If you’ve been telling yourself, “I’ll start marketing when…”—this episode is your wake-up call. Whether it’s the economy, your confidence, or your calendar, it’s easy to delay the hard stuff. But waiting for the perfect moment to market your practice is one of the costliest decisions you can make.

In this episode, I’m unpacking the most common objections I hear from therapists about why they’re holding off on marketing—and offering some grounded reframes to help you move forward. Because just like healing in therapy, growth in your business starts with one brave step.

You don’t need to wait until you feel perfectly ready. And you don’t need to do everything at once. But you do need to decide. If you’ve been stuck in indecision, this is your invitation to choose action—imperfect, courageous action—so you can finally start building the practice you want.

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

1️⃣ Why “waiting until the time is right” keeps your practice stuck—and what to do instead

2️⃣ The real cost of putting off your marketing (it’s not just lost clients—it’s lost confidence)

3️⃣ How to reframe fears about money, time, and readiness so you can move forward with clarity

Resources & Links Mentioned:

👉 Confident Copy: walkerstrategyco.com/cc 

👉 The Walker Strategy Co website: 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

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 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.

3

We are right now in the final stretch of

our Confident Copy promotion this summer.

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Now we do this twice per year, and

one of my favorite things about these

5

promotions is the number of conversations

I get to have with clinicians.

6

I usually talk to between 20 and probably

30 plus therapists who are considering

7

confident copy have questions about it

or wondering if it's the right next step.

8

And about half the time I say Absolutely,

I think this can serve you well.

9

And about half the time I'll point them

in a different direction because I think

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that while confident copy may or may not

be able to help a little bit, I don't

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think it's the best next step for them.

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Now as a result of these

conversations, I get to hear a lot

13

about the inner workings, right?

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About what therapists are thinking

about the things that they are weighing,

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the questions and doubts that they

have in their mind when it comes to

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making a decision about their practice.

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So while this episode is born out of

the conversations I've had related to

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confident copy, I think that it indicates

a larger conversation happening in

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the private practice space in general

right now because one of the things I

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hear most often from therapists is some

version of, I'll wait until, I'll wait

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until the economy feels more stable.

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I'll wait until I feel more

confident in my skills or my niche.

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I'll wait until I have more time

or more money or more experience.

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And on the surface,

these reasons make sense.

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And sometimes you gotta be realistic.

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I don't have the time, or this would

put undue financial stress on me.

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But other times we hold onto these

reasons because they feel responsible,

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they feel logical, they feel safe.

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Am I right?

30

Waiting feels safe.

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But so often, and what I often see

in these conversations that I have,

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it's that waiting that feels safe,

that's actually keeping those

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clinicians and their practices stuck.

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I have never in my life seen someone

wear every factor lined up perfectly.

35

Because we all know that it's just

not how it works in this life, right?

36

There's always going to be something.

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The economy, your confidence level,

your family, your schedule that's

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gonna make right now feel imperfect.

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So if you've been waiting for the

perfect time to arrive, to take

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the next step to prioritize growth,

you're gonna be waiting forever.

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And remember, this isn't

just about confident copies.

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Confident copy isn't always the right

next step for therapists, but I see so

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many people staying in holding patterns

because it feels safer when in fact

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that's what's keeping them stuck because

these aren't silly excuses, right?

45

They are rooted in real

fears and real pressures.

46

The economy is shaky, time is limited.

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Money might be tight.

48

And when you're already stretched

thin, it feels almost impossible to

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add one more thing to your plate.

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So again, there's a healthy balance here.

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It's not just always push, push, push,

but here's what I want you to know is

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I look at the therapists in my sphere

and in my world, in our community

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who are break in records, right?

54

They are setting revenue

records in their own practices.

55

They are raising their fees,

they are de paneling clarity.

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That confidence and the momentum in those

practices, none of them came from waiting.

57

They came from action.

58

Just like with your clients, right?

59

Most of your clients don't start therapy

because they suddenly feel ready.

60

Some of them do.

61

They'll reach some sort of tipping

point though, and there's a

62

little bit of hesitation, but they

decide to push forward anyway.

63

They start when they're scared, when

they're hurting, when they're uncertain.

64

And what would you tell your clients.

65

That taking the first step is

the most important part, 'cause

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that's where healing begins, right?

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Healing cannot begin without that

first step, and I would invite you to

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consider if the same is true in your

practice, that the sooner you start

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taking marketing seriously, the sooner

you start putting in the reps, the

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sooner you start investing your time

or energy or money or what have you.

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The sooner your circumstances can change.

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So in this episode, I wanna break

down the most common objections

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I've heard recently from therapists

about delaying their marketing.

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And I wanna show you why waiting is

actually the most expensive decision you

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can make because every time you delay,

you are not just avoiding discomfort,

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you are losing potential clients.

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Income, confidence, momentum.

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So I hope that this episode can

perhaps be the perspective shift.

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You need to finally make a decision

one way or the other, because

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remember, waiting is also a decision.

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If you're sitting on the fence of joining

a program like mine or of reaching out

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to that networking colleague of launching

your practice at all, remember, no

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matter what, you are making a choice.

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And so today I want to help you

get off that fence and make a

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choice one way or the other.

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Now, let's start with the biggest myth

that I see therapists holding onto the

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idea that there's going to be a perfect

time to start this or to restart it, or

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to uplevel it or to prioritize it, that

someday all the stars are gonna align.

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The economy is gonna feel good again.

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Your caseload's gonna feel manageable.

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Your bandwidth is gonna be high.

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You're gonna feel fully

confident in yourself.

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You're gonna reach some point of nirvana

where you just know that you're the best

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therapist you can possibly be, and then

you'll finally be ready to take action.

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Friends, I have never seen that

moment arrive for any therapist

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that I know, any business owner

that I know, because there's always

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something, there's always a reason

why right now isn't gonna feel ideal.

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Take the economy, for example.

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It's never been perfect.

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It never will be.

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There's never been a time where

everyone is rolling in cash and

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financial security feels guaranteed.

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Never.

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It's just not how our world works.

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And yet, right now, this year, I

personally know therapists charging

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200, 2 50, 3 50, even five 80 a session,

therapists offering premium priced

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intensives who are having their best year

ever in this so-called shaky economy.

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The difference is not that those

therapists had better timing, it's

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that they decided not to wait,

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or sometimes we tell ourselves that

we'll start when we feel more confident.

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Maybe that's finishing another

certification or figuring out

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your niche before you start.

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It's a really common one because I talk

to so many therapists about their niches,

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but confidence doesn't come first.

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Clarity doesn't come first.

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These things come through action.

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Confidence comes through taking action.

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Clarity comes through, taking action.

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I've seen this again and again

with Confident Copy students.

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About half of them are brand

new to private practice.

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They're kind of building

the plane as they fly it.

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They don't have everything figured

out yet by any means, but it's through

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the process of showing up and doing

the work and putting themselves out

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there that their voice sharpens.

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And their niche becomes clearer

and their confidence grows.

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So if there's no perfect time

to start, then what actually

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happens when you keep waiting?

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I think the costs are a lot bigger

than most therapists realize.

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Now, let's start with the obvious one.

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Lost clients, right?

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Right.

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Now as you're listening to this, as

I am recording this in my office,

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there are people in your community.

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The very ones you would love

to work with who are actively

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searching for a therapist.

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And if your marketing isn't clear,

if your website isn't pulling its

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weight, if you are engaging in ongoing

marketing routine and putting in

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those reps, those people looking right

now, they won't even know you exist.

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They're gonna click on another profile,

they're gonna book with another therapist.

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That means lost income, of course,

but it also means more time stuck.

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Filling your caseload with

clients maybe you don't enjoy.

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I read a kickoff form from a clinician

today who said one of her biggest

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challenges is that she has people on her

caseload that she doesn't enjoy working

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with, and she's hoping that by getting

clear on this, she can start attracting

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those right fit clients, and I'm so

excited to support her in that process.

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It can mean relying on group

practice referrals that eat into

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your income going 60, 40, 70 30.

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Or just that hustle to keep things

afloat that constant week to

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week am I gonna make it feeling?

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But then there's the hidden cost.

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What waiting actually does to your

confidence, because the longer you

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put it off, the more doubt creeps in.

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You start to wonder if you'll ever

feel ready, if your practice will

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ever be stable, if you're even

cut out for this whole private

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practice thing in the first place.

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That kind of self-doubt compounds.

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It weighs on your mindset.

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Your stress ramps up, and it makes

the hill that all of us have to climb.

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As business owners feel even steeper,

when you finally do decide to

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start down the road, remember not

deciding is still a decision, and

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usually it's the most expensive one.

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So what are you sitting

here right now resisting?

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What fence are you sitting

on as it relates to your

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practice and to your marketing?

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What do you know you could or should be

doing and aren't, for whatever reason?

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What excuses might you be using to

avoid things that feel uncomfortable,

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but you know, might help?

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We've talked about how weighting

costs you, the clients, and the

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income and the confidence, but

I wanna walk you now through the

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five objections I hear most often.

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And again, each one sounds

responsible on the surface.

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The first one, the economy, like I

mentioned earlier, I hear so often no

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one's paying for therapy right now.

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Are the economy's too bad

for private pay therapists?

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All kinds of rhetoric.

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Around that idea.

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You know what I say?

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Yes, the economy is shaky.

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I am not gonna fight you on that.

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There is absolutely no denying it.

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But again, there's never been a moment,

and there never will be a moment

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when everything is perfectly stable.

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Now, something that I have realized

as I've become a mom in particular

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is that we all are operating

with a limited capacity, right?

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I view it like a gas tank.

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We've all got a gas tank, and the way

that we use that and the way that we

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spend that capacity and up to us, when

you hand over part of your capacity, your

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energy, your decision making to something

you cannot control, like the economy.

189

You are using up space that could

be spent on what is in your control.

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It would be unreasonable to say

that the economy doesn't impact you

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as a business owner, but to let it

dictate you and the decisions you

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make is giving up that capacity to

something you can't even control.

193

Because I see therapists showing up

clearly and confidently still filling

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their caseloads right now, even

raising their fees while others keep

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waiting for conditions to change.

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The difference here is not timing, it is

action or the idea of not being ready yet.

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Another really common one, I referenced

it earlier, this one should show

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up as, I'll market myself once I

get one more certification, or I

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figure out my niche or whatever.

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But like I mentioned.

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Readiness doesn't come first.

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That type of clarity, that type of

confidence in your skills, in how

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you put yourself out there, it's

not just gonna come out of nowhere.

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It's gonna come from you

taking steps in that direction.

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You sitting here right now have an

incredible ability to bring your clients

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toward life changing transformation.

207

You're allowed to market that.

208

You don't need another certification

to be allowed to claim that

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and put it out into the world.

210

You don't need another credential

to be allowed to show up.

211

You are capable right now of

supporting your clients in

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absolutely transformational ways.

213

Having been in the therapy space

for over six years now, I've

214

supported over 3000 therapists in

our paid programs and services.

215

And as a result of that, I've been able

to know some clinicians for five or six

216

years, and it's been really incredible

to watch them evolve into strong,

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confident therapists and business owners.

218

But early on, they didn't feel that way.

219

They did not feel that way.

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They do today as they've grown into that.

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But they didn't wait

until they felt ready.

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They started with what they had five or

six years ago, and the clarity and the

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confidence has come through the process.

224

Okay, another huge objection, and

again, as a mother of multiple

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children, I get the capacity thing.

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I don't have time.

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Time is a real constraint,

no doubt about it.

228

Again, we've only got a

limited amount of capacity.

229

I have two kids.

230

I run a business.

231

My husband travels.

232

I get it.

233

As best I can.

234

I don't know your exact circumstance,

but all of our capacities are limited.

235

What I've also learned is that if

you are waiting for your calendar

236

to be magically clear, to take

the next step, to prioritize your

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marketing, to establish a marketing

routine, whatever it might be, you my

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friend, are gonna be waiting forever.

239

The cool thing is that marketing

doesn't need to be all consuming.

240

That growing a practice in this

market is not one size fits all.

241

And sometimes it can be carving it out

an hour here or a couple hours here,

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15 minutes there to send that email.

243

One focused afternoon to knock

out a couple key initiatives.

244

A little bit of consistency

now is ultimately what creates

245

more time freedom later.

246

So if it's a time thing again.

247

There's a very real constraint here that

if you don't have the time, sometimes

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you just straight up don't have the time.

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And sometimes you just could be using

your time a little bit differently

250

to create the future time freedom

that you are ultimately seeking.

251

The amount of late nights and weekends I

put in early on in my business in order to

252

be able to take half day Fridays now wild.

253

But it was worth it.

254

Right?

255

And that's not to say that we all

have the room to do that, but.

256

We can't just be sticking around

waiting for again, that perfect

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time 'cause it doesn't exist.

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Now another one, this one's really

interesting for established clinicians.

259

This idea that my caseload is fine right

now, this one's really sneaky because

260

when things feel okay, it's really easy

to take your foot off the gas of your

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practice and of your marketing, right?

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'cause you're just focusing on

serving the clients you have.

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Things are good.

264

We're rocking and rolling, but marketing

is what I call a lagging indicator.

265

Because the effort that you're

putting in today is showing

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up weeks or months from now.

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So if you stop the moment, things

feel fine, you are setting yourself

268

up for that feast or famine that

is so uncomfortable and stressful.

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As a business owner, I encourage you to

think about your marketing like a dial.

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Okay?

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Dialing up and dialing down.

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Not a light switch on or off.

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You should always be doing something.

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Now, you're probably gonna be doing more

in the growth seasons of your practice,

275

and you're probably gonna be doing

a little bit less in the maintenance

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seasons, but you're still doing something.

277

You're not turning it off because

restarting from zero is what creates that

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anxiety and burnout and that hair on fire.

279

Maybe I'll just burn it all down and work

at Costco feeling that we've all had.

280

Okay.

281

Another one.

282

What if it doesn't work?

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I think this is the one

every single person listening

284

can probably resonate with.

285

What if I do this and it doesn't pay off?

286

What if I invest in this program?

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What if I pay for it

and it doesn't pay off?

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What if I use my limited

time and it doesn't pay off?

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Listen, I get this.

290

I've mentioned before that

I have a business coach.

291

I've had one since I began my business

and I've been working with my current one.

292

It'll be four years in October and every

year she raises her rates as she should.

293

And every year I feel the

same lump in my throat.

294

Maybe I can do this on my own.

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What if I don't use everything

that's offered here?

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Is this really the best use of my money?

297

But you know what I've learned?

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Not paying because I trust my

coach, although I do very much.

299

I'm paying because I trust myself.

300

And that reframe has shifted how

I spend money as a business owner

301

because I no longer believe in wasting

money because I trust myself to get

302

what I need out of every investment.

303

That doesn't mean I use every single

feature offered to me or that every

304

program I've bought has produced.

305

Instant.

306

ROII purchased a course last year for a

significant amount of money, and I haven't

307

actually implemented what I learned there,

but what I learned did give me clarity

308

on what to do next, and now I have a

resource I can go back to if and when I

309

decide to, but I got something out of that

even if it wasn't tangible right away.

310

Because every single investment that

I've made has given me some sort

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of insight, some sort of momentum

to move my business forward.

312

Have I made some investments

that weren't great?

313

Yeah.

314

That I felt a little disappointed in.

315

Yeah.

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But I've still trusted myself to

find and to mind those investments

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for insights, for learnings, for

takeaways that I could apply.

318

I've seen the same thing with my student.

319

Take Catherine who you heard a

few weeks back on this podcast.

320

She told me straight up she

was afraid of getting scammed

321

when she joined Confident Copy.

322

She'd already tried other things that

hadn't worked, but she decided to invest

323

anyway, not just in Confident copy.

324

She was investing in herself

in her ability to take what

325

she learned and use it.

326

And now if you listen to that

episode, Catherine is a hundred

327

percent private pay now.

328

She's making more than

she did on insurance.

329

Seeing fewer clients working in a

niche she loves and feeling absolutely

330

lit up and energized by her work.

331

That's what happens when you stop

waiting for a guarantee and start

332

betting instead on yourself.

333

You can trust yourself.

334

That's why I always tell people, like

at the end of the day, go with your gut.

335

If your gut says, oh, I'm skeptical

on this, and the SI can't get over

336

the skepticism, okay, then trust it.

337

Then trust it.

338

But if you're just living in a space

of, what if I pay for this and it

339

doesn't pay me back, then I would

really invite you to reframe that.

340

By paying for this, how am I trusting

myself and what am I gonna do?

341

So here's the big takeaway.

342

We've looked at a couple

of those big objections.

343

I've.

344

Heard from folks recently

and have been chatting about

345

in the inbox and dms lately.

346

On the surface, every single one of

these objections sounds logical, but

347

underneath they are safer ways of

saying, I'm scared and that's okay.

348

Being scared is absolutely okay, but

if you let those objections, a k, a

349

fears run the show, then you very well

may stay stuck exactly where you are.

350

Now if waiting costs you, and if

these objections aren't actually

351

protecting you the way that they

feel like they are, then what happens

352

when you decide to start Momentum?

353

And momentum is one of the hands down,

most powerful forces in your business.

354

Like I mentioned, clarity.

355

It doesn't just drop from the sky.

356

Confidence doesn't just

show up one morning.

357

They are built and cultivated in motion.

358

Every single small step you take when

it comes to growing your practice

359

compounds, making the decisions to launch.

360

Creating a site today, profile, finishing

your website, copy, talking about

361

your work in a clearer way, reaching

out to your first networking contact.

362

Each of these things

builds visibility, trust.

363

And ultimately inquiries, referrals.

364

But here's the thing, these results,

they do not show up overnight

365

as much as I wish they did.

366

Marketing is so much these days

like planting seeds and my friend.

367

The sooner you plant them, the

sooner you will bear fruit.

368

The longer you wait, the

longer it will take to harvest.

369

That's what it comes down to.

370

Today's most successful therapists aren't

the ones who waited for perfect timing

371

or a perfect economy, or to not feel any

fear in investing or taking the next step.

372

They were the ones who were

willing to do those anyway.

373

Even when it felt scary, even when it

felt uncertain, because they realized

374

that by starting now, they weren't

just investing in their practice, they

375

were investing in their future self.

376

The one who feels calm and steady,

confident in their fees, proud of

377

the practice that they've built,

fully secure in their identity as

378

both therapist and business owner.

379

That is what is on the other

side of taking action today.

380

So here's what I want you

to take away from today.

381

There is no perfect time waiting

costs more than starting, and

382

the objections that feel safe.

383

The economy not feeling

ready, not having time.

384

A caseload that feels fine.

385

A fear of wasting money.

386

Have the potential to keep

you stuck where you are.

387

Because not deciding is still a decision.

388

Not taking action is still a decision,

but it's often the more expensive one.

389

So if you've been listening today and

hearing yourself in any of these reasons,

390

this is your moment to choose differently.

391

The sooner you start, the sooner

your circumstances can change.

392

The sooner you begin building

momentum, the sooner clarity

393

and confidence are gonna follow.

394

Whatever fence you're sitting on in your

practice, I encourage you to think through

395

these questions and make a decision to

get off that fence one way or the other.

396

Now, as I mentioned, the doors to

Confident copy for this special promotion.

397

Do close tomorrow.

398

So if you're listening in real time,

I do encourage you to jump in before

399

the price increases permanently.

400

All the details, Walker strategy

code.com/confident-copy.

401

But please know at the end of the day

you have what it takes to be successful.

402

The therapist I've referenced here today.

403

The ones raising their rates and

having record breaking months, they

404

are not that different from you.

405

And if you choose to take action and you

choose to get scrappy, and you choose

406

to do things scared and you choose to

trust in yourself, you can do that too.

407

I'm cheering you on and I'll

see you in the next episode.