From the Founders

Mark 12:31
“Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF.”

Many people know this phrase. But far too often it seems the focus is on the former part of the verse rather than the ladder. Selflessness and loving our neighbor is emphasized, but what about the recipe for how to do this? If we’re supposed to love our neighbors “as we love ourselves,” we better love ourselves pretty freaking well, right? In other words, we can only love others as well as we love ourselves. But what does this really mean and how can we actually do this?

This is our story. We believe when we needed it most, God gave us therapy as the avenue to personal growth, self-acceptance, and better relationships. And that’s what Better is all about: empowering women to access 12 sessions of free therapy so they can love themselves better and in turn, give better love to others.

Consistent therapy has been the greatest gift we could have ever given to each other and to those around us. Through years of “doing the work,” and yes it is WORK, we have deepened our individual sense of self, grown in our spiritual lives, saved our marriage, healed from unimaginable pain, understood past trauma, and learned to have healthy human relationships. But our story hasn’t ended. At 8-years into our marriage with a growing family and full-time careers, we are still attending professional therapy every month (sometimes every week!) with no plans to quit anytime soon. We have seen the positive impact of therapy in the way we are now able to love each other, take care of ourselves, and show up for our people. As we continue on our own journey, we are excited to launch Better as an outlet to provide the same life-changing experience for women.

While we were lucky enough to have insurance and income that provided for the cost of therapy, this is not the case for many people. After surveying hundreds of women living in Alabama, we found that 90% of them wish they could be in consistent counseling but are not due to finances. Our goal is to remove finances as an obstacle to receiving therapy services. Better is launching locally in Birmingham, Alabama with a dream to expand throughout the state and eventually the entire country.

At the end of the day, we believe this is how we make our world better.

Courtney and Joel Hancock
Founders