Lactation Business Coaching With Annie And Leah

In this episode, we set out to discuss working with Type A parents... and accidentally ended up in a group therapy session for lactation consultants.Along the way, we discovered that everyone—from new parents to seasoned IBCLCs—are just trying to earn an imaginary gold star in the Olympics of "Doing Everything Perfectly."So if your nervous system feels like it's been running a marathon, take a long exhale, remember that perfection is a myth, and maybe let the tiny elf in your brain go scream into the street for a minute. It's doing important work. "It's so easy to have compassion for other people, and it's so difficult to have it for yourself." In this episode we talk about:Why "What's your success rate?" is a question capable of launching an existential crisis (3:06)The bittersweet moment when you realize you've graduated from "relatable mom" to "wise breastfeeding crone." (7:21)How taking one really long exhale is cheaper than therapy and almost as portable (11:39)The emotional support provided by sending o

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Every IBCLC has the client who's read every study and is quietly terrified — and our usual instinct (give them more information) often makes it worse. This Deeper Dive brings in a psychotherapist who works with exactly this client to show what's happening underneath and how to change the care plan. Tagline option: "The client who's read everything and trusts nothing. A psychotherapist on what's really going on — and what to do about it.”Nelia DeAmaral is a Registered Psychotherapist, Brainspotting Consultant, and clinical supervisor in private practice in the Greater Toronto Area, with more than 25 years of clinical experience. As an experienced birth and perinatal professional, she specialize

We just finished an hour with Cathy Watson Genna, and our brains are still buzzing. That's how it always goes with Cathy — she has this gift for showing you how everything connects. The web of infant assessment can feel impossibly tangled from the inside, but she helps you see the threads, trace them, and understand why each one pulls on the others. One of the things Cathy does so well is remind you how much you've actually learned — and how much there still is to learn. Both of us are coming up on recertification this year (yes, already — we found an old episode in our archive of us talking about our first recertification and the time warp is real), and we're both still chasing CERPs and CEUs with zero signs of stopping.This aftershow is us, Annie and Leah, processing what sparked for us and what we're taking back into the treatment room."It's hard to figure out what's going wrong if you don't know what's going right." In this episode we talk about:Learning through touch (3:21)Finding healthy baselines (7:40

Each month, Annie and Leah take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. They're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.In this Deeper Dive, you'll learn how newer research into tongue function, tethered oral tissues, and the fascial system has changed what experienced clinicians are looking for during hands-on infant assessment — and how to bring those insights into your own practice. You'll leave with a clearer framework for the methodical hands-on piece of your visits and a better understanding of what palpation can tell you that observation alone can't.Catherine Watson Genna BS, IBCLC is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in private practice in New York City. Certified in 1992, Catherine is particularly interested in helping moms and babies breastfeed when they have medical challenges.

In this episode, we basically hold up a mirror to our work lives and go, “Oh… THAT’S why we’re tired.” Fresh off a chat with Laura Suttin, MD, MBA, PCC , we unpack the wild idea that maybe sprinting through our careers like we’re being chased by a bear isn’t the healthiest strategy. Turns out, pausing, breathing, and occasionally acting like humans instead of productivity robots might actually help. We dive into team culture and realize—surprise!—your vibe as a leader is contagious. If you’re running around stressed and skipping lunch, your team’s not exactly going to be sipping tea and setting boundaries. We compare the classic “rise and grind” mentality with a more radical approach: not burning everyone out. Of course, we get real about burnout—what it looks like, how it sneaks up on you, and how it’s basically your brain waving a tiny white flag saying, “Please stop.” We talk about actually listening to those signals instead of powering through like it’s a personality trait. “The way you work sometimes jus

Each month, Annie and Leah take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. They're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Annie, Leah, and Dr. Laura Suttin MD, MBA, PCC, a physician and leadership coach, get into what it actually takes to build a healthy culture inside a private practice ecosystem. Whether you're managing contractors, mentoring interns, or just trying to figure out why the team dynamic feels off, this conversation will give you a framework for thinking about culture as something you build on purpose, not something that just happens around you.Dr. Laura Suttin is a physician, former healthcare executive, certified coach, speaker, organizational consultant, and author of The Purposeful MD-Creating the Life You Love Without Guilt. With decades of leadership experience, Laura partners with healthca

Recorded right after the March Deeper Dive on changing your EHR, this episode goes somewhere unexpected. Rachel walks us through her chart review process for Guiding Bottle Breakthroughs research, we get into using AI for data analysis without losing your mind, and the conversation lands on a question a lot of us are navigating: what do you do when your client already got advice from ChatGPT before they got to you?“No amount of AI can make someone feel like they got a hug.”In this episode:How to use AI tools to analyze your own de-identified chart dataWhy AI keeps getting bottle refusal wrong — and Rachel's framework for evaluating any sourceThe case for human expertise in a world where clients are Googling before they call youGuiding Bottle Breakthroughs is going evergreenEach month we host a live Deeper Dive so you can connect with us, our special guests, and each other + get lifetime access to the recording!Links and ResourcesSubscribe to Deeper Dive — $20/month, 50+ recordings going back to 2020Guiding Bo

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.If you've ever felt stuck on a charting platform you've outgrown and couldn't quite bring yourself to leave, this one is for you. Annie, Leah, and Rachel O'Brien get candid about the state of EHR options for lactation private practice — what they've tried, what almost worked, and why migration terror keeps so many of us exactly where we are.In this episode:Why switching platforms is harder than it looks, even when you really want toWhat to look for (and what to watch out for) when evaluating your optionsThe dyad charting problem — and why it's still unsolvedRachel's advice for new IBCLCs choosing their first charting platformLinks:Subscribe to Deeper Dive — $20/month, 50+ recordings going back

In this episode, we gather for a post-show recap after our Deeper Dive into Sleep Coaching with expert Shelly Taft.We kick things off by tackling the delicate dance between lactation support and sleep coaching—because helping babies sleep while helping them eat is basically the professional equivalent of juggling flaming swords while riding a unicycle. We also talk about something that helping professionals are famously bad at: self-care. You know, that thing we all enthusiastically recommend to clients and then immediately forget to do ourselves.“15 to 20 minutes after the baby falls asleep is when they enter their deepest sleep state, so they're less likely to wake up.”In this episode, we will cover:Self-care practices to help you start the day slowly instead of jumping into business (4:05)Moving away from hustle culture to create a more balanced lifestyle (9:06)Working with families facing sleep-related issues (18:24)The importance of collaborative learning (20:10)Each month we host a live Deeper Dive so y

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Let's talk about adding sleep coaching to your lactation business with Shelly Taft LPN, ISE, IBCLC.Shelly Taft is a dedicated and compassionate healthcare professional with a deep commitment to supporting families through the early stages of parenthood. She is the founder and owner of Shelly Taft, IBCLC, a private practice providing individualized, judgment-free lactation and infant sleep support to families in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Shelly has been serving new parents since 2007, helping them navigate the complexities of breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and sleep challenges with evidence-based guidance and practical solutions.Each month we host a live Deeper Dive so you can connect wit

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Educating families about bottles is within the scope of practice for the IBCLC. And despite what some will say, it's NOT against the WHO Code to do so. Rachel O'Brien MA, IBCLC is our guest this month for our Deeper Dive into Private Practice. Join the conversation hosted by Annie Frisbie MA, IBCLC and Leah Jolly IBCLC of the Lactation Business Coaching Podcast. This is your chance to ask all 3 of us anything!Rachel is a IBCLC in Massachusetts whose popular blog is a favorite of both families and lactation professionals. Her signature style of humor laced with pragmatic compassion and guilt-free support has resonated with hundreds of thousands of readers and has led to a busy full-time private

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Why is pricing so emotional? We're all torn between wanting make our care accessible, but also valuing the time, training, and expertise we bring to our work with clients. It doesn't help that we're surrounded by online gurus telling us to create high ticket offers and funnels and only work 4 hours a week.Thankfully, Maggie Patterson gets where we're coming from, and in this month's Deeper Dive we'll be exploring pricing that's both ethical and sustainable and (dare we say it) profitable!Maggie Patterson is the editorial director at Scoop Studios and the creator of BS-Free Business. With two decades of experience, Maggie has spent her entire career in client services and has been a successful

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Understanding the WHO Code in the context of supporting families who not feeding 100% exclusively at the breast can feel daunting. This session aims to demystify the obligations of the private practice IBCLC to provide comprehensive care for all families in an ethical manner.Allison Porter is an Attorney and Certified Breastfeeding Specialist who breastfed her son for 18 months and daughter until age 2. She's a TN girl born and raised in Memphis, TN, went to the University of TN Knoxville for undergraduate school, went to law school in Memphis, and currently lives in Nashville.She currently practices Health Law focusing on healthcare regulatory compliance and managed care insurance denials aft

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Our first Deeper Dive with Rachel O'Brien, lactation consultant and blogger extraordinaire, was a fan favorite, so Annie and Leah with Lactation Business Coaching asked her back! This hour is packed with insights from her successful private practice.Rachel runs her private practice in Massachusetts. She became an IBCLC in 2015 after completing her Masters degree in lactation, during which she wrote her dissertation on low milk supply. Rachel was a full-time working, breastfeeding and pumping mom for all three of her children and now specializes in low supply, bottle refusal and bottle feeding problems, working parents, and LGBTQ+ families.While many IBCLCs were scrambling to take their consult

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.One more task...and then you'll sit down and enjoy that book in which the bookmark hasn't moved in weeks. Owning a private lactation practice means there will always be tasks that need tending. Granting yourself permission to take a break can be difficult with so many balls in the air. Jabina provided a special lens during this one-hour deeper dive - understanding the demands faced by lactation professionals in private practice and her expertise in the field of mental health. Combining these two gives vital insight into how lactation consultants can say yes to their needs so they can meet the needs of others.Jabina G. Coleman is a Licensed Social Worker and International Board Certified Lactat

As a lactation consultant, it is important to set boundaries in order to prevent burnout.Burnout can creep up on you as we found out and it’s not fun!When it comes to boundaries, it is important to set clear limits for yourself. This means being mindful of how much time you are spending on work-related tasks, and how much time you are dedicating to yourself, your family, and your other interests.In this episode, we discuss some ways to set boundaries in your private practice and ways to avoid burning yourself out.“When you don't have boundaries, everything feels really chaotic.”In this episode, we will cover:How we experienced burnout (2:56)Managing burnout by setting boundaries(7:46)The first step to recovering from burnout (11:04)Why your clients benefit from you setting boundaries (12:53)Like this episode? Want more?The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer month

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Babies are the best! Let's talk about all the ways we care for and respect them in a clinical setting with Kiara Aponte MSOT, OTR, CEIM, IBCLC.Kiara Aponte is an occupational therapist (OT), lactation consultant, and certified educator of infant massage. Her special interest in early childhood development, primitive reflexes, and infant feeding inspired Kiara to pursue her IBCLC as well as specialized training in Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) and Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI). She is the founder of WillOTree Baby in Houston, where she utilizes a specialized perinatal care model that brings together occupational therapy, feeding therapy, and lactation consultation.

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Working with insurance can be challenging, but it's not the only way to provide care for families. Let's talk about all the pros and cons of self pay clients plus get marketing ideas and strategy from our expert whose practice is almost entirely self pay!Rachel O'Brien is an IBCLC with a MA in human lactation who runs a busy private practice in Boston and specializes in bottle refusal. She began her specialization in bottle refusal in 2019 and when the pandemic hit Rachel realized that bottle refusal had become a much more widespread feeding problem. Rachel developed a method for teaching parents how to re-frame their baby's "bottle refusal" and to work with their baby instead of against them.

In this rebroadcast episode, have you ever said I’m a terrible lactation consultant?We have!It doesn't matter how long you have been in your private practice, we all have those moments that make us feel like we don’t know what we are doing.We want you to know that you are not alone in feeling this way so, in this episode, we are sharing what makes us feel like terrible lactation consultants and tips on how we deal with those negative thoughts.“Everything that happens in your life, that seems to be a challenge or a mistake or feels like you’re a terrible lactation consultant, could possibly be something that we need to learn.”In this episode, we will cover:The challenging parts of being a lactation consultant (9:33)How to challenge your negative thoughts (11:23)The value of learning from your mistakes (19:08)Why you should treat yourself like one of your clients (26:50)Like this episode? Want more?The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. Every contributed dollar counts and so do

Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.Elizabeth Montez ILC, IBCLC is our guest this month to talk about colostrum harvesting. It's popular on social media, but is there a harmful side to this practice?Elizabeth Montez, pronouns are she/her/kwe is a Beaver clan citizen of Waganakising Odawa (Little Traverse Bay Bands Odawa) and Forest County Potawatomi descendant, and also a descendant of Mexican and German immigrants and settlers of Appalachia. Her heart is full to now live on her ancestral homeland in Waganakising, and can provide in-person lactation care throughout Northern Michigan.Each month we host a live Deeper Dive so you can connect with us, our special guests, and each other + get lifetime access to the recording!Links an