 Welcome to Inspired Therapist Conversations with Leanne Peterson. Today she's talking about bringing your passion into your therapy practice in a way that is purely for the joy of it! Don't worry about whether each and every venture you try becomes a huge success. Just do it for you! We will be taking a break from the podcast, but there is still plenty of ways to get inspired! Follow Leanne on Instagram at: inspired_therapist Or, take her course to establish a framework for your practice that is all about inspiration, success, and sustainability https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course.  Whether you live in Houston or not, she has a ton in inspiration and resources to offer you to help build your successful practice. She's sharing with you all of the things she learned creating her own six figure practice because she knows it can work for you, too! 

Inspired Therapist Conversations

Bringing Your Passion Into Your Practice

Do you ever put things off until it’s either 1. you have to make a decision or 2. time runs out and the decision is made for you? If you answered yes to either one, you’re not alone! We can often get so busy that we just keep putting decisions off so we don’t really have to deal with them. But, it can really affect our energy, our mood and our practice. The pattern of indecision shifts the energy out of our hands and makes us feel like recipients of the decision instead of creators of the decision. This path of least resistance can lead to unnecessary frustration. Just take a minute and think about how this surfaces in your practice. It could be notes that are piling up, emails that need to be responded to or loss of new clients (because we don’t get back to them in a timely manner). This lingering sense of uncertainty can really zap our energy without us even realizing it! So, how can we get in control? Grab a pen and paper and ask yourself these questions (daily): What am I pushing off? What can I tackle today? If we do this consistently, we won’t allow these decisions to be hanging over our heads and we’ll be able to tackle things that need to be done to run our practice efficiently, with more energy! Pause  When you grab your pen and paper, take a minute to look around. Where is clutter accumulating? Your inbox? Your desk? Stacks of paper? Create an Action Plan  After you take a few minutes to check in on what needs to be addressed, start brainstorming your action plan. Would coming in an hour early for office hours help you tackle these tasks? Maybe an uninterrupted hour on the weekend? Think about what would work with your schedule to tackle these issues as quickly as you can so they don’t start building up. We need to get out of having passive energy and get into action! When we are present and making decisions for our practices, I can promise you, things run a lot smoother! Think of a hedge. They’re growing daily and then all of a sudden they’re 12 feet tall with branches hanging out EVERYWHERE. If it is maintained on a regular basis, it wouldn’t get to that point :) Another thing that I’ve noticed is that often I don’t want to acknowledge things that I don’t want to or that I think aren’t right. For example, recently, a light on my husband’s dashboard turned on. It’s a relatively new car, so it shouldn’t have any issues and yet, there is the maintenance light. I have been ignoring it because it’s a new car and that “shouldn't happen”! But it is happening so I should I address it. Do you do things like that? Do you ignore issues in your practice that need to be addressed? That’s the exact reason that I created The Inspired Therapist Assessment! It’s a really good way to check-in with yourself and your practice. It will help you get clarity on what is working and what isn’t. As a bonus, you’ll receive helpful hints and tools to bring your energy and focus into alignment in those areas! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/ Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

Don't Let Indecision Make the Decisions in Your Practice

Welcome to Inspired Therapist Conversations with Leanne Peterson! Today Leanne shares her free Therapist Practice Assessment and walks us through it so we can do monthly check-ups on our therapy practices, businesses and self care. Thanks for tuning in! Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

The Inspired Therapist Practice Assessment

Welcome to Inspired Therapist Conversations with Leanne Peterson! Today we’re bringing you episode 27 where Leanne addresses some of the biggest myths out there that have to do with bringing in new clients. These are industry traps we often fall for but they really don’t get us anywhere. She’s especially addressing modalities, specialties and marketing so you’re definitely going to want to tune in! In the show today Leanne helps us redirect our perspective. Instead spending all our time believing the myths that we have to appeal to every need and obtain every certification, we should just focus on a few great videos so people can get to know you, sticking to your strengths and networking! Check out Leanne’s free assessment. You can download on her website: https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/  Use it to do a check-up on your therapy practice. Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course Thank you so much for tuning in to Inspired Therapist Conversations today. We’ll be back next week!  

The Biggest Myths About What Will Bring in Clients

   This week I want to talk about two things that I think is critical to the growth of our private practice (and our sanity in general :)) and they are connection and collaboration. I talk to many therapists in private practice and a common theme is loneliness and isolation. Building a thriving practice can be tough and since we put so much of ourselves into it, it’s easy to pull back in other areas of our lives in order to accommodate our various responsibilities. Connection This actually happened to me recently. It was a few months ago and my practice had been super busy, I have an 18 month year old at home and a marriage to contribute to, so I started pulling back on my personal commitments with friends and colleagues. I thought that pulling back would help me feel better and give me more time.  What I noticed was that I got super irritated with my husband and it was because I realized I was talking to him about the things that I talk to my friends and colleagues about, but wasn’t getting the reinforcement that I need and love from them. Expecting him to pick up that load and contribute like they do wasn’t fair. Don’t get me wrong, my husband is amazing, but he doesn’t really get pumped up about building a thriving therapy business or hearing about things that he doesn’t really have experience with. There is such an overlap of our personal and professional lives in our business and we need to make sure that we’re getting what we need to stay energized, refreshed and inspired! How Do You Like to Connect? For me, I love one-on-one connections. Growing up I didn’t really care for group projects and things like that. I have gone to some group get togethers over the years and while they are nice and I definitely received value from them, I prefer one-on-one connection any day of the week! Give me a cup of tea and long conversation :) What fulfills you the most? Is it group get togethers? One-on-one? Online communities and courses? Whatever it is, it needs to be a priority. We need to foster those relationships in order to keep growing. We all have limited energy so we need to focus it on what fills us up to live our best lives. Take some time to think about it, get clear on it and then go do that! Tip: Plan it in advance! I like to plan one connection a week. I know that may be a lot for some, so do what works for you, but plan it ahead of time. It’s so easy to schedule a client instead of blocking out time to meet friends or colleagues one evening. Who Are You Hanging Out With? There is a saying, if you’re the smartest in the room- you’re in the wrong room. One of the greatest things about connecting with people is to learn from them. If you’re spending time with people that don’t have much figured out and they’re looking at you for advice, you might want to keep looking for your tribe. (While this is always a great situation for our ego, it doesn’t really help us grow!  Collaboration Similar to my dislike of group projects, I don’t like to share a lot of what I am doing. I’ve always tended to keep things to myself. But, over time I’ve realized how important it is to collaborate with others. There is another awesome saying that goes like this: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” It is so true! When we open ourselves up to work with others, we get accountability, strength and discipline! Collaborating with others allows us to reach different audiences, experiment with different avenues and finish projects that we may not have normally started. When I was practicing in Connecticut, I collaborated with my friend who was an acupuncturist for an event. I was able to get in front of her clients and she was able offer services to her customers that she normally wouldn’t be able to - it was a win-win! It also helps take some of the fear out of trying new things. It’s hard to get out of our comfort zones and try new things, having someone supporting you provides strength and comfort. Not to mention it helps us gain clarity! Getting another set of eyes on a project or idea is invaluable growth, happiness and success! Where Are You Now? If you have been feeling discouraged, overwhelmed or anxious about slow periods in your practice, this might be the perfect time to about connecting and collaborating with others! What would be fun? What would be exciting to try? How can you break into a new niche? What would take your practice to the next level? Key Takeaways If you’re feeling irritable, burnt out or tired, it may be a sign that you need to connect more with meaningful people in your life. Figure out which avenue works best for you to do it, schedule it and get started! If you’re wanting to branch out, grow or get support, you might want to start brainstorming how you can collaborate with people. Take some time to think on the questions above and write out a plan! Speaking of connection, do you have a colleague who would love this article? Pass it along! And while you are at it, set up a lunch date with them. Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course  

The Importance of Connection & Collaboration in Private Practice

Welcome to Inspired Therapist Conversations with your host and guide, Leanne Peterson. This week on our show we're talking about how to handle no-shows. Of course we understand that things come up. The goal though, as we run our practice, is to offer a scheduling procedure that helps clients keep their appointments and a cancellation policy that is in alignment with who we are. Listen in today to learn how to run a practice where your time is valued.  Thank you so much for tuning in to Inspired Therapist Conversations today. We’ll be back next week! Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

The Dreaded No Show and Re-Examining Our Policies and Procedures

Everything works out the way it's supposed to, even an appointment cancellation, or two, or three. When you have a slow week in your practice I want you to welcome it as an opportunity. Take the time to improve yourself! How can you freshen up your office and catch up on administrative tasks? How can you rejuvenate your mind and soul?  Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

What to Do When We Have a Slower Week in Our Practice

Welcome to Inspired Therapist Conversations. Today Leanne is walking us through the process of finding the right business coach. You need to hire someone who is on the next level and who can show you how to to get there. Thanks for tuning in for the podcast today!   Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

How to Find the Right Coach

 To get a coach or not get a coach...that is the question...many of us have asked ourselves as small business owners. Since one of our main traits as an entrepreneur is to do all the things, we tend to brush off the idea of a coach. So this week I wanted to dive into this topic with my business best friend, Carolina, to chat about our experiences with coaching. Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course What's Perspective? I honestly believe that coaching is what got me to where I am today. There is this amazing cycle that occurs when you work with a coach- what you’re learning coming in, goes out to who you are working with. It’s a big commitment that is able to unearth things that you may not have thought about before. Like Carolina mentions in our live talk, it is so different when you get an opinion from someone who is subjective. She uses the example in our chat of talking with her family about things, and as most families do, they tend to side with her and leave objectivity at the door. Carolina has worked with a someone for years now and while she’s not technically a coach or therapist, she is a knower of all things :) Carolina has turned to her throughout her career, dating, marriage and the life of Yogaleena Yoga Studio & Boutique.  As she discovered, when you work with someone, you have a safe place to share, but also a space where someone can share their unbiased opinion and point out things that will help you grow. We all have so many things going on in our lives- our clients, our families, our own self-care, our business duties- that it’s so easy to stay stuck in our thought patterns and lose sight of things. This is where a coach comes into play. They have different perspectives and resources to help us uncover our best business selves. Simply put, they help us see blind spots. Yep, just like driving! When we’re driving, we can look to see where we’re going and where we came from, but sometimes the in-between can get a little fuzzy and maybe we don’t see that old Cadillac sitting in our blind spot.  Einstein Weighs In There is this amazing quote by Albert Einstein where he says “If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” This is so true! Often, we don’t spend enough time thinking about what’s going to fix the problem. We just start throwing things at the problem and when that solution doesn’t work, we try throwing something else at it. This not only wastes time and money, but our energy. A qualified coach could help you avoid this and grow quicker. A Perfect Example In our chat Carolina talks about the early days of Yogaleena...the very early days, about 8 years before she even opened. She started thinking about if and when she needed to quit her corporate career to start pursuing this new venture, but Bonnie stopped her and asked, “Is it feasible?” Feasible, why does that matter? Carolina thought. Carolina had already forged ahead to quitting her job before even taking a minute to sit down and think about whether is was actually a viable business or not. (Luckily for us, it was :) But, it just goes to show you how we can get carried away with our excitement, ideas and emotions, but we need someone to (gently) pull us back down to reality and help us create a blueprint to get us there. What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There People change. Our hopes, dreams and aspirations change and evolve- which is great- it’s what we’re supposed to do as humans. But, we need to be mindful of these changes and realize when it’s time to adjust our patterns and routines to fit where we are at this moment. For instance, Carolina was still cleaning toilets at Yogaleena long after opening (like years) and I remember asking her why she was still doing that. In her mind, she hadn’t noticed that her role had shifted. Instead of doing all the things and leading from the ground up, she realized that she needed to lead from the top down. Instead of cleaning the bathrooms, she needed to focus on her team of teachers that had grown from 1 to 16! Coaches help us see these shifts much quicker than we tend to do on our own. Our society has a belief that busy = productive. That’s just not true. We don’t need to be stuck doing tasks when we can use our strengths to build a better business. Like I mentioned above, I used a coach to grow my private practice into a thriving business. Now, I’m using a coach to help me grow The Inspired Therapist since they are two different businesses. The tools that I used to grow my first business aren’t applicable to this one. Do You Need a Mirror? As people, we tend to bring our emotional baggage into our business. A coach can help us look in the mirror and pull that out to see it for what it is. They are a great sounding board that can help us move through our emotions, while getting back to focusing on our business. Since I’ve gone through coaching (and still am :), I am such an advocate of it! I would love to help you infuse your practice and yourself as a clinician with new energy, inspiration, and momentum to move your practice forward! If you’d like to talk about coaching, contact me today!  

When Should You Get a Coach For Your Therapy Practice?

I’m back with my business bestie, Carolina Vennie, of Yogaleena Yoga Studio & Boutique this week and we’re discussing Eckhart Tolle’s powerful book, A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose! What is Our Ego? Today we talk about how to tell the difference between our true self and our image. Some Things To Think About   How can you shift? How can you express your presence, not your lecture? How can you be the example by your actions, energy and awareness?   For me, this book reinforces that I need to be my best me so that I can show up and help others without saying anything. The more we’re aware, the more we’re able to create space for others :)   Need Some Help?   I combine mentorship with personalized coaching to help you connect inward so that you can work and share from a center place of creativity and inspiration. If you’d like to talk about coaching, contact me today!   Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

21 - Ekhart Tolle A New Earth and Being Present

Welcome to Inspired Therapist Conversations! Your host is Leanne Peterson. She's a therapist, entrepreneur and mother who is passionate about helping inspire therapists. Today her guest is Carolina Vennie. Carolina is a yoga instructor and studio owner who also delights in motherhood and helping other entrepreneurs find literal and figurative balance.  Today Leanne and Carolina discuss pregnancy and maternity leave as a business owner and share lots of great tips so you can make it work, too! This is a precious time in your life and with a little preparation to your business, you can enjoy it at home for as long as you'd like! Thank you so much for tuning in to Inspired Therapist Conversations today. We’ll be back next week! Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

20 - Pregnancy and Maternity Leave When Owning a Business

Envision the type of therapist you want to be. Is she wise, compassionate and caring? Absolutely. She’s also this: Rested. Welcome to the Inspired Therapist Podcast! Today Leanne is joined by her producer Natalie Pyles to discuss the importance of making time for sacred rest. As therapists and entrepreneurs we have to hustle. It’s exciting and we are building our amazing practices, but it’s hard work. We need to make sure that our rest time isn’t just a break, but that it is restorative. What refuels you? For Leanne she’s noticed that when she carves out more transition time, so she isn’t rushing across town to and from back-to-back events, and she can sit for a few extra minutes and just breathe, she feels like a million bucks! Let us know what you do to achieve sacred rest! Thank you so much for tuning in to The Inspired Therapist Podcast today. We’ll be back next week! Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

19 - Tips for Therapists Who Want to Build a Life That Includes Sacred Rest

Welcome to the Inspired Therapist Podcast! Today Leanne is joined by videographer, Jeremy Knight to teach how to prepare for and create an amazing video for you and your practice. Making a video is a really good way to promote your therapy practice. If you’re just starting out, don’t feel like you need to make a video immediately, because they are a little bit of an investment, but it’s still a good idea to begin thinking of how you would want a professional video of your practice to look, sound and feel. Choosing the right photographer is an important step. Make sure you feel comfortable with them so that you are able to act natural on camera. Listen in for some great tips on how to find a videographer with an aesthetic that matches yours, how to get a great deal and how to be your videographer’s favorite client. If you are in the Houston area check out Jeremy Knight and UpTime Films! https://theuptimecompany.com/ Thank you so much for tuning in to The Inspired Therapist Podcast today. We’ll be back next week with a great episode on Taking Time to Breathe. Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

18 - Expert Videography Tips to Create an Amazing Video Introducing You and Your Practice

Welcome to the Inspired Therapist Podcast! Today Leanne is joined by Maelisa Hall from QA Prep to talk to teach us how to make our documentation more meaningful. As therapists we take notes for every session with a client. It can become a little difficult to manage so many notes, but Maelisa has some tips to streamline the process. She recommends using a collaborative documentation process which will benefit both the therapist and the client. It helps us because we can get really valuable information from taking the last 5 minutes of the session to review with the client what their key take aways were. And it helps the client because they don’t secretly worry you’re writing notes that you think they are crazy. Clients felt empowered and became more involved. Mostly importantly, if we involve the client in the process of recalling the discoveries of the session and giving them the opportunity to review in their own minds the things they’ve learned they’ll make faster progress. As you know, our memories are more strongly linked to the act of recalling an event than actually experiencing the event. Reach out to Maelisa Hall by e-mail here: drmaelisahall@gmail.com Here is a special link to her Crash Course and her new resources: https://www.qaprep.com/inspired Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course

17 - Cutting Edge Collaborative Documentation Strategies That Save Therapists Time

 Today Leanne welcomes special guest Catherine Campbell founder of Bright Planning to teach us how to make our practices stand out in the media. Welcome to The Inspired Therapist Podcast!   Public relations is really about building long-term relationships. It is as simple as trying to find ways to meaningfully contribute valuable knowledge to media outlets. Leanne likes to notice and call attention to trends that she notices as a way of sharing industry insights.  Listen in to learn tips about being authentic while still being professional. There's a fine line. Catherine discusses how one unique challenge in our field is that of sharing an authentic case study or testimonial without compromising patient confidentiality. Tune in to hear how to navigate public relations, media coverage and your practice's image.   Check out Catherine here: Bright Planning - Website has blog and podcast with weekly articles Find her on Instagram at @brightplanning info@brightplanning.com   Want to bring more inspiration and success into your practice? Check out the Inspired Therapist Online Course! https://www.theinspiredtherapist.com/course  

16 - Expert Public Relations Tips for Your New Therapy Practice

The Inspired Therapist podcast, hosted by Leanne Peterson (LCSW), helps therapists to build successful careers and market their private practices while ensuring that they remain a source of inspiration to their own clients.