Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Hensley.
Vivian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My Story
I was born in Santa Cruz, California, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by an incredible single mother. She raised five children—two boys and three girls—with determination, resilience, and unwavering love. She worked a variety of jobs throughout the years and, at one point, even became a hypnotherapist. Watching her continually reinvent herself taught me that it is never too late to learn, grow, or begin again. Her example instilled in me a strong work ethic, a love of learning, and the courage to embrace new seasons of life.
As a young woman, I left home to go to college and to begin building a life of my own. During that time, I opened my home to a young cousin through foster care. And then I became a mother early in life and, for a season, was a single mom. Those years stretched me in ways I never imagined, teaching me resilience, responsibility, and the importance of creating a safe, loving place for children, even when life itself felt uncertain.
Later, I married and continued growing my family in beautiful and unexpected ways. Over the years, my family was built through marriage and then birth and the blessing of adopting children through our local foster care. Along the way, I also experienced the heartbreak of multiple miscarriages. Those losses became one of the defining chapters of my life. While grieving babies I could not hold onto, I found my heart being drawn toward children who were already here and longing for a family. That journey ultimately led us into foster care, where we were blessed to adopt three precious children. Looking back, I can see that some of my deepest heartbreaks became the pathway to some of my greatest blessings.
One of the most transformative chapters of my life began when my first marriage was falling apart. In the middle of that painful season, I walked through the doors of Celebrate Recovery. I came looking for healing, hope, and a place where I could begin putting the pieces of my life back together. What I found was far more than a recovery program—I found a community that reminded me that brokenness is not the end of the story.
Over the last ten years, that journey has grown from personal healing into a calling to serve others. Today I serve as a ministry leader in Celebrate Recovery, and it has become one of the greatest privileges of my life. Week after week, I have the opportunity to walk alongside people facing grief, trauma, addiction, anxiety, relationship struggles, and life’s many unexpected challenges. Those experiences have taught me that healing rarely happens all at once. It happens one honest conversation, one courageous decision, and one step of faith at a time.
When I look back, I realize that many of the hardest seasons of my life have become the source of my greatest compassion. I don’t serve because I have all the answers. I serve because I know what it feels like to need hope. That compassion influences every conversation I have, every client I meet, every podcast I record, and every class I teach. It is one of the greatest gifts God has given me.
Today I am the grateful mother of eleven children and the proud grandmother of ten grandchildren. For nearly thirty years, homeschooling my children became one of the greatest privileges of my life. Those years taught me patience, creativity, perseverance, and the importance of nurturing not only a child’s education but also their emotional, spiritual, and relational health.
As my children grew older, I began asking myself how I could continue serving others in this next season of life.
My first answer was midwifery. I completed several semesters of training because I loved supporting women through pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. Eventually, however, I realized my calling was taking shape in a different direction. Rather than helping bring new life into the world physically, I felt drawn toward helping people experience healing and renewal emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
That calling led me into counseling and coaching. I first became a Biblical Counselor and then continued my education in mental health coaching, professional life coaching, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and clinical hypnotherapy. Today I am completing my degree in Mind-Body Psychology, where studying neuroscience and the mind-body connection has deepened my understanding of how lasting transformation takes place.
Today I own Renewed Mind Wellness and Therapy, where I serve as a Certified Hypnotherapist, Mental Health Coach, Professional Life Coach, and Biblical Counselor. My passion is helping people renew their minds, calm their nervous systems, strengthen their faith, and discover practical tools that create lasting change. I believe true healing happens when we care for the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.
Beyond my private practice, I host the Mind Made New with Vivian Hensley podcast, where I share practical encouragement, biblical wisdom, neuroscience, and hope. I also continue serving in ministry because encouraging people has become one of the deepest callings of my life. Whether I am speaking to a client, recording a podcast, leading a recovery group, or simply sitting across from someone over coffee, my desire is the same: to help people believe that healing is possible and that no part of their story has to be wasted.
When I look back over my life, I see a story that I never could have planned. I see a little girl raised by a courageous single mother, a young single mom trying to find her way, a wife who experienced heartbreak, a mother who grieved miscarriages, a foster parent, an adoptive mom, a homeschool teacher, a lifelong student, a ministry leader, and now a counselor and business owner. Every chapter—both joyful and painful—has prepared me for the next.
If there is one truth my life has taught me, it is that our deepest wounds do not have to become our identity. They can become the very places where compassion grows, wisdom develops, and purpose is born. I believe that every experience has value when we allow it to shape us with humility, perseverance, and hope.
My life has been built one faithful step at a time. And if my story encourages anyone, I hope it reminds them that it is never too late to begin again. Healing is possible. Growth is possible. Purpose is possible. Sometimes the chapters we would never have chosen become the ones that prepare us to help someone else find their way forward.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it certainly hasn’t been a smooth road. In many ways, it has been beautifully rewarding, but it has also been marked by seasons of deep loss, uncertainty, and starting over.
I’ve experienced the heartbreak of miscarriage, the challenges of single motherhood, the pain of a marriage ending, financial struggles, raising a large family, and the emotional weight that comes with fostering and adopting children who have experienced trauma. I’ve had to let go of dreams that I thought would define my future and remain open to new paths that I never expected to take.
Professionally, I’ve also had to reinvent myself more than once. I pursued midwifery before realizing that my calling was leading me in another direction. Returning to school later in life while homeschooling children, serving in ministry, and building a private practice has required discipline, sacrifice, and a willingness to keep learning.
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that struggle doesn’t disqualify us—it often prepares us. The difficult seasons have taught me compassion, patience, resilience, and dependence on God in ways that comfort never could. They have also given me a genuine understanding of what many of my clients are experiencing. When someone sits across from me carrying grief, anxiety, trauma, or discouragement, I don’t see a problem to fix. I see a person with a story, and I understand that healing often comes one small step at a time.
If my life appears successful today, it’s because it has been built through countless ordinary decisions to keep moving forward, even when life was hard. I haven’t had a perfect journey, but I have had a faithful one. Looking back, I can honestly say that the struggles shaped me just as much as the successes—and in many ways, I’m most grateful for the lessons that came through the hardest seasons.
As you know, we’re big fans of Renewed Mind Wellness And Therapy LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Renewed Mind Wellness and Therapy was born out of my own journey of healing and my desire to help others discover that lasting change is possible. After years of raising a family, serving in ministry, and pursuing education in counseling, coaching, neuroscience, and clinical hypnotherapy, I realized that I wanted to create a practice that cared for the whole person—not just their symptoms.
Today, I serve as a Certified Hypnotherapist, Mental Health Coach, Professional Life Coach, and Biblical Counselor. I work with individuals from many different backgrounds who are seeking greater peace, emotional resilience, healthier habits, and a renewed sense of purpose. My approach integrates neuroscience, mind-body psychology, evidence-based coaching techniques, and, for those who desire it, biblical principles. I believe that healing happens when we understand how our thoughts, emotions, nervous system, and beliefs work together, and when we intentionally practice new ways of thinking and living.
I especially enjoy working with women in midlife who are navigating transitions, anxiety, grief, stress, burnout, or simply feeling stuck. My goal is to provide a compassionate, practical, and encouraging environment where people feel seen, heard, and equipped with tools they can use long after our sessions end.
My podcast, Mind Made New with Vivian Hensley, grew naturally out of that same mission. Every week, I have the privilege of encouraging listeners with practical conversations about mental and emotional wellness, faith, neuroscience, healthy habits, and personal growth. I love taking complex psychological concepts and making them understandable and applicable to everyday life.
Whether I’m recording a podcast, sitting with a client, leading a recovery group, or speaking to an audience, my heart is the same: to remind people that they are not defined by their past, their pain, or their current circumstances. We all have the capacity to grow, heal, and become healthier versions of ourselves. My greatest hope is that every person who encounters my work walks away with greater hope, practical tools for change, and the confidence to take the next step forward.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’m a lifelong learner, so I’m always reading, listening, and studying. I believe that if I’m asking my clients to continue growing, I need to be committed to growing myself as well.
The most important resource in my life is my daily time in Scripture and prayer. My faith provides the foundation for how I approach both life and my work. Beyond that, I enjoy studying neuroscience, psychology, leadership, personal growth, and the mind-body connection.
I’m an avid listener of podcasts and audiobooks, especially while driving or walking. Some of my favorite authors include Dr. Caroline Leaf, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, John Townsend, Henry Cloud, and Viktor Frankl. Their work has deepened my understanding of the brain, trauma, relationships, boundaries, and resilience.
Technology has also become an incredible resource. I regularly use AI tools such as ChatGPT to help me organize ideas, research topics, develop educational content, write podcast episodes, and streamline the administrative side of running my practice. It allows me to spend more of my time doing what I love most—serving people.
I also believe some of the greatest learning doesn’t come from books at all. It comes from listening well. Every client, every recovery meeting, every classroom, every conversation, and every life experience teaches me something new. Remaining curious, teachable, and compassionate has become one of the greatest resources in both my personal life and my professional journey.
Pricing:
- 35 per session sliding scale
- 50 per session
- 100 per session.
Contact Info:
- Website: www..vivianhensley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivianmindmadenew?igsh=c3NjdnExaTRieXo5
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1LJsvPX8Ku/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mindmadenewwithvivianhensley?si=9CSjfdCx_5VmkEQr
