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Feeling exhausted from trying to serve everyone? In this episode, Dr. Jess shares how saying yes to every client nearly cost him his practice—and what shifted when he got brutally clear on who his work is actually for. If you’re overwhelmed, burned out, or questioning who your people really are, this one’s for you. Tune in for a grounded take on niche clarity, nervous system sustainability, and why getting picky might be the most compassionate move you make.

Welcome to the Conscious Practitioner.

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This is the audio version of my

newsletter, and it's made for

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wellness practitioners who love

the work but are tired of feeling

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overwhelmed, burned out, and you

just wanna build a practice you love.

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If you'd like to get the email version,

you'll find a link in the show notes.

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So have you ever had that moment

when you've been working on something

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for what feels like absolutely

forever and then suddenly the

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finish line appears through the fog?

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Well, for me, that feeling is

a weird cocktail of excitement

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and complete exhaustion, and

I'm feeling it hard right now.

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You see, next week I finally

launched the course that I've been

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building for almost a year and

good god, what a ride it's been.

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It's really been unlike any

project I've ever tackled.

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It's been messier way more

vulnerable and so much more

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complicated than I ever expected.

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Now, I won't bore you with every

little detail, but here's the

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thing that genuinely nearly broke

my brain during this process.

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It was when I was deciding

exactly who this course is for.

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Now, when I first started outlining

the content, I wanted to help everyone,

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every wellness practitioner who'd ever

felt lost in the realm of business or

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overwhelmed or like they were just winging

it and praying they wouldn't go broke.

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And that's literally word for word

what an acupuncturist told me one time.

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Now, the reason I wanted to work

with everyone is partly because I

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genuinely wanted to help as many

people as possible, but also, and

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I'm gonna be brutally honest here.

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'cause I figured more people

enrolling meant more money.

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And I teach because I love it.

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Sure.

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But I also teach because

I've gotta pay mortgage.

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Now, this pattern, it showed up in my

clinical practice years ago as well.

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I treat anyone who walked through the door

or booked an online appointment at random.

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Some clients were absolutely amazing.

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Others were just fine.

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A good chunk of them.

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They were, well, not my

people, shall we say.

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And I said yes, because at the time

I felt like I had to, like, if I got

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too picky, I'd end up with an empty

schedule in a failing practice because

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of course, survival mode doesn't

leave a lot of room for discernment.

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So over a few years of saying yes to

everyone, I got more and more exhausted.

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Not just physically tired,

but soul level drained.

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The kind of tired that sleep doesn't fix.

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Turns out.

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One of the most important things we can

do as practitioners is spend the time to

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figure out exactly who we want to work

with, not who we think we should work

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with, not who seems most profitable,

but who lights us up and who we can

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genuinely serve at our highest level.

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It's like the difference between

trying to be everything to

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everyone and being exactly right.

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For the right person, because

turns out trying to be the perfect

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fit for everyone means you're not

quite the right fit for anyone.

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Now, when I finally got clear on who this

course really was for, which is heart

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forward wellness practitioners who are

tired of feeling like they're drowning

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in the business side while losing joy in

their work, basically me a few years back.

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Everything clicked.

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The content became sharper, the message

became more clear, and the weird

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cocktail of exhaustion and excitement

finally tipped towards excitement.

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You know what?

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The same thing happened to me years ago

when I got clear on the patients and

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clients I really wanted to work with.

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So if you are feeling scattered,

trying to serve everyone and ending

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up exhausted, maybe it's time to

ask yourself, who are your people,

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not the clients you think you should want,

and not necessarily just the clients that

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are gonna make you the most money, but the

ones who make you remember why you fell

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in love with this work in the first place.

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Sometimes the most radical thing

we could do is to get super

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picky about who gets our energy.

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So then what do you think?

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Is this land for you or am I just

projecting my own journey onto yours?

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I'd love to hear what you have to say.

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So send me an email, jess@aimonline.com.

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I read everyone and I

really appreciate it.

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And if you enjoy this type of content,

subscribe to the conscious practitioner,

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wherever you listen to your podcasts

and like always be well my friend.

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I.