Ideal Practice

Hiring your first team member (or heck, your 5th!) can feel both really exciting... and really scary.

(Am I right? 🤷🏼‍♀️)

Because most business owners hire when they're overwhelmed, and frankly, feeling a bit desperate…

So they hope against hope that the new hire works out. And they’re terrified that it won’t actually help at all.

Well - in my experience, that's all backwards.

Ok - so let's get real - ok?

If there's one word that can make therapists and healers roll their eyes and groan, it's marketing.

(See? I heard you. Just then! I did!)

For so many of us, it brings up old images of pushy salesmen, unbelievable promises, and the yucky energy of trying to convince someone to buy something they don't really need.

But that’s not who we are, is it? No. It’s not.

So it’s not how we mar...

THIS was the most fascinating conversation!!!

When you hear what I’ve got for you today, I think you’re in for a surprise - a completely new way of thinking about private practice.

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that - in general - we all assume that growth means seeing more clients, working longer hours, or opening another office. Because - what else could you do, right?

Well &mda...

What if the problem isn't that you're not working hard enough at all…

What if the problem is that you've built a business that no longer feels like you?

As part of our Summer Replay Series, I'm bringing back one of my favorite conversations — and it is just as powerful today as it was when we first recorded it.

Maira Holzmann is a somatic therapist, group practice owner, and business coach whose ap...

Two hundred episodes. Hundreds of conversations. Countless listeners around the world. 

I'm so grateful you've been part of this journey, and it felt fitting to celebrate this milestone by revisiting some of the episodes that have stayed with me -- and apparently with many of you! -- as well.

So over the next few weeks, I'll be revisiting some of the conversations that have resonated most deeply with listeners over the years. So...

Have you ever looked at your own practice through the eyes of someone who's trying to become your client?

Recently, I found myself on the other side of the consulting room, searching for a therapist of my own. It’s been a lonnnnng time, y’all. And - turns out - It’s been a much harder process than I expected!

As I worked my way through Psychology Today profiles, made initial phone calls, filled out forms and even tr...

If you've ever lain awake at night worrying about a client, found yourself replaying sessions in your head, or wondered where healthy compassion ends and unhealthy responsibility begins, this episode is for you.

Today I've shared the single most important lesson a mentor ever taught me about surviving this work with both your heart and your humanity intact. 

It's a lesson that carried me through some of the hardest moments of my...

What happens to your practice when you're ready to walk away? 

Most private practice owners have no idea. 

Lord knows I sure didn’t when that day came for me.

And this week's guest, Dr. Ruth Mannschreck, believes that's a problem - and she wants you to KNOW what to do. 

A dentist, practice strategist, and founder of Shoreline Strategies, Ruth helps practice owners create businesses that run more efficiently today w...

What if your marketing problem has almost nothing to do with algorithms, social media, or even consistency - at all?

In this surprisingly deep and insightful conversation, I asked content strategist and Content Queen founder Mariah MacInnes  to unpack why so many practice owners struggle with marketing — especially healing arts professionals who care so much about helping people, but get super squirmy when it comes to bei...

Thinking about hiring a coach to help you grow your private practice? 

Before you invest time, money, energy, and trust into someone else’s guidance, it’s important to know what you’re actually looking for. 

In this episode, I’ll share 5 key questions to help you evaluate potential coaches wisely — from experience and accountability to intuition, alignment, and integrity. 

Because finding t...

Hiring a coach can absolutely change your business. Lord knows it has mine! It can also challenge your identity, your habits, your leadership, your willingness to change, and the stories you’ve been telling yourself about what’s possible.

Yeah. ALL of that.

So in this episode, I want to slow that conversation down a bit.

Because before you start searching for the right coach, the more important question to ask yourself is:...

As healers, we understand clinical work. We know how to help what hurts in our clients. 

But very few of us are taught how to build a business at all - much less one that genuinely fits who we are.

Today, I’m joined by somatic coach & educator Chelsea Horton for a rich conversation about creativity, embodiment, and building a private practice around an unconventional modality — dance and movement therapy — ...

There may be more than one reason your practice feels harder than it should.

And no — it’s probably not because you need better marketing, a new niche, or another certification.

In this conversation (from my appearance as a guest on The Practice of Therapy with Gordon Brewer), we stepped back and looked at the whole picture — what it actually takes to build a practice that works.

Not just one piece of it. All of it.

B...

Four years ago, I hit “publish” on the very first episode of this podcast — not entirely sure what would come of it. 

Since then? I’ve learned a lot.

In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes — not just of podcasting, but of what it really takes to grow a private practice in today’s world.

Because here’s the truth that no one talks about:

Most clinicians aren’t struggli...

Eventually, most successful practices hit a certain kind of ceiling.

Caseloads are full. Marketing falls off.  Systems strain.

And growth? It stalls… or starts to feel like it would break everything.

So today, Chris McShanag shares a new way of thinking about remote support — not as a way to offload tasks, but as a way to expand capacity.

So interesting - because he even challenged my thinking a bit! 🤔

When we think a...

In the last couple of episodes, I spoke with two very different guests — Rachel Robertson and Emma Lagerlow – two very different women doing very different things on completely opposite sides of the world.

And yet, as I thought about those conversations - I couldn’t help but notice something they had in common. In fact, I noticed a pattern that I think I’ve seen among many of the outstanding guests I’ve...

It’s easy to think that once your practice is “working”… everything else will fall into place.

But what if success is actually where things fall apart - but in a quiet way you may miss?

Today, wealth coach and author Emma Lagerlow talks with us about the 5 Pillars of True Wealth — and why so many practice owners lose themselves right when things start going well.

In this episode, you’ll hear&hellip...

At some point in the life of any kind of service-based business, something shifts.

The work is meaningful.
Clients are coming in.
Your calendar may even be full.

And inevitably, the day comes when you start asking yourself… Hang on a minute. This is good but it’s a LOT… Is this sustainable? Can I keep this up?

Not just financially — but energetically.

This week on the podc...

Okay guys - so we’re digging into a really tiny detail of your practice this week, one many small business owners may never even think about…

Your voicemail greeting.

I know! Seems sooooo minor! Like - who cares about that anyway?

Your potential clients do. That’s who.

I had an experience recently that reminded me of how important this is, so I want to share that with you. Because when it takes someone weeks or month...