I Got Scammed… But the Question Was Actually Worth Answering
Real life doesn’t pause when you’re the one everyone relies on… sometimes it just looks like laughing through spilled coffee.
I recently got pulled into what I thought was a professional interview. It wasn’t. It was a scam.
Annoying, yes. But also, a little ironic because in the middle of it, they asked a question that actually matters:
“How did you build your therapy practice?”
And I realized… most people don’t want the real answer to that question.
They want the polished version.
This isn’t that.
How This Practice Was Actually Built
This practice wasn’t built from a perfectly mapped-out business plan.
It was built in a chaotic season of my life.
Within a few months, I:
• Filed for divorce
• Left my full-time job
• Moved
• And started my private practice
Not because it felt like the perfect time. Because it was the moment where continuing the way I had been wasn’t going to work anymore. So, this became a bet on myself and a decision to build something that actually supported my life, not just my work. I was tired of being in situations that couldn’t be responsive to my needs and weren’t willing to collaborate with me. And I kept being reminded that you can’t heal in places that hurt you…So I knew it was time for a change.
Why I Built It This Way
Before starting my practice, I worked across higher levels of care and in group practice settings. I saw what burnout actually looks like up close, not just in theory, but in real people, real colleagues, real friends.
And I had my own experience with it, too. I was managing 35+ clients a week while working from the corner of my bedroom because I was separated from (but still sharing a home with) my soon-to-be ex-husband. The emotional load was exhausting, and I wasn’t getting the support I needed to properly care for my clients during a difficult season of life.
But what stood out wasn’t that people didn’t care about their work.
It was that they cared so much… in systems that quietly depended on them overextending. Every system I was a part of at that time profited from my exhaustion and depletion.
That’s what shaped everything I do now. Because the question I keep coming back to is:
Who is caring for the healers?
The Work I Do (and Why It’s Different)
I work primarily with therapists, healthcare professionals, and caregivers, the people who are used to being the steady ones who are reliable and hold it all together for everyone else. On the outside, they look high-functioning.
Behind the scenes, therapists & helpers without proper support are:
• Overextended
• Emotionally drained
• Struggling to set boundaries
• Quietly questioning how long they can keep doing this
Most of them aren’t saying, “I’m burned out.”
They’re saying:
“It’s not that bad yet.”
“I just need to get through this week.”
“I don’t have time to deal with this right now.”
And that’s exactly where the work starts.
Why Burnout Isn’t Fixed with “Self-Care”
There’s a lot of advice out there about burnout.
Most of it focuses on doing more: more coping skills, more routines, more ways to push through.
That’s not what actually creates change.
Because for a lot of helpers, burnout isn’t just about stress, it’s about:
• Being conditioned to overfunction
• Feeling over-responsible and under-resourced
• Building a life around being useful instead of being supported
You can’t fix that with a bubble bath or a vacation. The work is deeper than that.
It’s about building something that is actually sustainable in your relationships, your work, and your expectations of yourself.
Watch: The Real Answer to “How Was This Built?”
This video shares the full answer to that question: how this practice was built, what shaped it, and why it’s centered around helping helpers do this differently:
If This Feels Familiar: Support for Therapists and Helpers
If there’s a part of you thinking:
“It’s not that bad yet.”
“I don’t have time.”
That doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem. It usually means you’ve gotten really good at pushing through it. And for a while, that works. Until it doesn’t.
Therapy can be a space to step out of overfunctioning patterns, build more sustainable ways of working, and reconnect with what actually feels manageable long term.
If additional support would be helpful, a consultation can be scheduled here:
https://sageholisticcounseling.clientsecure.me/sign-in
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