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If you want to grow a private pay business without getting stuck in overthinking, you need a clear approach to CEO decision-making. In this episode, I share the simple formula I use to make confident decisions in group practices, especially when money, hiring, and growth are on the line.

In this episode, I walk you through my personal CEO decision-making formula for running private pay group practices. I see so many clinicians freeze when it comes to financial decision-making, worried about making the wrong choice or taking the wrong risk. I break down how I evaluate decisions in my own group practices, including when to trust my gut, when to run the numbers, and when to bring in outside support.

I share real examples from my private pay practices to show how CEO decision-making actually works day to day. This is not a theory. This is how I protect profitability, avoid catastrophic mistakes, and keep my group practices growing sustainably. If you want a clearer framework for financial decision-making in your business, this episode will help you move forward with confidence.

1. What CEO decision-making really looks like in private pay group practices
2. How I use gut checks as part of financial decision-making
3. Why simple math matters more than perfect spreadsheets in group practices
4. Evaluating risk without letting fear control your CEO decision-making
5. When to make decisions solo and when to get help with financial decision-making
6. Protecting profitability while growing private pay services
7. How to avoid costly mistakes in group practices by thinking like a CEO

Strong CEO decision-making is not about avoiding risk. It is about making informed financial decision-making choices so your private pay group practices can grow in a way that actually feels worth it.

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Some years change everything. This conversation is about what happens when the hardest year of your life forces you to redefine your business identity, step fully into practicing leadership, and build a thriving practice anyway.

In this episode, I sit down with my close friend and fellow entrepreneur, Kristin Mervich, to talk about how she built a thriving practice during the hardest year of her life. Kristin shares how her business identity shifted almost overnight when a personal crisis required her to move from clinician mode into true CEO mode. What stands out most is how practicing leadership did not come from perfect planning, but from decisive action, self-trust, and letting go of fear.

This conversation is an honest look at what it means to grow a thriving practice when circumstances are far from ideal. Kristin reflects on how the hardest year accelerated her growth as a leader, reshaped her business identity, and forced her to practice leadership in ways she never expected. If you are navigating uncertainty, motherhood, illness, or simply a season that demands more from you, this episode offers perspective grounded in real experience.

1. How the hardest year of Kristin’s life reshaped her business identity
2. What practicing leadership looks like when perfection is no longer an option
3. Letting go of fear and control to build a thriving practice in crisis
4. The mindset shift from therapist to CEO through practicing leadership
5. Why redefining your business identity can unlock faster growth
6. Building a thriving practice that supports real life, even in the hardest year

This episode is a reminder that a thriving practice is not built by avoiding hardship, but by allowing the hardest year to refine your business identity and strengthen your capacity for practicing leadership.

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CONNECT WITH KRISTIN MERVICH:

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Building a specialty clinic inside a larger practice can completely change the way you grow, market, and position your business. In this episode, I share exactly how I built PCIT Experts as a niche specialty within Thriving Child Center and what I learned through every stage of practice development. If you are starting a practice or refining the one you already have, this behind-the-scenes breakdown will help you decide whether a niche specialty is the right next move.

Many psychologists think adding a specialty clinic means giving up generalist work or limiting who they can help. My experience has been the opposite. Creating PCIT Experts as a niche specialty allowed us to increase referrals, strengthen our private pay positioning, and expand across PSYPACT states. It became one of the strongest parts of our practice development, even though I was not originally planning on starting a practice with a specialty track at all.

Here is what I cover:

• How a niche specialty like PCIT can strengthen a generalist clinic instead of narrowing it
• What to expect when starting a practice with two brands under one umbrella
• The pros and cons of building a specialty clinic when it comes to referrals, marketing, and operations
• The biggest practice development lessons I learned while launching PCIT Experts
• Why adding a niche specialty can accelerate growth and create clarity in your systems

If you have been wondering whether a specialty clinic makes sense in your business, this episode will help you understand the strategy behind it, especially if you are starting a practice, expanding your services, or looking for your next phase of practice development. A niche specialty can be a powerful foundation for growth when used intentionally.

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As we head into the end of the year, I notice the same pattern shows up again and again for me and for so many practice owners I work with. The big ideas are easy. The creative strategy is fun. But the boring tasks are what quietly pile up and drain your energy through task avoidance. In this episode, I’m sharing exactly how I use ChatGPT for productivity as a form of AI for organization to get those tasks done without spiraling or procrastinating.

I walk you through how I’ve started using ChatGPT for productivity like an executive assistant when my executive functioning is depleted. Instead of holding all the details in my head or avoiding the boring tasks altogether, I use AI for organization to externalize the overwhelm, break things down, and move forward even when I do not feel motivated. This approach has been especially helpful during end of year planning, when task avoidance can quietly steal more time than the tasks themselves.

In this episode, I cover:

1. Why task avoidance shows up so strongly around small, detailed, boring tasks
2. How I use ChatGPT for productivity to organize my thoughts when my brain feels scattered
3. A simple way to use AI for organization to turn avoidance into a clear, doable plan
4. Why the real-time drain is often task avoidance, not the boring tasks themselves
5. How ChatGPT for productivity helps me protect my creative energy by handling the mental clutter

If you are a practice owner who feels capable and visionary but still gets stuck avoiding the boring tasks that come with running a business, this episode is for you. Using AI for organization does not replace your judgment or leadership. It simply gives your brain a place to put things when task avoidance takes over. For me, ChatGPT for productivity has become a practical, ethical tool that helps me do the parts of the job I do not love so I can get back to the parts that make the business feel worth it.

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This episode is about why the Worth It Practice Podcast exists at all. I am pulling back the curtain on why this podcast is considered radical, why it challenges social taboos, and why talking openly about business as a psychologist still feels uncomfortable and risky. As someone who has spent my entire life being a psychologist, I want to name the rules we are taught to follow and explain why I am choosing to break them.

As a psychologist entrepreneur, I live at the intersection of clinical training, leadership, and business ownership. That position challenges deeply held beliefs about being a psychologist, especially beliefs around money, ambition, profit, and visibility. In this episode, I talk honestly about the social taboos that exist in psychology, the pressure to stay small or quiet, and the internal work it takes to claim the identity of psychologist entrepreneur without apology.

This podcast is also about breaking social norms. It is about naming the fact that psychologists are rarely encouraged to think like entrepreneurs, and women are rarely encouraged to say they are good at business. By speaking openly about my work, my practice, and my success, I am intentionally breaking social norms that have shaped how psychologists are expected to behave. These social taboos do not disappear unless someone is willing to challenge them out loud.

In this episode, I talk about:

• What is considered acceptable when being a psychologist, and whydoes business often fall outside those boundaries
• How becoming a psychologist entrepreneur requires breaking social norms we were trained to follow
• The specific social taboos psychologists face around money, growth, and ambition
• Why claiming confidence and expertise feels radical when being a psychologist, especially as a woman
• How watching other psychologist entrepreneur leaders gave me permission to question the rules
• Why breaking social norms publicly creates space for others to imagine different possibilities

I created this podcast because I want you to see what is possible. If you are questioning whether you are allowed to want more, whether you are allowed to enjoy business, or whether you can still be ethical and grounded while being a psychologist entrepreneur, this episode is for you. Challenging social taboos and breaking social norms is not about rebellion for its own sake. It is about building a life and practice that are actually worth it.

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When December hits, so many psychologists panic about their projected revenue even when nothing is actually wrong. So today I am offering a pep talk about understanding private practice seasons and protecting your energy with real burnout prevention instead of anxiety-driven decision-making.

This episode is my behind-the-scenes look at how I evaluate private practice seasons, why projected revenue always dips this time of year, and how I use simple cognitive reframes as part of my own burnout prevention. If you find yourself spiraling every December, this is a pep talk you can come back to again and again. I break down why this seasonal dip is normal, explain what I look for when numbers actually matter, and show you how to interpret projected revenue without assuming your practice is failing.

In this episode, I share:

• Why private practice seasons always shift in December, and how that impacts projected revenue

• The specific cognitive reframe I use when I need a pep talk about my numbers

• How I distinguish normal seasonal changes from true red flags in projected revenue

• Why intentional rest is not a weakness but one of the most effective tools for burnout prevention

• How understanding private practice seasons can help you stop overreacting and start leading with clarity

Even during the lowest point of the year, you can shift out of fear and into confidence when you understand what your numbers actually mean. This is a pep talk for every practice owner who wants to stay grounded, committed, and aligned as they move through the natural rhythm of private practice seasons.

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Most practice owners do not realize how quickly financial chaos can happen until it happens to them. In this episode, I share how I managed to overdraw my account by six thousand dollars and how that single moment pushed me to build the financial tracking system I now depend on every week. If you have multiple streams of income or you have ever worried that you might accidentally overdraw my account, this episode will show you how to protect your practice with a simple weekly financial report.

As my practice grew, my expenses became more unpredictable, and my revenue became harder to track. Without a financial tracking system, I could not anticipate when payments would land or when large marketing or operations expenses would hit. That lack of clarity is exactly what caused me to overdraw my account, even though the practice was financially healthy. Once I added a consistent weekly financial report, I finally understood the rhythm of my money and could protect all of my multiple streams of income.

Here is what I walk you through:

• The exact moment I realized I was about to overdraw my account
• How a simple financial tracking system keeps me grounded and informed
• What my weekly financial report includes and why it works
• How to protect your multiple streams of income as your practice grows
• Why every practice owner needs a system long before they feel ready

If you have ever wondered how to prevent financial surprises, how to understand your cash flow, or how to stabilize multiple streams of income, this episode will show you how a consistent weekly financial report and a clear financial tracking system can create confidence and calm in your business. You never need to overdraw my account to learn this lesson the hard way.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Money Skills for Therapists with Linzy Bonham Podcast

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In this first guest episode, I talk with Joe Sanok, someone I have admired for years and one of the most influential voices in the therapist entrepreneurial space. Joe shares how he became an accidental entrepreneur, how his own identity growth shaped every stage of his work, and how he learned to follow what’s worth it as he built a business that now reaches thousands of practice owners. If you are starting a practice, expanding a group practice, or navigating your own identity growth, this conversation with Joe Sanok will meet you exactly where you are.

Joe built his group practice, sold it, and then scaled Practice of the Practice into a national brand. Hearing how he navigated being an accidental entrepreneur offers a powerful lens for anyone starting a practice and wondering what risks are actually what’s worth it. His stories about leveling up, making decisions that support long-term identity growth, and following the work that feels aligned will resonate deeply, especially if you have ever questioned what direction you should take.

Here is what we cover in this episode:

• How Joe Sanok realized he was an accidental entrepreneur and what that meant for identity growth
• Why starting a practice requires clarity about what’s worth it and what is not
• The mindset shifts and business pivots that supported Joe’s identity growth as he scaled
• What every clinician should understand about being an accidental entrepreneur in the current market
• How to follow what’s worth it when your business, identity, and goals begin to evolve

If you are starting a practice, navigating your own identity growth, or noticing signs that you may be an accidental entrepreneur too, this conversation with Joe Sanok will help you reconnect with what matters and make decisions rooted in what’s worth it for you and your future.

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CONNECT WITH JOE SANOK:

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Facebook

Practice of a Practice Podcast

Practice Academy

Group Practice Conference