Episode 6

Freedom Isn’t Found in the Exit (And Scaling Doesn’t Have to Kill You)

Published on: 9th September, 2025

Freedom after selling your practice isn’t guaranteed - and scaling doesn’t have to break you. 

In this episode, we unpack what happens when “I’ll feel free after the exit” meets real life. We explore why peace comes from boundaries, systems, and aligned choices - not the transaction - while showing how a growing practice can actually create space. 

Along the way, we share practical ways a therapist mom can protect energy, use AI tools for therapists to reclaim time, practice real self care for therapists, and boost therapist productivity without losing humanity. If you’re in the messy middle, this one’s for you.

What’s inside (and why it matters):

  • When selling doesn’t equal serenity: a therapist mom shares post-exit overload - and the surprising shifts that finally restored calm (hint: self care for therapists that looks like SOPs, not spa days).
  • Scaling without the spiral: how we lifted therapist productivity by delegating outcomes (not tasks) and shortening meetings - and why that’s the most sustainable self care for therapists we’ve found.
  • Real-life systems that stick: energy-based scheduling, admin-only days, and hard stops that any therapist can try this week to protect focus and raise therapist productivity.
  • Tech that gives hours back: specific AI tools for therapists for notes, reports, content prompts, and creative assets - plus the ethical guardrails we use so AI tools for therapists support care (not replace it).
  • Guilt, grace, and identity whiplash: how we navigate being a therapist mom who’s ambitious and present - and how reframing “self-care” as capacity building lifted both morale and therapist productivity with help from AI tools for therapists.

It’s strategic, human, and immediately usable - especially if you’re balancing clients, leadership, and carpool.

Join us and walk away with a calmer calendar, smarter AI tools for therapists, sturdier self care for therapists, and a kinder approach to therapist productivity as a working therapist mom.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!


Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

 

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

 

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

 

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

Transcript
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About the Podcast

Off the Chair
In a world where a nail artist can out-earn a licensed therapist, behavioral health professionals have no choice but to get scrappy, color outside the lines, and start writing our own rules. The old path—graduate school, licensure, paneled with insurance, packed calendar of 1:1s—is broken. It’s time for a new blueprint.

That’s where Off the Chair comes in. We’re not just talking about surviving the grind, we’re exploring radically different ways to thrive. From building passive income streams to launching scalable service lines, we dive into business models that break the mold. We cover how modern technology; AI, digital products, automation, and online communities—can even help clinicians step out of the therapy chair and into a more expansive, creative, and financially free version of practice.

Off the Chair is the no-BS podcast for therapists ready to break out of burnout, reclaim their income, and build values-driven businesses beyond the therapy room.

Hosted by Dr. Colleen Long, Dr. Jennifer Politis, and Erika Bugaj, LICSW—three clinician-entrepreneurs who’ve built, broken, and rebuilt thriving mental health companies—this show brings you weekly conversations on what it really takes to succeed in today’s broken behavioral health system.

Whether you're a growth-minded psychologist, a private practice owner, or a therapist wondering how to scale without selling your soul, Off the Chair is your roadmap to redefining what success looks like in mental healthcare.

What You’ll Learn
- Business & Practice Management: Navigate the operations side of private practice with insight into EMRs, scheduling workflows, profitability pivots, and systems that scale.
- Hiring & Leadership: From managing your first intern to leading multi-state teams, get real-world advice on creating aligned, sustainable teams (and firing fast when it’s not a fit).
- Financial Freedom for Clinicians: Understand compensation models, create recurring revenue streams, and stop trading time for money—all without compromising your ethics.
- Mental Health Industry Reform: Challenge the status quo with honest dialogue on insurance gatekeeping, clinician burnout, and what it takes to build a more human-centered system.
- Personal Resilience & Growth: Behind every spreadsheet is a dark night of the soul. We talk mindset, mission drift, and how to stay motivated when the math doesn’t math.
- Overcoming Challenges: The podcast addresses common challenges faced by therapists, such as negative reviews, legal threats, and the fear of failure, offering strategies for navigating these obstacles. Overall, Off the Chair aims to empower clinicians to: Become more effective leaders and managers. Build strong, efficient, and profitable practices. Enhance their personal well-being and achieve a fulfilling career. Stay ahead of the curve in a constantly evolving industry.

Why Listen?
Off the Chair isn’t just about the logistics of running a practice—it’s about reclaiming your creativity, your autonomy, and your voice as a leader. No jargon, no perfectionism. Just vulnerable, strategic conversations that meet you in the messy middle.

New episodes drop every Tuesday.

Connect with us!
Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.
Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com
LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC
Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com
Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj
TikTok: @wellnesscounseling
LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW
Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com
Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare
LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj