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_outlineWhat 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 Nicole Lobo, who was on the show back in 2023!
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 rediscovering groundedness in private practice, Nicole shares an honest look at what it means to build a business that fits the life you actually want to live.
MEET NICOLE
Nicole Lobo is a Registered Psychotherapist and founder of Be Well Therapy Studio in London, Ontario, with over nine years of experience supporting thoughtful, high-functioning adults through anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, and life transitions. Drawing on an integrative approach that weaves together CBT, DBT, ACT, emotion-focused therapy, attachment theory, and trauma-informed care, Nicole specializes in the in-between seasons of life — the moments when what once fit no longer does. She has a particular passion for working with millennial adults navigating the quiet pressure to hold it all together, including the profound identity shifts that come with parenthood. Beyond her clinical work, Nicole also provides supervision for Registered Psychotherapists and business coaching for therapists building sustainable practices. She holds a Master’s in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and sees clients both in person in London and virtually across Ontario.
Learn more about Nicole on her practice website, Psychology Today, and LinkedIn profiles.
In this episode:
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Nicole’s private practice in 2023
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Going from group back to solo practice
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How Nicole is marketing her practice
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Rebalancing virtual and in-person sessions
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What’s next for Nicole
Nicole’s private practice in 2023
Nicole had some big goals back in 2023, and all of them came to fruition over these past three years!
She explains that she was passionate and motivated, and that by taking consistent steps, Nicole was able to bring all of these dreams together into the practice that she now runs.
Going from group back to solo practice
While Nicole loved her time running a group private practice, at the beginning of 2026, she decided to restructure her business into a solo practice again.
Therefore, once Nicole’s last contractor was ready to move on, she decided not to take on another and readjusted her practice to run as a solo practitioner.
How Nicole is marketing her practice
Nicole is honest about having had a difficult time marketing her practice when it was a group-focused entity.
Finding a way to honor everyone’s skills in the practice of marketing is essential, and can be difficult to do. Therefore, shifting back to solo practice has also made marketing easier for Nicole, because now she’s marketing herself only, and not having to do that heavy lifting for a team of other clinicians, as group practice owners often need to.
Rebalancing virtual and in-person sessions
At first, Nicole would see more than half of her clients in person and offer a day or two for virtual sessions.
However, she unfortunately experienced numerous no-shows, last-minute cancellations, and other hiccups, which made it difficult for her to continue seeing most of her clients in person, especially when she needed to arrange childcare and commute to the office.
Therefore, Nicole has found a new balance to seeing clients: the majority online, and a few in person. That, combined with being a solo practitioner, has made it easier and little less stressful for Nicole to balance her work and personal life commitments.
What’s next for Nicole
For Nicole, the road ahead is smooth and steady.
While she’s not closed off from potential opportunities, such as partnering with another clinician in the future or taking on contractors again, she is focused on this season of her professional life, which is to be a solo practitioner for the time being.
Connect with me:
Resources mentioned and useful links:
Shulamit Ber Levtov: Building a Sustainable Practice Without Losing Yourself | EP 198
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)
Get started with Hushmail here and get one month for free!
Learn more about Nicole on her practice website, Psychology Today, and LinkedIn profiles
Click here to listen to the previous episode with Nicole Lobo
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