Private Practice Startup Podcast

Episode 166: Private Practice Warrior: Master The Inner Game
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Chris Swenson, LMFT, Author of Private Practice Warrior
Date: December 15, 2019

Episode Overview

This episode explores the "inner game" of building and sustaining a thriving private practice. Hosts Dr. Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux sit down with Chris Swenson, marriage and family therapist, solo practitioner, and author of the book Private Practice Warrior. Instead of focusing on external business strategies, the discussion centers on how clinicians can master their mindset, manage self-doubt, and cultivate resilience—the essential but often overlooked aspects of entrepreneurial success.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining the “Private Practice Warrior” Identity

• Identity & Mindset

  • Chris defines a “private practice warrior” not as a job title, but as an identity and mindset.
  • It’s about seeing challenges as opportunities for growth, rather than obstacles to fear or avoid.
  • “Taking that lens towards your practice enables you to be a little more successful.” (Chris, 04:18)

• Why Practices Fail

  • Despite more resources, technology, and business education, failure rates for private practices haven’t decreased.
  • The missing factor: the mental game—your ability to manage fears, doubts, and distractions.

2. Personal Challenges and Growth

• Being an Introverted Clinician

  • Chris shares how his naturally introverted personality initially held him back from putting himself out there and embracing business development activities.
  • “Most of us as therapists are pretty introverted...You just couldn’t get over this hump. Like there was something that wasn’t quite there.” (Chris, 05:09)

• Transitions, Distractions & Shiny Object Syndrome

  • Chris discusses overcoming distractions and learning to identify and stick to “high value targets” rather than being pulled in many directions.
  • “Identify your high value targets, stay focused, finish the project.” (Chris, 07:00)

3. The Inner Game: Why Mindset Trumps Strategy

• Scarcity & Fear-Based Thinking

  • Therapists often default into generalist roles out of fear that niching down will prevent their practice from flourishing.
    • This can lead to burnout and a loss of energy and passion.
  • “You start the practice and…pretty soon some fear, maybe some insecurities start setting in and that can start influencing you to widen the net a little bit…Now I’m stressed to the hilt with clients that I’m really not excited about.” (Chris, 08:01)

• Sustaining Success Over Time

  • The core issue is not how to start a practice, but how to sustain one—which demands ongoing personal development and mental resilience.

4. Recognizing and Tackling Mindset Issues

• Awareness & Challenge

  • Growth only occurs if you’re challenged, and discomfort is part of that journey.
  • The practice itself becomes a mirror, showing entrepreneurs where they need to grow.
  • “If you want to grow, you should definitely level up or do a launch. It is moment by moment, because you’re in it, that you have to look at yourself.” (Katie, 15:58)

• Staying True to Mission and Values

  • Mastery and service are the “two sides of the path to success”.
  • Daily review of your mission and principles helps prevent drifting into overwhelm or distraction.
  • “Every single day I’ll review my purpose. Every single day, I’ll take a look at my principles of what I stand for.…Those things, you got to go every day and earn those by how you act, how you exude.” (Chris, 13:38)

• Routine, Rituals, and Self-Care

  • Creating routines and habits, like starting the day with “me first” time, box breathing, or structured morning rituals, helps anchor mindset and energy.
  • “For me, what I do, I do a lot of…I call it me first in the morning. Right. Because if I don’t get me first in, that’s probably not going to happen.” (Katie, 24:49)

5. Practical Mindset Strategies (Routine Highlights)

• Chris’s Strategies (22:44–23:24):

  • Box breathing before focused work
  • Working in focused “sprints” of 30-40 min with 5-min breaks
  • Consistent behaviors/rituals to get in the mindset for work and client sessions

• Katie & Kate’s Practices (24:49–25:58):

  • Morning routine includes reading, meditation/exercise, writing daily commitments
  • Using “SAVERS” framework from Hal Elrod: Silence, Affirmation, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, Scribing
  • Peer support/mini masterminds; sharing mindset blocks with each other

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the Practice as a Mirror:

  • “The journey of entrepreneurship is really a mirror to you, and if you choose to accept the challenge, you come out as a way better person.” (Katie, 15:50)

• On Getting Pulled by Fear:

  • “You can have a full practice and then you realize one day, like, wow, now I’m stressed to the hilt with clients that I’m really not excited about. That fear and stuff got in to just fine tune me in a different direction.” (Chris, 08:01)

• On Daily Alignment:

  • “A lot of it is like the purpose, knowing exactly why you do what you do.…[Your principles] are not something that you just live by. Those things…you got to go every day and earn those by how you act.” (Chris, 13:38)

• Why The Inner Game Is Always Present:

  • “Don’t ever, ever, ever forget about the inner game. It’s there all the time. Even when you’re learning, when you’re asking questions, it’s just there. You can’t escape it. It’s going on all the time. But the best part of it to me is if you want to be a better person…then you have to be able to be put in uncomfortable situations that challenge you.” (Chris, 27:52)

• Elevating the Profession:

  • “You walk in and like, what do you do? ‘I’m a therapist.’…We don’t have this cohesive thing that it’s like, okay, you know, you’re in private practice. You know, it should be like, oh, my gosh, now I know if I go to you, I know you’re gonna help me out because I know how you are, what you stand for…For us, it’s like, we’re private practice warriors.” (Chris, 29:17–29:57)

Notable Segments With Timestamps

• [03:03] — Chris defines the Private Practice Warrior mindset and origin.
• [05:09] — Discussing overcoming introversion and personal barriers.
• [07:12] — The real reasons private practices fail.
• [11:44] — How to become aware of and respond to mindset issues.
• [13:38] — The dual paths of mastery and service.
• [15:50] — Entrepreneurship as a mirror for personal growth.
• [22:44] — Routines and rituals for mastering the inner game.
• [24:49] — Katie and Kate describe their morning and self-care routines.
• [27:52] — Chris’s core takeaway: never neglect the inner game.

Final Takeaways

• Success in private practice goes far deeper than just strategy—your mindset and inner resilience fundamentally shape your long-term outcomes.
• Regularly revisit your mission, values, and purpose; let them guide your daily actions and business decisions.
• Embrace routines and rituals that support mental clarity and resilience.
• View every challenge and discomfort as an invitation to grow, both as a business owner and as a person.

Resources & Offers

• Free Book Offer: Chris is offering a free copy of Private Practice Warrior via iamchrisswenson.com (link also in show notes).

For more information, resources, and community, visit: PrivatePracticeStartup.com