Podcast Summary

Podcast: Private Practice Startup Podcast
Episode: 184 – A New Perspective: Pivoting During Times of Crisis
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Kerri Nola
Air Date: May 2, 2020

Overview of the Episode

This episode centers on how therapists and healing professionals can pivot and thrive during times of personal, geographic, or global crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosts Kate and Katie, joined by guest Kerri Nola (“the Queen of Getting Shit Done” and “the Shadow Mama”), explore the psychological phases of crisis, the value of daily grounding practices, and offer strategies for moving from fear and scarcity into clarity, inspired action, and sustainable abundance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Phases of Crisis

• Initial Reactions (05:42 – 07:27)

  • Kerri describes crisis as a catalyst that brings repressed feelings to the surface:

    "Anything that is in there comes up...It's like squeezing an orange. If there's juice in there, it comes out now." (Kerri Nola, 05:42)

  • Katie shares her initial experience of stockpiling, embodying the scarcity mindset, and struggling to stay grounded.

• Anxiety and Control (07:27 – 08:57)

  • Kate discusses her anxiety as a new mom during the pandemic and the urge to “prepare and control” amidst uncertainty.
  • She relates this to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – when safety is threatened, it’s hard to focus on higher goals.

• Habits Formed in Crisis (09:11 – 11:20)

  • Kerri notes that chronic anxiety forms habits (“grooves in the neurobiology of trauma”) and underscores the importance of daily resourcing practices before crisis hits.

Grounding and Self-Care Practices

• Daily Rituals and Amplifying Self-Care (11:20 – 13:32)

  • Both hosts and Kerri note the increased importance of movement, nature, and boundaries with news/social media.

    “The things that work when we’re not in crisis don’t necessarily work as well...we may need to amplify them, do them longer, change up the routine a little bit.” (Kerri Nola, 12:25)

• Being Present and Setting Boundaries (13:32 – 14:55)

  • Kate deletes Facebook from her phone and replaces doomscrolling with moments in nature and family connection.

    “It just forces you to be completely present…and not freaking out about things that aren’t in the present.” (Kate Campbell, 14:38)

The Pivot: Cultivating Mindset & Inspired Action

• Clarity Through Grounding (15:07 – 17:55)

  • Therapists who pivot successfully do so by trusting themselves and their established practices.
  • Kerri emphasizes the power of self-belief and co-creative capacity—if you radiate scarcity, you repel clients and opportunities.

    “We’re wildly powerful and we’re wildly co-creative beings…therapists that were able to pivot...owned the reality of their intention and their essentialness.” (Kerri Nola, 16:05)

• Moving from Anxiety to Leadership (17:55 – 20:20)

  • Katie reflects on her therapeutic and entrepreneurial journey in the pandemic, describing how panic led to hasty decisions, and clarity only came through grounding and honest client communication.

    “Clarity comes when you’re grounded, right? We can’t create from the anxiety and the scarcity…” (Katie Lemieux, 17:55)

Setting Boundaries & Inspired Action

• The Light and Shadow of Client-Centeredness (20:20 – 21:34)

  • Kerri urges therapists to prioritize their preferred modes of service and honor their boundaries, even if it's not always what the client wants.

    “…there’s a light and a shadow of being client centered. And it’s not helpful…if we’re trying to serve in a way that we think pleases them, but it’s harmful to ourselves.” (Kerri Nola, 20:20)

• Energetic Awareness and Financial Scarcity (21:34 – 24:38)

  • Katie observes that her client flow is linked to her own energy and needs; Kerri advises tuning into internal truth over desperation, and cultivating financial flow from a place of alignment.

    “Are we willing to get quiet? It’s really hard to find our truth...Can you let yourself get quiet and ask, what is the next right step for me right now?” (Kerri Nola, 22:39)

Inspired vs. Uninspired Action

• Choosing What Moves You (24:38 – 26:27)

  • The conversation highlights the difference between inspired action (what gives energy) and uninspired action (what drains).

    “…how many of us are checking off the uninspired actions on our to-do list...they just hang there.” (Katie Lemieux, 24:38)

  • Kate shares a real example:

    “Working on WordPress website stuff is just soul-sucking for me…it is the most uninspired action I could possibly take.” (Kate Campbell, 25:21)

• Commit to Inspired Action & Outsourcing Drains (26:15 – 27:06)

  • Both hosts commit to asking: “What’s the next right inspired action?” and resolving to outsource uninspired, draining tasks.

The Collective & Holding Space

• Interconnectedness and Emotional Capacity (27:23 – 29:05)

  • Kerri expands on the idea that individual actions influence the collective, and therapists especially need to discern between their own emotions and what they might absorb from clients and the world:

    “When you’re inspired, you’re contributing inspiration to…humanity. When you’re anxious, that’s what you’re contributing…” (Kerri Nola, 27:43)

• Check-In Practices (29:05 – 29:37)

  • Simple practice to differentiate: ask yourself, “How much of this is mine, and how much of this is my family’s, my clients, the world’s?”

Summary & Takeaways

• Key Learnings Recap (29:39 – 31:26)

  • Crisis reveals what’s been hidden – it’s a “great cleansing.”
  • Establishing consistent daily grounding practices is essential.
  • Mindset determines ability to pivot; inspired, aligned action comes from a place of clarity and grounding, not fear.
  • Boundaries and self-care are non-negotiable—don’t sacrifice your wellbeing for others.
  • Financial flow and business growth are best generated from energetic alignment, not desperation.
  • Check in regularly to discern what is truly yours to carry; release the rest.

• Closing Encouragement (31:26 – 32:57)

  “You are so valuable, you’re so needed. Now more than ever…mental health has been a crisis before this and will be more of one afterwards…realize what a big deal you are and how much your contribution matters.” (Kerri Nola, 31:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Crisis & Emotional Reactions

  “Anything that we’ve been repressing, hiding from, pushing down…is just going to emerge. It can be really messy and uncomfortable depending on what we’ve been hiding from ourselves.”
  (Kerri Nola, 05:42)

• Resourcing & Wellbeing

  "It’s not grab those things [mindfulness, therapy, grounding] when shit hits the fan. It’s like, use those things daily so that when chaos and crisis emerges, we’re already well resourced."
  (Kerri Nola, 10:12)

• Inspired Action

  “Can you let yourself get quiet and can you ask like, what is the next right step for me right now? Can you go inside instead of outside?”
  (Kerri Nola, 22:39)

• On Boundaries and Service

  “There’s a light and a shadow of being client centered. And it’s not helpful to our clients if we’re trying to serve in a way that we think pleases them but is harmful to ourselves.”
  (Kerri Nola, 20:22)

• Energetics & Client Flow

  "I often find when I am tired or just not in it, clients decrease. And then when I’m back and energized clients increase."
  (Katie Lemieux, 21:49)

Important Timestamps

• Introduction & Setting the Stage: 00:31 – 05:21
• Crisis and Emotional Response: 05:42 – 09:11
• Resources, Mindfulness, and Grounding Routines: 09:11 – 13:32
• Boundary-Setting and Social Media Detox: 13:32 – 14:55
• Mindset for Pivoting: 15:07 – 17:55
• Inspired Action vs. Ego Action: 24:38 – 26:27
• Energetics and Flow in Business: 21:34 – 24:38
• Collective Healing & Checking What’s Yours: 27:23 – 29:05
• Recap of Strategies & Final Thoughts: 29:39 – 33:55

Closing & Resources

• Kerri Nola’s Website: carrienola.com
  • Offers free “healer’s gatherings” and annual Healer’s Code Live event for therapists.
• Next Episode Preview: Hal Elrod, author of “The Miracle Morning,” joins to dig deeper into daily practice for success.

Takeaway:
In times of crisis, clarity and courageous, inspired action arise from daily grounding, discernment, and honoring both your needs and your essential role in mental health. The world needs conscious, healthy healers—take care of yourself so you can care for others.

Hosts' Closing Mantra:
“Take only inspired actions. No more ego actions.”