Episode Overview

Podcast: Private Practice Startup Podcast
Episode: 97 – The 5-Step Strategy to Make More Money AND Have Extra Time
Date: August 4, 2018
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Melissa Kornhouse (soon to be Buffington), LMHC

This episode dives into Melissa Kornhouse’s five-step strategy for private practice owners to increase income while freeing up more personal time. The discussion focuses not on quick external tips, but on a comprehensive, inside-out approach to business and life transformation — including setting intentions, mastering mindset, and leveraging relationships for sustainable growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Spark: Intention Before Strategy

• Melissa’s Journey
  Melissa shares how she initially built a successful private practice but found herself stuck in a cycle of overwork (“addicted to my computer, addicted to networking, addicted to my spreadsheets”—[06:10]). Despite her success, she realized she was “still grinding,” with little room for personal life.
• Intentionality
  “My intention was from a pure heart, wanting to serve and wanting to love my life.” —Melissa ([08:10])
• Letting Go of Control
  Melissa highlights the importance of setting a clear intention and then allowing opportunities to unfold naturally, without micromanaging the outcome.

2. Mastering Mindset: The Real First Step

• Common Money Beliefs
  Host Katie discusses persistent beliefs such as “I have to work hard to make money” ([08:41]).
• Breaking Cycles
  Many practitioners get brief relief from overworking, but soon slip back into old habits. Melissa points out the “addiction to busyness” and emphasizes the need for internal change ([09:39]).
• Melissa: “One of the steps in this strategy is about really just mastering your own mind, mastering your own self.” ([10:37])

3. Relationships as Feedback Loops

• Growth Mirror
  Relationships are positioned as a central mechanism for growth—clients, peers, and others reflect our own patterns and areas for development.
• Clients as Feedback
  “A client who maybe is constantly showing up five minutes late…when that’s coming back to you, that’s feedback.” ([12:24])
• Supportive Relationships
  Only work with committed individuals ready for uncomfortable change. Personal development accelerates with the right support.

4. Dreaming Without Limits

• Beyond the Obvious Solutions
  Instead of defaulting to raising fees or vaguely pursuing passive income, Melissa challenges listeners to engage in true, unlimited dreaming ([15:39]).
• Exercise for Listeners:
  “Imagine if there was no limit on money, on time, on what’s possible. What would you want your life to look like morning, noon, and night?” —Melissa ([17:07])

5. The Power of a Single Insight

• Small Shifts, Big Results
  Seemingly minor moments or comments can catalyze massive life changes if you’re open to intention and possibility (“one little comment can shift the whole direction for you”—[19:16]).
• Analogy:
  “What you want to do is aim for the center pin…when you hit it just at the right angle, all the other ones fall down naturally, and you’ve got a strike. That’s how it works when you’re working inside out.” —Melissa ([19:47])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Melissa (on intention):
  “It really all comes back to starting within yourself…set the intention and be excited about where that would lead.” ([06:00])
• Katie (on default mindset):
  “I have to work hard to make money. So I have to watch when that creeps up all the time.” ([08:41])
• Melissa (on shifting feedback):
  “Relationships can be one of the most powerful accelerators…if you don’t know how to take that [feedback] and turn that around… you’re missing out on the growth.” ([12:52])
• Melissa (on dreaming):
  “Instead of coming up with a solution…close your eyes and just dream. Imagine what it would be like.” ([15:41])
• Melissa (on busyness):
  “This is an epidemic of addiction to busyness. People wear it like a badge… it’s not something to be proud of.” ([20:46])
• Melissa (on radical responsibility):
  “Everything that you experience is just your perception and it’s all your responsibility. And it can be terrifying... But…that’s so empowering because now I can change it.” ([23:55])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 06:00 — Melissa discusses intentional living and her breaking point in private practice.
• 08:41 — Katie and Melissa talk about money beliefs and their impact on business habits.
• 10:37 — “Mastering your own mind” as a core principle of the five-step strategy.
• 12:24 — How client behavior offers feedback and opportunities for practitioner growth.
• 15:39 — The need to dream without restriction; moving beyond “raise your fees or passive income.”
• 17:07 — Encouragement to visualize a life/business without limitations.
• 19:16 — The power of a single, potent insight to change one’s entire trajectory.
• 20:46 — Cultural addiction to busyness, challenges of being “always on.”
• 23:55 — Radical responsibility: “Everything you experience is your perception and your responsibility.”
• 25:34–28:36 — Discussion of how radical responsibility empowers practitioners to shift from blaming to creating, fostering growth, and facing the discomfort of change.
• 30:12 — Guest’s free breakthrough call offer and recommended resources for growth.

Resources & Further Learning

• Guest Offer:
  Melissa invites listeners to schedule a complimentary 45-minute “breakthrough call" (details in show notes).
• Recommended Reads:
  • The Power of Youf
  • Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill
  • Money, and the Law of Attraction by Esther & Jerry Hicks

Summary Tone

Conversational, passionate, and inspiring — this episode embodies authenticity, with the hosts and guest sharing personal experiences, challenging conventional wisdom, and encouraging listeners to create a business and life they truly love, starting from the inside out.

For Listeners: Key Takeaways

• Sustainable business success starts inwardly, with clarity of intention and mindset.
• Feedback from clients and life is a mirror and a tool for growth.
• Step away from the addiction to busyness—success can and should feel aligned and flowing.
• Dream big and get specific—envision your ideal lifestyle, unconstrained by limits.
• Embrace radical responsibility: when you own your experience and choices, you unlock the possibility for true change.