Compassionate Climb

In this episode, I share the strategies that have helped me land more speaking opportunities. I talk about how I defined my niche, started offering trainings to build credibility, and showed up at events and conferences to connect with the right people. I also walk through how I applied to speak at aligned events and explain how having a podcast has become a powerful platform for connecting with people I admire and creating meaningful conversations. Tune in for tips!WebsiteConsult

Meet Katie K. May and Shaelene Kite, the co-founders of Stabilize and Scale, where they help group practice owners make data-driven, values-aligned decisions. Together, they have supported over 60 six- and seven-figure practices in building sustainable systems, leading with clarity, and scaling without burnout. In this episode they share how they met on Facebook as DBT practice owners who became battle buddies during the pandemic. In developing their program they created a place for group practice owners to celebrate wins and successes while growing a group practice without overwhelm. They share the harsh realities they experienced along their journeys and how they stepped into leadership and help others do the same.Key Takeaways:-connect with people who are doing what you want to be doing-step into leadership and have systems documented with clear expectations-know your numbers-to be a successful group practice owner you have to want to lead people-your business is a mirror for your inner landscape-distance yourself from the life happiness of the people on your team-you rent employees, you do not own them-the business owners job is to keep the business going-employees are always going to choose themselves over the business-the more you let you the more you attractKatie and Shaelene's Links:Stabilize and ScaleNumbers Aren't NastyInstagram

Meet Jole Berlage-Buccellati, a holistic coach who works with highly sensitive people. She helps these individuals build self-worth and become effective leaders and business people in a world that is not built for people like them. Jole says that 20% of the global population is a highly sensitive person and that despite our world that rewards loudness and narcissism, sensitive people still have great gifts to give to the world. She speaks about her work building her theories about sensitivity and how it brought her an understanding of herself and many of her clients. It has been work she has done to help people focus their empathy and caring for others in a way that is effective and helpful. Listen to her thoughts about the strengths of being a highly sensitive person, how more sensitive people in leadership can benefit the world, and how a sensitive person can take care of themselves in this week's episode!Key Takeaways:Our world says it's okay to be a sensitive person as long as you're a woman who is not in business or an artist of some sort. If not, the world punishes you for being a person who cares for the world deeply.Many highly sensitive people have been bullied at some point, but especially at school. This harms their self-worth and makes them feel as if no one understands them.Being highly sensitive can be a very complex experience and building community around people like them is one way they can help make themselves feel less alienated.Jole is writing a book about highly sensitive people and why they're so important in our current political climate globally.Finding your voice is important in order to make sure you can be heard. Many highly sensitive people are overwhelmed or introverted (or both!) but that is something they need to work through in order to be more effective.Use your ability to notice others' feelings and mental states to know when someone needs to take a time out, or a break, in order for their feelings to not overwhelm yours.Jole's links:WebsiteInstagramPodcast

Meet Rachel Duncan, a financial and art therapist based in Denver, Colorado. Through her company, The Money Healing Club, Rachel helps clients work through their money related trauma and form a healthier relationship with their finances. Her career journey took many twists and turns until she finally realized what her real passion was: financial therapy. Rachel offers one-on-one therapy and a group membership. Through this work, she helps people think and talk about money more openly, work towards financial goals, and set boundaries around money. The work she does with people helps them to realize where their trauma around money comes from and how they can begin the healing process.Key takeaways:Money is neutral-our feelings about money are a trauma response based on situations or people in our lives. Art therapy is a great way to help people work towards breaking down these trauma responses and form a healthier relationship with money. Financial therapy is really trauma work!A client can only go as far in therapy as their therapist has gone themselves-if a therapist who has not worked on their own financial trauma will have a difficult time helping others.“Noble poverty” is something that is systemic and is institutionalized. It indoctrinates people in the helping field to believe that their work should not be equally paid in comparison to other professions with the same level of education.The mental health profession attracts people who truly want to help others and thus are more likely to undervalue their work which ultimately makes it more difficult for them to be good therapists!Who are we to say what someone else can afford?If asking for a higher rate makes you uncomfortable, then find some ways to give back to your community outside of your private practice work.Rachel's links:WebsiteInstagramYouTube

Meet Arilda Surridge LMFT and director of Wellness Counseling Inc. She is a certified in EMDR, an approved EMDRIA consultant, a trainer, author, and international retreat host. She shares how she began providing retreats for couples, transitioned to providing retreats for therapists, and is traveling the world training mental health professionals in trauma treatment. She describes how she structures her retreats, what participants can expect, and how she incorporates self-care, continuing education credits, and immersive experiences.Key Takeaways:-Whatever you are teaching, you should be doing yourself-Don't let the fear of "what if" stop you-You can do so much in the field of mental health-If you have an idea, don't be afraid to try and start somewhereArilda's LinksWebsiteFacebook Group

In this episode I share my journey turning 40 and making the decision to prioritize my health and wellness by hiring a coach. I draw the parallel between business goals and personal goals and the benefits of utilizing someone to guide you that has advanced knowledge and is where you want to be.Key Takeaways:-honor your commitments to yourself-you are more likely to achieve your goals with accountability-enter what is most important to you on your calendar and fill in everything else around it-the decisions we make now share our futureJulia's Links:WebsiteFree Consult

Meet Kristen Belevich, the owner of the group practice B&B Well Counseling who is preparing for her second maternity leave while in private practice. She is also helping two of the clinicians in her practice prepare for their maternity leaves as well. She discusses her process for acquiring more space, hiring multiple clinicians at one time, training and onboarding, as well as her process for transferring clients in this situation. She identifies the ways she promotes work-life balance with her team as well as clinician retention.Kristen's Links:WebsiteFacebookInstagram

Julia shares the trends she is seeing in the mental health profession and her own group practice and shares the following reasons clinicians still want to join a group practice:1. Collaborative learning environment2. Reduced administrative tasks3. Support network4. Financial stability5. Stable income and benefits6. Continuing education opportunitiesLearn more about her practice Compassionate Counseling Company.Schedule a free consult with Julia.Learn about the Master Your CEO Mindset e-course.

Meet Kristen Acciari, owner of the group practice Holistic Heart in Rhode Island. She discusses the network events she hosts along with the owner of ME Psychotherapy that came out of their own desire to connect and collaborate with helping professionals that get it. She discusses the evolution of her practice that started in 2014 and has grown to 15 clinicians explaining her start in a behaviorally oriented nonprofit and the wall she hit providing talk therapy alone. After building a reputation and turning clients away she decided to expand and describes how she strives to provide a whole-person experience through integrative and holistic approaches. She shares her efforts to intentionally foster learning experiences for her team and the way she helps them succeed. She also shares her decision to return to school for her PhD and the trainings she provides on neurodiversity affirming care.Key Takeaways:-It can be fun to not know what you don't know-Take action and see what happens-Don't over-prepare-Set intentional time for planning and execution-There is no lack of people who need support-Everyone has something unique to offer-In order to be  good therapists you have to know your stuff-See each person on your team for who and how they are-Get to know the members of your team as peopleKristen's Links:WebsiteInstagram

Meet Jennifer Vincent, a therapist specializing in trauma and business coach. She discusses the private practice she started in Indiana in 2016, expanded to group, and sold last year. She shares the steps involved in selling a practice and her move to Florida as well as the process of starting another group practice called Therapy for Cycle Breakers. She also describes the consulting she provides to therapists on hiring, streamlining systems, and increasing revenue.Key Takeaways:-social media is helpful to get your name out there-interview staff multiple times-systems are essential to sell your practice-if you are doing a great job, no one can take anything away from you-be sure to ask about learning styleJennifer's Links:WebsiteConsulting for TherapistsText: 317-643-0507

Meet Jennifer Crawford and Meredith Eaton, co-CEOs of Move Forward Virtual Assistants. Through their company they offer comprehensive mental health virtual assistants, mental health receptionists, and administrative support for mental health practices. They strive to help clinicians build their businesses and take some of the administrative weight off their shoulders. Their focus on feminist leadership, a work-life balance for their employees, and their dedication to high quality VAs for their clients has helped them build a thriving company. Together they have worked to form a certification process for their VAs and receptionists to ensure that every client gets the same high value service from each employee of the company.Key Takeaways:-Many clinicians do not learn how to build a business and become overwhelmed from the administrative side of their business.-Employee well-being is a top priority resulting in a 30-hour work week as well as a comprehensive training and onboarding process-When they found themselves burning out from adjustment to having contracted workers to employees, they hired an HR person. -They built a comprehensive certification process for their employees that involves several weeks of training. This ensures that not only everyone is held to the same high standards but also keeps their employees from becoming overwhelmed once they take on clients. -Like true entrepreneurs, they have constant ideas of how to improve their company and the services they offer. Make sure to keep up with them and their socials!Their Links:⁠Website⁠InstagramFacebook

Meet Kim Snyder who has been a therapist for 16 years working primarily with parents involved with the legal system who recently closed her private practice and opened EPIC Parenting Academy. She currently provides workshops, courses, coaching, and groups. She shares how her experience with 4 adult children and 6 grandchildren has influenced her work, describes her process of closing her practice and starting and marketing this new business, and her process helping mothers of multiples ages 4-10.Key Takeaways:-getting parents to admit they need help is the first step-there is no greater job that any person could have than to be a parent-all it takes is 15 minutes with your child-acknowledge the differences between your children-get a mentor if you want to be good at something and do not have the skills-her 4 pillars of EPIC parenting are Engaged, Present, Intentional, and Consistent-our window with children is so short and ages 4-10 are pivotalKim's Links:WebsiteCommunity

Meet Melissa Henry, a brand strategist and owner of Helluva Brand that helps entrepreneurs build a powerful, visionary brand. After spending 20 years as an accountant and transitioning to brand photography, she had a client that ask if she would coach them on building their personal brand and the rest is history! She explains how she helps clients identify their unique selling proposition that is not only unique but also defensible and relevant. When networking, she encourages you to lean in and ask questions to find out if the person you are talking to has a problem and you someone you know can solve their problem. She recommends seeking out strategic partnerships that share your values. She explains how following her process will save time and money by avoiding on marketing tactics and prioritizing strategy. Check out her Brave Brand Success Guide: https://www.helluva-brand.com/brave-success-guideKey Takeaways:-start by asking yourself what it is that you want to do in the world-from there develop your vision which your north star-mission is what you are doing to make the vision happen-consider your core values and how do you express them in marketing and with clients-identify who the ideal clients are for you and what events going on in their lives-your unique selling proposition is what makes you different that no one else can replicate-everybody buys with emotionMelissa's Links:https://www.helluva-brand.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-demple-henry/

Meet Kelly Geagan, the Clinical Director at Compassionate Counseling Company. She shares her career climb from juvenile detention, to paraprofessional, to community mental health and promotions to risk manager and program director. She shares traits that contribute to quality leadership, how this position evolved and what it entails, and factors that contributed to success. Key Takeaways: -never stop learning if you want to be a leader -observe first and see how you can integrate yourself -come from a place of wanting to learn and understand rather than directing -make it your goal to master yourself -you cannot expect the world to change for you so learn to adapt -develop the internal skill set to manage whatever comes your way Learn more about Kelly here: https://www.compassionatecounselingcompany.com/kelly-geagan/

Meet Katesha Reid, an LPC who is also an identity coach for women, author, and speaker.  She has made a career of not just being a therapist but also helping women find out who they are outside of their socially prescribed roles as a wife, mother, or something to someone else. Katesha uses her own experiences struggling with her identity as an adult woman and how she found who she was to help other women do the same. When her eldest child was young, Katesha realized she was not as fulfilled or happy as society had told her she should be. By exploring her feelings and talking to other women, she saw that many women struggle with feelings of being lost but do so in silence and isolation. Key Takeaways: -Do not limit your dreams by your circumstances. “I can't do this because” is thinking within your circumstances.  -The people in our lives who truly love us and support us will want us to be happy, even if our dreams or happiness looks different from theirs.  -You need to define what motherhood looks like for YOU, not what society or others have told you it looks like. -Many times the older women in our lives have not made choices to have the lives they had. Many did not have the option to be a business owner, to travel, or to do many other things other than be traditional wives and mothers. -Find out what you like by trying things out! Getting to know yourself in this process is important. Katesha's Links: Website Facebook Instagram

Meet the newest addition to the Compassionate Consulting Company team, Lucita Clondas LICSW! She co-owns Connections in Counseling, a private practice that she started in 2021 with a business partner. She describes the journey that led her to pursue her own practice, what has contributed to her success, the benefits of working with a consultant, and her process with consulting clients. Schedule a free consult with Lucita here.

Meet Dr. Anahita Lake-Khosravi, owner of the Empowered Living Collective, a group practice in Colorado who is currently on maternity leave and has been able to fully step away from the business and only run payroll! She began hiring May 2023 and by September she was already a group of 10 and is currently a group of 13. She offers 1:1 coaching and a Solo to Group Accelerator Course. Listen to learn how she automated her practice and empowered her team. Here is her live where she shares 4 automations to take time off and truly unplug. Key Takeaways: -consider the vibe of your practice and how you want to come across -consider hiring pre-licensed therapists and interns -empower your team and make yourself the last resort for questions -anytime a therapist has a question, answer it and then document the answer -create a centralized document that links to everything else -consider who the "go to" is for each task -do it scared because you will never feel ready -there is no better time to start then now and it is possible Anahita's Links: Website Facebook Group Instagram

Meet Danielle Swimm, owner of the Entrepreneurial Therapist, coach, course creator, podcast host, and group practice owner. She discusses her course, The Practice Accelerator, that helps therapists fill their private practices, as well as her mastermind that helps therapists scale with tracks for group practices and creators. She describes what sets her apart including her genuine care for her mastermind participants and desire to ensure her course gets completed. She shares the development of her team behind the scenes and plan to expand her practice. Key Takeaways: -stay in your zone of genius and allow others to come in for support -get a Human Design reading! -do not let the fear of being seen hold you back -push yourself a little bit every single day in the area you are feeling scared -protect your peace above everything -if you have it on your heart to go bigger, do it and go all in Danielle's Links: Website Instagram Podcast

I am replaying the most popular episode from 2024 on how to run a successful based private practice. In this episode, I discuss the pros/cons, steps, and how to avoid issues. If you believe in providing quality mental health treatment that is affordable and accessible, this episode is for you! I also offer a training on this that can be purchased here.

Sarah Rivera, owner of La Luz Counseling and The Counselor's Mentor is back to discuss our group coaching program, Master Your CEO Mindset. We share our reflections from cohort 1 and the feedback we received from participants, provide an overview of the program, and discuss what participants can expect in cohort 2 that starts on January 14th. We cover: what it means to be the CEO of your practice

Meet Kirsten Graham, a business coach who owns Six Figure Business Coaching who helps business owners free up their time through outsourcing and strategic marketing. She shares her perspective that time is our most valuable asset and loves helping entrepreneurs go from being invisible to getting in front of the right audiences so they can build their authority and generate quality leads. She primarily does this through strategic video marketing and podcast guesting so business owners can have the time to focus on making money. Listen to learn how to outsource effectively while staying true to yourself and building your business. Key Takeaways: -time is our most valuable asset -marketing is the foundation for growing your business -show up as yourself -fear of getting out there can contribute to outsourcing hesitation -lead people and manage tasks -virtual assistants can bring knowledge and a skill set to your business -if you can create one piece of value based content per week, your virtual assistant can repurpose it for all of your platforms -most of us cannot get where we want to go by ourselves -do not underestimate the power of video Kirsten's Links: ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Website⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Meet Morgan Danielle a divine feminine dating coach who empowers ambitious women to break toxic patterns, heal their relationship with themselves, and attract high-value, deeply fulfilling love. With years of experience and a proven approach, she has helped hundreds of women transform their love lives from struggle to triumph. She discusses her own personal experience struggling with co-dependency, love addiction, and toxic and abusive relationships and shares her process of self-discovery. Listen to learn how to create a life you are on fire about outside of work and ensure you are giving from a place of abundance rather than lack. Key Takeaways: -our mess can become our message and our pain can turn into our purpose -if you are the problem, you are also the solution -identify what you bring to the table without you doing anything for anyone else -own your worth and move with confidence and certainty -we can only attract something we are an energetic match for -when you choose you everything else falls into place -you are more important than your business Morgan's Links: Facebook Group Instagram

Meet Lindsey Pace LCSW who owns Evercare Counseling and helps individuals with OCD and Anxiety through exposure and response prevention therapy. She shares how worry and rumination have been a part of her life and how she has learned to manage and help others do the same. She translates how this knowledge can promote our mental and emotional health as business owners. She describes how beneficial her support network has been and how we can still show up effectively as therapists while we are navigating our own mental health. Key Takeaways: -worry and rumination are a choice -delay worry and schedule worry time -consulting can help us understand what we should be worrying about and take action in spite of anxiety -not all worry is bad -managing anxiety clears room for creativity and innovation -you do not have to figure everything out on your own-utilize your supports! Lindsey's Links Evercare Counseling

Meet Laura Beaver LCSW who landed in the social work field early in her career. She began teaching as an adjunct professor and then a field director and finally became a program director. After experiencing burnout in higher education she transitioned to private practice. She loves helping students find their place in the field and helping supervisors remain passionate about this role. Rather than viewing supervision as a box to check, she prefers to view it as an opportunity to pour into the next generation of professionals in the field that will help to carry us forward. She created the Supervisor Support Network, a community that ensures supervisors feel seen and supported and get the resources and comradery necessary to do this work well. She has a Facebook group where shares conversations with supervisors and plans to start a book club in the new year as well as add a membership component. Make sure to tune in to learn how to ensure the supervision experience is positive and impactful and feel free to email her with any questions: laurabeaverconsulting@gmail.com.   Key Takeaways: -Practicum experience will either be the entry point or the point where students get burnt out -Quality supervision can pay dividends to every client that the supervisee works with -Don't forget what it was like to not know anything early in your career! -Students want to learn and absorb and we can miss out if we don't grow that for them -Part of supervision is recognizing we will mess up but focusing on how to repair with clients -Supervisees have acquired the knowledge and skills and are coming to you to learn their approach and art -As a supervisor, come from a place of wanting to learn and grow yourself rather than out of obligation -We are the gatekeepers to the profession so don't be afraid to have difficult conversations -One of the best questions you can ask a supervisee is “what was going on inside of you in that moment?” -Get clear on what your supervisee is hoping to get out of the process -Time in supervision is just as important as time with clients   Laura's Links: Website Supervisor Support Network Facebook Group

Amy Grace is a mom, therapist, author, and motherhood coach who wants to challenge the toxic idea of the supermom. She prides herself on always being a mom first and strives to balance her professional live and mom life. She shares the societal definition of supermom who is able to do everything all the time which leads to exhaustion. She says a true supermom is someone who works within her strengths and being the mom “she is called to be”. She shares her podcasting journey, the book she is releasing in 2025 called "The Good Enough Supermom", the coaching she offers, and her courses that share what she has learned.Key Takeaways:-Accept and acknowledge the difficult things about motherhood as well as the good things.-When a client is having a hard time reconciling what a mom “should be” and the mom she is, challenge the messages from society.-Doing one or two things really well is better than doing everything, because you can't do everything perfectly.-Do not underestimate the importance of marketing but find a way to make it enjoyable and authentic!-If you are in survival mode, approach situations with intentionality as much as possible.-Do what you can to ensure your children feel loved and that they are lovable.-Believe you are the mom your kids need!Amy's links:InstagramAmy Grace Coaching

Meet Melanie Snyder, a therapist and the owner of Tri-State Psychotherapy Group, a multi-state group practice that serves clients in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey. They provide individual, family, and couples therapy and have clinicians that speak Mandarin and Spanish. She currently lives in New York state but previously lived in Massachusetts, where she started her private practice. At that time many of her clients were college students and she wanted to be able to continue to provide therapy when they returned home for breaks and the summer. Recognizing a need she began hiring a year and a half ago and her team has grown to 15 clinicians! She shares her challenges navigating federal, state, and licensure regulations, the administrative side of the business, as well as carrying a caseload. Key takeaways: There is no multi-state checklist out there! Ensure you are familiar with the state licensure and employment laws of the clinicians you hire. Connect with and learn from other therapists who are doing what you want to do. Retreats can be a helpful way to make your team feel closer and connected to one another. Be clear and upfront about expectations in the beginning so it is clear what to prioritize and there is less need for micromanagement. Melanie's links: Website Facebook

Meet Tanya Berfield, the Director of Student Advocacy and Title IX Coordinator at a college and an empowerment and transformation coach. In her pursuit of happiness and discovering her own value and worth, she obtained her doctorate and several certifications. She shares how the limiting beliefs from childhood contributed to her drive to always be more and do more. She describes invincibility as the belief that we can and should do it all and capacity as the amount of work we can do. It is her belief that if you are not taking care of yourself, you are not providing or producing the best that you could be. Listen to learn about her experience with summits and starting her own podcast!  Key Takeaways: -Understand how you set your expectations. -People enjoy when you don't show up perfect. -“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, not the rest of you” Katie Reed -Focus on the core foundation: sleep, nutrition, and movement and give yourself the time to do it and build upon it. -Include your children in your self-care process! -Cultivate beneficial and helpful relationships. -Lead by learning about other people. -Seek out people who are invested and engaged. Tanya's Links: ⁠ Chakra Alignment Meditation⁠⁠ Empower Her Summit⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠ YouTube⁠ Julia's Links: ⁠CompassionateConsulting Company⁠ ⁠FreeConsult⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Instagram

In honor of Ring Rx renewing their sponsorship of the show, I am replaying the episode where I interview Doug Parent, the CEO of Ring Rx, a HIPAA compliant telephone, text, and fax communication platform. He shares his start in the family business which was a call center for healthcare providers. He describes the start and growth of the company, what sets them apart, and upcoming enhancements. I have used Ring Rx in my group practice since July 2021 and could not be a more satisfied customer. The platform has grown with us, the customer service is unparalleled, and I recommend them to all of my consulting clients. Try Ring Rx free for 14 days: https://ringrx.com/free-trial/ Enter the code CLIMB for 15% off for life. Conditions apply.

Mary Dibble is a life coach who helps busy moms live better lives by prioritizing themselves and their needs, allowing them to show up fully not just for themselves but others, too.  Her life started with adversity that taught her a great deal of resilience. Growing up with financial insecurity with a single mom and an absentee father, she had low self-esteem and felt like she was desperate for attention from others. This led her down the path of substance abuse. Through finding a new connection with spirituality and being saved by God, she was motivated to become sober, though this was not an easy path for her. She found herself in an abusive relationship but thankfully was able to leave it. Her next relationship ended when she became pregnant and refused to have an abortion. However, she says her son saved her life. He was the biggest motivation she had ever had to finally get sober and put her life on the track for her success and healing.  Since then, she received her own life changing mentoring through a life coach, became a life coach herself, found her soulmate, and had had two more children. Her life has completely turned around and she credits that to the many turning points she has had that pushed her further and further along the path, closer to her goals. By learning that she was worthy of what she wanted out of life, she has found she's become a better mom and partner, and has been able to help others do the same. Learn more about Mary's amazing story on this week's episode of the Compassionate Climb Podcast! Key highlights:  Her son was her most powerful motivator to get sober and she has been ever since. “He taught me love I never really knew existed, he gave me purpose”. When she started focusing on the fact that she was the common denominator in many of the difficult aspects of her life, she realized she needed to work on herself and change things. This was pushed further by her experience with getting life coaching. It helped her realize that she was worthy of the things she wanted out of life. “I have a wonderful, healthy marriage that I never thought possible.” She does remind us that no relationship is perfect, however! Healthy relationships are all about good communication, compromising, and doing things for each other. She had always had a dream of helping people and receiving life coaching helped show her a potential path to that dream. She wanted to show people that they don't have to be defined by their past or history and that they can change their lives. People, moms especially, need to prioritize their needs more. “You can't pour from an empty cup”, Mary says, and notes that it's difficult to take care of others when you're burnt out and exhausted.  She even says that many of us “hinder ourselves from really living life”.  She worried people wouldn't take her seriously because of her lack of a higher education. But she learned that she does have value to give to others through her own experiences in life. She is constantly learning and taking more classes to become a better life coach and help as many people as possible. Website

Leslie Kuny is a dance educator of over 20 years who also works as a choreographer and adjudicator in the dance world. In this week's episode, she shares her experience with leaving a business partnership and how important it is for values to be in alignment. She explains how she started working on a dance studio with a colleague right during the beginning of COVID, how she came to realize that she had to walk away, and how walking away is not always a good feeling, even when it is the right choice. Leslie speaks to her experience with finding her identity, clarifying her business values, and how important aligned values are in business.  She also makes sure to highlight the importance that any networking or connection that is done genuinely is never a 100% loss, even if things do not work out! We always learn from new experiences, even the ones that are difficult, and they gave her the opportunities to network with new individuals and hone her skills in certain areas. Listen to the full episode to hear Leslie's explanation of her “goo phase” and how important it is to keep pushing through difficult times and the silver linings that can exist within them. You can find Leslie online at: https://www.lesliekuny.com/ Instagram Facebook YouTube

Meet Brenda Meller, owner of Meller Marketing and LinkedIn coach who helps business owners, job seekers, and those looking to market themselves and network get “more of the LinkedIn pie”. While she started in corporate marketing, she quickly found a niche for herself with a side hustle helping people market themselves on social media and doing speaking events. After her position was eliminated at her corporate job, she decided to go full-time in her side marketing business.  She originally found LinkedIn in the early days of social media, giving her time to learn the ins and outs and all of the tricks to using it effectively to network. In 2020 she found herself moving away from consulting about other social media platforms and went all-in on helping people utilize LinkedIn more effectively.  In this episode, Brenda shares her Climb, how she got into LinkedIn, and plenty of tips on how to make the most of your LinkedIn profile. Not only that, but she provides free checklists on her website for people to use with their small businesses, primarily focused on LinkedIn! https://www.mellermarketing.com/checklists  Key takeaways: On dealing with difficult transitions, especially the sudden loss of a job, Brenda has this advice: “Embrace the emotions but at some point you have to stop feeling the emotions and you have to be productive with your time and your energy and figure out what's next for you”. She says LinkedIn is a great option because it's a large platform that is purely a professional networking site. While it does have a jobs board, it's primarily for personal and company networking and marketing One of the great tips she has is on “building your social media karma” on LinkedIn by regularly engaging with people's posts on your home page. The more you engage with people, the more likely they are to check out your profile and engage with your posts! Make sure your headline is clickable! “Your headline follows you everywhere on LinkedIn” she says, so don't use it to put “job title at company” but to entice people to look at your page. Your about section should not be a copy/paste of your resume! This makes you look like a job seeker and NOT someone looking to network. You want to speak to your ideal target audience through your about section! Brenda's links: Website Facebook Brenda's LinkedIn Meller Marketing's LinkedIn

Meet Nick DeCourcey, an LICSW who recently started his private practice, Aspirations Counseling, and is transitioning full-time! His career climb has been fueled by a desire to work within his values. After getting his MSW, he began working in outpatient community mental health but felt that there was a misalignment in his views of helping clients compared to the agency which led him to consider private practice. His private practice journey started with a lot of self-directed learning but then when he found Julia's webinar on starting a private practice through the National Association of Social Workers, he felt more prepared to take action. After obtaining his LICSW, he scheduled a consult with Julia and decided to purchase a package to help guide him in building his business. He attributes a lot of his current success and profitability to Julia's help as a consultant and recommends that everyone considering going into private practice get one! Most impressively, he went from starting his private practice to leaving his agency job in less than a year! With such rapid growth in his private practice, it no longer made sense to continue seeing clients in the community mental health agency he had been working with. In a little over a year, he went from considering private practice, to establishing the business, to building a full time caseload. Find out how he did it, how a consultant can help, and how to tell if private practice may be right for you in this week's episode.  Key highlights: Nick's transition to private practice was fueled by his desire “to help, not just be helpful”. Nick also said that “my private practice, getting it going and making it profitable, was easier than my final paper for my master's”! To help him decide if it was the right move for him, Nick put a dollar value on his peace of mind. A consultant can not only give you resources and ideas on how to get going and keep going, but they can also help you avoid really expensive mistakes down the road.  Nick shared that the 30 minute free consult Julia offered helped him determine they were the right fit. Nick has also worked hard to make himself “findable” like investing in his website, having a Psychology Today page, and even leaving his business cards (with chocolate chip cookies!) at local doctor's offices. Julia's Links: Compassionate Consulting Company Free Consult Facebook Instagram Nick's Links: Website Psychology Today

Julia has made mention of the Enneagram in several episodes so it was time to give it a full one! Julia provides an overview of the nine types, wings, and triads, shares how this model of the human psyche has been transformative in her self-development journey, and how she incorporates with her team. Julia provides Enneagram trainings to team to improve communication and enhance relationships. If you are interested email: julianepini@compassionateconsultingcompany.com Julia has recorded an Enneagram training with a move in depth overview in addition to how to incorporate in clinical work and integrate with teams available for purchase ⁠here⁠.

Meet Brianna Pelletier, the Director of Operations at Compassionate Counseling Company. She shares her career climb from obtaining her Bachelor's in Psychology to working as a practice manager, and her decision to return to school for her Master's Degree. She reflects on her journey with the practice over the past year and a half, from her start as an Administrative Assistant to her promotion to Director of Operations. She discusses the benefits of hiring administrative staff to improve systems and processes and enable the business owner to work on the business as opposed to in the business. She describes the culture of the practice and the process of training additional administrative support. Learn more about Brianna here: https://www.compassionatecounselingcompany.com/brianna-pelletier/

Sabrina Trobak is a counselor who works with clients to get to the bottom of their core beliefs to help them challenge and manage their anxiety. As a child, Sabrina always wanted to be a teacher, and ending up doing this for 20 years. When she was suddenly put into an administrative position, she had to attend graduate school to continue in that role. While she had no interest in administrative work, she did have an interest in helping people, so she got her master's degree in counseling psychology.  After working as a school counselor for a year, she attended a three day workshop focusing on suicide. The modality that was used in the workshop was about people's core beliefs. This inspired her to learn more about this modality and take it on herself. The model of therapy she learned focused on people's core beliefs that contribute to anxiety which is common in people who have also experienced trauma. For many people, this core belief is “not good enough, not important, not valued”. Sabrina believed in this modality so much that she took a huge leap of faith and left her job to pursue private practice. This decision paid off and within six months she had a wait list which has continued today. Listen to the full episode to hear more about this modality, how she developed her book, and how she works with clients to challenge their core beliefs and replace them with more positive ones. Key highlights: Challenging core beliefs is important because they are the source of anxiety for many people. “I can take 4 or 5 sessions and teach you how to manage your anxiety but then you have to manage your anxiety for the rest of your life” She explains that as we go through life we “fill our buckets” with thoughts and beliefs that contribute to the core belief we have. In her work she helps people go through their buckets and pull out those things and examine this. This also helps people to continue doing this through their lives and not just in therapy Many people can only recognize that they're anxious when their anxiety has reached a high level. This means that they're not doing anything about managing anxiety before it gets to that point. But at a high level, anxiety has cortisol flooding the brain, making it that much more difficult to calm down in the moment. Anxiety often stems from a belief that we cannot handle something. “Anxiety and confidence are almost like on a teeter totter with each other” so as confidence increases, anxiety decreases and vice versa. “We are not good at feeling our emotions. We just push them down and suppress them. That means we're getting fuller and fuller with emotions and that makes it harder and harder to just cope with daily life.” This helps to reinforce that core belief of ‘not good enough'. Marketing her book has been one of the biggest learning curves for her on her Climb. Farmers markets and free workshops are how she's primarily promoted her book. She also started attending health and wellness expos and appearing on podcasts to help promote it. Something else she has done is to focus on growing her social media.  Sabrina's links: ⁠Website⁠ Instagram Facebook LinkedIn

Meet Jenny Cheifetz, a life and breathwork coach at Jentle Coaching who went from running a food truck to finding herself in a dark mental space during the pandemic. Finding that with nothing to keep her as busy, she was forced to deal with her internal demons led to her being deeply unhappy. She found spiritual life coaching through Kismet and the positive impact on her inspired her to do the same thing. Not only did she become a certified life coach, but she also became certified in breathwork! For Jenny, there have been many benefits in her life to breathwork. She found that she has experienced improved sleep, a calmer system, more clarity, creativity, and an easier time working. It has helped her in her relationship with her son (helps her respond to him better and more effectively calm down in times of stress) and with better mood shifting as a result of breathwork she has also found she has been better able to manifest good fortune in her life. She also describes how her podcast Sideline Sisters went from sports to talking to real women about relatable topics, life lessons, and overcoming challenges. Key takeaways: Self-care is a priority, not a luxury, and is not something you buy on a shelf. Breathwork is a form of self-care and everyone can do it. Her ideal client? The person she was at the beginning of the pandemic: someone who kept busy and went through the motions of life but was generally miserable overall. She had a problem admitting to herself, as many people do, that her life was not emotionally/spiritually fulfilling She would tell herself “Shut up, Jenny, you don't have anything to complain about”. Through getting coaching herself, and then getting certified in life coaching, she realized she was allowed to feel sadness and despair despite seemingly having everything.  Breathwork involves purpose and a plan to bring something in your self, like peace, and breathing in a certain way for however long you can put aside for the moment. “You've given a gift to your body that you otherwise didn't because you were operating in this stress response.” Jenny's links: Website Facebook Instagram

Meet Dedee Cai, an entrepreneur who has found success in coaching and business development. She did all of the things expected of a first-generation immigrant: do well in school and get a great job, but it didn't make her happy. Running a restaurant with her mother helped her find community, but it was also burning her out. Her wake up call came when she was on vacation in Venice and found herself more focused on her phone because she was so used to having “to put fires out” than she was on relaxing and enjoying her vacation! She stepped away from the restaurant and became a certified holistic health coach, something that came from her original desire to become a therapist and help people.  She found clients were coming to her for help with business and this is how she became a business coach. She found success in this industry by finding her self-worth and helping other women do the same and it inspired her to start Fit to Profit.  She is planning to relaunch her podcast, The Fear Factor, next year. She is also launching a program called Mindset Mastery that is aimed at helping women have the confidence and self-worth to charge what they are worth in their business. She's also written a book, The Overcomer: How to Conquer Your Fear to Achieve Your Goals, about using fear as a catalyst for success. Key takeaways: “You have to be holistically fit in all ways in order to be profitable.” She works with clients to teach women to build their self-worth and confidence by working on themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. How Dedee zeroes in on her clients' thoughts that build their realities and how she helps them change them. Don't let people convince you to undercharge. You have value to provide to people and you should charge your worth! Fear, self-doubt, and overwhelm are common barriers to success. “Overwhelm happens when you're trying to fix everything about yourself” and that's why it's important to do it one step at a time.  “Every single person, we all have a story to tell.” Dedee's links: Website Facebook Instagram

Meet Laura Rippeon, a licensed clinical social worker and self-identified introvert who also runs a coaching business, Aspire Coaching and Consulting. After graduating with her master's degree, she worked in community mental health, for non-profit organizations, and even worked with insurance companies for a time. Eventually, she found herself in a group private practice where she was able to observe and learn about running a private practice.  In 2019, Laura moved from Maryland to North Carolina and decided to open her own private practice. After some time, she realized that she didn't love doing clinical work as much as she loved being a business owner and consulting other business owners. While she loves her clients, being a full-time clinician wasn't making her happy and she found joy and fulfillment in business coaching other introverted women.  By using self-reflection on what she had once needed when starting a business and realizing that a lot of business advice is aimed at extraverts, Laura was able to focus her business on the types of clients and coaching she wanted to work with. Through SEO work on her website and blogging, she was able to drive referrals to her site entirely through Google. No social media required! Laura found that marketing is not a one size fits all solution and that there is a place for introverts in the business ownership and marketing world. Key takeaways: -with regard to marketing you don't have to do everything, but you have to do something -batch content and seize moments when you feel inspired -find business besties that support and encourage you Laura's Links: Facebook Instagram Linktree Julia's Links: Facebook Instagram Enneagram Training Schedule Consult

Meet Gill Brabner, an executive coach and founder of Resound Training and Development where she uses forum theater workshops to help employees solve workplace problems. She uses the ECA (Empathy Care Action) model to foster compassion. In this episode she shares advice for being an effective leader. Key takeaways: -when meeting with your team members, ask "what really matters to you right now?" -empower employees to take action to solve problems

As we continue this series of consulting episodes with practice owners considering expanding to group, we are joined by Irene Faioes, a therapist in Rhode Island who owns All Family Wellness. She asks how to determine whether to hire contractors or employees, how to ensure clinicians are fulfilling the expectation, and how to achieve her income goals. Learn more about Irene: https://allfamilywelllnesscounseling.clientsecure.me/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/irene-faioes-lmhc-woonsocket-ri/84020

Meet Amy Sanders, a serial entrepreneur who currently owns 5 businesses, one of which is a coaching business where she helps women inspire, transform, and thrive. She self-identifies as a recovering people-pleaser who married a man after 3 weeks because she did not want him to feel bad. She shares her process for helping women thrive and the factors that contribute to her own ability to thrive. Key Takeaways: -we betray ourselves when we do not turn into what we truly want -God loves us and would not want us to be treated badly -No matter who you are or where you come from, you can choose where you want to be -We all have unique gifts to offer the world -Pour into you first -Put everything in the calendar including the time you want for yourself and your family https://amysanders.co/clientsonrepeat/course-sales-page https://amysanders.co/thrivers-club https://www.instagram.com/coachamysanders/

Today we are kicking off a series of consulting episodes with solo practice owners who are considering what it might look like to expand to a group practice. For more conversations like these, join Julia this summer for Master Your CEO Mindset starting this July 11th! It is a 6 month program with weekly meetings covering all aspects of successfully transitioning to group practice, with focus on leadership. Meet Alyssa, a trauma therapist in St. Louis, Missouri working to support parents to be their best in spite of everything they may be bringing from their own childhoods. Having recently become a licensure supervisor, Alyssa feels a responsibility to help clinicians grow and be the therapists that their communities need. She asks Julia where to start with regard to practice expansion. They discuss ensuring all processes can be duplicated, determining if the practice will specialize or be multi-disciplinary, and considering mission and values to help with marketing and marketing. Learn more about Alyssa: https://threecirclesofhealing.com/ Learn more about Master Your CEO Mindset: https://compassionateconsultingcompany.com/faq/

Meet Libby Murdoch, a therapist and trainer. While focusing on her own mental health with an EMDR therapist, Libby jumped straight into private practice. Just a year later, when her husband was relocated for work, she set the private practice to the side and joined a group practice where she not only learned the ins and outs of owning a practice, but also became an EMDR Basic Trainer. She has since moved back to Cincinnati, built up her private practice, started offering EMDR intensives, and created a trauma responsive, resilience focused EMDR basic training curriculum.  Key Takeaways:  -Good trauma work isn't just trauma processing; it's also helping clients learn to be comfortable in their bodies -As an entrepreneur, give yourself permission to outsource because time is your least renewable resource -Find a community where you can show up and be authentic -Don't decide for your clients what they are or are not going to be willing to pay for your services https://www.brainbasedemdr.com/ https://www.brainbasedcounseling.com/ https://www.facebook.com/brainbasedcounseling https://www.instagram.com/brainbasedcounseling/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-marlatt-86783276/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionate-climb/message

Meet Lisa Desforges, co-founder and chief operating officer of Echodify, a tech startup that she and her brother created. Lisa had many stops along her career climb, but the time she spent at the Four Seasons had the greatest impact on the core values that she holds today. As you interact with Echodify, you'll see their values in play; service is a joy, integrity is absolute, privacy is their duty, providing choice is critical, and giving is expected. Key Takeaways:  -When you're starting a business, invest the time to do things right from the start -The foundation of everything you do should come from your values -Treat your team like a corporate family; do things that make them feel known and special www.echodify.com https://www.facebook.com/echodify/ https://www.instagram.com/echodify/ https://www.youtube.com/@echodify https://twitter.com/echodify/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/echodify-com/ https://discord.gg/ykeb5f44AZ/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionate-climb/message

Meet Lisa Duez, the owner of  Turning Point Counseling, a group practice in the Virginia Beach area. Recently Lisa organized her first conference, the Clinician Connection, alongside her clinical director. She shares what she learned along the way and is planning on this being a yearly event. Key Takeaways:  -Make sure you and the hotel are on the same page about everything -Know your audience and what they're looking for in a conference -Take care of the CE information early on in the planning process http://lisaduez.com/ https://www.turningpointva.com/ http://clinicianconnection.net/ Please rate and review the show so others can find us! Thank you to our sponsor Ring Rx. Use the code CLIMB for 15% off. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Learn more about my program for solo practice owners expanding to group, Master Your CEO Mindset. Learn more about my upcoming retreat for entrepreneurs You CAN Have It ALL. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionate-climb/message

Meet Laura Hulleman, a small business owner and creator of the Endotype Personality System. Along her climb, Laura has started more than 5 successful small businesses. In her second to last business, a personal training studio, she started to weave in aspects of personal development, which soon opened the door to the life coaching industry. Since then, Laura has developed the Endotype Formula Personality Profiling System, which helps individuals to understand how we've been designed to operate. Key Takeaways:  -The endotype helps you to view brain function and how you think, along with your motivations  -Recognizing who you are gives you permission to be who you are in your everyday life https://www.endotypeformula.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Endotype/ https://www.instagram.com/endotype/https://endotype.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionate-climb/message

Meet Layci Nelson, president of the Transcend Leadership Collective, a leadership and communication consultancy. One of the stops on her career climb was as a director of youth services for a major nonprofit; at the age of 26 she was leading a team of 18 plus and managing a multi-million dollar budget, but didn't feel as though she had the leadership skills necessary for a healthy team. Layci was driven to become a better leader for her team, so she began to bury herself in leadership books and reach out to leaders she admired seeking insight and mentorship. That spark grew into where she is at today, helping others to expand their leadership abilities and step into greater depths of leadership. Key Takeaways: -If you need a sabbatical, take one -Hire around core values  -Be willing to be vulnerable  -It is okay to not know how everything will turn out https://www.transcendleadershipcollective.com/ https://www.instagram.com/transcendleadershipcollective/ https://www.facebook.com/LayciNMS https://www.linkedin.com/in/layci-nelson/ https://www.transcendleadershipcollective.com/podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionate-climb/message

Meet Matthew Joseph, creator of Noveltor, a therapy tool designed for therapists to easily engage clients between sessions. Matt has always had a desire to intersect the overlap between entrepreneurship and mental health. As he interviewed therapists to determine some of the biggest challenges they faced, he found that therapeutic homework was an area that often wasn't quite hitting its mark; from there, Noveltor was born. Key Takeaways:  -Build actual relationships with those you are working with -Homework is great, but not if it's not accessible https://www.noveltor.com/ matthew@noveltor.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionate-climb/message

Meet Amy Dover, a group practice owner and business consultant in Alabama. Throughout her 20 years in the field, Amy has worked in a variety of mental health settings; as she faithfully stepped through the doors that were opened to her, she began in private practice which has now grown to a group practice with 15 providers. While walking through the good, bad, and ugly of owning a group practice, Amy has allowed her Christian faith to guide her, and to be what she leans on in difficult seasons. If you are a solo practice owner with the goal of hiring your first 1-2 clinicians within the next 4-6 months, stay tuned for her mastermind starting in July!Key Takeaways:-Have boundaries for the people who work for you-Carve out time and opportunities to talk with other practice owners; they get what you're going through-Address conflict as soon as you see it or sense it-Seek mentoring and consulting from people who have been where you want to be-Invite others to punch holes in your reality https://dovercounselingservices.com/https://www.facebook.com/DoverCounseling/https://www.wisepracticeconsulting.com/mastermind/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionate-climb/message

Meet Christy Pennison, owner of Be Inspired Counseling and Consulting, co-owner of Practice Collab, and host of the Inspiring Possible podcast. Christy began her career climb as a forensic interviewer, but found herself with a desire to do more. As she began working in the counseling field, Christy noticed the lack of mental health support in her hometown and made the decision to move back and open her own private practice. As she built the practice, Christy found great benefit and inspiration in collaborating with other professionals in similar positions, now she helps facilitate that collaboration for others. Key Takeaways: -Seek to have an abundance mentality -Know what your values are -No matter how much you'd like to be for everybody, you're not  -Create structures where you have people in place to carry some of the load https://christypennison.com/ https://christypennison.com/inspiring-possible-podcast/ https://thepracticecollab.com/ https://beinspiredcc.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionate-climb/message

Meet Clara Capano, a professional speaker and corporate trainer. The path to where she is now took some trial and error, but she began to see the pieces fall into place once she was in a management position overseeing multiple offices and teaching others how to run the business. As soon as she entered the training and coaching space, she knew that that was where she was meant to be. Do not miss her Halftime Huddle Masterclass! Use the code HALFTIME for 50% off: https://www.claracapano.com/halftime-masterclass Key Takeaways: -Don't be in a rush to define your career path -Everything starts with your purpose -It's easier when you know the right work to do -Today is not your forever reality -You are the CEO of your organization-YOU! -The journey to success is boring -Don't be ashamed to ask for help -Know your signs of burnout -Bookend your day with gratitude https://www.claracapano.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/claracapano/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionate-climb/message