Episode 12

Halloween: Spooky Finances Edition with Lori Atwood, CFP

Published on: 21st October, 2025

Therapists talk about everything except money, and that cost could be leaving you with money anxiety.

Too many therapists feel financially drained even while helping others heal. The truth is, avoiding your numbers only fuels money anxiety and keeps you from the financial empowerment you deserve.

In this Halloween: Spooky Finances Edition with Lori Atwood, CFP, we face the real-life fears that keep clinicians up at night. Lori, founder of Fearless Finance and a seasoned financial empowerment guru, helps therapists replace fear with clarity through simple, human strategies to help you release that money anxiety.

Dr. Jennifer Politis, Dr. Lori Atwood, and Erika Bugaj get real about the hidden shame and overwhelm behind bookkeeping for therapists. Together with Lori, they unpack how to stop ignoring your money, reframe your money anxiety, and finally create a relationship with your finances that feels aligned and sustainable.

You’ll learn:

  • Why therapists feel financially drained even when their calendars are full
  • How a money mindset coach reframes money anxiety into confidence and control
  • The essential year-end steps for confident bookkeeping for therapists
  • Practical ways to strengthen your financial empowerment before the new year
  • What small mindset shifts can turn dread into clarity

Lori’s honest, practical approach proves that you are never too far gone to find financial empowerment. If you’ve been avoiding your books or feeling financially drained, this conversation will leave you grounded, calm, and ready to rebuild a healthier relationship with money.

🎃 No tricks, only practical treats for your wallet and your well-being.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Website: www.offthechair.com

Instagram: @offthechairpodcast

YouTube: @offthechairpodcast


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


Lori Atwood, CFP

Instagram: www.instagram.com/fearlessfinance/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fearlessfinance

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fearlessfinance

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fearless-finance/

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About the Podcast

Off The Chair
Breakout From Burnout
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 and clinicians from all disciplines, trapped in a broken healthcare system, ready to break out of burnout, reclaim their income, and build values-driven businesses beyond mis-managed care and trading hours for dollars.

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

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

Dr. 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