Conversations With a Wounded Healer

Hey, practice owner, how would you define your role in that business you worked so hard to create? Are you a visionary focused on pursuits related to company culture or community initiatives? Or are you a dedicated integrator, dutifully keeping up with basics like billing, payroll, and website upgrades?

Maureen Werrbach, LCPC, is a visionary for sure. She owns Urban Wellness, a multi-location group practice in the Chicago area. She's also the innovative mind behind The Group Practice Exchange, where she counsels owners on successfully starting and scaling their businesses.

In our conversation, we're throwing pipin' hot honest-tea on the realities of practice ownership.

Maureen Werrbach, LCPC, is a visionary entrepreneur in the mental health field as the owner of Urban Wellness, a multi-location group practice in the Chicago area. She knows firsthand the focus healthcare providers put on making a positive impact in the world. She also knows that many healthcare professionals put business second to boots on the ground, helping in the community. Maureen shares her expertise in group practice leadership by coaching, educating, and training group practice owners as the owner of The Group Practice Exchange. She helps group practice owners learn how to successfully start and scale their businesses so they can have a larger impact on their communities.

Hey Practice Owners!

Do you feel exhausted, over-extended, and under-appreciated? Does the thought of returning to solo practice cross your mind from time to time (or more often)?

If so, you're not alone.

Running a group practice is a challenging and often thankless job. And it can be hard for others to relate if they aren't business owners too.

Join our support group starting January 2024: https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/burntout

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time? Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

Let's be friends! You can find me in the following places…

Website:www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

Anne's Website: www.spareroomwellness.com

Instagram: @spareroomwellness

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items!tinyurl.com/CWHmerch

Even if you aren't a fan of Hollywood films from the 1980s through the early 2000s, chances are you can name the ethnicity of the "baddie" in 99.9% of them. Sure, my math might be a bit fuzzy––H'wood has a legacy of demonizing all brown-skinned folks––but an overwhelming number of screen villains during this period were either vaguely or expressly rendered as Muslim.

Decades of prejudicial portrayals are no match for Arij Mikati, the managing director of Culture Change at Pillars Fund. She designs and leads programming that challenges damaging narratives about Muslims in the U.S. and amplifies Muslim voices in artistic spaces.

What struck me most about this episode is the joy that Arij and Anne infused into a conversation that could've (rightly) focused only on pain and anger. Arij chooses to focus on hope, but her shift in mindset took time to nurture.

Arij Mikati is the Managing Director of Culture Change at Pillars Fund, where she designs and leads programming that challenges damaging narratives about Muslims in the U.S. and amplifies Muslim voices in artistic spaces. Her storytelling work seeks to change the lens through which Muslim stories are told to one that is authentic, complex, and honest.

Hey Practice Owners!

Do you feel exhausted, over-extended, and under-appreciated? Does the thought of returning to solo practice cross your mind from time to time (or more often)?

If so, you're not alone.

Running a group practice is a challenging and often thankless job. And it can be hard for others to relate if they aren't business owners too.

Join our support group starting January 2024: https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/burntout

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time? Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

Let's be friends! You can find me in the following places…

Website:www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

Anne's Website: www.spareroomwellness.com

Instagram: @spareroomwellness

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items!tinyurl.com/CWHmerch

The decision to sell a practice is fraught with more questions than answers (a lot like owning a practice!). Selling is a lonely headspace to navigate because folks who've gone through the process often keep those helpful emotional and transactional details to themselves. Why?!

Gabrielle Juliano-Villani and I are breaking that curse! Gabrielle is an LCSW, consultant, coach, entrepreneur, and educator who's been in the mental health field for over a decade, specializing in stress, chronic health conditions, and trauma. After scaling her group practice to seven figures (!!) and then burning out, she sold it to focus on helping overwhelmed healers, entrepreneurs, and therapists reach their full potential––whether that means scaling or selling.

GUEST BIO

Gabrielle Juliano-Villani, LCSW, is a consultant, coach, entrepreneur, and educator based in Sarasota, Florida. She's been in the mental health field for over a decade, specializing in stress, chronic health conditions, and trauma. After scaling her group practice to seven figures and realizing her own burnout in 2021, she sold her practice and made it her mission to educate others on the impact that stress has on our everyday lives.

Hey Practice Owners!

Do you feel exhausted, over-extended, and under-appreciated? Does the thought of returning to solo practice cross your mind from time to time (or more often)?

If so, you're not alone.

Running a group practice is a challenging and often thankless job. And it can be hard for others to relate if they aren't business owners too.

Join our support group starting January 2024: https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/burntout

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time? Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

Let's be friends! You can find me in the following places…

Website:www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

Anne's Website: www.spareroomwellness.com

Instagram: @spareroomwellness

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items!tinyurl.com/CWHmerch

Heyyy, burnt-out practice owner! Yeah, you, the one who's overburdened, under-resourced, and lonely. The practice owner who thinks that no one understands their particular pain.

I feel you. I know you. I WAS you.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Burnt Out Practice Owner (BOPO). I'm Sarah Buino, a heart-centered, liberation-minded consultant helping individuals, groups, and organizations in the therapy field evolve with courage, authenticity, and vulnerability. I'm also the creator and co-host of Conversations With A Wounded Healer.

Most importantly, I'm a former, frazzled practice owner who's gone through all the highs and lows associated with creating, nurturing, and selling a business. Now I'm here to help you navigate your practice journey via quick (30 minutes or less) episodes, between our usual Wounded Healer episodes.

Buckle up! I'm transparent as hell about my experiences––be they successes or slip-ups––and not shy about sharing. Hell, in this episode alone, I talk about burnout-induced suicidal thoughts, co-dependency, the practice valuation process, and my final sale price!

There are a million questions associated with practice ownership, so tell me, what do you wish you'd known last year or even last week? Are you contemplating opening a new practice or expanding the team? Are you struggling to maintain a self-care routine? Or are you considering an exit strategy?

Let's explore the answers together, one episode at a time.

If you have a burning question or a topic that you'd like to hear discussed on this series, email me at [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram @headheartbiztherapy.

Hey Practice Owners!

Do you feel exhausted, over-extended, and under-appreciated? Does the thought of returning to solo practice cross your mind from time to time (or more often)?

If so, you're not alone.

Running a group practice is a challenging and often thankless job. And it can be hard for others to relate if they aren't business owners too.

Join our support group starting January 2024: https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/burntout

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time? Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

Let's be friends! You can find me in the following places…

Website:www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

Anne's Website: www.spareroomwellness.com

Instagram: @spareroomwellness

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! https://bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items!https://tinyurl.com/CWHmerch

It's a difficult time to identify as a fiercely open-hearted, optimistic human. That's especially true for folks embodying marginalized identities. And yet, somehow, Michael J. Morris finds ways to lead with love. They're a powerhouse multi-hyphenated talent committed to personal and collective healing and liberation through their work as an astrologer, tarot reader, artist, writer, teacher, facilitator, and witch.

Michael deepened their knowledge of witchcraft under elders of the Ara tradition and studied astrology with Demetra George and Chani Nicholas while also pursuing their Ph.D. in Dance Movement. Their professional endeavors are, as a result, incredibly diverse: tarot consultations, reiki, astrological readings, ritual facilitation, teaching… Ultimately, Michael helps folks find the tools they need to create a more meaningful life.

Michael J. Morris, PhD., is an astrologer and tarot reader, artist, writer, teacher, facilitator, and witch committed to personal and collective healing and liberation. They began their consulting practice, Co Witchcraft Offerings, in 2019, through which they share astrology, tarot, and movement ritual practices. They hold a PhD in Dance Studies, and their work is inspired and informed by many years of experience in dance, yoga, feminism, queer studies, and making connections between different disciplines and practices.

Hey Practice Owners!

Do you feel exhausted, over-extended, and under-appreciated? Does the thought of returning to solo practice cross your mind from time to time (or more often)?

If so, you're not alone.

Running a group practice is a challenging and often thankless job. And it can be hard for others to relate if they aren't business owners too.

Join our support group starting January 2024: https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/burntout

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time? Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at https://www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

Let's be friends! You can find me in the following places…

Website:www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

Anne's Website: www.spareroomwellness.com

Instagram: @spareroomwellness

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! https://bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items!https://tinyurl.com/CWHmerch

One of the things I love about Anne's episodes is I get to experience them as a fangirl first. Anne's conversation with Nadia Gilani, a London-based yoga teacher and author of The Yoga Manifesto, is no exception (there's a reason Anne calls Nadia "a warrior pose of a woman").

Sure, the tl;dr header is appropriation vs appreciation within the retail-oriented, whitewashed atmosphere of modern yoga. However, the unabridged version goes deeper, like a good asana, inviting folks to explore their relationship to yoga and its tenets, question the teachers, and consider how our favorite classes are taught and sold.

There's no "proper way" to asana (that's colonizer thinking!). Nadia and Anne simply, gracefully encourage everyone to get into a sloppy lotus if that's where they're at today, investigate their relationship to this vital living practice, and question their participation process, whether that's as a teacher or a student.

Nadia Gilani (she/her) is a yoga teacher and author of The Yoga Manifesto a part-memoir, part-polemic on the wellness industry and state of play within modern yoga.

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time?

Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Conversations With a Wounded Healer Merch

Join our Patreon for gifts & perks

Shop our Bookshop.org store and support local booksellers

Share a rating & review on Apple Podcasts

***

Let's be friends! You can find us in the following places…

Sarah's Website: www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

Anne's Website: www.spareroomwellness.com

Instagram: @spareroomwellness

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! https://bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items! https://tinyurl.com/CWHmerch

In the words of post-punk pioneers Talking Heads, "This ain't no party! This ain't no disco! This ain't no foolin' around!" Instead, we're getting serious about ketamine and psychedelic-assisted therapy with Heather Friedman, a New Hampshire-based psychotherapist, NARM-certified therapist, EMDR practitioner, and witchy-witch.

Whether you're psychedelic curious or cautious, it's worth noting that the use of MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca, etc., in guided practice could expedite breakthroughs in the treatment of PTSD, C-PTSD, and depression that might take years via talk or somatic modalities alone.

Heather views psychedelics as a true "assist," meaning she advocates for advanced client prep plus post-experience support to correctly disseminate the epiphanies one may have while under the influence.

Heather Friedman MC, LCMHC, LPC, is the owner of Tree of Life Psychotherapy, where she treats a wide variety of clients for PTSD, C-PTSD, mood and anxiety disorders. While she has been trained in many modalities over her 12 year career, her heart belongs to NARM, EMDR and most recently, psychedelic assisted therapy. When she is not busy with the work of healing, you can find her gardening, writing, snuggling her hounds and being with the people she loves.

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time?

Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Conversations With a Wounded Healer Merch

Join our Patreon for gifts & perks

Shop our Bookshop.org store and support local booksellers

Share a rating & review on Apple Podcasts

***

Let's be friends! You can find us in the following places…

Sarah's Website: www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

Anne's Website: www.spareroomwellness.com

Instagram: @spareroomwellness

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! https://bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items! https://tinyurl.com/CWHmerch

When I say "it's all connected," I'm not pushing a love 'n light colloquialism; I preach the gaddang truth! That cranky back you woke up with this AM? That IBS that took you down during a meeting? That nagging knee injury that kept you from your run? It's ALL connected to the way we treat ourselves.

Those messages are often tied to big "T" or little "t" traumas that we haven't correctly processed, leading to miscommunication between head and knee (or back or gut), says John Gasienica, a therapist and the Director of Development at the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles. Listen in to mind-blowing revelations about pain and the life-changing therapy called pain reprocessing within the confines of this conversation between John, Anne, and me––truth bombs that just might change the way you approach the mind-body connection and your relationship with the physical vessel you inhabit.

John Gasienica, MSW, is a therapist and the Director of Development at the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles where he works with the founder of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), @alantgordon, to help people with chronic pain and anxiety. John is also currently a research clinician studying the efficacy of PRT in racially/ethnically diverse adults with the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time?

Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Conversations With a Wounded Healer Merch

Join our Patreon for gifts & perks

Shop our Bookshop.org store and support local booksellers

Share a rating & review on Apple Podcasts

Get 2 Free Months of Marco Polo Plus

***

Let's be friends! You can find us in the following places…

Sarah's Website: www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

Anne's Website: www.spareroomwellness.com

Instagram: @spareroomwellness

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! https://bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items! https://tinyurl.com/CWHmerch

I'm gonna subhead this one, "A Simpatico Of Sarahs," not just because the alliteration pleases me. Sarah Bryski-Hamrick is a like-minded liberation-focused, anti-exploitation-oriented therapist and business coach who believes therapy IS political. She also believes that caring for our personal and professional selves is imperative, especially if we hope to break free from capitalism. We're talking power to ALL people!

First comes the hard work of deconstruction; the second step on our journey towards anti-capitalism is a messy but miraculous mourning period – and Sarah is deeply empathetic to those of us just starting down the path.

Sarah Bryski-Hamrick (she/her) is a leftist therapist and coach out of Pennsylvania. She offers services through an anti-capitalist, socialist lens. She has worked with clients around the world, including the US, Australia, Switzerland and Canada.

***

2 Free Months of Marco Polo Plus

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time?

Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

***

Let's be friends! You can find me in the following places…

Website:www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! https://bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items!https://tinyurl.com/CWHmerch

Anne's recent conversation with Movement Coach Olive Walton is an excellent reminder of how much mental anguish and physical damage the shame monster can inflict. It's no surprise, then, that shame is a favorite weapon of both white supremacy and many in the fitness industry. Olive: "Conversations I've had recently with a lot of people is how their firsthand experiences with physical education were pretty negative".

We carry that negativity into adulthood, often pursuing movements our bodies couldn't accommodate then shaming ourselves for failing to fit a painfully restrictive mold. Olive is here to help: "A big part of what I do is breaking down those barriers, reframing their perspective, working with a more positive, playful attitude."

Olive Walton is a movement coach who shares movement practices from yoga to strength training, mobility to handstands, and leads with curiosity and playfulness for the body and mind.

Are you a therapist stepping into leadership for the first time?

Or maybe you've been in a leadership position for a while, but are bumping up against new struggles?

Our Authentic Leadership Group is here to help you become the authentic and wholehearted leader you aspire to be. And we believe this journey is best undertaken with the guidance of experienced mentors alongside fellow learners.

February - September 2024

Monthly morning sessions on Fridays

Join Sarah in this journey of self-discovery and leadership mastery, where you'll enhance your leadership skills and forge meaningful connections with fellow therapists who are committed to their own growth and the betterment of the therapy field.

Join the group now at www.headheartbiztherapy.com/authentic-leaders-group

SUPPORT FOR THERAPISTS

Be Your Own Boss Private Practice Workshop

Thursday, November 9, 2023 9:00am - 4:00pm, and Friday, November 10, 2023, from 9:00am to 4:00pm

DePaul University Loop Campus - DePaul Center 1 E. Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604

So you want to be your own boss? Many therapists feel pulled by the allure of private practice but have no idea where to begin. Some hang their shingle and wait for the phone to ring only to sit twiddling their thumbs, asking, "Where are the clients?" Facilitated by Sarah Buino, you'll learn the business 101s including insurance, business structure, and basic financials. You'll also have the opportunity to create your brand and begin a marketing plan. Cost: 12 CEUs / $199 Nonmember / $159 NASW Member.

Register now: https://tinyurl.com/naswprivatepractice

Let's be friends! You can find me in the following places…

Website:www.headheartbiztherapy.com/podcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeadHeartBizTherapy/

Instagram: @headheartbiztherapy

NEW: Our Bookshop.org page! https://bookshop.org/shop/HeadHeartBizTherapy

NEW: Check out our cute new merch items!https://tinyurl.com/CWHmerch