Productive Therapist Podcast

Ever feel like you're drowning in intake calls while trying to actually run your practice?

You're not alone. In this episode, Uriah sits down with Luci Carrillo, Productive Therapist's Director of Operations, to talk about how virtual assistant services can transform your intake process and give you your life back.

Luci walks through the typical journey of a growing practice owner (spoiler: it involves a lot of stress and challenges) and explains how a dedicated intake specialist can handle everything in between the first contact and the first session.

Whether you're a solo practitioner feeling the squeeze or running a 45-clinician practice that needs serious support, this conversation will help you figure out if a VA is the right move for you.

If you're tired of checking emails at 9:30 PM and wondering if you missed another potential client, this episode is for you.

Book a strategy call with Luci to explore how our team can help you grow without the overwhelm.

At Productive Therapist our virtual assistant team turns calls & clicks into clients.

Every single day.

Therapists want to know how we do it. We get asked all the time for our secret sauce.

Here’s the thing.

Creating a great first impression is vital. A potential client’s first interaction with your practice is key to helping them know, like and trust you.

A good call script is an important first step in optimizing your intake process.

In this episode Uriah breaks down the 7 elements of the Magic Call Script and explains the intention and importance of each one.

It's a short listen, but a good one!

Download our Magic Call Script HERE.

What if you could replace ALL your marketing with a single story?

And grow your practice with less effort.

Yes, please. Sign me up.

If that sounds awesome and almost too good to be true, give this episode a listen.

I interviewed Kris Jones, a storytelling expert who turns expertise into sales success. 

She has a background working with major brands like Adidas, Nike and Guinness. She was also hand selected for mentorship by StoryBrand's Donald Miller. 

Kris explains how a single, compelling story can transform your marketing efforts and significantly increase your revenue. 

And she shares her proven story selling system that helps businesses scale effectively without the need for endless content.

Don't miss this one.

Hope you enjoy the episode!

Find out more about Kris Jones and her services at Red Door.

And of course, check out the amazing resources over at productivetherapist.com.

Ever wonder what happens when you listen to 10+ hours of business podcasts a week?

You might just end up with a seven-figure group practice. 🎯

Dr. Leah Clionsky wasn't kidding around when she decided to double down on business strategy. While most of us are trying to squeeze in one podcast episode during our commute, she turned podcast consumption into a full-blown business accelerator—and the results speak for themselves.

In this conversation, we dive into Leah's entrepreneurial origin story (spoiler: it started at age 7 with possibly the best birth announcement ever), how she's using podcasts as her MBA program, and why she likes to stay "slightly terrified all the time."

Plus, we talk about the creative rush of launching new things, the systematic magic that makes running multiple podcasts feel easy, and why curated content might just be your secret weapon in 2025.

What you'll hear:

• The unusual path from birth announcement to seven-figure practice owner
• How to actually implement what you're learning from podcasts (not just consume them)
• The power of experimentation when things feel uncertain
• Why being slightly terrified might be good for business

Whether you're podcast-curious or podcast-obsessed, this one's worth your time.

Connect with Leah:

• Worth It Practice Podcast
• Sign up for her free newsletter (seriously, do it—it's curated gold)
• Educated Parent Podcast

Nicole McCance is back for round two! She's a psychologist turned business coach who scaled her practice to 55 therapists and multiple seven figures in just three years—with twin toddlers at home. She sold her clinic in year four and retired as a psychologist in year five.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Nicole's five-step scaling method
• Why you MUST systemize before you delegate (or you'll regret it)
• The power of email marketing for client retention
• Overcoming the identity shift from therapist to CEO
• The future of group practice ownership and why Nicole's optimistic about what's ahead

Key takeaway: The fundamentals of scaling haven't changed: systemize your operations, stay consistent with what works, and tune out the noise about what's coming.

Also, listen to episode 198 - How to Scale to a 7-Figure Group Practice

Connect with Nicole:

• Podcast: The Business Savvy Therapist
• Weekly live masterclass on the five-step scaling method

Perfect for therapists ready to scale by working smarter, not harder.

You know AI could help your practice, you just don't know where to start.

Most therapists are either overwhelmed by AI or ignoring it completely. But there's a sweet spot in the middle where AI becomes your secret weapon for getting more done while avoiding burnout.

In this episode, I'm sharing the top 5 ways you can use AI in your practice in 2026. (#5 is definitely my favorite!)

What You'll Learn:

1. Write your clinical notes – Stop working late by using AI to draft your notes in minutes instead of hours. Tools like Berries, Blueprint, SimplePractice's Note Taker, TherapyNotes' TherapyFuel, and Quill can transform your documentation workflow.

2. Get 24/7 business coaching – Build an AI Advisory Team that gives you expert help with marketing, finances, and strategic planning without the hefty price tag. I'll tell you about Sam, Brenda, Jason, and Steve (my AI team members).

3. Enjoy marketing again (or at least hate it less 😅) – Use AI to write blog posts, create email campaigns, and generate social content in your voice. You edit and approve, but the heavy lifting is done.

4. Speed up every admin task – From sorting your inbox to creating email templates, AI can help you reclaim 5+ hours a week by handling the busywork.

5. Never miss another call – Your AI receptionist can answer every single call and respond to every chat instantly, 24/7/365. This solves the #1 problem all practice owners face: missing new inquiries.

Resources Mentioned:

• Clinical Notes: Berries, Blueprint, SimplePractice Note Taker, TherapyNotes TherapyFuel, Quill
• Business Coaching: Claude, ChatGPT
• Marketing: Claude, ChatGPT, Canva AI, Ideogram, Google AI Studio
• Admin Tasks: Claude, ChatGPT, Fyxer
• AI Receptionist: SimpleIntake

Pick ONE of these to try this week. Just one. Start small, test it out, and see if it saves you time or makes your life easier.

Remember: AI isn't about replacing the human connection in therapy. It's about freeing you up to provide more of that human connection to the people who need it most.

Ready to never miss another call? Check out SimpleIntake and see how it's changing the game for practices tired of missing calls and losing clients.

In this episode we get to hear from Ernesto Segismundo! This is a new series where we have fun, smart people answer the same 10 questions. We think you will love it.

You can find out more about Ernesto and his multiple amazing businesses right here:

Fylmit.com

CAV Academy

CAV Family Therapy

This episode features music from the San Francisco based band Pomplamoose, doing a wonderful cover of the song Maneater by Hall & Oates.

I've been testing AI Receptionists with dozens of therapy practices.

Here's what I'm learning.

The good, the challenging, and the surprising.

What's tricky:

👉 Some therapists worry their clients aren't ready to talk to AI about therapy.

👉 Setup takes some patience, it's not 100% plug-and-play (yet).

👉 Complex scenarios (cancellations, routing to specific staff) can be tricky to configure.

What's working:

✅ Response time drops from hours (or days) to seconds, for every single call.

✅ We can get an AI Receptionist up and running in a few days and it requires very little time or effort for the practice owner.

✅ The quick response plus consult booking features are a game changer, especially for busy admin teams. Quite an elegant solution.

✅ This tech is brand new and improving weekly. What works well now will work brilliantly soon.

If you're getting 10+ inquiries a week and hate missing calls, this might be your new favorite tool.

Every call answered. Every client connected. That's the goal.

Want to experience it yourself?

Listen to a few AI demo calls and talk to my team about your specific setup.

http://productivetherapist.com/info/

Tired of being the chief fire-putter-outer in your practice?

In this episode Emily Ferguson shows you how to stop living in the weeds and start leading like the visionary you're meant to be.

What Emily Does

She helps practice owners stop firefighting and start running profitable practices. Get out of the weeds, be the visionary.

Services:

• Operations manager services (temporary or long-term)
• Intake coordinator training (50%+ conversion rates)
• Client retention training (aiming for 90%+ retention)
• Comprehensive business coaching (rates, metrics, hiring, SOPs, the works)

The Big Mistake

You're stuck doing admin tasks instead of leading your practice. Solution: Get an operations manager who actually knows the therapy business.

Do This Week

Calculate your retention rate. Under 90%? Figure out why some therapists retain clients better than others. (Hint: therapeutic alliance + smart processes)

The Real Talk

Hire someone with expertise who solves problems, not just someone who follows instructions. Short-term investment, potentially hundreds of thousands in long-term profit.

Reach out to Emily at confidentprivatepractice.com for a free consultation + resources.

Meet Your New AI Receptionist (No Benefits Required) 🤖

After 7 years of saying "sorry, we don't do live answering," we are announcing SimpleIntake, our AI-powered solution that finally answers your phones 24/7.

The backstory: Every since Productive Therapist began in 2018, practice owners have been asking if we can live answer their phones. It was never possible, until now.

Enter SimpleIntake: The AI receptionist that never sleeps, never takes lunch breaks, and definitely never calls in sick with "food poisoning" after a long weekend.

Here's what it actually does:

• Answers calls 24/7 with full knowledge of your practice
• Knows your fees, insurance, specialties, and policies
• Books consultation calls directly with your human intake coordinator
• Includes an AI chatbot for your website (that people actually want to use!)
• Comes with a full HIPAA-compliant CRM if you want the whole enchilada

Most importantly: This isn't replacing your intake team, it's making their lives better and their jobs easier. The AI handles the "Do you take Blue Cross?" questions at midnight. Your human coordinator handles the heart-to-heart connection work during business hours.

The numbers: $97/month + 19¢ per minute vs. $2-4 per minute for call centers. Yup, the math checks out.

Ready to never miss another call? Listen to demo calls and sign-up at productivetherapist.com

This is an exciting time for the team at Productive Therapist. And we are excited to help more therapists connect with more clients. Thanks for listening!