Episode Overview

Podcast: Private Practice Startup Podcast
Episode: 172 – Tara's Success Story: 3 Things I Learned About Money and Business
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Tara Arjakos
Date: February 8, 2020

This episode features Tara Arjakos, a therapist and former coachee of the Private Practice Startup team, who shares her journey from community mental health to her thriving private practice. Tara candidly discusses the three most important lessons she learned about money and business, including how she overcame fears around leaving insurance panels, transformed her money mindset, and discovered the power of authenticity in practice and marketing. The conversation is packed with actionable wisdom and inspiration for therapists at any stage in their private practice journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Authenticity & Personal Flair (03:17–04:36)

• Tara talks about her punk rock background and love for concerts and mosh pits, connecting it to her authentic and fun approach to therapy.
• “My counseling practice is built on authenticity. We can totally vouch for that and just plain old fun.” – Katie Lemieux (02:30)

2. Origin Story – Why Tara Became a Therapist (04:36–05:51)

• A formative story from kindergarten, where Tara, annoyed by her teacher’s yelling, motivated a classmate’s behavior change with hand-drawn pictures.
  Quote: “The teacher told [my mom], your daughter’s doing behavior modification with one of the students.” – Tara Arjakos (05:16)
• This early experience set her on the path to therapy: “Apparently it just kind of gets told to you sometimes this is what you’re gonna end up doing. And lo and behold, here I am. And I can’t imagine doing anything else.” (05:32)

3. Private Practice Journey (05:53–08:26)

• Raised in an entrepreneurial family (her family once owned a video store), Tara always aspired to private practice.
• She started part-time before eventually leaving agency work to go full time, overcoming skepticism from supervisors who doubted her commitment to private practice.
• Key challenge: Navigating the transition from insurance panels to a self-pay practice, facing fears of financial instability.

4. Leaving Insurance Panels & Money Mindset Struggles (08:26–13:51)

• Tara describes the “false comfort zone” of being on insurance panels and the challenge of marketing and business skills for clinicians.
• She shares practical steps for transitioning: building referral networks outside insurance, partnering with local providers, and understanding the logistics of leaving panels.
• Quote: “It was the scary point, which kind of takes us right into the money mindset stuff, because that’s when I started getting scared.” – Tara Arjakos (07:49)

5. The Role of Coaching & Shifting Beliefs (13:51–18:03)

• Tara joined Kate & Katie’s coaching after noticing her private practice had “dried up” and struggling to sell therapy due to ethical conflicts about charging for care.
• She reframed therapy as self-care and began confidently communicating her value to clients: Quote: “If I’m willing to go get a manicure and a pedicure, or… a massage every month, self-care—why can’t sitting and talking with somebody that’s not going to judge and just let me talk be another self-care option?” – Tara Arjakos (15:27)
• Clients received this messaging with relief.

6. Owning Your Niche & Value (18:27–21:35)

• Tara realized she didn’t need extra credentials to charge more—she needed confidence in her value and the unique experience she offers.
• Authentic marketing helped attract ideal clients who resonated with her website and messaging.
• Quote: “Finding that and owning it is huge.” – Tara Arjakos (19:25)
• Her “Expose Me” sections on her website (“the authentic me, the personal me, and the professional me”) are a direct result of her work with Kate & Katie.

7. Marketing Transformation: Making It Fun and Effective (20:50–23:30)

• Through course work, Tara rediscovered creativity in marketing, likening writing her website’s specialty pages to “writing her client’s story.”
• Feedback from clients demonstrated the power: “I have clients come in and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I read that page, and I was like, that’s me.’” – Tara Arjakos (21:35)
• She extended this refreshed approach to social media, speaking events, and even postcard campaigns.

8. Results & Practice Growth: Living the Dream Practice (23:30–29:09)

• Tara’s practice now consists almost entirely of her target demographic (professional women), and she’s close to breaking her own income record.
• Comparison: She previously saw 24–28 clients a week (insurance-based), worked 40+ hours, earned little more than her post-grad salary, versus now seeing 18/week at higher rates with full financial security and more freedom.
• Celebration of success: buying a new car, spontaneous trip to Paris. Quote from Tara’s client’s wife: “I’d honestly rather find a new husband than a new therapist. We talk about you all the time.” (24:30)

9. Living into Dream Lifestyle and Practice (29:09–31:28)

• Tara’s move to the beach and newfound ability to prioritize fun and spontaneity are highlighted as rewards for her willingness to take business risks.
• “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been because I just follow what I want.” – Tara Arjakos (29:40)

10. Advice for Therapists Considering Private Practice or Stuck in a Rut (31:28–33:13)

• Put fear aside and trust that you’re good enough.
• Define what you want from your practice; ride out inevitable ebbs and flows.
• Quote: “If you really want it, you’re going to make it happen…ride out the ebb and flow of business. That’s probably the key to surviving and not freaking out every moment that it’s a little bit slower.” – Tara Arjakos (32:01)

11. Special Giveaway & Final Thoughts (33:13–35:42)

• Tara offers her “Food Mood” curriculum for free for five days post-episode, designed to help clients and clinicians explore emotional eating patterns.
• The episode closes with gratitude and encouragement for listeners to pursue their dream practice and lifestyle.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On authenticity and business: “Owning what it is that you do, own it and be proud of it.” – Tara Arjakos (19:32)
• On reconciling helping and charging: “I think this is a self-care activity… if I’m willing to go get a manicure and a pedicure … why can’t sitting and talking with somebody that’s not going to judge and just let me talk be another self-care option?” – Tara Arjakos (15:27)
• On client loyalty: “‘I’d honestly rather find a new husband than a new therapist. We talk about you all the time.’ This is the greatest thing I’ve ever heard.” – Tara Arjakos (24:30)
• On celebrating success: “I am celebrating by giving myself the permission to live and just let myself do what I want to do.” – Tara Arjakos (27:57)
• On marketing transformation: “I had to change it from ‘I have to do it’ to ‘this is like an outlet now.’” – Tara Arjakos (23:10)
• On encouragement: “If you want it, find yourself a couple good people to talk to and just take it all with a grain of salt because you’re gonna have to make it your own anyways.” – Tara Arjakos (33:03)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 03:17 – Tara’s punk rock background, mosh pit stories, and commitment to authenticity
• 04:36 – Early evidence of therapist-in-the-making: behavior modification in kindergarten
• 05:53 – Growing up entrepreneurial; vision for private practice
• 08:26 – The insurance panel “comfort zone” and early steps to transition
• 13:51 – Hitting a practice lull and reaching out for coaching support
• 15:27 – Money mindset shift: seeing therapy as self-care, not just medicine
• 19:25–20:12 – Website authenticity and niche development (“Expose Me” pages)
• 21:35 – Marketing becomes creative outlet, clients ‘see themselves’ in Tara’s content
• 24:30–29:09 – Practice statistics, income growth, and living the dream lifestyle
• 31:28 – Tara’s advice to therapists: overcoming fear, accepting business fluctuations
• 33:13 – “Food Mood” emotional eating curriculum giveaway

Tone and Style

The conversation is casual, humorous (“I just realized I skipped over [your last name] because I’m like, I don’t remember how to say it now”), encouraging, and candid. Tara’s storytelling is relatable and unpretentious, matched by the supportive and enthusiastic tone of Kate and Katie.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

In this episode, Tara Arjakos tells the full arc of her journey from self-doubt and insurance panel dependence to entrepreneurial confidence, marketing authenticity, and living – truly – the dream private practice. Her story will not only inspire but also equip therapists looking to step into the next phase of business growth. Her actionable advice, vulnerability about money and mindset, and practical marketing tips (including her signature website concept) are a must for therapists and other helping professionals ready to make business—and life—fun again.