Ideal Practice

I hate small talk. 

So when I find a way to connect with others that is truly satisfying, I love it. (There’s a reason I’ve been a psychotherapist for decades, after all.)

And when I stumbled on a way to attract client referrals, add outstanding clinicians to my group practice AND make new friends? Well - I was hooked.

You are looking at the world’s biggest introvert. Yet when I was building my group practice, I knew I had to get out of the office and into the community somehow. I had to start building name recognition, establishing a reputation and growing the practice.

Not being one for routine mixers at the Chamber of Commerce (did you hear my story in episode 10?), I had to find another way…. a way that fit MY style, and worked for my practice. 

And this is it.

What I’m sharing with you today, my friends, was crazy effective. Before long, our practice began to be recognized as a key player in our community, one that brought people together, shared resources, facilitated important conversations and offered a top notch level of care. 

And it all started…with lunch. 

~Wendy

  xoxo

P.S. Have you left a review yet on Apple Podcasts? Would you mind? Just click here. Thank you! 🙏https://lovethepodcast.com/idealpractice
 
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FREE DOWNLOAD: 

Here’s a template to help you plan your own Colleague Connection lunch. www.wendypittsreeves.com/lunch

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MENTIONED: 

A small collection of my favorite books for an abundance mindset, and a well-lived life.
https://kit.co/wpreeves/my-favorite-books-for-an-abundance-mindset

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]

Not long ago, someone in my private Facebook group asked: How do I start a private practice where I can serve those dealing with cancer?

And today, I’m sharing a deceptively simple answer to that BIG question. 

Think of this as the roadmap for your Big Idea. It’s a step by step process I’ve used for years to turn courage into confidence, and do anything BIG I didn’t think I could do. 

Starting a practice. Roaming overseas. Running for office. Creating a course. Giving a talk. 

Every time a desire felt beyond me and I had no idea where to start, I’ve use this exact process to move through my own fear and into action. Today, I’m sharing the whole thing with you. 

It’s a quick trip through a big concept, but the road map works. 

See what you think. 

Maybe it’s time to take action on YOUR Big Idea. 

~Wendy

  xoxo

P.S. “You’re making me think, Wendy….“ If that’s what you find yourself saying as you listen, would you please share a little love with a 5 star review and a few words over on Apple Podcasts? Use the link below to get to there. Scroll down to the bottom of the podcast page and you'll see "Write a Review" on the LEFT just above the "About" section.
 
 https://lovethepodcast.com/idealpractice

Your support means more than you can imagine, and helps us get discovered by others who could use this kind of encouragement. Thank you!  🙏

_______________

NEED HELP? Got an idea you want to try but don't know where to start? A Quick Start Consult gives you access to high quality coaching without the expense of a full blown coaching commitment. I'm serious about your success - so we don't just talk about your business. We work on it - together. Click here for details. >> https://www.wendypittsreeves.com/consult

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]

“Geez - there’s nothing like hitting us right between the eyes first thing in the morning, Wendy!”

That’s what one of my clients said - laughing - right after a coaching session where we’d talked in depth about how to handle the discomfort of success. To be fair, she was being funny — but she also had a point. 

Most of us are used to failure. We know what it feels like to fall short of a goal - and to be honest, we’re rarely surprised when that happens. 

But when things work, when we actually begin to get somewhere, to find success - even in tiny ways - THAT’s when we start to squirm. 

Can you relate? 

In today’s episode, we’ll take a close look at at least three different ways our discomfort with success may show up in our work - and talk about what to do with them.

I’d love to know if you see yourself in any of these examples. 

We have to talk about this, my friends - because if we aren’t comfortable with success, we will block it. 

Every. Time.  

So in today’s episode, you’ll learn about….

• Our relationship to power and how that impacts our work.
• A weird but persistent limiting belief I’ve had to work hard on for myself
• 3 ways to handle it when fears pop up and block your progress
• How to recognize the International Committee of Do-Nothing No-Goods
• A daily ritual that will help you own your awesome.

And so much more. 

Enjoy!

~Wendy
   xoxo

P.S. Do you mind if I read your review on the show? If you genuinely enjoyed this episode, take a couple of minutes to share a 5 star review and a few words about what it meant to you over on Apple Podcasts.  

Use the link below to get to there. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the podcast page and you'll see "Write a Review" on the LEFT just above the "About" section. 

https://lovethepodcast.com/idealpractice

Your support means more than you can imagine, and helps us get discovered by others who could use this kind of help. Thank you!  🙏

MENTIONED: My favorite books for cultivating an abundance mindset.

https://kit.co/wpreeves/my-favorite-books-for-an-abundance-mindset

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]

I took the day off on Wednesday. 

See, this is my birthday week, and I like to do something special if I can. So I spent the day in my favorite way, huffing along through the woods with my boots and my stick, on a rocky, beautiful, high-up trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Could I have used that day to work on the podcast?  Of course I could. 

Could I have scheduled clients instead? Served them well? Made some money? Of course I could. 

But I have always been a firm believer that one of the main reasons I ever started a business to begin with, was so that I had control over my time, and the freedom to TAKE time when I wanted to. 

I work hard - always have - but that doesn’t mean I work 24/7. 

And neither should you. 

I thought about you a lot while I hiked.  On a Wednesday.  So much in fact that I decided to create this little bonus episode for you all - and I have a suggestion.

Do yourself a favor: take an actual lunch break.

Just listening to this episode gives you plenty of time to have a bite, catch your breath, maybe take a quick walk or a big stretch, and THEN settle back in to an afternoon of business building, client serving, impact making.

You need that, my friend.

~Wendy
    xoxo

P.S. Did this episode make you think differently about how you schedule your time? 

If  so - good! Then I've achieved my goal!  And if you would be so kind, please take 2 minutes to share a 5 star review and maybe a few words over on Apple Podcasts. Use the link below to get to there. Then, just scroll down to the bottom of the podcast page and you'll see "Write a Review" on the LEFT just above the "About" section.
 
 https://lovethepodcast.com/idealpractice

 Your support means more than you can imagine, and helps us get discovered by others who could use this kind of help. Thank you!  🙏

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]

It’s a story I have heard before, how one exhausted, heart centered healer gives everything she has. How, over and over again, she’s there for her clients, there for her family, but not always there for herself. 

But today, you get to meet someone who changed all that.

In fact, she’s moved from no control over who she saw, or how she worked, or what she could charge - to a thriving practice that she thoroughly enjoys, with open space in her day, and energy for her life.

And that happened when she got clear about what she wanted,
and gave herself permission to create it. 

Today, she serves clients in a completely new way that just, well, works - in every way.

In today’s episode, my first interview here on the podcast, you’ll get to hear from Bonnie, an LCSW in a relatively new private practice, who’s figuring out how to create HER version of an Ideal Practice.

As she said, "To be a good helper, we have to be a healed helper." 

I just finished listening to this episode again and I am blown away by all that we can learn from her experience.

In this episode, you’ll hear: 

• what happened when she kept seeing people in person during the pandemic 
• how her skills as a clinician evolved as she discovered her true passion
• why a solo practice wasn’t right for her, and what she’s building instead
• how her personal growth has turned into a win for her clients and colleagues, for her bank account, for her life, and most recently, for her community.

We also talked about why she had to buy the cherry AND the strawberry Twizzlers. :)

Bonnie is walking a path that you can too. It hasn’t all been easy - but I think she’d tell you that it has all been worth it. And today, after tripling her rates and seeing her caseload get even stronger, she knows it’s the RIGHT path, for her.

Perhaps you’ll be inspired to do the same. 

~Wendy
  xoxo

P.S. “Oh my gosh, I love this Wendy!“ 

If that’s what you find yourself saying as you listen, would you please share a little love with a 5 star review and a few words over on Apple Podcasts? Use the link below to get to there. Scroll down to the bottom of the podcast page and you'll see "Write a Review" on the LEFT just above the "About" section.
 
 https://lovethepodcast.com/idealpractice

 Your support means more than you can imagine, and helps us get discovered by others who could use this kind of encouragement. Thank you!  🙏

BONNIE's WEBSITE
Creekside Counseling:  https://www.creeksidecounseling-wellness.com/

MENTIONED:

• The Middle Path: https://www.themiddlepath.life/
• The EMDR Institute: https://www.emdr.com/
• Helen Ross McNabb: https://mcnabbcenter.org/

_______________

FREE RESOURCE: Are you cramming client hours into a packed day? Working hard but feel like you're still not making any money? With decades of experience, I’ve found a LOT of ways to boost your bottom line, and I’ve pulled some of my favorites together into a free guide for you. Download this today, check out what’s inside, then tell me which one you’ll try first. :)

31 Practical Ways to Increase Cash Flow In Your Private Practice 
(without being salesy or sleezy or someone you don't even like!)

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]

You need referrals. Right?

You’ve done all the things. Got your license. Set up an office. Opened a bank account for all the income you’re about to create. Printed a few business cards. You might even have a website up. 

Yay for you! 

Now - you’re ready for the phone to ring with all those clients you can’t wait to serve. 

But hang on a minute - how do you make THAT happen? 

Turns out, all you really need are what I call the Fab Five - a few key relationships, with a few key people in your town, who know you, like you, trust you, can count on you. People who know who you serve and why you do what you do. People who know how good you are.

But these have to be real relationships, my friend. You know - with real people, in real time. :) 

Lucky for you, relationships come easy. You get people. You read people. You know how to connect with people. And that skill, which you were born with, will come in handy here. 

The key is making sure you’re connecting with the right people - and just 5 of them! 

In today’s episode, I’ll tell you who those people are, why you need them, and how knowing them can help you fill your practice - fast.

~Wendy  
   xoxo

P.S. Here’s a little homework.  As soon as you finish listening to this episode - make a list of who these Fab 5 are in YOUR life. Then take out your calendar and make an appointment with yourself to reach out to each of them. Tell them about your practice - and soon. 

_______________________________________

MIND OVER MONEY©.   

Tired of fighting the money guilt in your practice? Wish there was a way to get paid and still take care of your clients? This sweet course will completely shift the way you think about money in your practice? 

Click the link below to be the FIRST to be notified when we open up the doors to this fun, practical and life-changing program. You’ll be invited first to my increasingly popular course on how to shift your mindset when it comes to wealth and abundance in your private practice.

https://www.wendypittsreeves.com/mind-over-money-wait-list

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]

(You’ll want to take notes with this one, y’all.)

Do you HATE small talk?

Does just the thought of getting out to do a little networking, meeting colleagues for coffee, making new professional contacts - make you want to lock the office door and hide behind your couch (or maybe under your massage table)?

Well I have good news. Because I myself am an EXTREME introvert, I’ve had to develop my own strategies for networking that made it work for me. 

And in this week’s episode, I’ll teach you - yes, even the most hard core introverts among you - how to become a Networking Ninja.

Not even kidding.

In this episode you’ll learn:

[13:52] How to prepare - strategically AND energetically - before attending any kind of networking function so that you get out of it what you really want.
[20:18] Three questions to answer for yourself before you walk in the door.
[24:11] What to do during the event so you’ll have deeper, more meaningful conversations with people you genuinely enjoy.
[27:38] My all time favorite tip for getting through any kind of small-talk, mix ’n’ mingle gathering of any kind.
[32:11] What to do the minute you get back to your car or hotel room. :)
[34:12] How to make it all worth it with a structured follow up plan.

This is a full blown training, my friends, so I went a little longer today.

Check it out, learn how to do this - and conquer those networking nerves for good.

~Wendy
xoxo

P.S. “Oh my gosh, I love this Wendy!“

If that’s what you find yourself saying as you listen, would you please share a little love with a 5 star review and a few words over on Apple Podcasts? Use the link below to get to there. Scroll down to the bottom of the podcast page and you'll see "Write a Review" on the LEFT just above the "About" section.

https://lovethepodcast.com/idealpractice

Your support means more than you can imagine, and helps us get discovered by others who could use this kind of encouragement. Thank you!  🙏

_______________

FREE RESOURCE: Are you cramming client hours into a packed day? Working hard but feel like you're still not making any money? With decades of experience, I’ve found a LOT of ways to boost your bottom line, and I’ve pulled some of my favorites together into a free guide for you. Download this today, check out what’s inside, then tell me which one you’ll try first. :)

31 Practical Ways to Increase Cash Flow In Your Private Practice.
https://www.wendypittsreeves.com/cashflow

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]

“I feel like the message I keep hearing from you is that  the best way to start owning our marketing  is to start really finding that worth in ourselves…”

Yes…..!

That’s what  ALI BOEHM said on her podcast recently when I spoke about the role of marketing in a healing arts practice. Ali is a massage therapist turned business coach, who helps other massage therapists build a thriving practice that serves them financially AND energetically. 

So when she invited me to speak to her tribe about what it meant to ‘think like a marketer’, I was happy to do so. Today, I’m happy to say that she’s been kind enough to share that interview with me, so I can now bring it to you. 

In this wide-ranging episode, you’ll learn: 

• 3 different skills you must learn in order to think like a marketer.
• How to speak to your ideal client so that they know you understand them.
• What it means to position yourself as an expert (and why you MUST do this).
• What to do instead of offering a sliding scale.
• A simple way to protect your confidence AND get some great marketing copy.
• How to use everyday conversations to grow your practice.  

We covered a lot! 

As I have often said to my counseling clients over the years, ‘take what’s useful and leave the rest”. 

What matters most is that you get comfortable with the idea that you can shape your practice by learning how to talk about what you do, and that marketing is not, actually, as awful as we something tell ourselves it is. 

In fact, let me ask you: What do you want others to know about your work?

~Wendy
xoxo

P.S. Can you help me out?  If you enjoyed  this episode, please take 2 minutes to share a 5 star review. You can use this URL to get to the right place.

On Apple Podcasts, just scroll down to the bottom and you'll see "Write a Review" on the LEFT just above the "About" section. 

https://lovethepodcast.com/idealpractice

Your support means more than you can imagine, and helps us get discovered by others who could use this kind of encouragement. Thank you!  🙏

MENTIONED: 

> ALI BOEHM, Host:  The Massage Business Mama 

> FREE TOOL: 5 Step Formula Elevator Speech Worksheet

> NEW TX METHOD:  Acceptance and Integration Training: 

OTHER RESOURCES:
_______________

MIND OVER MONEY©.   

Click the link below to be the FIRST to be notified when we open up the doors to this fun, practical and life-changing program. Coming in January 2022, you’ll be invited first to my increasingly popular course on how to shift your mindset when it comes to wealth and abundance in your private practice.

YES, PLEASE! 

_______________

COACHING: Got a problem in your practice that you’re trying to solve? Have an idea you want to try but don't know where to start? A Quick Start Consult gives you access to high quality coaching without the expense of a full blown coaching commitment. I'm serious about your success - so we don't just talk about your business. We work on it - together. Click below for details.

QUICK START CONSULT
_______________

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]

Today we’re taking a look at pricing.

I want to talk about this because - based on my conversations with so many of you - there’s a good chance you might be selling yourself short in how you price your services.

And I get that! Setting your rates is EASILY one of the most stressful things about running a private practice. When I was starting out, I wrestled with questions like:

• Where do I even start for figuring this out, for Pete’s sake? 
• What are other people, my colleagues, charging?
• How could I possibly charge THAT much? 

And many more.

Can you relate? 

Pricing conversations bring up all KINDS of tricky issues for us. 

But like anything else, we can get a handle on this when we learn how to think about it. 

So if you’re unsure about your rates, today is a good day!
I look at this a little differently than most, and I’m going to help you. :) 

A lot of business gurus will tell you to decide how much you want to make a year, and determine your rates from there.  Nothing wrong with that! In fact, I might say the exact same thing in another context. 

But there’s really another side to pricing that I don’t think we talk about nearly enough - and that’s what we’re covering today.

>>AND, to help you out,  I've got a GIFT for you....

I've created a little worksheet that will help you think through the questions I'm speaking to in this episode. Whenever I've shared this with my audience in the past they've told me this is EXTREMELY helpful, because it's such a different way of looking at things.

In fact, a lot of them end up raising their rates just because of what this exercise reveals.

So click HERE to grab your free worksheet, and listen to the episode.

THEN DO THIS. 👇 👇 👇 

1. Download and print out that worksheet.

 2. Set your timer for just 15 minutes.

3. As fast as you can, jot down every answer you can even begin to think of for each of the sections you’ll see there. Don’t over think it. Just WRITE.

4. When the timer goes off, take a break, then come back, and read what you’ve written - out loud.

5. Now think about your current rates. Do they accurately reflect all that juicy goodness you just wrote about? If so, yay! If not, what needs to change? 

Yep -  I’m interested in that part. :)

Really dive deep and listen to your intuition about where you are with your current fee structure. And if you need to make a change, let's do that. Soon. 

Own your authority, my friends. 
Claim the value of what you do. 

Much love,
~Wendy

P.S. Again, click on the link below for your copy of the free download mentioned in this episode, a great tool to help you assess your pricing, and whether or not it accurately reflects the value of what you do.

The Ideal Practice Pricing Worksheet

P.P.S. Did you hear the announcement I made at the end of today’s episode? Reach out if you’d like to be one of my 12 volunteers.

_______________

FREE RESOURCE: Are you cramming client hours into a packed day? Working hard but feel like you're still not making any money? With decades of experience, I’ve found a LOT of ways to boost your bottom line, and I’ve pulled some of my favorites together into a free guide for you. Download this today, check out what’s inside, then tell me which one you’ll try first. :)

31 Practical Ways to Incr

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]

You’re an entrepreneur, and if you’re ANYTHING like me or the healers I coach, you have big dreams, more ideas than you can shake a stick at, and a lot of passion. 

You also may be beating yourself up if you’re not quite where you thought you’d be by now. Am I right? 

On today’s podcast, we’re taking a look at the way we compare ourselves to others, why that’s a problem, and what to do instead.

Being a practice owner is tough, my friend. So in this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why vanity metrics don't matter, and what does matter instead.
• How the way we’re wired as entrepreneurs sets us up for self doubt
• A specific strategy I urge you to follow, so that you can reign in the self doubt and make peace with your pace.

Even my own clients fight me on this sometime, but what I’m teaching today really will help you. 

Try it. :)

~Wendy

 xoxo

P.S. Are you the kind of person who likes to help other people out? Oh my gosh what a crazy question, right? Of COURSE you are. Well if you’ve enjoyed this episode (or any other!) please share it with a friend or colleague who could use this message. You just might make their day - and thank you! 

_______________

MIND OVER MONEY©.   

Click the link below to be the FIRST to be notified when we open up the doors to this fun, practical and life-changing program. Coming in January 2022, you’ll be invited first to my increasingly popular course on how to shift your mindset when it comes to wealth and abundance in your private practice.

https://www.wendypittsreeves.com/mind-over-money-wait-list

_______________

COACHING: Got a problem in your practice that you’re trying to solve? Have an idea you want to try but don't know where to start? A Quick Start Consult gives you access to high quality coaching without the expense of a full blown coaching commitment. I'm serious about your success - so we don't just talk about your business. We work on it - together. Click here for details.

https://www.wendypittsreeves.com/consult

_______________

FREE RESOURCE: Are you cramming client hours into a packed day? Working hard but feel like you're still not making any money? With decades of experience, I’ve found a LOT of ways to boost your bottom line, and I’ve pulled some of my favorites together into a free guide for you. Download this today, check out what’s inside, then tell me which one you’ll try first. :)

00631 Practical Ways to Increase Cash Flow In Your Private Practice

https://www.wendypittsreeves.com/cashflow

​

Support the show

Wendy Pitts Reeves, LCSW
Host, Ideal Practice
Private Practice Coach and Mentor

www.WendyPittsReeves.com
[email protected]