Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessi Leader.
Hi Jessi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Jessi Leader, a relationship and sex therapist and founder of Moody Octopus Collective. My team and I provide radical therapy for folks who want to have a healthier relationships including themselves, intimate relationships, and the world around them. My passion for relationships started in my childhood which was unique being an only child, raised by a single mother in Alaska.
I grew up in a small, conservative community that didn’t value critical thinking, self-expression, or women taking up space. From a young age this didn’t sit right in my body, and I rebelled against it in some healthy and unhealthy ways (we were all teens once, right). After moving from Alaska to North Dakota for a short stint in high school, I found my way to Minneapolis via the University of Minnesota. This is where I found my people: folks who asked hard questions, experimented with everything, and thought systemically. Majoring in Family Social Sciences primed me to dig even deeper into relationships which led me to a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Being a relationship and sex therapist is legitimately the coolest job. I get to help folks break destructive patterns, get them more connected to their bodies and values, and increase intimacy. One healthier body creates a healthy shift in the larger community and this is what excites me day in day out!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The most challenging part thus far has been navigating community traumas with clients, especially when you are also part of that community. The summer of George Floyd’s murder changed me forever, certainly as a human but definitely as a therapist. Holding people in their grief, when you are grieving at the same moment is such a beautifully brutal practice. I learned about capacity, boundaries, values, rest, resistance, and care alongside my clients. I’ve said, “Fill your cup first,” countless times with clients and that summer forced me to practice what I preach. I feel honored to have been supporting the grief of community members and proud that I tended to my own grief in the process. It takes a village!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Moody Octopus Collective?
We are a small, but mighty therapy practice in south Minneapolis. All clinicians are trained in Marriage and Family Therapy which means we have specific training on supporting folks in relationships of all forms including non-traditional relationships. We practice from a decolonized, liberatory, and human centered approach. Some of our specialties include: sex + intimacy, men’s issues, religious trauma, racial trauma, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+. Collectively we offer individual, couples/relational, family, group therapy + relationship workshops.
Moody Octopus is not your average therapy practice. We pride ourselves in being fully authentic as clinicians and radical caregivers to our clients. Some of the ways we stand out from the rest is that we: share the identities of many of our clients (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled), practice what we preach, actually care about our clients, and let our humanity be known. We are humans first, then therapists.
What are your plans for the future?
We just launched a Community Fund which will provide free/low cost clients who need it and who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ or disabled. We are passionate about making therapy accessible to folks, especially those who historically haven’t had access to community health. We also know that therapy is more effective when you have a good relationship with the therapist and for many people having a shared identity with their therapist helps produce better outcomes. Our clinicians identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and disabled.
We are actively accepting donations from neighbors, businesses, and community members who value community health. Any donations are tax-deductible thanks to our fiscal sponsor Indigenous Roots. Find out more or donate online: https://moodyoctopus.com/community-fund/
Pricing:
- Therapy with us ranges from $100-185 a session, group therapy rate is $65
- We offer adjusted rates for folks who can’t afford the standard rates through our Community Fund
Contact Info:
- Website: https://moodyoctopus.com/
- Instagram: @MoodyOctopusCollective
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moodyoctopus
- Youtube: @MoodyOctopusCollective
