Therapist Clubhouse A Podcast For Private Practice Entrepreneurs With Annie Schuessler

How you take a vacation from your business matters, and I’ve got tips to help you do it better. This is the first in a 6-part series of minisodes. In each one, I’m geeking out about an aspect of your business that matters. Tips for taking vacations right: Build vacation into your overall financial plan. Base your overall earning goals on 40 weeks a year or 45 weeks. Give yourself weeks off for sickness, emergencies, AND vacation. Don’t apologize for taking a vacation. Your clients suffer when you do. Get coverage early Don’t double up on clients the week before you go or the week you return. Notice what your best vacation rhythm is. If it’s a few days off more often or if it’s a full month off once a year and fewer other vacations throughout the year. Create a to-do list for the day you return. You won’t remember exactly where you left things. Imagine yourself on the day you’ll return and give yourself a list of what’s most important. Decide what you’re going to do about email ahead of time. If you don’t wan

Casey Truffo is my favorite group practice guru. Whether you’re expanding your practice or just want to soak up business wisdom from a master therapist business coach, you’ll grab a lot of gems. Casey shares her biggest lessons learned in creating her therapy center, The Orange County Relationship Center, and how to know if owning a group practice is right for you. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Signs that you’re a good candidate (or not) for running a group practice A typical day and week in Casey’s life Productivity hacks to get the important stuff done Advice about setting up effective systems Being the CEO of your therapy practice (group practice OR solo practice) How to get started with running a group practice How she figures out who to hire in her center Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/63

Katie May is a change maker. She created a therapy center that serves vulnerable, high-risk teens AND creates a living for herself and the seven clinicians who work for her. Listen as she dives into how she decides which ideas to follow and which ones to let go. You’ll love her honesty and her contagious enthusiasm. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Why she’s a boss with purple hair How she grew her therapy center Creating new services for teens, including a therapeutic summer camp Hiring employees who share her vision Making life decisions with her husband Her take on being an entrepreneur How she balances her life inside and outside of work Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/62

Quandra Chaffers created Sexual Abuse and Sex Solutions less than a year ago. She’s surrounded herself with people she can grow with and moved away from those who might have held her back. Listen as she dives into her thoughts on reaching her right fit clients, networking, marketing, and money mindset.   Topics Discussed In This Episode: How she wrote her About page Reaching out to clients who are marginalized Why she loved writing her copy Why she almost didn’t continue in this profession a year ago Working through money mindset issues in order to embrace earning Getting advice from many different sources to start her business Stepping into networking with “nerdy” curiosity. Taking steps to create a future business model that can run even when she isn’t working Her fees (real numbers as usual) Public speaking and writing about consent   Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/61

Dr. Linda Shanti McCabe sees her roles as a parent and business owner as interconnected and always in motion. In this conversation we walk through some of the most challenging things about wearing both of those hats. We talk about finances, child care, time management, identity, and more. You’ll love how down to earth and honest Linda is about all of it.   Topics Discussed In This Episode: Writing her book Returning to work after maternity leave Paying for child care Finding her entrepreneur tribe Marketing by sharing her message The best compliment she’s ever gotten The impact of parenting on her business Her fee (real numbers as usual) Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/60

If you think you’ve got to sacrifice your values in order to make a profit, listen up! Kerrie Thompson Mohr has expanded her therapy business thoughtfully and ethically. Listen as she talks about how she decided to bring clinicians into her practice and how she balances her various roles within the business. It’s not what you usually hear. Kerrie is honest about working more right now than she plans to in the future.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   How she decided to hire employees How she looks out for her team and encourages self-care Moving into a new, larger, and more costly physical space Balancing her roles as boss, CEO, and clinician Working a lot during a time of growth Holding boundaries around her hours How her center handles inquiries The fees her center charges (real numbers as usual) The factors they use to adjust fees Starting a chapter of Sidewalk Talk   Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/59

Renee Beck didn’t waste any time in her therapy business watering down her. Right out the gate, she put her more alternative work front and center and built a practice working with alternative healers and artists. Listen as she shares the steps she takes to bring in her right-fit clients and how she handles the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Using dreamwork and tarot in her sessions Managing the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur Online networking How she learned to do her own SEO Her fees and how she thinks about money Co-creating rituals for her clients What she wants newer therapists to know about private practice Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/58

Thien Pham says she never imagined she’d be here. In this conversation, she shares her journey of moving to a new city, transitioning into private practice, and working through all of the money issues that came up. Listen as she shares how she took the leap of faith and built the business she has now.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Working with 1st and 2nd generation immigrant women in tech Negotiating career and location with her partner Working with the Vietnamese community Transitioning out of agency work Transitioning to a group practice and then to her own business What it’s like when you make more than your parents do Securing a full-time office Building a network in her new city Creating her schedule and boundaries in private practice Her fees (real numbers as usual) Supporting other therapists rather than competing The ebb and flow of clients Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/57

This is a minisode of Therapist Clubhouse. I wanted to give you this as an extra Mother’s Day present. I was on my friend Rebecca Wong’s podcast a little while ago. On her podcast, The Practice Of Being Seen, she takes deep dives with change makers. We took a dive into motherhood. I’m going to give you a little snippet of the conversation now, and if you want to hear the whole conversation and check out Rebecca’s other wonderful episodes, you can find them all wherever you’re listening to this. It’s called The Practice Of Being Seen. This segment starts right when I’m talking about whether I need to produce this podcast every week or not, which is really about the rhythms of life. After this we go into race and privilege, creating a business, and finding time and energy for what matters.

When you find your niche and your calling, bringing the right clients into your business becomes pretty much inevitable. Lily Sun is fascinated with what it means to be single today, and she helps her single clients embrace vibrant and full lives. Listen as she dives into how she filled her practice and why self-care is integral to creating the business she loves running.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Finding her niche of “singlehood and relatability” Being a single person herself and identifying the issues single folks struggle with Networking as a joyful activity Building her business slowly and consciously Why she ends up giving away so many business cards How massages and other self-care activities fit into her life Starting out private pay Her fees (real numbers as usual) How she thinks about fees The way she’s built a robust professional community Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/56

Filling your practice quickly takes a combination of creating a good strategy and working your butt off. Niketa Kumar did both and filled her practice in five months. Listen to how she did it and why she’s taking a moment before she strives for the next thing. You’ll enjoy our dive into fees and mindset around money.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   How she wrote the copy for her website to speak directly to her clients Why she stayed away from professional jargon when creating her site. Filling her practice in 5 months Breaking the habit of always striving for the next thing. What might be next for her: creating a mentorship program for therapists of color How her clients are finding her Her fees (real numbers as usual) Mindset around fees Talking to clients about money Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/55

If you want to reach a more people than you possibly can in your office, you’ll want to hear Dr. Bob Navarra’s story. He has a passion for delivering high-quality services to struggling couples and particularly couples in recovery. He’s become a leader in his field, and he’s been at it for 35 years(!) He writes, teaches, and runs workshops for couples and clinicians. Listen as he talks about how he developed the mindset to keep on moving forward way before he achieved this level of success.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Starting out in private practice and going through challenging times Developing a mindset around what “success” means Pivoting his business more and more towards workshops and teaching Why taking the “one next step” works for him better than planning years out Reaching out to his mentors and heroes to collaborate Keys to finding work/life balance as a business owner Starting his couples workshop with few attendees and building from there Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/po

Do you sometimes freak out about whether private practice can really work for you? Maryellen Mullin has important advice for you: collaborate and ask for help. She’s leaned into her superpowers and created a business she enjoys running. Rather than focusing on just one thing, Maryellen’s business allows her to do many things she loves. Listen as she dives into her journey. Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Doing many different things in her business instead of choosing just one “Messy parenting”, a workshop she presents for organizations Running a long-term group for mothers & daughters Using Gottman Institute research with teens and their parents Hiring both an intern and an independent contractor Starting a business networking group for therapists and other small business owners Why she loves being self-employed Stepping into a mentoring role at this stage in her career How she made the leap to full-time private practice How she sets her fees Why it’s impressive when you know what you don’t know S

If you’ve wanted to create a new offer in your business, but haven’t known how to do it, you’ll want to hear this. Maya Benattar has taken bold steps in the past year in her business. She created a new workshop, “Reclaim Your Rhythm,” for helpers and healers. Listen as we talk about how she filled up her workshops, the vulnerability of leveling up, and tuning into the rhythms of your business.   Topics Discussed In This Episode: Creating a workshop for helpers and healers helping them find calm in the chaos How she came up with the idea for the workshop and designed it Leaning into her email list to fill her workshop Tuning into your internal rhythms How to tune into your rhythms within your business The vulnerability and boldness of leveling up Next steps and new offers in her business Her fees (real numbers as usual) Working through money mindset issues Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/52

Narissa Harris says “I’m a black woman first and a clinician second.” Her happy place is working on awareness around African American culture. She’s extremely generous in her approach to helping therapists find their way to more humility and sensitivity. She dives into how she created her workshops, built her practice, and became her own boss.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Offering workshops on cultural awareness Creating several effective Cultural Awareness workshops Dealing with the resistance of people who are afraid to discuss racism Her monthly newsletter, “Walk A Day In My Culture” Being raw and unapologetic Being profiled and knowing her husband is profiled Her fees (real numbers as usual) Getting through low moments in her practice Cycles of ebbs and flows in her private practice Making the transition to private practice Using insurance as a part of her private practice Reminding herself that she’s the boss of her business Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/51

How are you doing with social media? Patrice N Douglas will show you how to have fun with it. In this conversation, she shares her passion for destigmatizing mental health issues and ways she uses to social media to get her message out. She also dives into how she uses social media to support other therapists. Not only is Patrice not competitive with her peers, she’s a champion of their work.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Providing online therapy Creating and selling “Black Minds Matter”  and “Therapy Saves Lives” T-shirts Specializing in anger management How she balances her time between agency and private practice Her big why: Destigmatizing mental health issues Her Therapist of the week spotlight on Instagram Developing her brand with a branding specialist Networking online with other therapists Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/patrice-n-douglas

Think you’ve got to be someone else in order to succeed in your business? Nope. April Snow shares how she ignored the noise and listened to her wise inner voice as she was setting up her private practice. She knew she wanted to work with Highly Sensitive People, and that’s what she does, quite successfully. Listen as we dive into her entrepreneurial journey.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Taking the leap and niching with highly sensitive people Clearing away the noise and taking her time with business decisions Managing the overwhelm of private practice with self-care and systems Taking self-care seriously Starting a community for Highly Sensitive Therapists Being OK with seeing fewer clients every week Her journey of taking her fee from 120 up to 175 and soon higher Getting comfortable with money Her writing routine The Highly Sensitive Therapists Retreat in July in Santa Cruz Marketing without getting overwhelmed A sneak peek at her 5-year plan Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/ap

Sarah Leitschuh believes you could be feeling calmer and happier in your life. She helps therapists find ways to feel more energy outside the therapy room. Just a few of the keys are: creating systems that work, saying no more often, and prioritizing self-care.   Topics Discussed In This Episode: Recognizing when you need help Knowing when to say no Her own examples of saying yes to too much Tips on getting your email under control Figuring out what only you can do and what you can delegate Looking at systems in your business and figuring out how to make them work for you Blocking out time for tasks Her fees for both therapy and coaching and how she feels about them Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/sarah-leitschuh

Traci Ruble wants you to play bigger. She’s tired of the false message that the more powerful one of us is, the smaller others have to be. She believes that the bigger you are, the more room you make for others to be big too. As a public speaker, founder of a therapy center, and creator of the Sidewalk Talk movement, she’s had lots of opportunities to navigate this challenging territory. Listen as we dive into her journey of embracing her power.   Topics Discussed In This Episode:   Creating a group private practice called Psyched In SF Managing our inner dialogues of self-criticism Creating a movement called “Sidewalk Talk” to be out in the community, listening Balancing her different kinds of work, parenting, volunteering, and partnering How she delegates big parts of her work life Owning her Superpower of public speaking more and more Getting support from her inner circle and ignoring the opinions of others Distinguishing her smaller self from her more powerful self Being generous to other women who inspi

Does documentation stress you out? Maelisa Hall shares how you can create a more peaceful relationship with your private practice paperwork. As a documentation expert and a person living with ADHD, Maelisa has tons of tips to help you change your relationship to the paperwork monster.   Topics Discussed In This Episode: How she found her business bestie and started a podcast with her Taking a work retreat to get stuff done Closing her therapy practice to focus on her online business Why paperwork is so painful and daunting for some therapists Some ways to make documentation work for you and your personal preferences When to do your notes if you don’t want to do them between sessions The importance of talking about your documentation worries so you can get help Making a sustainable plan for taking care of documentation How ADHD impacts her own story with documentation and time management Her advice about taking pressure off of yourself as an entrepreneur Show notes at http://coachingwithannie.com/podcast/ma