About Dr. Julie Helmrich
She wants you to believe that the world is a good, safe, and interesting place to be.
Dr. Julie Helmrich has spent more than five decades asking what actually helps people change. She has worked in psychology since 1980, driven by a fascination with the science of how people think, feel, behave, and relate: to themselves, their bodies, their money, their work, and the people who matter most in their lives.
Raised on an Iowa dairy farm as the fifth of ten children, Dr. Helmrich earned her B.A. and M.A. from Loras College and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Georgia State University in 1991, and completed her clinical residency at the University of Virginia Medical School. She has maintained a solo practice in Milwaukee since 2000, taught psychology and leadership at various universities, developed a graduate leadership curriculum, and brought psychological science into community life through IronPsych and an award-winning program called Shrink ’n’ Drink.
Her approach combines rigorous psychological science with the down-to-earth pragmatism of a farm kid from a big family. She’s known for telling people the truth, with clarity, humor, and genuine tenderness.
Dr. Helmrich believes that one of the best things about being human is our yearning for MORE.
More peacefulness. More strength. More connection. More cash. More knowledge. More ease. More sex. More clarity. More fun. More friendships. More travel. More security. More serenity. More joy. More love.
Wanting MORE isn’t a problem to solve. It’s a wonderful part of being alive.
She lives that belief, too. In 2023, at age 66, Dr. Helmrich and IronPsych co-founder Lisa Brierton got on their bicycles in San Francisco and rode all the way to New York City, coast to coast, under their own power. It was a ride full of long days, hard climbs, and small-town America at bicycle speed, and it’s proof of something she tells clients all the time: it’s never too late to want more, or to go after it.
That’s the thinking behind Dr. Helmrich’s MORE Map, a way for people to identify what they want more of in their lives and begin moving toward it. Because meaningful psychological change isn’t just about getting rid of what’s not working. It’s about creating more of what makes life worth living.
Throughout the year, Dr. Helmrich teaches live online programs and offers in-person experiences designed to help people recognize and change the stories that shape their lives, so they can move closer to the life they thought they’d be living by now. She created StoryFORMULA to help people practice narrative shifting every day, and her latest work, Pocket Julie, is an app that makes her science-based tools more accessible.
Outside of psychology, she’s a constant traveler, an avid bicyclist, an enthusiastic theatergoer (especially musicals), and a voracious reader. She believes deeply in representative government, lifelong learning, and the extraordinary possibilities of being human.
Her guiding conviction is simple: psychology is most useful when it changes what happens next.
Taught at
- Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa
- Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
- Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Ottawa University, Brookfield, Wisconsin
- Upper Iowa University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
- Mount Mary University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
From an Iowa farm to a life of helping people thrive
- FarmThe farmGrew up on a working Iowa farm with nine siblings.
- 1974–91EducationIowa, Atlanta, Virginia. Studying, teaching, and practicing psychology.
- 2000MilwaukeeEstablished a private psychology practice and university teaching in Milwaukee.
- 2008Shrink ’n’ DrinkBrought psychology to everyday life, answering real questions from real people.
- 2009StoryFORMULACreated StoryFORMULA, our signature program for lasting narrative change.
- 2023Bicycled across AmericaWith IronPsych co-founder Lisa, rode from San Francisco to New York City at age 66.
- 2026Pocket JulieLaunched Pocket Julie, bringing decades of psychological wisdom to you anytime, anywhere.
About Lisa Brierton
Lisa Brierton is the co-founder of IronPsych. She grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the youngest of four kids and the only girl, which may explain a thing or two about her personality. With a degree in psychology from Marquette University, a terrific sense of humor and a natural gift for making people feel comfortable, Lisa is both funny AND fun.
Lisa co-leads StoryFORMULA and the narrative-shifting programs, produces Shrink ’n’ Drink, and is the tech brains behind IronPsych. She gathered and organized decades of Dr. Helmrich’s psychological knowledge into The Julie Brain, the knowledge base that powers Pocket Julie. She’s the one who turns big ideas into things that actually work. She’s also a skilled, compassionate listener with a gift for bringing the right people together. Just ask anyone who’s been in one of her small groups.
Lisa is happiest outdoors. She’s a two-time Ironman finisher who, in 2023, bicycled across America with Dr. Helmrich, and she loves swimming, boating and working out. She’s a constant traveler and a lifelong learner who’s always up for trying something new. New York City is her favorite place on the planet, especially with a Broadway show or live music on the schedule. She’s rarely one to turn down a good party, and once a year, at an annual Halloween party, she steps into the spotlight as a hilariously funny talk show host.
She even invented a word for her philosophy of life: funification. She believes most things in life can, and SHOULD, be made more fun, which might explain why there’s usually a game going wherever she is. Lisa brings warmth, energy and a whole lot of laughter wherever she goes. She doesn’t need the spotlight to let her light shine.