• The holidays can be a joyful season, but for anyone dealing with grief, they can also bring stress, loneliness, and moments you don’t expect. In this episode, I talk with therapist and author Debbra Riemann, who shares her personal journey through loss and how slowing down, journaling, and connecting with others helped her heal. Debbra explains why so many people enter the holidays without a plan for grief—and why making one can bring comfort, direction, and hope. If you or your clients are navigating grief during this season, you’ll find support, practical tools, and the reminder that you don’t have to do this alone.

• Debbra also opens up about the hidden cost of pushing through pain, the power of community, and how grief shows up in places we least expect. Therapists will appreciate her honest look at how personal healing shaped her private practice, her published book, and her online grief community. This episode blends heartfelt wisdom with actionable steps that can help you support yourself, your family, or the people you serve.

• Three Truths You’ll Learn in This Episode
  1. Grief needs a plan—especially during the holidays.
  2. Journaling slows you down so you can actually feel and release what’s hurting.
  3. Community reduces isolation, even when others don’t know what to say.
  Highlights

  00:04 – Journaling helps release holiday grief
  02:16 – Debbra’s story of stacked losses
  04:39 – Hidden impact of unprocessed grief
  07:53 – Marketing a grief-focused practice
  09:32 – “Ugly sells” for therapists online
  11:46 – Moving states and rebuilding practice
  15:10 – Creating an online grief community
  17:02 – Why grief feels so isolating
  20:12 – Holiday grief hits without warning
  22:57 – Making a clear holiday grief plan
  24:34 – Changing traditions without guilt
  26:05 – How to find Debbra’s resources

  Links And Resources
  • Sages of Grief Recovery Website: https://www.Stages-of-Grief-Recovery.com
  • Facebook: Stages-of-Grief-Recovery.com | Rochester Hills MI
  • Instagram: Debbra Bronstad, Grief Coach (@stagesofgriefrecovery) • Instagram profile
  • Hope for the Holidays Workshop free replay available at: https://stagesofgriefrecovery.mvsite.app/products/units/view/1544899
  • Inscribed Grief Journaling Community: https://www.InscribedGrief.com

How the System Breaks Therapists—and What to Build Instead

This episode kicks off the Three Pillars of an Income Flow System series. If you’ve ever felt like your fully booked calendar was actually draining the life out of you, this one’s for you. I share my thoughts on how the current mental health system often leads therapists to burnout, not success, and what it really means to build a system that serves both your mission and your well-being.

What You’ll Learn

• Why the “fully booked” mindset leads to exhaustion
• How to spot a system designed for burnout
• What to build instead (and why it matters)
• The difference between carrying buckets and building aqueducts
• How small system changes create big freedom

Timestamped Highlights
[00:00] Full calendar ≠ true success
[01:02] Burnout signs for helping pros
[01:38] Series intro: 3 income pillars
[02:03] Why this system keeps you stuck
[02:59] Story: desperate families denied care
[04:00] Fighting a system built to say no
[05:15] Learning the real insurance rules
[06:00] Applying systems thinking to care
[07:33] The burnout cycle of feast/famine
[08:26] Running on caffeine and compassion
[09:48] The problem with chasing capacity
[10:22] Why working harder won’t fix it
[11:18] From buckets to aqueducts
[12:13] The moving truck metaphor
[13:59] Systems turn effort into flow
[14:44] Flow keeps working while you rest
[15:13] You are the architect, not labor
[16:34] Settling for stability over purpose
[17:57] Someone saw my potential first
[18:50] Don’t trade your future for comfort
[19:59] This system wasn’t built for you
[21:28] Join the Beyond Fully Booked cohort

Resources & Links
Beyond Fully Booked Workshop → https://www.coursecreationstudio.com/BeyondFullyBooked

Closing Invitation
If this episode made you pause or breathe a little deeper, share it with someone who's building a mission-fueled practice. You weren’t meant to carry all the buckets alone.

Guest: Christi Engle | Enneagram Teacher & Personal Development Coach

If you’ve ever felt stuck waiting for the right time or the perfect plan before taking a next step, this episode is for you.

I talk with personal development coach Christi Engle about starting small, rethinking success, and what to do when your brain wants you to stay safe and stuck. Christi shares how she went from uncertainty to clarity in her coaching path, and how you can do the same, even if the road ahead feels foggy.

We cover the messy middle of building a coaching life, why mistakes are part of the process, and how to shift from autopilot to aligned action.

• Hear how to build a coaching career without a clinical license
• Learn how to stop letting fear and overthinking stall your progress
• Discover the mindset shift that helps you measure success without perfection
• Get simple practices to stay grounded and move forward—without burning out

• [00:03:00] Christi’s story — From stay-at-home mom to coach without a license: how she took one step at a time
• [00:06:00] Coaching vs. Counseling — Why Christi chose coaching and what made the difference
• [00:10:47] Redefining Success — How to stop ruminating and start measuring what really matters: Prepared, Present, Authentic
• [00:14:49] Stopping the Spiral — A mindset tool to interrupt overthinking and impostor thoughts
• [00:16:24] Byron Katie’s method — “Is it true?” and other powerful questions to challenge old beliefs
• [00:18:00] Living with Intention — How to spot autopilot patterns and shift into aligned choices
• [00:23:26] Daily Tools that Help — Breathwork and basic rhythms to get grounded before big decisions
• [00:25:59] Authentic Coaching — Why your story is your strength and how to coach from your full self
  [00:28:13] Final encouragement — Don’t fear the messy middle—it’s where the growth happens

• Christi Engle’s website: https://perennialcoaching.com
• $27 Boundaries Blueprint
• Perennial Growth Path coaching program
• The Work by Byron Katie → https://thework.com

This episode is for therapists and helpers who feel like their calendar is running their life. If you're constantly chasing productivity but feeling further from peace, this one’s for you.

James Marland unpacks how overwork became the norm—and why your business needs to serve your life, not swallow it. Discover how to scale your wisdom, not your burnout.

Who It's For:

• Therapists stuck in a cycle of service and stress
• Coaches craving more space, not more hustle
• Helpers who want to teach or lead without losing their joy

• You’ll finally name what’s stealing your time—and what to do about it.
• You’ll learn how to build space into your week without sacrificing your mission.
• You’ll walk away with a simple mindset shift to start reclaiming your calendar.

• 00:03 – The cultural trap of overwork and why we mistake stress for success
• 02:00 – That sinking feeling: When you realize your calendar owns you
• 04:12 – The invisible shift: How your mission got replaced by fear
• 05:12 – Are you headed toward success… or resentment?
• 06:36 – Why a full calendar can be quiet damage
• 08:09 – The Fisherman story: A simple parable about chasing the wrong success
• 10:30 – From striving to sustainable: Why rhythm matters more than hustle
• 11:25 – The campfire metaphor: How your business needs space to breathe
• 12:09 – Ways to scale your wisdom without one-on-one burnout
• 13:09 – Reclaim your “why” and stop letting your business steal your joy
• 14:18 – “Your business should fund your life, not feed on it.”
• 15:34 – Protecting margin: How to calendar what really matters
• 16:29 – Join the waitlist for the Beyond Fully Booked workshop

Resources & Mentions

• Beyond Fully Booked Workshop – Small steps to reclaim your business → Reserve Your Seat
• Email James: James@coursecreationstudio.com (use the word “next” to get workshop info)
• Book Mentioned: The Science of Scaling by Dr. Benjamin Hardy → Find it here
• Book Mentioned: 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dr. Benjamin Hardy → Find it here

Closing Invitation

If this helped you breathe a little deeper, share it with someone who’s been stuck in overdrive. Your course—and your calendar—shouldn’t cost you your joy.

Let’s build something sustainable, together.

You’ve got income stream ideas—maybe too many. But instead of building momentum, you feel stuck in research, adding features, or waiting until it’s perfect.

In this episode, I share a personal story about my basement remodel that spiraled out of control. More importantly, I connect that story to what happens when we try to build without a clear finish line. If you’ve been spinning your wheels or afraid to start your course or offer, this episode is a gentle nudge to stop planning and start defining.

You’ll learn how to pick a “minimum viable product” version of your idea, set boundaries around it, and move forward with clarity. Progress doesn’t come from having all the ideas—it comes from choosing one and finishing it.

• 00:01 – Welcome & Rebrand
• 01:30 – Basement Story Begins
• 03:00 – How Ideas Expand
• 04:45 – The Stuck Loop
• 06:15 – Research vs. Action
• 07:00 – Define Your MVP
• 08:10 – Choose a Finish Line
• 09:30 – You’re Halfway There
• 10:10 – Take Imperfect Action

Guest: Susan Schramm | Author of Fast Track Your Big Idea

Host: James Marland | Scaling Therapy Practice Podcast
Episode Overview

Why do great ideas fail before they ever get off the ground? In this episode of Scaling Therapy Practice, James Marland talks with author and strategist Susan Schramm about the surprising root cause of stalled projects: fear of risk. But it’s not just financial or legal risks—it’s the people side of risk that’s often overlooked.

If you’re a therapist, coach, or solopreneur with a course, program, or big idea sitting in a notebook or buried under client work, this conversation is for you. Susan shares how to reframe risk as a leadership tool, not a barrier—and how to use her 6-step De-Risk System to build momentum and finally launch your idea with confidence.

3 Reasons to Listen

• Discover what’s really stopping your launch — It’s not your idea. It’s unspoken risk.
• Learn the “De-Risk” system — Six clear, practical steps to help you move forward, even if you’re afraid.
• Hear how clarity beats confidence — When you know the “why” and “who,” your strategy becomes easier to execute.

Timestamped Highlights

• [00:00] Not talking about risk
• [01:45] Launching ideas since childhood
• [03:30] Why good ideas stall
• [04:50] People side of risk
• [05:45] Fear vs. clarity
• [07:15] Group hesitation explained
• [08:40] Risk = uncertainty
• [10:15] Fight, flight, or freeze
• [11:50] Therapist solopreneurs & teams
• [13:20] Silence isn’t safety
• [14:15] Culture of risk conversation
• [16:00] 6-step De-Risk system
• [19:00] Why now? Why you?
• [21:45] Who needs to act?
• [23:15] How strategies adapt
• [24:30] Pre-mortems & planning ahead
• [26:30] Overplanning kills momentum
• [28:10] MVP mindset matters
• [30:00] Book & launch team info
• [32:00] Final thoughts on risk

• Susan’s website: FastTrackYourBigIdea.com
• Email for the De-Risk Checklist: susan.schramm@gotomarketimpact.com
• Book (Coming Oct 2025): Fast Track Your Big Idea: Navigate Risk, Move People to Action, and Avoid Your Strategy Going Off Course
• Course Creation Support: https://www.coursecreationstudio.com/