Selling the Couch

What if I told you that there is something simple and free that most of us can do daily for an hour or less that yields amazing physical and mental benefits? Would you want to know what it is? Since the pandemic has forced us to take a closer look at our habits and make some changes, I want to share this life-changing activity that has become an almost daily habit for me. It’s hiking! Incorporating a midday hike several times each week helps me sleep better at night and stay centered for daily tasks. My inner “research nerd” got curious and took a deeper look at the intersection of hiking, mental health, and entrepreneurship, and I want to share with you what I’ve found.You’ll Learn●     Why hike? What are the benefits?○     Hiking helps keep our minds sharp and agile.○     Hiking helps us to focus better.○     HIking can spark serious creativity.●     If you’re a hiker, please share with the STC Community what benefits you’re seeing in your personal and professional life. I’m very interested to hear about your results!Resources:Want to launch your online course?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekitLooking to launch a successful podcast?Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists:https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshopAlso mentioned:  Successful Aging by Daniel LevitinMentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Many of us find the concept of networking to be an intimidating endeavor. Even though it’s a vital element of business success, it can feel scary and shady, and a little too sales-y. Join us to learn more about what you should be focusing on in your networking relationships.Our Featured GuestPatrick Casale, MA, LCMHC, LCASPatrick Casale is a clinician in Asheville, NC. He provides coaching for clinicians who are transitioning from a group practice or agency to a solo practice. He’s here to talk about networking in authentic ways. We’ll discuss what authentic networking means to Patrick and how to make your networking relationships count. We will also examine different scenarios that might be a win-loss situation, a win-win situation, and the most common mistakes that happen in the networking space.Casale Coaching Resilient Mind Counseling You’ll Learn●     How clinicians aren’t taught to use collaborative communication to support each other’s businesses in reciprocal ways●     What is networking? Getting to know people as people and learning about their lives and passions●     Why networking can feel artificial, very “surface level,” and inauthentic●     Some authentic questions to ask in networking situations include questions about family, passions, how they ended up here, fears of entrepreneurship, etc.●     How to have reciprocity in relationships by making the other person the priority and supporting them●     Why you should ask, “How can I help this person be successful? And not, how can this person help me?”●     Why Patrick says, “A lot of networking opportunities feel like awkward first dates.”●     Why a win-lose scenario would be talking too much about yourself and not listening actively; a win-win scenario means talking and getting to know each other with connection and trustThe most common mistakes in networking:○     Not having clear strategy and intention○     Scheduling too many networking events in one day○     Making networking one-sided in your requests●     Why your networking strategy should include colleagues who don’t work with the same client population, those who do work with the same, and client groups, and psychiatric providers●     The best action step for you to take in applying the wisdom of today’s episodeResources:Want to launch your online course?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekitLooking to launch a successful podcast?Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists:https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshopMentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Overwhelmed. That’s the best word to describe how most podcasters feel as they take the leap and start on their podcasting journey. Perhaps the biggest source of overwhelm is confusion about the gear needed to get going, and I remember this well from my beginning in 2015. I didn’t have a pro-level setup when I began, and I wondered and worried about how I would be perceived in this new world. In all honesty, I had about $100 in gear, the biggest part of that being a $60 mic.Things have changed since those early days, and STC has blossomed from nine downloads initially to over 1 million today. The tech-junkie part of me has enjoyed being able to upgrade my gear, and those upgrades have been a process of learning and experimenting. Even though your gear IS important for podcasting, I believe strongly that the most important keys are consistency and personality–and you don’t have to spend a fortune to have those elements. In today’s episode, I’m discussing my tech stack, what I use now, and what I recommend to other podcasters. Join me!You’ll Learn:The three-prong fork in the road on the podcasting journey: the basic starter set of gear, incremental upgrades as the budget allows, and the decision to “go all in” with podcastingWhy I invested about $2K into gear upgrades in 2021–and how I made this decisionMy current tech stack:The Shure SM7B micMany podcasting pros use this mic because it is top-notch quality; it runs about $400 on Amazon.The RODECaster Pro all-in-one podcasting studioIt gives more nuanced control of the mic and headphone sound levels. The Pro I runs around $400, and the Pro II is about $700. A less expensive starter piece that I recommend is the Samson Q2U, for about $60.The Cloudlifter CL-1 signal booster This elevates the signal from your mic to give quality sound, and it costs about $150.Mogami Gold XLR cablesThese are about $60 each and are top-quality cables.The Gator Frameworks tabletop mic standI pair this with the Rode PSA1 mic arm. It’s worth it to spend more for quality because it stays in place and doesn’t shift or droop.Audio-Technica ATH-M50x studio headphonesThese connect to the RODECaster Pro and give consistent sound; they cost about $190.Resources:Want to launch your online course?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekitLooking to launch a successful podcast?Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists:https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshopMentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Today I’m sharing what I’m using for no-code tools and my tech stack as an online course creator. Believe me, I’ve experimented with a lot of different things, and I’m always willing to share what I’ve learned and what I recommend to others. If you aren’t familiar with the term “no-code,” it simply refers to tools that don’t require a code or advanced programming to use. I hope this information is helpful to anyone who is creating a course or thinking about this endeavor in the future. Join me to learn more!You’ll Learn:11 no-code tools I’m using to create online courses:Kartra is an all-in-one platform with features that fit our needs. Circle provides a place for community outside mainstream social media. Stripe allows us to take payments within Kartra.Loom is great for recording online course videos because there are many recording options.Notion helps with lesson planning because there are lesson and template options that make it easy to repurpose content later. Testimonial.to makes it easy to gather testimonials from students; a downside is that it is expensive.Smarter Queue helps with social media management because it integrates with Facebook groups and LinkedIn, and it recycles posts.Canva is amazing because there are many clean and modern slide templates with animation and graphics. Headline Studios helps create engaging course titles with built-in AI and feedback.Captivate is great for podcast hosting because of dynamic ads insertion.Easy Webinar makes the webinar sign-up process easy for students. Resources:Want to launch your online course?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekitLooking to launch a successful podcast?Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists:https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshopMentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Are you a course creator who wants to get better and better at your craft? I launched my first online course back in 2015, and I’m glad I did it and started on this journey. The truth is that I had no clue what I was doing! I feel like I’ve learned so much since then, and I’m happy to share those things with all of you. In today’s session, I’m discussing three non-negotiable meetings that I’ve implemented with my online courses. This simple technique has played a massive role in making over $300K more than the original $2K I made from the same course in 2015. Are you curious to hear more? Join me!You’ll Learn:Three meetings course creators need:After-action review (AARS)--takes place after a launch. Ask and answer three questions: What went well? What did not go well? What was missing?This simple step has a massive impact on course growth and future scaling.Live chat–is a way to “put yourself out there”I recommend a quarterly live chat with existing students, whether one-on-one or in a group.This feedback gives you an idea of what’s working/what’s not and allows you to come up with better offers in the future.Learning time–is a way to be a student for life.Block off time weekly to get better at your course topic and related topics by learning more“Being a lifelong student of your course topic opens up a lifetime of opportunities.”Resources:Want to launch your online course?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekitLooking to launch a successful podcast?Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists:https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshopMentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

When I was a first-time course creator in 2015, I was excited and scared at the same time. The tension around building fast or building thoughtfully was difficult to navigate. In today’s session, I’m discussing three important questions that I wish I had asked myself back then. You’ll Learn:3 questions to ask before launching your online course:Do I want a “strip mall or a skyscraper”? (This concept comes from a session with Nathan Barry of ConvertKit and Jay Klaus of Creator Science.)Both models require energy in different ways, and both have several benefits and challenges. The key question to ask: What do I want to optimize for?Why I have gone from a strip mall to a skyscraper modeWhere should I focus my marketing?Focus on one platform at a time.Remember that it takes time to build trust and rapport. How can I validate my online course?The secret is to validate with paying students each step of the way.Take a long-term view and grow slowly with care, intention, and thoughtfulness. Resources:Want to launch your online course?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekitLooking to launch a successful podcast?Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists:https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshopMentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

As clinicians and entrepreneurs, we are always looking to use our skills more creatively and expand our offerings and services. We recently released the STC Online Course Creator Kit, which is a 7-day free email course. In today’s session, I want to share the framework and strategies we used and explain why we are giving them away for free. Curious? Join us!Our Featured GuestDaniel BustamanteDaniel Bustamante is an entrepreneur who helps content creators build high-converting sales funnels. He is the Head of Ops and Automation at Ship 30 for 30, a cohort-based writing course that teaches the fundamentals of online writing. Daniel and I met on Twitter, and he is the one I turned to for this online course project. We explore how an email course differs from a traditional email opt-in, how to visualize the purpose of the course and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process. We also highlight the tech used in the course creation, along with why I take the unpopular approach that it’s better to give our best stuff away for free. You’ll Learn:How an email course functions as a hybrid of an opt-in and a course to deliver a lead magnetHow an email course uses an automated drip sequenceWhen it makes sense to create an email courseHow an email course helps you build an email list and generate leadsHow Daniel uses a “boats and islands” metaphor to illustrate the power of lead magnets (What are your “boats and islands”?)How Daniel began the process to build STC’s free email course as a precursor to the STC MastermindHow to avoid a common trap for course creators and realize that what you are selling are outcomesHighlights of the tech tools we used in building our email course: Kartra, Survey Monkey, and CalendlyThe #1 mistake people make in creating free email coursesHow the email course is a logical, sequential roadmapWhat the numbers are showing about the success of the STC course: almost 300 subscribers, 52% opt-in rate, and 67% open rateResources:Daniel on TwitterDaniel's Free Email Course (5 Proven Marketing Frameworks To Help You Sell More Digital Products On Autopilot)We'd LOVE To Partner With You! Want to launch your online course?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit Looking to launch a successful podcast?Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists:https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshopMentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

If you’ve thought about getting more active on LinkedIn and building an audience there to increase the number of referral sources for your private practice or to move from clinical to online income, today’s session will be helpful for you. Since my very first LinkedIn post a few months ago, I’ve gone from 789 to 1864 followers and from 1000 to over 245,000 views. The growth has been phenomenal! Throughout this process, I’ve done some things right and a lot of things wrong, and I hope you can learn from my experiences. In today’s session, I’m sharing the mistakes I’ve made in the past six months in writing on LinkedIn and the best lessons I’ve learned along the way. You’ll Learn:Why I started writing on LinkedIn in November 2022–and was shocked at the views on my very first postMy best tips for writing on LinkedIn:Turn on Creator Mode when you begin. Make narrowly-focused carousel posts related to your paid offerings–and this process can evolve over time. (Use these links to find out more about Shield and Flocksy.)Engage with targeted accounts to create an informal tribe.Post on a schedule that fits with your energy and mental health, even if it means you play the long game.My biggest challenges in writing on LinkedIn:Feeling pressure to post more often than I’m comfortable with doing. Overcoming perfectionism in artwork and graphics in my posts.Being on the “content-creation treadmill.”Determining whether I want the successful version of this endeavor–and the issues that accompany that success. I would love to connect with you on LinkedIn!We'd LOVE To Partner With You!💻 Want to launch your online course?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit🎙️ Looking to launch a successful podcast?Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists:https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshopMentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

In today’s busy online world, virtual presentations are everything in how you are received AND perceived. If you put forth the effort to create an online course, webinar, or speaking engagement, you want to show up authentically and masterfully to engage your audience. This is an important area in which there is always room for improvement! My guest today is a proven expert in virtual presentation, and she’s here to share her knowledge with us. Join us to learn more!Our Featured GuestLorraine K. LeeLorraine Lee is a top career and business virtual keynote speaker who has been featured in several publications and on podcasts with numerous accomplishments and awards throughout her career. She has worked in several editorial roles at LinkedIn and Prezi and has built a LinkedIn following of over 300,000, so she is very much immersed in the world of virtual presentations and online learning. She is the perfect person to help us understand more about improving our virtual presentations. Lorraine's WebsiteYou’ll Learn:How virtual presentations give you access to a wider audience and help you stand out in your expertiseWhy the entertainment factor of virtual presentations cannot be ignoredExamples of different types of virtual presentationsLorraine’s tips for improving your virtual presentations:Add movement to your presentations and incorporate “state changes.”Curate your background with features that are calming, positive, personable, and professional.Include visuals on your screens to help people learn and remember. (90% of the information processed by our brains is visual!)Use eye contact to improve your connection to your audience.How to implement visuals like logos, color gradients, and simple info on your screenHow to use artwork, photos, and personal elements to cultivate a deeper connectionHow to set up your monitor, camera, laptop, etc. to maximize eye contact with your audienceLorraine’s tips for introverts in showing up better in visual presentationsAn overview of Lorraine’s expanding consulting business Resources:Interested in becoming part of our affiliate program? Learn more!Want to launch your online course?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit for Therapists at https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit.If you are a seasoned therapist who wants to move from clinical to online course income, we have a specific mastermind for you. We meet together to build, grow, and scale our online courses. You can learn more at https://sellingthecouch.com/mastermind.Mentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

Welcome to today’s session, which is a conversation/coaching call with a member of our Online Course Mastermind. We focus today on the dilemma that comes along with social media. While social media is a fantastic way to connect with people and build your online presence, it can be a major source of distraction, comparison, and even addiction. How do you handle the tension that comes with social media if you don’t really like being there? This is a common struggle for many clinicians, including me, and this makes me think more intentionally about how to show up while guarding my time against a social media takeover. Join us as we explore the hidden dangers and potential benefits of social media and learn how to handle the tension that comes with it.Our Featured Guest for today’s coaching callElizabeth Penela, Ph.D.Dr. Elizabeth Penela (Eli) is a licensed psychologist in Florida who works primarily with families of anxious kids. In helping those with anxiety and OCD, she offers compassionate and effective treatment that goes way beyond traditional talk therapy. Appointments at her practice for adults and children are available in English and Spanish with both in-person and telehealth options. In today’s session, you’ll hear our conversation around Eli’s new online course, how she is engaging on social media now, and helpful advice about protecting her time, energy, and privacy on social media platforms. Dr. Penela’s Website (Wise Mama Bears)You’ll Learn:Why Eli decided to create her online course for parents of children who struggle with anxiety How an online course gives a greater opportunity to help more people in a group format with a parent-friendly scheduleWhy Eli is planning to launch her course with an 8-week live cohort and let it evolve over time to a more pre-recorded versionHow Eli realized that social media (even though it’s NOT her thing) is important in the course-building world to increase her visibility and expertiseHow social media tension for Eli is an “energy” matter of having to show up regularly, read comments, respond, etc. How Eli is using Instagram and LinkedIn right nowMelvin’s advice to Eli about protecting her time and energy on social media:Limit notifications that come through on your phone.Use time-blocking techniques and focus on a few people for quality engagements–instead of connecting with everyone.Tune into your energy levels and guard the privacy of yourself and your family. Don’t feel pressure to live on social media because everyone else is doing it. WANT TO PARTNER WITH US?Want to launch your online course, but not sure if people will buy it?Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekitLooking to launch a successful podcast but not sure where to start?Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop:https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshopMentioned in this episode:Try Alma!Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.