many therapists in my area would ask to 'pick my brain' on how I built a thriving practice and how I built retreats, workshops and groups.

So I decided to create the Thriving Therapists FB community. We are a robust community of thousands of therapists from across the globe! If you're not a member - join us for free here.

Megan presenting and speaking.

Learn more

Buy a Copy of Megan's Bestselling Book

Megan's Bio Highlights:

#1 Bestselling Author on Amazon for her book "Thriving as a Therapist"
Selected as one of 33 FB admins in all of North America for the Meta Community Accelerator Award
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
University of Michigan MSW graduate
Michigan State University BA graduate
Built and scaled 3 successful businesses
$25,000 grant recipient from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Published Author
International Retreat Leader

Advisory Team

At Thriving Well Institute, we are on a mission to help therapists build sustainable, profitable, and fulfilling careers without burnout.

As our community, programs, and global reach continue to expand, it became clear that this next chapter of growth required intentional leadership and strategic guidance at the highest level.

I am honored to introduce our Inaugural Advisory Team, three exceptional leaders whose expertise, integrity, and commitment to the mental health profession will help shape the future of Thriving Well Institute.

Each advisor brings a unique lens across clinical excellence, business strategy, innovation, and leadership development. Together, they provide thoughtful counsel, strategic insight, and visionary perspective as we continue to expand our trainings, retreats, membership community, and educational offerings.

These team members have been exceptionally involved in Thriving Well Institute’s programs, retreats, summits, membership community, and coaching initiatives, bringing deep institutional knowledge and lived alignment with our mission.

Their presence reflects our commitment to growth with integrity, innovation rooted in service, and long-term impact for therapists everywhere.

Elizabeth Colson, MSW, LCSW
https://www.desertbloomconsulting.com/

Elizabeth Colson, LCSW, is a seasoned clinician and founder of Compass Rose Psychotherapy and Desert Bloom Consulting. With more than 30 years in trauma-informed care, she specializes in developmental trauma and attachment-based healing, bringing steadiness, depth, and compassion to her work with clients. Her path began working with homelessness and continued through mobile crisis, emergency psychiatric care, outpatient psychotherapy, supervision, and leadership within community mental health systems. She holds advanced training in EMDR and traumatic stress studies, grounding her work in both thoughtfulness and relational presence. Through Compass Rose, she leads a relational, trauma-informed group practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Through Desert Bloom, she creates restorative retreats and professional spaces where therapists can build professional lives that are ethical, sustainable, and aligned with who they truly are.

Alejandro Castro, MA, LPC, LAC
https://transcendingconsultinggroup.com/

Alejandro Castro is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Addictions Counselor whose clinical work is informed by both rigorous evidence-based training and deep respect for indigenous healing modalities. As an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, he brings expertise in trauma processing and somatic approaches, skillfully
integrating these with the psycho-spiritual frameworks of
curanderismo. His commitment to cultural humility and integrative
practice makes him a trusted guide for clinicians and
healers seeking to expand their therapeutic toolkit while
honoring the spiritual dimensions of healing that many
Western models overlook.

Melissa Gonski, MA, CST, LCPC, PMH-C
www.truthcenteredwellness.com

Melissa Gonski is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, international speaker, and trainer who has been practicing since 2006. She has extensive experience working with trauma recovery, abuse survivors, intimacy difficulties, helping professions, and First Responders. She is trained and certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD), and Sex Therapy. She's an avid reader, a Chicago sports fan, and loves to integrate her human experiences to facilitate strong connections and deeper healing.

Administrative Team

Behind the scenes at Thriving Well Institute is a dedicated team ensuring that every program, online course, retreat, summit, and member experience runs seamlessly.

Heidi Schindlbeck, our Business Manager and Administrative Lead, not only oversees operations with clarity, strategy, and excellence, but she is also our yoga instructor at all of our in person Thrive Retreats and Summits. Leslie Duka, our talented and compassionate Virtual Assistant, supports the day-to-day details that keep our community connected and cared for.

Their leadership and commitment make it possible for our mission to thrive.