Sponsored by BetterHelp
This is my BetterHelp review based on my personal experience with therapy through BetterHelp, and how it helped me move from managing my life on the surface to finally facing the truth underneath it all.
I’ve spent almost a decade in the wellness world—offering energy work, sound meditation, guiding breathwork, and hosting retreats globally. I’ve supported thousands of people through burnout, heartbreak, and major life transitions.
But behind the scenes, I was quietly navigating a shadow of my own that no amount of morning meditation could fix.
For nearly ten years, I was in a relationship that was slowly and privately eroding my sense of self. It wasn’t a truth I was ready to name. I had the tools, the language, and the self-awareness to “manage” the symptoms. I would journal through the doubt, and keep telling myself if I just am just more X,Y, and Z everything will be ok, and he will treat me with more respect.
What I didn’t realize was that I was using wellness to survive a dynamic that was manipulative and emotionally exhausting. I stayed in the “safe” conversations during therapy—focusing on childhood trauma and anxiety—because looking at the root felt too terrifying.
It wasn’t until I began working more directly through an online therapy platform, BetterHelp, that I started to understand what I had been avoiding.
Choosing Growth in the Midst of Uncertainty
This past year and a half, the dam finally broke. I left that relationship, I left Los Angeles, and for the first time in a decade, I stepped into the world completely on my own. Instead of resorting to temporary fixes, rebounds, or being in denial, I decided I was going to find the strength to face everything head-on. Little did I know this would become the quietest and most painful period of self-realization. Leaving this relationship on the surface could have appeared to be just that, but it was so much more. It was coming to terms with who I was wanting to become, finding my most authentic and self-worthy version of myself. That meant looking at every aspect of my life that I tolerated, the ways I fawned in relationships to “keep the peace,” and finally realizing the importance of living authentically and not putting others before myself. This meant turning my life upside down, and having standards not just for my intimate relationships but also my friendships.
Through the process, I let go of friendships that didn’t honor or support what I was going through or who I was becoming. With my whole life in storage (really just a few personal items and a mattress), having let go of all the things that gave me a false sense of safety and meaning in my life, I asked the big question: What next? What do I really want my life to be, but most importantly, to feel like on the inside? There is an immense amount of gratitude and freedom in being able to build an intentional life that feels like it’s from scratch, but it can feel isolating starting over at the age of 35 while most people my age are married and having kids. I decided the next year would be about me exploring this newfound freedom and discovering a whole deeper layer of Codi. One thing I did know for sure was that this time around, what felt like a second chance at life I wasn’t going to compromise, I was going to live a life with purpose and like tomorrow wasn’t promised because for the first time I really knew what it felt like to know that its not. That’s when I bought a one-way ticket to Copenhagen.
As I began traveling solo, I realized that while my holistic practices gave me stability, I needed a deeper level of professional support to rebuild my identity. I needed a consistent anchor while my external world was in constant motion.
That’s when I turned to BetterHelp. I didn’t need another “tool” to manage my stress; I needed a human connection to help me process my trauma and reclaim who I was becoming.
Why BetterHelp Was the Right Fit for My Transition
When you are moving through a massive life shift—especially one involving a breakup and relocation—the traditional therapy model can feel like another barrier. The idea of searching through insurance directories or sitting on a months-long waiting list felt impossible.
BetterHelp shifted the narrative from “searching for help” to “receiving support.”
- Convenient Access: I could start the process from wherever I was—whether in a new city or a temporary rental.
- The Power of the Match: The intake process was incredibly intentional. Instead of guessing, I was matched with a licensed therapist who specialized in relationship dynamics, emotional trauma, and identity rebuilding.
- Tailored to My Personality: For the first time, I was asked how I wanted to be supported. I requested someone direct and structured, which was vital for me as I navigated the fog of a breakup.
A New Framework for Support: Why I View BetterHelp as a Wellness Companion, Not Just a Service
In the wellness space, we often talk about “self-care” as a solo mission—something we do alone on a meditation cushion or in a journal. But the reality is that human connection at scale is what actually sustains us.
What I discovered through this transition is that BetterHelp isn’t just a clinical resource you use when things are “broken”; it’s a proactive framework for staying grounded. It shifted from being a “service” I called upon to a companion that walked alongside me as I navigated a new country and a new identity.
- Therapy That Fits Real Life: Because I was constantly moving—different time zones and unfamiliar environments—I needed a support system that didn’t require a commute. BetterHelp is available across the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, and much of Europe, which meant my support remained constant even when my zip code didn’t.
- A Tool for Every Day, Not Just Crisis: On the days when I felt empowered and strong, my therapist helped me build on that momentum. On the days when the weight of the breakup felt heavy, she was there to help me regulate. This is the essence of people-empowered wellness: having the agency to access care whenever and wherever it’s needed.
- The In-App Ecosystem: The platform functions as a total wellness hub. Between sessions, I utilized the digital journal to track my “glimmers” of healing and the mood tracker to deepen my understanding of my PMDD symptoms. These aren’t just features; they are anchors that keep you connected to your growth 24/7.
My First Session: Rebuilding Trust in Support
In this BetterHelp review, I’ll be honest—I’m always a little nervous meeting a therapist for the first time. There’s a vulnerability in starting over, in telling your story again. Even the process itself felt different this time—viewing her calendar, booking a session in just a few clicks, and receiving text reminders before each appointment—small details that made the experience feel more supported and easier to settle into.
Using BetterHelp made the process feel more accessible and easier to begin than traditional therapy setups. But once we met, I set up a comfortable spot in the living room, in the safety of my own space, and almost immediately felt connected to her. She was an older woman who felt grounded, wise, and fully in her power—I immediately felt met.
From the beginning, she brought a level of structure and clarity I hadn’t experienced before. What really landed was her reflection that in a long-term relationship like this, it can become easy to lose your sense of self and start questioning your own reality—like your identity starts to shift based on someone else’s reactions, rather than your own sense of what’s true. She helped me understand this isn’t uncommon, and that healing is about stepping out of that distortion, rebuilding a sense of self not shaped by someone else’s perception, and learning to trust my own inner experience again.
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Letting Go of Stigma—and Starting Again
Mental Health Awareness Month is often focused on managing crises, but my experience taught me that therapy is just as much about proactive expansion. It’s about having the courage to face the things you’ve been avoiding so you can step into the person you are becoming.
BetterHelp became my stabilizing force. It allowed me to switch from “managing” my life to actually living it. By removing the friction of traditional intake forms, BetterHelp allows therapy to become a seamless part of a modern lifestyle. It’s not a “detour” from your life to get help—it’s the support system that makes living your life possible.
3 Tips for Starting Your Own Journey with BetterHelp
If you’re standing at a crossroads—whether it’s the end of a relationship, a career change, or a move—here is how to make the most of online therapy:
- Be Unapologetically Honest in Your Quiz: Don’t filter your needs. If you need someone who understands LGBTQIA+ issues, trauma-informed care, or a specific communication style, say so.
- Utilize the “In-Between” Tools: Therapy isn’t just 45 minutes a week. Use the messaging feature and the digital journal to stay connected to your progress between sessions.
- Prioritize Consistency Over Perfection: My sessions have happened in different time zones and environments. The beauty of a “people-empowered” platform is that it meets you exactly where you are today—not where you hope to be tomorrow.
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Growth Doesn’t Have to Happen in Isolation
While writing this BetterHelp review, I’m still in the process of rebuilding. Some days feel like a leap forward; others feel quieter, like I’m simply sitting with myself in a new way. But for the first time in a long time, I’m not navigating my thoughts alone. I am finally fully open and receiving real support at its core.
Healing asks for more than self-awareness—it asks for a witness. In this chapter, BetterHelp has become that consistent presence for me, offering support as I continue doing the deeper work of becoming. It’s a reminder that no matter how far you’ve traveled, or how much you’ve had to let go of, support can still meet you where you are and bring even deeper levels of awareness and accountability.
In next month’s piece, I’ll be reflecting on my post-college PTSD diagnosis and how continued therapeutic support has shaped my growth, resilience, and relationship to the future I’m building. This part of my BetterHelp review is really about learning how support can exist alongside personal healing.
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