This week on the Brave & Well podcast, I am joined by none other than my husband, Bryan Newton!
Bryan joins me to share his story and to talk about how we co-founded a small tech company as parents of small children.
Together we explore the realities of running multiple businesses, raising a family, and pivoting time and time again.
Tune in as we explore:
- Bryan’s journey into software engineering
- Why we started our company together
- What it’s like to be founders of color without VC-funding or generational wealth
- What’s next for us
More from Vanessa & Bryan:
Work with Vanessa!
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Sign up for From Therapist to CEO
Today on Brave & Well, I’m joined by Kasey Compton, a group practice owner, small business consultant and author of the upcoming book, In Search of You.
Together we explore how Kasey found more joy in the present by reflecting on things she learned as a child. We also discuss Kasey’s journey as a writer, group-practice owner, and high-achieving mom — including how she found self-love and transformed her relationship with her children since writing her first book.
Tune in as we explore:
- Self-reflection and different modes of therapy
- Embracing your inner child to cultivate joy and self-love
- The pressure on women to look forward
- Being present and finding joy inside yourself
More from Kasey:
- Visit her website
- Pre-order In Search of You
- Follow Kasey on Instagram
- Connect on Facebook
More from Brave & Well:
Work with me!
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Sign up for From Therapist to CEO!
Welcome back to the Brave & Well podcast! In today’s episode, I’m sharing even more vulnerably than I usually do and talking about my experience as a Latina, first-gen, Mexican American woman, mother, and therapist.
Tune in as I explore:
- Decolonizing mental health
- Overcoming fear and bias as a therapist
- Centering people (including myself) over profit
- Making room for unexpected challenges
- The importance of integrating personal identity into the business space
More from Brave & Well:
Work with me!
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Sign up for From Therapist to CEO & get 10% off with the code PODCAST
- Get templates, tools and more in the Brave & Well shop!
Welcome back to Brave & Well! Today, I’m having an information-packed talk about SEO, Google and AI with Kristie Plantinga.
Kristie is a mental health nerd, writer, and marketer living in Colorado. She is the founder of TherapieSEO—a marketing agency serving therapists and coaches—and Best Therapists—a therapist directory that vets therapists so therapy-seekers can focus on fit, not quality.
Together, we dive deep into the world of digital marketing for therapists and mental health professionals. Kristie sheds light on the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, emphasizing the importance of SEO, long-term brand building, and adapting to emerging platforms.
Tune in as we explore:
- What SEO is
- Notable SEO changes in 2024
- Using tech creatively to automate menial tasks
- Discerning when it’s best to hire marketing help
- The value of a quality website
- The growing effectiveness of online directories
- Staying true to your brand
More from Kristie:
More from Brave & Well:
Work with me!
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Sign up for From Therapist to CEO & get 10% off with the code PODCAST
- Get templates, tools and more in the Brave & Well shop!
Today on Brave and Well podcast, I’m joined by Pearl Bryant, LCSW-S to discuss the importance of community building for breaking down stigmas surrounding mental health and entrepreneurship.
Pearl Bryant has 15+ years of experience in the social work field. She is the Owner + Founder of Pinnacle of Purpose Counseling + Consulting, PLLC a group therapy practice committed to serving women of color. Pearl is also a Clinical Supervisor and Lecturer at The University of Houston-Downtown.
In this episode, Pearl shares her journey of becoming a therapist and entrepreneur, and we touch on the challenges and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the need for flexibility and reevaluating traditional business practices.
Tune in as we explore:
- Being out in the community to break stigma
- Learning from imposter syndrome as an entrepreneur
- Internalized oppress & its impact on marginalized communities
- Healing trauma & it’s impact on business
- Personal & profession growth
- Transitioning to an abundance mindset
More from Pearl:
- Follow Pearl on Instagram @the_socialworktherapist
- Visit the Pinnacle of Purpose Counseling website
- Follow @pinnacleofpurpose on Instagram
- Follow Pinnacle of Purpose on Facebook
More from Vanessa:
Today on Brave and Well podcast, I’m joined by Diana Anzaldua to discuss the importance of listening to our bodies and the impact of trauma on all of our lives, especially BIPOC lives.
Diana is a social change activist and LCSWS who founded Austin Trauma Therapy and Contigo Wellness. She has received numerous awards for her work in community healing, public services, and leadership. She also served on the 2022 board and chairs the diversity, equity, and ethics committee for the Clinical Social Work Association. and serves on the board for Contigo Wellness, Amala Foundation, and Comimadre.
Diana is determined to create an inclusive and equitable space in the mental health industry, providing care centered in an anti-racist and decolonized lens through her nonprofit, Contigo Wellness.
Tune in as we explore:
- The importance of tuning into your body
- The connection between trauma and chronic illness
- The ripple effect that personal healing can have
- Tapping into warrior and healer parts for change
- Historical barriers for BIPOC individuals in the mental health space
More from Diana:
- Visit the Austin Trauma Therapy Website
- Follow the Austin Trauma Therapy Center on Instagram
- Visit the Contigo Wellness Website
- Follow Contigo Wellness on Instagram
- Donate to the Contigo Wellness Fund
- Order Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villenueva
More from Brave & Well:
Work with me!
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
Welcome back to Brave & Well! In this episode, I’m speaking with Amy Kuretsky, an acupuncturist, breathwork facilitator and clinic owner based in Minneapolis, MN.
Amy helps successful business owners tap into their intuition, trust themselves more, and do business differently. Together, we discuss breathwork modalities, how our healing journeys intertwine with our business journeys, and different practices for self-reflection.
Amy also tells us about her experience with Profit First and the financial challenges of being a business owner. And I share some recent fears and struggles I’ve been facing in my business.
Tune in as we explore:
- How to use breathwork for support in your business
- Examining our narratives around perfectionism, overachieving & failure
- Tarot & journalling for self-reflection
- Embracing change, evolution & discomfort
More from Amy:
- Visit Amy’s website
- Listen to Amy’s podcast
- Get Amy’s free 5-day breathwork challenge
- Visit Constellation Acupuncture
More from Brave & Well:
Work with me!
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
In this deeply honest episode, I’m talking with the owners of Level Up Leaders, Julianne Guinasso and Poonam Natha.
Together, we discuss the joys and challenges of maintaining a psychologically safe practice that doesn’t compromise the needs of the business.
Julianne and Poonam are psychotherapists with over 14 years of combined experience leading large teams in mental health. They believe in the power of relationships in supporting employee retention and cultivating psychological safety through a work culture of trust.
Tune in as we explore:
- The vulnerability and responsibility of being a leader
- The importance of a good mindset match when hiring employees
- The delicate dance of accountability and authority
- Creating intentional spaces for teams to share and grow
More from Level Up Leaders:
- Visit the Level Up Leaders Website
- Take the Free Leadership Assessment
- Follow Level Up Leaders on Instagram
More from Brave & Well:
Work with me!
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
In this energetic and powerful episode, Dr. Ebony Butler and I talk about her journey through overcoming a poverty mindset to growing a practice and a product-based business.
Dr. Ebony is a Licensed Psychologist and Food Relationship Strategist who has made it her mission to help women of color heal and thrive in the areas of trauma, including racial trauma and recovering from food and body trauma experienced through diet culture.
She is the host of the Food is Not Bae Podcast, author of the book Food is Not Bae, and creator of My Therapy Cards®, the first-ever self-exploration card deck for Black women and other women of color.
Tune in as we explore:
- Learning not to live from a place of fearing poverty
- Creating systems and processes that take you from making money to building a business
- The power of pivoting in business and in life
- Realizing you can’t do it all by yourself and getting the help you need
- Using social media as an archive tool and not for comparison
- Setting a price point that is right for you and your business, showing up at that level, and trusting the community to support you
More from Dr. Ebony:
- Visit Dr. Ebony’s Website
- Follow Dr. Ebony in Instagram
- Follow Dr. Ebony on Facebook
- Follow Dr. Ebony on TikTok
- Buy My Therapy Cards & take 10% off with the code BW10
- Listen to the Food is Not Bae Podcast
More from Brave & Well:
Work with me!
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
In this episode, I’m joined by my coaching client, Valerie Rivera. Valerie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the owner of Inner Solace Therapy, a private practice that specializes in helping women heal from traumatic experiences, and helping couples strengthen their relationships.
Tune in as we explore:
- How Valerie experiences and works through imposter syndrome
- The ever-present tug of war with social media
- The benefits of in-person therapy
- Outsourcing the parts of your business that are overwhelming and tedious so you can focus on the most important tasks
- The importance of how you fuel yourself and how the people in your life also fuel you
Links:
- Visit Valerie’s Inner Solace Website
- Follow Inner Solace on Instagram
- Follow Inner Solace on Facebook
- Follow Brave and Well on Instagram
- Sign up for the Brave and Well newsletter
Work with me!
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
So many of us in private practice put branding and marketing on the bottom of our task lists. We tell ourselves it isn’t important or it’s too expensive. But what if it’s a key to actually get us where we want to go?
In this episode, I’m joined by Kristen Moses, owner of DesignGood, for a conversation about all the ways branding can support your therapy business.
Tune in as we explore:
- How branding helps you be visible to the right people for you
- Why sharing yourself in your brand attracts clients who are looking to share tough parts of their lives with you
- Creating a brand that is flexible and can grow with you over time
- Advice for therapists just starting out who might not have the funding to purchase branding and website support
More from Kristen:
- Learn more about DesignGood
- Branding Portfolio for Therapists
- DesignGood Instagram
- Personal Instagram
- Our Course: More Flow, Less Hustle
More from Vanessa:
- Follow Brave and Well on Instagram
- Sign up for the Brave and Well newsletter
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
Welcome back to Brave & Well, friends! In this week's informative and helpful episode, I've invited Profit First expert Julie Herres to join me on the podcast.
Julie is the founder of GreenOak Accounting and has helped hundreds of private practice owners gain financial freedom. She’s an accountant, consultant, speaker, author of Profit First for Therapists and host of the Therapy for Your Money podcast.
Together, we discuss Julie’s experiences helping practices apply the Profit First model and why therapists should embrace it.
Tune in as we explore:
- What Profit First is and isn’t
- How weekly transfers can help ease you into the Profit First system
- Embracing making mistakes in your business as normal
- Why it’s important that therapists leave the “vow of poverty” narrative behind
Links:
- Visit the Green Oak Accounting Website
- Get the free Profit First for Therapists Calculator
- Join the free Profit First for Therapists FB group
- Order Julie’s Book Profit First for Therapists
- Listen to Julie’s Podcast Therapy for Your Money
- Follow Brave and Well on Instagram
- Sign up for the Brave and Well newsletter
When you own a business and have a team, you take on a lot of responsibility. And this can be great! It helps your business grow.
But sometimes things don’t go as you hope… or you make decisions based on one person’s needs versus what’s best for everyone as a whole. Eventually you can end up resenting people in the process.
Over six years of running a group practice, I’ve had to manage many difficult emotions with and about my team. So in this episode I’m sharing my reflections on—
- The challenges of managing a team
- The difference between clinical supervision and employee management
- The importance of communicating through conflict
- How to avoid resentment, frustration & burnout in your business
Links
- Follow Brave and Well on Instagram
- Sign up for the Brave and Well newsletter
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
January 1st was my six-year anniversary of group practice ownership! So I thought it’d be fun to reflect and share what group practice ownership looked like back in 2017 and now in 2023.
Tune in to this episode to learn—
- How I went from solo practice to group practice
- The story of my first hire & the reality of moving locations
- Expanding the team & bringing on admin support
- Why I think it’s harder to run a group practice now than it was in 2017
- The challenges of a hybrid self-pay and insurance model
- How the pandemic impacted therapy practices
I hope you’ll listen then get in touch to let me know what questions you have about running a group practice! And don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, then share this episode with a friend.
Links
- Follow Brave and Well on Instagram
- Sign up for the Brave and Well newsletter
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
Nothing changed my relationship to my business more than implementing the Profit First model for business finances.
What makes it so radical? Well, it’s all based on paying yourself first. (Yes, really!)
Tune in to this episode to learn—
- How Profit First works
- Why it’s so important to pay yourself first
- The magic of having five bank accounts
- How to organize & use your accounts
- Learning to look at & allocate your money
If you want to transform your business finances, I hope you’ll listen to this episode and share it with a friend!
Links
- Learn more about Profit First
- Therapy for Your Money
- Follow Brave and Well on Instagram
- Sign up for the Brave and Well newsletter
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
I’m currently on my second maternity leave, and I’ve learned a lot while planning and taking two periods of extended time away from work.
So in this episode, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned about planning a maternity leave with you all!
Tune in as we explore—
- Figuring out how much you want to save for maternity leave and when you plan to start saving
- Deciding when you want to start sharing with your clients
- Processing with your clients how they’re feeling about your leave
- Creating a plan for transferring client care, terminating or taking a pause
- Providing clients with a list of other therapists they can contact should they need someone to reach out to
- Making clients inactive in your EHR system and document the plan of care while you’re away on leave
- Setting your out of office message
- Really giving yourself permission to take the break and the time you need
If you’re considering any kind of leave, I hope you’ll listen to this episode and share it with a friend.
Links
- Follow Brave and Well on Instagram
- Sign up for the Brave and Well newsletter
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
The question I get asked the most about running a business as a therapist is how to make the money work.
So this week on the podcast, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about setting yourself up for financial success in private or group practice.
Tune in as we explore—
- Unpacking your money stories
- Finding your “ramen noodle number”
- Figuring out your business expenses
- Creating a savings fund
- Choosing your business structure
- Learning Profit First
- Getting your numbers right
If you’re interested in starting a private practice, I highly suggest pairing this episode with my workbook Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice for more in-depth exercises and reflections on choosing your business structure and setting up your business finances.
Links
- Get my workbook — Laying the Foundation for your Private Practice
- Join my Private Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/private-practice-circle
- Join my Group Practice Circle in Fall 2023 — https://www.braveandwell.com/group-practice-circle
In this final week of the year, I’m checking in to share my reflections on 2022 and to look forward to 2023 together.
Tune in to hear what’s happened in my world this year, and to learn my 4-step reflection process—
- Start with Joy
- Things I’ve Learned
- Things I’m Letting Go Of
- Things I’m Calling In More Of
Thank you so much for listening to the podcast this year. I’ve got big plans for what’s to come here in 2023, so make sure to subscribe wherever you like to listen!
Links
In this week’s episode, I'm joined by Brandy Mabra and we’re talking all things CEO — from hiring to empowering and partnering with your team to setting strong standards for your practice.
Brandy is a Certified Professional Coach, Master Energy Leadership Practitioner, and founder of Private Practice CEO. She has spent her career building, growing and leading multimillion dollar practices and now uses her skill set to help other women private practice owners scale their practices for growth, sustainability and profit.
Tune in to hear us discuss:
- Going from solopreneur to CEO
- Learning to make the tough decisions with compassion and empathy in mind
- Focusing on your high performers as a method to encourage lower performers
- Taking a breath and not rushing the hiring process
- The power of in-person networking and an honest ask
- Enjoying the journey
If you enjoy this episode, don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, then share it with a friend!
Links:
- Visit the Savvy Clover Website
- Follow Savvy Clover on Instagram
- Get Brandy’s Free Business Health Checklist
- Sign up for the Brave and Well newsletter
- Follow Brave and Well on Instagram
We don’t often talk about the messy parts of being an entrepreneur. So in today’s episode, I’m taking y’all behind the scenes and sharing some recent changes & challenges in my personal and professional life.
Tune in to hear more about:
- How I’m juggling being a mom, wife, leader & full-time entrepreneur
- Learning to maximize my time
- Q4 reflections & looking ahead to 2023
- Planning my second maternity leave & my first sabbatical
- The challenges of letting other people run your business
- Hiring & all it requires
- The importance of celebrating milestones
I hope you’ll listen then get in touch to let me know your Q4 is going. And don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, then share this episode with a friend!
Links
I love running support groups. They’re a great way to center accessibility in your practice without burning yourself out.
So today on the podcast, I’m sharing how to start a support group. This episode is basically a mini-workshop where I guide you through:
- Choosing the topic of your group & what type of group you want to run
- Filling your group with your current clientele
- Deciding whether to host your group in-person or virtually
- Determining your pricing & payment methods
- Marketing your group to your ideal client
- Using support groups to establish your expertise
I hope you’ll listen then get in touch to let me know your experience with support groups.
And don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, then share this episode with a friend!
Links & resources
So many of us become therapists because we want to help people. And we want to make money. But sometimes those seem in be in conflict?
In today’s episode, I share how I balance offering accessible care for clients with running a profitable business that supports me and my employees financially and energetically.
Tune in to hear me explore—
- How to set your rates to best serve your clients and yourself
- Why taking insurance is a form of accessibility
- How to offer a sliding scale without overextending yourself
- Why I love offering support groups & evergreen resources
- How I make money with speaking engagements & workshops
- The power & value of partnerships for your practice
I hope you’ll listen then get in touch to share your thoughts about accessible care and profitable businesses.
And don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, then share this episode with a friend!
Links & resources
Let’s get down to business! In today’s episode, I unpack how I’ve built three businesses that bring in over 7-figures in revenue. And I offer suggestions for how you can create passive income streams to support yourself financially without having to work all the time.
Tune in to hear me explore—
- What passive income is and why most clinical work isn’t passive
- How to find time to develop passive income when you’re busy with clients
- How I’ve created different passive income streams in my businesses
- Why you need to hire support & release control to make things happen
I hope you’ll listen then get in touch to let me know your questions about building passive income. I’d love to do a follow-up on this topic.
And don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Then please share this episode with a friend!
Links
Fall is always a busy season for therapists, but it often sneaks up on us! So in today’s episode I’m sharing three ways to get ready for the fall season.
Tune in to hear me explore—
- The seasonal ebb & flow of private practice
- How to figure out where you’ll make time for the different parts of your work
- 3 questions to help you reflect on your priorities for fall
- Where to find support & accountability for your season ahead
I hope you’ll listen then get in touch to let me know how you’re preparing for fall. And don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, then share this episode with a friend!
Links
Let’s welcome our first guest to the podcast! In this episode of Brave and Well, I’m joined by my friend and colleague Bernadette Chavez Piñon. Bernadette is an Austin-based counselor who supports individuals in their journey to have a healing connection within themselves so that they may have meaningful connections with others.
Tune in to hear us explore—
- Grounding practices for challenging times & simple ways to check in with ourselves
- How Bernadette holds space for herself and her clients
- Bernadette’s journey to private practice & how she aims to find flow in her business and life
- Disconnecting productivity & worthiness
- Supporting yourself & your practice by building relationships
Bernadette even opens and closes our conversation with a grounding meditation, so all of us can get more comfortable in our bodies and clear in our minds.
I hope you’ll listen then get in touch to let me know what you think. And don’t forget to visit Bernadette’s website to learn more about her work!
Links
- Visit Bernadette’s website to learn more about her work
- Sign up for the Brave and Well newsletter
- Follow Brave and Well on Instagram
What It’s Like to Co-Own a Business with Your Partner — with my husband Bryan Newton
53:05
Finding Joy in Your Work & Life with Kasey Compton
31:21
What Being a Latina Therapist Means To Me
20:50
SEO, AI & Digital Marketing for Therapists with Kristie Plantinga
45:04
Imposter Syndrome as Therapists & Entrepreneurs with Pearl Bryant of Pinnacle of Purpose Counseling
40:00
Transformative Trauma Therapy & the Ripple Effects of Healing with Diana Anzaldua
44:56
Breathwork for Business Owners with Amy Kuretsky
46:19
The Leadership Balancing Act — Accountability, Authority & Learning with Level Up Leaders
56:37
Decolonizing Mental Health & Building a Business from an Empowered Mindset with Dr. Ebony Butler
48:58
Getting the Business Support You Need with Valerie Rivera
50:05
Building a Brand That Lasts with Kristin Moses
54:37
Profit First for Therapists with Julie Herres
33:15
How to Manage Difficult Emotions With or About Your Team
24:46
Running a Group Practice — Then & Now
18:06
How to Set Up Profit First for Your Therapy Practice
21:58
How to Plan for Maternity Leave in Private Practice
20:16
Money, Money, Money — Answering all your financial questions about running a business
25:12
End of Year Reflections for Private Practice Owners & Entrepreneurs
24:12
The CEO Mindset — How to build & maintain an empowered team in your practice with Brandy Mabra
40:36
It’s been a minute! Checking in with all things Brave & Well
18:21
How to start a support group in private practice
23:50
How to create accessible care for clients while running a profitable business
35:21
How to build passive income as a therapist — lessons from managing multiple businesses
33:07
3 ways to get ready for the fall season in your private practice
19:54
Knowing yourself inside and out — counseling & somatic practice with Bernadette Chavez Piñon
49:29