How to Stop Waiting for the "Perfect Time" to Start Your Private Practice
This episode of The Therapist Mom Podcast is filled with honest, practical insights to help you finally take action on starting your private practice—even if life feels busy, messy, or overwhelming. If you’ve been caught in a cycle of waiting, over-preparing, or second-guessing every move, and wonder if you’ll ever feel “ready,” you’re in exactly the right place.
As someone with over a decade in private practice, and as a mom who has built a business while juggling motherhood, unpredictability, and those all-too-familiar waves of self-doubt, I know firsthand that the moment you feel fully ready rarely—if ever—arrives. What matters isn’t waiting for total confidence or perfect timing; it’s taking that first small step in the midst of your real, beautiful, complicated life. Let’s get real about what’s keeping you on the sidelines and how you can finally begin.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
How to Tell the Difference Between Real Constraints and Fear: You’ll learn to spot the sneaky ways fear disguises itself as “reasonable” reasons to wait, and how to recognize true logistical barriers.
Why “Ready” is a Decision—Not a Feeling: We’ll unpack how to give yourself permission to move forward, even when self-doubt is loud.
Action Steps for Getting Unstuck: Practical strategies, scripts, and mindset shifts to help you take the next step toward building the career (and life) you want.
Episode Timestamps
00:02: Opening honesty about motherhood, private practice, and why the “perfect time” myth keeps us stuck.
07:03: Why real-life barriers and fear are so hard to separate, and the consequences of endless preparation.
10:31: How systems, training, and culture teach us to overprepare and internalize self-doubt.
16:47: The truth about readiness: why you’ll never feel fully prepared, and why that’s not a problem.
19:07: Step-by-step: How to identify real vs. “ambient” constraints and move forward—even if it’s messy.
23:59: How courage (not confidence) propels you forward, and how to let go of waiting.
25:29: Next steps and how to get clarity (plus, how to connect for a coaching consult).
Top Takeaways on Starting a Private Practice as a Therapist Mom
1. Learn to Spot Fear Disguised as Logistics
Let’s break this down: We all have legitimate seasons—babies, school transitions, financial realities—that can impact timing. But more often, the reasons we give ourselves (“I need another certification,” “It’s just not the right time”) are really masked fear. This shows up as endless prep, research, and delaying. The first step is to get radically honest about what’s truly holding you back.
Example: As I shared in this episode, my own leap into private practice was tangled with fear of failure, fear of judgment, and a long list of “responsible” reasons to wait. The truth? That list kept regenerating every season until I finally decided to do it scared.
2. Ready Isn’t a Feeling—It’s a Choice
Here’s how you can start implementing this TODAY:
Step 1: Write down all the reasons you’re telling yourself “not now.” Split them into two categories: Real Constraints (logistics like money, childcare, licensing) and Fear-Based Narratives (“I’m not prepared,” “What will others think?”).
Step 2: For the real constraints, create a concrete plan (even a single, tiny step—like researching business bank accounts or listing names for your practice). For the fear-based reasons, give yourself permission to take action anyway.
Pro tip: Remember, confidence comes from doing. Each small step quiets fear and builds momentum.
3. Don’t Fall Into the Trap of Overpreparing
We all make mistakes, but let’s save you the headache. Here’s what NOT to do:
Mistake 1: Believing another certification or another podcast episode will make you “ready.” That moment never comes—you always find something else to wait for.
Mistake 2: Expecting life to “calm down” before you begin. With motherhood, there is always another season around the corner.
Bonus: Thinking you need to build your whole practice at once. Small, imperfect steps forward are enough.
⭐️ You don’t have to figure this out alone. Ashley Comegys specializes in helping therapist moms build private practices that allow them the time freedom, flexibility and autonomy they need in their careers. Looking for support in either starting your practice, or looking to revamp your marketing and systems? Let’s chat, book a free consultation here
🫶🏼 Join us for Therapist Mom Networking Meetup — a casual space to connect with other therapist moms, share what’s working in your practice, talk through challenges, and build real community. No pressure, no pitching — just support and connection. Register at https://www.raisedtoempower.com/networking
🩵 This episode is sponsored by Jane, the all-in-one practice management software I use and love. Book your FREE Live Demo HERE and when you're ready to sign up use code ASHLEY1MO for a 1 month grace period
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📌 Learn more about how I can help support you and your practice, and ways we can work together at www.raisedtoempower.com
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Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, supervision, or legal advice.
