Mentally STRONG unveils 3-step mental strength method after helping 7,000 clients

Mentally STRONG founder Dr. Cristi Bundukamara introduced her proprietary three-step framework on the Ivy Unleashed podcast, saying mental strength is a skill people can build. The Colorado Springs practice says the method has helped more than 7,000 people over seven years and is designed for women facing grief, burnout and major life change.

Why it matters: - Mentally STRONG is pitching mental strength as a trainable skill, not just an outcome of therapy or positive thinking. - The framework is aimed at high-functioning women who can understand their patterns but still struggle to change them under pressure. - The method is designed to help with grief, burnout, parenting and leadership, making it broader than a one-problem coaching tool.

What happened: - Dr. Cristi Bundukamara, founder of Mentally STRONG in Colorado Springs, revealed the proprietary Mentally STRONG Method during a recent appearance on the Ivy Unleashed podcast. - Bundukamara taught the framework live on air during the interview with hosts Andrea Herbert and Brooke Herbert. - Mentally STRONG says the method has helped more than 7,000 people over seven years and generated more than $15 million in revenue.

The details: - The Mentally STRONG Method has three steps: think, organize, choose. - The think phase helps people slow down and see a thought as a thought, rather than treating every loud thought as true. - The organize phase sorts fears, emotions and racing thoughts into categories so internal noise feels less overwhelming. - The choose phase pushes a deliberate decision instead of a reflexive reaction or an old pattern. - Bundukamara walked a host through the Thought Map, a journaling tool she describes as “20 years of journaling in 20 minutes.” - The Thought Map traced a single anxious thought back to the first time it appeared in childhood. - Bundukamara said, “We don't teach mental strength, we teach mental illness,” and added that mental strength is “a system you practice, not one insight you remember once a week.” - Bundukamara brings more than 20 years of clinical practice as a psychiatric nurse practitioner and mental strength coach. - Her background also includes service as a retired U.S. Navy veteran. - Bundukamara is the author of Pain & Purpose: My Journey to Mental Strength and the subject of the documentary Strength in Vulnerability. - Mentally STRONG offers coaching programs, intensives, courses and events. - The practice says its 90-Day Mentally STRONG Mindset program and private coaching serve women who are capable on the outside but struggling internally. - The women Bundukamara targets are typically ages 35 to 60. - Mentally STRONG says many of these clients have already tried therapy, books and positive thinking without lasting change. - The company’s website is More information.

Between the lines: - Bundukamara is drawing a sharp line between understanding pain and knowing how to work through it, framing the second part as the missing skill. - The emphasis on repeatable steps suggests the business is selling process and practice, not reassurance or inspiration. - The live demo on a podcast gives the framework a practical, easy-to-grasp format that may help it spread beyond traditional coaching audiences.

What's next: - Coaches, professionals and women facing grief, burnout or major life change can learn more through Mentally STRONG’s website and related programs. - The company appears to be positioning the Mentally STRONG Method as the core system behind future coaching, intensives and educational offerings.

The bottom line: - Mentally STRONG is betting that women want a structured way to rebuild mental strength, not another round of insight without action.