Therapists entering the field face a hidden obstacle that can derail their entire career: finding affordable, accessible clinical supervision.

Rachel Ledbetter, licensed marriage and family therapist and CEO of Motivo, joins Michael Fulwiler to share how her own struggle to get licensed in rural Georgia led her to build a company that’s now helping thousands of therapists cross the finish line to licensure.

In this candid conversation, Rachel talks about her early startup mistakes, the values that guide Motivo’s pricing model, and what it’s like to raise venture capital as a therapist in tech. She also reflects on the identity shifts that came with divorce and growing a mission-driven company.

Listen to this episode to hear how Rachel turned one of the biggest barriers to becoming a therapist into a business that’s helping others get licensed.

In the conversation, they discuss:

• The supervision bottleneck and why so many therapists never get licensed
• How Rachel bootstrapped Motivo without a technical background
• What therapists get wrong about venture capital and tech startups

Connect with the guest:

• Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmccrickard/ 
• Visit the Motivo website: https://motivohealth.com/ 

Connect with Michael and Heard:

• Michael’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfulwiler/ 
• Newsletter: https://www.joinheard.com/newsletter 
• Book a free consult: joinheard.com/consult 

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Welcome to Heard Business School

(00:51) Meet Rachel Ledbetter

(03:00) From Bible Ministry Degree to Therapy Career

(05:00) Shifting Away from Faith-Based Counseling

(07:00) Working Skid Row and Post-Grad Supervision Struggles

(09:00) Driving Four Hours Weekly for Supervision

(11:00) Launching Motivo on Shopify with No Tech Team

(13:00) Growing Fast Through Professional Association Partnerships

(15:00) Why Motivo Switched to B2B Model

(17:00) The Supervision Crisis Blocking Licensure for Therapists

(21:00) What Most Therapists Misunderstand about Venture Capital

(24:00) Why Motivo Doesn’t Let Supervisors Set Rates

(27:00) Learning to Give Hard Feedback as a Leader

(34:00) Separating Your Identity from Your Business

(42:00) Advice for Therapists Who Want to Build Tech

(49:00) Rachel’s Favorite Founders and Lessons from Luck

This episode is to be used for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, business, or tax advice. Each person should consult their own attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor with respect to matters referenced in this episode.