A (2:26)

It is our pleasure.

C (2:28)

Absolutely. I have to tell you guys, I was listening to your podcast this morning in preparation. And I just love so much of what you guys do as a podcaster. I just watch and listen, and it's just fantastic to see it.

A (2:41)

Thank you so much. We really appreciate that.

B (2:43)

That's awesome. And it's nice to have a fellow podcaster on the flip side as well.

C (2:47)

Yeah, yeah. It's much different. It's much different being interviewed. I have to tell you.

B (2:51)

Isn't it so interesting being on the flip side? Whenever I'm on the flip side, I always find myself wanting to turn the tables and start asking the interviewer questions, and I'm like, wait a minute, I'm being interviewed. Yeah. So you'll be in that position today.

C (3:03)

Yeah, I'll have to fight against it, but.

A (3:06)

So we would love to just kind of start off with your story and your journey into private practice and really why this topic?

C (3:13)

Yes, absolutely. So when I think back throughout my social work career, I actually became a social worker. My sister had recommended it, and it wasn't anything I had thought of. I just didn't. This sounds so terrible, but it's true. I didn't really like a lot of anything else. And she was like, well, you like to help people. Maybe you should try social work. And so that was all it took. I got in there. I loved it so much. So much. And throughout my career, I just really knew I wanted to do therapy and wanted to own a private practice.

A (3:40)

I just think it's fun. I think it's funny. Like you said, your sister recommended it. It wasn't like you were looking for, like, a good restaurant. She just recommended it. And I just fell into my career. Beth.

C (3:50)

Yes. I just kind of rolled with it. You know, she's my older sister, too, and so I think that probably played a part in it, to be honest, is she was able to identify some of that. And I thought, well, you know, I trust her judgment. I'll try it. And I'm so thankful that she did, though, because it's led me to where I am. So. So throughout that time, I started to think about really how I wanted to have a private practice. And so I would just periodically mention that when I was talking with coworkers, like, this is my ultimate goal. And a coworker of mine here in North Dakota, after I moved, we had been talking about that, and she had been introduced to a gentleman who was looking for people to contract with in private practice. And I thought, oh, fantastic. What a nice way to get into that. And so we connected and started up my practice. It was a little bit slow rolling at first. You know, there's a lot, as you guys know, there's so much you have to do to get it going. And so it took probably about a good six months until everything was up and running. At that six month mark, I was ready to see clients. And about two months later, I found out that I was pregnant with my son. And I thought, oh, goodness, surprise. It was an exciting, exciting surprise. But I thought, well, this kind of changes things. I'm not really sure, you know, ethically, each person has to determine this, but ethically, especially as a new practice, that was one thing for me. I didn't want to get a whole bunch of clients in and then just go on maternity leave. It would have been different had I been doing this for some time. So I didn't really push too much until after I had my son. But that's a huge part of my story, is my birth experience with my son was extremely, extremely traumatic. I had to have a C section. It was just a really bad experience. You know, a lot of people who have C sections go through it and they're okay with it and everything goes pretty smoothly. And then there's a lot of people that really aren't. And that even as therapists, of course, we're humans. Right. So it definitely affects our mental health as well. And so trying to recover from such a traumatic experience, become a new mom, learn how to. How to parent, how to take care of this baby, Obviously you're exhausted. Trying to build a private practice while working full time still was a lot to handle. A lot.

A (6:03)

My goodness.

B (6:04)

Wow. Yes. That's like the trifecta of difficulties all going on simultaneously.

A (6:10)

Yeah.

B (6:11)

So how did you navigate that difficult time being a new mom? Also being new to entrepreneurship, trying to balance it all, recovering from this traumatic birth experience.

C (6:21)

Yes. You know, honestly, it. I will say that my husband is very fantastic. And so I'm not sure without him, I really would have been able to handle it as well as I did because I had his support. I was able to do things like work at night after I had already worked my full day. But if I'm being really, really honest with you, I think I felt more at home at work than I did with my son because I didn't know how to be a mom, but I knew how to be a social worker and I knew how to be a therapist. And so in some ways, I think that was almost kind of an escape, which I know there might be people listening, thinking, that sounds so terrible, but I Know, I'm not the only one who has ever thought that.

A (7:01)

Yeah, I'm really glad that you share that, because I know that so many moms deal with so much the shame and the guilt and especially having a new baby. A lot of times, you know, women go through that. You know, what did I just do? Oh, my gosh, my life is changing. And, you know. So, Kelly, I really appreciate your vulnerability on that, because we know that so many women struggle with that, and that not something that's talked about enough. And so I appreciate that you shared that.

C (7:27)

Yeah, absolutely. I think that it would be hard to share my story without being truthful. And, you know, I think that a lot of times when we have the ability to share our truth, it allows other people to share them as well. And I've had friends since that have called me and said, you know, I'm almost mourning the life I had. I'm almost mourning that. And I'll say, yeah, I did, too. I get that. You know, Beautiful.

A (7:52)

I got chills when you said that. And I definitely think of my favorite poem by Marianne Williamson.

B (7:57)

Marianne Williamson.

A (7:58)

Our deepest fear, right, is like, when we liberate ourselves, we automatically liberate others. And so when we're able to share our truth and be vulnerable, it's just amazing what happens for others. So, yeah, keep sharing that.

C (8:11)

Absolutely. Thank you. I appreciate that.

A (8:13)

So take us along your journey from there. So you're kind of finding the escape in work and probably dealing with feeling.

C (8:19)

Awful about all of that.

A (8:21)

And here you have a new baby at home.

C (8:22)

Yes, there was, I would say, a lot of guilt. And luckily, I've been able to get through therapy, and we can talk about that later, too, which has been really helpful. But there was a lot of guilt there. And in the meantime, there was a job that I had been wanting to move into. So I worked in an inpatient psychiatric hospital when I started my private practice, which was more like case management at that time. And while I love that and I value that part of our work, it just wasn't where my heart was. And so a position opened for more therapy, emergency services in an outpatient patient setting. So I transitioned down there. So then I also added one night of being on call on top of everything else had going on. It was a terrible idea, but great experience, terrible idea. So I did that. And at some point, I just had. I was just really thankful that my practice built up the way that it did, and it became too much to do at night, and I had to make that tough decision to Go full time. And that really was the best thing that I could have ever done, was moving full time. And it allowed me to be with my family more. And honestly, it allowed me to bond with my son more because I had more time with him. And I got extremely comfortable in my role as a mom. And now I feel comfortable saying, I'm a really great mom, but at that point, I wouldn't have said that.

A (9:36)

And what were some of the. I mean, did you. When this opportunity became available where you just couldn't do both and you had to go into private practice full time, was there some fears and worries about letting go of the job and coming into private practice full time?

C (9:49)

Oh, yeah. You know, I worked for the state, and so we have fantastic benefits in North Dakota. So we were going to be losing our medical insurance. My husband could get it through his job, but it still cost. And through the state. Up here, it's free. And so that is just really a fantastic benefit of working for the state. So, you know, you look at losing your really great health insurance, your consistent paycheck, you know, you're paid pretty well. How's it all gonna work out? And there were some stressors, and definitely it was a leap of faith. At the same time, my dad has owned his own business my entire life and even previous to when I was born. And so I've always seen and always felt what it's like for businesses. And so I think that did give me some faith that like, yes, I can do this. It's not going to be perfect, it's going to be hard, but I can absolutely move forward.

A (10:37)

You know, one thing that I would just really want to highlight, you know, because I'm in my own journey of transitioning in different ways. And it's like all this preparation and work and stuff like that, and now it's here and it's moving fast and it's kind of like, scary, right? It's like, I've been asking for this, but wait, slow down, right? And so one of the things that I just really want to highlight that you said is sometimes we do need to take the leap of faith and trust the process. And, you know, I'm a firm believer is when we're like holding something so tightly over here, you know, we don't have the opportunity to have an open hand to receive what's coming next. And sometimes it is just that letting go and not know. You're like in the fog, right? You just can't see what's next. But you know, something's out there, you're hoping it's good. And so taking that leap of faith is a lot of times what, you know, Startup Nation has experienced or, you know, they're hearing your message right now and they're like, probably struggling. And hopefully that's the thing that you've shared or many things that you share. This podcast that just has them take that leap of faith.

C (11:33)

Absolutely, absolutely. It can be life changing. Scary, but life changing.

A (11:38)

Yeah, totally. And sometimes even the best planning. It's the best planning doesn't always help. You do have to let go at some point to then receive what's next for you.

C (11:48)

Yes, most certainly.

A (11:50)

So cool. So you shared with some of the benefits. So you were able to let go and come into practice full time, spend more time at home and really bond with your son, share a little bit more, not just surviving, but really thriving in practice. And you're talking about growing a human. Talk more about that.

C (12:07)

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Especially private practice, if you're in a group practice, you're with other clinicians. And so I think that's really important to point out that if you're going into a solo practice, you know, I was contracting, but I'm the only one in this location, or I was the only one in this location. And so you're very, very isolated. And that changes thing. I'm a very social person. You know, I really enjoy those conversations with people. And it's just our conversations with colleagues are different than clients, you know, and that it's just hard not to have that aspect of things. And so what I decided is I need to make sure that I am connected to people and I can do consultation with them and I can really be able to even fine tune my skills or talk about cases. And those are the things that I really did was get a really good grasp of my business, where I want to go, figure out, is this where I'm going to end up, or is there more out there that I would like to do? What are interests of mine? And I even did silk. Well, it might sound kind of silly, but really it was extremely helpful. I did things like wear what made me feel comfortable. I hadn't done that before, you know, I just wore whatever I thought I was supposed to wear. And so I started just really being myself and embracing those unique parts of me. And it's completely transformed, quite honestly, it's transformed my own perspective, but even more so, it's transformed my ability to do therapy.

A (13:30)

That's awesome. And you know, the word that I hear, like, hidden behind there it calls for this. That's our authenticity. Cowbell. So really like living into and being authentic. It was interesting. I was just sitting here today, so I was like, that's so perfect. And so I love how you share, like, the more authentic that you allowed yourself to be, the more you flourish, the more you enjoyed work that you did and is so important.

C (13:55)

You know, the other thing client wise, I think it attracts people to us more when they can really feel how authentic we're really being to ourselves. And that helps people know if they're a good match for you, like if you're a good therapist for them as well.

B (14:11)

I'm curious, how old is your son now? And also how old is your practice? Because you started your practice right before you got pregnant. So they're right around the same age.

C (14:18)

Yes. So he is almost four. And so it's been about five years now that I've been going through the process of things.

B (14:26)

That's awesome. I'm so inspired by your story and just how honest you are and authentic and courageous to share the realities of being a new mom and being a new entrepreneur. I went through similar experiences myself. I have a four and a half year old and I'm pregnant now and due in December. So by the time you guys are hearing this, I will have already had my second child. And it really is a huge transition in so many ways. Women don't talk about the difficulties of being a new mom and navigating that. And like Katie was saying earlier, there can be so much shame and so much guilt and just the negative emotions that get in the way. And when you're also new to entrepreneurship, it's like, okay, you're growing this baby, and then you're also growing the baby of the business as well, which is a lot. And I know you mentioned that your husband was a huge support. What were some of the other supports or resources that really got you through that difficult time, especially in the beginning?

C (15:22)

Yeah, absolutely. You know, I had so many good friends. My sister, you know, mother in laws that I would call about, like, okay, this is going on. Do you have any thoughts? Some of the things private practice wise, though, that really helped me. You know, the company that I was contracting with, they had a really good support system. So I was able to. There was one individual in general or in specific, Charlie Joyce, who I was able to just call and say, hey, Charlie, I'm really confused about this, or, you know, there's a lot to know in private practice, and there are times that you're just like, I'm not even sure how to move forward. This billing is messed up. I don't even know exactly what I should do with this or how to utilize that. So being able to reach out to other people, I think has been one of the biggest parts for me. Other parts, though, I'm a big believer in flooding ourself with not only positive information, but also information about things we're interested in or areas that we might feel like we're kind of lacking. Finances are not my jam, but they're important. I mean, like, you can't have a business without having those finances and getting that straight. So I also did that, listen to podcasts and audiobooks a lot.

A (16:30)

Nice. You know, and I just want to just take a moment to give a big shout out to the husbands and the partners out there that, you know, are supporting, you know, women as they transition and have children and, you know, are doing businesses and stuff like that. Because really, having a supportive partner or husband is just so essential to, you know, the process.

B (16:49)

Let's go ahead and take a quick break from our sponsor. There are so many ways to keep your practice organized, but TherapyNotes is by far the best. They're easy to use. Secure platform, lets you not only do billing, scheduling and progress notes, but also create a client portal to share documents and request signatures. Plus they offer amazing unlimited phone support. So when you have a question, they're there so you can get help fast. Get started with TherapyNotes today, trusted by over 60,000 professionals. Go to therapynotes.com and enter promo code PPS as in Private Practice Startup and you'll get two months for free. Also, you can listen to episode 54 where we interviewed Brad Pleiner and took an in depth view into their ehr. If you're in private practice, you wear a lot of hats and some of those hats are totally great. But some like filing taxes and running payroll, for example, not so great. That's where Gusto comes in. They make payroll taxes and HR actually easy for small businesses like your private practice. Fast, simple payroll processing and benefits and expert HR support all in one place. Gusto automatically pays and files your federal, state and local taxes so you don't have to worry about it. Plus they make it easy for you to add on health benefits and even 401ks for you and your team. Let them wear one of your many hats. You have so many better things to do with your time. Listeners get three months free when they run their first payroll. Try a demo and see for yourself@gusto.com pps that's gusto.com pps so before you.

A (18:25)

Found out you were pregnant, right, you probably had a plan of how this was gonna go?

C (18:30)

Oh, yeah.

A (18:31)

How was your practice actually gonna go? The way that you planned it, not the way that there was other plans for you?

C (18:37)

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know what's really interesting is the way I had planned it is kind of of the way that it had worked out, minus my son. It's really, it sounds really bizarre, but two years. So when I first knew that private practice would be an option, my husband and I, at the end of every year, we write goals for the next year and we hang them on our fridge. And so I had written private practice full time, two years. I gotta be honest, guys, I never believed that that would happen. I just really didn't. I was like, this is a great goal I'm going for. Not gonna happen. And so the next year I wrote private practice. You know, two years. But what's really interesting is it was about a two year timeframe that I met when I was able to go private practice. So obviously I would have probably preferred if it would have built a little bit quicker. But I honestly, like I say I had to decide, like, ethically, what do I feel like is the best thing to do when I know that I'm going to be out for an undetermined, at that point, amount of time. And what I felt like was I really needed to wait. And I think that is. That is what I needed. And so I almost think had it went the other way, I probably would not have done my emergency service work that I did. And that really intense crisis therapy that I was doing, and that was one of the best experiences of my whole career. So I definitely would have missed out on that. So now if I have a client that mentions that they're having suicidal thoughts, I can really process that with them and determine, is this a true emergency right now? Are you in danger? How can we keep you safe? I just feel much more equipped. And so that's one part of it I would say is that I would not have had that knowledge and skill set that I have now.

A (20:14)

And sometimes it's just so easier to look back and be like, oh, we're so grateful for this now. But it didn't always feel that way. And it's really cool that you share that. Can you share with us a little bit? I know you're talking about going through your own therapy. So as you were recovering from this very traumatic C section, balancing being a new mom, working did you also take time to heal yourself at that time or did that come later?

C (20:36)

No, that definitely came later. In that moment I think I was just in survival mode. And so it was, let's see, it's been about a year, year and a half ago that I had decided, you know, like, I'm a therapist. If I want people to get help, like I have to be willing to do that too. So I need help, I'm gonna, you know, seek out a therapist. And I was really interested actually in emdr. I just felt like, you know, it was such, I'm not trained in it, but from what I had heard at that time, it's just such an intensive. But for the most part, a lot of people it sounds like, get some relief if it's appropriate for them. I'm not going to go into all that, but if it's appropriate for them, get some relief fairly quickly. And that's what I was looking for. Like let's do the work quickly and have it be intense and get some healing done. And it was the best thing that I've ever done. I honestly, like I would always say, is this witchcraft? Like something just doesn't really feel like how is this even possible? That like I walked in and this was bothering me and I, and I walk out and it's not as much, you know, like it just was really interesting and obviously not everyone would have that experience, but that was just mine and so I did that. And I think opening up about that and gaining that healing again allowed me to get closer and closer to who I authentically am and helped me know that it was not my fault that that happened, that I did everything that I could and ultimately in the end I did what I needed to to get my son here safely. And I feel darn good about that. Nice.

A (22:00)

That is beautiful. Wow, thanks so much for sharing your story. As we kind of walk through the journey and walk back and things like that are there key asp that we haven't covered that you want to make sure that you share with our audience today.

C (22:14)

You know, I think the main thing that I would really just want people to take away from this is that life truly is not perfect. But if you have a dream where you have a tug at your heart, it's there for a reason. And I really believe when you take those steps, even if it's not perfect, let's be real, it's not going to be perfect. There's going to be failures, there's going to be mess ups that happens for human but Ultimately, if that. That's there and you can lean into that, I think that life can change in amazing ways. Nice.

A (22:42)

So what's next for you, Kelly?

C (22:44)

You know, so I have my podcast as well. I love that. If I'm thinking, like, I mean, I dream pretty big, guys, so I just want to warn you, but I dream big.

A (22:53)

I will lay it on, girl.

B (22:54)

Well, thank you.

A (22:55)

We want to support you.

C (22:57)

Yes, absolutely. I appreciate that. So my ultimate goals, I would love to be able. My podcast is Kelly and the Encouragers. And the goal is to get as much encouragement in the world that we can, and so to share those really hard stories and those hard truths, but to be able to share that and encourage people along the way. And so what I would like to do is be able to have women's events and be able to speak and share that message throughout the United States. And ultimately, I would love to have a talk show. I think that'd be so much fun.

A (23:29)

That's so funny. A few years ago, I had done this program called Mission to Millions. I think that's what it was called. And, you know, we kind of created a drawing of a vision board. And I keep seeing. I'm right there with you, like, having a show and interviewing, like, you know, some really awesome and inspiring people. So, you know, I keep that. I keep that close. And I see that, of course, Tony.

C (23:47)

Robbins is on there and many other.

A (23:48)

People, but that would be really cool, just kind of diving into their lives and talking about their struggles and challenges and triumphs and, you know, just really inspiring others. I love it. I love that your podcast is called Killian the Encouragers. Like, two thoughts kind of come to mind. Like, you know, this, like, quartet or, like, this superhero, like, tribe.

B (24:06)

So I really love it.

C (24:08)

Yeah, thank you. And that's kind of what I envisioned when the name came about. I was like, oh, I just see, like, a whole bunch of people just joining together and, like, you know, armoring up and just really going out into the world and encouraging as many people as we can, because I believe it can change the world.

B (24:24)

I love that. Yeah, it's clearly your passion, and you've created a movement with it, and there's definitely a need for that.

A (24:30)

So, Kerry, and is there a specific focus, like, audience for your podcast?

C (24:35)

You know, mostly it is women that listen, and the age varies, but somewhere between 25 and 65 is usually the audience. So, you know, I think the thing is, I think a lot of times, like, women, right, like, we're, like, yearning for that a lot because we often feel very isolated. And, you know, there's this thing in society where, you know, we're told that women can't be friends or women can't, you know, support one another. And I just think that's crap. And so I think that's what draws so many women to this is just that idea of having that community that is like. Like there for you. I'm that type of person. I don't know if you guys are like this, but, like, if I see somebody who I went to, like, high school with and they're rocking out in life, I'm like, yes. I'm so happy for you.

A (25:15)

Totally.

C (25:16)

That's amazing. And I think that's what just attracts the women to the podcast.

A (25:20)

Nice. And what do you want to make sure that our Starter Nation superheroes take away from your message today?

C (25:27)

You know, I would just say to be brave and be vulnerable, and there's so much freedom in that. When you're able to do that, like I said earlier, I think it not only frees you, but it frees others. And, you know, we need more people to be willing to go first and say, I'll go first, so that, you know that you can.

A (25:45)

Awesome. Well, we really appreciate your vulnerability and sharing your story and being brave and going first and everything that you just talked about today. So, Startup Nation, we hope that you guys join us next week, and we really hope that you enjoyed this podcast. It's always nice to step back and kind of talk more, just really authentically. And, you know, Kelly said she loves deep conversations, so we hope that she was fulfilled by this podcast today as well as you guys. So next week, we are going to be talking to Barbara Griswold about what's missing from your progress notes. And this was a request from you guys. We had some requests about progress notes, so we're going to dive in to this topic next time.

B (26:23)

And let's take a moment for our Startup Nation superhero shout out. This comes from Corinne Menard, and Corinne says Kate and Katie are awesome. They have so much to offer the rest of us who are just starting out. Corrine, thank you for your kind words. It's so thoughtful of you to share that feedback with us. And we hope that our podcast and all of the content that we really provide with our Level up videos as well. Each week in our Facebook group really continues to inspire you guys to not only start your private practice, but really to grow that dream private practice and live that dream lifestyle. So if you have feedback for us, if you want to leave us a review, you can do so on itunes, or you can go to our Google My Business or even our Facebook page. We love to get the feedback and we love to hear that the content that we're producing for you guys is really on target. So if there's something topic wise that you haven't heard yet that you'd love to hear, definitely let us know and share our podcast with your friends. That's how we can reach more people and help more people.

A (27:18)

And as always, thank you for allowing us to inspire you from Startup to Mastery Startup Nation. We'll see you next week. Take care.

B (27:26)

Thanks for joining us on the Private Practice Startup Visit the private practice startup.com for awesome resources, free trainings, attorney approved private practice paperwork, and so much more. Sam.