Therapist Clubhouse A Podcast For Private Practice Entrepreneurs With Annie Schuessler

What’s it like for a therapist to live with a chronic illness or other health issues? Lauren talks about training to become a therapist while learning that she had Multiple Sclerosis about three years ago. She shares the deep changes she went through in how she sees herself, her business, and therapy. Whether you’re dealing with health issues or not, you’ll find tons of great ideas and wisdom from this conversation.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Learning how to be a therapist while learning to live with chronic illness Changing her original business goals to fit what works for her body Allowing her symptoms to show up during sessions rather than pushing them away Focusing on working with people who have chronic illness and health issues Leaning on her superpower of staying emotionally present Permission for her clients to be whoever and wherever they are Giving a talk that brought in referrals from doctors Plans to create offerings outside of therapy Using FB live to grow her audience Fees, with real

Got a plan for your business? Sometimes things change and your plan has to change quickly. Georgia was set to start her therapy practice in her new city, LA, but getting licensed was taking longer than she had expected. She made a fast pivot and opened a practice as a sexuality and relationship coach instead. Listen as Georgia describes all the brave steps she took, from getting publicity to networking at multi-industry events.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Mistakes she made and what she’d do differently Diversifying her practice Working as a coach rather than a therapist Her niche helping folks around kink, poly, open relationships Networking at multi-industry events What she did to get known in LA before she moved there Deciding how much of her personal story to share on her website Being interviewed on a talk show Why she created 12 week programs in her coaching practice Keeping her overhead low Her advice for a therapist who has relocated Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/georg

You may have heard that it takes years to build and fill your private practice. That doesn’t have to be true for you. Albert breaks down exactly how he built his practice to the point of having a waitlist after 8 months. Listen as he dives into the mindset, strategy, and actions that got him there. Topics Discussed In This Episode:   How he got from agency mindset to entrepreneurial mindset His fees (real numbers as usual) Navigating his sliding scale slots Listing fees on his website The Scary moment of going from substantial agency income to a brand new private practice Creating great copy for his website Finding networking opportunities and activating his local community Turning fear and anxiety into action How he maintains a valuable blog without taking too much time or energy How he balances his business with his life The importance of paying attention to the demand of your community and pivoting when necessary   Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/albert-pignataro

Show Notes:   Have you ever considered adding coaching to your services? Pat is a licensed psychologist who works as a coach rather than a therapist. She shares why she loves coaching and how she built a coaching practice focused on helping people get on track with their finances.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Why Pat was drawn to coaching Using her clients’ values and life purposes to help them in coaching The niche of money coaching The differences between coaching and therapy How SEO helps her clients find her Her fees (real numbers as usual) and why she charges less than she could Teaching people how to get on track with their finances Why you need to niche if you’re coaching How to get started with adding coaching to your business Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/pat-chambers

You may feel like you’re on your own in private practice. Rajani Venkatraman Levis wants you to do what she did: ask for help and be in community with other healers. She shares what it was like for her as an immigrant to take the scary leap into private practice and encourages others to do the same. Listen as she gets personal about her entrepreneurial journey and shares the self-care tools that keep her feeling resilient as a therapist and as a human.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   How she started teaching and public speaking Why therapists of color often get funneled away from private practice The need for diversity in our field and in private practice in particular Why navigating private practice was particularly intimidating as a POC and an immigrant How she honors a period of silence every day (and why it wasn’t easy at first!) Her fees, with real numbers as usual The day-long training she’s developed about vicarious resilience How to be known as an expert in trauma without burning out Many ways

Imposter Syndrome can hold you back from growing your therapy practice or taking your business to the next level. Marielle Berg is a therapist in The Bay Area and the founder of a therapy center. She’s got more inquiries than she could possibly serve by herself. But she shares that becoming an entrepreneur and growing her practice wasn’t always easy. She has pushed herself over and over again to break through imposter syndrome, face her fears, and build her entrepreneurial muscles. Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Pivoting her practice when she began learning DBT Niching down her marketing and still having a diverse practice Taking action even when she feels scared and not ready Getting through fears when announcing her offers How her clients find her online through SEO and her blog Setting her fees and letting go of comparisons Learning that the business side takes work and skills Expanding to a small center to serve an over-abundance of inquiries Making business decisions based on long term goals S

Can you build a therapy practice around your superpowers? How does that even work? Ivy Griffin calls herself “a highly sensitive therapist” and built her therapy practice to serve other highly sensitive people. She’s embraced being highly sensitive as a superpower, not just for her, but for her clients as well. Listen as she shares how she went from feeling overworked to energized. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Working with highly sensitive people Identifying herself as a highly sensitive therapist How she set up her work life and schedule to respect her own sensitivity The pros and cons to bringing interns into her private practice Her approach to helping her interns through the money and business journey The time she almost gave up on this profession (and why she didn’t) Letting go of worrying and stepping into stability in private practice Transitioning from an insurance based practice to private pay Accomplishing a ton by taking small steps consistently Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/

Let’s get real about what it’s like to grow a private practice while raising kids and paying off debt. Natashia is brave and honest enough to go there and to many other deep and usually unspoken places. Natashia is a successful therapist and public speaker in private practice. She serves women and couples entering into parenthood. Listen as she describes one pivotal moment that changed the way she makes decisions in her business. In our listener question, we give advice to a mom who is building a practice with 2 young kids and very little childcare.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Surviving the intern years and early parenthood without outside financial support Why it’s hard to move beyond the economic level of your family of origin Raising her fees (real numbers as usual!) How to value your pre-licensed work experience Developing her signature talk Filling and leading 4 groups in private practice Knowing when to create new groups and programs   Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/natas

Diversifying your private practice means serving people in new ways. He shares his journey from being a brand new entrepreneur to building Selling the Couch, a huge community for therapists. Melvin also talks about his dreams for his own therapy practice where he serves 2 niches: entrepreneurs and basketball players. Listen as he dives into lots of ideas for increasing productivity, staying honest and ethical as a business person, and taking steps to diversify your own therapy practice.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Taking the terrifying step into private practice His goal of having a 100% online therapy practice Creating his course about how to podcast Why outsourcing early and often is a key to success in private practice. Becoming an entrepreneur and CEO of your own therapy practice How to stop seeing money as a zero sum game The difference between working ON your business and IN your business The importance of a morning routine Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/melvin-varghese

You often hear that building a therapy practice in a saturated market is difficult. My friend Allison sees it as an opportunity! If you ever struggle with a scarcity mindset (and who doesn’t?), this conversation is for you. Listen as she shares her method for building a therapy practice in a new “saturated” city, and how she handles raising her fees. I hope you enjoy this lively, funny and real conversation as much as I did. Topics Discussed In This Episode: How she chose her niche: women in their 20’s struggling with anxiety and eating disorders Opening private practice in a new city Networking with 90 people in 90 days Developing her abundance mindset The opportunity of a “saturated market” Her current fee and how she got there Her decision to NOT go for a doctoral program Being on insurance panels temporarily and then getting off of them Running towards her fears How she gets ok with a new fee Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/allison-puryear

Running groups is an attractive option for a therapist. Clinically, we love the possibilities a group provides. As entrepreneurs, we love the idea of serving more than one person at a time, but it can be challenging to fill groups. Cynthia has managed to keep several groups full for the past 7 years, and I got the behind the scenes story of how she does it. We also talked about her journey starting out in private practice as a single mom and her next possible steps to expand her practice. You’ll love Cynthia’s openness and honesty about her entrepreneurial journey.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   How her niche became harm reduction sort of by mistake All the marketing tools she used to build multiple groups Her hardcore networking strategy Why she’s becoming a sex therapist as well Using listservs successfully and thoughtfully Moving into mentoring the next generation of harm reduction therapists Fees for her groups and sessions (real numbers as usual!) Pros and cons of possibly expanding to a group pr

Clay lives in New York City, but he’s run his therapy practice from Rome, Aruba, and London as well. He started providing online therapy at the request of clients and made some mistakes early on. Then he learned everything therapists need to know about providing online therapy and started sharing that expertise with the rest of us. Now he runs a directory for people searching for online therapists. Clay has always been an innovator. He’s the founder of walk and talk therapy, the practice of walking outside during sessions. As an innovator, Clay has been out on a limb a few times. In this conversation, he talks about two scary moments in his business and what he learned from each one.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   How he started Walk and talk therapy in central park How online therapy helps some people who would otherwise not get services Why he started a directory for online therapists Why it’s important to provide online therapy within the regulations The possibility of serving people internationall

If you don’t set up your schedule and life the way you want to, why do you even have your own business? Olga believes in carving out the boundaries you want for your life, then building your private practice around them. She gets real about the struggle she went through in the first year of private practice, and how she came out the other end a stronger and more grounded entrepreneur.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Setting fees Turning off her private practice in the evenings Working with people healing from eating disorders Reaching out to teens and young adults Managing her personal and professional boundaries on social media Getting ideas for content Offering a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course Creating and holding your cancellation policy       Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/olga-rocklin

Paul talks about his entrepreneurial journey in building a therapy practice and then creating a national organization for affordable therapy. He shares openly about his struggles in making Open Path sustainable and the shift that finally made it thrive. Listen as he talks about creating momentum, setting goals with an open mind, and the practices that keep him nourished and grounded. You’ll hear Paul crack me up several times. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   His realization that he wanted to create an organization for affordable therapy A different view on sliding scale How Open Path went through growing pains and now serves almost 10,000 clients Creating Being Seen, a unique directory that supports therapists in building their practices Balancing his therapy practice with his other ventures How he arranges his optimal schedule What he charges (real numbers as usual!) Why he accepts insurance Practices he uses to restore himself regularly   Show notes at

What’s the path to creating a business that brings you money, joy and life balance? My guest Rebecca Wong shares her entrepreneurial journey. She’s found that leaning into her relationships allows her to create some amazing things, including a robust therapy practice and The Practice Of Being Seen, a community for therapists. She digs into some keys to writing stand-out copy for your website that you can implement right away.     Topics Discussed In This Episode:     Taking brave steps her business Planning with her business partner using both practical tools and intuition Leaning into working with assistants What we need from our partners and loved ones as therapists Imposter syndrome and how to work through it Working through low or scary moments in her business Getting grounded as an entrepreneur and as a person How we can bring our real selves more fully into our marketing Ways to make your copy stand out and speak to your right-fit clients     Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/rebecca-

This is a conversation about transformations. Alexis shares how she worked through fears of scarcity as she took the leap into private practice. She talks about the transition from running a low fee practice to a full practice with a much higher fee. We dive into how she sets up her practice with plenty of room for parenting and restorative practices.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Finding good referral sources in the early years of private practice The scary leap to private practice Working through her doubts and fears about entrepreneurship How putting herself out there in her last career as an actor helped her in this career Figuring out your optimal number of sessions per week Her journey raising fees over the years and working through money issues Deep money work with clients around fees How she sets up her schedule for work/life balance Handling consultations that aren’t a good fit     Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/alexis-lezin

Dr. Joy Harden-Bradford, host of the podcast Therapy For Black Girls, shares her entrepreneurial journey with us in the clubhouse. She serves Black women, including those who are recovering from breakups or going through the stress of grad school. We talk about how she aligns her business with her mission, the fears she faced as she put herself out there with her podcast, and how she gets publicity for her awesome work. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Moving through perfectionism Imposter syndrome Speaking to your potential clients in their language Expanding her business model to include coaching How she got into Essence twice How to get publicity for your practice authentically How she gets ideas for content     Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/dr-joy-harden-bradford

Tom Bruett has managed to fill a daytime group and bring in lots of right-fit clients in his first year of private practice. And he’s still an intern. He shares how he leans into his superpowers to bring his right-fit clients into his practice. If you’re an intern, you’ll love the concrete advice and you’ll be inspired by his success.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   How he uses blogging to market his practice Outsource what isn’t in your zone of genius Transitioning into using online scheduling How he uses social media effectively Working through niche questions and fears Tips for using Facebook ads How hiring a web designer helped him level up Why interns sometimes feel discouraged   Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/tom-bruett

Cara Wilde did a personal pagan ritual in 2010 and asked for guidance on how to serve her tribe. What she discovered changed her life and her business forever. Now she provides all of her channeling services online, both through an online course and 1:1 sessions. In the clubhouse, Cara talks about how to get closer to your zone of genius in your business and life.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   How she created her online course (and made it harder than it needed to be) Embracing video as her optimal form of content creation Advice for therapists who feel stuck and want to take a leap Why she needed to leave conventional therapy to step further into her zone of genius. Finding out who she’s meant to work with after at first being willing to work with anyone Creating her offers by listening to the needs of her tribe How she protects her energy and avoids burnout as a highly sensitive person Why she urges therapists and healers to consider running a group or online course Charging 6 times more than she d

Sara built a full practice and continues to bring in plenty of referrals by using her natural ability to connect with her colleagues. Rather than pushing herself to engage in marketing she doesn’t enjoy, she leans into her superpowers: curiosity, openness, humor, and enjoying people. We talk about how she stopped being a jerky boss to herself and became the kind of boss she likes working for. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Marketing when you’re an extrovert Redefining networking as being yourself with other people Building a therapy practice without ever selling yourself Why it works well for people to weed themselves out of her practice How she gets away with NOT niching How being a parent influences her business How she makes her business parent-friendly How tracking her referrals has kept her sane over the years Handling cancellations and no shows Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/sara-lesser