Overwork, compassion fatigue, burnout. It’s a common cycle for anyone in a helping profession, and it feels especially intense for lactation consultants because the stakes are so high—I mean, we’re working with babies who can’t eat! 

Compassion fatigue is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be the end of you.

"If you don’t take care of yourself there won’t be anyone to take care of the families that need you"

In this episode, we will cover:

• What to do when you are tired: We all have limits, and we’re all going to reach them
• Hitting the wall: What it looks like when the compassion runs out
• Powering through: Getting through the other side
• Strategies for prevention: You can help yourself so you can help
• others
• Recharge and overcome: Put your compassion in the right place

Links and Resources

• Keep the fires burning: Conquering stress and burnout as a
• Mother-Baby Professional
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes. 

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.

In this episode, Annie and Leah talk about the tough topic of setting your fees for your private lactation practice.

It’s so important to know your worth as a business owner and to represent that fairly within your specific market. Once you’ve set your rate, you can begin working towards long-term goals for your business as a whole.

"You are literally changing the world! If you can’t own your worth, no one will"

In this episode, we will cover:

• How do you come up with your fees? And what your fees say about your business
• How low is too low? Nobody wants to be in a race to the bottom—including our clients
• Discounts and sliding scales: The ethical, professional way to offer lower rates
• Where do I begin? How to figure out your number
• Communicating your value: How to market your worth
• The big picture: Growing your business and your long term goals
• Be your own motivation: Always improving, never settling

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• Profit First - Mike Michalowicz
• Bay Area Breastfeeding - Leah's Blog
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.

As a private practice IBCLC your website is usually the first contact your prospective clients will have with you and your business. Making your website easy to navigate and quickly get the necessary information is essential for a new and tired parent. In this episode, Leah and Annie share their resources for online scheduling, HIPAA compliance, website design, and more.

“You never want people leaving your website while they’re still deciding if they want to work with you”

In this episode, we will cover:

• How to make an impression - Your website is the first source of contact with
• your clients.
• The importance of mobile compatibility - New moms are tired! Help
• them by making your website navigable during 3AM feedings.
• What do I include on my website? Annie and Leah share tips on what
• you should and shouldn’t include on your website.
• The Final Step - Contact & Booking are the most important parts of
• your website. Annie and Leah talk about how to make this step easy
• and efficient, as well as share resources to get this set up.
• Not sure about the design? - Annie and Leah let you in on some helpful
• design tips, as well as give advice on how to get meaningful photos
• for your site.

Links and Resources

• National Women's Law Center
• Acuity
• Charm
• Jane
• How to make your website HIPAA Compliant
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes.

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.

It's so important for IBCLCs to be seen as part of the care team for the breastfeeding families we serve. One way we can impact our presence in the care team is to communicate with the other providers working with the breastfeeding family. 

Today we will discuss what we need to send to the other providers on the care team as well as strategies to make this process effective and efficient. So if you struggle with motivating yourself to write and send pediatrician reports, or if you’re wondering if anyone even reads them, you are not alone. Leah and Annie have both been there and been frustrated by that, and they’ve got some ideas for you on how to get them done and get them read. We’re talking about what to write, how to send, and why they’re so important.

“We need to be the bridge to make sure our exact message is portrayed correctly”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Why we’re supposed to be sending pediatrician reports (hint: IBLCE
• Code of Professional Conduct)
• What if those pediatrician reports are sitting in that fax tray, never to be read? Why you should send them anyway
• Essential elements of the pediatrician report
• How to share the info clearly and effectively
• When NOT to send a report

Links and Resources

• Code of Professional Conduct
• Frenotomy Decision Tool (Dobrich et al)
• Lingual frenulum protocol with scores for infants (Martinelli et al)
• Mobile Lactation Consultant
• ChARM
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes. 

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.

The world of lactation is constantly changing and evolving which means it’s critical to be up to date on current practices as well as always working to hone and improve your skills. Continuing education is critical not just for improving your clinical skills, but for the networking opportunities gained from connecting with other lactation consultants. 

In this episode, Annie and Leah share strategies for reaching out, getting support, and finding community.

“You’re never too far in your career that you can’t learn from someone else”

In this episode, we will cover:

• The loneliness of the lactation consultant
• When and how to reach out for advice and support
• Finding continuing education that fits your needs, budget, and time
• constraints
• How if you are not able to get to an in-person conference, it’s not a problem
• Why sharing is caring—not just for kindergarten! Because helping someone
• else can often be the best way to help yourself

Links and Resources

• Small Business Administration
• LCinPP
• IBCLC Masterclass
• ICAP Conference
• USLCA
• Evernote
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes.

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.

In this episode, Leah and Annie are talking about the ever-present swinging pendulum of busy-ness as the owner of your private practice. They open up about the emotional and financial implications of both the busy and the lean times and how important it is to know that you’re not alone in this struggle. 

Leah and Annie both share their own perspectives and unique ways of tackling this trend and how to make the most of your downtime so you are continuing to grow your business.

“You’re not experiencing anything that any other business owner hasn’t”

In this episode, we will cover:

• During busy times, make sure to have awareness of your personal
• limits. Incorporating flex time into your regular schedule can make
• sure you don’t exceed them.
• How to make a plan for how to handle the lean times both financially and for your business as a whole
• The importance of taking note of how the year trends as a whole. Knowing when the lean and busy times are is helpful for planning and perspective.
• How to plan consistency in your social media content
• How to approach downtime to make it useful, not wasted.

Links and Resources

• 1Password
• LastPass
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes. 

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.

In this episode, Annie and Leah discuss the importance of setting clear follow-up policies to protect and guard your private practice and your personal life, as well as help your clients reach self-efficacy and get the care they truly need. 

It can be difficult to say no or to step back when a client is having difficulty, but most times, it’s what you both need to achieve your client’s goals. Catering to a client’s anxiety can lead to even more panic or prevent your client from seeking the care they need from a medical professional.

“Policies allow you to make a clear distinction of what you CAN do versus what you DON’T do.” 

In this episode, we will cover:

• How to set policies that work for you and your clients
• The importance of knowing your scope
• How your policies can be consistent and kind if you approach them the right way
• How to engage with your audience in a more personal way
• What to do when your client needs way more than just encouragement

Links and Resources

• Leah and Annie both use Spruce--mention either of them and both of you will get a free month.
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes. 

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.

In this episode of Lactation Business Coaching, hosts Annie Frisbie IBCLC and Leah Jolly IBCLC talk about the unique challenges of starting a business as a private practice lactation consultant. 

They go into how hard it is to charge money for something you’d do for free and how to make peace with the inevitable expenses involved in starting a business. Leah and Annie know how much you want to be both compassionate and financially viable because they face this tension in their own private practices.

“No one is going to take you as seriously in your business as you take yourself”

In this episode, we will cover:

• How starting a business has challenges, especially when you’re coming from a volunteer background, but they’re nothing you can’t handle, with the right guidance and resources.
• The importance of investing the time and the money now to create a solid foundation because that’s what’s going to bring you financial viability and joy.
• How you can have it all: a business that works and the deep satisfaction that comes from helping families meet their breastfeeding goals.
• How to turn downtime into marketing time
• Why you shouldn’t just put yourself out there and hope for the best. Your future self will be much happier if you take the time now to lay a firm foundation.

Links and Resources

• Advice For Starting Out In Private Practice As An IBCLC
• Why You Shouldn't Use A Free Gmail Account And What To Do If You Are
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes.

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.