The shift into fall offers more than just cooler weather—it brings a unique rhythm for private practice owners. In this episode, I reflect on what I call the “surge season” and how it mirrors the natural cycles of growth, maintenance, and evolution in both our practices and ourselves as clinicians.

We’ll walk through the four key seasons I see therapists experience—launch, growth, maintenance, and evolution—and why naming the season you’re in can offer both clarity and permission. If you’re feeling a shift coming on, if the work that once energized you now feels heavy, or if you’re wondering whether it’s time to evolve your niche, this episode is your invitation to pause, reflect, and recalibrate.

I also share what 2025 has looked like behind the scenes at Walker Strategy Co.—a scrappy, creative, sometimes exhausting season—and how that has paid off in ways that didn’t always feel obvious in the moment. Spoiler: your consistency will pay off, just not always right away.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ How to identify which season of practice you’re in—and what to do with that insight

2️⃣ Why returning to a growth phase after reaching maintenance isn’t failure—it’s normal

3️⃣ What to consider (practically and emotionally) when you feel a pull to evolve your niche or services

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Confident Copy: walkerstrategyco.com/cc
• The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

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Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.

Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

If you’ve ever stared at an empty hour on your calendar and felt a wave of anxiety or self-doubt, you’re not alone. In this episode, I’m reframing those open spots—not as evidence that something’s wrong, but as valuable opportunities to support your business, reflect on your work, or even rest (guilt-free!).

I’ll share how to stop spinning in indecision when you hit a lull in your schedule and start seeing those gaps for what they really are: a chance to move your practice forward with clarity and intention. Whether you’re in a growth phase or just hit a slow week, you’ll walk away with 10 tangible ways to use that time—no hustle required.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ How to reframe calendar gaps so they fuel growth instead of shame

2️⃣ Why rest only counts when it’s chosen—and how to know when it’s truly needed

3️⃣ A 10-item “gap menu” with concrete tasks (and yes, rest is on the list!) you can draw from anytime your schedule opens up

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• PsychToday Success Pack: walkerstrategyco.com/ptsp
• Magnetic Niche Method: walkerstrategyco.com/mnm
• Confident Copy: walkerstrategyco.com/cc
• Today’s Full Caseload (free private podcast): walkerstrategyco.com/tfc
• The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.

Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

Just when you were starting to feel comfortable with SEO, here comes AEO—Answer Engine Optimization. If you’ve heard that people are getting found through ChatGPT and started wondering if this is yet another marketing trend you need to master, take a deep breath. In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly what AEO is, how it connects to what you’re already doing with SEO, and why it’s not as overwhelming as it sounds.

You’ll learn how therapists are already getting discovered through AI tools (even without doing anything “fancy”), why specificity in your copy matters more than ever, and what small updates you can make to your website to stay ahead. The good news? If you’ve been following the guidance I’ve shared on this podcast or inside my programs, you’re likely already in great shape.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ Why AEO isn’t a brand-new marketing mountain to climb—and how it builds on your existing SEO efforts

2️⃣ The kind of therapist website copy AI tools are actually looking for (and why general, vague content just won’t cut it)

3️⃣ Five simple, no-overwhelm steps to make your site more findable on tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Confident Copy: walkerstrategyco.com/confident-copy
• The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.

Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

We’re living in a “trust recession.” Skepticism is at an all-time high—not just when it comes to buying shoes online or clicking on an Instagram ad, but also when choosing a therapist. And that deeply affects how potential clients approach finding support.

In this episode, I unpack why trust is so low across the board and what that means for your private practice. I’ll show you how to bridge the gap between being visible and actually being trusted, so you can attract the right-fit clients—even in a more cautious, discerning market.

We’ll talk about what’s not working anymore (like vague elevator pitches or hoping a listing on Psychology Today is enough), and explore how to strategically cultivate trust through something called "trust transfer." Spoiler: you're probably already doing this—you just need to do it with more intention.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ Why being visible isn’t enough anymore—and how to become the therapist who actually earns trust

2️⃣ How “trust transfer” works (and why it’s the most powerful tool you’re not fully using yet)

3️⃣ Concrete, doable steps to build your referral network without feeling salesy or awkward

Resources & Links Mentioned:

The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.

Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

If you’ve been telling yourself, “I’ll start marketing when…”—this episode is your wake-up call. Whether it’s the economy, your confidence, or your calendar, it’s easy to delay the hard stuff. But waiting for the perfect moment to market your practice is one of the costliest decisions you can make.

In this episode, I’m unpacking the most common objections I hear from therapists about why they’re holding off on marketing—and offering some grounded reframes to help you move forward. Because just like healing in therapy, growth in your business starts with one brave step.

You don’t need to wait until you feel perfectly ready. And you don’t need to do everything at once. But you do need to decide. If you’ve been stuck in indecision, this is your invitation to choose action—imperfect, courageous action—so you can finally start building the practice you want.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ Why “waiting until the time is right” keeps your practice stuck—and what to do instead

2️⃣ The real cost of putting off your marketing (it’s not just lost clients—it’s lost confidence)

3️⃣ How to reframe fears about money, time, and readiness so you can move forward with clarity

Resources & Links Mentioned:

👉 Confident Copy: walkerstrategyco.com/cc

👉 The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.

Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

For a limited time, you can listen to the audio of my free workshop, “Clear Website, Full Caseload: The 4 mistakes keeping you from booking premium-fee clients in a saturated, skeptical market” on the podcast!

I highly recommend watching the video of the workshop because the visuals, images, and diagrams show you in detail the systems we’re talking about.

▶️ Watch the workshop and enroll here!

Here’s what you’ll learn in this workshop:

1️⃣ The #1 shift that turns a “nice” website into one that books clients at $200+

2️⃣ The secret to keeping variety in your caseload and still standing out

3️⃣ How to be seen as the go-to expert in your niche (without sounding arrogant or salesy)

4️⃣ Why outsourcing your copy to AI could be costing you real clients (and what to do instead if you’ve already tried ChatGPT)

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Confident Copy (price increases permanently 8/27): walkerstrategyco.com/cc
• Squarespace Templates: walkerstrategyco.com/templates
• DIY Brand Kit (DBK): walkerstrategyco.com/dbk
• The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.

Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

You know you need a niche—but actually figuring out what yours is? That’s a whole different story. In this special episode, I’m sharing the replay of a live niche coaching session I hosted earlier this summer. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how I help therapists move from stuck and scattered to clear and confident about who they serve.

You’ll hear from real clinicians navigating common niche challenges: wanting variety but still needing focus, working with clients who don’t use clinical terms, and struggling to express the heart of their work without sounding generic. These conversations are honest, supportive, and packed with the kinds of breakthroughs that change everything.

This coaching call offers a taste of what we do every week inside Confident Copy. If you’re resonating with what you hear, the doors to Confident Copy are officially open! Get the support, feedback, and clarity you need to build a message that feels like you and draws in your best-fit clients.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ How to define your niche when you work with multiple client types or want to keep some variety.

2️⃣ The difference between clinical language and client language—and why that matters for your marketing.

3️⃣ What to do when you feel like your niche sounds too vague, too specific, or just not quite right.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Confident Copy: walkerstrategyco.com/confident-copy (Enrollment is open through August 27th. Pricing increases after this date.)
• The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.

Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

If you’ve been eyeing Confident Copy but still aren’t sure if it’s the right fit, this episode was made for you. I’m pulling back the curtain on exactly what the program is, why I created it, who it’s for—and who it’s not for—so you can make an informed decision before doors open August 19th.

We’ll walk through what’s inside Confident Copy, how it helps you write a website that truly sounds like you (and speaks to your dream clients), and what kind of support and results you can expect. I also share everything you need to know about the bonuses, updates, and big changes happening this round—including the final time Confident Copy will be offered at this price.

Whether you’re brand new to private practice or looking to refine your marketing with intention, this episode will help you confidently say yes—or no—to this next step.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ The three types of therapists Confident Copy was designed for—and why their results have been so powerful

2️⃣ The exact skills, strategies, and outcomes you’ll walk away with (hint: way more than just website copy)

3️⃣ All the details on pricing, start dates, what’s new this round, and why now’s the time to join if you’ve been on the fence

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Confident Copy: walkerstrategyco.com/cc

DIY Brand Kit (included as a bonus this round): walkerstrategyco.com/dbk

ROI Calculator: walkerstrategyco.com/roi

Clear Website, Full Caseload Workshop: August 19th

Enrollment closes: August 27th

Kickoff call: September 8th

Questions? DM me on Instagram or email hello@walkerstrategyco.com

The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.

Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co, each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.