The Money Sessions
Deep, thoughtful, raw conversations with real therapists who are in the midst of leaning into raising fees and making bank – all while working with the clients they are passionate about serving.
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This Is How AI Replaces You in 2026
12/29/2025
This Is How AI Replaces You in 2026
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 leaninmakebank.com/free If your marketing stopped working… If your phone stopped ringing… If you’re on insurance panels and still can’t fill your practice… You are not imagining it. And you are not doing anything wrong. The ground has shifted under our industry — and almost no one is telling therapists the truth about what’s actually happening. In this episode, Tiffany names the uncomfortable reality: what worked in 2019–2022 will not save your practice in 2026. And if you keep playing by the old rules, you are actively positioning yourself to be replaced by big tech and AI. This is not fear-mongering. This is a wake-up call. In this episode, Tiffany breaks down: Why SEO, Psychology Today, and “just niche down” stopped working — and why that’s not your fault How the pandemic cracked the industry wide open and invited big tech to scale therapy at your expense Why undercharging and insurance dependency are not just personal problems — they are industry-level threats How therapists unknowingly trained tech companies to replace them by agreeing to speed, volume, and one-size-fits-all care Why worksheet therapy and checkbox models are the exact conditions AI needs to take over What AI cannot replace — and what you must do to protect your authority, your income, and your impact Why charging your Life First Fee is no longer optional if you want therapy to survive as a profession This episode is not about panic. It’s about choice. As we move into 2026, therapists will go one of two ways: Invisible, interchangeable, and replaced Or visible, authoritative, and shaping the future of mental health There is no middle ground anymore. If you are ready to step into authority, protect the future of therapy, and get paid for the impact you make, email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line “I’m Ready.” Because AI can’t replace real therapy. But it will replace therapists who refuse to value themselves. And 2026 belongs to the ones who step the fuck up.
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From the System to Sovereignty – Emma Summer’s Leap into Premium Private Practice
12/22/2025
From the System to Sovereignty – Emma Summer’s Leap into Premium Private Practice
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. 🎁 Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free When Emma Summer realized the system was never going to reward her for overgiving, she stopped waiting for permission and built a premium-fee, cash-pay practice on her own terms. Emma shares what it took to confront the fears around leaving agency work, raise her fees, and redefine what “helping people” actually means. In this episode, Emma shares: How she went from burnout to balance by charging her true worth The moment she decided she was done trading exhaustion for empathy The myths she had to release about accessibility and guilt The impact of premium fees on her quality of care and quality of life What happens when you stop waiting for the system’s approval and choose yourself Resources mentioned: LIMB Academy Fun With Fees Calculator
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The Myth of the Black Box — The Exclusive Marketing Cabal (and How to Get Access)
12/15/2025
The Myth of the Black Box — The Exclusive Marketing Cabal (and How to Get Access)
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 You’ve seen the posts. Therapists charging $300, $350, $400 per session—booked out, spacious schedules, fully off insurance—and you’re wondering: “What the hell are they doing that I’m not?” It feels like there’s a secret marketing cabal that no one told you about—some hidden door that only the elite therapists get to walk through. In this episode, Tiffany is pulling back the curtain. She exposes the myth of the “black box” and shows you exactly why your marketing feels like a mystery—and how to finally access the system that keeps other therapists winning. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why you’re not locked out of success—you’re just missing a few key resources; The five resources every therapist must leverage to attract premium-fee, cash-pay clients; Why following another cookie-cutter marketing program isn’t the answer (and what actually works instead); The emotional and psychological bandwidth problem that silently kills therapist businesses; How to get access to the community, systems, and mentorship that will finally unlock your practice income. There’s no secret cabal. There’s just structure, strategy, and support. And once you see how it works—you can’t unsee it. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Action.” She’ll walk you through the first steps to finally building your premium-fee, cash-pay practice—with clarity, confidence, and community.
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From Agency Leadership to $320 Freedom – Amanda Starfield on Leaving the System to Serve with Integrity
12/08/2025
From Agency Leadership to $320 Freedom – Amanda Starfield on Leaving the System to Serve with Integrity
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. 🎁 Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free In this episode, Tiffany sits down with Amanda Starfield, a Massachusetts-based therapist and former clinical director who walked away from 15 years in agency leadership to build a sustainable, premium-fee private practice. Amanda gets real about the internal war between wanting to serve others and realizing she couldn’t keep doing it from a system built on exploitation. When she left her “secure” job, she didn’t take insurance — she set her fee at $200 and later raised it to $320, discovering that charging her worth actually made her a better therapist and mentor. If you’ve ever told yourself you “can’t” charge more because you care too much, Amanda’s story will lovingly destroy that illusion. In this episode, Amanda shares: How she went from running a statewide adolescent program to walking away cold turkey during the pandemic Why she refused to take insurance and how that decision saved her clinical integrity What it really looks like to hold social justice and sustainability together How raising her fees to $320 per session deepened her clinical work Why connection, community, and liberation—not burnout—are her new metrics for success Resources mentioned: LIMB Academy Fun With Fees Calculator
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Scammed?! How Do I Know If a Business Program Is Legit? — Stop Asking About Success Rates (You’re Not Average)
12/01/2025
Scammed?! How Do I Know If a Business Program Is Legit? — Stop Asking About Success Rates (You’re Not Average)
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 You’ve seen the posts. The ads. The “six-figure coach” promises. And you’re thinking: “Is this legit… or am I about to get scammed?” You’re not alone. Every week, Tiffany talks to therapists who are terrified of wasting money on a business program that doesn’t deliver. But here’s the truth: you’re asking the wrong question. In this episode, Tiffany flips the script on how to evaluate whether a business program is worth your investment—and she calls out the therapist tendency to hide behind “skepticism” when what’s really happening is fear. If you’ve ever wondered, “Will this actually work for me?”—this episode will change how you think about investing, success, and what it means to bet on yourself. In this episode, Tiffany reveals: The three green flags that prove a business program is legitimate; Why asking about “success rates” keeps you small (and broke); The mindset shift that separates thriving entrepreneurs from overworked therapists; How to vet a program like a CEO instead of a scared consumer; Why averages don’t matter—and how to become one of the extraordinary few who make it. This isn’t about avoiding risk. It’s about learning how to take powerful, informed, self-led risks that lead to real transformation. If you’ve been hovering on the edge—too skeptical to leap, too tired to stay stuck—this episode will wake you up. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “I’m In.” It’s time to stop waiting for proof—and start becoming the proof.
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Breaking the Chains – How Sara Champie Went from 24 Clients on Medi-Cal to $250 Sessions and Peace
11/23/2025
Breaking the Chains – How Sara Champie Went from 24 Clients on Medi-Cal to $250 Sessions and Peace
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. 🎁 Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free From seeing 24 clients a week on Medi-Cal to working 12-14 hours at $250 per session — Sara Champie’s story is the revolution therapists need to hear. As a primary breadwinner, Sara used to believe she had to grind herself to dust to prove she cared. But when resentment, exhaustion, and rage began to spill into her marriage and motherhood, she realized: staying small wasn’t noble — it was self-betrayal. Through her LIMB journey, Sara broke free from the “helper martyr” trap, raised her fees, and reclaimed her family’s future. In this episode, Sara shares: How she traded burnout for balance and doubled her income The real cost of low fees on her marriage and her children What she discovered about justice and privilege after raising her rates How her somatic, trauma-focused work deepened once she stopped hustling The breakthrough that helped her set a $350 goal and mean it Resources mentioned: LIMB Academy Fun With Fees Calculator
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Why You Keep Yourself Broke — Being Broke Is Not Your Problem (It’s Your Solution)
11/17/2025
Why You Keep Yourself Broke — Being Broke Is Not Your Problem (It’s Your Solution)
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 You say you want to make more money. You say you want freedom. You say you want to stop taking insurance and finally charge what you’re worth. But you don’t. You keep yourself broke. In this raw and deeply honest episode, Tiffany unpacks the truth most therapists never want to face: being broke isn’t your problem—it’s your solution. When your bank account is empty, you don’t have to take risks. You don’t have to be visible. You don’t have to disappoint anyone. Staying broke is the subconscious way so many therapists keep themselves safe. But it’s also what’s keeping you small, resentful, and exhausted. In this episode, Tiffany reveals: Why staying underpaid feels safer than raising your fee; How being broke protects you from rejection, shame, and exposure; The unconscious patterns that keep you sabotaging your success; What happens when you finally make enough money to meet yourself—and why that’s the real work; The first steps to breaking free from the burnout–scarcity loop for good. If you’ve ever said, “I don’t care that much about money,” this episode will show you what that statement is really costing you. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “I’m Ready.” It’s time to stop using scarcity as safety and start building a business that actually takes care of you.
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Committing to $185 – Peer Counselor Jessica Scalzo is Creating a Movement
11/10/2025
Committing to $185 – Peer Counselor Jessica Scalzo is Creating a Movement
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. 🎁 Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free What happens when someone without a therapy license decides to build a premium-fee practice anyway? Meet Jessica Scalzo, a professional Peer Counselor and retired competitive runner who turned her lived experience with overtraining and eating disorders into a thriving private practice charging $185 per session. Jessica was charging $45 when she joined LIMB. Today, she’s a pioneer — redefining what’s possible for peer counselors, athletes, and anyone told their work “doesn’t count.” In this episode, Jessica shares: How she built a private practice as one of only two known peer counselors in the U.S. The bold leap from $45 to $185 — and what it taught her about worth How she helps athletes heal from “R.E.D.S.” (Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome) The difference between therapy and peer counseling — and why both matter What it means to turn pain into purpose and still make bank Resources mentioned: LIMB Academy Fun With Fees Calculator
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Your Low Fees Are Out of Integrity — Why You Can’t Build an Honest Practice on a Lie
11/03/2025
Your Low Fees Are Out of Integrity — Why You Can’t Build an Honest Practice on a Lie
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 This is your unpopular opinion alert—but someone needs to say it. If you’re taking insurance or charging low fees that don’t allow you to pay your bills, take care of your kids, and save for retirement, your practice is out of integrity. You’re modeling a lie—both to your clients and to yourself. In this fiery, no-fluff episode, Tiffany dismantles the illusion that therapists can do high-quality, transformative work while chronically undercharging. She shows you exactly how low fees erode your integrity, deplete your energy, and keep the entire field stuck in burnout and self-sacrifice. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why low fees aren’t generous—they’re dishonest; The hidden “subsidy system” keeping therapists broke and exhausted; The hard truth about who can actually afford to charge low fees (and why you’re probably not one of them); How cheap therapy devalues the profession and undermines client transformation; The financial and emotional red flags that prove your fees are too low. If your clients are changing—but you’re the one deteriorating—it’s time to face what that says about your business model. Integrity starts with truth—and truth starts with charging enough to live. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “I’m Ready.” She’ll walk you through how to raise your fees, reclaim your integrity, and build a practice that honors your worth—without apology.
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From Nonprofit Burnout to $275 Sessions – Angelina Miceli on Finally Choosing Herself
10/27/2025
From Nonprofit Burnout to $275 Sessions – Angelina Miceli on Finally Choosing Herself
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we’ll do the math. 🎁 Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 After helping build a 12-clinician nonprofit from the ground up, Angelina Miceli, LCSW, realized she’d built everything — except her own joy. She was burnt out, resentful, and quietly crumbling. In 2024, she joined LIMB, left her director role, and went all in on private practice. Today, she’s charging $275 per session and $300 per intake — and loving every minute of it. If you’re scared to leave your “secure” job, Angelina’s story is your permission slip. In this episode, Angelina shares: What it felt like to walk away from a leadership role she built from scratch Why her “pretend fee” of $150 wasn’t serving her or her clients How she faced fear, shame, and scarcity to step into premium fees The transformation she’s experienced after aligning her business with her values What it means to create a life that actually feels like your own Resources mentioned: LIMB Academy Fun With Fees Calculator
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Your 2026 Income Will Be Decided Today
10/20/2025
Your 2026 Income Will Be Decided Today
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 Therapists love to tell themselves: “I’ll figure it out in January.” Raise my fees in January. Do my marketing in January. Finally get serious about my business in January. Here’s the truth: by January, it’s already too late. In this urgent episode, Tiffany dismantles the myth of the “new year reset” and shows you why the moves you make this fall will determine your income, stability, and freedom in 2026. If you’re waiting until the calendar flips, you’re not planning—you’re playing catch-up. And it’s costing you everything. In this episode, Tiffany shares: The therapist revenue cycle no one talks about—and why fall is the most important season for your business; Dylan’s story of turning $3K months into $11K months—and why the turnaround started months before the results showed up; The hidden cost of waiting until “things calm down” to raise your fees or get off panels; Why later is not safe—later is theft; The exact fall steps you need to take to enter 2026 with clarity, ease, and cash flow. If you’re serious about building a premium-fee, cash-pay practice that actually sustains you, the work starts now. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Ready.” Because your 2026 income is being decided today—whether you act or not.
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I Was Spinning, Not Marketing: Katie Gilbertson on Mental Hustle, Sliding Scales & Financial Wake-Up Calls.
10/13/2025
I Was Spinning, Not Marketing: Katie Gilbertson on Mental Hustle, Sliding Scales & Financial Wake-Up Calls.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re speaking with Katie Gilbertson, a Washington-based therapist who was working three days a week—but still couldn’t take a vacation or contribute to retirement. She thought she had created a dream schedule. What she hadn’t created was financial freedom. Katie walks us through what it took to finally stop tweaking her website at 10PM and start building a premium-fee practice rooted in clarity, ownership, and ease. In this episode, Katie shares: How charging $150–$160—with half her caseload on sliding scale—left her spinning and anxious; Why “having time” didn’t mean having freedom; The guilt and fear she carried about raising fees on long-term clients; The moment she stopped waiting for a second job and invested in her own business; What changed when she stopped managing clients’ finances—and started managing her own. Resources mentioned: More about Katie: Katie Gilbertson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington State. She helps anxious women who people-please & over accommodate, heal attachment wounds, set guilt-free boundaries, and prioritize their needs.
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Can You Really Fill a Practice at $350 Per Session?
10/06/2025
Can You Really Fill a Practice at $350 Per Session?
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 “Sure, Tiffany—that all sounds great. But is it actually possible? Can any therapist really charge $350 a session and stay full?” That’s the question Tiffany hears over and over again from therapists who are burned out, underpaid, and deeply skeptical that freedom is even possible for them. And in this fiery episode, Tiffany answers the question directly: YES. It’s possible. But only if you’re willing to think bigger than the average therapist. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why most therapists stay stuck at “average”—and why you don’t have to; How to break out of the conditioning that keeps you undercharging and exhausted; The surprising truth about what clients actually pay for (hint: it’s not worksheets); Why premium-fee therapy is not only possible, but necessary for deep, transformational work; Tiffany’s 3-step roadmap to move from skeptical to fully booked at $300–$500 per session. If you’ve been secretly wondering if anyone out there is really doing this—this episode is your answer. And it’s your permission to stop playing small. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “I’m Ready.” If you’re done working the shipyard of your own mind and ready to build a practice that actually sustains you, this is where it starts.
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From 30 Clients at $30 to Premium Cash Pay: Maggie Evans’ Journey as a Sensitive Single Mom.
09/29/2025
From 30 Clients at $30 to Premium Cash Pay: Maggie Evans’ Journey as a Sensitive Single Mom.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re speaking with Maggie Evans, an art therapist, highly sensitive person, and single mom who broke free from the burnout of BetterHelp and built a premium-fee private practice that supports both her nervous system and her child. If you think your personality, parenting status, or sensitivity disqualifies you from making bank as a therapist—Maggie’s story will prove otherwise. In this episode, Maggie shares: How she went from 30 BetterHelp clients at $30/session to building a sustainable practice from scratch; What it took to unlearn the martyr mindset of motherhood and entrepreneurship; Why perimenopause and ADHD diagnoses inspired her niche—and her premium rates; Her fiercely non-negotiable boundaries (no nights, no weekends, no guilt); How LIMB helped her show up for her son—and herself—in the ways that truly matter. Resources mentioned: More about Maggie: Maggie is a metaphor-loving artist, therapist, and mother who works with spirituality-seeking women who’ve found themselves lost, stuck, and broken-hearted. From wedding dress designer to full-time private practice therapist during Covid, Maggie does her best work out along the edges.
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Good Enough Is Where Practices Go To Die
09/22/2025
Good Enough Is Where Practices Go To Die
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 You’re full—or close to it. You’re managing. Paying the bills. Picking up your kid. Logging back on after dinner for that one “flexible” client. It’s not suffering. But it’s sure as hell not success. In this episode, Tiffany lays bare the trap so many therapists fall into: “good enough.” The caseload is fine. The fee is okay. The marriage is stable. The roof mostly holds. But when life hits—an aging parent, a sick child, a partner out of work—good enough becomes not even close. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why “things are okay” is the most dangerous place to be in private practice; The slow death of your future under the weight of quiet resentment and canceled vacations; How systemic conditioning teaches therapists to endure instead of prepare; What Natasha (from a previous episode) realized when her dad had a stroke—and why she stopped waiting; How to treat business investment as protection, not risk. If you're waiting until things fall apart before building the business you deserve, stop. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Ready.” Let’s build the business that protects you.
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This Can’t Be My Life: Natasha Deen on Raising Her Fee & Reclaiming Her Future.
09/15/2025
This Can’t Be My Life: Natasha Deen on Raising Her Fee & Reclaiming Her Future.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re speaking with Natasha Deen—a DC-area therapist specialized in working with Muslim daughters of immigrants—who went from “okay enough” to powerful, unapologetic fee ownership. Natasha joined LIMB thinking she might raise her fee. Instead, she transformed her mindset, boundaries, and belief in what’s possible—for her clients, her practice, and her life. Natasha’s story is a masterclass in rejecting the slow death of small dreams. In this episode, Natasha shares: Why charging $170/session still left her dreaming of a life she couldn’t reach; The wake-up call that came during Fee Week—and the boundary audit that followed; How her father's stroke redefined what really matters; Why she stopped waiting for a partner, a raise, or "someday" to live the life she wanted; The ripple effect raising her fee had on her practice, personal life, and vision for the future. Resources mentioned: More about Natasha: Natasha is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland and Virginia. She specializes in helping Muslim daughters of immigrants balance self-care and family care and work through feelings of overwhelm and guilt. Through trauma-informed care and faith-based counseling, she helps them heal their mind, body, heart, and soul, so they can connect with themselves and their families in a deeper, more meaningful way.
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Insurance Isn’t Saving You Anymore—Now What?
09/08/2025
Insurance Isn’t Saving You Anymore—Now What?
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 Five years ago, insurance filled your caseload. It wasn’t ideal—but it worked. You weren’t thriving, but you were surviving. You told yourself: “One day I’ll do something different.” That day is here. And the game has changed. In this urgent episode, Tiffany breaks down why the therapist insurance hustle is collapsing—and what you must do now if you want to protect your time, your income, and your well-being. In this episode, Tiffany reveals: Why your caseload isn’t refilling like it used to—even if you’re on every panel; How tech conglomerates are taking over insurance-based referrals and squeezing out solo providers; The truth about reimbursement rate cuts (some slashed by 40%)—and what it means for your future; The illusion of “stability” insurance used to offer—and why it was always a trap; What it really takes to build a practice rooted in freedom, sustainability, and clinical excellence. This is not a drill. The insurance model is crumbling. You can keep trying to survive inside it—or you can make a different choice. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Emancipate.” She’ll send you your first step toward stepping out of the system that was never built for you. You don’t have to do it alone. You just have to decide you’re not staying stuck.
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$1.5 Million in Insurance Clawbacks: Dr. Anna DiNoto ’s Story
09/01/2025
$1.5 Million in Insurance Clawbacks: Dr. Anna DiNoto ’s Story
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re speaking with Dr. Anna Dinoto, a neurodivergent psychologist with a decades-long career spanning clinical, forensic, and neurodiverse care—and the courage to break free from outdated industry models. Anna built a group practice in the early days of ABA therapy, only to realize she was carrying a broken business model that didn’t serve her, her team, or her values. This episode is a thoughtful, unflinching look at growth, rupture, and repair—and you absolutely won’t want to miss it. In this episode, Anna shares: The early industry dynamics that pushed her into group practice (and why it worked… until it didn’t); How she navigated ethical tensions and staff resentment in a bloated insurance-dependent business; What she learned from managing employee expectations about money and power; Why she walked away—and how her new model reflects her values; The difference between real clinical mastery and martyrdom in leadership. Resources mentioned: More about Anna: Dr. Anna DiNoto is a neurodivergent psychologist with a playful twist! As the owner of Sandbox Therapy Group in Monroe, Washington, she brings over 20 years of expertise in neurodiversity, specializing in evaluations for complex clinical cases with a focus on neurodiverse patients. When she's not creatively collaborating with clients, you can find her running around with her two kids, hitting the gym (or pavement - she LOVES to run!), jamming to new tunes on Spotify, and volunteering in her community.
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Stability or Survival? The Lie That’s Costing You Everything.
08/25/2025
Stability or Survival? The Lie That’s Costing You Everything.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 Working two jobs. Seeing 20 clients. Pulling overnights just to make rent. You’re surviving—but barely. In this raw and unflinching solo episode, Tiffany offers a love letter—and a wake-up call—for the therapist telling themself: “This is just what I have to do right now.” The truth? What you’re calling stability is slow-motion self-destruction. This episode will help you: Recognize the false narratives keeping you stuck in burnout; Understand how self-sacrifice is passed down—and how to stop the cycle; Hear what happened when Vicky finally did the math and realized how badly she'd been undercharging; Learn why “it’s not the right time” is just fear in a lab coat. If you feel exhausted, stuck, or like you’re the only one—this episode is for you. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Ready.” You’re not alone. We’ll walk the next steps together.
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No More Fun Money: Debbie Nichols on Getting Off Insurance, Reclaiming Her Health & Owning Her Worth.
08/18/2025
No More Fun Money: Debbie Nichols on Getting Off Insurance, Reclaiming Her Health & Owning Her Worth.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re speaking with Debbie Nichols, a veteran therapist and mom who finally got honest about the limitations of her “fun money” practice. After years of using insurance to avoid marketing, and pushing through chronic health issues, Debbie realized something had to give—and it wasn’t going to be her well-being. Her story is a must-listen for therapists who’ve been told their work is optional, their income is supplemental, or their time doesn’t matter. In this episode, Debbie shares: Why she thought starting an online course was the solution to a broken practice (it wasn’t); The identity shift she had to make to go from “my husband is the provider” to claiming her own power as a breadwinner; How living with a rare blood cancer helped her stop tolerating a life that didn’t work; Why her clinical skill skyrocketed after raising fees and getting off panels; What it meant to finally become the therapist—and mother—she knew she could be. Resources mentioned: More about Debbie: Deborah Nichols is a Licensed Professional Counselor serving clients virtually in Oregon and California. She specializes in perinatal mental health with a sweet spot for anxious mamas. She is working to rebel against the societal norm of “mom guilt”, supporting mothers in parenting from a place of truth rather than fear while embracing the beautiful mess of raising young children.
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Clinically Bored? Why Raising Your Fees Might Save Your Practice.
08/11/2025
Clinically Bored? Why Raising Your Fees Might Save Your Practice.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 You didn’t sign up to be a friend with a license. But here you are—bored in session, drained after notes, wondering where the depth went. In this fierce and refreshing episode, Tiffany takes on the epidemic no one is naming: clinical boredom. And she tells the truth: your financial choices are wrecking your clinical work. In this episode, you’ll discover: How undercharging sabotages your therapeutic presence; What happens to your clients when you’re emotionally checked out; Why investing in yourself (yes, financially) transforms the depth of your clinical work; The connection between resentment, money, and stagnant sessions; How therapists like Vicky and Maggie reclaimed their love for therapy by first facing their fees. This is more than a financial shift. It’s a clinical reckoning. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Ready.” Let’s bring your practice—and your therapy—back to life.
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The $300 Breakthrough: How Vicky Truong Raised Her Fee Without Selling Out Her Culture.
08/04/2025
The $300 Breakthrough: How Vicky Truong Raised Her Fee Without Selling Out Her Culture.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re speaking with Vicky Truong, a trauma and couples therapist who now charges $300/session and specializes in adult children of immigrants. From full-time legal work to burnout in a group practice to thriving in her own premium-fee private practice—Vicky’s story will challenge everything you think you know about what's possible in this field. If you’ve ever believed your ideal clients “can’t afford” therapy—or worried about being a good enough therapist to charge premium rates—Vicky is about to flip the script. In this episode, Vicky shares: What it looked like to work full-time in the legal field while getting her PhD and pre-licensed therapy hours on nights and weekends; Why charging $70/session on Open Path almost wrecked her health and clinical confidence; The moment she realized she was jealous of her clients—and how that became a wake-up call; Her tender truth about being too tired to show up for her daughter—and the dream that pushed her to change it all; How she raised her rates to $300/session—and booked two clients at that rate in a single day. Resources mentioned: More about Vicky: Vicky Truong, LMFT, Ph.D., (she/her) is a certified EMDR and couples therapist for children of immigrants. She helps individuals and couples transform painful patterns into deeper connection and emotional safety and create sustainable change. Her private practice is in the heart of Tustin, CA. With a background in the legal sector, she also helps clients communicate and advocate for themselves more powerfully in the legal system. Learn more at .
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Escape Plan or Entrepreneurial Trap? Why Your Passive Income Dream is Costing You.
07/28/2025
Escape Plan or Entrepreneurial Trap? Why Your Passive Income Dream is Costing You.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 You’re burnt out and underpaid. And that shiny new coaching program or online course feels like freedom. But in this episode, Tiffany sounds the alarm: if your core business is broken, no second revenue stream will save you. Learn from Dylan’s $17,000 lesson—and stop before you fall into the same trap. In this episode, you’ll uncover: The three-phase spiral that leaves therapists stuck, broke, and confidence-crushed; Why chasing passive income without fixing your practice is emotional escape disguised as entrepreneurship; The hidden privilege behind those “overnight success” stories; The Core Business Comeback framework—and why it’s your best next move. Before you build something new, fix what’s in front of you. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Ready.” Let’s rebuild your practice so you can finally rest.
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I’d Never Made More Than $3K a Month: Dylan Spradlin on Breaking the Group Practice Mold & Charging $200 as a Play Therapist.
07/21/2025
I’d Never Made More Than $3K a Month: Dylan Spradlin on Breaking the Group Practice Mold & Charging $200 as a Play Therapist.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re speaking with Dylan Spradlin, a synergetic play therapist and LIMB grad who was determined to leave burnout and low pay behind—before they were even fully licensed. Dylan’s journey takes us through group practice exploitation, fee fears, and a bumpy transition to private pay that ultimately paid off. If you’re a newer therapist or a play therapist wondering if premium fees are even possible—this episode will show you exactly how it’s done. In this episode, Dylan shares: What it was like to see 26–29 clients a week—with eight minutes between sessions—and why they couldn’t stay; How they transitioned out of a toxic group practice just seven months in; The fee experiment they ran with sliding scale and the emotional rollercoaster that followed; Why they signed up for LIMB before they were licensed—and how it changed everything; How they finally started earning beyond $3K/month (for the first time in their life). Resources mentioned: More about Dylan: Dylan Spradlin holds master’s degrees in Clinical Psychology and Clinical Social Work, specializing in prenatal and perinatal psychology, trauma and play therapy. Based in Missoula, Montana, they work with infants, teens, families, and parents healing from their own childhood experiences. Dylan is certified in Synergetic Play Therapy and NARM, integrating relational neuroscience, deep attunement, authenticity, somatics, and attachment theory to support powerful transformation.
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Only Rich Therapists Should Offer Low-Fee Therapy.
07/14/2025
Only Rich Therapists Should Offer Low-Fee Therapy.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 Brace yourself. This episode is a truth bomb that may rattle your nervous system, piss you off—or finally give you the relief you didn’t know you needed. Tiffany makes the bold, controversial claim: Only rich therapists should offer low-fee therapy. If you’re not independently wealthy, subsidizing your clients’ care is costing you your body, your relationships, your clinical presence, and your long-term financial health. This isn’t a hot take—it’s a hard truth. And in this episode, Tiffany breaks it down piece by piece so you can finally stop blaming yourself for being burned out, broke, and overwhelmed. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why real therapy (the kind that changes generational systems) requires time, money, and energy; What you actually need in order to hold space for deep, paradigm-shifting work; Why therapists doing low-fee work are either wealthy, new to the field—or silently falling apart; How the system benefits from your exhaustion—and why it’s time to opt out; What it looks like to build a practice that actually supports you emotionally, financially, and physically. This is not your responsibility. And if you’re not rich, you literally can’t afford to keep sacrificing yourself. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Ready.” Let’s build a practice that pays for your values—without costing you everything.
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From $130 to $385 Cash Pay: How Olethea Turned Her Business into Her Rich Auntie.
07/07/2025
From $130 to $385 Cash Pay: How Olethea Turned Her Business into Her Rich Auntie.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re back with powerhouse Canadian therapist and coach Olethea Pimenta, who went from undercharging at $130 to confidently billing $385 per session—up to three times a week, all cash-pay. She’s living proof that your business can love you back. Olethea breaks down the mindset, money work, and structural shifts it took to prioritize her own joy, rest, and parenting while delivering premium, transformational therapy in a socialized healthcare system. This episode is packed with wisdom and a hell of a reframe: your business should be a nourishing relationship, not a hustle for survival. In this episode, Olethea shares: Why growing up without resources led her to recreate scarcity in her business—and how she rewired that; How she replaced burnout and survival-mode with a business that feels like a rich auntie (yes please); The massive shifts she made after having her daughter, including hiring a nanny and a night doula; What it takes to break free from the collective therapist scarcity story—and why her business now funds freedom, not fear; Her signature question to check your business attachment style: “Does your business love you back?” Resources mentioned: More about Olethea: Olethea Pimenta is a psychotherapist and business coach specializing in helping owners run profitable businesses without burnout. Olethea specializes in deconstructing imposter syndrome, addressing high-functioning anxiety, and digging deeper into money trauma. Using trauma-informed practices, she helps therapists create a premium fee practices that refines their niche to go beyond their clinical work. If you're feeling stuck in your money or you need to make changes she can help you get paid.
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Been Out of the Game? Why That Doesn’t Disqualify You From Charging Premium Fees
06/30/2025
Been Out of the Game? Why That Doesn’t Disqualify You From Charging Premium Fees
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 You've been out of the therapy world for a while. Maybe you stepped back to raise kids. Maybe you worked in an agency. Maybe life just… happened. And now you’re back—but you’re terrified to charge what you actually need. This episode is for the therapist asking: “Who am I to charge $200 or $300 when I’ve been out of practice for years?” Tiffany tackles a powerful listener question and busts the myth that experience is what makes you worth premium fees. Spoiler: it’s not. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why being strategic matters more than being seasoned when setting your fee; How burnout and scarcity actually make you a worse clinician—and how ease makes you better; Why serving low-fee, Medicaid-dependent clients in the past doesn’t mean you’re stuck there; The skill gap (not a personal failure) that keeps you from attracting premium clients—and how to close it; Why building a premium-fee practice is a learnable skill—not something you’re born knowing. If you’ve been hiding behind “I need more time,” “I just got back,” or “I’m not ready yet”—this is your wake-up call. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Ready.” Let’s build the practice your future self will thank you for.
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Charging Premium Fees When You’ve Survived the Unthinkable: Jessica Malmberg’s $220 Leap.
06/23/2025
Charging Premium Fees When You’ve Survived the Unthinkable: Jessica Malmberg’s $220 Leap.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re speaking with Jessica Malmberg, a Santa Rosa-based therapist specializing in grief and trauma work for sensitive and neurodivergent individuals and families. Jessica’s story is one of fierce vulnerability, survival, and reclamation. After losing her first child and surviving cancer that nearly bankrupted her family, Jessica still found herself undercharging, overdelivering, and working late nights that stole time from her kids. She joined the Lean In. MAKE BANK. Academy and took her practice—and her life—back. In this episode, Jessica shares: Why she was charging as low as $80–$130 while working with Medicaid and chasing no-shows; How her deep empathy for clients’ pain came at the cost of her own financial stability—and how she finally flipped that script; What it felt like to hear a voice say “Greedy, greedy, greedy” after her first price increase—and how she moved through it; The evangelical and patriarchal conditioning that told her her worth came from service; How her clinical work, creativity, and relationship with her kids transformed after she raised her fee to $220. Resources mentioned: More about Jessica: Jessica Malmberg is an LMFT in Santa Rosa, CA, who helps sensitive and neurodivergent adults and teens engage in the grief process and process their trauma. She is an advocate for grief and how it brings us more fully into life. She is a cancer survivor and a child-loss survivor, and greatly informed by her time in the underworld in dark times.
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This Is What’s Killing Your Practice Income in 2025
06/16/2025
This Is What’s Killing Your Practice Income in 2025
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 You’ve got a full caseload. You’re marketing harder than ever. You’re at the networking events, doing the coffee dates, dropping off business cards at every damn yoga studio and café in your zip code. And yet... your bank account doesn’t reflect the energy you’re pouring out. In this urgent episode of The Money Sessions, Tiffany reveals the brutal truth no one else will tell you: Chasing more clients is the biggest mistake therapists are making in 2025. And it’s not just killing your income. It’s draining your body, your creativity, your relationships, your sense of purpose—and your long-term career sustainability. In this episode, Tiffany shares: Why more volume (more clients, more sessions, more hustle) is a trap that leads straight to burnout; The three things successful, well-paid therapists are doing instead—and how they’re earning more while working less; The hidden costs of undercharging and overworking, including physical symptoms, emotional exhaustion, and lost time with loved ones; The radical mindset shift required to build a practice rooted in spaciousness, sustainability, and actual profit; The math behind earning $12,500/month working 12 clients a week—and why you don’t have to kill yourself to make six figures. It’s time to stop building a business on sacrifice. You deserve better. If you're done with burnout and ready to build a business that takes care of you—start here. Email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: “Ease.” We’ll send you the next steps to see if you qualify for a private call with Tiffany and the team. Resources Mentioned: Email Tiffany: tiffany@leaninmakebank.com
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From $55 Shame to $225 Sovereignty: Julianna on Leaving Martyrdom Behind.
06/09/2025
From $55 Shame to $225 Sovereignty: Julianna on Leaving Martyrdom Behind.
Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math. Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator here 👉🏽 In this episode, we’re speaking with Julianna Vermeys, a Portland-based somatic therapist and LIMB grad who took a long, brave road from burnout and martyrdom to freedom and clarity in her practice. Julianna opens up about the chaos of running a full-time private practice, teaching, supervising, parenting two kids, and secretly sliding her fees all the way down to $50/session—all while living in a body that never got to rest. If you’ve ever felt like your nervous system is boiling from the inside out, or that you’re doing more for your clients than you can offer your own children, this episode will crack you wide open. In this episode, Julianna shares: What it felt like to supervise, teach, parent, and see 25+ clients a week—while secretly charging as little as $55; How pandemic stress, somatic signals, and a deep moment in child’s pose forced her to confront the unsustainable cost of her giving; The impact of growing up around fame and wealth—but without access to it—and how that fueled a martyr mindset; What she had to face in herself in order to stop sliding her fees and finally charge $225 with full integrity; Her insights on intergenerational trauma, agency shame, and the oppressive therapist training models that keep us small. Resources mentioned: More about Julianna: Julianna is a somatic therapist and clinical supervisor in Portland, Oregon. For nearly twenty years she has been dedicated to exploring the integration of human experience with clients and colleagues who are willing to understand themselves, their trauma, grief and suffering beyond the realm of problem solving. She recently integrated her work as an educator, therapist and supervisor into a three day embodiment retreat for other therapists (stay tuned for more!) She is also a writer completing her memoir using therapeutic insight to tell her story; a mom to two amazing children, a dedicated daughter and friend.
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