We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Howard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I would say my moms struggle with mental illness, and consequently going through foster homes, as a result of her instability, was the cornerstone of my success in business and personal life. At a young age I adopted a self-reliant attitude, which enabled me to assume responsibility over aspects of my life a child typically wouldn’t have to. I developed essential life skills at a very young as and because I had to be in individual therapy I learned to communicate my feelings in a healthy manner. My experience in foster case taught me to rely on people outside of my family system because my mother wasn’t really capable of providing the care I needed. Going in and out of foster homes put me in a position where I learned to take social risk, rather than retreat into isolation a fear of my current situation, which was common in group homes I enetered. Luckily for me I opted to connect with people from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, learning to lean on other humans for social/emotional support. My ability to navigate difficult social situations and establish meaningful relationships has been a huge catalyst for my personal brand development. Majority of the clients I work with either suffer from substance abuse or mental health issues and have major difficulty moving toward a solution because it usually means they will need to get uncomfortable. I think the fact that I spent most of my formative years working through discomfort creates an allure where my clients are interested in learning how I shifted my perspective and found new tools to navigate the world.

What should our readers know about your business?
Pulse TMS is a center that specializes in transcranial magnetic stimulation, which helps alleviate symptoms associated with depression & OCD by using a small magnetic field to stimulate or inhibit certain areas in the brain. It is an innovative technology that has various “off-label” uses to alleviate symptoms associated with anxiety, tinnitus, addiction, and migraines. What sets us apart from other TMS & mental health providers is our quality of care; We obtain authorizations for services in a timely manner, keep the patient updated throughout the whole process and provider resources for patients that do not meet criteria for TMS. We pride ourselves on our ability to work with extremely complex cases, which we credit to our amazing technicians, who are nothing short of miracle workers. We often find that out patients develop a therapeutic alliance with our technicians and lean on them for support throughout treatment and follow-ups. My involvement with Pulse TMS started at the inception of the organization and grew out of my relationship with Dr. Lichtman. He was talking about opening a TMS center, and at the time, I was reading a ton of research on it because I had a couple personal clients that did it with amazing results. When we made the decision to start the business I read even more research because I wanted to be well versed, given that I wasn’t a clinician. It was difficult to learn at the beginning and I view my research background at UCLA as an invaluable resource during that difficult learning period. My major lesson was learning not to listen to my mind. I know it is very cliche, but the reason is obvious… We doubt ourselves from time to time. I remember feeling very insecure when I started speaking to psychiatrists about TMS and thinking to myself, “what the hell am I going to tell the person about neuromodulation!?”. I came to find out that I had a lot to offer! In many cases I knew more about TMS than the Doctors I was meeting with. It became pretty clear from me early on that confidence is key! That shouldn’t be confused with arrogance or speaking on subjects you have no insight on. Be confident in what you know and honest about what you don’t! The take home from my brand/story: You control your destiny in a major way. The only obstacle is you and the solutions is within you, if you’re willing to find it. We are more powerful that we know. Contrary action is key, especially when stagnant. Surround yourself with people that want the best for you, but aren’t afraid to call you on your shit or tell you when you’re screwing up.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take him/her to Bali. The energy, food, people, scenery, etc. are amazing. It’s almost as is time slips away and you are constantly living in the present. You can bounce around to different islands and connect with amazing humans. It’s extremely subjective experience, but I absolutely love that place!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Great Humans in my life: Sam Dekin, Brad Keith, Isaac Reddick, Mrs. Burke, Professor Alex Schwartz, Jerome Mercier, Michaelis Jacoby, Vania Matheus, Strawberry, The Geeg, Tank, Carlos, Kia, Kim & Sean, My Godkids (Avery & Jackson), The Men at Ethos House, Books: Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (Hilarious) The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

Website: https://pulsetms.com/ , http://www.lifestyleinterventions.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pulsetmsla/ ,
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-howard-272548bb/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PulseTMS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PulseTreatment/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pulse-tms-los-angeles