"You just need more self-care."

That's what I kept hearing when I was burnt out, seeing 30+ clients a week, barely breaking even. I tried bath bombs, meditation apps, yoga breaks. None of it worked.

Because the problem wasn't my self-care routine. It was the business model.

In this episode, I'm dismantling the 7 lies that keep therapists overworked, underpaid, and stuck in unsustainable practices. The toxic narratives about burnout, pricing, marketing, and what it takes to build a therapy practice that doesn't destroy you.

Here's what I cover:

• Lie #1: "If you're burned out, you're just not cut out for this work" — Why burnout is a business design problem, not a character flaw
• Lie #2: "Good therapists don't talk about money" — How pricing shame keeps therapists broke and resentful
• Lie #3: "You need to work at the pointy end of the spectrum to be a good therapist" — Why helping people flourish is just as valuable
• Lie #4: "You have to be beige and invisible" — Why your personality is your competitive advantage
• Lie #5: "Marketing is sleazy and unethical" — Reframing ethical marketing as informed consent
• Lie #6: "If you just keep pushing through, it'll get easier" — Why waiting isn't a strategy
• Lie #7: "Wanting more means you don't care" — Dismantling the false binary between money and integrity

💡 3 Powerful Takeaways:

1. You cannot self-care your way out of a broken business model.
Burnout isn't proof you need more resilience—it's evidence the system wasn't designed for your wellbeing. Business redesign helps you survive your career.

2. Money talk isn't dirty. It's data.
Financial safety IS client safety. When you're stable, you show up grounded and present. Ethical pricing isn't greed—it's sustainability.

3. The model doesn't get easier. You have to make it different.
Different boundaries. Different pricing. Different client selection. Different revenue streams. The future requires you to build it.

💻 Resources & Links

• 🔗 Join the Incubator Waitlist: therapistsrising.com/incubator
• 📱 Instagram: @dr.hayleykelly

⭐ Subscribe, Rate & Review

If this episode helped you see that your exhaustion isn't a personal failing—please subscribe, rate, and review Therapists Rising.

Your words help reach more therapists who need to hear: You're not failing. The model is broken. And you can build something different.

For 12 months, I’ve been sober, and until a recent doctor’s appointment, I’d completely forgotten.

No countdown. No recovery story. No before-and-after moment. Just life, without alcohol.

When my doctor asked, “None? Not even socially?” and looked at me like I’d just confessed a crime, something clicked. His disbelief wasn’t about alcohol — it was about the quiet pressure we all feel to play along. To do the thing that makes everyone else comfortable, even when it doesn’t feel good to us.

That moment made me realise: sobriety isn’t really about alcohol. It’s about truth. It’s about self-trust. It’s about noticing all the ways we abandon ourselves - in business, relationships, and life - just to belong.

If you’ve ever found yourself saying yes when you meant no, discounting your prices to avoid seeming greedy, or over-giving because you don’t want to disappoint, this episode will hit home.

This is a conversation about emotional and professional sobriety - and what happens when you stop performing belonging and start building it from integrity instead.

Here’s what I cover:

• Why my doctor’s disbelief revealed how deeply social conditioning shapes our choices
• The invisible contracts of belonging: how family, therapy culture, and business all reward self-abandonment
• The moment I realised I was trading authenticity for acceptance — and how that changed everything
• My Uni Games story: performing belonging by being the “responsible one” in a binge-drinking culture
• Why people-pleasing isn’t kindness — it’s your nervous system trying to keep you safe
• What emotional sobriety looks like in business (through a real example from an Incubator student)
• The paradox of safety vs. control: why we keep performing even when it hurts
• How to stay with yourself when your truth disappoints others
• What sobriety has taught me about leadership, capacity, and self-trust

💡 3 Powerful Takeaways:

1. Belonging that costs you your self is counterfeit.
   If you have to abandon yourself to belong — in a team, relationship, or system — it’s not safety. It’s survival.
2. Your nervous system isn’t broken.
   When you find yourself overgiving or performing, that’s not weakness. It’s your body trying to protect attachment. Healing starts with awareness, not shame.
3. Sobriety is self-trust.
   You don’t have to quit drinking to practice sobriety. You just have to stop leaving yourself when things get uncomfortable.

💻 Resources & Links

• 🔗 Join the Incubator Waitlist: therapistsrising.com/incubator
  
  
• 📩 Subscribe to my Newsletter: for weekly reflections on therapist innovation, ethical marketing, and leading with integrity.
• 📱 Follow me on Instagram: @dr.hayleykelly
  for insights on business, boundaries, and belonging for therapists.

⭐ Subscribe, Rate & Review

If this episode helped you see your patterns differently or reminded you that you don’t need to perform to belong, please take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review Therapists Rising.

Your words help this message reach more therapists who need to hear:
You’re not too sensitive. You’re not too much. You’re just done performing safety at the expense of yourself.

Thanks for listening — and for choosing truth over performance.
You don’t need to earn belonging. You just need to stop performing it.

In this episode, I'm tackling one of the biggest fears holding therapists back from building sustainable online practices: the terror of being "too salesy."

If you've ever frozen at the end of a webinar, mumbled through your offer, or avoided pitching your program altogether because you're worried about pressuring people who've already been through so much — this episode is for you.

Here's the truth: Your fear of being salesy isn't actually about sales. It's about identity, worth, and deeply ingrained beliefs about what it means to be a "good" therapist. And until you unpack those beliefs and make some critical identity shifts, no amount of perfect pitch scripts or marketing tactics will make you feel comfortable making offers.

So today, we're going deep. We're talking about the mistaken beliefs sabotaging your ability to serve, the five identity shifts that transform selling from a threat into an act of service, and the practical framework for making offers that feel aligned, authentic, and effective.

Whether you're a therapist launching your first online program, a coach struggling to convert webinar attendees, or a clinician who knows you need to make offers but feels gross every time you try — this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

• The mistaken beliefs keeping you stuck — including why you think making an offer equals manipulation (spoiler: it doesn't), why you're waiting for people to chase you down instead of leading them forward, and why you think talking about your program "takes away" from the value you're giving.
• The four identity shifts that change everything — from Healer to Guide, Helper to Advocate, Clinician to Creator, Transactional to Transformational, and Rule-Follower to Ethical Innovator. These aren't just mindset tweaks — they're fundamental rewirings of how you see yourself and your role.
• What you're not seeing when you don't make offers — the real consequence of staying silent about your programs, and how your fear of being pushy is actually denying people the agency to choose their own path forward.
• The reframe that makes pitching feel like service — including the coaching questions that reveal whether you have a sales problem or a conviction problem, and why treating your webinar attendees differently than you'd treat your best friend is costing you (and them) transformation.
• The 5-step framework for making offers that convert — from getting clear on your conviction first, to setting up the pitch at the beginning, using consent at offer time, making it about them (not you), and trusting them to decide for themselves.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

📩 Join the Incubator Waitlist: Be the first to know when doors open for therapists ready to create their first online program that actually converts — therapistsrising.com/incubator

More From Dr. Hayley Kelly:

📱 Follow me on Instagram: @dr.hayleykelly
For daily insights on therapist innovation, building sustainable online practices, and making offers that feel good.

🌐 Visit the website: therapistsrising.com

⭐ Subscribe, Rate & Review:

If this episode helped you see your fear of selling in a new light — or gave you permission to finally make that offer with confidence — please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your words help us reach more therapists ready to build practices that don't burn them out.

Thanks for tuning in to Therapists Rising. Now go make that offer like you MEAN it. See you in the next episode!

After losing her teenage son Ethan to T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, psychologist Kimberly Stevens faced the unthinkable — and chose to transform her grief into something that would help thousands of others.

In this conversation, Kimberly shares the story behind Kids Connecting Parents, an app she created to help bereaved parents find local, peer-based connection and support when professional services fall short.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of child loss, grief, and bereavement. Please listen when you feel ready and have support available.

Her honesty cracked something open in me — and reminded me why I started Therapists Rising in the first place. Because when the system doesn’t work, we have two options: collapse under it, or build something new.

If you’ve ever questioned how to move forward after loss, burnout, or heartbreak, this episode will meet you right where you are.

Here’s what we cover

• Kimberly’s journey from psychologist and grieving mum to tech founder and advocate
• The moment she realized traditional therapy models weren’t enough for bereaved parents
• How she turned her personal loss into a mission-driven innovation that’s changing lives
• What it means to blend lived experience with professional training — ethically and powerfully
• The courage it takes to build something for the community you’re also healing within
• The emotional and practical realities of launching a mental-health app from scratch
• How grief can be a catalyst for purpose, leadership, and systemic change

3 Takeaways for Therapists

1. Purpose can grow from the hardest things.
   Your pain doesn’t disqualify you — it can inform the most meaningful, ethical, and innovative work you’ll ever do.
2. The system won’t always meet the need.
   Kimberly’s story is proof that when traditional models fail, therapists can create new pathways — apps, programs, communities — that fill the gaps.
3. Lived experience is a superpower, not a liability.
   When we stop hiding the human behind the professional, we create safer, braver, more connected spaces for healing.

💻 Resources & Links

• Learn more about Kids Connecting Parents: kidsconnectingparents.com
• Follow Kimberly on Instagram: @kidsconnectingparents
• Join the Incubator Waitlist for therapists ready to build ethical, impact-driven programs: therapistsrising.com/incubator
  
  

💬 Connect with Dr. Hayley Kelly

• Follow on Instagram → @dr.hayleykelly
• Subscribe to Therapists Rising for weekly conversations about therapist innovation, leadership, and building sustainable impact beyond the therapy room.

⭐ If this episode moved you…

Please take a moment to subscribe, rate, and leave a review here.
Your words help this show reach more therapists who need to hear that their story, their pain, and their purpose all still matter.

For 230 episodes, I've referenced my "kitchen floor moment" without telling you the full story. After interviewing psychologist Kimberly Stevens about transforming her grief into purpose, I realized: if I'm asking therapists to be brave enough to step outside broken systems, I need to be brave enough to tell you why it matters so much to me.

This is the story of my suicide attempt, the months after, and the moment on my kitchen floor—with my young son's hand on my shoulder—that changed everything.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide attempt, suicidal ideation, and mental health crisis. Please listen when you feel ready and have support available.

If you're a therapist who's ever felt like the system is breaking you, this episode is for you.

Here's what I cover:

• What therapist burnout actually feels like: panic attacks before every clinic day, doom scrolling between clients, the impossible math of being a new mum with a medically complex child while maintaining a full caseload
• The resentment that builds when you're holding everyone else's pain with nowhere to put down your own
• Living with undiagnosed autism and ADHD while trying to function as a "successful" psychologist
• The day I attempted suicide—and why surviving didn't immediately fix anything
• The kitchen floor moment: my son's hand on my shoulder asking if I was okay, and the realization that changed everything
• The shame of being a psychologist who couldn't keep her own mental health together, and the terror of being found "incompetent"
• The 18-month transition from full clinical load to zero: how I strategically reduced complexity, raised fees, and built coaching alongside clinical work
• Why leaving traditional practice felt like professional suicide but staying felt like actual suicide

3 Powerful Takeaways:

1. Therapist burnout isn't a personal failing—it's a system failure. If you're struggling, you're not broken. The system we were trained in hasn't caught up with the demands of modern practice. The guilt, shame, and isolation you feel? You're not alone.

2. Surviving a crisis isn't the same as healing. I got help after my attempt. I went to therapy. But I was still having panic attacks for months because I was still in the same impossible life. Real change required changing the system I was working in, not just managing symptoms.

3. You don't need permission to build something different. Leaving traditional practice doesn't mean you're abandoning people. It means you're choosing to help people in a way that doesn't require you to be on a kitchen floor to admit something has to change.

If You're Struggling Right Now:

You are not alone.

Crisis Support:

• Lifeline (Australia): 13 11 14
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): Call or text 988

💻 Resources & Links:

📩 Join the Incubator Waitlist: therapistsrising.com/incubator

More From Dr. Hayley Kelly:

📱 Follow on Instagram: @dr.hayleykelly for insights on therapist innovation and building sustainable practices

⭐ Subscribe, Rate & Review:

If this episode made you feel less alone or gave you permission to consider a different path—please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your words help us reach more therapists who need to hear: You're not broken. The system is. And there's another way.

Thanks for tusting me with your time. I see you. I've been you. You're not alone.

Thanks for tuning in to Therapists Rising!

In this episode, I'm sitting down with Professor Nick Titov—a giant in digital mental health and founder of MindSpot, Australia's leading digital psychology service that has reached over 250,000 Australians.

If you've ever wondered whether therapy has to look the way it's always looked, this conversation will shake up everything you thought you knew.

Nick isn't just innovating patient care—he's challenging the profession to wake up and adapt. We're living through a seismic shift. Consumer behaviour is changing. The workforce is shrinking. AI is here. And if therapists don't get a seat at the table, we risk becoming irrelevant.

This episode is for every therapist who's felt trapped by the traditional model, burnt out by one-to-one limitations, or curious about what the future holds.

Here's what we cover:

• Why digital mental health isn't just for "low-level" cases—and how MindSpot serves complex clients who have nowhere else to turn
• The assumptions Nick's team demolished: that therapy requires face-to-face contact, that therapists need decades of experience, that you must treat depression before anxiety
• How MindSpot Academy is training the next generation in digital-first care—and why universities aren't keeping up
• The threat (and opportunity) of AI—and what therapists must do now to demonstrate our value
• Nick's "2,815 days left" philosophy and his mission to get prevention into the cultural consciousness
• Why workforce upskilling can't wait—and how to future-proof your career

3 Powerful Takeaways:

1. Innovation doesn't wait for permission. Nick built the evidence, proved it worked, and created a national service helping hundreds of thousands. If you're waiting for the system to change, you'll be left behind.

2. Your value proposition is up for negotiation. AI delivers psychoeducation. Apps track symptoms. What can you do that technology can't? Get clear on your value—or risk obsolescence.

3. The future is blended, scalable, and prevention-focused. One-to-one therapy will always have a place—but it can't be the only model. Master multiple modalities: digital tools, teletherapy, group programs.

💻 Resources & Links:

🌐 MindSpot: https://www.mindspot.org.au
📱 Connect with Nick on LinkedIn
📩 Join the Incubator Waitlist: therapistsrising.com/incubator

More From Dr. Hayley Kelly:

Follow on Instagram: @dr.hayleykelly
For insights on therapist innovation and building sustainable practices.

⭐ Subscribe, Rate & Review:

If this episode helped you see the future more clearly—or gave you permission to challenge the old rules—please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your words help us reach more therapists ready to adapt, innovate, and rise.

Thanks for tuning in to Therapists Rising!

In this episode, I’m sitting down with the bold, brilliant, and whip-smart Laura Lee - a psychologist, sexologist, coach, and the founder of Blue Space Psychology - to dive into what it actually takes to talk about sex online as a regulated health professional.

Laura’s work lives at the intersection of mental health, sex, and relationships. And let’s just say, that combo can light up the AHPRA risk radar faster than you can say “shadowban.” So how do you balance professional responsibility with authentic, sex-positive content creation? How do you hold ethical boundaries and your own truth?

That’s exactly what we unpack in this episode.

Whether you’re a therapist craving more freedom in your content, a sexologist juggling regulation and realness, or someone feeling stifled by the blurry lines of online expression — this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

• What happens when “taboo” meets the algorithm — and how that impacts your message, reach, and reputation.
• Why your clinical training may actually get in the way when it comes to talking about sex in public forums.
• How to reframe risk — and navigate fear of being misunderstood, reported, or reprimanded.
• Boundaries vs Censorship — how to show up with clarity and care, without watering down your values.
• The “ick” of performative content — and how to stay grounded in your voice, not the algorithm.

3 Powerful Takeaways:

1. Ethics aren’t the enemy of expression.

You can hold professional responsibility and be a full human online. It just takes intention, reflection, and sometimes — community.

2. Shame thrives in silence — especially around sex.

By showing up with grounded, nuanced content, you’re modelling the exact safety you want your clients to feel. Your content can be part of the healing.

3. General doesn’t mean generic.

You don’t need to share client stories or deeply personal experiences to be impactful. Speaking to themes, struggles, and questions is often more powerful — and way more sustainable.

💻 Resources & Links Mentioned:

🎧 Explore Laura’s membership & resources: https://www.lauralee.com.au/unbound

📱 Follow Laura on Instagram: @lauraleesexology

🌐 Learn more about Blue Space Psychology: https://www.lauralee.com.au

📩 Join the Incubator Waitlist: Be the first to know when doors open again for therapists ready to create their first online program — therapistsrising.com/incubator

More From Dr. Hayley Kelly:

Follow me on Instagram: @dr.hayleykelly

For daily insights on therapist innovation, uncaging your work, and building a business that doesn't burn you out.

⭐ Subscribe, Rate & Review:

If this episode helped you feel seen or sparked a new way of thinking about your online voice — please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review here. Your words help us reach more therapists ready to disrupt, rebuild, and rise.

Thanks for tuning in to Therapists Rising. See you in the next episode!

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Alice Ayliffe and Elise Cassidy — two incredible therapists and Incubator graduates — to explore what it really looks like to move beyond the 1:1 model and create programs that change lives.

If you’ve ever wondered, Where do I even start? Will anyone want what I create? What if I get it wrong? — this conversation is for you.

Alice is an occupational therapist based in Hobart who has carved out a powerful niche supporting adults with ADHD and training other OTs to work in this space. Elise is a Melbourne-based speech pathologist with nearly 30 years of experience, who has turned her deep passion for dyslexia advocacy into online programs and resources for parents and schools.

Neither of them had it “all figured out.” They both wrestled with doubts about burnout, regulation, self-belief, and fear of judgment from peers. But through the Incubator, they found clarity, community, and the confidence to build programs that not only generate income but also expand their impact far beyond the therapy room.

In this episode, Alice and Elise share the barriers they had to push through, the wins they’ve achieved, and the advice they’d give to any therapist standing where they once stood.

HERE ARE THE 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:

1. Burnout can be a signal, not the end. Both Alice and Elise hit walls in their careers that forced them to look beyond the traditional therapy path. That pain became the nudge toward innovation.
2. Fear of judgment is universal — but it’s survivable. Whether it was Elise worrying about peers judging her for charging for her knowledge, or Alice fearing regulatory trouble, both show that self-doubt doesn’t disqualify you.
3. Programs expand your reach without diluting your expertise. Dyslexia advocacy, ADHD-affirming practice, and OT supervision are now impacting parents, schools, and other clinicians — proof that your clinical skills are needed in new spaces.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Therapist Rising Incubator – For therapists ready to create their first sustainable online program with ongoing support: therapistsrising.com/incubator

Connect with Alice Ayliffe:

• Website: aliceayliffe.com
• Facebook: Alice Ayliffe Consulting
  
  

Connect with Elise Cassidy:

• Website: littlevoices.net.au
• Facebook: Little Voices Speech Pathology
• Instagram: @littlevoicesspeechpathology
  
  

MORE FROM DR. HAYLEY KELLY

• Follow me on Instagram @dr.hayleykelly
  for daily insights on therapist innovation and sustainable practice

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this episode gave you clarity or encouragement to believe you can create something beyond the therapy room, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more therapists who are ready to diversify their work and build sustainable businesses.

Thanks for tuning in to Therapists Rising — see you next time!