WP160 | How to Improve Self-Awareness in Leadership - Live Consulting with Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW
Hey friends, it feels so good to be back on the mic! After months of prepping for the Wise Practice Summit and connecting with so many amazing practice owners in Greenville, I’m coming into this episode fired up and full of gratitude.
If you’ve ever had one of those seasons where you thought, “This is just too much… maybe I should quit,” I’ve been there too. But let me tell you, God always shows up. The Summit was such a beautiful reminder that the work we do—growing our practices, leading our teams, and serving from a place of faith—truly matters. And when we keep showing up with perseverance and prayer, He blesses it in ways we can’t even imagine.
Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Anna Sasser-Christian, founder of Little Dove Counseling in Walnut Creek, California. Anna has been part of the Wise Practice community for a while now, and I’ve watched her grow from a solo therapist to leading a thriving group of seven clinicians — all while becoming a new mom!
In this live consulting episode, Anna brings a thoughtful question about leadership — not just how to manage a team, but how to show up as a Christ-centered leader who creates clarity, connection, and peace within her practice. We’re diving deep into self-awareness, spiritual grounding, and what it really means to lead with faith at the core.
So grab your coffee, settle in, and let’s get into a conversation that’s going to encourage you, challenge you, and remind you that you don’t have to do this work alone.
From One Therapist to a Thriving Team
In this episode, I sat down with Anna, the founder of Little Dove Counseling in Walnut Creek, California. Anna and I first met on Instagram a couple of years ago, and it’s been such a joy to watch her grow her business from a solo practice to a thriving group of seven clinicians — all while becoming a new mom!
Anna’s question was such a good one:
“How can I become more aware of the ways I’m showing up as a leader — both good and bad?”
This is something every group practice owner wrestles with. When you start your practice, you’re focused on clients. But as your team grows, your role shifts — you’re no longer just the clinician; you’re the leader. And leadership takes a whole new level of self-awareness, patience, and faith.
Leading Starts with Knowing Yourself
We talked about how leadership really begins with our own spiritual and emotional health. Before you can lead others well, you have to be grounded in your relationship with God and aware of your own patterns.
For me, I’ve learned that when I’m spiritually connected — spending time in prayer, resting, and listening — I lead better. I’m calmer, wiser, and more compassionate. But when I get too busy or distracted, I start making decisions out of fear or fatigue instead of faith.
Anna and I discussed how this can be especially challenging for new moms, when quiet time feels impossible. But I reminded her — and maybe this is a reminder for you too — that God meets us wherever we are. A prayer whispered while rocking your baby or a walk with the stroller can be just as sacred as an hour of journaling.
Clarity Creates Confidence
Another key to leadership we talked about was clarity.
The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)
Without a clear vision for where your practice is going, it’s easy to lead from a place of reaction instead of intention. Anna admitted that as her practice grew quickly, she found herself in a bit of a “holding pattern” — wanting to move forward but also wanting to protect her time and family life.
That balance is something I deeply relate to. For years, I found myself building the plane while flying it! But once I started clearing out the clutter — systems, policies, and even relationships that weren’t aligned — I had space to think, pray, and dream again.
As Christian leaders, we can make plans, but we have to hold them with open hands and trust God to direct our steps.
Listening with Humility
Anna and I also talked about the importance of listening to your team — and doing it with humility.
Sometimes that means taking feedback, even when it stings, and sitting with it before responding. One of my favorite practical tips is to wait 24 hours before replying to emotionally charged messages or requests. That pause creates space for prayer, reflection, and wisdom.
But we also have to discern when feedback isn’t ours to carry. As leaders, it’s easy to internalize every criticism. Part of growth is learning to separate what’s constructive from what’s projection — and surrounding yourself with other wise leaders who can help you see the difference.
Coaching and Community Make the Difference
Finally, we talked about how powerful it is to have a community and a coach walking beside you. Anna has been part of the Wise Practice membership and masterminds since the very beginning, and she shared how those connections have given her not only business tools but lifelong friendships.
That’s exactly what the Wise Practice community is all about — helping you lead with clarity, courage, and faith while connecting with others who truly “get it.”
Keep Showing Up
This episode was such a beautiful reminder that leadership isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about showing up — prayerfully, humbly, and consistently — and trusting God to do the rest.
If you’re in a season where leading feels heavy, take heart. You’re not alone. Keep showing up with faith and perseverance. God is doing more than you can see right now.
Anna Sasser-Christian’s Resources
Links and Resources
Learn More about Wise Practice Consulting
Connect with Wise Practice on Instagram
-
[00:00:00] Whitney Owens: Hi, I am Whitney Owens. I'm a group practice owner and faith-based practice consultant, and I'm here to tell you that you can have it all. Wanna grow your practice, wanna grow your faith, wanna enjoy your life outside of work, you've come to the right place. Each week on the Wise Practice Podcast, I will give you the action steps to have a successful faith-based practice.
While also having a good time. Now let's get started.
[00:00:29] Jingle: Where she grows your practice. She don't play. She does business with a twist of faith. It's Whitney Owens and the Wise Practice Podcast. Whitney Owens and Wise Practice Podcast.
[00:00:47] Whitney Owens: Hello friends. Welcome back to the Wise Practice Podcast. I am excited to be on the mic today. It sure has been a while. Now to you, it doesn't feel like a while because you're getting episodes every week, but I recorded those out. Months in advance 'cause I was preparing for the Wise Practice Summit. In fact, I don't think I've gotten on the mic to do any podcasting in two months, so I am happy to be back at it and excited to have some great interviews still coming your way.
These interviews were recorded before the conference, but. I'm excited to provide you some great information. So today you're gonna be talking or listening to Anna who has been doing some consulting with me for quite some time, and I just think the world of her, we actually met through Instagram, so that's really cool.
And I've seen her go from one therapist to, I don't know, six or seven, and doing really amazing work out in California. And I just love the question she brings. To us today on leadership, and it's not just about growing your practice, not just about employing people, but how do we become good, solid Christian leaders in the way that we care for our team and the way that we care for one another.
So looking forward to sharing that with you. But before we go into that, I just have to tell you how much I loved the Wise Practice Summit. So even though I'm recording this a month after. I just am still reflecting on what a great experience it was. It totally feels like it was yesterday, but it feels also like it was months ago and I already can't wait for our next one.
So over a hundred people met in Greenville, South Carolina, practice owners, faith-based. To be able to connect with one another, to hear from amazing speakers, to gain CEUs, to have a good time, and some amazing relationships were developed. People were sharing testimonies of the growth they've had in their practice in the past year.
I like to think of it as a family reunion. You know, we meet online in the Wise Practice community every single week, and then we get together once a year in person. It's such a beautiful thing. I've been running this for four years now. This was my fourth conference for faith-based practice owners. It has gotten easier with time.
I'm sure you can relate to this in running your practice when you first started, it was really hard and there are definitely seasons that are harder, maybe when the economy's not going as well, or maybe when you're hiring your first, or maybe when somebody quits. Like there's all these phases, but we grow through each one of them.
As I look back on the years that I've run this conference, so many times I've thought to myself, Whitney, what are you doing? Like this is a lot of work. In fact, I start planning each one more than a year in advance. So I spend usually about 15 months, and it all happens in a matter of three days. And I often think to myself, is this really worth all the energy, the time, the money?
Like I could be doing a lot more things and making a lot more money, but the truth is I love it so much. I couldn't do anything else. And when I see practice centers getting together, it's a beautiful thing. But I have thought so many times, I should give up. I shouldn't do this. This isn't worth it. This is too tiring.
And I want to say with confidence now I know. That it is definitely worth it and I by far just had my best summit experience. It was more organized. I'm sure on the outside people thought they were all organized, but for me, running it as we know in our own practice is what we see on the backend.
Everyone else doesn't see. Right. But I felt more confident. I felt calmer. I felt like I knew what I was doing in a way that I didn't know before, and multiple people commented on that and seeing that with me. People commented on experiencing the Holy Spirit. Some people even said they were weepy during the event.
It was amazing. If I had given up the last, this past conference, wouldn't have happened. People wouldn't have connected. People wouldn't have gained clarity. People wouldn't have grown their businesses or experienced God or made these new relationships. So I know what it's like to run a business. In fact, I've got two of them and I know what it's like when you wanna give up and you're tired, but I want to encourage you to keep going.
You will figure it out. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and through connections with other practice owners, through family and friends, let encouragement come your way, strengthen you for the really the path that God's already laid out before you for the goals that you feel in your practice, in your community.
It was a big lesson to me on not giving up 'cause I would never have had the experience I got to have in Greenville if I'd given up years ago. I also can tell you how excited I am for us to all be together again. We will be meeting in Nashville in 2026. Yes, Nashville, Tennessee. Because if you've been listening to the podcast long enough, you know I love karaoke.
In all seriousness, I cannot wait to be in Nashville. Actually, karaoke is serious, but. I knew God was telling us to go to Nashville months ago when I prayed about it, and I kept fighting and waiting on God to provide the right opportunity, the right space, and then it fell in my lap. I cannot express to you how amazing it was, how God basically gave me everything I wanted on a silver platter at the very last minute.
I'm guessing you probably can relate to that in your own life. But we'll be going to Nashville. It's gonna be the same time of year. It's the second weekend in October. If you head to the Wise Practice Consulting website, you can learn more about that conference and grab your early bird pricing ticket.
Now, you're gonna hear me talk about this conference a lot more when we get closer to the early bird deadline. You have until May 1st, of course, I want you to go ahead and buy today so that I know I'm gonna get to see you 'cause I'm looking forward to it. If you got questions, reach out to me. Happy to answer 'em, and I'm excited to jump into this episode today.
Anna is a special person, near and dear to my heart. She's been a joy to work with and now I get to introduce you to her.
Welcome to The Wise Practice Podcast, and today on the show I have. Ana Sasser Christian, I'm so glad that you're here with us today. Let me tell you a little bit about her and then we're gonna jump into some live consulting. So Ana is the founder and she's a play therapist at Little Dove Counseling, a boutique family centered practice in Walnut Creek, California.
Inspired by her upbringing in a diverse family of nine siblings through adoption, foster care, and biological ties, she helps families build deep lasting connections through play and expressive arts with the creative and relational approach. Her mission is to foster environments where families and staff can thrive through every season of life.
Welcome to the show. Thank you, Whitney. Yeah. Great. Well, before we kind of dive into it, I know people kind of like to get to know the person on the podcast. So Ana, tell us a little bit about where you're from, maybe a little bit about you personally, maybe the great thing that happened in your life the past few months.
You could share that with us as well.
[00:08:12] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Yeah, so I am originally from the southeast right now. I live in the Bay Area in California, and I just welcomed my first little little baby into the world about seven months ago. So he is taken up all the time right now. He is so fun and special.
[00:08:33] Whitney Owens: Aw, yes. Love it. Love it.
And then you have little dove counseling. When did you start that practice?
[00:08:40] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Little do started a little over two years ago.
[00:08:45] Whitney Owens: Nice. And then you grew into a group practice. And so can you tell us a little bit about your group practice, like kind of the size and how you do cash pay insurance, just a little bit more of the setup so people have a context about you and your business.
[00:09:00] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Yeah, so we are a team of seven clinicians, plus myself when I can see clients and we're private pay and we primarily work with children and families specializing in early childhood mental health and family therapy. Yeah.
[00:09:17] Whitney Owens: Nice. Well, thank you for that. You have grown quickly, but that means you're doing really good, important work and a lot of the clients need it.
So glad that you're there. So today we're gonna do some live consulting, and I'm excited about the question that you have today. So why don't you share that here and then we'll kind of dive into it.
[00:09:36] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Yeah, so my question for you, Whitney, is how can I become more aware of the ways I'm showing up as a leader for my team, both good and bad?
[00:09:47] Whitney Owens: Hmm. Great question. First of all, I really love that you're thinking about that. I think that that transition occurs from a solo practice to group practice. I mean, you can, you can attest to this. It's hard. It's hard. And, and the more our practice grows, the more we move from that place of seeing clients to actually managing a team and being, being a leader.
So I think you already are in a good place 'cause you're actually asking questions about that and thinking about how you can best lead your team. That's admirable. So, yeah. Yeah. So, so I would love to hear a little bit more of kind of what brought this question to the front of your mind. Are there some things going on that.
Are making you wonder about leadership?
[00:10:35] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Yeah, so on our team, we, we talk a lot about co-regulation because we're constantly sort of supporting family members and, and helping each other connect and regulate and communicate. And so I'm just very aware of the way I show up in the room for my staff. You know, my, everything impacts them, right?
And I'm realizing I really need to be. The anchor for our team and be able to hold kind of a clear vision of what we're doing and kind of through that process, I've started to realize that. Oh, I found myself in a leadership role. Yeah, I think that through, and sometimes I think that my uncomfortableness with being in that role can, can impact, you know, the team and it can, it can set, you know, an unclear expectations.
Perhaps I can be. Just, yeah, just not clear on where I'm leading. And I think that would cause kind of stress and confusion for the team. So I'm really wanting to get better at understanding how am I showing up and how do I impact the team in the ways in which I do show up. And I'm not really sure how to do that.
'cause I, I didn't really think that part through when I started a group practice.
[00:11:55] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. Well, it, it is so true that. It isn't something we think, I mean, as who we are as therapists, you know, as Christians, you know, we're thinking about impact in the world and helping our community, helping therapists find jobs they love.
And I think a lot of us didn't think through what that leadership role looked like. And especially as our practice grows and your screw quickly, like it's, it's even more important. But you, again, you're asking some really great questions and already showing a lot of awareness. So as I'm, as I'm hearing and thinking about this, the first thing, and, and honestly Ana, you kind of said this and I'm gonna piggyback and go into it, is our own selves.
How you said how I show up in the room, you know, we know this as therapists, but the same is true for us as leaders. So how am I showing up with my team? And that's all gonna come back to how well I know myself. All right. And as Christians, we know how important our faith is. And so really going back to, first of all, how am I caring for all aspects of who I am my spiritual life?
You know, am I spending time in the word? Am I in prayer? Am I resting? Am I meditating? Am I listening? You know, and caring for my soul. So I think so much of being a leader and even looking back when I am feeling more connected to God, I lead better and I'm more aware of myself in those quiet moments in prayer.
Right? And when I'm busy and I kind of neglect that, I find myself making more mistakes, not listening as well, and not leading as well. Do you find that to also be the case for you? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. It, it's so hard and the more that things start to. Pile up is the more that I start to struggle. And it's not just about the things, it's about not caring for myself.
[00:13:52] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm-hmm.
[00:13:52] Whitney Owens: Yeah. So I would say it's the first step. And kind of going along with that, and the word that you even used was self-awareness. So how can we become more self-aware with. Who we are, and that can be in our work, but also outside of our work. It all can kind of feed each other, right. Our personal lives and, and our work.
And, and so I guess I, I'm gonna ask you this question and then I can also answer. What are some things that you do to improve your self-awareness?
[00:14:23] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Hmm. I think that's a, that's a great question because before having a baby, I did take a lot of, you know, a quiet time with the Lord and like. I would go on walks, I would exercise, I would think I would sleep.
And then after having a baby, a lot of, a lot of those spaces have gone away. Mm-hmm. And so I would think that I would need to be more intentional about even, like, scheduling those things into my calendar to just even have a moment of, of space to, to think about self-awareness, to think about what might be going on because of the busyness.
Yeah.
[00:15:05] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Well I think all moms feel that way, especially new moms not getting that sleep. And I think one thing that's so beautiful about being a person of faith is God is everywhere all the time, right? And so when you are on that walk with your, you with the stroller and you're pushing your baby or you're, you know, trying to fall asleep at night, like, all those are moments for, for connection.
You know, it's not necessarily gonna be the sit down and pray for 30 minutes and focus, you know, it might be. I'm holding my baby on my chest while I'm in a time of prayer and waiting on God. You know? And I think those moments can be just as beautiful, you know, for paying attention and listening. And I can think of so many times where I felt so overwhelmed, and it was just those moments of connection with my child.
It kind of brought me back to, again, this is, this is what matters. This is the most important part of my day. And I think the Lord feels that way with us too, when we just have even five minutes. Mm-hmm. It's special.
[00:16:06] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
[00:16:08] Whitney Owens: Yeah. I, for self-awareness, I do think the whole, being quiet is a big part of it, you know, and, and doing our own reflective work, so that might be going to therapy.
To help bring your own self-awareness, reading books about self-awareness or about business development, you know, to see different things to pay attention to about yourself. 'cause that might show you. Oh goodness. Like this is who I am. Like I recently, I've been talking about this a lot, so I know you've heard this.
I've been really getting into EOS and the concept of traction and or the book Traction with EOS and I, before I read that book, they have like books within the series and one of 'em was Rocket Fuel, which is about the relationship with the integrator. Yeah, it sounds like a crazy word. It's not math. Even though some math is involved, integrator and visionary.
And I'm the visionary, and when I read that book, it just put all these words and helped me see the way that I was, if that makes sense. I'm like, oh, I do make impulsive decisions. Or, oh, I am super passionate and make emotional decisions more than logical decisions. And so that brought me self-awareness, reading that, you know?
[00:17:24] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[00:17:27] Whitney Owens: So I think getting into specific books and resources related to leadership will also improve that self-awareness for you.
[00:17:35] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm-hmm.
[00:17:36] Whitney Owens: Yeah. So the next thing I was thinking about as you were asking, and I, and I feel like you used this word, you said clarity on leadership. Mm-hmm. And I think that's spot on.
That, and even the bible verse, boy, I wanna, I wanna quote it correctly. It's like where there is no vision, the people perish. Right? Mm-hmm. And so as leaders, when we don't have a set vision for where our practice is going, we do tend to lead without direction, haphazardly, you know, we're making impulsive decisions, but I think when we're talking about how do I become a better leader and make better decisions, I think knowing where you're going is a big part of that.
And I'm curious what you think about this. Do you find that. Kind of as you've been laying the groundwork and starting to grow your practice, is it hard to see where you're gonna be 2, 3, 5 years from now?
[00:18:32] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Yes, definitely. Yeah.
[00:18:34] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's hard to see. What do you think makes it hard to like set a vision for your practice?
[00:18:41] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm. I think that a lot of things about the practice unfolded sort of. Above my expectations. Like I feel like the Lord was just really good in making it this really great experience. With that, I did not realize that I kind of put work on an altar and it takes over my life. And so as I've learned that about myself, I've seen like this is a really great, like beautiful thing that's happening and.
I can get way too caught up in it. And so it's made me really pause as far as, okay, what are next steps? Where might we be in a few years? You know? And, and a big, a big reason I also started the practice was I wanted flexibility to take care of my kiddos. Well, that happened really fast, you know? Uh, so it was kind of like.
All the things I had sort of hoped for happened, and then some, I've sort of been in this holding pattern of, okay, well then what does the Lord want? 'cause I know I could just get super into it and just go, go, go, go, go, go, go. But I would lose everything, right? I would lose, I would not. You know, my family, my life, like, I could easily get very caught up in it.
And so I think that's a, a piece of me like not being sure where to go because I'm, I've learned that about myself, I think. Yeah.
[00:20:23] Whitney Owens: Yeah. I think you said that so well. I, I can resonate with, with your experience and just the idea of making our work kind of a God or an altar, you know? I think that that's so true.
So it's figuring out how do we have this balance of direction and vision that we feel like God's given us, but not the direction and vision that we've created for ourselves, you know? Mm-hmm. And I do feel like early in our practice, it is very, I mean, I still feel this way sometimes. It's, you know, building the plane while you fly it feeling.
[00:21:00] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm-hmm.
[00:21:02] Whitney Owens: I was also thinking about that verse, man, it's like, man creates the plan, but God directs his steps. I think it's a proverb.
[00:21:11] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm-hmm.
[00:21:11] Whitney Owens: I'll have to look some of these up after we're done, but that's kind of when I think about vision as you were sharing, like yes, we create where we think we wanna go, where we feel like God is asking us to go, and then we give it to him with open hands and say.
This is the plan I've created. This is the direction I'm taking this team. And if this is not the plan you have, change it. You know, make it, make it work for what you want. And I can tell you, Anna, just. Really in the past couple of months have I really started creating more of a long-term vision for my practice.
Like I used to create make, well, one year maybe sort of, we'll get there, but there was just always so much in front of me that like I almost see myself like on this path and I'm constantly picking up the trash and moving it out of the way because I can't even walk forward. Right, because it felt so disorganized and now I feel like it's kind of at a place where I am kinda walking along and, and I actually feel like I've got some people with me walking along and we're figuring it out, figuring out where we're going, and we see it now.
We see where we're going. And so I would, I would say a big part of being a leader, clearing up the space. And that might be you're gonna have to make hard decisions with your team members or with policies or with whatever, to get some things that are distracting you outta the way. Having some people help you clean up.
But really when you can do that, you can start having some mental space to think about where you're going, you know, and to pray about that and look at that vision and, and really it was just a few weeks, a few months ago where I had a day where I wasn't technically at work, but I worked because it gave me space to really think about what I wanted and where we were going in a lot of different ways.
So I think getting clarity. Is a way that you become a better leader. 'cause without clarity, you don't really know where you're going.
[00:23:06] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Hmm mm-hmm. Yeah. That, that definitely resonates. And I think now that you mention it, the one thing I have been really clear on is wanting people to, to keep going with, wanting to create some type of a.
Leadership structure because I'm, I'm realizing that I'm tapping out as far as my skillset goes, and I need a couple of other people to, you know, broaden the, the effectiveness.
[00:23:38] Whitney Owens: Yeah, definitely. Well, as you continue to grow and wait on God and clarity, I know that the two, the right people will come at the right moment for you.
[00:23:48] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm.
[00:23:49] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Yeah. So it's something we'll be waiting and praying for. I think another really important quality as you figure out, like good and bad is listening to your team. Now, I think this one's really dicey. Mm-hmm. Because so many things, we wanna take everything our team members say, and first of all, give them space to talk.
Spending time with them, that might be that you hang out with them or have a meeting once a month or one time I went into one of my team members to get our nails done, like providing space and opportunities for conversation. And that doesn't have to all be work. It doesn't all have to be reprimands. It can be just, Hey, tell me some great things going on, providing space for them to share with you.
And then when they do share, taking that feedback and being humble about it. Thanking them for it first, even though we get offended, I get offended. And then taking that and praying through it and saying, is this who I am? Is this what I've done? And you know, Ana, I know you because we've known each other for a while.
That's something you're so great at is, is listening to your team and saying, Hey, here's some ways I could have improved. That humility is very evident for you. And so I would say that's a, a big part is listening to our team, but then in the same vein. If it's not accurate and fully true that we don't take that on that negativity, you know, and that we know where that line is between, that's something I wanna change and hey, that's something that's on them that they've gotta figure out.
And so I, I think that's an important distinction that we have to make there. And that's one of the values of having other group practice owners that you know and admire that you can share these things with. 'cause they can help you see the things that we don't see.
[00:25:40] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's really helpful.
Yeah.
[00:25:45] Whitney Owens: Do you find that to be the case when you're getting feedback from team members? Like maybe it's kind of hard to separate, like which, which part of that is them being upset? Which part of it is actually me needing to change something? Do you find that challenging?
[00:25:59] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: I do. I think in the past several months I've gotten.
Better at hearing their concern and then waiting before trying to fix it. I know you have like a 24 hour rule or something like that with responding to requests, which I've lived by and probably should have like a longer rule for things pertaining to like money or things I feel particularly charged about.
So it's. I, I do think that in the moment I feel very like, oh my gosh, I have to fix this. And usually if I'm able to allow myself space, it gets better. I think actually maybe the harder part for me recently has been grounding in, in what I am good at. Mm-hmm. I just wanna be better all the time, and I can't, right.
I can only be where I'm at. And so I think sometimes I wish I had a little bit more self-awareness around where I, I am grounded in because I, I think I do just jump to problem solving and, oh, I need to fix and be better, versus saying, no, this is a reasonable way to go about this, or that kind of thing.
[00:27:16] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Hey, I agree that I've seen you get better about that too. It's really, that's a really hard skill as a, as a anyone in leadership, is being able to take those things and figure that part out and grow in that confidence, and I've definitely seen you do that. My last one here is getting coaching.
You know, I think it's like we go to school to become good therapists. And then we go into these leadership roles and do we continue to educate ourselves and get coaching on that? You know, a lot of times we don't. We just keep running our business and, and I have found that those that are consistently doing the work of learning how to be better bosses and run a business are the ones whose businesses thrive.
You know, and putting in that effort, and I can, I can certainly tell you about times that I invested in my own coaching. Times that I look back on, I'm like, dang. That's when a lot of change happened in a good way for me. You know, I learned so much about myself, and I know that I've talked about that a lot on the podcast, so I do think engaging in your own business coaching can really make a difference.
[00:28:28] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. For sure.
[00:28:32] Whitney Owens: Yeah.
[00:28:32] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Yeah. All of that together.
[00:28:35] Whitney Owens: Yes, we have. So, so let's talk about that for a few minutes. You know, I, I. Think we met exactly two years ago on Instagram. I was thinking about this today.
[00:28:47] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Yeah, that's that's true. Because in two days that'll mark my year or my two year anniversary of hiring my first employee and mm-hmm.
Right before then. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
[00:29:00] Whitney Owens: I remember sitting in my living room messaging with you on Instagram because there was a hurricane coming. Welcome to Savannah. Mm-hmm. And I was like, I'm not sure when I'll be able to talk and when the power will be on and off. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So, and, and we've kind of been on and off, you know, some individual work, some group work for the past two years, and you really, it's just ama, you know, a lot of times we sit and we give ourselves a hard time about where we're not at, but, you know, sitting here talking with you and thinking about where you were two years ago, I mean, wow.
And you were running a group practice and there were eight therapists, right. Including yourself. Mm-hmm. And you didn't even have a group practice basically two years ago. You just started it.
[00:29:43] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm-hmm.
[00:29:44] Whitney Owens: Yeah. So, you know, when things get hard, you gotta give yourself that credit and you've put in the work, you know, to really make that grow and you're doing a beautiful job.
[00:29:55] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well, thank you. With the coaching has been. Really, really helpful. Even just the trick of like, wait 24 hours to respond to a request hire in twos. Those two things gone a long,
[00:30:09] Whitney Owens: long way. Oh, thank you. Well, hey, I learned most things the hard way, so I'm trying to keep everybody else from making my mistakes.
[00:30:18] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Well, thank you for doing that.
[00:30:19] Whitney Owens: Yeah, so, so Ana, could you talk a little bit about your experience in the Wise Practice membership community? What are some of the things that you really have enjoyed about it?
[00:30:31] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Yeah. Let's see, so I've done, I think I'm in my third round of masterminds and that's been amazing.
I was partnered up with someone in my first mastermind group and like as an accountability partner, and she's since then become, you know. A best friend and she covered my practice when I went on maternity leave and we're, we're very close. So lifelong friendship is a, is a big one when you're a group practice owner.
I have someone who gets it. And then, you know, as far as the coaching, we've done like lots of different types of things. I'm coming to the summit this year, so I'm excited to see. That, and then we've done individual and group coaching, and you pretty much coached me since I started the practice. So I don't really know what it's like to try to run a group without a Whitney, but I would think that, I would definitely suggest maybe having a Whitney because I, I will say that I think.
You've given me a heads up on a lot of things that could have gone very badly. So you really helped me like lay a foundation. So the course correcting that I have done has been a little bit more nuanced. Like I've been able to think about how's my leadership style versus like. Uh, you know, my bank account is super in the negative.
I'm overpaying therapist or something like that. So things that are less on fire I think is like the result of the long-term coaching is I can kind of, there's not quite so many like, oh, we have to fix this right now. Like, I can't, you know, keep running the business this way, or something like that. So I'm really grateful for.
That foundation so that we can just kind of work together on like nuances and changes and, and the, and the group can hold that while I'm working on things like, on myself, like this questioning. Right.
[00:32:32] Whitney Owens: That's right. That's such a good point of the group being able to sustain while you're doing some other things for you and.
I agree. When I think back on most of the coaching, especially people starting and growing a group practice, it is keeping yourself from falling into those ditches that can get in the way so that you can have more progress and thrive. And you certainly have done that and you've put in the work. So I'm grateful for that.
And yes, so I'm looking forward to finally meeting you in person in Greenville. I can't believe it. We all almost met in person in HE Hawaii. I don't think we realized we were both in the same place till after. That was something That's true right after we met. Yep. But looking forward to seeing you in Greenville and your accountability partner.
Has she? Have y'all met in person before? That's so funny.
[00:33:20] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: I don't think we have. She lives three hours away, but she's coming to the summit too. That's hilarious. She's gonna come to my baby shower and then there was like this giant storm, so I thought we had, but no, we haven't.
[00:33:31] Whitney Owens: Isn't that funny? And, and, and you get so close to somebody, even remotely through Zoom and all the things that you don't even realize you haven't met 'em before, technically in person.
So, oh, that's gonna be a beautiful like experience. A couple of years ago, some people that were in a mastermind group that were accountability partners finally met in person and that. That was really cool. So I'm looking forward to seeing you at the summit and all the other practice owners and I appreciate you choosing to work with me.
There are a lot of consultants out there and choosing to be a part of the Wise Practice community. So Ana, are, are there anything, anything you're gonna kind of take with you here from our consult, our lab consult?
[00:34:13] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Yeah. Honestly, I think it's, it's slowing down and making sure I'm really connecting with the Lord.
Like the first thing you said that was what resonated the deepest. I was like, oh yeah, yeah. Which is hard to do when you have a little baby and all the crazy, but it's also just like a comfort that I don't have to like produce this thing inside myself through like. Myself, so I really appreciate that reminder.
[00:34:43] Whitney Owens: Hmm.
[00:34:45] Anna Sasser-Christian, LCSW: Well, we all need
[00:34:46] Whitney Owens: it, so. Well, thank you for coming on and being so honest and vulnerable with us. It was helpful for me and for others, and I look forward to seeing you in our next mastermind and at the summit.
[00:35:00] Jingle: So click on follow and leave a review and keep on loving this work we do with Whitney Owens and The Wise Practice Podcast, oh, Whitney Owens and Wise Practice
[00:35:15] Whitney Owens: Podcast. Special thanks to Marty Altman for the music in this podcast. The Wise Practice Podcast is part of the Site Craft Podcast Network. A collaboration of independent podcasters focused on helping people live more meaningful and productive lives.
To learn more about the other amazing podcasts in the network, head on over to site craft network.com. The Wise Practice podcast represents the opinions of Whitney Owens and her guests. This podcast is for educational purposes only, and the content should not be taken as legal advice. If you have legal questions, please consult an attorney.
