Transcript
Kim Wheeler Poivian (0:00)
Foreign.
Host 1 (0:08)
Welcome to Ask Abundance. Y' all ask the questions about having a fun and thriving practice.
Host 2 (0:13)
We answer them.
Host 1 (0:14)
We have a worksheet for you today so you can bring this answer into your life. If you want support in your practice, we have you covered with on demand or one on one support. Links for the worksheet and support are in the show. Notes can't get enough Ask Abundance. Check out our YouTube channel for the entire library.
Host 2 (0:31)
Welcome back to Ask Abundance. Today I'm joined by Kim Wheeler Poivian and Kim's been doing one on ones with Abundance for years. If you are interested in doing a one on one with her, you can click the link. So here is today's question. I keep hearing that I'm supposed to be marketing my practice more, but honestly, it feels weird when the world feels like it's constantly on fire. Between political chaos, climate disasters and collective burnout. Posting about my availability or my services can feel tone deaf or even unethical. Part of me worries that focusing on my business right now makes me feel selfish or out of touch. Is it actually ethical to market myself in times like this or should I be pulling back? Such a good question. So before we answer, I do want to thank Therapy Notes for sponsoring Ask Abundance. They've been a sponsor for years. I know their features by heart, but what truly sets them apart is that they genuinely care about your experience.
Kim Wheeler Poivian (1:24)
Experience.
Host 2 (1:25)
It's not just about troubleshooting. They actively implement user suggested features like Therapy Search, secure Messaging, and their AI notes feature. Therapy fuel. Everyone at TherapyNotes believes the product and wants you to love it too. Plus, they're independently owned, which means no venture capital and no pressure to prioritize investors over customers. This independence allows them to keep prices fair, focused on innovation, and prioritize customer experience. With over a hundred thousand therapists already on board, they've proven that you don't have to compromise success for quality. If you're ready to see for yourself, try Therapy notes free for two months with the code abundant@therapynotes.com all right Kim, the world's on fire. What do we do?
Kim Wheeler Poivian (2:06)
Oh my goodness. I keep saying it's like 20, 20.2, right? Yes. So we had the same kind of thoughts back then too. Like should we do this or not? And we saw then that people desperately needed therapy. I think that it doesn't really change. We may be a little bit more cognizant of things that are happening in the world, but I'm going to be frank that a lot of these things were happening before and I think that some populations were well aware of it and still kind of going and plodding along and going to therapy. And if that's the thing that's really helpful for somebody, then you being there, marketing yourself and knowing and letting people know that you're accessible would be a beacon for somebody. And I think that, and I've been looking on social media here and there because I limit it, but that some people are saying, oh my gosh, how can you market yourself when the world is on fire? And then there are plenty of other people who say, I'm so happy that I still see people living and thriving and doing. And so people are going to have multiple opinions about it. And you may change your opinion from day to day depending on how you feel, because the world is on fire. It feels really crappy. But know that the people who come in to see you desperately need some help and they need some support. Absolutely. So it really hasn't, you know, it hasn't really changed that much. I think that sometimes what may be hitting people is, is this what I'm doing going to be effective enough? Is this actually the thing that's really going to be impactful when there's. There's so many other bigger problems and so many other systemic issues that are going on? And to, you know, that which I say is maybe it can help that person to cope and it can help that person in that, you know, And I think that when we do therapy, we're working on a micro level and it really is helping that person and how they function day to day. That therapy doesn't change your life, but it does change how you navigate your life. And I think that that in itself can be really impactful. So my, my specialties are racial trauma and grief, and those have always been mine. Those have always been things that I've worked with. I'm a black woman. I deal with racism and prejudice and, you know, and, and trauma and grew up in Baltimore City and saw drug abuse and lots of things growing up and throughout the years, and that's where I trained as well. And on the surface, someone could say that that's extremely hopeless and all that, but those people that you still work with still need therapy. They still need support, they still need to go through the day to day. And when you work in a really flawed system that you know is likely working against you and you see all this, it can feel extremely helpless. But what is really validating is to have a therapist who acknowledges it, who can support you and can at least try to help you to navigate some ways so that you can make your life a little bit better. It can't take away the trauma. But sometimes it really helps for the person to acknowledge that that trauma is real. Especially when you've been in a. In an environment that gaslights you or like, hides things that says that it isn't real. That what I tell clients is that you have. In a world where you have to always go out and be okay, you have an hour that it's okay to not be okay. And I think that in that it gives so much more than people actually realize.