WP114 | How to Trust the Next Step with Laura Long
Get ready for an episode of the Wise Practice Podcast that will inspire, challenge, and energize you!
This week, Whitney sits down with Laura, a seasoned consultant for therapists who shares her remarkable journey of growth, transition, and rediscovery. After seven years of building a thriving business—complete with e-courses, events, and conference talks—Laura faced the heavy toll of loneliness and burnout. Over a heartfelt dinner with Whitney, she revealed her decision to close her business and shift her focus to what matters most: her family and her own well-being.
But that’s not the end of Laura’s story—it’s the beginning of a beautiful new chapter! In a surprising twist, a playful suggestion to join Whitney’s team turned into a life-changing collaboration. Now, Laura continues her passion for guiding therapists, free from the operational stress of running her own business. Her journey is a testament to the power of leaning into faith, trusting the unknown, and allowing your path to unfold naturally.
Whether you’re starting out, looking to expand, or feeling the pull toward something new, this episode will resonate deeply. Laura’s candid reflections on overcoming fears, embracing ambiguity, and rediscovering joy in her work will leave you inspired to take your next step—whatever that may be. Tune in to hear her wisdom, humor, and heartfelt encouragement as she reminds us all that the magic lies in trusting the process.
A Journey to Rediscovering Joy and Purpose in Consulting
Laura shared her journey of building a thriving consulting business for therapists, offering e-courses, hosting events, and speaking at conferences. However, after seven years of running the business largely on her own, she began to feel the weight of loneliness and burnout. This summer, over dinner with Whitney, she opened up about her decision to close her business. Laura shared her desire to focus more on her daughter and embrace a new chapter, despite uncertainty about the future.
In a candid moment, fueled by faith and trust in the unknown, Laura jokingly suggested joining Whitney's team. To her surprise, the idea took root, leading to a life-changing collaboration. Now, Laura is thrilled to continue her passion for consulting therapists without the burdens of running her own business. This new role allows her to focus on what she loves most while leaving the operational challenges behind.
Embracing Change and Trusting the Process
Therapists face unique challenges at different stages of their careers. Graduate students in MFT programs often feel private practice is a distant goal, while newer therapists question if they're on the right path. More experienced practitioners may feel a pull to expand or explore beyond therapy. Consultants like Laura guide therapists through these stages, offering clarity and support while emphasizing the importance of trusting the process. Each journey is unique, and while goals may shift over time, leaning into faith and the unknown can help therapists navigate their next steps with confidence.
How Growth Happens Through Creativity and Collaboration
Clients and therapists often seek clear, step-by-step solutions, but true growth comes from embracing the unique and unpredictable nature of their journeys. While clinicians and consultants can provide tools and strategies, the real transformation lies in navigating ambiguity and tapping into creativity. Laura finds joy in guiding therapists who are energized but unsure of their next steps, helping them discover their path while honoring the individuality and richness of the process. This collaborative exploration is where the magic happens.
Uncertainty in Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship often comes with uncertainty and fear, whether starting, expanding, or pursuing a new direction. Laura emphasizes the importance of trusting the process, even when the future feels unclear. Drawing from her own experience of closing an eight-year business, she acknowledges the challenges but encourages quiet reflection to uncover the inner voice signaling change. While the path may not always be clear, leaning into the unknown can lead to meaningful transformation.
Taking the First Step to Overcome Challenges
Entrepreneurial journeys often begin with uncertainty, but progress comes from taking one step at a time. Whitney's story illustrates this beautifully—registering her consulting domain in 2022 without a clear vision, yet building a thriving community, membership, and team within two years. This serves as encouragement for anyone feeling a pull toward something new: you don’t need to see the entire path, just the next step, trusting that clarity will come as you move forward.
When feeling stuck, the first step is to reflect on what’s holding you back. Write down your fears and barriers to identify what's stopping you—whether they’re real or perceived. Even this small action creates momentum. Therapists, with their insight and self-awareness, have a unique advantage in overcoming challenges. Once you’ve clarified your obstacles, take one clear action step, such as seeking guidance from a mentor, consultant, or trusted friend. However, be mindful of whose advice you seek—family or close friends may prioritize your safety over taking risks, potentially limiting your growth. Share your dreams with those who encourage and challenge you constructively.
Turning Barriers into Opportunities
Overcoming barriers to success, whether real or emotional, often requires introspection and trusted support. Many therapists face fears like failure or even success, worrying it might alter their identity or relationships. Exploring these fears with a therapist or mentor can uncover solutions and clarity. Socratic questioning—asking "what if?"—often reveals that even if things don’t go as planned, adjustments can be made.
Entrepreneurship is an experiment, a chance to embrace uncertainty and creativity. While the journey may be uncertain, it also provides autonomy and the freedom to shape a business aligned with personal and professional goals. Trusting the process and seeking support can transform fears into opportunities for growth and innovation.
The Fluid Journey of Entrepreneurship
Starting or expanding a practice often feels like it should follow a clear, sequential path, much like earning a license. But entrepreneurship doesn’t work that way, and expecting it to can lead to overwhelm. Many therapists consume endless guides, podcasts, and checklists, only to find conflicting advice and fall into analysis paralysis.
Acknowledging that entrepreneurship isn’t formulaic can make the journey more enjoyable and fulfilling. The ambiguity offers freedom for creativity and growth, allowing you to focus on the next small step rather than obsessing over a perfect end result. Goals will naturally evolve alongside you and your business, and embracing that evolution is part of the excitement and reward of being an entrepreneur.
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[00:00:00] Whitney Owens: Hi, I'm 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. Want to grow your practice? Want to grow your faith? Want to 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.
[00:00:48] Whitney Owens: Hey friends, it ends. The end of 2024, finally, is how I feel about that. And we're about to go into a new one and I have a fun episode for you today. And it is super special because why not at the end of the year and going into the new year, something exciting to talk to you guys about. So make sure you stick around.
Because I have some fun news that you're going to hear in this podcast episode, but boy, it has been a year of transitions, actually, a lot of my podcasting I've done in advance. So, I haven't really talked a bunch about this on the podcast, but it has been. A slump since the summit and the summit was back in October.
If you're a newer listener. Well, if you're an old listener, you've heard me talk about the summit all the time because I just love it. But the last practice summit was in October of 20, 24. In Charlotte, and it was fantastic. 100 faith based practice centers got together incredible. We'll have another 1.
don't worry. We're going to Greenville, South Carolina in 2025 to the grand bohemian there, which is fantastic hotel. You can head to the wise practice consulting website to learn more, but I definitely had a slump after the summit about a good 2 weeks of exhaustion sadness missing you guys. And I think that's totally normal.
And then it just kind of like. Morphed into apathy and challenges in my practice, a lot of difficulty and as I talk to practice owners after I have lots of practice owners from the summit saying the exact same thing, just feel like they're getting hit over and over again and difficulties. And so all that to say is you're not alone, y'all.
The work we do is hard. Make sure you're in a community. Find people that get it, that can pray through it, that believe in you, support you through it. I've been very grateful for the community I've had through this in my practice and within WISe Practice Consulting, within the membership community. Y'all have been awesome.
And I'm also trusting that next year is going to be a good year. And I feel like this episode was very timely for me, even when we recorded it, because Laura Long and I talk about faith and believing in something greater than yourself and God's direction in our lives. When things are difficult and some of you may have met Sarah who has been working for me for She worked for me for a year and a half and then did some Contract work before that so maybe a little bit more like a little over two years and she ended up leaving In the middle of december, so i'm recording this a few days after her last day She's going to pursue a different career than what she's doing and doing more art and selling art She's a fantastic artist, but it was a sadness for me as she In our important ways, just in that way, all that to say is.
Our practices have lots of transitions. Lots of different things happen. And we have to know that God is in the center of it all. And that he's only going to show us what we need to know. And even as Sarah was putting in her notice, God had kind of already told me in my heart that it was coming. And I know that God will take care of the next steps.
And I can say that for each one of you as you come into the new year, maybe with goals, expectations, maybe you're having transitions, maybe 2024 was challenging. We can know that God is with us no matter what. And I'm here to encourage you on the show and keep telling you that message and that we're in this together, y'all, and God has good things in store.
So continue to trust that process. And I think that when you hear from Laura Long, you're gonna just continue to grow in that way. And I also just wanted to let y'all know that Sarah has moved into a different career goal. And so if there's anything that you need during this time that you normally reach out to her, reach out to me, I'm happy to help.
And I know God's going to bring another amazing person along to be a part of the wise practice team. So thank you for all your dedication in the work you do. Thank you for following the show for 2024 and being a part of this community. And I look forward to what 2025 will bring. If you are looking at consulting options, maybe you're wanting to take next steps in your practice, head to the website, reach out to us exciting things in 2025.
we have some masterminds that are happening and then we will be opening the doors for the last practice community. At the very end of January, we open them twice a year. So be listening for that. Make sure you're on the email list. If you're not head to the website and grab that PDF on marketing and networking churches, it'll get you on the email list.
So you'll get all the information and keep listening to the show because we'll tell you more about it. I love the community and what it stands for. So without further ado, though, Laura Long is a fantastic, amazing person. She inspires me every day to be more healthy, authentic me. So thank you for that, Laura.
And we're going to jump into this podcast interview with the amazing Laura Long.
Hello friends, and welcome back to the Wise Practice Podcast. I am. Thrilled. You can hear it in my voice because I have an amazing repeat guest here today on the livecast and exciting news to talk about in regards to the amazing Laura Long. Hey, Laura. Hey, Whitney. How are you? Yeah, we're good. So other people can't see us, but we basically are twinsies today in hot pink.
So we are rocking it.
[00:06:15] Laura Long: You know, I just sent you that telepathic message this morning and I'm glad you got it. I did not get the message about having awesome hair though. So you win that award.
[00:06:22] Whitney Owens: Well, it's really because of you that I ever started doing this, you know, because you made my hair look good one time and I was like, Oh, It works.
Okay. All right. Let me introduce you to everyone and we're going to get into some real meat of the episode today. Laura Long is a seasoned therapist, clinical supervisor, business coach with a passion for supporting the mental health industry. She brings a wealth of experience to the business health business industry, and she creates strategy as well.
She's committed to helping faith based practice owners build sustainable heart center practices that align with their values and integrity. Man, I wrote that? I thought you did a great job. I must have been on that day. I was like, that sounds good. Who is that girl? That's right. I feel this way sometimes when people read my bio.
So also Laura is a recent addition to the WISe Practice Consulting Team. So excited about that and introducing her to y'all in this new capacity. Um, but Laura has so much experience working with practice owners years and years and also had her own consulting business for a time and then decided to kind of make the change and come over to WISE Practice.
Do you want to make a talk about that for a second before we kind of jump in? Because people know you and they're like, what's going on with Laura? I hope they know me.
[00:07:37] Laura Long: That'd be awesome. Yeah. So I, um, I feel like I did it all, you know, Whitney, I, I did, you know, e courses for therapists and events for therapists.
And I spoke at conferences and, uh, as Whitney knows, and as many of you all probably know from trying to do your own thing is after seven years of doing a business all by yourself. I mean, I had help along the way, but it can get really lonely. So Whitney and I think this was probably. Uh, divine intervention, but we actually went out to dinner, didn't we?
It was like earlier this summer. And I was talking to you about my decision to close my consulting business. I don't know if you even remember much of the conversation, but we were just going through how I was feeling, led to spend more time with my daughter and to be available for her. Uh, that was maybe the primary motivation, but also just feeling this pull to do something different, but really not knowing what that looked like.
And so it's interesting because we'll probably talk a little bit about, uh, The connection between just not really knowing what the future holds, but leaning into your faith and leaning into the trust that you have that an outcome that's going to work out better than you ever could have imagined. So you and I went out to dinner that one fateful night and after a couple of glasses of wine.
I think I said something like, well, why don't I just come and work for you, Whitney? And I think maybe the rest is history. But a couple of days later, you reached back out and said, were you serious? And I was like, I don't know. Why is that? Let's talk about it. So yeah, it's been a whirlwind and I, and I'm thrilled to be joining the team and getting to do what I love most, which is consulting and working with therapists.
And also getting to relinquish some of the things that I didn't love about owning and operating a consulting business. So I'm going to leave that all up to you, Whitney.
[00:09:27] Whitney Owens: Oh, goodness. Well, and I think this speaks so much to something that I always really admire about you is paying attention to what you love and what you don't love and moving into the things that you enjoy in life.
Instead of, you know, All the other stuff that we put on ourselves or the have to use or the way we have to do things. Um, the sheds the sheds. Yes. Which I think therapists are very good at developing those and especially business owners feeling like they have to do things a certain way within their practice and within their business.
Um, but yes, Laura, I remember that dinner. Very fondly, and so I'm laughing when you're like, I remember that conversation. Um, I remember being like, wow, Laura wants to work with me. Like I, I felt so honored that I think I didn't even like totally let it sink in. Cause I was like, Oh wait, did she? Like, I was just so amazed by it.
Um, but I also think that's the way God moves in our lives. Like he does things that wow us. that are exciting for us. Yeah. And I can see that in our businesses too, you know, and he puts these things within us and we don't know what to do with them and it's confusing. And is this me? Is this God? Like how, how do I know?
And so I want to open up this conversation for, this is like what you're so good at. It's like figuring out, am I made to do this thing? Maybe I'm saying it too strongly, but is this the thing that's the calling within me that I need to step out in? Or do I need to? Really rethink this. And so how do we kind of what are your first thoughts about that?
[00:11:00] Laura Long: Yeah, well, I think it also depends, uh, you know, depending on who the therapist is and what stage they're in. You know, I've worked with, I teach at a local university and these are graduate students in an MFT program. Who want to start a private practice? So even if it's their second career, the idea of private practice feels so far off.
It feels so foreign. And they really, they don't even know what they don't know. And then you have a therapist who are maybe newer into private practice. They've done some of the initial more nuts and bolts. And bolts, but there's still this feeling that you were describing earlier of, am I meant for this?
Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Is this what I should be doing? And for other therapists, there's still this yearning after they've started their private practice that maybe they're, they're destined for more, or they feel like they need to be doing more. And that's when I think they, they reach out to consultants like you and I, when they're in this place of discernment, wondering, okay, so I'm, I'm seeing clients and I think I'm doing okay, but do I need to make changes?
Do I need to expand in a meaningful way? Do I need to go outside of the therapy space and maybe try to do something that's completely outside of my, out of my realm? And so I think it's important for them to really be thinking through, like, what are the, what are the steps involved? And also there needs to be an element of.
Of trust and oh gosh if I had a dollar for every time I've had to say like trust the process right Because so many times we want I think a step by step guide for how to do everything and I and I also believe that there comes a certain point In one's entrepreneurial journey where they do have to rely a little bit on the divine and trusting that there is a plan for them, but that they don't have to know every single step or that they don't have to know exactly what it needs to look like because there is no end.
What we want for our practices today is maybe going to be different from what we want. Six months from now or a year from now, and that's okay. Just moving into that space with trust and I think coaches and consultants like, like us, you know, our, our job is to provide some of that clarity and to help them through that discernment process, but not to tell them what it should look like because each person's journey is their own.
What do you think that was like a very long winded answer to your question? Sorry, Whitney. I would not do like Miss America.
[00:13:25] Whitney Owens: I'm a, I'm just soaking it in to tell you the truth. I love it. I love listening and. Just that last little part you were saying, it made me think that, um, you know, you were saying consultants, they're kind of like guides, they listen, they hear, but really you're the one who's in charge of your journey.
Um, and every person we work with is different, and I think that's also like therapy, right? It's like, we've got these tools, here's CPT, here's, you know, whatever. But the truth is each client that comes in our room is unique and beautiful and wonderful for who they are. And it's not our job to wag our finger and say, you need to say this to your spouse or you need to do this thing differently.
It's, it's to help them find what they need for success. And I think that's such a good analogy that you're kind of bringing to the table of consulting. Like it's for us to help them find what they need for success. And it's going to look different for every single person that comes
[00:14:16] Laura Long: to us. Wow. So here's another parallel that we can draw from that.
When many of our clients come to therapy, they don't really like hearing what you just said that everyone's journey is unique and they're sort of the expert of their own lives and we're going to give them the tools, but really it's up to them. That's not what they necessarily want at first. They can appreciate it at the end of our work together, but I think in the beginning, what a lot of clients want is tell me what to do.
Like tell me what the answer is. How do I feel better? How do I feel happier? How do I feel more? Content in my relationships. Just give me the answers and give me the formula, right? And it's up to us as clinicians to sort of slow them down and help them to see that there is no formula. This isn't Yes, I can give you some tools and some skills.
And certainly our work together is going to be really helpful in that capacity. But it's not my job to tell you a step by step. Do this, then do this, then do that. Because your journey is unique. I would say that it's very similar. In the consulting space that you and I are in when we're working with therapists, they often will come to us regardless of what stage they are in building their practices or their businesses, and they often will say, just give me give me the strategy.
Give me the tools and the formula for success. And I think what you're speaking to Whitney is the fact that, yes, there are going to be some tangible sequential. Steps that need to be completed in a certain way. And in addition to that, I think what makes being an entrepreneur so fun is that we get to be creative with it and we get to navigate through the.
ambiguity of not always having a clear plan or knowing exactly what the next step is. And that's, I think that's my secret sauce. Like that's the, the most fun that I get to have as a consultant is when I have a therapist who's excited, they don't really know what the next step is. They're kind of like, you know, bouncing with energy, but they have a basic just overview of what they're wanting.
They don't really know all the details of how they're going to make it happen. Yeah. But they have this like thing in their gut that tells them I, I'm destined for more and I'm excited to try whatever that is and it might look like this, it might look like that. So I love getting in the trenches with them and I get to serve as a mentor, but a lot of the therapists who I've worked with have done things that I myself haven't even done.
So it's really exciting for me to help them navigate this journey. We're doing it together because like you were just pointing out earlier, I don't have the, the formula or like the playbook that's like, okay, you have to do it in this order. I think that ruins the creative process and it makes it less fun.
And if I'm just telling you here are 10 things, do it. It's what, it's what you might think you want at first, just like our therapy clients think that they just want the step by step guide on how to be happy. But when we can show them that there's such a rich experience that goes into the, like feeling through what the solution is or what the next step is, and having a guide or a mentor to help you in that space, that is to me, where.
That's where it all happens. That's where it's so much fun.
[00:17:28] Whitney Owens: Yes. That, that idea is where God works in us. Right? Because really, this whole stuff we do. Yes, we're serving other people. But, but as, and I think of this as a faith based consultant. What makes us unique and different. Is we're bringing the Holy Spirit in, you know, God is a part of the work we do.
And then with practice owners, they're finding God in what God's calling them to do. That gut that you're talking about, you know, I, I think of that as the Holy Spirit directing us, changing us and preparing us for what he wants to do through us. And then as consultants, we get the gift, the blessing of being a guide on that journey.
And that is. an incredible experience.
[00:18:14] Laura Long: And it can be scary. So I think we probably, you know, we have to at least honor the fact that going through any entrepreneurial process, whether you're just starting out, whether you're expanding or whether you're trying something completely different, you're Of course, it's going to come with all these unknowns and these what ifs, and there's a lot of uncertainty in that.
Sometimes it's, it's like tongue in cheek of me to almost say, you know, just enjoy the process. Like, trust it. This is fun. And I myself am still in it to a degree, right? You know, like making such a big change is closing a business that I've been the owner of for almost eight years. And not really knowing what the future holds, but trusting that.
It's like I'm having to. My own medicine, right? But take my own advice. So I can also acknowledge for anyone listening who's in that space. And not really sure what the future looks like for their practices or for their businesses or what it is they even want, maybe taking some time to really reflect quietly.
And I think you'll find that there's always something in there. It's just whether we choose to listen to it or not, there's something in there that's telling you, and it might not be clear. It might not be saying, this is exactly what you need to be doing, but it's telling you that there's something different on the horizon for you.
So it's a matter of, uh, Are you willing to lean into
[00:19:36] Whitney Owens: that, you know? So Laura, do you think that sometimes people know they need to be doing something, maybe they sense a voice within them and they're scared, so they fill their lives with all this other stuff so they don't have to listen to it? I feel like if you're
[00:19:48] Laura Long: asking the question, you probably already know the answer.
Wait, do I do that? No. Never. I've never done that either. Yeah, I think certainly. Now, I don't want to speak for everyone, I can speak for myself, though, and there were probably three years where I heard something, some inner rumbling that I needed to make a change, and I did not want to hear it. I wasn't ready.
I didn't feel like I was ready. I was scared. Um, we can go into all of that. I'm happy to. So I think that if that happened to me, it's probably It's probably true that it can happen to others where they, they feel that sense or that, that pull and they don't really know what to make of it. And maybe they just ignore it for a while until it gets louder or until something about their circumstances is such that they have to make a change.
And it's at that point when they finally do the scary thing. And in hindsight, they go, man, I'm, why didn't I do that sooner? It all, you know, it worked out the way it was supposed to, or I feel so much better or calmer or happier, but I was scared. So I sure, yeah, to answer your question, I would say that, that that's definitely a possibility.
If someone hears that or, or feels something that they need to make a change, but then resists it for a while.
[00:21:09] Whitney Owens: Hmm.
[00:21:10] Laura Long: Yeah.
[00:21:11] Whitney Owens: Well, I'm gonna take our relationship back even further from our dinner. Oh, and you need this story, but I wanna share it for the audience. Um, so when I, let's see, this was 2020 2,
[00:21:26] Laura Long: 21,
[00:21:26] Whitney Owens: 22.
[00:21:27] Laura Long: Which story we have, we go back a away.
[00:21:31] Whitney Owens: Yes, we were in Nashville. I guess it was, I guess it was a 22. Anyway, it's good. Come to me later. Um, yeah. Yeah. It was May of 22. Yeah. Okay. There you go. Okay. Thank you. Um, yeah. So I had just quit another consulting business that I was working for that I loved the work I did and I was so excited.
So scared about what am I supposed to do now and I, I don't know what my next steps are and I think I need to keep doing the consulting, but I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this. It seems like too heavy of a list. Like, I don't have it, you know? Yeah,
[00:22:02] Laura Long: there's all the ambiguity right there that you were just talking about and all the uncertainty of, can I do this?
Is it going to work? Or like, how would I even do it? I mean, it's like, you don't even know what you don't know. That's where you were.
[00:22:14] Whitney Owens: That's right. And so then I went to a conference in Nashville and you were one of the speakers and do you remember what you talked about?
[00:22:21] Laura Long: Yeah, I talked about imperfect action and getting out of your own way thing.
I love to talk about.
[00:22:28] Whitney Owens: It was so meaningful to me and it was right then that I was like, okay, I'm doing this. I'm doing this thing. And I purchased Whitney Owens consulting right there during the during the talk. You know, and I saw always go back to that moment, um, where you really inspired me and gave me that push.
I needed not even knowing that's what you were doing. You're talking to tons of people all at one time, and I'm sitting there having this experience. And I really point back to that as a, as a turning point in my career, you know, as I am grateful for you for that. And just how, how funny, how everything is coming full circle.
Um, but I also want to give that as an example for how. how you empower people and help people get to their goals in that way.
[00:23:13] Laura Long: I love that I was able to inspire you in that way. And I've heard that story a few times, but the very first time you ever told it to me, I still don't think I quite realized how pivotal that moment was for you.
And, you know, to take it a step further, I don't know in that moment, like I would venture to say that when you registered that domain, Whitney Owens Consulting, you didn't have a clear picture. Of what you wanted, what you were hoping it would look like. And yet here you are, you know, two and a half years later and you have figured out like you, you are carving your own path about what wise practice looks like and what the community looks like and the membership and you have three consultants that work under you.
Like you never could have fathomed on that day in May of 2022 what this would have ended up looking like. And there's still so much more. That's right. Yeah. If I could offer some. Encouragement to someone listening now who is maybe feeling a pull to do something, but they just don't quite know what that is.
Maybe your story can shine light on the fact that you don't have to know, but you do have to take a step that will give you enough information to hopefully take the next step. I once read a quote about, you know, you. You only, when you're taking a road trip at night, you only have your lights to see like maybe 20, 25 feet in front of you, but you could take an entire 12 hour road trip that way.
You could go essentially halfway across the country, just being able to see the first, you know, 20 to 25 feet. So that's how I try to think of our own entrepreneurial journeys. You don't have to know what the end looks like. You couldn't possibly know what it looks like anyway. And you, you didn't even know two years ahead of you, but you didn't have to.
You just had to know what, what's my next step. I'm going to get this domain name.
[00:25:16] Whitney Owens: So I'm thinking about how people think they're, you know, they feel this draw to do something and they're thinking, what do I, I mean, I'm going back to like getting it right, but like, people are wondering what do they need?
Like, maybe I don't have the roadmap, I'm not sure what steps to take, but are there some things you would say, hey, if you feel something within me that you need to do, if it's start a practice, hire your first therapist, start a podcast. Start teaching, whatever it is. What would you recommend? I
[00:25:45] Laura Long: mean, step one, get out a piece of paper and a pen and write down.
What am I afraid of step one? Cause if you already have that thought or that inkling to do something, but you haven't taken a single step, you are holding yourself back, but why I think it's important to understand why, because sometimes. You might have a really good reason why you're not taking action on something right now.
Maybe there's a real relational financial, some other barrier, but at least you're identifying that. And from there, right, we're going about talking about next steps. So from there you can at least acknowledge, okay, well there are some real barriers here. How can I start to overcome them? But just by writing stuff down, I feel like that is a really tangible way that we can start making progress.
Because. You're actually taking steps forward by writing stuff down. Like even getting it out of your head is momentum. So don't ever feel like you're stuck. That would be my number one. If you're starting to feel stuck, get unstuck. Write it down. Write anything down. Talk to a friend. Just getting it out.
It doesn't completely make you unstuck, but you can't possibly be sitting still and moving at the same time. So if you're writing something down, what am I afraid of? You'll start to see a pattern here. And I think as therapists, this is a superpower that we have because I work with a lot of entrepreneurs who are not therapists and they do not have the level of insight and awareness That we as therapists have, and we take it for granted.
So, as therapists, if you can take the time and take the risk to be honest with yourself about what's holding you back, nine times out of ten, you're going to come up, come away from that with one clear action step that you yourself, without even having to pay any money, you know, you just sit down, write down this list of what's holding you back.
What am I afraid of? That's it. And from there, you're already going to have a first step and hopefully that first step is going to be bringing someone alongside you. That could be a mentor. It could be a consultant. It could be a friend, hopefully someone who has some experience and who can guide you. I would not recommend relying on your spouse.
Only or your best friend or your immediate family, because they often, you know, they want what they think is best for us. And sometimes that means seeking safety and doing what to them feels like is the, the safest, surest thing. If you have this desire in you to potentially expand your practice, just as an example, and you go and talk to your mom about it, your mom might give you 400 reasons why you shouldn't do it.
And it's not because she doesn't believe in you and it's not because she doesn't want you to be successful. It's because she wants you to be safe. That's her job. So that would probably be point number two, be very careful and intentional about who you share your dreams with and whose advice you take.
[00:28:59] Whitney Owens: Yeah. I appreciate these steps a lot. And going back to the first one about barriers, you know, and, and acknowledging that, yeah, some of these barriers are real legit physical, you know, barriers, especially financial ones. That we see a lot, but I was thinking about the emotional barriers like that. When you were talking about inside, I was thinking, yeah, like, we have insight into our triggers into our family of origin wounds that are impacting us going forward, you know, and so maybe even that 2nd point about, you know, Who you're sharing your dreams with and that support, maybe even a therapist.
If you're finding that, Hey, it's some of my childhood stuff. That's keeping me, I hear all the time. People whose parents were entrepreneurs and they weren't successful. And that really freaks them out about moving forward. And so working through that stuff in your own therapy.
[00:29:47] Laura Long: Yeah, I love that. I'm so glad you brought that back because while there are real barriers that might.
Pause or halt your timeline. There are also perceived barriers that really are within you. That's what you're talking about. Those emotional barriers. So overcoming them, it might mean talking to a trusted therapist and hopefully you already have one in your back pocket that you can reach out to and say, man, I'm really getting in my own way here.
I have this goal, this thing that I want to start taking meaningful action on. And yet I'm not, I'm not doing anything. And I believe that it's because I have some, some things that I need to work through. I have some potentially unhealed traumas from my past. I have some big fears. Um, I remember one fear that I had.
Obviously, I would imagine most people have this understandable fear of failure that I think that's just how can you be on this planet without having some amount of healthy fear that something I do or try might not work out. But I had a really interesting fear that I hadn't heard of or seen before.
This was years ago, but I was afraid of success for a while. And I found myself writing about it as I worked through that, that real chapter of my life. But just this fear of, well, what if I am successful and then that changes who I am or it changes my relationships in a way that I don't, I don't want.
What if I experienced some amount of success and, and then realize that that's not what I want. Like how, how do I work through that? And so I want to speak to that because I've since learned through working with other therapists that this is actually a very real fear that therapists have without even knowing it is, you know, especially if you've already experienced some amount of stability in your, in your business or your practice and you're, you're thinking about expanding it's okay.
Well, what if I expand and it ends up not being the right decision? So that, that speaks to the uncertainty of it all. That we can't ever know what I'll also say is so what so what if you experience that success and you get to that place and you start to look around and see that your life maybe isn't what you wanted it to be or all these fears that are living in the back of your mind.
What what if that does happen? Sort of that, uh, Socratic questioning. And what I often find is they say, Oh, well, I guess I would make some changes at that point. So the solution is a lot more clear once you allow yourself to go there and say, okay, well, I guess if, if I get to that point where I reached some of the goals that I've set out for myself today, and it's not really what I anticipated or what I had hoped it would look like, then I can always go back.
It wouldn't be fun or easy. Maybe it would be a little painful. Maybe it would be a little costly and it's possible. So sometimes just. Thinking through these things with someone you trust, whether it's a therapist or a mentor, some sort of business guide, um, that's someone who can really help you because they don't have skin in the game, you know, as, as your mom might in my previous example, you know, they, they're wanting you to work through this and they're here to help and guide and support.
Um, but they're not, they're not related to you. So that can be helpful. It's good.
[00:33:11] Whitney Owens: Yeah, I like to say everything in business is an experiment of us figuring out what works for us and for our, and for our business and for the people that we serve. And we don't have to. Be stressed and analyze it all. Just let it be what it is.
[00:33:25] Laura Long: What an honor though, that we get to do that as entrepreneurs. We're not having every second of our lives dictated by somebody else. So with that uncertainty and that fear of what if this doesn't work out or what tools do I need, I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing right now. What that also insinuates is that you have a lot of control and power and creativity over how you choose to proceed.
And I think that's a beautiful thing that autonomy. Yeah,
[00:33:59] Whitney Owens: definitely. And then just foundationally knowing that God is there, like this is, it can feel scary, things can shift, things can change, but our hope still rests. In our faith, you know, even when we're doing all these different things within our lives that that will always be there.
[00:34:20] Laura Long: I want to speak to a phenomenon that I've seen among therapists specifically. So I think what happens is that. In order to become a therapist, the process is pretty straightforward. There's not too much creativity or wiggle room. It's pretty black and white. You get your bachelor's, you get your master's.
You have to accumulate some crazy amount of hours. Of client contact and supervision state specific. So that part gets a little bit confusing at the end of the day, though. It's pretty clear. If I want to become a licensed therapist, I have to do this, this, this, this and that
[00:34:59] Whitney Owens: and
[00:35:01] Laura Long: I have to do it in that particular order.
No, what I think happens is when we decide to start our own practices or expand into a group practice or do something that's totally different. We subconsciously expect the process to be as sequential and as formulaic. So we start looking around, listening to podcasts. We read blogs, we read books, we get our hands on every possible piece of information we can to guide us.
And unfortunately, when we do that, and when we almost obsessively, uh, act as sponges and get as much information as we can, we start to see that information can sometimes be contradictory. And then we overwhelm ourselves with more data and more information, more step by step guides, tutorials, you know, freebies, lead magnets that tell us all the checklists that we need to follow to do the thing we want to do.
And that's when therapists will often come to me and they're just completely paralyzed. You know, that whole, uh, analysis paralysis phenomenon. So I think what, what we sometimes fall into is the trap that entrepreneurship is sequential, just like getting our licenses was. And if we can maybe acknowledge that it's not, if we can lean into the fact that it's not, it'll make this process a lot more enjoyable than getting so caught up in doing things the right way.
Or how should I do this? I feel like every single Facebook group of therapists, inevitably every day, there's someone that's like, how do I do this exact thing? And how do I do it the right way? And how do I, how do I get my practice to be this exact way that I want it to be? And they're looking for the step by step guide because that's how we've done everything So if we can just acknowledge that that's not how it is and thank goodness, that's not how it is because how boring would that be?
I mean, on the surface, it seems like it would be kind of fun. Cause you could just do these 10 things and be successful. I also don't think we would appreciate it or enjoy it as much.
[00:37:13] Whitney Owens: Get kind of boring.
[00:37:15] Laura Long: Yeah. I think part of the journey is not really knowing and having that ambiguity in front of us. And then we get to decide how do we want to spend the next, you know, 20, 25 feet that I can see going back to my earlier example, you know, you can only see what's right in front of you, but there's a lot of, of fun and creativity that can be had there.
Instead of getting so caught up in what this quote unquote end result is going to be, because there is no end. Our businesses are going to continue and we're going to continue and our goals are going to change and shift and evolve as we do. And that's a good thing because it means that we are evolving.
[00:37:53] Whitney Owens: I love that analogy about getting your master's degree. That's super helpful.
[00:37:58] Laura Long: Yeah. Because it is so cut and dry. Definitely. The de scary entrepreneurship thing that's not cut and dry.
[00:38:06] Whitney Owens: Totally not, but so much fun and scary at the same time.
[00:38:11] Laura Long: Yeah. I mean, that's, I guess the definition of ambiguity is having multiple things and holding space for those two things at the same time, which is what we do as therapists.
[00:38:22] Whitney Owens: Totally.
[00:38:24] Laura Long: Our clients, we're teaching them how to hold two different things at the same time off. You know, they're grieving a loss and maybe feeling excitement towards something new, but they have to have both.
[00:38:35] Whitney Owens: Yeah. Well, Laura, this has been great. I've been soaking it up and look forward to honestly listening to this episode again.
Sometimes I do that. The ones I really enjoy those interviews. Um, I'll be going back and relistening to this. Um, so much good information, not only about business, but about our faith and who we are as people. And I love that about you. And all right, so there are going to be people listening that are like, wow, I want to meet with Laura and get some assistance or maybe just talk through this dream I have.
Is this something that I should pursue, not pursue? What should I consider if they're thinking about? Yeah. Um, yes. How do they reach out to you and tell us a little bit about the work you do at wise practice?
[00:39:15] Laura Long: Yeah, well, I'm like the newest consultant, so I think I'm still figuring that out too. Like I'm navigating the ambiguity myself.
Um, so I would imagine that they go to your website and that's where they can schedule just a quick call with you. Right. And you'll kind of walk them through what to expect and if they want to move forward at that point, they can get on a call with me and we will talk a lot about. Their practice, their vision, what it is they're hoping for, even if they don't know what that is, but just giving me anything that they have.
And from there, we come up with a plan of how we can maybe work together one on one. And that can be maybe shorter term, like a 3 month. We're just meeting biweekly. We have access to Voxer, which is this really cool. Free like walkie talkie app that me and Whitney use all the time. Um, there's longer packages and you know, for people who are really wanting to, to get some deep work done and to have that guide along the way, we can work together for much longer.
Uh, and I would hope that sometime in 2025, you and I are going to get together and maybe come up with a mastermind group that I can even put together for therapists who are really wanting to dive in and overcome some of those mindset hurdles that often get us stuck. So yeah, I would say that's how they can work with me.
But you laid it out perfectly about who, who would be a great fit is someone who's ready, excited, and maybe a little unsure of what their next step needs to be. And I love to bring clarity. Uh, I love to help break down people's huge goals that they have because they can get very overwhelmed very easily if they focus so much on what they hope it looks like at the end.
But what I love being able to do is just really break it down into these digestible, actionable steps that we can curate together. Because like I said, it's not, it's not a clear black and white, do these 10 things To ensure success, it's, it's a lot more playful and I like that.
[00:41:10] Whitney Owens: Yeah. So wonderful. Well, I am thrilled to have you on the team and you've got so much to offer people in the WISePractice community.
So I'm excited about that. And so to work with Laura, go to WISePracticeConsulting. com, complete an application, and then either myself or someone from the team will be in touch and we can talk about all those options. So Laura, thank you so much for taking the time to be on the show today.
[00:41:33] Laura Long: Yeah. Thanks for having me.
And I'm so excited to be joining the team and yeah, just seeing what this is all about. I'm just thrilled to be here and just, it's such an honor. So thank you. So
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[00:42:04] Whitney Owens: 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.
