Ever feel like the marketing strategies that once filled your caseload just aren’t cutting it anymore? You’re not alone. In this episode, I share my personal story from 2025—how I realized my own marketing systems needed a serious refresh and what I did about it. Whether you’re brand new to private practice or a seasoned therapist, staying flexible and connected to your business is non-negotiable right now.

We’ll dive into why the market has changed, why your clients’ expectations have evolved, and why that Psychology Today profile or “good enough” website might not be pulling its weight anymore. Most importantly, you’ll hear how getting scrappy—moving faster, testing, tweaking, and not waiting until things feel perfect—can help you regain momentum and confidence in your marketing.

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

1️⃣ Why relying on outdated marketing strategies can quietly stall your private practice—and how to spot when it’s happening to you.

2️⃣ What “getting scrappy” really looks like in your marketing (spoiler: it’s not about being sloppy—it’s about staying connected and moving forward).

3️⃣ How cultivating a flexible, evolving relationship with your marketing helps you fill your caseload in today’s more discerning, competitive client market.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Confident Copy: walkerstrategyco.com/cc
• The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com
• Join the Confident Copy waitlist: walkerstrategyco.com/waitlist

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: 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 me—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, hey, welcome back to

Marketing Therapy episode 16.

2

I'm excited about this one.

3

I'm gonna share a little bit about my

4

because I don't think this year has

been something any of us quite expected.

5

If you've ever had that sinking

feeling like something's not working.

6

Anymore.

7

Maybe it's your website,

maybe it's your referrals.

8

Maybe it's something else entirely.

9

That's what we're gonna talk about

today because one of the biggest

10

patterns that I see, and one that

I have been through myself, which

11

I'm gonna share today, is this.

12

You launch your business, you set

things up the way you are told to,

13

the way you see other people doing it.

14

That system, it builds some momentum.

15

You figure out what

works for you and then.

16

At some point, that system stops

working at least as well as it used to.

17

And when that happens, it is frustrating.

18

It is discouraging.

19

It is anxiety inducing because you

already put in the effort, right?

20

You thought you had this

whole thing figured out.

21

. What I wanna talk about today

is the value of pivoting.

22

Okay, of getting what we call

around here a little bit scrappy.

23

It's about being willing to evolve

your strategy, your approach,

24

your marketing, your mindset,

even when you don't feel like it.

25

Because whether you are brand

new to private practice or years

26

into running your own thing.

27

Staying connected to your business,

staying flexible is absolutely essential

28

if you want to keep your caseload

full, especially right now in the

29

market that we find ourselves in.

30

So in this episode, I'm gonna share

a little bit of my own story around

31

this, how I realized it was time

to make changes in my own business.

32

Earlier this year.

33

I was forced to confront the fact

that things weren't working in my

34

marketing the way that they had been.

35

Things had slowed down a little bit, and

quite frankly, I didn't wanna admit it.

36

I really dug my heels in when it

came time to look at changing things.

37

But I wanna zoom in on what

was really going on there.

38

'cause it wasn't just about

numbers dropping, like the business

39

was fine, we were functioning.

40

It's not that we were in any sort of

panic, five alarm situation, but it was

41

about what those numbers meant to me.

42

These were some of the thoughts going

through my head, but this used to work.

43

I already did the hard

work setting this up.

44

I built the systems.

45

I've already done this, and maybe you

46

I've talked to many therapists

who can resonate with this.

47

The seasoned therapists listening right

now that might sound like I used to have

48

referrals and now they've slowed down.

49

I used to get a bunch of referrals

from Psychology Today, and now I don't.

50

I built my website years ago.

51

It was good enough back then, and

if that's been true for a while, if

52

you've been having those thoughts so

far this year or even longer, I get it.

53

I get it so deeply because it

feels like you shouldn't have

54

to mess with it again, right?

55

You got it right the first time.

56

There should be some moment

where the marketing is done,

57

set it, forget it, trust it.

58

But what I've learned and what I've

had to just come to grips with, and

59

what I ultimately wanna emphasize

here is that the market that we find

60

ourselves in requires evolution.

61

The same effort today does not get the

same result as it used to for a long time.

62

A plus B equals C.

63

And if your marketing has

worked in that way, hallelujah.

64

What a wonderful thing Today, A plus

B, they're not adding up to C anymore.

65

The therapists who filled their

caseloads effortlessly five years

66

ago, maybe you came into private

practice in the pandemic times.

67

A lot of them are now realizing what

worked then is just not cutting it now.

68

Now, if you're newer in practice, this

shows up a little bit differently.

69

Because it's not about holding

onto old strategies, right?

70

You're starting new, you're starting

afresh, but it's about wanting to get it

71

absolutely perfect before you even start.

72

I see this all the time with the

newer therapists we work with.

73

They're telling themselves things

like, I have to figure out my niche

74

and get it perfect first, or, I need

to finish my entire website before I

75

even tell anyone about my practice.

76

Or the biggest one.

77

I don't wanna waste time

doing the wrong thing.

78

Whether you are brand new or years in the

same mindset is underneath these thoughts.

79

I want this to be easier.

80

I want this to just work and listen.

81

That is a completely human instinct.

82

It is something I relate

to on a very deep level.

83

We all want that.

84

We want the thing that once

worked to keep working.

85

Of course we do.

86

We want the thing we're building right now

to be done right, and to be done already.

87

But here's the real issue.

88

If you hold on to strategies that

used to work, or if you avoid starting

89

because you don't feel 100% ready, then

you are going to miss what's really

90

possible for your practice right now.

91

Because if there is one thing I

can say to sum up where we find

92

ourselves right now in our industry

is that things have changed.

93

The market has changed, client

expectations have changed, and

94

it isn't enough anymore to rely

on the strategies of yesteryear.

95

The Psychology Today Profile you wrote

two years ago and haven't touched since,

96

the networking contacts that you may

be made five years ago and then never

97

followed up with to be successful

right now, you have to stay connected.

98

You have to keep refining

and adjusting and evolving.

99

The clinicians who I see being the

most successful right now have a

100

fundamental mindset that is flexible

and open and willing to make changes.

101

Now, if you are sitting here right

now with systems that used to

102

work, please know that this doesn't

mean you have to throw everything

103

out and start from scratch.

104

You don't have to burn it all down.

105

But it does mean you need to get really

honest with yourself about what's

106

actually working and what isn't anymore.

107

And once you identify what that

gap is, you've gotta fill it.

108

So consider pausing and reflecting

as you're listening right now.

109

Are you holding onto strategies just

because they used to work or avoiding new

110

ones because you don't feel 100% ready yet

111

If the answer is yes.

112

That's okay, but it

means it's time to pivot.

113

That's the mindset shift we're

really talking about here.

114

It's what my marketing mentorship

confident copy is all about too.

115

Helping you build a marketing system

that's not just set it and forget it.

116

The idea of filling your practice

on autopilot these days isn't real,

117

but instead something that evolves

with you, that evolves as you

118

change and as the market changes.

119

We'll get into that a little bit later

in this episode, but first I wanna talk

120

to you a little bit more about my own

story and what happened once I stopped

121

resisting and digging my heels in.

122

Once I decided and committed to getting

scrappy and started moving forward again.

123

So once I finally admitted to myself

that things needed to change, and I came

124

to terms with the fact that yes, Anna,

while this used to work three years ago.

125

It's not working the same way anymore.

126

Then the next question

was, what do I do now?

127

Because I had this belief that what

I had done and set up two, three

128

years ago was the best I could do.

129

I had this thought that I wasn't

capable of anything else, that that was

130

the best of the best, and so I had to

start examining what I might actually

131

be capable of and pushing myself.

132

A little bit outside of my comfort

zone to consider new approaches and new

133

strategies and to not limit myself to

what I believed was good enough back then.

134

And I wish I could tell you I had some

perfect plan that I sat down and I

135

mapped out a flawless new strategy before

doing a single thing that my friends

136

is not what happened, not even close.

137

What actually happened was a

whole lot messier than that.

138

I think back to when I really

had this light bulb moment.

139

It was in February I

had an idea on a Monday.

140

I was implementing by Tuesday

and delivering it to by Friday.

141

So we're talking a five day

turnaround for something brand new.

142

That's what being scrappy

has started to look like.

143

In my business.

144

It is meant to moving

faster than I'm used to.

145

Letting go of the need for absolutely

everything to be perfectly polished

146

and buttoned up before putting it

out there and not in a reckless

147

throw stuff at the wall way.

148

I mean, my standards for what we put out

into the world are still extremely high,

149

but in more of a deliberate, let's try

this and see what happens kind of way.

150

And I wanna be really clear

about this because I know we

151

have two kinds of listeners here.

152

For the experienced therapists.

153

The ones who have been practicing

for years and feel like you

154

already put in your time, you

did your time on your marketing.

155

Scrappy here doesn't mean sloppy.

156

It means staying present and

staying engaged with your business.

157

With the ongoing effort required,

it's not just setting things up once

158

and expecting them to run forever.

159

And for our newer therapists

listening, the ones who aren't holding

160

onto old systems but are trying to

get things right the first time.

161

Scrappy means willing to

figure it out as you go.

162

It means not waiting until you feel 100%

confident before you take the first step.

163

It means testing and

tweaking and optimizing.

164

For both groups, both

experienced and newer.

165

It means being willing to test,

to tweak and to stay connected.

166

So in my case, I launched things faster.

167

I wrote new copy faster.

168

I tried different approaches

and angles faster.

169

I gave my team updates with a much shorter

runway than they were used to because

170

I didn't have time to sit on things.

171

And I'll be honest, it

felt chaotic sometimes.

172

Especially because I'm not someone

who usually operates like that.

173

I am usually much slower and thoughtful

and deliberate, and I tend to twiddle

174

my thumbs a little bit longer.

175

I like things to be really

thought through, really dialed

176

in before putting them out there.

177

But the cool thing is there's also

something really energizing about this

178

because even when something I tried didn't

work perfectly, that example back in

179

February, it didn't work by all accounts.

180

What I hoped it would accomplish.

181

It didn't.

182

And so it's not that everything

that I tried worked brilliantly,

183

but I wasn't stuck anymore.

184

I was taking action.

185

I was in motion in a way

I hadn't been for years.

186

And that did something

really important for me.

187

It helped me get back in touch with my

business because when you set things

188

up once and then you leave them to run

on autopilot, even if they're working.

189

You start to lose that connection

and in some part that's okay.

190

You're able to put your energy

elsewhere, but it can lead to getting

191

disconnected from what's really

happening, what's really effective.

192

And I found that once I started taking

action, even when things didn't pan

193

out the way I hoped, testing things

again, paying attention again, I could

194

feel that connection coming back.

195

I felt more committed.

196

I felt more creative.

197

I felt more energized and in touch with

my business than I had been in years.

198

Now, I wanna be honest again, the

tangible business results, right?

199

The bottom line, those numbers, the

data, it didn't show up overnight.

200

It took time for those things

to compound, but that internal

201

shift happened almost immediately.

202

The belief that if I'd done it

before, I could do it again.

203

The belief that I was

capable of figuring it out.

204

The feeling of, okay,

I know how to do this.

205

I am in charge of this.

206

I am capable.

207

And that's what I want for you too,

because whether you are fixing a website

208

that's feeling stale, you haven't looked

at it in five years, maybe you are

209

pivoting to a group practice and trying

to fill your clinician's caseloads.

210

Maybe you are updating your Psychology

Today profile that you haven't

211

touched since your associate days.

212

Maybe you are reconsidering

what you need to be doing on an

213

ongoing basis to get clients.

214

The act of just engaging with your

business in this way is powerful, even

215

when it doesn't lead to an instant result.

216

It builds confidence, it builds

momentum, it builds self-trust, and

217

it keeps you from falling into the

trap of waiting around and hoping

218

things will get better on their own.

219

Take a moment and be honest with yourself.

220

Have you been doing that?

221

I have talked to countless clinicians

so far this year who are dumbstruck

222

by what's happening in their caseloads

and in the market, and I get it.

223

Believe me, if I, if this story about

my own business tells you anything,

224

it's that I deeply understand that.

225

But are you simply sitting around and

waiting, hoping things will get better,

226

or are you doing something about it?

227

That's really what we emphasize inside of

Confident Copy as well, not about writing

228

the perfect about page and then never

touching it again, but about learning the

229

skill of staying connected to yourself, to

your clients, to your marketing, so that

230

when things change, you know how to pivot.

231

You know how to refine, you know

how to get scrappy without feeling

232

like you're starting from scratch.

233

That is what scrappy really is.

234

And scrappy has become the word of

the year for myself and my team.

235

It's not chaos, but it's creative control.

236

And if that's resonating with you,

if you're realizing maybe it's time

237

to get back in touch with your own

marketing, we'll talk a little bit

238

more about how to do that in a minute.

239

But first I wanna zoom out even

further and look at why this kind of

240

adaptability is so important right now.

241

Not just for me, but for you, for every

therapist I know who was trying to grow

242

a sustainable full fee practice in 2025,

because things are different right now.

243

Now everything I've shared up until this

point, what happened in my business,

244

what I had to shift, how I got scrappy.

245

This isn't just my personal story.

246

It's a pattern that I am seeing

across the board right now with a

247

therapist I work with every single day.

248

And that's ultimately why I wanted

to record this episode because the

249

reality is we are in a different market.

250

And I don't say that to be dramatic.

251

I say that because it's true,

and you probably know that too.

252

The therapists who filled their practices

easily five years ago are not necessarily

253

the ones filling them easily right now.

254

And if you're sitting here wondering

why things feel harder or why

255

something that used to work doesn't

seem to be cutting it anymore.

256

It's not just you.

257

You haven't done something wrong.

258

The landscape has just changed.

259

Five years ago, we're

260

You know, the days clients were looking

for availability, plain and simple.

261

If you were licensed and had a slot

open, that was pretty much enough.

262

I know therapists who didn't even have a

website back then, we put together their.

263

Psychology Today profile.

264

They would get four calls the next day.

265

It was glorious.

266

But fast forward today, and

here's what I'm really seeing now.

267

I want you to really listen for where you

might recognize yourself in these things.

268

Therapists are saying things like, I've

been full for years without a website.

269

Now I'm realizing I might need one.

270

I used to get all my clients from word of

mouth, but things have really slowed down.

271

My Psychology Today profile

worked great before, but now

272

it feels like it's crickets.

273

Do those things sound familiar to you?

274

Here's why this is happening.

275

Your clients are more discerning

than they have ever been.

276

They are more skeptical, they

have more choices, and they're

277

ultimately looking for specialists,

278

your client's standards are higher.

279

It's not enough anymore to just

have a general catchall website.

280

It's not enough to say, I work

with anxiety and depression

281

and expect that to stand out.

282

Clients want to feel like you get them.

283

Like you specialize in the specific

challenges they are facing.

284

Like your therapy services

are designed for them.

285

They want to know within seconds of

learning about you and interacting

286

with your marketing that this person

is exactly who I've been looking for.

287

It's interesting as clients have

become more psycho aware through

288

Instagram and TikTok and all the

things, they're realizing more and

289

more that therapists do specialize.

290

And so they go looking for specialists

in a way that they never used to.

291

That's why what worked five years

ago might not be working today.

292

And that applies whether you've

been in practice for 20 years

293

or you are just starting out.

294

For my more seasoned therapists listening,

the ones who feel like, but I already did

295

the work, I really want you to hear this.

296

You're not wrong for wanting to lean

on the systems you already built.

297

Of course you want that.

298

But in this market, if you are

still relying on strategies from

299

2018 or 2020, there's a really good

chance they're holding you back.

300

Now,

301

. that website you made a few

years ago that felt good enough.

302

If you haven't touched it since

then, it probably doesn't reflect

303

the level of expertise you've built.

304

It probably doesn't feel as premium

or as specific as it could in order to

305

stand out to right fit clients who are

more discerning and more skeptical.

306

And I say that gently because, hello.

307

I've been there.

308

I had things in my own business that I

set up once and just let them run until

309

they didn't work the way they used to.

310

Now for my newer therapists, the

ones who, again, aren't holding

311

onto those old systems, here's

the opportunity I see for you.

312

You don't have outdated systems to undo,

but you do have to be willing to figure

313

out what works in this market, not what

worked for somebody else years ago.

314

That means not getting stuck in

perfectionism before you even start.

315

It means not just relying on

reverse engineering what you see

316

other clinicians do, and it also

means not waiting until everything

317

feels 100% dialed in to get going.

318

It means accepting that

building a full fee.

319

Right-Fit caseload is not

a one and done project.

320

It is an evolving process.

321

I've worked with newer therapists inside

Confident Copy who joined because they

322

didn't want to waste their time guessing.

323

They didn't just wanna throw something

together and hope for the best.

324

They wanted to get it

right from the beginning.

325

They wanted to invest the time and

the energy now, so they weren't

326

constantly spinning their wheels later.

327

And I respect that mindset.

328

But whether you are brand new or

years into the private practice thing.

329

The main thing I want you to take

away from today's conversation is that

330

your marketing isn't something you

can just set up once and forget about.

331

Your practice evolves, your skills

evolve, the market evolves, your ideal

332

clients evolve, and your marketing, your

website, your networking strategies, your.

333

Directory profiles, your visibility

strategies, they need to evolve with it.

334

That's why I always say

marketing is like an ongoing

335

relationship with your business.

336

And the therapist who I see feeling

their practice is the fastest right

337

now is not necessarily because

they have the flashiest websites or

338

the biggest Instagram followings.

339

It's because they're paying attention.

340

They're willing to pivot.

341

They're willing to check in on

what's working and what isn't.

342

They're not simply waiting around for

things to bounce back on their own.

343

Growing a practice, growing a full

fee caseload of clients who light

344

you up is not a passive exercise.

345

That's what it really means

to run a sustainable practice

346

in this season of the market.

347

It's why we built Confident Copy the way

we did, not just as a course to help you

348

write your website once, although that's

helpful, but as a skill building system

349

that helps you evolve your copy over time.

350

I just talked with a former student.

351

She graduated three years ago and she

said she still comes back to the Confident

352

Copy curriculum to make changes to her

practice as she has added skills and

353

niches to what it is that she does.

354

She continues to come back because

it is that skill building system.

355

So this isn't about writing your

Psychology Today profile once and

356

crossing your fingers, or sending five

networking emails and expecting those

357

to fill your caseload on their own.

358

Building a website that feels good

for six months, and then wondering

359

why inquiries have slowed down.

360

Again, I want you to have the skillset,

the mindset, the confidence, the

361

clarity to adjust when you need to.

362

Without having to second

guess yourself at every turn.

363

That's where a lot of

clinicians tend to hang out.

364

They identify that there's an issue,

they realize there needs to be

365

action, and then they sit in between

there, second guessing themselves,

366

spinning their wheels, twiddling their

thumbs, not taking forward action.

367

So before we wrap up, I wanna leave you

with a couple of reflection questions.

368

When it comes to being scrappy

and pivoting and staying

369

connected to your practice.

370

Where in your business might you be

holding onto strategies that used to work

371

without actually checking if they do?

372

What's an experiment you could

try this month to reconnect with

373

your marketing, with your message,

with your clients alliance?

374

And how might these things feel if

you approached them from a place of

375

possibility rather than pressure?

376

Don't dig your heels in the way I did.

377

Learn from me here.

378

View this change as an opportunity,

as the beginning of something new

379

as possibility, not as pressure.

380

'cause pivoting doesn't have to

mean burning it all down, and it

381

doesn't have to mean being sloppy.

382

It doesn't have to mean wasting your time.

383

It means paying attention.

384

It means staying connected.

385

It means recognizing you will learn

something, whether something quote

386

unquote works or it doesn't, that

you will get valuable information

387

because you are capable of this.

388

You're building a practice that works

now and in whatever season comes next.

389

So remember, pivoting isn't failure.

390

It's critical.

391

Scrappy isn't sloppy.

392

It is what's required right now, whether

you're brand new to private practice

393

or you've been doing this for years.

394

The therapists who are filling their

395

are the ones who are willing to get back

in touch with their business to view it

396

as an ongoing relationship and something

that they have to continuously cultivate.

397

They're willing to pay attention,

and they're willing to make

398

changes when things shift.

399

If you're realizing as you're listening

to this that it might be time to reconnect

400

with your own marketing, maybe your

website, your niche, your approach to

401

marketing could really use some love.

402

That is exactly why I

created Confident Copy.

403

Confident Copy is my signature program

where we help you identify your niche,

404

create a website that calls in those

RightFit clients, and ultimately

405

builds a foundation for your marketing

that can work for years to come.

406

Even when things change, it's about

learning skills to evolve your marketing

407

as your practice grows because your

practice isn't static and your marketing

408

can't be either twice every year.

409

I reopen confident.

410

Copy at a reduced rate.

411

And if you're listening to this

412

the next one is coming in August.

413

You'll get access to not just an

additional discount, hello, extra

414

savings, but also a way for us to work

together for an additional six months.

415

Then make sure your name is on the wait

list, walker strategy code.com/waitlist.

416

Also drop that link in the show notes.

417

Thanks for being here today.

418

Remember, you're capable of this.

419

Get back in touch with your business.

420

Remember that pivoting doesn't

mean failure and keep your head up.

421

You've got this.

422

I'll see you in the next episode.