Jennifer Bonilla: Building a Culturally Responsive Private Practice | Ep 182
Release Date: 11/19/2025
Maria Tsoukalas: From Forensic Assessments to Nomadic Therapy | Ep 204
Fearless Practice
Is there something you have been wanting to try in your Canadian private practice, but you’re unsure of how to approach it? Could you be waiting for permission to be creative? Well, here you have it! Maria pivoted her career from working as a forensic psychologist in prison systems and other group practices when she sat down with herself and was honest about chasing her goals: she wanted to travel the world while seeing her clients virtually. She figured it out, kept her clients at the center of her itinerary (including her interests), and found a way to bring her goal and dream...
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6 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a Canadian Private Practice | Ep 203
Fearless Practice
Starting a Canadian private practice can be such an exciting time in your life, but also very overwhelming! This means that sometimes things can get missed, or too much time can be spent on one task, running the risk of other important steps falling through the cracks. In private practice, anything missing could have serious consequences! It is important to be thorough. So, I thought it would be helpful to share a couple of common mistakes and how to avoid them! In this episode: Waiting for perfect clarity before launching Using US advice without adapting to Canada ...
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Katie McLean: Combining Two Master’s Degrees Into One Practice | Ep 202
Fearless Practice
Some doors close so that others can open: when Katie didn’t get accepted into the original Master’s Education in Counselling program she wanted, it was disappointing. However, she ended up following another piece of her passion, and got her Master’s in Teaching and Education. Then, once she had graduated, she pursued her second Master’s in Counselling Psychology, achieving the degree she was initially looking for! Today, Katie runs her fully booked private practice where she combines her passion for education and psychology into one. Join us today as we discuss how...
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Sandra Karlin: From Tech to Therapist in Private Practice | Ep 201
Fearless Practice
Our paths can change in ways that we may not easily foresee. While Sandra was someone who always knew that she liked and wanted to help people, she only became a therapist later on in life: her first career was in tech! It was only after she completed her Master’s degree - studying part-time while working in the Canadian tech hub - that she pivoted her career, starting both from scratch and in a new industry in counselling. Over the last three years, Sandra has graduated, started, and grown her private practice from solo to group, and become a new mom. In this episode, we cover...
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My Biggest Takeaways From 200 Podcast Episodes! | Ep 200
Fearless Practice
This is an amazing milestone: I had no idea back in 2022 that the Fearless Practice Podcast would grow so big, and that I would still be here recording in 2026! Of course, I could not have done this by myself. Thank you to Jane App, my podcast department team, and you, the audience. You are as much a part of this team as we are, and your listenership helps us develop and continue publishing new episodes. In celebration of this milestone we’ve all achieved together, I’m sharing eight of my biggest takeaways from this journey with you. In this episode: The path is...
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Nicole Lobo: From Group Practice Back to Solo | Ep 199
Fearless Practice
What happens when the practice you worked so hard to build no longer fits the season of life you’re in? How do you know when it’s time to grow, and when it’s time to simplify? In another installment from my mini-series, “Where are they now?” I’m chatting with ! In this episode, Nicole returns to the podcast to reflect on how her practice has evolved over the last three years, why she transitioned from group practice back to solo work, and how motherhood reshaped her understanding of success, sustainability, and balance. From marketing struggles and wearing too many hats, to...
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Shulamit Ber Levtov: Building a Sustainable Practice Without Losing Yourself | Ep 198
Fearless Practice
Building a business while caring for others can be deeply meaningful work, but it can also come at a cost if your own well-being is left behind. It can be easy to get absorbed in caring for others and accidentally lose focus on your own personal needs in the process. Shulamit experienced this firsthand. In this episode, Shulamit Ber Levtov shares her unconventional path into therapy, from activism, graduating with a Master’s degree at 48, and building a thriving group practice in a rural community. She opens up about the realities of entrepreneurship, the mental health...
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Paula Gonzalez: From Purpose to Practice and Scaling With Intention | Ep 197
Fearless Practice
Building a meaningful practice often starts with a personal story, and grows through courage, creativity, and a commitment to helping others. In this episode, I talk with Paula Gonzalez. We discuss her journey into mental health, which was shaped by both her background and lived experience, and how it led her from community work to launching and scaling her own private practice. From navigating the early days of going solo during COVID to building a supportive group practice, Paula offers an honest look at growth, purpose, and the systems that make it all sustainable. Join us for a...
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Amber Sperling: Three Years of Private Practice Growth | Ep 196
Fearless Practice
Growth rarely happens by accident because it’s built through intention, care, and a willingness to evolve. In this episode of my mini-series “Where Are They Now?”, Amber Sperling reflects on the journey of expanding her practice from a single basement setup to a thriving, multi-location space rooted in accessibility and community care. Amber and I first spoke on the podcast in 2023! To get the full experience of the there-and-now conversation, you can click here to listen to . In our conversation in this episode, she shares how prioritizing clients over waitlists, investing...
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How I Developed a Marketing Strategy for My Private Practice — Networking | EP 195
Fearless Practice
We’re revisiting episode 7: How I Developed a Marketing Strategy for My Private Practice — Networking. In this encore episode, I share the networking strategies I used when I started my practice in Halifax almost 10 years ago, including my first outreach system, why a personal touch like a thank-you card matters, and the biggest lesson I learned. You can find the show notes to the original episode . Connect with me: Resources Mentioned and Useful Links: Sign up for my free e-course on Learn more about the that I love and use for my Canadian private practice Sign up for my free...
info_outlineHave you noticed gaps in your community where there are needs that require attention? Are you hearing the same or similar pains over and over in the lives of the people around you? This is what happened to Jennifer, and she took the initiative to provide services to those whom she saw needed them the most.
In this episode, Jennifer and I discuss how she based her new, growing Canadian private practice on the values of cultural awareness, belonging, and identity, and how she is making the transition to solo practice financially stable.
We also talk about blogs, working with AI, instilling balance, and why adaptability is an important gift that you should give yourself when working in this mental health field. There are many gems to share, so welcome our conversation!
MEET JENNIFER
Jennifer Bonilla is a Registered Psychotherapist and the founder of Therapy Across Seasons, serving adults and families online across Ontario. She specializes in helping clients understand how attachment and family dynamics shape their confidence, boundaries, and relationships. Guided by compassion and cultural awareness, Jennifer supports people in moving through life’s seasons with greater clarity, connection, and resilience.
Learn more about Jennifer on her practice website, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles.
In this episode:
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Why Jennifer decided to become a therapist
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Starting a private practice
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Centering Culture in Private Practice
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Financial prep to curb fear
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Marketing the practice
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Jennifer’s advice for listeners
Why Jennifer decided to become a therapist
Jennifer started in the mental health field as a child and youth worker.
While Jennifer enjoyed working with youth and children in Toronto, she saw gaps in care.
Starting a private practice
Jennifer appreciated the experience that she had working in other group practices, but she knew that she wanted to start her own practice because she wanted to lay her own foundation.
Apart from wanting to ground her practice on a specific set of goals and values, Jennifer also wanted to live a professional life that had more flexibility to it. She wanted to create her own schedule, rather than follow one from someone or something else.
Centering Culture in Private Practice
Jennifer noticed that many of her clients kept having the same or similar issues around culture, identity, belonging, and self-assurance.
These conversations kept coming up, and Jennifer noticed that at the core of some of her clients’ anxieties were anxieties around cultural identity.
Financial prep to curb fear
Jennifer is working in phases. She still has a caseload in the other group private practice, and sees clients on the side in her new, growing private practice.
She’s slowly transitioning out of one and into the other as her income grows to make this change carefully and intentionally, without risking her income and livelihood.
By taking it slowly, such as building up emergency savings, relying a little on contract work, and slowly transitioning into private practice, Jennifer can keep making her professional choices from a place of intentionality, not fear.
Marketing the practice
Jennifer is going full-tilt on marketing her solo practice. When she has the time - or makes the time - she writes blogs, vlogs, and networks to get her business off the ground.
When it comes to writing blogs, Jennifer does use AI tools to help her with prompts, but is careful to keep her words her own.
Furthermore, Jennifer is brainstorming about the possibility of hosting workshops from 2026 onwards.
Jennifer’s advice for listeners
Take a seasonal perspective. Remember that things come and go, times change. What is sustainable overall? How can you adapt throughout the times?
Connect with me:
Resources mentioned and useful links:
Encore: Affordable Ways to Start a Canadian Private Practice in 2025 | EP 181
Learn more about the tools and deals that I love and use for my Canadian private practice
Sign up for my free e-course on How to Start an Online Canadian Private Practice
Jane App (use code FEARLESS2MO for two months free)
Create your website with WordPress!
Learn more about Jennifer on her practice website, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles
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