Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Smith.
Hi Andy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Sure. My story’s a bit of a winding road, but looking back, I can see how all the pieces connect. I actually started out in music. I was a full-time musician for years doing the band thing. That world shaped me a lot, because it’s full of people chasing big dreams, but it also comes with pressures, late nights, and bad habits. I learned pretty quickly how much community and support matter if you want to stay healthy and grounded. I don’t know that I did that good of a job maintaining the balance.
At a certain point, I felt a shift and while I loved music I also realized that what I valued most was connecting with people. Whether that was bandmates, folks in the studio, or someone going through a hard season of life. I had my undergrad in counseling and my wife and I were thinking about starting to have kids so I paused my life as a musician and went back to grad school to become a therapist. It turns out that therapy was a natural extension of what I was already doing in music: listening, being present, and helping people process their experiences.
I started Hope Ridge Counseling in 2016 and I’ve been doing it full time ever since. It feels like I’ve found the right balance. I try to stay connected in the Nashville music community (I think that’ll always be a part of me) but I also get to walk alongside people in a deeper, more personal way. For me, it’s less about making a sharp career change and more about following the thread of what’s always mattered most: connection, relationship, and helping people feel less alone in their journey.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’d love to say it’s all been smooth, but honestly, it hasn’t. The road’s had a lot of bumps. In music, for example, there were seasons where things looked great from the outside. There were awesome shows, record deals, all sorts of opportunities but behind the scenes I was dealing with the uncertainty that comes with that lifestyle. One day you feel on top of the world, and the next you’re wondering how to pay the bills or if your relationship is going to withstand the pressures of touring. That unpredictability can really wear a person (and their spouse) out.
And then when I made the shift into counseling, there was a whole different set of challenges. Going back to school after being out in the “real world” for a while was humbling. I had to face a lot of self-doubt. Questions like, Am I really cut out for this? Did I miss my chance in music? There were plenty of moments where I felt like I was starting from scratch. It was an identity crisis for sure.
But looking back, those struggles ended up shaping me. The tough seasons taught me resilience and gave me empathy for the people I sit with today. I know what it feels like to carry uncertainty, to wrestle with identity, to start over. And because I’ve lived that, I think it makes me a better counselor and also a more grounded person in the music community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Hope Ridge Counseling is a therapy practice in Nashville that works with individuals and couples and really specializes in working with creative people—songwriters, performers, artists—folks who pour themselves into their craft, but sometimes carry a lot of pressure, burnout, or feeling disconnected. 
At its core, it offers both individual and couples therapy in a safe, confidential space where clients can slow down, name their feelings, uncover negative patterns, and reconnect with themselves, their purpose, and their relationships.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me in counseling is relationship. At the end of the day, it’s not about having the perfect technique or saying all the right things, it’s about sitting with someone and letting them know they’re not alone. The therapeutic term is ‘attunement’. You can have a lot of great techniques but if it’s out of tune, it doesn’t really click. I think people come to counseling when they’re carrying something heavy, and sometimes what they need first isn’t advice, it’s just attuned presence.
Part of why that matters so much to me is because I’ve seen it firsthand in my own life. In music, I had mentors and friends who stuck with me during the hard seasons. People who didn’t try to “fix” me but simply walked alongside me. It’s incredible how powerful that is. That kind of connection made all the difference for me and now, as a counselor, I want to offer that same kind of space to others.
Pricing:
- $175 per clinical hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hoperidgecounseling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andysmithlmft
