Building an Online Practice and Side Hustle with Amber Lyda

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You hold space for others every day.
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This space is for you.
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Welcome to Between Sessions with Berries, the podcast where mental health professionals have real conversations to simplify documentation, fight burnout, and reconnect with the work they love.
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Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of Between Sessions with Berries.
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Today's guest is a dear friend of mine, and she is an amazing human being.
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Her name is Amber Lyda.
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She's a licensed psychologist, turned business coach for therapists who are ready to build their lives that they actually want to live.
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After burning out from the traditional therapy grind, Amber rebuilt everything, creating a thriving online private pay practice and eventually transitioning into full-time coaching.
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Now she helps therapists build sustainable online practices, attract private pay clients, and turn their passions into income streams that bring freedom and joy.
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She's also the host of a wildly popular Facebook group with over 25,000 clinicians.
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Amber's here to talk about boundaries, marketing, side hustles, and how she got her time and her life back by outsourcing what drains her, including things like documentation.
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So we're going to cover it all today, Amber.
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I'm so excited to have you here.
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Thank you for being a guest on our podcast.
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Thank you so much for having me.
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You're welcome.
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So you've been super open about burning it all down and starting over.
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Can you tell us about that turning point and what made you realize something had to change in your life?
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Yeah, I think like a lot of people that I know, I was dreaming for a bigger, better future.
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You know, I was putting in the time and doing all the quote right things.
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And I just kept waiting, thinking, all right, well, I know I want to travel a lot.
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I know I want to make sure that I'm financially secure before I do that.
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And that turned into like years and years and years of waiting.
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And then major like life explosion, a relationship I'd been in for over a decade just poof, went away overnight unexpectedly.
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And I went from waiting to make that dream happen to watching the person that I had built that dream with go and live it.
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And I was like, this is not for me.
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The sideline in life is not for me.
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So I just got really clear that I was not gonna wait anymore and decided to make things happen.
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So, what did those early steps look like that you went through when you first started building an online private pay practice?
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Because I guess that's what we're talking about.
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And we back up a little bit, and of course, I know your history and everything.
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You used to work and have to commute and do all this stuff, and then you moved into just building this online thing.
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So let's talk about that.
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How did you go to transition into this step-by-step process of building an online private pay practice?
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Well, I had been working in university counseling centers, which are the cushiest of the cushy, you know, community mental health.
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It's literal sweet gig.
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And I was getting paid well.
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I loved my work, I loved the people that I worked with, but I was working almost exclusively and not really living life outside of that.
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And then you add in a 10-hour commute, and hyper-achiever work hours are different than normal people work hours.
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And so I just started thinking, how can I reclaim time?
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And really that's been a theme throughout every transition that I've made since then.
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Of how do I reclaim time and remain as free as possible?
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So I knew, okay, when I leave here, it's gonna need to be online.
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And I didn't know anyone except one person who had an online practice at the time.
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And it was actually the owners of iTherapy.
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I had happened to like work with her somewhere and heard her talking about it.
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And I was like, oh, that's gonna be an option for me one day.
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So I called her up and said, like, talk me through as many details as you can.
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And I'm a big researcher, so I got lots of information and I'm a big worrier.
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So I worried through a lot of that information and found out this is actually totally doable.
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Set up an online therapy practice.
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And then in terms of like step by step, I had an awesome boss who let me take my vacation time to build up my practice.
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So I took a half day every week to work on my practice and then to start seeing clients.
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And when I ran out of vacation time, he let me use time off without pay, which let me keep my insurance and benefits a little bit longer than I might have been able to otherwise.
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And that was just such a freaking blessing because it allowed me to create a little bit of a cushion so that when I went into my online private practice, I wasn't just immediately like, oh crap, I have to pay all my bills.
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So I'd see maybe like two, three people before I left that job.
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And then by the time I fully left, I was deep into the marketing world and had already started bringing clients in more consistently.
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It was a really nice off-ramp.
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I love that story so much.
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And so what year are we talking?
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Like when was all this happening for you?
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This was 2015.
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Okay, so like way before telehealth that was a thing, even for therapists.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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And I tell the story all the time, you guys.
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I should share it.
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Amber is my dear friend now, but I did not know Amber.
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And I found her, I just found her online therapist group on Facebook back in 2018.
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I was actually in Mexico and just like I just met a friend for lunch that lived in Mexico.
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I'm like, how the hell is this woman living in Mexico?
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And then I found Amber's online therapist group at the same time.
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And I'm like, who's this chick talking about having an online therapy practice?
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So I owe like my entire like life and where I've ended up to finding Amber back in, I guess it was 2017 when I really found you.
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And then I went all online to 2018 because I mean, you've just been an inspiration for so many people to be able to do this online practice thing.
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So I love to share that story that you've just been around and you're like really the guru of starting online practices.
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You really are a research freak, dude.
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I mean, you know, all the details, you like don't want to get in trouble.
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So you're like so thorough with that stuff.
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I think you're like such the trusted resource for taking a practice online, just like going all online and being completely remote and mobile wherever you want to be in the world, really.
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Yeah.
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Well, I appreciate you saying that.
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I appreciate that very much.
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And what I have learned in this therapist space is that the people who want more freedom, like you, are gonna find a way to get there because we've reached that point in our lives where we're like, nah, I'm not gonna live like this anymore.
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So I'm glad that was part of your journey.
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But whether you had met me or not, I guarantee you would have found a way.
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Definitely.
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I guess COVID forced us all, but gosh, yeah, it sure helped me along in 2018.
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It just felt like so much freedom.
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And like I just got a life back, you know, to be able to just go wherever I wanted to go and have that practice just with me.
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Yeah, it's amazing.
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It is a dream life.
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I mean, it's such it's such a lucky blessing, privilege, all the things.
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And I think about it virtually every day.
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How lucky we are to get to do this.
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Yeah, it's amazing.
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So, part of what you do and what I've learned from you, and lots of people learned from you, is about boundaries.
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So, you talk a lot about boundaries and how they helped you reclaim your time and energy.
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What do you think were the hardest boundaries for you to put in place at first when you were just first starting out with like trying to do better care for yourself and your life and have this practice that you love and all of that?
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Opportunities.
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Saying no to opportunities.
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That was really tough.
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And there were two opportunities happening, and it will happen for you guys too.
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So as the college counseling center staff came to know that I was leaving, I got a lot of pushback from some people, like, this isn't possible, this isn't ethical, this can't be legal, blah, blah, blah.
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But I also got a lot of people privately coming to me and being like, oh my gosh, you should do X, Y, Z.
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I mean, the number of ideas that people had about how I should live my life because I was getting free and they wanted to be free.
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I mean, I had people like, you should go be a psychologist on cruise ships and you should, you know, teach online and all of these things.
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And I had never run a private practice, much less one that was online.
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So it was tempting sometimes to be like, well, I do know how to teach, and there's this online professor job, and it would pay well and it would be secure.
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It was hard to say no and hold my boundaries around some of those things.
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But I just kept reminding myself, like, it's not just about being online, it's also about time freedom.
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So if I take that job or this opportunity, here's a way that that's gonna limit my time freedom or my location independence.
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And so I just kept pursuing the one path, but it was tough.
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Oh, I hear you.
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Yeah, so really having that vision already.
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Like, I know I don't want to work Fridays and late nights and whatever, and I'm just building this thing and I'm not gonna go outside of this box of exactly how I want this thing to look for me.
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Yeah, I mean, I feel like we could talk about boundaries forever, but that definitely is key, you know, because we I hear it all the time.
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It's like, gosh, they want me to do a sliding scale or they want me to like go pro bono for a couple of sessions, and maybe I should.
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And if it's one client on a Saturday morning, I could probably do that.
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Like it's so tempting to just fall into that trap of making opportunities, I guess, to make more money or to be more flexible, that sort of thing.
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But then we forget ourselves, we lose ourselves in that.
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So it's just over and over again.
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And I did the same thing with sliding scale.
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And I guess my advice to my older former self would be anytime you make one of those decisions, make sure it has a deadline on it.
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So, all right, if you're gonna slide your scale and you're agreeing to do that, then say, listen, I'm I'm gonna do it for a month and make it way shorter than you think you're gonna want to do because you can always extend it.
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But if you've promised it for a year or implied that it's indefinite, boy, it's a lot harder to change that.
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Such good advice.
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Keep it really time limited.
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And then you can reevaluate if it's something you want to keep doing.
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And clients respond a lot better to you saying, listen, I'm gonna give you an extra month at that reduced fee than they do of you saying, you know, I know it probably sounded like this was forever, but by the way, I'm sick of doing it.
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Yeah, that works less well.
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Still doable.
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That's so funny.
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So shifting gears a little bit, because I don't know if everybody knows this about you, but on top of building online practices, you're also like this amazing side hustle creator.
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So you help people build these side hustles that make their lives more sustainable and exciting.
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It can bring in more income outside of that one-to-one model.
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And I know a lot of therapists, they really want to do that.
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They want to have some other income stream coming in, but they say they don't have the time to start something like that or to research how to do it.
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So, what do you say about that to just continue on the theme of like adding more time and freedom into your life?
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Like, how do you help people with that?
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That's like, I know I could do this or that, but how do I do this?
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So, what do you think?
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I had two pieces of advice.
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One would be that in order for you to start creating a side hustle, you have to have time to do it.
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That's just a reality.
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And you're gonna need more time than you think because it's not just learning how to do it and implementing how to do it, but you also have to be filling your creative well, which sounds like, oh no, that's just a want.
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No, my friend, it's a need.
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You need to be filling the creative well.
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And the only way to make more time is to make more money in less time.
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So, my suggestion for people is learn how to market to private pay clients so that you can decrease the amount of hours that you're doing therapy and continue earning the same amount or more.
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And then you're gonna have time opened up, and then you can decide, well, do I just want to go to the beach during this time?
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Because life is good.
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I don't need to keep adding more work, or do I want to create some sort of side hustle?
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And then the second piece there is if you definitely are going to move towards a side hustle, please don't buy the fanciest pants, everything that you can find to get started.
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I mean, the amount of money I see people spending in Kajabi or Thrivecard or these fancy software tools, y'all don't need that yet.
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You know, like we were well past multiple six figures a year before I left mailer light and teachable.
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Those were the things that I used for a long, long time.
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Learning curve is way less steep, however you say that correctly, and it's way cheaper.
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And it just makes more sense to do like the minimum viable product here.
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Go the easiest route possible.
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And then when you need to level up, if you need to level up, you can do that later.
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Absolutely.
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And maybe we should clarify too, when we're saying side hustles, we're basically talking about digital products that support the knowledge that you already have as a therapist, or courses, or workshops, or becoming like a speaker, you know, in different places, ways to just kind of scale up and make more money and not have to be just stuck in that mold.
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And the things Amber's talking about is like basically what we use for funnels for these things, like teachable, you know, a way place that house your courses or mail or light, a place to like actually have an emailed nurture sequence set up that you could send out to people.
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And I started the same way, probably from Amber's guidance, mail or light and teachable, and I'm finally moving out of those because they're more affordable.
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But I love what you're saying.
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Like it doesn't have to be that complicated in the beginning.
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It could be as super simple as a worksheet on your website that's like for digital download or something, you know.
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Exactly.
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And the easier you make it, the more you will create.
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The more you complicate things with tech, you're gonna spend so much time messing around with that tech that you're not gonna spend time actually creating things that are helpful to people.
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Says the woman who just spent two hours setting up tech this morning.
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I know, I'm like, only if I if I could listen to us talking now, that would probably be super helpful.
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Right.
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I have to remind myself of these things.
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If it was just fancier, it'd be easier.
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That kind of thing.
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Oh my gosh.
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Yeah.
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I mean, seriously, like how many things have you bought because you're like, this is gonna solve a problem?
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And then it just turns into so many more problems.
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Exactly.
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Then I'm spending like 20 hours trying to even learn how to do the stupid thing or trying to find somebody that I could hire to help me learn how to do the stupid thing.
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Yeah, totally.
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So when did you know things were like finally clicking that you were building a business that supported your life instead of the other way around?
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Oh gosh, I have the perfect, perfect memory.
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So I wasn't even really hardcore into side hustle stuff yet.
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I was still in my therapy practice, and I had hired a personal assistant, Kim Keller, who I love.
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Yeah.
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And she was helping me run my practice, but she was also helping me run my life.
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Like, literally was finding dentists for me and like a hairdresser and setting up those appointments.
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And we would weekly have like a little staff meeting and make, you know, like touch base on all the things.
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And one day I realized, like, I don't have any appointments other than this meeting with Kim for the next four hours.
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I'm doing this from the pool.
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Nice.
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So I brought my little laptop out to the pool and we're having a staff meeting.
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And I'm like, this is the freaking life, man.
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I have arrived.
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Oh, I love it so much.
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And what I'm hearing you say is hiring, outsourcing is the thing that actually gave you that moment that it was like, whoa, wait a second.
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I actually don't have to do all this on my own.
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Oh my gosh.
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It was that it was outsourcing, and it was taking advantage of the freedom that I had.
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Like I could have, out of habit, had that meeting in my office and been locked in my guest room, you know, but I didn't have to.
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Right in that moment, I could live with more freedom.
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And that was just like, I try to remind myself of that all the time.
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Yeah.
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Another thing that you do is you coach therapists, obviously, that want to build side hustles and other income streams.
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I've hired you over the years to help me with different things to learn how to scale up my practice or whatever I'm working on in my business.
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I wonder, like, maybe you could share some wins from one of your coaching clients recently that really stands out to just kind of like show us what can be done, especially if you hire, like, you know, a coach in your position that can help with the scaling and just like what other therapists are working on out there that's really working for them to help them get out of the one-to-one model.
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Because all I hear these days is how burnt out people are, you know, how burnt-out therapists are.
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Could you give us some like inspiration, some wins, some things that your clients have just been killing it on?
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Yeah.
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Well, I'll say a win that I got from my own coaches that has really helped me reframe things.
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And then a couple wins from my own coaching clients.
00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:51.399
I remember when I paid my first like super big bucks for coaching.
00:16:51.560 --> 00:17:00.600
I was about to drop$16,000 on a coach, and I was, you know, totally nauseous about it, but I really felt like this is the person that's gonna help me.
00:17:00.680 --> 00:17:02.680
I used all their free content.
00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:07.639
And so I dropped the 16 Gs and I'm feeling super sick to my stomach.
00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:16.759
And one of the first messages they gave me was some changes I should make to a sales page for my course and the reasoning behind that change.
00:17:16.919 --> 00:17:23.319
And that change alone ended up more than paying for the entire year of coaching.
00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:32.200
I mean, it was like within days, and that's still not the way it usually goes, but it was within my head, like, holy cow, ROI, you know?
00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:45.079
Okay, so it makes sense when you know you're investing in the right people, even if it's big bucks, if you can project, like, okay, if they only got me four more sales of this$4,000 product, I'll have paid for this.
00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:46.920
And it was like within a week.
00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:49.400
It was insane how quickly that happened.
00:17:49.559 --> 00:17:51.240
So that felt amazing.
00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:55.160
With my own coaching clients, there's almost like two levels of wins.
00:17:55.240 --> 00:18:06.519
When I'm teaching people marketing and I see their very first post of, I had my free consultation, I said my rate, I paused and they didn't even blink.
00:18:06.599 --> 00:18:11.960
They signed up and I got my first$300 private pay client or my first$150 private pay client.
00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:18.839
Like I get goosebumps even thinking about it because it's just such a they didn't have to work through all the mindset stuff.
00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:23.640
They just had to follow the protocol, and then bam, they get their client.
00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:25.640
And that's the treatment to the mindset.
00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:29.000
Like, if you see it happening, you can't keep telling yourself you're an imposter.
00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:31.640
Somebody's paying you$150 an hour.
00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:33.720
You know, there, your mindset work is done.
00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:34.759
It's actually happening.
00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:35.960
Those are my very favorite.
00:18:36.120 --> 00:18:43.640
Yeah, and just giving your therapist clients like the opportunity or the information enough to give them the empowerment to say, I'm gonna charge this.
00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:45.799
And then I love how you said that pause thing.
00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:51.720
Like maybe you could just elaborate that on that a little bit, because I know that's one of the tools that you teach, maybe that would help others.
00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:53.079
The pause.
00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:56.839
People talk about this a lot in my courses because it's so hard to do.
00:18:57.079 --> 00:19:06.599
But when you are in your free consultation, if your true intent is to find out if this is a good match, and if not, who is a good match for this person?
00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:12.279
If you stay grounded in that, you're never gonna be coercive because you're truly looking out for the best interests of the client.
00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:17.480
So if you've gone through the whole free consult and you and they are feeling like, ooh, this is a good match.
00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:20.200
This feels like a soul-level connection.
00:19:20.599 --> 00:19:25.880
When you then talk about fit in terms of schedule and pricing, I combine those.
00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:27.160
So it sounds like this.
00:19:27.319 --> 00:19:32.120
I will say, okay, so what we'll do next, because it sounds like here's the issue.
00:19:32.359 --> 00:19:36.200
You agree that's the issue, here's what I think will be our line of treatment.
00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:38.920
This is an area of expertise for me, blah, blah, blah.
00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:40.680
And they're like, yes, yes, yes.
00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:47.640
And then you're gonna say, okay, so the way that this is gonna work is our first session is gonna be 90 minutes and it's a full workup.
00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:51.319
I'm gonna ask you a bajillion questions, and that's$300.
00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:59.160
And then our follow-up sessions will all be 50 minutes and we'll meet weekly, and those are whatever the price is,$200.
00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:04.359
My first availability for that 90-minute session is Monday, the third at four.
00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:05.880
Does that time work for you?
00:20:06.120 --> 00:20:11.960
So we've given information, and then our question at the end is about the schedule, not about price.
00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:20.279
If they come back and say, oh gosh, like I didn't realize it was going to be that much money, then you're just gonna say, it is an investment.
00:20:20.519 --> 00:20:22.120
Tell me what's coming up for you.
00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:25.160
Be a therapist, be a therapist in a moment, right?
00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:27.319
And give them space to process.
00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:33.720
Don't reassure, don't coerce, just give them a chance to talk it out for themselves and you be quiet.
00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:37.400
You ask the question and then zip it and let them talk.
00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:40.120
Give them the pause to work out what they're thinking.
00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:46.599
And I've had so many clients that if I just keep my mouth shut and let them process, they process on their own.
00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:51.559
I had a client who said to me, She's like, Whoa, that was a lot more than I expected it to be.
00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:56.519
Of course, inside I'm dying, but outside, I'm like, it is an investment.
00:20:56.680 --> 00:20:58.200
Tell me what's coming up for you.
00:20:58.440 --> 00:21:01.240
She's thinking out loud, and eventually she's like, you know what?
00:21:01.400 --> 00:21:06.359
I spend that much on shoes without blinking an eye, and I go shopping at least a couple of times a month.
00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:09.000
So I guess I just need to put my money where my mouth is.
00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:12.759
And if I really am intent on working through this stuff, I've got to go for it.
00:21:12.920 --> 00:21:14.920
I didn't have to say anything, right?
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:16.680
I just gave her the space to think it out.
00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:17.640
It's amazing.
00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:19.480
Yeah, it's such good advice.
00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:20.120
It is hard.
00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:24.200
Don't do like I do and say, well, but if you can't afford it, I mean we could talk about a lower rate.
00:21:24.599 --> 00:21:25.160
Same, same.
00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:26.759
I try not to do that anymore.
00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:27.880
I definitely used to do that.
00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:28.200
Yeah.
00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:28.519
Yeah.
00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:30.279
I still struggle with that with coaching.
00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:31.319
I it's still hard.
00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:32.680
Yeah, like the dying inside.
00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:33.720
It could totally relate to that.
00:21:33.799 --> 00:21:36.279
It's like just keep the poker face, you're good.
00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:45.240
So let's switch a little bit to a different topic because you are coaching therapists that are trying to start online practices for the very first time.
00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:49.079
And one of the biggest things that definitely comes up is documentation.
00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:54.039
I know you over the years, I've heard you talk about documentation and it was not your friend.
00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:56.120
And in your clinical work, it wasn't your friend.
00:21:56.200 --> 00:22:00.120
It kind of drove me crazy, the perfectionism and trying to make sure you're doing all the things right and all that.
00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:02.440
And I actually hear you promoting berries.
00:22:02.519 --> 00:22:06.120
I know you're not seeing clients right now, but I know that you're promoting berries.
00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:08.359
So I'd love to talk about that.
00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:14.440
Like tell us what you're thinking about berries, why you promote berries, and just like the documentation piece.
00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:25.720
You know, for me, and I know a lot of therapists relate to this, we've had hundreds of people come to our notes parties where we work for like eight hours and people are just catching up on notes.
00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:27.000
So I know I'm not alone.
00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:32.440
When I say, like, I have always struggled to get my documentation done and done on time.
00:22:32.599 --> 00:22:38.120
And part of it is like this perfectionisty, I know what I want the note to be like.
00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:43.160
And then I never am gonna have that time in the moment of working with the client.
00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:45.319
I have to go get a drink, I have to go to the bathroom.
00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:48.920
And so I put it off and I'm gonna be in a different mood later.
00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:52.039
And oh, I'll binge and watch Netflix and work on my notes.
00:22:52.120 --> 00:22:55.799
And then it's a whole freaking Sunday gone to writing notes.
00:22:55.960 --> 00:22:58.200
And are they ever as good as I want them to be?
00:22:58.359 --> 00:23:00.279
No, they're definitely not.
00:23:00.599 --> 00:23:11.160
So when I started seeing these AI companies come out with note writing software, I was actually first exposed to it in my own health appointments with doctors.
00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:13.960
And I was obviously on tech, I love tech.
00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:15.000
So I was super intrigued.
00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:16.920
I'm like, heck yeah, you can use AI.
00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:18.200
Like, you know, let's go.
00:23:18.440 --> 00:23:21.400
Even my vet is using AI to interpret x-rays.
00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:21.960
Yes.
00:23:22.120 --> 00:23:23.799
Like, yes, consent granted.
00:23:23.960 --> 00:23:30.200
So I knew, like, for me as a consumer of healthcare, that I do not care if they're using AI.
00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:32.039
I'm like a hundred percent, I don't care.
00:23:32.120 --> 00:23:35.160
There's nothing I'm I'm worried about somebody finding out.
00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:39.400
But I don't expect all therapy clients to feel the same way.
00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:44.359
So I didn't even think about it in therapy until I saw a demonstration of berries.
00:23:44.519 --> 00:23:53.319
And I think it was the first one I saw a demonstration of the note that it was able to write was so much better than any note I have ever written in my life.
00:23:53.559 --> 00:24:03.799
And like from a liability point of view, from an insurance point of view, from a conceptual point of view, I mean, talk about turning our normal people language into therapist speak for the note.
00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:07.480
I was absolutely blown away by what it could do.
00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:13.160
So then I'm like, well, geez, like not only does it do it better than me, but it also does it way faster.
00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:21.799
And then there's also the opportunity to show it to the client, like in the moment, and be like, does this feel like we're capturing the right things, right?
00:24:21.880 --> 00:24:24.279
Like, so it felt like it even made clinical care better.
00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:30.440
So then my only hesitation was hopefully what everybody's hesitation would be is around security and privacy.
00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:37.799
And I have learned over the years that people are allowed to say they're HIPAA compliant and there's no test.
00:24:38.440 --> 00:24:43.240
So I started looking at these AI companies with a little bit more suspicion.
00:24:43.480 --> 00:24:54.359
And you know me, I'm gonna do some research on it and found that even though it's not the law yet, the industry standard is for there to be a third party that verifies HIPAA compliance.
00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:56.279
And Barry's had that.
00:24:56.440 --> 00:25:00.680
And then when I started going through my little list of, all right, is it doing this?
00:25:00.839 --> 00:25:03.240
Is it training large language learning models?
00:25:03.400 --> 00:25:05.079
No, okay, cool.
00:25:05.319 --> 00:25:10.120
Is it, you know, recording things and saving them indefinitely somewhere?
00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:11.400
No, okay, cool.
00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:19.480
So I made my own little like checklist of what would be okay with me and what wouldn't, and Barries passed with flying freaking colors.
00:25:19.640 --> 00:25:30.839
And then I started thinking about, okay, so how can I make sure that clients would understand what the risks and benefits are and clearly understand them?
00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:35.240
Because the reality is the legislation just hasn't caught up with the technology yet.
00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:39.480
And we can't be a thousand percent confident of anything.
00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:47.640
And really, like I've made my decision that in my practice, I think the risks are very minimum and I'm okay using it.
00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:55.559
And especially because it actually gets my freaking notes done and the risks of them not getting done is way higher than any risks I see with using the software.
00:25:55.720 --> 00:25:59.880
But then it really has to be informing the client and then letting them decide.
00:26:00.120 --> 00:26:05.559
I have heard therapists, and I will, I don't know how you feel about this so way in, but I feel like pretty strongly about it.
00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:11.000
Therapists who are saying, you know, if you're not cool with me using AI, then I just won't see you in my practice.
00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:11.400
Right.
00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:13.880
Friends, that's not HIPAA compliant.
00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:15.400
You can't be doing that shit.
00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:23.000
You have to have an opt-in rule when it comes to anything that we're like is on the new frontier, right?
00:26:23.160 --> 00:26:23.319
Right.
00:26:23.480 --> 00:26:41.559
So even though Barry's is HIPAA compliant and they've got the BAA and they've got all the things and the third-party verification, I would still have my clients make the choice to opt in or not to using something that's more on the frontier, just so I can go to bed and feel good when I go to sleep at night.
00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:43.400
Yeah, no, I totally agree with you.
00:26:43.480 --> 00:26:49.480
And you know, I've seen different variations of that, but it's somebody, for instance, just posted in my AI Facebook group the other day.
00:26:49.559 --> 00:26:53.880
They said basically their client opted out of the recording, but they went further down their line.
00:26:53.960 --> 00:26:58.359
They were like, Well, how do you feel about me dictating after the session into the into the AI software?
00:26:58.440 --> 00:27:04.359
Or how do you feel about me like putting a handwritten note, uploading handwritten text to the box to make AI do it?
00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:07.880
And they kind of went down that layer of consent with them too and made a decision that way.
00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:12.599
And they said, it was okay, please don't record it, but it's okay if you want to dictate later, that's totally fine with me.
00:27:12.759 --> 00:27:23.960
So they just kind of notated that in the consent, which I didn't even think about that level because I have to write to process information.
00:27:24.120 --> 00:27:29.720
So I always write notes in sessions, and then the idea that I could just upload that.
00:27:29.880 --> 00:27:30.039
Yep.
00:27:30.279 --> 00:27:32.200
Barry's has that, and a lot of them do.
00:27:32.279 --> 00:27:44.359
I don't want to always just promote berries, but Barry's has that place where you can just upload, you know, translated text from one of those tablets or something like handwritten tablets that just translates to text you could just upload immediately to Berries and it turns it into a note.
00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:44.759
Yeah.
00:27:45.079 --> 00:27:49.640
So for people that are like that, that have to write in session, you know, there's just so many options.
00:27:49.799 --> 00:27:54.359
And I think that's important to differentiate with your clients, you know, like, okay, we don't have to record.
00:27:54.519 --> 00:27:55.079
That's totally fine.
00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:56.120
Here's some other options.
00:27:56.279 --> 00:27:59.480
And also, if you don't like any of those, we'll just do traditional.
00:27:59.559 --> 00:28:00.599
We don't have to do it.
00:28:00.920 --> 00:28:01.799
Exactly.
00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:02.519
Yeah.
00:28:02.759 --> 00:28:11.000
And even if it's one out of your 20 clients who says, I really don't want you to do that, you're still saving so much time a week.
00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:13.319
Not to mention the treatment plans it generates.
00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:14.440
I mean, oh my God.
00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:17.799
I could just go on for days about how much I hate treatment plans.
00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:18.839
But anyway, yeah.
00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:20.359
Yeah, agree.
00:28:20.680 --> 00:28:20.839
Agree.
00:28:21.160 --> 00:28:25.799
All on board with berries or whatever AI tool like that can help you make your life just so much easier.
00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:27.079
Yeah, love that.
00:28:27.240 --> 00:28:40.279
So I want to just go a little bit further into something a little bit different, away from the AI piece, but another thing that you talk about a lot since you are a marketing queen, you've got a marketing intensive that we could definitely share at the end for everybody.
00:28:40.519 --> 00:28:45.000
What's one thing that therapists misunderstand about marketing to private paid clients?
00:28:45.160 --> 00:28:46.120
That's really your specialty.
00:28:46.200 --> 00:28:48.200
I'm seeing this as a huge trend right now, right?
00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:50.599
Like everybody wants off of Headway, off of Alma.
00:28:50.759 --> 00:28:53.559
They don't want to take insurance, they want to be private pay.
00:28:53.799 --> 00:29:01.640
So, as a marketing queen, what do you suggest that the one thing that therapists must understand most about marketing to private paid clients?
00:29:01.880 --> 00:29:03.480
I insist on giving you two things.
00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:03.960
Okay.
00:29:04.120 --> 00:29:04.599
Yes, please.
00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:05.240
We love it.
00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:06.200
Give us all the things.
00:29:06.359 --> 00:29:20.120
The most important thing is that the way that insurance-based clients shop for therapy is completely different than the way somebody who is willing to pay privately will shop for therapy.
00:29:20.680 --> 00:29:38.599
So thinking that all you have to do is get yourself on a directory and post on social media, that's not going to get you a caseload full of private pay clients because the buyer psychology is different for insurance folks and for private pay folks.
00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:48.680
If I'm paying out of pocket$200 a session, then I want like somebody who gets me down to my toes before they've really even met me.
00:29:48.839 --> 00:29:54.519
And I need to see that in their copy or, you know, whatever it is that I'm reading about their practice.
00:29:54.839 --> 00:29:56.839
A directory listing just can't do that.
00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:57.880
They're not long enough.
00:29:58.039 --> 00:29:59.319
They're not specific enough.
00:29:59.480 --> 00:30:03.079
So that would be the number one thing of like, please don't give up on it.
00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:11.880
If all you've been doing so far is like sharing a link in some Facebook groups and then having a directory listing, it's not your fault that they're not calling.
00:30:11.960 --> 00:30:14.759
It's just not the right method for that type of buyer.
00:30:14.920 --> 00:30:29.640
And then the second thing, because this just drives me freaking bananas, is poor therapists feel like they have to go wild on social media and basically be have like a part-time social media job or hire a VA to do their social media to fill their practice.
00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:37.000
And again, remember that influencers are the ones that are showing you that you have to be on social media all the time.
00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:38.599
People like me and Kim.
00:30:38.839 --> 00:30:45.000
We are trying to sell courses, memberships, coaching, business coaching.
00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:51.240
And the way you do that is completely different than the way that you fill a private pay practice.
00:30:51.480 --> 00:31:03.559
So the only reason that you need social media to fill a private pay practice is just to legitimize to Google that you are real business, and I'll explain that in a sec.
00:31:03.880 --> 00:31:11.240
And, you know, if your client finds you on your website or through a directory listing, they're gonna Google you because that's what they do.
00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:13.880
And they just want to see that you exist in more than one place.
00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:14.359
That's it.
00:31:14.519 --> 00:31:17.960
They're not gonna be looking through your profile like, did they post recently?
00:31:18.120 --> 00:31:18.920
They don't care.
00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:23.160
They're just like, oh, okay, you exist in multiple places, you're not catfishing me.
00:31:23.319 --> 00:31:23.640
Right.
00:31:23.960 --> 00:31:24.279
Right.
00:31:24.519 --> 00:31:25.480
That's all we're trying to do.
00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:27.400
It's a totally different way to market.
00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:38.599
And when I say social media to legitimize you to Google, all that means is having a Facebook business page or an Instagram page because it has naturally high organic SEO.
00:31:38.759 --> 00:31:40.039
All you gotta do is exist there.
00:31:40.279 --> 00:31:42.279
Put 10 posts up and leave it alone.
00:31:42.519 --> 00:31:43.559
That's good enough.
00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:44.039
Yeah.
00:31:44.279 --> 00:31:49.079
And the longer they're out there, the more chance they're gonna get crawled and added into search engines and that sort of thing.
00:31:49.480 --> 00:31:49.720
Yes.
00:31:49.880 --> 00:31:50.519
Yes, yes.
00:31:50.839 --> 00:31:55.880
One day you and I should talk about search engines with Google versus AI search engines.
00:31:56.039 --> 00:31:56.920
I would love to.
00:31:57.079 --> 00:31:57.799
Oh my gosh.
00:31:57.960 --> 00:31:59.400
Yeah, I'd love to talk about that.
00:31:59.480 --> 00:32:00.359
It's so interesting.
00:32:00.519 --> 00:32:01.960
Like I'm just seeing it more and more.
00:32:02.120 --> 00:32:05.240
People are like, guess how I got my latest client, ChatGPT?
00:32:05.319 --> 00:32:05.480
Yeah.
00:32:05.640 --> 00:32:06.359
Yeah, baby.
00:32:06.599 --> 00:32:11.319
So it's like, how are we routing our SEO to make sure ChatGPT is picking up on this SEO?
00:32:11.480 --> 00:32:12.759
Like, you know, definitely.
00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:17.960
I'm in the middle of making a whole mini course for it for the marketing intensive, so I'm deep in the weeds with it right now.
00:32:18.039 --> 00:32:22.839
It's so much we'll have to come back and and tell us some tips and tricks around that too.
00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:24.120
That's super interesting to me.
00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:32.519
Because I do, like, I've of course, like ChatGPT is my default search engine now in my web browser, but it's like, you know, I'm always curious, like, why is it this company that's coming up?
00:32:32.599 --> 00:32:35.559
But maybe if you go over to Google, if that's not the first company that's coming up.
00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:36.759
So there's something happening.
00:32:36.839 --> 00:32:42.359
Yes, ChatGPT is learning about it more than maybe some other companies that might have good SEO on Google.
00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:44.839
So I'll be super like curious to hear about that.
00:32:45.559 --> 00:32:46.039
Interesting.
00:32:46.200 --> 00:32:47.160
It's so interesting.
00:32:47.240 --> 00:32:53.480
And it's gonna be so much easier to get found on at least in this early stage before everybody's figured it out.
00:32:53.640 --> 00:33:00.359
It's gonna be so much easier to get found because the way that AI searches is just so much more user-friendly.
00:33:00.599 --> 00:33:00.839
Yeah.
00:33:00.920 --> 00:33:01.559
Oh my gosh.
00:33:01.640 --> 00:33:03.160
Yeah, you have to come back and talk about that.
00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:12.599
So one thing I have heard you teach about, like around marketing and stuff, is like this or mentioned it, that you can turn therapy worksheets into marketing tools.
00:33:12.759 --> 00:33:14.680
So can you tell us a little bit about that?
00:33:14.920 --> 00:33:15.799
Oh my gosh.
00:33:16.039 --> 00:33:25.319
Basically, I learned this from Kim because Kim back in the day, she was one of the first people to ever create a hypnotherapy podcast.
00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:27.160
So, like mindfulness and stuff like that.
00:33:27.319 --> 00:33:33.000
So she basically took what she was doing in therapy and then turned it into a freaking side hustle, right?
00:33:33.160 --> 00:33:35.559
Like, so you tell them how you did that.
00:33:35.880 --> 00:33:37.000
Throw it back on you.
00:33:37.240 --> 00:33:37.880
Oh gosh.
00:33:37.960 --> 00:33:41.160
Well, are you talking about my apps, I mean, that marketed back to me?
00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:41.799
Oh my gosh.
00:33:41.880 --> 00:33:43.319
Oh my gosh, this is such a story.
00:33:43.480 --> 00:33:43.640
Yeah.
00:33:43.720 --> 00:33:49.160
I mean, I was doing hypnotherapy, I was doing like meditations and all that with my clients over and over and over again.
00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:58.359
Like everybody wanted help with like overeating, or they couldn't sleep, but you know, there was like these repetitive themes that my clients are having, and I was like, Well, I'm a hypnotherapist.
00:33:58.440 --> 00:34:02.519
I guess I could record these for you and you could take them with you and listen to them and you're not with me.
00:34:02.599 --> 00:34:06.440
And then, you know, I was like, wait a second, what if I like tried to sell these?
00:34:06.599 --> 00:34:08.519
And this was like, this was in 2008.
00:34:08.599 --> 00:34:15.000
So this is when the app store had just come out, the iTunes App Store, and then the Google App Store came shortly after that.
00:34:15.159 --> 00:34:16.679
And Etsy was around, you know.
00:34:16.759 --> 00:34:18.599
So I was like, okay, I'm gonna record these things.
00:34:18.679 --> 00:34:21.239
And literally I recorded these things on God, what was that?
00:34:21.400 --> 00:34:22.119
Garage Band?
00:34:22.199 --> 00:34:23.000
Do you remember Garage Band?
00:34:23.239 --> 00:34:23.719
Yeah, yeah.
00:34:24.119 --> 00:34:33.159
I had the garage band microphone, and I was like sitting in my living room and I was recording these sessions into MP3 downloads, basically, and decided I was gonna start an app.
00:34:33.239 --> 00:34:37.959
So I outsourced, I found somebody in uh he was in India that like built apps really cheap.
00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:39.479
You know, I hate to say that, but that's true.
00:34:39.559 --> 00:34:40.279
That's what I did.
00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:45.399
And found the guy and he built these apps for me for all of the app stores, including Blackberry.
00:34:45.479 --> 00:34:47.399
This is when their Blackberries had an app store.
00:34:47.479 --> 00:34:49.399
I even had a Blackberry app, if you can believe that.
00:34:50.039 --> 00:34:50.679
Amazing.
00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:56.599
And I put it out there and like it was the second, first to second hypnosis app on the app store.
00:34:56.679 --> 00:35:02.279
Now if you go, there's like Insight Timer and you know, just all these like really I kind of let it fall off the radar for me.
00:35:02.359 --> 00:35:03.639
I really should have stayed on top of it.
00:35:03.719 --> 00:35:09.479
But anyway, I was like the second MP3 seller in the app store for hypnosis for many, many years.
00:35:09.639 --> 00:35:11.639
And it was, you know, it was one of the top apps.
00:35:11.879 --> 00:35:14.679
And I mean, I was making like$20,000 months on these.
00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:19.000
Stop! No, I'm dead serious on these MP3 hypnosis downloads.
00:35:19.079 --> 00:35:19.239
Yeah.
00:35:19.319 --> 00:35:23.239
And then I just got caught up in my own private practice and you know, just all this other stuff.
00:35:23.319 --> 00:35:25.479
And I kind of just like didn't pay attention to it.
00:35:25.559 --> 00:35:30.599
And of course, now the app market is so like inundated with just a thousand of these things.
00:35:30.759 --> 00:35:34.519
Mine just kind of like slowly fell down, but I still have an Etsy store where I sell them.
00:35:34.759 --> 00:35:35.719
Yeah, so that's my story.
00:35:35.879 --> 00:35:48.679
But all that to say, based on what Amber was saying, like, if you've got this niche, like there's always something you can do with it and give away for free, like on your website or through a free podcast or something to just attract, organically attract.
00:35:48.839 --> 00:35:54.359
And I still have people today saying, like emailing me and saying, I had your sleep style hypnosis in the Apple App Store.
00:35:54.439 --> 00:35:55.239
Now I can't find it.
00:35:55.319 --> 00:35:55.799
Where is it?
00:35:55.879 --> 00:35:58.359
I'm like, okay, it's over on Etsy now, you can get it over there.
00:35:58.519 --> 00:36:00.359
Like literally, people still email me about this.
00:36:00.439 --> 00:36:01.879
And that was like that is so wild.
00:36:02.279 --> 00:36:02.919
2008.
00:36:03.079 --> 00:36:03.399
Yeah.
00:36:03.719 --> 00:36:04.679
Guys, it's crazy.
00:36:05.079 --> 00:36:07.159
How about I mean, seriously.
00:36:07.319 --> 00:36:09.319
So listen to the themes in the story here.
00:36:09.559 --> 00:36:12.039
She was helping her clients, just like you guys do.
00:36:12.199 --> 00:36:15.559
And she thought, I could give this to them for on the go.
00:36:15.719 --> 00:36:19.399
So you can create a worksheet for your clients and give it to them for free.
00:36:19.559 --> 00:36:21.639
But why not also have it on your website?
00:36:21.719 --> 00:36:24.759
And people can have it if they give you their email address.
00:36:25.079 --> 00:36:33.719
Because I do think a little like sideways related to marketing, I do think email lists are going to be pretty important for therapists over the next five plus years.
00:36:33.959 --> 00:36:36.359
So going ahead and starting to get people on that list.
00:36:36.519 --> 00:36:40.599
And then, I mean, I saw Katie Keats May doing this way back in the day.
00:36:40.759 --> 00:36:48.119
She runs, she fills groups and she just sends an email out to her list and she's like, hey gang, we're starting a new group around this time.
00:36:48.279 --> 00:36:49.399
Here's what it's about.
00:36:49.639 --> 00:36:50.839
Join if you want.
00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:52.519
And she has kept them full.
00:36:52.679 --> 00:36:54.359
So email lists are fantastic.
00:36:54.519 --> 00:36:58.599
You have a spot opening up, you're like, hey, in three weeks, we'll have a spot opening up.
00:36:58.679 --> 00:37:00.119
If you want it, let me know.
00:37:00.439 --> 00:37:00.839
That's right.
00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:04.359
I mean, the email list is key to all of this stuff, like building an audience.
00:37:04.519 --> 00:37:06.919
And that's one mistake I did make with with those apps.
00:37:07.079 --> 00:37:08.599
I never collected email addresses.
00:37:08.679 --> 00:37:11.639
It was just like literally all through the app store and that sort of thing.
00:37:11.719 --> 00:37:13.399
So I didn't even know about that stuff at the time.
00:37:13.479 --> 00:37:13.639
Yeah.
00:37:13.799 --> 00:37:15.479
I don't even know if anybody knew about it back then.
00:37:15.639 --> 00:37:15.799
Yeah.
00:37:15.959 --> 00:37:19.159
It's like, oh, I maybe I should be like keeping the stuff, track of the stuff.
00:37:19.239 --> 00:37:24.279
But anyway, so that's my long story of how you guys could use that even in your own practice today.
00:37:24.519 --> 00:37:24.759
Yeah.
00:37:25.159 --> 00:37:28.039
And if you're like most therapists, you're gonna perfectionize a shit out of it.
00:37:28.119 --> 00:37:28.919
So please don't do that.
00:37:29.399 --> 00:37:30.519
Make a freaking Google Doc.
00:37:30.759 --> 00:37:32.199
Just think of the Google Doc.
00:37:32.359 --> 00:37:34.039
You don't even know if people are gonna like it yet.
00:37:34.599 --> 00:37:37.159
See if people like it, and then you can perfectionize later.
00:37:37.399 --> 00:37:43.719
And honestly, those recordings, I still sell those recordings that were recorded on my garage band like in my living room.
00:37:43.799 --> 00:37:46.519
And they're not the greatest quality, really, but they still sell.
00:37:46.679 --> 00:37:53.559
Well, I've downloaded them and listened to them, and I never would have thought that they were recorded, you know, in some way that wasn't Uber fancy bands.
00:37:53.799 --> 00:37:55.159
Yeah, yeah, they definitely were.
00:37:55.479 --> 00:37:57.879
In fact, I had the flu when I recorded a lot of those.
00:37:58.039 --> 00:37:59.399
There was like a bird flu going around.
00:37:59.479 --> 00:38:01.799
I was sick for like three weeks that I'd like stuck in my house.
00:38:01.959 --> 00:38:04.599
That's when I recorded a lot of those, which is kind of funny, but yeah.
00:38:04.839 --> 00:38:07.719
I love this about Kim and about a lot of therapeutic.
00:38:07.879 --> 00:38:12.199
If you're willing to take fast action on an idea, you will be successful.
00:38:12.439 --> 00:38:12.919
Thank you.
00:38:13.079 --> 00:38:13.799
Yeah, yeah.
00:38:13.879 --> 00:38:16.279
I I I am a little bit of a quick start, probably too.
00:38:17.159 --> 00:38:19.399
So you kind of alluded to this when you were just talking.
00:38:19.479 --> 00:38:24.519
Like now is the best time, more important than ever, probably to have some other thing in your back pocket like this.
00:38:24.599 --> 00:38:28.039
I really do believe that, especially with AI coming on the scene.
00:38:28.199 --> 00:38:36.279
And, you know, whether we like it or not, there are AI therapists out there, and there's a lot of statistics around people using AI as their therapists and that sort of thing.
00:38:36.359 --> 00:38:43.239
So I feel even more passionately and strongly now about helping therapists like have other income streams kind of coming around.
00:38:43.399 --> 00:38:45.319
And I just wonder, like, do you have any advice?
00:38:45.399 --> 00:38:51.159
I know we've kind of touched on that already about like the tech piece and try not to stress too much about it, but like, do you do you have advice?
00:38:51.239 --> 00:38:58.759
Like, if I had to start today and just have some other thing in my back pocket as this AI revolution is taking over, like, what do you think about that?
00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:01.159
Yeah, man, that's a great question.
00:39:01.319 --> 00:39:03.079
And I 100% agree with you.
00:39:03.239 --> 00:39:09.639
I think it's a real good time to think about how we can make sure we have diverse streams of revenue coming in.
00:39:09.799 --> 00:39:13.159
Because, you know, I just talked to somebody the other day and she's like, AI is a trend.
00:39:13.239 --> 00:39:15.959
And I'm like, oh, you don't understand.
00:39:16.119 --> 00:39:19.559
Like, it's already infiltrated everything.
00:39:19.959 --> 00:39:21.479
You know, it's here to stay.
00:39:21.559 --> 00:39:23.719
It's like the internet, not a trend.
00:39:23.959 --> 00:39:26.519
It's gonna change the course of the world.
00:39:26.839 --> 00:39:32.279
And like many people I know, I also have used AI for a little therapeutic support every now and then.
00:39:32.839 --> 00:39:33.639
It's like, help me.
00:39:33.719 --> 00:39:34.839
I'm like freaking out.
00:39:34.919 --> 00:39:35.799
I need help right now.
00:39:35.879 --> 00:39:40.119
I don't have time to like fight a therapist, schedule a therapist, go to an appointment, that sort of thing.
00:39:40.199 --> 00:39:40.359
Yeah.
00:39:40.519 --> 00:39:40.679
Right.
00:39:40.839 --> 00:39:43.719
And it can be hugely supportive when used right.
00:39:43.959 --> 00:40:02.279
So I think instead of thinking, oh, how do I hold on tight to my job and protect my job, I would be thinking about how can I continue to be who I am, a helpful human being with a lot of like earned expertise in life and through my graduate degree, how can I leverage that into additional ways to help people?
00:40:02.519 --> 00:40:03.000
Period.
00:40:03.239 --> 00:40:14.199
And what we're seeing, it's so nicely timed that the more normal and raw you are in the ways that you're helping, like in YouTube, nobody wants any polished YouTube videos anymore.
00:40:14.279 --> 00:40:19.799
They want to see that they're connecting with a real person because AI is kicking out all these hyper polished videos.
00:40:19.959 --> 00:40:21.799
And so nobody knows, like, is this real?
00:40:22.039 --> 00:40:22.599
Is this not?
00:40:22.679 --> 00:40:24.119
They want to see a real human being.
00:40:24.199 --> 00:40:26.039
They want to connect to a real human being.
00:40:26.199 --> 00:40:45.559
And I think we're gonna be, and this is just me guessing, I think things are going to be selling in the side hustle world largely based on you finding your tribe, which means you're gonna have to be outspoken about what you believe, not teaching like random CBT protocols, because we can all find that in Chat GPT now.
00:40:45.719 --> 00:40:46.919
Exactly, exactly.
00:40:47.239 --> 00:40:58.839
Adding your special, you know, personality twist and your beliefs and your values, because there are other people out there just like you, and they're looking for you, somebody like them to support them.
00:40:59.079 --> 00:40:59.399
Yeah.
00:40:59.639 --> 00:41:01.879
Oh, I feel like I could talk about this stuff all day.
00:41:02.119 --> 00:41:02.679
Me too.
00:41:02.919 --> 00:41:11.079
So I always at the end of this podcast like to just do kind of a lightning round and just ask some like real quick questions and just see what your thoughts are about a couple things.
00:41:11.319 --> 00:41:19.479
So, what is one tool or boundary or something that you just cannot live without right now that's really helping you in your life in your day-to-day?
00:41:19.799 --> 00:41:20.759
ChatGPT.
00:41:20.919 --> 00:41:23.079
I mean, many hours every single day.
00:41:23.319 --> 00:41:26.039
Kim taught me how to create Chat GPT bots.
00:41:26.519 --> 00:41:34.439
And once you understand how to work with ChatGPT, you're going to save hours a day and create better work.
00:41:34.519 --> 00:41:41.559
And I feel like my work is better than it has ever been, and I'm getting it done more quickly and I'm able to do more cool stuff.
00:41:41.799 --> 00:41:42.919
I use it for everything.
00:41:43.159 --> 00:41:43.399
Same.
00:41:43.479 --> 00:41:43.719
Yeah.
00:41:43.879 --> 00:41:49.079
Talking about GPTs, I mean, I have literally built an army and they do everything for me.
00:41:49.239 --> 00:41:52.679
I'm with my dad right now who's elderly and needing help.
00:41:52.839 --> 00:41:56.359
I mean, I've got a GPT for him, like, you know, his medical stuff.
00:41:56.439 --> 00:42:02.039
I mean, it just goes on and on the level of support you can get just in your life, just make everything so much easier.
00:42:02.679 --> 00:42:03.159
Absolutely.
00:42:03.399 --> 00:42:10.039
Even with, I mean, I don't, I don't know that enough people are thinking about it the way you just described about using it for things like that.
00:42:10.279 --> 00:42:32.839
I had a GPT for my dogs who were elderly and going, you know, they were in hospice level care for dogs, you know, and the amount of comfort and support that I was able to give to them, like medically and even with their food and timing vet visits, all of it, the questions I knew to ask at the vet that I otherwise wouldn't have known.
00:42:33.079 --> 00:42:39.719
You know, I just feel like it gave them the highest possible quality of life in the last six months of their lives.
00:42:39.799 --> 00:42:41.639
And I'm so grateful for it.
00:42:41.799 --> 00:42:43.799
Yeah, and it's so much different than like Google.
00:42:43.879 --> 00:42:46.279
It's like, look, I'm getting ready to call this nurse right now.
00:42:46.359 --> 00:42:47.559
Like, what am I supposed to ask?
00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:54.199
And like tell me why I'm asking this, instead of, you know, just Googling like, what questions do you ask about whatever diabetes or whatever?
00:42:54.279 --> 00:42:56.039
You know, it's like, yeah, amazing.
00:42:56.279 --> 00:42:57.319
Next lightning question.
00:42:57.479 --> 00:43:02.279
What is the best advice you've ever received as a business owner or therapist?
00:43:02.519 --> 00:43:10.279
This was like something I pulled from lots of people, but it was basically this know what your why is and know what your values are.
00:43:10.439 --> 00:43:14.199
And that will help you make every single decision from there.
00:43:14.439 --> 00:43:22.839
You know, if I know my why is about having more flexibility and freedom, but I find myself chasing money, I'm like, wait a minute.
00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:29.959
You know, like you might just be doing this thing because this is what other entrepreneurs do, but this isn't actually your this isn't actually your why.
00:43:30.039 --> 00:43:32.119
Your why is about freedom and flexibility.
00:43:32.359 --> 00:43:36.759
So that's gonna change the way that I run things in my business and the decisions that I make.
00:43:36.919 --> 00:43:43.639
So even with like sponsors and things like that that have approached me who have been like, we'll pay you a whole bunch of money, like promote our thing.
00:43:43.799 --> 00:43:45.799
And it is extremely tempting.
00:43:45.959 --> 00:43:52.679
And then if I check in on my values and I'm like, okay, wait, I wanna be the person helping therapists to make decisions.
00:43:52.839 --> 00:44:02.439
And if I'm saying I'll only promote this one product in EHRs, for example, that doesn't totally vibe with my value set of helping therapists make decisions.
00:44:02.519 --> 00:44:04.839
If I'm like this one and only this one, exactly.
00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:07.879
And I'm not gonna talk about another one, and this is the other one you should choose.
00:44:08.119 --> 00:44:08.759
Right, right.
00:44:09.000 --> 00:44:10.919
It makes decisions just much easier.
00:44:11.159 --> 00:44:17.319
And last question, you and I are both pretty nomadic and we like to travel and live our best lives in different places.
00:44:17.479 --> 00:44:21.000
So, what is a favorite place to work from that makes you feel most alive?
00:44:21.239 --> 00:44:22.039
Oh gosh.
00:44:22.439 --> 00:44:23.799
That's gonna change on the season.
00:44:23.959 --> 00:44:28.759
Right now, I'm obsessed with my back porch because we just moved into this house over the last year.
00:44:29.000 --> 00:44:29.239
Yeah.
00:44:29.399 --> 00:44:35.159
And so I have all these tropical plants and fairy lights and like an orchid tree, and it's just beautiful.
00:44:35.319 --> 00:44:39.719
And to be able to sit and look at this jungle just makes me so happy.
00:44:39.879 --> 00:44:45.239
So I lay out there in my little chair, my little table, and you know, I have a fan on me because it's Florida.
00:44:45.399 --> 00:44:48.519
But we're just about to take our van and go back out west.
00:44:48.679 --> 00:44:53.719
And, you know, I'm packing my Elon Musk satellite and all of that stuff.
00:44:53.879 --> 00:45:00.759
Like, I'm gonna get to work from the road, and working from the road is just one of the most amazing feelings ever, you know.
00:45:00.919 --> 00:45:07.799
Like we're able to live our whole dream life, and I'm gonna just pop up a satellite on the roof of our van and work from anywhere.
00:45:08.119 --> 00:45:08.759
So fun.
00:45:09.159 --> 00:45:10.279
Thank you for being here.
00:45:10.439 --> 00:45:17.319
And I would love if you would just share how do people find you, how do they work with you, how do they learn how to market with you, all of the good things.
00:45:17.479 --> 00:45:19.959
Yeah, so my website's amberlyta.com.
00:45:20.039 --> 00:45:21.879
It's L Y D A.
00:45:22.439 --> 00:45:26.839
And that has virtually everything that you could possibly need on there.
00:45:27.079 --> 00:45:29.879
But I will admit that some of it needs to be updated.
00:45:30.119 --> 00:45:33.000
So if you have follow-up questions, you can just email us.
00:45:33.079 --> 00:45:37.079
It's dr dr periodamberlida at gmail.com.
00:45:37.239 --> 00:45:41.959
And I teach people how to build an online practice in step-by-step my course.
00:45:42.119 --> 00:45:48.039
I teach them how to market to private pay clients in the marketing intensive, which is a 12-week intensive.
00:45:48.279 --> 00:45:49.879
You're gonna know how to market.
00:45:50.439 --> 00:45:55.239
And then I am just about to launch a side hustle school called Freedom Seeker School.
00:45:55.559 --> 00:46:00.839
So we'll be adding people into that to learn how to build a side hustle as a therapist.
00:46:01.159 --> 00:46:02.119
Yay, thank you.
00:46:02.279 --> 00:46:03.719
Thank you so much for coming today.
00:46:03.879 --> 00:46:04.919
Such valuable information.
00:46:05.159 --> 00:46:06.759
It's so nice to get to hang out with you.
00:46:06.839 --> 00:46:10.199
And like every time we talk, I hear another thing about your entrepreneurial story.
00:46:10.279 --> 00:46:11.159
I'm like, oh my gosh.
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I love it.
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