In this episode, Anna explores the gap between insight and action—and why so many therapists stay stuck in their marketing even when they already know what isn’t working. Drawing parallels between therapy clients and private practice owners, she invites listeners to consider whether self-sufficiency has quietly become a barrier to growth.

Anna also walks through the many ways support can look in business, from free resources and templates to coaching programs and fully done-for-you services. If you’ve been wondering whether it’s time to stop white-knuckling your marketing and start getting support, this episode offers a grounded, compassionate perspective on what asking for help can actually make possible.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ Why insight alone often isn’t enough to create meaningful change in your marketing

2️⃣ The difference between learning a skill yourself and recognizing when it’s time to outsource

3️⃣ How self-trust—not just strategy—impacts your willingness to ask for help

4️⃣ What therapists can learn from their own clients about support, growth, and sustainable change

Resources & links mentioned

• Confident Copy: https://walkerstrategyco.com/cc
• Done-for-you services: https://walkerstrategyco.com/services
• Walker Strategy Co website: https://walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice. Explore more marketing support for therapists:

The Walker Strategy Co website: https://walkerstrategyco.com

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by Anna Walker, a marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co—each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

Hey there.

2

Welcome back to Marketing

Therapy, episode seventy-three.

3

. today's episode is inspired by

many of the conversations I get to

4

have with our Done for You clients.

5

Now, when we work with someone

on their website, particularly

6

when writing their copy.

7

We take a lot of time to get to know you

and to get to know your client and to

8

understand who we're really speaking to

when we're putting this website together,

9

because you are the right therapist for

some clients and not right for others.

10

And it's really critical if we're going

to create a website for you that does you

11

justice, that we know who that person is.

12

And so this episode was inspired by some

themes that I often see in those client.

13

So the clients of the therapists that

we work with, that is likely a client.

14

You also know, well, the one who already

arrives to therapy knowing what's up.

15

They maybe have been to therapy before

and if they haven't been to therapy

16

before, they're probably one of those

like podcast consumers, audio book

17

listeners, researchers, whatever.

18

They can name the pattern, right?

19

They understand what's happening.

20

They know why.

21

Things are the way that they are,

but they haven't been able to

22

successfully change those things,

and that's why they're coming to you.

23

That gap right there between

knowing and making changes.

24

Is probably where some of your

best clinical work happens.

25

If you are, like many of the

therapists that we work with, you

26

love getting to work with people who

are insightful, who are self-aware,

27

but who need help making change.

28

That's where some of

your best work happens.

29

You help people move from just

plain old insight into action.

30

That's probably something that you

feel you're good at clinically.

31

And so the question that this

episode is built around is, are you

32

letting someone do that for you?

33

In your own practice.

34

So I wanna take that concept of insight,

action, the gap, and invite you to

35

consider that in your own business.

36

Because a lot of practice

owners are sitting with a lot of

37

insight about their marketing.

38

I hear it from you regularly.

39

You know what's not working.

40

You can probably name it right now,

but you're still doing the same things.

41

You're still getting the same results,

you're still not seeing changes.

42

You're telling yourself that you just

need more time or more information

43

or just one more resource to

actually get where you need to go.

44

And so this episode is about the

wisdom, and I do think it is a form

45

of wisdom of knowing when to stop

trying to be your own clinician, and

46

maybe when it's time to ask for some

help and what that help can look like.

47

So if you are like many of the therapists

that we love to work with, you love

48

working with clients who are motivated,

who are capable, who are self-directed,

49

I mean, the number of times I hear

clinicians describe their ideal clients

50

as high functioning, insightful,

curious, motivated, self-aware.

51

Like it's the most

common thing that I hear.

52

They often come in having already

maybe diagnosed themselves correctly or

53

incorrectly, or at least like I talked

about, be able to point to what's going

54

on, to be able to name something about

what's happening, explain their history,

55

recognize that they have a role in it,

looking for help, actually changing it.

56

And when I look at therapists that are

in the same place, who know what's up in

57

their marketing, who recognize something

isn't quite right, who can spot the

58

pattern or the issue, but struggle to

ask for help, I see the reason for that

59

in kind of three different categories.

60

So one of them is a deep desire

to learn, and I love this one.

61

I think this one is incredibly healthy,

especially early on in your practice.

62

I often talk to people about how I

think one of the most magical parts of

63

Confident copy is learning, quote unquote,

how the sausage is made rather than

64

just someone doing the website for you.

65

Confident copy is really

cool because you learn why.

66

You learn how to think, you

learn an approach, it's a skill.

67

You're actually growing your toolbox.

68

And so sometimes people choose not to

ask for help, raise their hand, outsource

69

whatever, because they just want to learn.

70

So they keep consuming the blog posts and

the Instagram carousels and the podcast,

71

whatever that might be, because you

want to understand your own marketing.

72

And like I said, I think that's a really,

really healthy, that is not an inherently

73

bad thing, what we're talking about.

74

Today is not an inherently bad thing.

75

It's just worth looking at.

76

Now, another reason that I see people

decide not to ask for help and to continue

77

to sometimes stay in that stuck place is

because they believe they could figure

78

it out and they're probably right, right?

79

Capability isn't usually the question

here, although there are people who are

80

like, yeah, no, I don't do technology,

or I hate writing, or whatever that

81

might be, but usually you absolutely

could do this if you were given enough

82

time or enough space or enough whatever.

83

I think the question when this is the

issue is whether continuing to try is

84

actually serving you, or if there comes

a point where it begins to cost you.

85

But when I look at clinicians who are

genuinely resistant to asking for help,

86

who really feel the pain of not being

where they wanna be in their practice,

87

but still haven't invested time,

money, or energy in receiving help,

88

outsourcing, whatever that might be.

89

It's not usually because they haven't

found the right thing to invest in.

90

It's not usually because they

haven't done enough research.

91

You know what I think the issue is?

92

I think it's that they don't

trust themselves enough.

93

And the only reason I can say this is

because I've experienced this myself.

94

Resistance to asking for help is rarely

about not trusting who you're gonna hire.

95

Now, it can be masked as that.

96

You can think, oh, well, I haven't

found the right coach, or I haven't

97

found the right program, or I

haven't found the right provider,

98

or guide or teacher or whatever.

99

But I think more than that, underneath it,

it's that you don't trust yourself to make

100

a good decision to show up and engage.

101

And more importantly, to

get something out of it.

102

Even if the ROI doesn't look exactly

the way that you imagined it would.

103

This is where I see so many

clinicians, and quite frankly just

104

so many business owners get stuck

is, well, what if it doesn't turn

105

into clients by X number of months?

106

Or, what if I do it and it doesn't work?

107

What if you go into it believing

that no matter what happens, you are

108

going to learn something valuable?

109

Get something out of

it, make the most of it.

110

Like I said, the only reason

I can make this observation is

111

because I've experienced it myself.

112

I have worked with the same coach

and consultant for nearly four years.

113

She knows the ins and outs of my business.

114

She has been on the ups and the

downs and the all arounds with me.

115

And every year she raises

her rates as she well should.

116

And every year I'm confronted

with, do I sign on the dotted line

117

again and I feel that fear come up.

118

I do because it's a significant,

we're talking, very significant

119

investment, but what I come

back to is not, do I trust her?

120

It's do I trust myself to make

the most of this investment?

121

Do I trust myself to make use

of what I'm paying for, to

122

find value in it, to engage?

123

And if so, then I can trust

that I'm making a good decision.

124

Am I necessarily going to be able to

tie the exact dollar amount that I've

125

invested in with her to sales in my

business or something quantifiable?

126

Maybe, yes, maybe no.

127

Often, yes.

128

'cause she's excellent, but even if

I didn't, I can trust myself to have

129

made a good decision, to have gotten

the most out of it, and to have

130

capitalized as best I could on the

time and money that I put toward it.

131

So I'm wondering if you can

identify with any of that.

132

I think a lot of times therapists

know this professionally because

133

you help your clients do it.

134

So often clients can understand

everything or what feels like

135

everything about why they are where

they are and still not be able to move.

136

It's why therapy is so powerful

because the barrier is not knowledge,

137

it's not insight, it's not knowing.

138

It's the willingness to, quite frankly,

surrender some control to the process

139

to recognize I can't do this by myself.

140

To bring someone on and to ask for help

in order to actually create change.

141

They haven't been able

to create themselves.

142

I could figure this out if I

had more time is an insight.

143

But it is not itself a plan,

and there's a difference there.

144

Like I said, the question is rarely

whether or not you're capable.

145

It's whether white knuckling it is

actually in service of your practice,

146

or if maybe it's just protecting a

story of self-sufficiency that you

147

didn't realize you were playing out.

148

I mean, what would you say to your

client who's been sitting with the

149

same insight for months or years?

150

Could that insight potentially translate

over into how you view your business?

151

And I wanna be really clear that

asking for help doesn't always mean

152

because things are fundamentally

broken in your practice.

153

Actually.

154

I think that some of the best investments

we make in our businesses are when we

155

are in a more stable or healthy place.

156

Although there's certainly a

time and a place to invest when

157

you are in a state of need.

158

So this isn't about realizing, wow,

things are really, really broken.

159

I better bring someone on board, but

more so what's the cost of continuing to

160

try and figure it out, or continuing to

stay where I am versus recognizing maybe

161

someone could do this a little bit better.

162

That's exactly what happened

for me at Walker Strategy Co.

163

So I began Walker Strategy Co.

164

Just me in 2019 and for many years it

was just me, but about four years ago.

165

So 2022, I'm three years into the

business operationally, just as

166

far as everything that I alone was

doing at that point, it had grown.

167

Past what I could hold well while still

being a mom at that point, to a toddler

168

to having a limited work schedule.

169

I've never had full-time childcare.

170

I was managing multiple inboxes.

171

I was both writing and designing our done

for you projects and also maintaining

172

those relationships and making sure

that my clients were well cared for.

173

I was coaching in confident copy,

and also making sure that that

174

curriculum was staying up to date.

175

Creating the curriculum.

176

Hosting the curriculum,

like I was doing it all.

177

And there came a point where I was like,

huh, is this the best use of my time?

178

Is this the best way to serve my clients?

179

And there came a point where I

had to ask, is this the best?

180

Way to steward my limited time.

181

Is this the best way to serve my clients?

182

Right?

183

So could I do all of it?

184

I absolutely could, and I was, but

was it the best use of my time?

185

It, it wasn't.

186

Was I doing every single thing as

well as it possibly could be done?

187

I had to recognize that,

no, I probably wasn't.

188

And so I came to the realization

that some of what I was doing

189

could be done better by someone.

190

Whose full attention it had.

191

So the very first hire I made was

an operations assistant, someone who

192

could help me in the inboxes, who

could help me deliver templates, who

193

could help me get updates made to

confident, copy, things like that.

194

And then shortly after that,

hire, Monica came on board.

195

If you've been around

confident, copy live.

196

You know, Monica, she has also

written at this point we should

197

count, I don't know, 50 plus.

198

Done for you projects.

199

So I brought on Monica just over

three years ago to support me

200

in the done for you copywriting

and confident copy coaching.

201

And since then, the business and

the team has continued to grow.

202

But you know what happened?

203

The copy, it got better.

204

When I brought on our incredible first

designer, Erica, the design got better.

205

The coaching got better because

Monica and I were able to do it

206

in tandem delivery, got faster.

207

Clients were served better.

208

I hired people who were better than

me at things that I had been doing

209

myself, so I could have done it myself,

absolutely could have kept doing it.

210

Things were going really well.

211

But it's pretty humbling to realize

that, huh, maybe if I bring on other

212

people it could go even better.

213

And to this day continues to be one of the

best things that I've done in my business.

214

Now, I could have and probably should have

done that sooner, but the whole idea of

215

I've got it, I can do it, look at me, go.

216

It kept me from making that leap.

217

And it's the same thing

that your clients say.

218

It's the same thing that you might say.

219

Now asking for help can look

a lot of different ways.

220

It doesn't always mean signing

on the dotted line for thousands

221

and thousands of dollars, right?

222

Sometimes it's free resources, although I

think those can get a little bit sticky.

223

Obviously I put out this podcast.

224

I hope that you enjoy it, engage with

it, and I love hearing from people

225

that leverage our free resources or

other free resources and are able

226

to make the changes that they need.

227

That's fantastic.

228

That's the reason we do

what we do sometimes.

229

Continuing to only consume, consume,

consume free resources can keep you stuck.

230

I think there's something to be said

for having some money on the line,

231

but still reaching out, getting

support, seeking support, finding

232

tools that you can put into action.

233

That's one way to ask for help.

234

Right.

235

Then there are the sort of

templates, formulas, DIY style things

236

where you're doing the work, but

you're not starting from scratch.

237

You're given a starting point kind

of that launching pad, which is

238

what we hear so many template.

239

Customers say that, I just

needed a starting point.

240

This is what helped me kind of.

241

Start moving, right?

242

Mm-hmm.

243

Then we get into programs

similar to Confident Copy.

244

That's where I was talking about

learning how the sausage is made.

245

This is for the person who needs support,

who knows that, but who also wants to

246

build their own skillset, who wants to

build a toolbox of things that they can

247

leverage moving forward in their practice.

248

You get the behind the scenes.

249

You start to kind of.

250

Build a new muscle, as I say,

but you own it completely while

251

having that expert support.

252

And then there are the truly done for

you style services that could be done

253

for you, ads that could be done for you.

254

Websites like what we offer,

copy design, things like that.

255

You're handing it off someone

else's, executing your job there

256

is to trust yourself enough to

engage with the outcome, right?

257

So your job when investing in

someone to do something for

258

you is to be thorough, right?

259

To show up to that process as fully

and as completely as you possibly

260

can, and then to take what you are

given to take the insights, the data,

261

the website, whatever the outcome

is, and to create movement with.

262

Okay, so there's always that

element of self-trust here.

263

Whether it's a free resource, I trust

myself to take this information and do

264

something all the way up to a done for

you website or done for you social media,

265

or done for you virtual assistance.

266

I'm gonna take what I'm given

here and do something with it.

267

Capitalize on it, use it in my business.

268

Now, like I said, this is a spectrum

here, but what all of these have in

269

common is that they require humility.

270

About recognizing where your

expertise ends and someone else's

271

begins, like when I brought on

team members to Walker Strategy Co.

272

Who actually write better, who design

better than I could have, and then you've

273

gotta have that self-trust that however

you ask for help, whether it's a free

274

resource or a template, or a program like

Confident Copy or a done for you service.

275

However you ask for help, you will get

something out of it no matter what.

276

You are the only one that can decide that.

277

But isn't that sort of liberating that

you're not dependent on choosing the

278

exact right program or the exact right,

whatever, but instead knowing, huh, I am

279

a capable enough business owner who trust

myself enough that no matter what I do,

280

even if it ends up not being the best

investment, 'cause that can happen, that

281

I will still get something out of it.

282

It's a powerful place to be,

but it does require a pretty

283

powerful mindset shift first.

284

Now, a lot of the clinicians that we

work with in our done for you services

285

in particular, so that is where we write

and or design your website for you.

286

Are the ones who have really moved

beyond the, I could do it myself phase,

287

and who are starting to ask, is this

the best use of where I am right now?

288

Like I said, I think there's a

time and a place, especially early

289

on in practice to be a little bit

scrappy to go and learn the skills,

290

and sometimes that's all you need.

291

But I find that a lot of the

clinicians that we work with who

292

decide they want to hand off this

powerful element of their marketing.

293

Is because they're starting to evaluate

the cost benefit analysis of staying with

294

their current site or continuing to toil

away and try and create themselves or

295

sacrifice a mediocre website for not right

fit clients and who are really realizing

296

maybe their expertise has ended and it's

time for someone else's to begin there.

297

That's really where I see a

lot of our done for you clients

298

decide to sign on with us.

299

Sometimes this is burnout prevention,

I think like active stewardship of

300

your limited bandwidth so that you

can, if you're a group, practice,

301

lead a team or you can serve your

clients really, really well, right?

302

And not give away your wellbeing to

a task that someone else can own.

303

We recently worked with a group

practice owner who has DIYed, much

304

of her marketing and experienced

absolutely tremendous success.

305

She should be so proud of it, and she is,

but she decided to sign on with us for

306

done for You because she realized this

isn't something I want to own anymore.

307

This is one piece I want to

give up in order to be better

308

and be more well myself, to be

able to serve my team better.

309

When I decided to bring on

people who could do things even

310

better than I could, right?

311

She needed her energy to go toward her

team and her clients and herself not

312

to managing her marketing, and that's

often where we see our done for you

313

clients decide to make that decision.

314

Now I've mentioned previously, but it

is important to note as we get into the

315

summer that our done for you services,

so copy design, and then a brand new

316

service, I can't wait to tell you about

soon will be changing very, very soon.

317

So beginning July one,

our packages and pricing.

318

Will be changing.

319

However, any projects booked before July

one will lock in our current pricing.

320

So I'm just now returning

to maternity leave.

321

As you are listening to this episode, my

calendar is opening back up for discovery

322

sessions, which are just opportunities

for us to meet and determine if a done

323

for you service is a good fit for you.

324

But this is definitely the time

to be considering that if it's.

325

If it's something that you're

wondering about, and if you are

326

finding yourself at this point of,

is this the best use of my time?

327

Does this match the caliber

of clinician that I am today?

328

Is this doing me the

justice that it needs to?

329

Right?

330

So if you have been thinking about

asking for help with your marketing,

331

again, not necessarily because

things are fundamentally broken and

332

you haven't, I hope this episode

gave you something to think about.

333

Maybe some reflections as you think

about your own favorite clients and

334

how you might see yourself in them.

335

Because again, it's not 'cause you can't

do it, you probably can, but should you,

336

is that the best use of your limited

time, energy, money, whatever it might be.

337

Your clients are often coming to you

because insight alone wasn't enough.

338

They needed someone to

help them actually move.

339

And I just wanna remind you that

you're allowed to be that person too.

340

Asking for help is a wonderful

gift to yourself, to your business,

341

especially when you're doing it with

someone that you are excited about.

342

And at the core, when you trust

yourself enough to make use of whatever

343

investment you're making, so what

might it mean for your practice and

344

for you if you stopped being the

only one responsible for all of it?

345

If you got the support you needed,

if you started to fill that gap.

346

I think there's a lot of room for

opportunity and excitement there.

347

I hope this one got your gears turning.

348

Thanks for being here.

349

I'll see you in our next episode.