If you’ve ever whispered I don’t have time while drowning in back-to-back sessions, paperwork, and payroll, you’re not alone. The truth is, most clinicians stay stuck in therapist burnout and therapist fatigue, convincing themselves they’ll “figure it out later.” But later never comes.

In this conversation, we unpack the Shawshank Conundrum - the hamster wheel every therapist knows too well - and reveal how to chip away at the walls keeping you trapped in a model that doesn’t serve your life.

This isn’t another pep talk about hustling harder. It’s about naming the reality: trading every hour for dollars will never create the freedom, joy, or sustainability you crave. Whether you’ve Googled jobs for burned out counselors at midnight or secretly wondered about alternative careers for therapists, this episode offers both solidarity and strategy.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why the phrase “I don’t have time” is the biggest lie fueling therapist burnout
• The hidden cost of staying on the hamster wheel of therapist fatigue (and why most clinicians never escape it)
• How carving out non-negotiable CEO time each week is the first step toward alternative careers for therapists
• The power of accountability, masterminds, and community when exploring jobs for burned out counselors

This episode will challenge your assumptions about what it means to be a “successful” clinician. You’ll walk away with permission to stop hustling, tools to reclaim your time, and inspiration to explore jobs for burned out counselors and alternative careers for therapists that align with your values.

Ready to stop living in therapist burnout and start carving your way to freedom? Press play now.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Website: www.offthechair.com

Instagram: @offthechairpodcast

YouTube: @offthechairpodcast

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

Feeling fried, curious about therapist retreats, or secretly dreaming of side hustles for therapists that will actually restore you? We get it - and we made this episode for clinicians who want rest and revenue without the shame spiral.

We sit with Amy Johnston, founder of The Exhale Collective, to unpack how a practicing clinician builds therapist retreats into a life-saving creative business. We get candid about therapist burnout, the logistics of running international retreats, and how to launch side hustles for therapists alongside your clinical work.

This episode balances the hard numbers (deposits, payment plans, marketing) with the softer, lifesaving stuff - how a well-designed wellness trips for women rekindles joy, reduces overwhelm, and gives clinicians permission to exhale.

Here’s what you’ll hear:

• How Amy turned weekend cabin experiments into full-scale therapist retreats - and the exact planning step that stopped her from losing money on a trip (yes, there was an “oh-shit” moment)…
• The real anatomy of therapist burnout for mid-career clinicians - why time off alone isn’t enough and what ritualized presence looks like in practice…
• Practical ways to fund side hustles for therapists without quitting your day job
• How to design therapist retreats experiences that heal versus just “vacation”

Ready to hear the messy, honest roadmap - the wins, the disasters, and the exact next steps Amy used to get from idea to an alternate stream of income? Press play and listen to the full episode now.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

Amy Johnston

Website: www.the-exhale-collective.com

Instagram: @the-exhale-collective

When it comes to running a therapist business, nothing derails growth faster than the wrong hire. In this episode, we get real about the delegation problems, the bad hires, and the lessons that cost us time, money, and plenty of sleep. From missed calls to admin chaos to leaders who looked great on paper but wrecked the culture, we’re unpacking the true cost of bad hires and how to recover when your group private practice takes a hit.

We’ve lived these mistakes, and we want you to skip the heartbreak by learning from our scars.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

• The red flags we ignored when bringing on new team members - and how those bad hires nearly broke our practices.
• Why therapists confuse delegation with abdication, and how those delegation problems set us up for failure.
• The hidden cost of bad hires that goes beyond payroll and eats away at culture, client care, and reputation.
• How running a therapist business forces you to balance empathy with accountability, and why that tension is so hard to navigate.
• Practical systems that help protect a group private practice from repeating these hiring heartbreaks.
• 
  

If you’ve ever felt that pit in your stomach about a staff member, this episode will make you nod in painful agreement - and give you tools to act with more confidence. Tune in and let’s make the hard parts of leading a therapist business a little easier together.

Listen to the full episode now and learn how to stop repeating the same hiring mistakes in your group private practice.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

Freedom after selling your practice isn’t guaranteed - and scaling doesn’t have to break you.

In this episode, we unpack what happens when “I’ll feel free after the exit” meets real life. We explore why peace comes from boundaries, systems, and aligned choices - not the transaction - while showing how a growing practice can actually create space.

Along the way, we share practical ways a therapist mom can protect energy, use AI tools for therapists to reclaim time, practice real self care for therapists, and boost therapist productivity without losing humanity. If you’re in the messy middle, this one’s for you.

What’s inside (and why it matters):

• When selling doesn’t equal serenity: a therapist mom shares post-exit overload - and the surprising shifts that finally restored calm (hint: self care for therapists that looks like SOPs, not spa days).
• Scaling without the spiral: how we lifted therapist productivity by delegating outcomes (not tasks) and shortening meetings - and why that’s the most sustainable self care for therapists we’ve found.
• Real-life systems that stick: energy-based scheduling, admin-only days, and hard stops that any therapist can try this week to protect focus and raise therapist productivity.
• Tech that gives hours back: specific AI tools for therapists for notes, reports, content prompts, and creative assets - plus the ethical guardrails we use so AI tools for therapists support care (not replace it).
• Guilt, grace, and identity whiplash: how we navigate being a therapist mom who’s ambitious and present - and how reframing “self-care” as capacity building lifted both morale and therapist productivity with help from AI tools for therapists.

It’s strategic, human, and immediately usable - especially if you’re balancing clients, leadership, and carpool.

Join us and walk away with a calmer calendar, smarter AI tools for therapists, sturdier self care for therapists, and a kinder approach to therapist productivity as a working therapist mom.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

Being a mom therapist means wearing more hats than most people can imagine - and switching between them in the blink of an eye.

In this raw and real episode, we talk candidly about balancing motherhood and career, and how we manage the mental load without completely burning out.

We dig deep into the lived experience of being a mom therapist in today’s “do it all” culture - and we don’t hold back. From awkward Zoom calls with kids in the background to the cost (financial and emotional) of showing up at your kid’s 10am school play, this is what balancing motherhood and career actually looks like behind the scenes.

We talk about:

• The crushing mental load of modern motherhood - and how working mom burnout sneaks in, even when you love your job
• The real cost of that school play (yep, we calculated it) - and why it’s so hard for a mom therapist to make time for both clients and class parties
• What “identity whiplash” feels like when you're code-switching between CEO, clinician, and carpool driver
• Creative ways we’re redefining “quality time” with our kids without sacrificing the businesses we’ve built
• How we recognize the signs of therapist burnout - and the micro-adjustments we make to protect our energy and our kids

Whether you're crying in your car between sessions or building your dream mental health business after bedtime, this episode will make you feel seen, supported, and a little less alone.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

When the walls feel tighter than ever, that crossroads of deciding to scale, sell, or stay is real - and confusing.

In this episode, we unpack the deeply personal, strategic, and emotional decision every practice owner faces: whether to scale therapy, sell, or stay - and how aligned practice management can help you make the right call for your life and your business.

We share the truth about what happens when your practice feels too big to manage but too valuable to walk away from. We talk about what it means to evolve as a clinician-turned-CEO, how to lead with clarity instead of burnout, and how strong clinic practice management can shift the entire trajectory of your career.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why “freedom” isn’t just about income or time - and how to know if your practice is helping or hurting both
• The signs it's time to scale therapy, shift your model, or step away entirely - and how to trust yourself through the process
• How poor practice management can make scaling impossible - and what changes when your systems finally match your growth
• What we’ve learned from staying too long, scaling too fast, or selling too soon - and why we don’t believe in “one right answer”
• How our therapist identities have evolved - and how being a CEO therapist doesn’t mean abandoning your clinical heart
• 
  

Feeling stuck between craving growth and needing rest? You’re not alone - and you don’t have to decide blindly. Join us for an honest look at what’s possible when you scale therapy practices with intention, alignment, and just a little more permission to change your mind.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

Therapist burnout doesn’t start with big breakdowns - it starts with tiny betrayals of your time, your energy, and your vision.

In this episode, we get real about the emotional toll when you scale therapy practices, the identity shifts that come with leadership, and how to build a business that actually loves you back.

We don’t just talk about how to scale therapy practices - we unpack what it means to scale with integrity, values, and your own well-being intact. If you're craving more ease in your practice management while staying deeply connected to your mission, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, we explore:

• How therapist burnout creeps in - even when your business looks successful on paper
• What we wish someone told us before stepping into leadership and practice management
• How to scale therapy offerings without abandoning your clinical identity or burning out
• Why alternative careers for therapists don’t always mean leaving therapy - and what that path can look like
• The moment we each realized our business no longer felt like ours - and what we did to take it back

Whether you’re managing a growing caseload, hiring your first employee, or questioning if this path still fits - this episode will help you gut-check your growth strategy and reconnect with the parts of you that got lost along the way.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

Ever wonder if you're the only one silently struggling while running a practice? You're not. This episode dives deep into the raw reality of therapist burnout - and what comes after.

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on our personal journeys through therapist burnout, the emotional toll of leadership, and the hard-earned lessons we’ve learned from building and breaking our therapy businesses. We’ve led teams, scaled services, and weathered some serious storms inside our own group therapy practice models. And we know firsthand how often clinician mental health is sacrificed in the process.

Whether you're dreaming of launching a side hustle for therapists, reimagining your practice, or dying to explore fresh mental health business ideas, this is your space.

• How we recognized therapist burnout and why we finally decided to stop pushing through
• What’s missing in most conversations around clinician mental health, and how to center your own
• Why traditional paths aren’t sustainable - and how we started building mental health business models that actually support us
• How a side hustle for therapists can offer freedom and purpose when the 1:1 model starts to wear thin
• The real-life mistakes, wins, and mental health business ideas we’re exploring now

If you’re holding space for everyone but yourself, questioning whether you can keep going, or wondering if it's possible to run ethical, profitable therapy businesses without breaking down - this conversation is for you.

We’re sharing our stories not because we’ve figured it all out, but because we know someone else needs to hear them.

Subscribe and listen now. New episodes every Tuesday.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj