WP181 | The Secret to Marketing Without Feeling Salesy with Bianca Hughes
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If marketing your practice feels uncomfortable, you’re not alone.
Y’all, most of us didn’t get trained in this. We thought we’d be sitting with clients… not figuring out websites, messaging, and how to get found.
In this episode, I’m talking with Bianca Hughes about how to market your practice in a way that actually feels natural and not salesy. We get into why therapists avoid marketing, how imposter syndrome shows up, and what really helps clients find you.
Here’s the big takeaway. Marketing isn’t about performing. It’s about being clear on who you help and being yourself.
Because the right clients are already looking. They just need to be able to find you.
Marketing Doesn’t Have to Feel Gross
Y’all, I hear this all the time.
“I don’t want to market myself.”
“I don’t want to feel salesy.”
“I just want to do good clinical work.”
I get it. Truly. But if people can’t find you, they can’t work with you. And if they can’t work with you, they can’t get the help they need.
So the question isn’t whether you market. It’s how you do it.
Filling Your Caseload Isn’t Just About Being a Good Therapist
This one can be hard to hear.
Being a great clinician matters. Of course it does. But having a full caseload is not just about your clinical skills.
It’s about your ability to clearly communicate your value.
If someone lands on your website or hears you talk about your work and they’re confused, hesitant, or unsure… they’re not going to book.
Not because you’re not good.
Because they don’t understand how you help.
Why Marketing Feels So Uncomfortable
Most of us were never taught how to do this.
We were trained to sit with clients, hold space, take notes, and be ethical. Nobody told us we’d also be running a business.
So now you’ve got two roles.
You’re a therapist.
And you’re a business owner.
That second role can feel overwhelming. It can feel performative. It can even feel fake.
And when it feels fake, we avoid it.
You Don’t Have to Perform
This is where everything shifts.
Marketing is not about performing. It’s not about having the perfect script or saying the right thing.
It’s about being clear.
It’s about being yourself.
The more you try to sound like someone else, the harder this gets. The more you lean into who you actually are, the easier it becomes.
Your Messaging Is Everything
If there’s one thing I want you to take away, it’s this.
Your messaging matters more than anything else.
Not your credentials.
Not your degrees.
Not your certifications.
People want to know one thing.
Do you understand me?
When someone reads your website or hears you talk, they should feel seen. They should feel like you’re describing their exact experience.
That’s what makes someone say, “I need to work with you.”
Stop Trying to Talk to Everyone
This is where a lot of therapists get stuck.
You feel like you should be able to help everyone. So your messaging becomes broad.
Anxiety. Depression. Trauma.
And the problem is… no one remembers you.
But when you get specific, everything changes.
When you speak directly to a person, a problem, a lived experience, people recognize themselves in your words.
That’s what makes you stand out.
People Are Already Looking for Help
Here’s the part that should give you some relief.
People are already searching.
They’re typing into Google. They’re asking friends. They’re scrolling online, trying to find someone who understands them.
The issue isn’t that people don’t need therapy.
The issue is that they can’t find the right therapist.
And sometimes, that right therapist is you.
You Have to Decide What You’re Willing to Invest
At some point, you’re going to have to invest something.
Your time or your money.
Maybe you spend the time learning how to write better copy, improving your website, and figuring this out step by step.
Or maybe you invest financially and get support.
But either way, growth requires investment.
And if you’re not willing to invest, you’re going to stay stuck.
Marketing Is Just Connection
This is one of my favorite reframes.
Marketing is not about selling.
It’s about connecting.
As therapists, we are already wired for this. We ask questions. We listen. We care about people’s stories.
That’s all marketing really is.
You’re building relationships. You’re showing up as yourself. You’re letting people know how you can help.
Your Business Is an Extension of You
Your practice is not separate from you.
It reflects your values, your beliefs, and the way you show up in the world.
So instead of asking, “What should I say?”
Ask, “How do I already show up with my clients?”
That’s your message.
That’s your brand.
What About Marketing as a Christian Therapist?
I get this question a lot.
“Will I pigeonhole myself if I say I’m a Christian counselor?”
Here’s my take.
People are already searching for that.
They want to know they can talk about their faith. They want to feel safe bringing that into the room.
So the question isn’t whether you should say it.
The question is how you practice.
If faith is part of how you work, say that. If it’s not, don’t force it.
But either way, be honest about who you are.
Be Yourself and Trust It’s Enough
At the end of the day, this is what it comes back to.
There is no one else who does therapy the way you do.
There are people out there who need exactly what you offer.
And when you hide, water yourself down, or try to sound like everyone else… they can’t find you.
So be clear.
Be specific.
Be yourself.
And trust that the right people will recognize it.
Sponsor Wise Practice Summit 2026
If you’re in a season of big decisions, feeling stuck, or carrying the weight of leadership, the Wise Practice Summit was created for you. It’s a space for faith-based practice owners to step away from the day-to-day, gain clarity, and realign their practice with their life and calling.
Right now, you can grab $100 off your ticket with our Early Bird pricing through May 1.
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Meet Bianca Hughes, LPC
Bianca Hughes is a compassionate therapist whose heart-work breaks down barriers in mental health, guiding high achievers from the prison of perfectionism toward authentic self-discovery and profound inner peace. Through her powerful speaking, she touches lives by illuminating the path to freedom from perfectionism, creating transformative experiences that ripple through organizations and individuals alike. With genuine care, she leads the Soulful Clinician Collective, a mentorship community for new and early-career therapists navigating what's next in their careers, providing real guidance and actionable steps to build financially sustainable careers without the burnout, gatekeeping or the 'therapists can't make money' narrative.
Bianca’s Resources
Discover Your Therapist Superpower Quiz
Soulful Clinician Collective | Free 7 day Trial
Mind the Gap: 10 Lessons Every New Therapist Needs
Links and Resources
Learn More about Wise Practice Consulting
Connect with Wise Practice on Instagram
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[00:00:00] Whitney Owens: One of the things that I hear from practice owners is that they go to conferences, they learn a lot, but something's missing. It's usually about connection. Being in a room with people who actually see work the same way that they do. This is why we created the Wise Practice Summit. A conference specifically for faith-based practice owners.
[00:00:23] You're listening to this podcast that's you people who are not just building a business, but they're integrating faith in a way. They lead the way they make decisions and the way they care for their clients. So the truth is there really isn't another practice zoning conference that's also a faith conference in the same way that this one is.
[00:00:42] You're not having to filter content. You're not having to translate it to fit your values. Everything is designed with you in mind. So you can come into a room, totally be yourself and actually focus on building your practice in a way that aligns with both your goals and your calling. So right now you can get a hundred dollars off your ticket to the Wise Practice Summit as long as you purchase before May 1st.
[00:01:04] And if you've been wanting a space like this, you'll feel it as soon as you arrive. We will welcome you with Open Arms to grab your spot. Use the link in the show notes or head over to wise practice consulting.com and I can't wait to see you there.
[00:01:21] Hi, I am Whitney Owens. I'm a group practice owner and faith-based practice consultant, and I'm here to tell
[00:01:26] you that you can have it all.
[00:01:28] 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.
[00:01:47] Where she grows your practice and she don't play.
[00:01:50] She does business with a twist of faith. It's Whitney Owen and Wise Practice Podcast, Whitney Owen and Wise Practice Podcast.
[00:02:06] Hey everyone and welcome back to the podcast. Today we're gonna talk about something that honestly, lots of you are asking about, and it's marketing and filling caseloads because most of us didn't go into the field to sell ourselves, right, or to promote ourselves, or it feels.
[00:02:21] Sleazy, right? A lot of people don't want to sell, they just wanna do the clinical work. Yet, if you don't sell, you're not gonna get to do the clinical work, right? So if we wanna grow our practice, it's got to be a part of what we do. Marketing. I heard somebody say once, and this is really stuck with me, that having a full caseload isn't necessarily about being a good therapist.
[00:02:42] Yep, that's right it, you do wanna be a good therapist. You wanna provide good clinical skills, but it's about your ability to confidently communicate your value and to invite people into the experience. 'cause the truth is, if you can't communicate your value and do it confidently, people aren't gonna wanna work with you.
[00:02:58] They're never gonna make it in the door. So you've got to provide that atmosphere of, I know what I'm doing, I can help you with this. Come on in and have a seat. Right. So if you can't do that, if you're hesitant, unclear, or avoiding things, clients are not gonna come or they're gonna come. They're not gonna feel confident.
[00:03:17] They're gonna leave too early. Right? So that's why I'm excited about this conversation with Bianca Hughes. She brings grounded, refreshing perspectives on marketing, especially for therapists who don't wanna feel salesy or pushy on people in a way that's inviting and that's comfortable. And I like that it's aligned and it's natural in the way that we talk about it.
[00:03:36] It doesn't have to be something that's not authentic to you. In fact, if it's not authentic, you're gonna feel uncomfortable. That's gonna show you're gonna have less confidence, right? So we talk about how to kind of bring all those things together and I like that she really discusses kind of these tried and true relationship building approaches to marketing.
[00:03:54] 'cause I do think that sometimes we can get. Into all the marketing online, which is not bad. It's good, and I get a lot of clients from SEO and websites, but really going back to those relational components because the work we do is relational. So Bianca really takes us back to that. So she gives a fantastic interview.
[00:04:16] If you're listening to her and you're like, man, that girl's awesome, wait for the end, or check the show notes because we've got information on connecting with her. She does courses and does really good work with therapists, so I really appreciate her taking the time to be with us on the podcast today.
[00:04:31] So if marketing has ever felt confusing, uncomfortable, or just not like you, this episode's for you. So let's jump right into it.
[00:04:43] Thank you for being here on The Wise Practice Podcast. I'm looking forward to my interview today with Bianca Hughes. She's a compassionate therapist whose heart work breaks down barriers in mental health, guiding high achievers from the prison of perfection towards the authentic self-discovery and profound inner peace.
[00:04:59] Through her powerful speaking, she touches lives by eliminating the path to freedom from perfectionism, creating transformative experiences that ripple through organizations and individuals alike with genuine care. She leads a soulful clinical collective, a mentorship community for new and early career therapists, navigating what's next in their career, providing real guidance and actionable steps to build financially sustainable careers without the burnout, gatekeeping or the therapist can't make money narrative.
[00:05:27] Thank you for coming on the show today.
[00:05:29] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Thank you for having me, Whitney. It's a pleasure.
[00:05:31] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Well, let's just start out getting to know each other. Yeah. I had seen you on social media. We both went to the same graduate school, which is so fun. Mm-hmm. Um, but I wanna kind of get to know you and your story of becoming a therapist and your practice and all the things.
[00:05:45] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah, so I graduated 2015. I, before I even got to that place, I definitely, this is a second career for me, so I used to work in travel. So I'm originally born and raised in London. Came here was when I was 26 with the company I worked with at the time, which was a travel company. So for me, my journey that and then finding faith.
[00:06:09] Like that made me really want to be in a career and do something I was created to do. So a year of prayer searching, volunteering, reflecting, I was able to discover. And realize, oh, this is what I wanted to do. So this is definitely a calling for me. I always like to say I see myself as a healer and that this is the avenue I've choose.
[00:06:34] Chosen to use that in. And so graduated in 2015. That was a whole journey, but an amazing journey as you've been to Mont. So it's like life changing. But 2015, I got my full license in the summer of 2018. Mm-hmm. And so I've always been in private practice, even in internship. And then when I, I graduated, I also worked in in a hospital as well to get my hours, but always been in private practice and then went out.
[00:07:06] A hundred percent. I, I don't wanna say a hundred percent on my own, I learned as an A PC, how important it is to have a business mindset.
[00:07:15] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm.
[00:07:16] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Um, and that even though I was under supervision and direction, I had a very, they, she was very supportive of me. I was able to create my niche and things like that.
[00:07:27] So I just had a very much of a business mindset as an A PC. The only thing I didn't have was an official business name. But I definitely had that mindset, which really made the difference when I transitioned and got my full license.
[00:07:43] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Well thank you for that and, and for anyone that's listening, we are in the state of Georgia, so you know here you can't have a business until you technically get that full license.
[00:07:54] It was crazy when I lived in Colorado before I came here, I did have my own business and was practicing and got my license and then I came here and they were like, no, we're making you go back and get supervision. So I had to go back and work for somebody else anyway. The whole story, but yeah, so you know, you were, you were kind of doing the business type stuff and then you finally got your license and.
[00:08:14] Started your own business it sounds like.
[00:08:15] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah. Yeah. So started my therapy practice authentically be you counseling. Um, and so my focus is, as we mentioned, is working with a lot of high achievers who are struggling with perfectionism and really helping them be their authentic self and aligned to their truths.
[00:08:33] Um, and I am my ideal client is how I got here.
[00:08:37] Whitney Owens: Yeah.
[00:08:37] Bianca Hughes, LPC: I didn't always wanna do this work, but, um. Because it was like a reflection of you. You know, you don't always wanna see you on the couch, although you don't have any control over that.
[00:08:47] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm.
[00:08:47] Bianca Hughes, LPC: And so I've been doing that really for the past, what, eight years really?
[00:08:52] With the perfectionism and authenticity.
[00:08:54] Whitney Owens: Yeah. That's great. Mm-hmm. And so when did you start doing business consulting?
[00:08:59] Bianca Hughes, LPC: What do you mean? For therapists? Working with therapists and stuff?
[00:09:02] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm.
[00:09:03] Bianca Hughes, LPC: So I've done more of the therapist mentoring, gosh, I think for the last six years. Um, so with Rich One, um, I gradu, I mentored a lot of students there, and then it kind of grew from there in the sense that people were reaching out to me after they graduated to mentor them.
[00:09:26] Um, and then I decided last year to create a community and have everybody together versus the one-on-one. Um, and so people can learn from each other, so. So mentoring maybe the last five, six years and little bit of coaching here and there.
[00:09:41] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Great. Well, I'm excited about our topic today. Yes. Because we're about marketing.
[00:09:46] Yes. And just the idea of at therapist marketing, I just heard someone the other day, she was just like, I don't wanna do the marketing. I don't wanna be sleazy, you know, and all that stuff. So maybe we should kind of start with why do you think therapists don't like marketing?
[00:10:03] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Oh, because we weren't taught
[00:10:05] Whitney Owens: to market uhhuh
[00:10:06] Bianca Hughes, LPC: and we weren't told we had to market.
[00:10:10] So if you were just thinking, I'm sitting with clients, I'm just sitting here and I'm just doing this work like. My online business manager said to me this week, she's like, you do realize you have two different types of businesses. You have a practice business where you're seen here with clients and running the practice, um, notes and being ethical, and now you also have.
[00:10:33] A business to run with your marketing taxes and things like that. So you have two steps of ways you have to be, and no one prepared us for that. And so that feels really overwhelming. And then there's the other part, the third part is the sleazy part, right? How do I even market? How do I even get clients?
[00:10:55] Like, it feels uncomfortable. I, I thought I would just be sitting with people. I didn't think I would have to go out in the public and do that, and I have no idea what I'm doing.
[00:11:05] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
[00:11:07] Bianca Hughes, LPC: And so that's a common theme. Common very, do I have to perform? I feel like I have to perform, I have to do this, I have to do that.
[00:11:14] And so I just, yeah, I didn't like it. I was scared to mark it. I felt like. Who's gonna, especially, I started as an ap PC really, and I was out there doing it, and it's like, who's gonna wanna hear from me? Unfortunately, there are some people in the community that don't treat the APCs or if you're not fully licensed nicely.
[00:11:35] And so I was very scared and conscious of that. And so, yeah, I, I was scared myself and I didn't do it for a year 'cause I was scared and fearful of what, how, what do I say? Are people gonna send me clients or I don't have clients to offer them? So yeah.
[00:11:55] Whitney Owens: I think that's a shared experience there that especially, you know, imposter syndrome.
[00:11:59] Like we already feel like I can't believe someone's gonna pay to come see me, put myself out there that way. So, you know, I'm curious, what, what were some of maybe the mindset shifts or ways that you were able to put yourself out there when you were feeling so insecure about it?
[00:12:16] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah. Um, I would say the common.
[00:12:20] Throughout my whole career, outside of myself and who I am and my character and things like that, and also my, my faith and how that helps me, I would say community. Has been the other, like the thread throughout my whole ability to thrive and grow as a therapist. Mm-hmm. And so it can look different for everybody.
[00:12:43] So for me, I found someone who was doing this, I think it was a 30 day email, a 30 day, learn how to market and build your confidence. It was like. 30 day email and every day she would email you something to do to help build that confidence. And so, and then I would reply back and she would even reply back.
[00:13:03] So having that support and having that community helped me build the confidence I knew I needed to do. I just needed the support to do it. And I think that's the other thing. Sometimes as therapists, we could be a bit afraid or feel like we should know it all, or kind of going back to the imposter syndrome.
[00:13:21] We should have it all together and we should know what we are doing. Why would we ask for help? And so sometimes that. Holds us back. So that was my very first step. And so from doing that, I love the phrase that she always said, which I still use. It's like dating, like you just trial and error. You see what works.
[00:13:41] You see what marketing works for you, what doesn't work for you, what kind of people you're gonna connect with, what events you go to. I like to say to people like I, people call me a marketing wiz. I was never that person, like the networking was. I was never that person. I have grown to get to this, like to me, I could meet someone in a coffee shop and do a whole business meeting, so if I really needed to mm-hmm.
[00:14:06] Yes. Like just meet. Right. And this happened and I've met connections, whether they're personal or professional.
[00:14:14] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Uh, the other day I was getting my hair done and we got to the end and this lady comes up to me and she says, oh, you own Water's Edge counseling? Which it is very close to the hairstyle place.
[00:14:24] Yeah. It's like, yeah, that's me. She was like, yeah, I need to call and get my daughter scheduled. And I literally had my computer with me and I was like, I'm gonna be that bold. And I pull it out and I go, well, let me just schedule you right now. You know, it's like you just never, like you just said,
[00:14:39] Bianca Hughes, LPC: look at that.
[00:14:39] Whitney Owens: Know where you're gonna be. And yeah, we don't always wanna be in therapy mode, but at the same time, people need help all the time.
[00:14:46] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes.
[00:14:47] Whitney Owens: We need to know who we are.
[00:14:49] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes, they do.
[00:14:50] Whitney Owens: The perfectionists need to find you.
[00:14:52] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes, they do. And that's the part that we're not realizing is that people need help. We just think that.
[00:14:58] If they're gonna come to us and find us. But over these past years, I, you know, love hate relationship with social media. But I do believe it has very great things over the past years with social media as, especially with threads, I find, and you get a lot of information of the challenges. People have of actually finding a therapist.
[00:15:20] Yes. So that tells me that we are not doing maybe the best job, which is that's fine. I understand that we haven't been taught, but we could do a better job. Even my online business manager, she was trying to find somebody and um, somewhere else, and she was like, it was really bad. Like, it, it was hard for her.
[00:15:38] And so, yes, we do need help and people looking for help, but we haven't figured out how to, how those people gonna find us. Which is the thing that we have to learn. And that's hard if you're trying to sit with clients and get your hours and be present and now you've got market. You know, that's what I say to people, like, if you wanna be in private practice, um, you gotta really sit down and think about, do I wanna own mine or do I wanna be part of a group so I don't have to do all that stuff?
[00:16:07] Whitney Owens: Definitely. Yeah. I had a dear friend who was looking for a substance abuse counselor for
[00:16:12] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah,
[00:16:13] Whitney Owens: their spouse and they wanted a Christian substance abuse counselor, and she could not find one. And this was in a very big city. And I was just like, this is sad. And then she like reached out to her pastor and he didn't know one either.
[00:16:24] I'm sure there were plenty of Christian substance counselors in that city. It's just they didn't know how to market.
[00:16:30] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah.
[00:16:30] Whitney Owens: Yeah. So let's, let's get into that. So what do we do to market ourselves and help people find us?
[00:16:37] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah, so I, and I'm sure you've done this too, I don't know, I'm kind of curious what you did, Whitney, but I find that your messaging start, don't even start with going out, like, okay, you are gonna go to the doctor, but what are you gonna tell them?
[00:16:53] What is your messaging? Who, you know, we say what population and things like that, but you gotta go deeper than that. You've gotta look at what these client, listen to, what your clients are saying in session, using their language so that when I go out, when I go out and I say perfectionism every single part time, oh, I need.
[00:17:13] I need to book a session with you. I, I, you know, and I explain Yeah. The people who don't feel like they're doing enough, and then, hi, yeah. I need you. You want people, like you're literally standing there that they say, oh, I need you, or I know somebody who needs you. Mm-hmm. That's literally the type of messaging that you want to have.
[00:17:33] Um, so that you are member. I've been to places with therapists and I don't remember them. I know who I'm, but the people who do something that I'm like, I know I'll send someone to you, but if you tell me anxiety and depression, unless you have like a model or a framework or there's something new unique about you as a therapist, um, maybe you work with a certain age or particular type of population, I am not going to remember you.
[00:17:59] Yeah. And so if I'm not remembering you. If no one else is remembering you and clients are not remembering you or to refer, so your messaging number one. Yeah. Think about who you know. Who do you enjoy? What is the thing you keep saying in session? Write that down. Take notes. Who are the things that you get excited about?
[00:18:21] And some people might be like, well, you know, we need to work with everybody. You cannot work with everybody. You are designed and create to work with a certain. Now do I just work with people with perfectionism? No. Are they the majority of my clients? Yes, they are. And so I would just say that, and a lot of people were scared if they niche down and they do this messaging that they're not gonna get the clients, but are you getting the clients anyway?
[00:18:51] We want people to literally be typing in what they're searching for and find you in Google.
[00:18:58] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm.
[00:18:59] Definitely.
[00:19:00] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Mm-hmm. And chat GBT now.
[00:19:03] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Look,
[00:19:04] Bianca Hughes, LPC: I was looking at my analytics yesterday. Yeah. People are finding me on chat, G. How do people get to my website chat. B too.
[00:19:10] Whitney Owens: Yes. SEO is totally a different world now than it was even six months ago.
[00:19:14] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah,
[00:19:15] Whitney Owens: I I love what you're saying. Someone gave me an example one time of, when you go to a steak restaurant, will you order something else? If you don't want steak, well, sure. I, I might order a salad or get some fish or something if I'm not in the mood for steak. But if I want a steak, I know where I'm going.
[00:19:33] You know? And I think it's that way for therapists too. We're not gonna go to McDonald's to get a steak or Wendy's, you know, we're going to the steakhouse down the street.
[00:19:40] Bianca Hughes, LPC: I love that.
[00:19:41] Whitney Owens: Yeah,
[00:19:42] Bianca Hughes, LPC: I love that. I love that.
[00:19:44] Whitney Owens: But you're still on point about messaging, and I'm sure you see this too. It's like I go to a website.
[00:19:50] And the messaging just isn't there. Or especially a solo practice owner will just be like, here's who I am, here's my degree. No one cares. No one cares. They wanna know you understand me. Even when I read your bio, Bianca, I was like. Oh, I'm gonna work with her. Um, but yeah, it was like she, she knows the language even by reading the bio.
[00:20:12] And I, I think you're spot on. Even Psychology Today profiles, people just go straight into, are you anxious? Work with me. Here's everything I can do for you, instead of really speaking to their pain point.
[00:20:24] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes, exactly. I a hundred percent agree. I mean, I get it all the time. Someone was just looking at, I just had a meeting earlier today.
[00:20:31] They was like, oh my God, your copy. I'm like, yes, but this is the other part too, Whitney, you have to be, one of the things I was very focused on was return on investment.
[00:20:43] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm.
[00:20:43] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Number one, it's either gonna be my money or my time.
[00:20:47] Whitney Owens: Yep.
[00:20:47] Bianca Hughes, LPC: You've gotta be prepared to. Invest in yourself time or money, you gotta pick which one you can work with.
[00:20:54] Some people don't have money, some people don't have the time, whatever it is. So whether it's, you know, I did a quote after the marketing. I also ended up working with her and did like a, a coaching course or coaching group, which made a huge difference, right? So I was willing to invest, but at first I invested the time.
[00:21:14] Whitney Owens: Oh yeah. Mm-hmm.
[00:21:14] Bianca Hughes, LPC: And then I invested the money.
[00:21:17] Whitney Owens: And
[00:21:17] Bianca Hughes, LPC: so that's the other part that we're not taught about is that with all that, like you're saying it, if you don't have the money, that's fine. You could do that. You can find it for free, but you just gotta invest the time to create that thing.
[00:21:31] Whitney Owens: That's true.
[00:21:32] And for us, time is money. I mean, sitting in the chair is money, you know? And just to tell you the truth, I'd much rather serve a client than spend my time working on my website.
[00:21:41] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes. Yeah.
[00:21:42] Whitney Owens: And the website person can't serve that client, but I can.
[00:21:45] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes, exactly. Mm-hmm. And so that's how I look at it. I go, look, okay, how much is this gonna cost?
[00:21:51] How, okay, how many clients is this? How? Oh, okay. And that's literally how I make a decision. I see how many clients it, it, it will cost me. Is this worth it? Oh, yes. As soon as I, oh, that's just one session. Oh, sure. I'll pay for it hands down, because I know it's gonna take me more than an hour. So I'm not, I'm not gonna do that, and I'm, I'm thankful to be in that place.
[00:22:15] But if, if at first you don't, I do want people to know you've gotta make a decision to invest the time.
[00:22:22] Whitney Owens: Definitely. What do you think is kind of a, maybe a marketing secret or a way Yeah. That therapists don't think about marketing that would be helpful for them to hear?
[00:22:32] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah. Um, so I do do this free workshop and networking for therapists who hate networking.
[00:22:38] And one of the things I say is it's all about how you connect and how you are wired. It's not about a performance like we kind of talked about some people. Mm-hmm. Think it's a performance. I've gotta say all these things, like how do you naturally connect? So for example, um, we talked about, I'm a coffee shop.
[00:23:02] I love being in a coffee shop, right? So I always be people in a coffee shop because that's how I easily connect. I'm gonna meet you in a coffee shop and I'm going to meet, have conversations in a coffee shop. What am I talking about when I meet people? Am I talking about work? No, I'm talking about you traveling anywhere because I like to travel.
[00:23:22] What are, what are your hobbies? Have you found one great one? If you're a therapist, we don't have hobbies. Hey, have you managed to find a hobby? 'cause I'm a therapist and I haven't. Or if you are a therapist who does have a hobby, you know, you can share your hobbies and so that way we are connecting with similar things and then you can get to the other stuff.
[00:23:43] The other thing I focus is on is serving people. How can I best serve you? Who can I connect you with? Now, it's not necessarily to get something back. They might ask you, they might not, but you're sowing a seed because if they don't ask you, somebody else will. And it takes the pressure of you having to feel like I have to sell myself, I have to share.
[00:24:07] But by the time you do that and you focus on that, you'll naturally gravitate. Towards what the work you do and we are sharing the message and you can just share the work you've been doing and what you've been enjoying or what you've been noticing in the field lately. Right. And so you are having these, um, conversations that are focused on connection and serving.
[00:24:29] Whitney Owens: Yeah. I love that. It's, it's our natural bit. Think about just that authentic self.
[00:24:35] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes, yes.
[00:24:35] Whitney Owens: The authentic self leads the way, and people see that and, and even as therapists we're experts at asking people about their lives and listening to them, that's all you're doing when you're marketing.
[00:24:45] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes, that's exactly what I shared.
[00:24:47] Like you are wonderful at asking questions and being nosy, like that's not hard. We've just gotta shift the mindset and the pressure that I've gotta perform and do something differently, and I think that's the thing that I often talk about. We don't have to do anything differently.
[00:25:01] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. Yeah,
[00:25:03] Bianca Hughes, LPC: I think even as being therapist.
[00:25:05] Being our authentic selves. I don't know if you found that for you, like the more you've been authentic, the better it's been.
[00:25:11] Whitney Owens: Oh, I'm such a better therapist. Yeah. Because I've grown into who I am. Yeah. And that motivates my clients.
[00:25:17] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
[00:25:19] Whitney Owens: Totally. I, I'm, I'm sitting here thinking about branding too, and values, and it's like, that goes with messaging.
[00:25:25] It's like, what are my values? Who is my business? Because our business is really just an extension of us in the world. Mm-hmm. So who are we? How do we extend that and play that out with people?
[00:25:35] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes. Yeah. Values are a big part because you are going, you know, uh, my favorite saying is, we make our decisions out of what we believe and what we value.
[00:25:46] And so what type of practice we have, what our practice looks like, how we operate is all based on values. I would a hundred percent agree with you. Yeah.
[00:25:55] Whitney Owens: Yeah. A big part of this show is that we do faith-based, you know, private practice centers. So curious what you think about marketing from a Christian perspective, or a lot of people will ask, should I mark as a Christian counselor?
[00:26:07] Is that pigeonholing me? Like mm-hmm. What do you think of that?
[00:26:11] Bianca Hughes, LPC: It depends on how you practice
[00:26:13] Whitney Owens: Uhhuh.
[00:26:15] Bianca Hughes, LPC: So I would say for me, my number one search that where I'm top, like top of Google mm-hmm. Is black Christian therapists in Atlanta. So that answers your one question.
[00:26:32] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm.
[00:26:32] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Is that, no, it's not pigeonholing new because that's what people are searching for.
[00:26:36] And I know that for a fact because that my website is, you put that in there for Atlanta. I'm coming up on the first page. And then it also depends how you practice. Some people Are you practicing as a Christian? Like you're just saying you're a Christian and you want that person to. Feel comfortable? Or is it like me and you where we've been trained to incorporate that into therapy, so that also looks bit different because not only have we been trained to incorporate Christianity, we can also incorporate other faiths too.
[00:27:07] It looks, it looks different. So I always go back to how do you want to show up and how do you operate? Is it just I'm a Christian? Then you just say that is it. I'm also integrating faith. And what that looks like, then that's different. And so a lot of my clients look for that. And it's not that, I think actually more of them just want to feel comfortable talking about their faith more so than they don't always wanna integrate it.
[00:27:38] Some do, but some don't. Yeah. So it depends on the client. Sometimes they just wanna know.
[00:27:44] Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm.
[00:27:45] Bianca Hughes, LPC: That they can talk freely.
[00:27:46] Whitney Owens: Yeah, so much of what I hear you saying is be yourself. How are you already operating? Operating in your counseling space? Mm-hmm. And then just rep, just say that instead of getting like, wait, should I be this?
[00:27:59] Should I not be this? Mm-hmm. Just be you. And so naturally give a Christian perspective and all your therapy sessions, you might wanna market that way. And if that's not mm-hmm. Something that you're doing, maybe you don't talk about it so openly.
[00:28:11] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes, and that's success. That's so funny. Be you. I love when people align to everything I say is authentically be you.
[00:28:17] But that is exactly what I say. I like to say that Whitney is that there is always someone like this isn't just in, this is anything in life. There's always someone looking for what you have and what you need. But as therapists, there's always someone that has what you need, right? Yeah. There are people that have what you need, and so when you are putting on a mask and you're not sharing that, you are missing you.
[00:28:41] They're also missing out on an opportunity to receive what you have. 'cause no one can do therapy the way that you do therapy. Do you have all these questions of dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. But what about the other side? You know, we always ask the other side, well, what if it does work out? What if there is someone searching for you?
[00:28:57] Exactly the way you do it.
[00:28:59] Whitney Owens: Yeah. I love that. Mm-hmm.
[00:29:02] Bianca Hughes, LPC: What if there, that's the what? What if there's loads of people who want it exactly the way that you do it?
[00:29:08] Whitney Owens: Yeah.
[00:29:08] Bianca Hughes, LPC: I remember someone saying to me one time, well, you could do perfectionism, but you're probably gonna have to do other stuff too, 'cause you're not gonna get that many clients.
[00:29:19] I was like, okay, well, but I didn't. I listened and I was like, no, I'm gonna stick with this.
[00:29:26] Whitney Owens: You are gonna be authentic to you.
[00:29:27] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes. Yes.
[00:29:29] Whitney Owens: I love that. I love that. So you've got a quiz for, um, the audience about your superpower. Could you talk about that?
[00:29:36] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes. So again, going back to being your authentic self, there is this quiz that I have that kind the, um, it outlines.
[00:29:47] And people have done it are like, oh my God, this is so true. Just the different types of ways you might operate. Um. As a therapist, whether you are a person who's better in your own practice, or whether you are someone who's like doing both or you're like out here to change the world. And so the quiz is really identifying your superpowers in general.
[00:30:09] What's what you know, what your superpowers are, what you're really great at and where to best use them as a therapist in your career.
[00:30:17] Whitney Owens: Great.
[00:30:18] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah.
[00:30:18] Whitney Owens: And then how do people find you?
[00:30:20] Bianca Hughes, LPC: The best way to find? Yeah, the best way to find me for therapy or anything is authentically bu.com. Um, and I do have a community online community.
[00:30:30] We mentioned the soulful clinician collective and that soulful clinician collective.com where I just helping me have a community just really helping people just. Do the marketing work through the imposter syndrome, diversifying that income and talking about money, ensuring that we are thriving as therapists and not burning out and truly aligning so we can deliver what we're meant to versus burning ourselves out.
[00:30:57] Whitney Owens: Totally.
[00:30:58] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yeah.
[00:30:59] Whitney Owens: Well this has been so good. You know, when you say you're gonna talk about marketing, you know, people expect, oh, we're gonna hit these, you know, key points. But really we came back to what's most important is who we are.
[00:31:09] Bianca Hughes, LPC: Yes.
[00:31:09] Whitney Owens: Being authentic with that. And so that's a good reminder for all of us and I really
[00:31:13] Bianca Hughes, LPC: appreciate it.
[00:31:13] Yeah, thank you, Whitney. Yeah, and I hope people can remember that. And if you second guess yourself, do it with a colleague and you can both do it together and you can both support one another in doing that.
[00:31:26] Whitney Owens: That's great. Well, thank you for the time and expertise that you provided to us today. It's really been a pleasure.
[00:31:34] So click on follow and leave a review. I keep on loving this work we do with Whitney Owens and The Wise Practice Podcast, Whitney Owen and Wise Practice Podcast.
[00:31:52] 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.
[00:32:06] 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.
