Episode Summary: Balancing Group Practice, Entrepreneurship, and Motherhood

Podcast: Private Practice Startup
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Sarah Stroup, LMFT, RPT, Owner of Monarch Family Counseling
Date: September 7, 2019
Episode: #152

Overview

This episode focuses on the challenges and strategies involved in balancing life as a group practice owner, entrepreneur, and mother—especially when motherhood involves raising two-year-old twins. Guest Sarah Stroup, a licensed marriage and family therapist and group practice owner, joins hosts Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux to candidly share her journey, her practical approaches to time management and boundaries, and her hard-won insights on self-care, delegation, and the reality of “mom guilt.” This episode offers inspiration and actionable tips for parents in private practice who want to grow their business while staying present for their families.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Sarah Stroup & The Realities of Twin Mom Life

• The episode opens with light humor about the challenges of wrangling toddlers into pajamas; Sarah likens it to "wrestling alligators" (02:49).
• Sarah shares how she juggles work calls and home life, sometimes needing to “run and hide behind a closed door to talk” (04:21).
• She’s practiced in managing chaotic moments so she can “make it work mostly.”

2. From Pregnancy to Private Practice: Launching Amidst Motherhood

• Sarah started laying the foundation for her private practice just before learning she was pregnant with twins—prompting her to pause the launch (06:43).
• With the infrastructure ready, she returned to build her practice when her twins were just a few months old, using momentum from her prior preparations (07:04).

3. Building an Ideal Schedule and the Power of Nap Time

• Sarah designed her work schedule around her family's needs:
  “I work Tuesdays and Wednesdays from about noon to 7:00…then I come home. I wanted to be there for the bedtime rituals…
  I do my admin work the other days of the week. You would be surprised what I can accomplish in a two hour nap time. I’m running a group practice in nap time increments.” (05:25–06:19)
• She jokes about the “Nap Time Empire,” describing how nap windows are a crucial productivity zone.

4. Boundary Setting and Time Management

• Early on, Sarah recognized the necessity of boundaries and an “ideal schedule,” even before learning the terminology in a business course (07:32).
• She relies on clear professional and personal boundaries:
  • No emails or work texts on weekends unless it’s an emergency.
  • No clients texting her directly.
  • Holds firm to cancellation and no-show policies.
  • Uses a separate work cell phone she checks only once daily.
    “I thoroughly ignore it.” (14:31)

5. The "Village": Delegation and Teamwork

• Sarah was initially a self-admitted “control freak,” but learning to delegate to a team (biller, admin, therapists) has been “the best thing I’ve done for my business.” (20:53)
• Teamwork at home: Sarah and her husband work as a “dream team,” with each leveraging their strengths in therapy, business, and tech (08:53).
  “He’s got a really great business mind. I like to think I bring value to the table with my therapy mind. And so we make a really good team.”

6. Balancing Meaningful Work & Mom Guilt

• The struggle of “mom guilt” is a recurring reality, which Sarah suggests should “be an actual DSM diagnosis” (11:13).
• Her mantra: “In this moment, I am mom… in this moment, I am business owner Sarah… in this moment, I’m therapist Sarah…” (11:28)
• She values her kids’ relationships with other caregivers; it “makes them more well-rounded” (12:11).

7. Self-Care Beyond Buzzwords

• Sarah emphasizes scheduling real self-care, not just occasional indulgence:
  “If I don’t take time to just decompress and not be… just be me, just be Sarah… I’m not effective in any other area of my life.” (17:28)

8. Learning Boundaries and Realignment

• “Saying no” and holding boundaries became easier (18:02).
• Sarah was inspired by Brene Brown’s statement: “Time is our most precious, non-renewable resource.” (18:55)
• She notices when things are off—anxiety, work nightmares, disconnect from relationships—and course corrects by stepping back and delegating (19:31).

9. Managing Emergencies & Sick Days as a Parent Practitioner

• Sarah has a “system of checks and balances” for when a child gets sick:
  1. Check if her husband is available.
  2. See if the babysitter can handle it.
  3. Ask family.
  4. As a last resort, cancel clients—something that's happened only a couple of times thanks to her support network (25:52).
• Both Sarah and Kate advocate flexibility and compassion for both self and clients during such instances; most clients are understanding.

10. Advice for Parent-Practitioners

• Sarah’s main points:
  • Have your tribe.
  • Don’t let parenthood be an excuse; let it be your reason.
  • Be present in each role.
  • Self-care and boundaries are essential.
  • “Don't be afraid if you mess up. There's other therapists who can therapize your family and children.” (32:01)
• Kate adds: “Don’t make your kids the excuse, make them the reason.” (32:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On motherhood and small children:
  “It's wild. It's so fun... but it's also so crazy. They're best friends and best frenemies…” —Sarah, (03:21)
• On scheduling and boundaries:
  “I value my time more than ever as a parent and as a business owner.” —Sarah, (13:27)
• On balancing roles and presence:
  “In this moment, I am mom… in this moment, I am business owner Sarah… in this moment, I’m therapist Sarah…” —Sarah, (11:28)
• On self-care:
  “If I don’t take time to be just Sarah, I’m not effective in any other area of my life.” —Sarah, (17:43)
• On team and delegation:
  “The best thing I’ve done for my business is delegate.” —Sarah, (20:53)
• On mom guilt:
  “Mom guilt should be like an actual DSM diagnosis.” —Sarah, (11:13)
• On advice to parents in private practice:
  “Have your people, have your tribe... Sometimes you got to get creative... self care, self care, self care. And boundaries.” —Sarah, (30:12; 31:44)
• On time management:
  “Time is our most precious, non-renewable resource.” (citing Brene Brown) —Sarah, (18:55)
• On making kids your "reason" not your excuse:
  “Don't make your kids the excuse, make them the reason.” —Kate, (32:03)

Important Timestamps

• 02:49 – Comparing toddler pajama time to “wrestling alligators”
• 05:25 – Sarah’s “ideal schedule” and the productivity of nap time
• 07:32 – Foundation of her private practice journey
• 11:13 – Discussion on mom guilt and mantras for presence
• 13:27 – Setting uncompromising work/life boundaries
• 14:31 – Using a separate work cell phone for boundaries
• 17:43 – The necessity of “just being Sarah” for full effectiveness
• 18:55 – The impact of Brene Brown’s insight on time as a resource
• 20:53 – Learning to delegate and building a team
• 25:52 – Handling childcare emergencies and last-minute cancellations
• 30:12–32:03 – Sarah’s advice to parents in private practice
• 32:03 – “Don’t make your kids the excuse, make them the reason.”

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is candid, warm, and humorous, blending practical wisdom with empathy and relatability. Both hosts and guest laugh about the chaos of parenting, but also highlight its meaning and the ways that boundaries, systems, and support make business and family life flourish side by side. This episode is a heartfelt guide—both realistic and encouraging—for any parent-entrepreneur wanting to blend private practice growth with family life.

For more resources and inspiration on building your dream practice, visit privatepracticestartup.com.