Selling The Couch With Melvin Varghese, Ph.d. | Weekly Conversations To Build And Grow Your Counseling Private Practice

Have you ever considered writing a children’s book? I’ll admit that I’ve thought about it, and it might be a new endeavor in my future. Writing a children’s book takes creativity and planning, and much perseverance is required to navigate the publishing process. Join me as I talk to a longtime friend who has been through the process and published two children’s books. Our Featured Guest Amy Jivani Amy is a childhood friend of mine who has become a children’s book author. Her latest book, Meera’s Flowers, tells the story of a young girl celebrating an Indian holiday while living in America. She also wrote More Than Words: A Book About Body Language, a story about body language and feelings. Amy is a former first-grade teacher who is inspired by her students and her cultural background to write children’s books with ethnically diverse characters. Amy shares with us where she gets ideas for books and how the creative process works. We also discuss the concept of self-publishing compared to the traditional publis

Today’s solo episode is the last one before we take an extended summer break for August. We will return with new episodes in September and October before I plan a sabbatical of several months. Today’s focus is on cohort-based courses, which are becoming very popular in the world of online education. It’s a very powerful model that I truly love. Join me for a closer look as I share what I’ve learned so far! 5 lessons I’ve learned about CBCs: It truly gets easier the second time around, but the first time is a lot of work. There are tweaks you may have to make in real-time.  Guest workshops are very high leverage.  Use the “I-do, we-do, you-do” framework. Realize that a CBC is a lot of work, so beware of having multiple endeavors go on at the same time.   Check out ourhttp://www.sellingthecouch.com/onlinecourseguide ( Online Course Guide) for more information! Mentioned in this episode: Ready to create your own course? Download the FREE Online Course Guide! Learn how to create and mark

Before I started this podcast in 2015, I had rolled the idea around in my head over and over again. The problem was that I was full of fears and apprehension, and I just wasn’t sure that I could make it work like I wanted. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to help almost 300 of my colleagues build their online businesses through podcasting, and I’ve learned what to do and what not to do. I’m sharing helpful tips today to help you transform your podcast into a money-making machine. Join me to learn more! You’ll Learn: 9 Ways to Turn Your Podcast into a Money-Making Machine Record coaching calls. This is a way to use interactions with current clients/students to drive future sales, share your expertise, and genuinely connect with someone. Introduce solo episodes.  This is a powerful way to build authority on topics that highlight your expertise while promoting your product or service. Show your humanity. This is a way to show your personality and connect with others authentically. Use private podcast episo

Today’s topic is relevant to many different types of businesses and entrepreneurs, and it’s something I have pondered along my own journey. We are taking a look at owning an audience compared to “renting” an audience through social media platforms. Social media can be overwhelming with many challenges, and the number of followers is not always a reflection of the success of a business. Join us to learn strategies to help you own your audience! Our Featured Guest Craig Morris Craig Morris works with creators to monetize their knowledge. He has worked at Google for the past seven years, and we connected through our mutual friend Kevin Shen, a previous STC guest. Craig has learned a lot about the power of social media, email lists, and more, and he’s sharing his tips and strategies with us. If you’ve debated the merits of creating an email list and wondered if it’s worthwhile, you will find today’s conversation helpful and informative. As a reminder, please note that Craig is sharing his opinions and insights an

Today’s session is atypical and very specific, but I think it’s a relevant and timely focus. The topic of supporting incarcerated men has been something I’ve thought about for a long time because the need is great, and I have a heart for those clinicians who do this difficult work. I want to learn and understand more about this field, so I hope you’ll join me for today’s conversation.  Our Featured Guest Robert Fields, LPA Robert Fields is a Licensed Psychological Associate in Durham, NC. His 15-year career has included a variety of clients, including veterans, adjudicated youth in the juvenile justice system, and individuals with developmental disabilities. His current focus is on incarcerated men within the prison system. Ever active in his community with youth and adults, he works to educate and reduce the stigma by making mental health a more relatable, useful, and transparent topic. Robert and I recently connected on Twitter, and I’m excited to learn more about his work in this field.  ht

Today’s session is all about building a breathwork app. It’s an interesting and nuanced process that most of us don’t understand. Breathwork can be a vital part of any therapy practice, and it is a tool that we should better understand. Join us to learn more! Our Featured Guest Brian Von Ancken Brian Von Ancken is Head of Partnerships at Othership.us. Brian and I met on Twitter, which has been a great place for me to connect and engage with many amazing people. Brian’s app is one of the top products on Product Hunt, and I’m curious about why he created an app like this that focuses on health and wellness. We will also talk about the technical aspects of creating a breathwork app.  https://www.othership.us/ (Website) Get a discounted price on Othership by using the link: http://www.sellingthecouch.com/othership ( www.sellingthecouch.com/othership).  You’ll Learn: Brian’s personal journey, finding wellness after difficulties, that led him to Othership How Brian’s law degree benefits him

Even with seven years or so of course-building under my belt, I certainly do not claim to be an expert with all the answers. Always the student, I’m constantly learning and tweaking the process, and I’m always happy to share my tips and valuable lessons with you. There are so many tools, equipment, formats, etc.--- and it can all be very intimidating! In today’s solo session, I’m sharing tips about my favorite recording tool, https://www.loom.com (Loom). Join me now! You’ll Learn: Why Loom is my favorite recording tool for online courses and the STC podcast My tips for using Loom to record your online course videos: Alter the sharing style. You can record your screen, your voice, or both. I recommend a combination of all three for variety. Don't be afraid to show your fce on camera! Stick with one big idea per video. The “Show Recording Time” feature in Loom helps you avoid overwhelming your audience with long sessions. I try to stick to 4-7 minutes. Decide beforehand your format for each video. My advic

Today’s session is very relevant to the season of life that I’m currently navigating. How far do we keep going as entrepreneurs as we reach our goals? How far is enough that our lives and responsibilities are balanced by the work we do and not pushed aside by work? How big do we want our business and our revenue goals to be? Join us for a closer look at “enough” in today’s podcast! Our Featured Guest Keri Nola Keri Nola is a good friend and a repeat guest on the podcast, even though it’s been far too long since she has joined us here. After more than a decade of growing a prosperous practice as a licensed psychotherapist, Keri expanded her work into other avenues. She’s a best-selling author, podcaster, and founder of the Abundance Activator for Healing Entrepreneurs. Her global practice allows her to mentor healers as they conquer fear and doubt so they can step into their power and serve abundantly. Keri helps us dive into what “enough” is and why so many clinicians tell their clients that having more stuff

These past few years, I’ve been focused on building a life around my family and self-care rather than fitting those things around a career. I’ve learned that there is much wisdom in slowing down and not keeping up a crazy pace. One thing that has helped me accomplish these goals is creating an online course. Even though I’m super grateful and blown away by the success of the Healthcaster’s course, I made a lot of mistakes along the way. Join me as I share my insights and lessons learned.  You’ll Learn: The 10 biggest mistakes I made as an online course creator: 1–I didn’t understand how my childhood trauma affected my course pricing.  Check out these resources: “https://www.inc.com/magazine/201309/jessica-bruder/psychological-price-of-entrepreneurship.html (The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship”) (Inc Magazine), We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers, and courses byhttps://www.heytiffany.com ( Tiffany McLain). 2–I gave my students lifetime access to coaching and community. This caused

Today’s topic is a relevant one for many clinicians as telehealth services have become a widespread, vital, and normal part of the healthcare field. Specifically, we are focusing on how Search Engine Optimization (SEO) changes when you practice telehealth across your state or even in multiple states. I’m continually fascinated by SEO and how it works, and it’s something I’m still learning. If you are like me, join us to learn more! Our Featured Guest Jessica Tappana, MSW, LCSW Jessica Tappana is the founder of Simplified SEO Consulting, a firm that helps private practice owners build their businesses through Search Engine Optimization. She’s a group practice owner in Missouri and an SEO nerd who loves taking therapy websites to the top in Google rankings. In today’s session, Jessica talks about the biggest considerations in SEO as telehealth becomes the norm, as well as tips to improve SEO in practicing telehealth. We wrap up with Jessica’s insights about SEO as it relates to location-based services. https://

Today’s solo episode is the second in a two-part series about the lessons I’ve learned as a course creator. I launched The Healthcasters course back in 2015, and it recently passed the $300K revenue mark. Those results are far more than I could have ever imagined, and as I’ve reflected, I realize that I have learned a lot through this journey. I hope some of my lessons learned will be helpful for you! Join me for today’s session where I’ll cover #6-10 of my top ten lessons learned.  Lessons learned as a course creator (#6-10) Social media marketing can be intimidating. Focusing on webinars makes more sense in many ways.  Webinars magnify your strengths as a teacher. Webinars make it easy for viewers to sign up for your course. Webinars can be evergreen, and you can sprinkle in live ones whenever you want. (EasyWebinar makes the process simple. Check it out athttp://www.sellingthecouch.com/easywebinar ( www.sellingthecouch.com/easywebinar).) In webinars, focus on sharing your story, your WHY, and you

I’m the fortunate podcast host with two guests today, which is a first for me! They are long-time friends of mine from grad school who have taken a unique idea and brought it to fruition in starting their company and launching their first online course. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to hear all about it, so join us to hear their story! Our Featured Guests Jordana Mortimer, PhD Erin Avirett, PhD Jordana Mortimer and Erin Avirett are both child neuropsychologists with independent private practices. They have been friends for 15 years since their days in grad school, and they always had the idea to start a business together. Even though they live in different cities in Texas (Jordana in Fort Worth/Erin in Amarillo), they made things happen this year in starting their company, Mind and Child. In addition, they developed and launched their first online course, Parenting 101, for parents with kiddos under the age of twelve. The course takes their experiential parenting lessons and merges it with solid r

Today’s solo episode is the first in a two-part series about the lessons I’ve learned as a course creator. I launched The Healthcasters course back in 2015, and it just passed the $300K revenue mark. Those results are far more than I could have ever imagined! Join me for today’s session where I’ll cover the first five of my ten lessons learned.  Lessons learned as a course creator: Decide between a skyscraper or a strip mall model for your online business. This concept comes from Nathan Barry, the CEO of ConvertKit. Find out more from his appearance on thehttps://www.creativeelements.fm/nathan-barry/ ( Creative Elements podcast) hosted by Jay Clouse.  A strip mall model offers multiple products that diversity your income, while a skyscraper model features a single, scalable flagship product. I started STC with a strip mall model, but I’ve decided to move to a skyscraper model and use my mastermind as my single product. Focus on one marketing channel instead of jumping around to several.  Find t

Today’s session is special because our guest is a friend and colleague from our internship days at Vanderbilt. He has accomplished many things in his career, one of which is co-authoring a book to grow his group practice. It is an innovative endeavor that definitely qualifies as “outside-the-box” thinking. Tom’s insight will be helpful if writing a book is in your future! Join us to learn more! Our Featured Guest: Tom McDonagh, PsyD Tom McDonagh is in group practice in San Francisco, where his work focuses on anxiety, stress, burnout, and other related issues that are common for many people. Tom went the traditional route to publish the book which he co-authored, 101 Ways to Conquer Teen Anxiety. In today’s session, he shares why he wrote the book as a co-author, along with the structure, format, and challenges of choosing that route. He also shares wisdom about the traditional publishing process as it relates to marketing a book. https://goodtherapysf.com/ (www.goodtherapysf.com) https://www.amazon.com/101-W

Today’s topic is very specific, but it’s one that makes a big difference in your private practice and has a meaningful impact on your clients. We are talking about creating an epic welcome video for your practice website. If making a welcome video isn’t part of your website already, don’t miss today’s episode about showing up authentically in ways that connect you to your clients. Our Featured Guest Bryan Nixon, MA, LPC Bryan Nixon is a group practice owner in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His welcome video on his website stands out in my mind as a beautiful and powerful example of what we’re bringing forward in today’s show. Bryan will break down the process of creating such a video, along with things a clinician might overlook when creating such a video. We will wrap up with helpful tips if creating an engaging welcome video is on your to-do list. https://www.mindfulcounselinggr.com/ (Website) You’ll Learn ●     How a video can bring intentionality to your sacred work of therapy in a vi

What if I told you that there is something simple and free that most of us can do daily for an hour or less that yields amazing physical and mental benefits? Would you want to know what it is? Since the pandemic has forced us to take a closer look at our habits and make some changes, I want to share this life-changing activity that has become an almost daily habit for me. It’s hiking! Incorporating a midday hike several times each week helps me sleep better at night and stay centered for daily tasks. My inner “research nerd” got curious and took a deeper look at the intersection of hiking, mental health, and entrepreneurship, and I want to share with you what I’ve found. You’ll Learn ●     Why hike? What are the benefits? ○     Hiking helps keep our minds sharp and agile. ○     Hiking helps us to focus better. ○     HIking can spark serious creativity. ●     If you’re a hiker, please s

Today’s show takes on a very niched perspective, but the information and wisdom are useful in many aspects of our work as clinicians and business owners. We are specifically discussing how to move from an online course to a membership model. Maybe you’ve wondered about these components of your practice and how to make the transition. Join us for expert advice! Our Featured Guest Jennifer McGurk, RDN, CDN, CEDRD-S Jennifer McGurk is a registered dietitian in NY whose specialty is helping clients with eating disorders. She made the transition from an online course to a membership model, so she is sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly of such a move. I hope our discussion will be helpful to you if you’re considering a similar transition. https://pursuingprivatepractice.com/theecourse/ (Website) You’ll Learn: ●     How membership sites can help a clinician accomplish career goals ●     Details of Jennifer’s journey in private practice from an online course to a

This is the last episode until September while I take some time off to focus on self-care before the summer ends. Today’s episode is a valuable one if you are thinking about launching an online course sometime soon or in the future. My encouragement to you is to do it! Get started! Join me for this solo episode in which we discuss the basics. You’ll Learn ● The most common reasons to launch an online course: to put your message out there to impact more people in different locations, to feel more fulfilled in your purpose, to diversify income streams, and to spark more creativity ● The highlights of my online course creation story that began in 2015---complete with all the doubts and fears ● How my first online course has surpassed my wildest dreams in passing the $200K mark in revenue ● What it means to me to build a successful online course: ○ I can build a life around my loved ones and self-care instead of fitting my loved ones and self-care around my career. ○ We as a family can contribute time and resourc

At the beginning of this month, we reached our seven years of podcasting milestone here at Selling the Couch. That’s pretty crazy when statistics show that three out of every four new podcasts die after only seven episodes. Join us to learn what it takes to beat the odds and keep your podcast going. When I started the show back in 2015, podcasts were new. I am naturally introverted, so podcasting does not come easily to me. I remember being fearful on multiple levels and wondering how long I would be able to maintain sustainability with the podcast. We experienced slow and steady growth over time, however, and we currently average anywhere between 21,000 and 26,000 downloads in a month. Today’s session is a solo episode in which I share five tips that have helped me keep the podcast going. Stay tuned to learn more! You’ll Learn: You have to have done a decent amount of podcast episodes to hit hockey stick growth Tip #1: Focus on building systems initially rather than releasing a mass of episodes.  Notice

If there is one thing I’ve learned as a small business owner, it’s that it takes courage to show up imperfect. We want so badly to be perfect and put together in front of our audience, but perfectionism makes us less authentic and connected. Join us to learn more about being OK with being imperfect. Samara Stone is a return guest to the podcast, and I’m thrilled to welcome her back! In addition to her work as a therapist, Samara is a branding expert who has a curated community, Be Full Grown, for black women over 40 who are ready to imagine, create, and live a life of their own design. Samara is in the process of launching a podcast, and she has already proven her courage in showing up imperfect through some major life difficulties. We will discuss how we, as clinicians, can show up imperfect when perfectionism always has a pull on us. Samara also shares helpful guidelines for sharing appropriately on social media, which is something we all need to keep in mind.  https://www.befullgrown.com/ (Be Full Gro