If you're a therapist, coach, or mission-minded helper who feels like you're supposed to do it all on your own—this one’s for you.

I share a deeply personal story about what pretending to be “fine” cost me in marriage, and what it revealed about how I was building my business. This episode isn’t about hustle. It’s about getting honest.

What if community is the thing that gets you unstuck?

As a course creation coach for therapists, I’ve seen over and over again that support—not solo hustle—is the real catalyst for growth. Let’s talk about how to find it and why it matters.

• You’ll hear what “fake peace” really looks like in a marriage—and a business.
• You’ll learn why being stuck isn’t a capacity issue—it’s often a community issue.
• You’ll walk away with one practical step to stop building your online offer alone.

• 00:00 – I open with this truth: Support is not a crutch. It’s a catalyst.
• 02:10 – The story of me and my wife walking into a group while silently falling apart.
• 06:45 – Why we say “we’re fine” in business—and why that’s keeping us stuck.
• 08:40 – Naming the Solo Myth: The lie that you have to do this alone.
• 10:00 – Donald Miller's advice: Why coaches need community too.
• 11:20 – My basement remodel: a story of drywall, fear of power tools, and how 10 friends did what would’ve taken me years.
• 14:00 – LinkedIn accountability: how a weekly group helped me start showing up consistently.
• 16:45 – Fun Financial Fridays: how community made money tasks less overwhelming.
• 19:30 – Being authentic: why showing the cracks builds trust with your ideal client.
• 21:00 – A reflection: What about your real life would help your audience connect?
• 22:30 – Final invitation: You’re not stuck because you can’t. You’re stuck because you’re doing it alone.

• Book: Coach Builder by Donald Miller → https://businessmadesimple.com
• Want help planning your next 90 days? Book a free call with me → https://tidycal.com/360z043/custom-goal-setting-interview-m829oov
• Ready to grow without burnout? I'm a therapist online course business coach—learn more here → https://www.coursecreationstudio.com/

You don’t need more grit. You need more people who believe in what you’re building.

If someone came to mind while you listened, text them. Ask for 15 minutes. Swap ideas. Or reach out to me and let’s plan your next 90 days together.

If this helped you see things differently, share it with a friend.
We go further faster when we don’t go alone.

When you’re running a practice, change is constant, but staying focused during the hard parts is where most therapists get stuck. In this episode, James talks with Michael Dettrich-Chastain, therapist and CEO of Arc Integrated, about why we revert to old habits and what to do instead. From real-life struggles with tools like ClickUp to Michael’s 7 Influencers of Change, this episode is packed with insights for practice owners who want to grow without burning out.

• How to stay focused when making changes in your practice, even when things get uncomfortable
• A breakdown of Michael Dettrich-Chastain’s 7 Influencers of Change framework
• Real examples of why we revert to old habits and how to build support systems that keep you moving forward

[00:00:01] Michael opens with the idea that success is self-defined because we are always in flux and always changing.

[00:01:00] James introduces Michael and shares how they met at the Wise Practice Summit.

[00:02:00] Michael shares about the flood in North Carolina and the community’s response during crisis.

[00:04:15] Michael’s journey from therapist to CEO and the leap from comfort to entrepreneurship.

[00:07:00] How becoming a father changed Michael’s perspective on work, travel, and balance.

[00:08:00] Why change in practice often shows up as symptoms, not signs—frustration, delay, complaints.

[00:10:00] Michael introduces his 7 Influencers of Change: cognition, heart, action, nourishment, guts, environment, spirit.

[00:12:00] How environment keeps us stuck—and how to shift it to support change.

[00:13:45] James shares his ClickUp struggle as a real example of falling back on old habits when change gets hard.

[00:15:00] Michael applies his framework to James’s situation, focusing on cognition and environment.

[00:17:30] Why clearly defining success is the key to staying focused when things get tough.

[00:20:00] Entrepreneurship as personal development—how change forces us to grow in unexpected ways.

[00:20:30] Where to find Michael’s free change management resources and tools.

• Free toolkit from Michael: arcintegrated.com/free
• Michael’s website: arcintegrated.com
• Project management tool discussed: ClickUp
• Book: Changes by Michael Dettrich-Chastain

Feeling maxed out with clients? Emotionally drained?
In this episode, James Marland breaks down three practical steps for therapists to earn more without packing their calendar even tighter. If you’ve hit the ceiling with one-on-one therapy sessions and are wondering how to grow without burning out, this is for you.

3 Steps for Adding a Scalable Revenue Stream as a Therapist You will learn:

• How to find urgent problems your clients will pay to solve
• How to package your expertise into digital products or coaching
• How to share your solution with your ideal clients
• Why a "Minimum Viable Product" (MVP) is the key to momentum
• The difference between a therapist's "bucket" model vs. an "aqueduct" model

James shares personal stories (including one involving a leaky pipe 🛠️) and gives you clear, actionable advice on how to take your existing skills and turn them into something scalable.

💡 You don’t need to reinvent yourself. You just need a better structure.
📘 Grab the free resource: "15 Ways to Earn More: A Therapist’s Guide" at coursecreationstudio.com

• 00:00 – Welcome: Why therapists need to scale smarter
• 01:30 – Burnout warning signs: You don’t hate your job, you’re just maxed out
• 03:00 – Life throws curveballs: Kids, health, aging parents
• 04:00 – Why solving urgent problems is the path to income
• 05:30 – Storytime: James drills into a pipe… and finds a metaphor
• 08:00 – People pay for today's problems, not "someday" ones
• 09:00 – Step 1: Identify the problem people must solve
• 10:00 – Step 2: Package your expertise into a scalable structure
• 11:00 – What is your “aqueduct”? Build it once, let it flow
• 12:00 – MVP = Minimum Viable Product (Start small, solve fast)
• 13:30 – Don’t overwhelm clients with too many details
• 14:30 – Step 3: Market to someone, not everyone
• 15:00 – Tad Hargrave's 5-level client targeting method
• 16:30 – How to truly define your ideal client (go beyond demographics)
• 18:30 – You don’t need to build everything at once
• 19:30 – It’s okay to want something different. You’re not broken.
• 20:00 – Final encouragement + Free therapist resource

• ✅ Free guide: 15 Ways to Earn More as a Therapist
• 📖 Book: Coach Builder by Donald Miller
• 🎯 Resource: Tad Hargrave – Marketing for Hippies
  https://marketingforhippies.com
• 💬 Quote: “People don’t pay for fog. They pay for you to solve their problems.”

• 💻 CourseCreationStudio.com – James’s platform for therapist course coaching
• 📚 Coach Builder – Donald Miller
• 🧠 Marketing for Hippies – Ideal client targeting tools
• 📥 Download: “15 Ways to Earn More” therapist guide at CourseCreationStudio.com

Embracing Change: How Rewriting Your Story Can Lead to New Beginnings for Therapists

In this heartfelt episode, James Marland shares a personal experience of loss and realization that he encountered while engaging in his daily journaling practice. He discusses the significance of his "Hero on a Mission" journal, the impact of losing his written goals and eulogy due to an accident, and the emotional journey of recreating his life story. The episode highlights the importance of rewriting one’s story, overcoming setbacks, and setting new goals. Marland encourages therapists and others to see such moments as opportunities to start afresh and craft a meaningful narrative for their lives.

00:00 Introduction and Daily Journal Routine

01:26 The Eulogy Incident

03:10 Reflecting on Loss and Limiting Beliefs

04:41 Rewriting Your Story

06:22 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Therapists often feel trapped by the “one-hour, one-client, one-paycheck” model. Cancellations, seasonal slowdowns, and burnout can make private practice unpredictable. In this episode of Scaling Therapy Practice, host James Marland sits down with Chris McDonald, therapist, podcaster, and course creator, to discuss how to build income stability for therapists—without hustling for more clients or overloading your schedule.

1. Discover why relying only on client sessions creates financial instability for therapists.
2. Learn how online courses for therapists provide flexibility, freedom, and extra revenue.
3. Hear Chris’s personal journey of scaling her private practice with courses, memberships, and holistic tools.

• [00:00:03] Working less but earning more — Chris shares her goal of creating more income streams for therapists while cutting back on client hours.
• [00:01:11] Introducing Chris McDonald — Licensed therapist, podcaster, and creator of Yoga in the Therapy Room.
• [00:05:09] The pressure of private practice — Why therapists often feel forced to hustle to maintain a full caseload.
• [00:07:54] Why courses over other options — Chris explains why course creation for therapists made more sense than hiring staff or writing another book.
• [00:10:22] Self-care and yoga in therapy — How integrating yoga helps both clients and therapists manage burnout.
• [00:12:14] Stability through variety — How adding a course brought financial stability in private practice while reigniting Chris’s passion.
• [00:14:00] Breaking free from the one-to-one model — The limits of trading hours for dollars in therapy.
• [00:16:49] Freedom and flexibility with courses — Building a practice that supports health, family, and passion projects.
• [00:18:16] Behind the course design — Creating short, accessible lessons for busy therapists.
• [00:22:06] Building community and accountability — Chris’s plans for a therapist membership to support yoga integration.
• [00:24:36] Where to connect — Find Chris at YogaInTheTherapyRoom.com for her podcast, courses, and CE trainings.

• Yoga in the Therapy Room (Chris McDonald’s podcast) → yogainthetherapyroom.com
• Scaling Therapy Practice (hosted by James Marland) → coursecreationstudio.com

• Yoga in the Therapy Room Course (Chris’s main digital course for therapists) → yogainthetherapyroom.com
• Art of Breathwork (CE training, pre-recorded course) → yogainthetherapyroom.com
• Self-Care for Therapists (CE training, pre-recorded course) → yogainthetherapyroom.com

Path to Hope Counseling (Chris’s practice in Raleigh, NC) → pathtohopecounseling.com

In this episode of the Scaling Therapy Practice, host James Marland engages with Joshua Brummel from Therapy Flow, discussing strategies for adding significant revenue to therapy practices within a year. They dive into common bottlenecks such as marketing, recruitment, intake, and operations, and how a new in-person conference in 2025 can help address these challenges. Joshua explains the importance of finding and tackling growth bottlenecks, marketing ethically in the healthcare space, and the detailed planning of the upcoming event aimed at practice owners looking to scale. Hear about the goal of providing both high-level strategies and actionable advice to help attendees achieve substantial growth.

00:00 Introduction: The Million-Dollar Question

01:16 The Trap of Being Fully Booked

02:17 Guest Introduction: Joshua Brummel from Therapy Flow

03:40 Deep Dive: Marketing and Business Growth for Therapists

05:24 Ethical Marketing and Sales in Therapy

07:49 Planning and Executing a Successful Conference

22:28 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

31:45 Conclusion: Putting Your Mission in Motion

Beyond Fully Booked Learning Event - https://coursecreationstudio.com/beyondfullyboked

Sold Out Group Practice Con: https://grouppracticecon.com/gpc-2025

Therapy Flow Facebook Community Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therapyflowcommunity

Therapy Flow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mytherapyflow/

Therapy Flow Newsletter: https://join.mytherapyflow.com/join-therapy-flow-newsletter

In this episode of Scaling Therapy Practice, James Marland shares a deeply relatable truth for Therapists who create courses: we love to plan, but we often resist launching. From his own repeated webinar loop to renovation projects and mindset breakthroughs in mastermind groups, James unpacks why planning feels productive but can become a form of avoidance. If you’re a therapist or coach stuck in content creation mode but hesitant to ship your work, this episode will help you shift from perfection to progress.

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Planning feels safe, but safety can become a trap. It provides a dopamine hit, but delays transformation.
2. Clarity doesn’t come before action—it comes because of it. You figure it out by doing, not thinking.
3. You can rewrite your mindset, but it’s faster in a community. Supportive people can believe in your future before you do.

[00:00:03] Why planning is a placebo and action is the real thing. Learn how planning gives a false sense of productivity for therapists creating online courses.

[00:01:27] The familiar trap: creating a brilliant course idea… and never launching it. James shares personal examples of planning outlines, building slides, and never following through.

[00:04:20] Truth 1: Planning is a vaccine—it protects you from risk. Understand how planning soothes your brain’s discomfort around vulnerability and exposure.

[00:06:39] Quote from The Mountain Is You: “You cannot be committed to your dream and your comfort zone at the same time.”

[00:07:07] Truth 2: Planning is a placebo—action is the real medicine. Real-world examples including home renovation and driving illustrate why action leads to clarity.

[00:10:43] What successful people have in common: a bias toward action. Insights from Coach Builder by Donald Miller on why achievers move forward despite fear.

[00:11:25] Quote from The Alchemist: “There is only one way to learn… It’s through action. Everything you need to know, you have learned through your journey.”

[00:11:25] Truth 3: You can rewrite your brain—but it works better with others: mastermind reflections and belief-flipping practices for overcoming imposter syndrome.

[00:16:04] Final encouragement: Goals aren’t magical, they’re maps. Introduction to Milestone 6 from the STEP Program and why measurable goals matter.

[00:17:56] Gentle challenge: Write your next step, then take it. James walks you through a micro-action approach to break the planning loop.

[00:18:51] CTA: Learn more about the STEP Program and join the next cohort. Get support, take action, and put your mission in motion.

STEP Program – Sustainable Therapist Empowerment Program: Learn how to set real goals, take focused action, and grow with a supportive cohort.

Confident Course Creator – Pay-what-you-can foundational course

The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest: A powerful guide to self-sabotage, transformation, and breaking through comfort zones.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: A modern classic about purpose, action, and learning through the journey.

Coach Builder by Donald Miller: Insights on leadership, action, and what truly sets successful creators apart.

James Marland, Income Flow Coach: Schedule a short clarity call with James to define your next step

This episode is for group practice owners and mission-minded therapists who are tired of going it alone. If you’ve ever felt like the leader and the loner in your business, you’re not broken; you need better support. In this conversation, James talks with Stephanie Korpal and Christy Pennison of The Practice CoLab about how intentional networking goes beyond referrals to something much more vital: sustainability, encouragement, and shared clarity.

If you’ve been craving a real connection with people who get it, this one’s for you.

Top 3 Reasons to Listen

• You’ll hear how peer support can help you make faster, more confident decisions.

• You’ll learn how to form or find a group of practice owners who are in your same stage.

• You’ll discover why having a support network isn’t optional—it’s essential.

Show Highlights

• 02:00 — How a Zoom side-chat led to a therapist collaboration network

• 03:10 — Why focused coworking weekends help therapists get more done

• 05:00 — Accountability and intentionality: the secret to progress for practice owners

• 06:27 — What group practice owners need more than another strategy

• 07:45 — Managing mental bandwidth: why solo work isn’t always efficient

• 08:30 — How therapist leaders can stay focused and avoid burnout

• 11:15 — What “networking with intentionality” really means for practice owners

• 13:00 — Feeling isolated after hiring your first team? You’re not alone

• 14:50 — Why leadership in private practice can feel surprisingly lonely

• 15:00 — Building a support network as a therapist group practice owner

• 16:45 — Decision support: how therapist masterminds speed up clarity

• 18:10 — Therapist leadership support: the power of peer feedback

• 19:30 — How to start a mastermind group for therapists (without overwhelm)

• 21:00 — Find or form a network: tips for therapist community-building

• 22:40 — “If I can just make it to group…” — emotional sustainability for helpers

• 23:55 — Experienced therapists still need support (and where to get it)

• 24:50 — How therapist groups normalize challenges and reduce isolation

• 26:00 — Where to meet like-minded practice owners online and in person

• 27:20 — Give-to-give networking: how therapists can create reciprocal support

• 29:15 — Protecting your energy: networking that fuels, not drains

• 31:00 — About The Practice CoLab: offerings for group practice growth

Links and Resources

The Practice CoLab Website
https://www.thepracticecollab.com

• Offers include:
  
• • In-person working weekends
    
  • Weekly mastermind groups
    
  • The Collab Lab (in-person implementation-focused conference in St. Louis, Sept. 17–19)
    
  • Free “Bestie Pop-Ups” on first Fridays
    

Pomodoro Method (mentioned as the "Tomato Method"): https://pomofocus.io/