Podcast Summary: Private Practice Startup Podcast

Episode: Up Close and Personal with Allison Puryear
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Allison Puryear
Date: November 14, 2019

Overview

This episode of the Private Practice Startup podcast features a candid, in-depth conversation with Allison Puryear, a therapist, entrepreneur, and the creator of Abundance Practice Building. Part of the “Up Close and Personal” series, the conversation delves into Allison’s upbringing, personal and professional journeys, mental health, business philosophy, and her family life. True to the format, the interview is unscripted and authentic, offering Startup Nation listeners relatable stories, real talk about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, and actionable takeaways for therapists building private practices.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Allison's Upbringing & Background

[02:22 - 05:35]

• Allison grew up in Marietta, GA, in a working-class household surrounded by wealth (“land of wealth”), which shaped her attitudes toward money and success.
• Unique family dynamics: Only child until her best friend became her parents' legal ward at age 17.
• Attended a performing arts high school in a less affluent area, which offered her a sense of diversity and belonging she hadn’t previously experienced.
• Allison describes her family as “really supportive and really loving.”
• Quote:
  • "My parents are still married...I just feel like nobody I know still has parents who are married. So I'm like, that's, that's new and different about me." – Allison [02:34]

Teenage Years and Identity Formation

[05:35 - 08:32]

• Allison recalls being a go-getter, ambitious, people-pleaser, and rule follower, balancing a desire to please teachers and peers.
• She candidly shares about her struggles with self-identity, high achievement, and a rebellious side that existed within the boundaries of structured environments.
• Quote:
  • "I was doing well in school, because I seemed like a kid with a halo on, I could get away with stuff that maybe I wouldn't want my daughters to get away with." – Allison [05:57]

Mental Health Struggles & Becoming a Therapist

[08:32 - 10:57]

• Lived with an eating disorder, depression, and significant anxiety from ages 12 to 20.
• Was the confidante for peers dealing with serious issues, and often struggled with whether to keep secrets or tell adults.
• Her own mental health struggles and being the “go-to” person for others led her to pursue therapy as a profession.
• First entered therapy in college, leading to eventual recovery and solidifying her career direction.
• Quote:
  • "As a young child...I just thought it was like you sit on a couch and you give advice all day and then people are happy again." – Allison [09:46]
  • "That people pleasing tends to go along with eating disorders much of the time, being a high achiever...hustling for your worth, I think was definitely a large part of my life." – Allison [09:38]

Building a Practice & Becoming a Practice Builder

[11:02 - 15:06]

• After moving to Seattle and leaving agency work, Allison started her private practice out of necessity—her husband was in a demanding school program, and she was the sole earner.
• Discovered a passion and knack for building practices and soon began helping colleagues, “bullying” friends into opening their own practices.
• Finding success (first month exceeding $8,000), she experienced internal conflict reconciling her financial achievements with her working-class roots.
• Eventually expanded her reach, helping others through Abundance Practice Building, spurred by a positive response at a local networking event.
• Quote:
  • “We decided I’d just open up a private practice in Seattle, like that was gonna be a snap…And my husband was in school there and his program was like 80 hours a week...if I didn't succeed, like, things were going to be really bad.” – Allison [11:12]
  • “When you cajole people into going into business for themselves, there’s been a little bit of an onus on you to help them, right?” – Allison [13:40]

Growth, Self-Discovery & Burnout

[17:22 - 19:53]

• Business has taught Allison about her own resilience and strengths, including her “superpower” of helping others believe in themselves.
• She notes overcoming prejudices about business as “slimy”—now seeing it as a way to give back.
• Allison also honestly addresses hitting her limits with organization and work, leading to tough lessons about burnout and finding balance.
• Quote:
  • “I realized I'm really good at, like, my superpower in life is helping people believe in themselves...I realized I'm good at business. I always thought business was like slimy and skeezy back in the day…” – Allison [17:36]
  • “There are limits to how much I can work even at something I love...things I had to learn the hard way.” – Allison [18:27]

Efficiency, Systems, and Content Creation

[20:05 - 22:59]

• Managing time was a challenge, particularly with large Facebook groups and content demands.
• Allison now allots specific time blocks for online engagement and reuses content through batching, saving time and reducing stress.
• Hosts and Allison discuss misconceptions about content reuse—most followers don’t see everything, so repetition is both efficient and effective.
• Quote:
  • “I run a Facebook group with over 16,000 people in it…I try to respond to every single thing…before I wasn’t scheduling that in, I was just, like, hopping in…then I’d get sucked into it.” – Allison [20:05]
  • “I really believe in reusing the content we work hard on instead of just like doing it, putting it out once and being like, okay, next.” – Allison [21:36]

Family Life & Navigating Change at Home

[22:59 - 29:19]

• Balancing a growing business and raising two young children is challenging, especially when both Allison and her husband started their own practices.
• She is honest about saving out of anxiety during her first pregnancy and the impact of miscarriages.
• When her husband opened his psychiatric practice, Allison had to step back to avoid overpowering the process—a humbling lesson as she realized her expertise didn't always transfer seamlessly.
• The couple supports one another, calling each other out in loving, constructive ways during periods of imbalance or work obsession.
• Quote:
  • “The ongoing responsibility part of [business ownership]—like the pressure that you chose and that you would feel naked without, but that is there nonetheless.” – Allison [25:21]
  • “One of the beautiful parts of our relationship is that, like, we call each other on our stuff in a way that the other person can hear.” – Allison [28:40]

Money, Guilt, and Parental Involvement

[27:04 - 29:09]

• Despite her financial success and efficient schedule, Allison sometimes struggles with guilt, given her parents' background of hard work for less reward.
• Her parents are proud and involved: her dad edits her podcast, her mom contributes handmade mugs for Allison’s business community.
• Quote:
  • “Sometimes I have to work through guilt around, like, the money I make...I can work, you know, 20 hours a week and financially be in a really great place and have everything just purring along...but they have never once put that guilt on me.” – Allison [28:00]

The Challenges and Realities of Business Ownership

[29:34 - 32:19]

• Allison values entrepreneurship over traditional employment, but admits to disliking the fears and uncertainties—especially around launches and meeting expectations.
• She, Kate, and Katie reflect on the emotional attachment to numerical outcomes and managing anxiety around launches.
• Quote:
  • “I don’t like the attachment I have to the numbers and what they mean about me as a person...there’s still this like, thread that I have to be like, let go thread. Like, this is not helpful.” – Allison [31:11]

Looking Ahead: Projects and Excitement

[32:29 - 33:38]

• Allison hints at launching a new, fourth business with her husband (details under wraps for now), and is excited about ongoing and upcoming programs like the Inner Circle and a private practice school.
• Quote:
  • “We have a fourth business that my husband and I are going to start, which I'm not ready to talk about yet, but I'm really excited about it.” – Allison [32:40]

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On Struggles with Money & Success

  • “But I'm not a jerk, but I'm making money. But how can I make this money and not be a jerk? Isn't that a given?” – Allison [03:45]

• On Perfection and Hustling for Worth

  • “Being a high achiever, what Brene Brown calls, like, hustling for your worth, I think was definitely a large part of my life…” – Allison [09:38]

• On Partnering and Boundaries at Home

  • “It was a humor. It was interesting and fun to watch him, like, all these light bulbs go off of these things I've talked about for years. All of a sudden, he's living it, too.” – Allison [25:24]

• On Burnout & Balance

  • “I realized that there are limits to how much I can work even at something I love.” – Allison [18:27]

Lightning Round: Quick Fun Facts

[33:38 - 38:57]

• Biggest pet peeve: Chewing gum with mouth open, lingering hugs [33:49]
• Weirdest job: Miller Lite girl (beer promo at bars) [34:13]
• Food she could eat every day: Nachos [35:22]
• Clothing of choice: Jeans and a t-shirt [35:28]
• Coffee drinker: Yes, prefers medium roast [35:45]
• Spirit animal: Turkey, inspired by regular turkey visits at her home [36:04]
• Favorite movie: The Sound of Music [36:48]
• Craziest work situation: Bitten by a blind client with a brain tumor at age 19 working in a mental health agency [37:09]

Timestamps for Noteworthy Segments

• Upbringing and familial dynamics: 02:33–05:35
• Adolescence and forming identity: 05:35–08:32
• Mental health struggles and career choice: 08:32–10:57
• Transition to private practice and business building: 11:02–15:06
• Business growth, burnout, and self-knowledge: 17:22–19:53
• Efficiency in business and content strategies: 20:05–22:59
• Balancing business and family: 22:59–29:19
• Managing money guilt and parental involvement: 27:04–29:09
• Entrepreneurial anxieties and launches: 29:34–32:19
• Future projects: 32:29–33:38
• Lightning round/Q&A: 33:38–38:57

Final Thoughts

This episode provides a deeply personal and practical look into the journey of a therapist-turned-entrepreneur who is committed to authenticity, transparency, and helping others succeed. Listeners will appreciate Allison’s honesty around mental health challenges, family, money, and the realities of business ownership—alongside actionable advice for managing boundaries, time, and expectations.

“I love what I've learned and I love what it's created in my life that otherwise if I'd worked in agencies for the rest of my life, I don't think I would have had these realizations or opened up these parts of myself.” – Allison [18:35]

For mental health professionals seeking to build practices on their own terms while balancing real life, this episode is both inspiring and refreshingly real.