Episode 140: Setting Boundaries and Finding Balance: Private Practice Lessons [featuring Cameisha Brewer]

🎙️Listen to more episodes of the All Things Private Practice Podcast here
🎙️Spotify
🎙️Apple
🎙️YouTube Music
▶️ YouTube
🗨️ Join the free All Things Private Practice FB Community 

A Thanks to Our Sponsors: The Receptionist for iPad & Freed!

✨ The Receptionist for iPad:

I would also like to thank The Receptionist for iPad for sponsoring this episode.

From new patients faced with an empty lobby and no idea where to find their therapist to clinicians with a session running over time and the doorbell ringing, some of the most anxiety-ridden moments of a therapy appointment happen before a session even starts. The Receptionist for iPad, helps you tackle some of that pre-appointment apprehension and anxiety.

The Receptionist for iPad is an easy-to-use digital client check-in system that helps your visitors check in securely to their appointments and notify their practitioners of their arrival via SMS, email, or your preferred channel.

No more confusion and less lobby checking or having clients sign in on paper logbooks. It can even help you upgrade and update your demographic information for your clients as well and even validate parking.

Start a 14-day free trial of the Receptionist for iPad by going to thereceptionist.com/privatepractice. Make sure to start your trial with that link and you'll also get your first month free if you decide to sign up. 

✨ Freed:

I would also like to thank Freed for sponsoring this episode.

Do you dread doing your notes every day? Freed.AI listens, transcribes, and writes medical documentation for you. It's written in your style and ready the moment the visit is over. Just imagine leaving the office at the same time as your last patient. Freed is HIPAA compliant, secure, and takes less than 30 seconds to learn. Artificial intelligence cannot replace you, but it can do the administrative work that no one needs to be subjected to. Get back to doing what you love — helping your patients — and let Freed.AI do the rest.

Go to getfreed.ai and use code ATPP for your first month for free.

Transcript

PATRICK CASALE: Hey, everyone. You are listening to another episode of the All Things Private Practice podcast. I am your host, Patrick Casale. I'm joined today by Cameisha Brewer, a therapist, business coach, and speaker, and author. An LPC in Arkansas committed to helping people prioritize their mental health, helping clinicians own their CEO status. You just released a book called The CEO Clinician, focusing on therapists who are choosing to take on the secondary role of business owner and giving them permission to be humans, which is really important.

And you are going to maybe talk a little bit about your journey into successful entrepreneurialship today as well. Really excited to have you on here and excited to hear about your story.

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yeah, thanks so much for having me. I'm super excited to be here and to add value to your audience, and to talk about, you know, all the ups and downs of private practice, and what that looks like.

PATRICK CASALE: So, I no longer practice as a therapist. I think a lot of my audience knows that, just like vocal cord stuff, entrepreneurial journey stuff. Today would have been one of those days where I would have cancelled all my clients because I did not sleep last night. And I can't tell you how many nights I have like that where like, when I was working at an agency, I would wake up and I'd be like, "Wow, I didn't sleep at all. I'm going to have to use sick time."

And for me, owning my own business has been so liberating because if I don't feel good, if I don't feel rested, if I don't feel mentally restored, you can just kind of pivot, or cancel, or change.

And I think when you're owning your CEO status and talking about being your own boss, we have to give ourselves permission to make mistakes, and struggle, and really go through it too. And I think that's the entrepreneurial journey in a nutshell.

So, please tell the audience anything I missed about your bio because I hate bios, I hate reading them, I hate receiving them. I always sit there awkwardly when someone's reading mine. So, anything you want to share with the audience about like, "This is who I am. This is what Patrick missed in his brain fog state. And this is where I'm at currently."

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yeah, so I am a therapist. I still practice, only part-time now, thankfully. I'm down at three days a week. And the goal is to get all the way down and just focus on the consulting side of my business.

So, in my practice, I serve high-achieving professional women with high-functioning anxiety because that is me in a nutshell. So, I have those really high creative days, high stress where I am thriving. And then on the days where there's nothing going on, I feel anxious. So, that's where I serve in my practice. And I'm really good at it because I understand what that feels like on a daily basis.

And so, I was able to build my practice quickly. So, I added coaching and consulting to my business model to help new therapists learn how to set up structure, market, and scale their private practice. And I'll teach them how to do it in 60 days.

Now, how long it takes them to implement and get stuff done that's on them, but I can teach it in 60 days.

PATRICK CASALE: I'm really happy you kind of added that asterisk, like, "Yeah, I can teach you this stuff in 60 days. Whether or not you actually implement this stuff in 60 days, that's a different story." Right?

CAMEISHA BREWER: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

PATRICK CASALE: Because, like, all the perfectionism, all the impostor syndrome, all the anxiety shit that surfaces once we start, like, launching into the world.

Yeah, I think our niche is our versions of us. I say that a lot. So, I always love hearing like, yeah, I know how I serve because I am that person in some variation.

So, tell me about what led you into this field into, like, where we're sitting today.

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yeah, so long story short, I'm a pastor's kid. I'm down south. So, you know it's kind of common for being down here in the Bible Belt. And so, my parents, they did pastoral counseling at home, outside of, you know, people come into the church, being in my dad's office, and I watched.

I'm the youngest of five, right? Military family, family full of educators, mom is assistant principal, sisters, aunts, everybody's in education. So, I learned behavior of people very early.

And so, I watched the families come to our house for divorce counseling, and trouble with their kids, and kids failing, needing reading intervention kind of stuff. And some of the families got better, made a lot of progress. We didn't see them anymore. Some of the families, they were there forever and they kind of became a part of our family.

So, my question was, what is the difference between this family or this individual? Why are these people getting better? Why are they not? Why are they still struggling? Is this addiction? Are they covering it up? What type of addiction? Like, I was that kid with all kinds of questions.

So, I knew by like seventh or eighth grade, I wanted to study human behavior. I knew I wanted to be in psychology and mental health some kind of way. And that's what I did. And so, I knew that early.

I studied undergrad psychology. I went to a Christian university. So, I definitely learned, like, biblical-based counseling. So, I do a lot of work now, even with consulting with churches, on managing some of those more severe mental health challenges that churches just aren't equipped to deal with because they don't have anybody on staff that's licensed, right? So, I get to go in and do some of those things.

But I did undergrad psychology, did clinical counseling for grad school, worked in educational facilities, behavioral health facilities, I worked inpatient psych, children's unit, adolescent unit, chemical dependency unit, IOP, PHP, geriatric psych. Like, I have a lot of experience.

I think I got in the field, I was about 20. I'm 33 now, so it feels like I've been in it for a really long time. But it's been the majority of my adult life. And inpatient just wasn't working for me. You know how this goes, high acuity, high caseload, stress, PTSD, vicarious trauma, and I was sick of it. And I wanted something different.

And because my family were entrepreneurs, like I knew how to build a business quickly. I knew marketing, I knew how to get things done. And I noticed that the other therapists in my circle and my colleagues, they didn't understand the marketing piece. And so, I watched them struggle, like get in the field before me, and still be part-time at an agency or still only have a part-time practice.

And I told my supervisor, I'm like, "That's not going to work for me. Like, as soon as I get these hours for this LPC license I am out as fast as possible."

And that's what I did. He told me it would take me two years to build a practice. I was like, "Yeah, I don't have six years in this inpatient psych unit with this type of acuity, in this type of stress." So, that was the journey of how I got here to this point.

PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, and it sounds like that's such a motivating force, too, when it's like, "I know I can't sustain in this environment, and I have to do something different." Because what's the alternative really? It's like, packing up shop, saying why did I even get into this profession in the first place? Because I think so many people, like, find themselves at that existential crossroads when they're burnt out because they're just like, "I'm overworked, I'm underpaid, I'm under-appreciated. And I don't know anything about business. So, I don't really know what my options are."

Now, coming from a family of entrepreneurs, it sounds like being much more set up to be like, I understand how to market, I understand how to network, I understand how to, like, get in front of the right audience. And that really does play such a significant role because you could be the best clinician in the world. And if you just can't grasp the basics of running a business, it is really hard to sustain in private practice on your own.

CAMEISHA BREWER: It is. And I think that's what made private practice lonely for me, like, once I filled my practice. Like, I'm one of those people, I like challenges. I like new things and like, okay, what else can we add to the business model? Is it time for speaking? Or a podcast? Or coaching?

So, when I didn't have that, and just did therapy all day, I was bored, and lonely in my practice. I was super isolated. I was like, "Where are the other therapists who have this entrepreneurial mind, and who love marketing, and who are not intimidated to do a live video or to jump on a podcast with someone else as the host or guest?" Like, I needed to find my people and find my community, for sure.

PATRICK CASALE: Yeah. So, tell me about that a little bit because I'm sure a lot of people listening can relate to that, the loneliness, the isolation, the feeling of like the only people I have talked to today are my clients.

And then, you go home to your significant other, to your family, to whoever, and your brain is just like, kind of fried, a lot of the time. And you need connection, we need support, we need accountability. And if you are more entrepreneurial, you need people around you who are doing similar things because if you surround yourself with people who are just like, "That is not something a therapist can do or should do." Or whatever the case may be, it's very easy to get into that mindset of like, "I guess my career has to look like one-on-one 60-minute increments of time for the rest of my life.

And it sounds like that would feel kind of torturous to you. I know it was a thing.

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yes.

PATRICK CASALE: And so, the monotony. And again, similar personality, like once I, I don't want to say mastered private practice, but maybe that is the word. And I was like, "Okay, this is kind of boring." Like, I need to do something to really drive myself. And I've just always been that type of person.

So, tell me about that process for you. Like, you're in Arkansas, you're like, "I want to surround myself with more entrepreneurial-minded mental health professionals." Where do we go from there?

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yeah, I just started doing research and asking questions, but I found the entrepreneurial therapist in coaching programs that had nothing to do with being a therapist. Like, they were in the coaching programs that were more geared towards speaking or self-publishing a book. And in those programs, you know, doing the networking calls, and everyone's like, "So, what do you do? Well, I'm a licensed therapist, I practice in Alabama." Or, "I'm in Jersey."

I'm like, "My people, like, this is where you guys are, how did I…" And I'm introverted, so I was really excited to find licensed mental health professionals in other programs. And then, I started asking questions like, okay, so where are you all's friends at? And your colleagues? Like, where are they? What do they do? How do we connect with them, so we can all hang out together and be supportive resources to each other, not for therapy referrals? Like, we were all full, which is why we were in those programs, learning how to scale, and add additional streams of income.

And so, we stay connected. And sometimes that's through text because it's all we have time for and maybe a FaceTime in between sessions while we're doing notes, or if something changes with the counseling compact, and we have questions. Sometimes it is just a group thread. But I had to kind of piece together my tribe, and my village, and they're from all over the place.

And so, I started doing monthly networking calls inside of my own community, inside of my own Facebook group just to give me a sense of belonging, where I'm not always the mentor, I'm not always the consultant, I get to be a peer. And I get to hear about what they're doing in their business.

Because I like being inspired. I don't want to just be the, "Oh, well, you could do this. And this is the strategy. And this is the funnel." Like, that's cool, too. But I haven't mastered it, but I'm doing really well. So, sometimes that can get kind of mundane for me as well.

So, yeah, just having the monthly sessions and the little check-ins, that really keeps me going.

PATRICK CASALE: I love that. And I think seeking out the things that we need ourselves, that's so much what like entrepreneurialship is, is like seeing the void and filling it or figuring out what we need more of. And it sounds like community and connection was really important and accountability. So, creating that structure for yourself.

And as, you know, a lot of therapists who are listening would be like, "I'm introverted, too. I really struggle with connecting. Like, I'm putting myself out there."

But I think it's important to always recognize like, when we're feeling that way, we're not alone in that. I think we can so often get into that mindset of like, "I'm the only one who feels this way or experiences this thing."

It's like, no, most people are feeling this way. So, like, there are other people out there who want that type of connection and that relationship. And even if it is just a text, or group thread, or something that you can just pop in and out of. I think that's really important to cultivate and foster too.

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yeah, and it helps with the expectations. Because, you know, when it's a hard day, as an introvert, I don't have a lot of words, at the end of the end. And my husband knows that. We've been together for some years now. So, it may be three hours before I speak in the evenings. And he just kind of gives me my space so I can decompress.

But having a community even with the group text, they know that if they text me, it may be three days before I text back because I have 57 unread text messages in my phone most days. Like, you know, I have an iPhone. So, my pinned people, they're at the top, my priority folks. If it's my husband, or my in-laws, or something like that. But everything else, I don't feel pressured to respond and to stress my body even more trying to make sure that I respond quickly. I don't have it.

And everybody in my world knows that, "Okay, can we just tie it. She has provided great quality care and therapeutic work. And she has been doing some amazing business coaching and consulting for the therapists in her programs, she's done. And when she gets a chance to recharge, she'll reach out then."

And everyone kind of gives me grace and space to be me. And to give my body and my mind what they need, always.

PATRICK CASALE: So important. And I imagine if we can, like, circle back to days in the inpatient setting, it feels night and day to be able to say like, "I get to have space to respond when I can. And when I want to. And to surround myself with people that I want to surround myself with."

It's so different, like going from a traditional nine to five or a mental health agency job into your own business because so many of us who are high achievers really struggle when we look at the calendar and we're like, "What do you mean I only work 20 hours a week this week. Like, what am I going to do with the rest of my time?"

I don't know if you've experienced that too. But I know so many of us do. And I just had to get really comfortable being like, what do I want to do with my time? Like, I have to learn about like what I actually want to do because when I was in an agency, I would always think, "People play soccer every day here at 12 o'clock. How the hell did they do that? Like, I can't do that."

Then I quit. Then I started my own business. And I'm like, "I never go. And I control my own schedule." So, like, being able to step back and say, what do I want more of? What do I want less of? What do I want to set boundaries around?

And I think that really creates this really sustainable business structure that works for you, and your system, and what you need individually.

CAMEISHA BREWER: It does. And the freedom, it was so weird for me. Like, even now, you know, I have a team in Lawrence like, "Hey, you're Friday's clear?" I'm like, "What? How? Like, are you sure? Like, did we miss…"

And my team, they're super-efficient. We'll train, we've got our systems in place. But when she tells me I have a clear Friday, and I love her because she gives me accountability. She's like, "You need to go do something to enjoy."

Because normally I'm like, "Oh, I need to rest, I need to recover." I'm like, "But do I though?" I'm like conditioned to always be in recovery mode. Because I'm used to being in high-stress mode.

So, like, I think it was last Friday, I'm going tomorrow, too. I was at the mall just wandering around, shopping, trying new things, which I never do because in my mind I need to be resting and preparing for the work week and all the challenges that could come with that as a CEO. But I'm like, "I can really just wander around this mall by myself."

I was gone for like three hours, my husband was like, "Are you okay?" I'm like, "Yeah, babe, I'm fine. Just, you know, out here spending your money. You know, enjoying life."

He's like, "Well, good. Stay as long as you need to and let me know if you need anything." I'm like, "Okay, this feels good."

PATRICK CASALE: That's a good feeling, though. You know, to literally, like, I always ask people, "What do you want out of your small business journey?" And people say the same things all the time, right? Like, free time, autonomy, creativity, more money, less hours, all the things.

It doesn't work if you don't actually practice what you preach though and you don't [INDISCERNIBLE 00:17:1] if you can't step back and enjoy the fruits of your labor that you've worked so hard for.

So, for me, here in Asheville, it's a big tourist city. And I hate it most of the time because I'm also very introverted. But there are days when the weather's really nice, like a couple of days ago it was like 75 here. Today is 28. And I was just like, "I'm going to go downtown and eat lunch and like, not talk to anybody. But I'll be downtown in the energy of, like, a tourist city where people are around and going out to do things."

And it just feels really good to just be able to do that whenever I want to do that. And to be able to take a step back and look at my schedule and say, "What do I want to schedule this week? What do I want to say no to?"

I think when you're able to get to that place where you can say no to things because you don't want to do them, or you don't have the capacity, that really frees up a lot of mental clarity and energy, too.

CAMEISHA BREWER: You know it's changed my life. And I've always been a very assertive person. I've been really good with boundaries. But I know a lot of that was my background and my parents being really good with boundaries and discipline. I mean, we're a military family. There's no way to not have discipline just kind of embedded in everything you do. But even as an adult, when my schedule got hectic, even working in the agency, before leaving, I had to start telling my clinical supervisor no. Like, no more kids, no more groups, no more treatment plans. I can't go to any other units. I'm really good at what I do. I'm very efficient. I get things done quickly. It is a natural skill for me.

But just because that is a skill for me doesn't mean exploit it. Doesn't mean let me do all this overworking because other people work slower than me. Like, I work like that so I can give myself a break because I know that this isn't the type of environment that will give me a break. So, I know how to create one for myself.

And so, I carried that into private practice and being a full-time entrepreneur. I'm on year four. So, the year 2020 was when I left the agency and it was crazy. It was scary. All the factors that were saying, "No, this is not a good time." They were on the table. But I had to do it anyway because I wanted space to be able to say no.

And that may be to a client who's not the best fit. I could take them but it's going to stretch me clinically. Maybe a little bit outside of my scope, but it's a no. It's a hard no, coaching clients included, it's a no. If you don't have certain things already set up, I'm not the best fit for you. And I know that. And I want to be clear about that. And I want to communicate that. So, everyone can make the best decision for them, including me.

PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, I love that. I mean, that's like self-care 101. Like, the epitome of self-care is being able to get really confident with your no. Before COVID or not before COVID, time, what is time right now anyway?

CAMEISHA BREWER: Right.

PATRICK CASALE: I believe it's about to be March of 2024. What was I going to say? Before throat surgery last October, I started like, transitioning all of my coaching clients off. I was like, "I have no idea what's going to happen. I don't know how long the recovery is going to be. I just need to stop saying yes to all of these things."

One of my vocal cords gets damaged during surgery, 18 months later, here we are. But I have turned down so many coaching clients since October of 2022 because I just don't have the energy or the capacity. And it's no longer how my energy is best suited to show up. And I've learned over the last couple of years because of the type of energy I have it's like, it has to be a hell yes for me for me to do it. Otherwise, it's like chasing that shiny object of, "Yeah, I could do this well, I could do this successfully, I could do this just to make the money." But if those things are not, like, really filling the cup back up or allowing me to recharge, it's an absolute no for me these days.

And it took a long time to get comfortable with that. Because I think in private practice, in coaching, in whichever industry, when you're starting to say no to things that are coming your way, you can kind of shrink back into that like scarcity mindset of like, "If I say no to these clients who are not a good fit for me, clinically, nobody's ever going to call me again."

That's not reality. But our brain likes to trick us into thinking like, if I'm turning down opportunities no other opportunities will show up. But what I have learned is the more you put intentionality into what you say yes and no to, the more opportunities will show up, and they will be the right opportunities.

And for me, that's just how I've had to really adapt to newfound circumstances in terms of like energy limitations, vocal restrictions, and other things that go on behind the scenes.

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. And I think it's a journey for a lot of people. And some people, I don't think they ever actually get to that point. And it's heartbreaking for me because I know what the freedom feels like for me to be able to make those type of decisions, but to also trust that whatever is supposed to be in my life, clients included, they will be there when the time is right, when I'm ready for them, when they're ready for me. Like, everything will align when it needs to.

And that took a lot of, you know, self-work, and introspection, and therapy for myself of being able to trust that it's not my efforts alone that make things happen.

PATRICK CASALE: So important, so important. Because so often, and sometimes this is simply out of survival and necessity. So, I don't want to minimize that. But it is sometimes a very privileged place to say no to things.

But you're so right that so many people just have to bounce from thing to thing to thing and never are able to give themselves breathing room to say is this even what I want? Because I say this all the time, that people leave their agency jobs, and then recreate their agency jobs because they're so stressed, or so anxious, or so worried that things are not going to work out. And then, you kind of like dig yourself this hole. And you're like, "Owning your own business sucks." And I'm like, "But it doesn't have to. Like, it really doesn't have to." And the sky is the limit.

You mentioned, like you just published a book, speaking engagements, podcasts, coaching programs, like, there are so many things we can do with the skill sets that we have if we know how to apply them, and strategize, and create our processes. Our processes are so crucial. And far too often I just see people who are flying by the seat of their pants all the time. And they're like, "I don't know why none of this is turning out or working for me. But it feels chaotic constantly."

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yeah, and that gives me anxiety because, you know, a lot of people when they reach out for coaching, it's at the desperation point where they've been operating in the chaos, and in their minds of functioning, but they're really not, so like an outside eye. And so, the challenge and the task for me as the consultant is to help them organize their business.

But before we even touch the business, like, we got to deal with your personal life. Like, it can't be a therapy session because it's not the container for that. But like the way you live on a day-to-day basis, it's what's complicating your business.

So, you're bringing these same habits over, same mindsets, poor scheduling, over-committing, under-delivering, poor quality type stuff. Like, when you bring that from personal life to business life, it's going to match, it's going to be an exact mirror. And you are the person who's responsible for making those changes.

I can tell you what to do, but the implementation completely on you. Because what I say is just a recommendation, it's a suggestion. You do what you want because you're the one who has to live with the decisions that you make in your personal life and in your business.

And I think for me, it's been a journey to learn how to be okay with people not taking my advice, and not internalizing that, even though I'm the consultant that they've paid a premium price to work with. I'm like, I can't internalize their decision making for their own life because I don't live it, I don't experience it. When we log off of the Zoom call, I'm done. I hope that you're well, and you're implementing the strategies we discussed. I'm not thinking about it because I want to live my life in peace.

PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, that's so important, right? Like, because I think time, like free time is the most valuable currency we have. Because it's the one we can't get back. So, if you are bringing all of that shit into your business, it's going to follow you. It's going to inform the decisions you make that might lead to panic marketing, that might mean you take every client who calls you even though they're definitely not a good fit, and you know it from the get-go but you're like, "I have to do this." I'm going to schedule clients all over the place so my schedule looks like a game of Tetris. Like, I'm not going to take a vacation even though I talk to my clients about vacations and self-care all the time. I am not going to, you know, implement my rate increases, I'm not going to, like, hire appropriately. I'm just going to, like, hire anyone who applies because we need to fill a spot.

It really can get messy. And it really leads to internal resentment, too. I think it gets to become this, like, frustrating, self-fulfilling prophecy of like, I'm just not good at this.

And I'm like, I think we just need to step back and get really clear on what we're trying to create. And let's fine-tune some things. And like, let's let go of some things.

And I think for me, similarly to you, when I'm doing coaching, I can offer strategy, accountability, I can offer guidance, but at the end of the day, I can't make you do the thing. And I think that for a lot of people, they struggle with that. Even in the therapist chair, they're like, "My clients just don't take my advice." It's like, "Well, that's not really your role." Right?

Like, and I think it's important to just acknowledge that. So, I'm really happy that you said that. I think it's important, not only for you as a human, but as a coach, as a consultant, as a therapist, to get into the mindset of like, all I can do is control like how I react to things. That's all I can do.

CAMEISHA BREWER: That's it. And I had to learn how to simplify life and simplify my thoughts because I wanted to always be responsible for this and for that. And I'm like, is that a trauma response for me? Like, am I trying to do too much? Do I need boundaries? Like, it was a whole thing in my head.

And now that I've mastered it, I can confidently say that I have mastered boundaries, and being assertive, and not internalizing things that have nothing to do with me. I enjoy my life, I enjoy the work that I do, I enjoy the people that I serve, I enjoy having relationships with people that I didn't get the chance to work with because of the scheduling. We didn't get a chance to collaborate, but it's not bad blood between us because the dates didn't work out. Like, I'm still going to support, I'm still going to listen to your podcast, I'm going to like your stuff on Instagram even though we've never worked together.

And so, that simplicity and being okay, and accepting the simplicity, that took me years to get to. But I'm really excited about how that's going to look for the rest of my 30s and going into my 40s because I thought I was going to be 50 by the time I was able to get to that place. But I'm a little early, so I feel good about it.

PATRICK CASALE: I love that. I mean, you're younger than I am. So, I think anytime we can get to this mindset of like, simplifying life and just enjoying the present moments that we create too, or that we show up for, super important and transformative in all the ways.

That being said, so you've got the book, you've got speaking engagements, you're a therapist, you're a coach, and consultant. Tell me about, like, what's really energizing you these days? Like, what are the things where you're like, "This is absolutely my passion right now. This is what I'm following."

CAMEISHA BREWER: I think what energizes me these days is watching the people I work with get their own results that they've created. Maybe what we discussed in the session inspired them or changed their mindset about some things, a tweak to their marketing, but their success that they're creating and taking ownership of. Like, and I tell them I love the testimonials. Like, they're needed for marketing. But the texts that I get like, "Oh, Cameisha, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be able to do this."

I'm like, "Uh, that's not true. I think you would have found it, eventually. It may have been through another person, or listening to somebody else's podcast. But I confidently believe you would have gotten there at some point."

So, I don't want anyone to give all of the credit to me and my coaching style or consulting, whatever. But watching people grow, and create their own success, and me being able to just be a part of their journey, and support, and witness it, that gives me energy, and confidence, and confirmation in the work that I do, and the way that I do it.

Because I am from the south. I am a little bit direct. It is warm, but sometimes it is very direct, and it may make you uncomfortable. But sometimes it just needs to be said. And that's me. Like, that's my personality, that is Cameisha.

So, for the people who gravitate to my personality and are able to take something from it, and apply their own magic to it, and sprinkle whatever on it, and make it work, and make it their own, that gives me a lot of energy these days.

PATRICK CASALE: I love that. Yeah, I think we attract and repel by how we show up. And we're not going to be for everybody. And that's okay. I think that's also a very valuable lesson is like, recognizing that we all have our little, like, areas that we can show up in, and we can attract certain personality types and certain people because of the way we move through the world. And that does not mean that everybody's going to gravitate towards that. And that is absolutely okay.

And I think it's important to just acknowledge that because I think abundance is more so having more clarity of vision of how we move through the world opposed to like, taking everything on that comes our way and in fearfulness of missing out or missed opportunities. So, I really like that approach a lot.

Any advice for those who are listening who are like, "Wow, I'm in an inpatient setting right now, I'm in a group practice. I'm struggling with my private practice." To kind of say, four years later, here you are.

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yeah, I think my advice is simple. Like, just don't stop working on the lifestyle that you want. You may not be able to get there in six months. It may not be a two-year magic window. But every day, even if it's for one hour a day, do something that moves you forward, something that builds your practice, something that makes you better as a person, implement some type of skill, some type of self-care, refine some process in your business. But commit to doing the things that make life easier for you, things that make life more manageable, and something that's less stressful, but find little pockets that you can include of enjoyment, of leisure time, an activity. Even if it is a funny movie at midnight, watch the movie.

Like, you can't just say, "Oh, I need to go to sleep because I got to go to work." You're always going to have to go to work until you create a lifestyle where you don't have to go to work. I've done that. I've had to cancel some clients some days because speaking engagement ran late, travel, whatever, voice is gone. I'm like, "I can't do it. I don't have it." But I don't have to discuss that and get that approved now.

So, if you're listening to this episode, make sure that you commit to working on the lifestyle that you want every single day in whatever time you have to do it, 15 minutes a day, 30 minutes a day, reading a book, listen to a podcast, do something to grow and get better every single day.

PATRICK CASALE: Love it. And you know, before we started recording you mentioned you were a huge Steph Curry fan. I feel like he would endorse that message, too, so…

CAMEISHA BREWER: Me too.

PATRICK CASALE: Thank you so much for coming on and sharing some of your journey. And please tell the audience where they can find more of what you've got going on.

CAMEISHA BREWER: Yeah, I'm on Instagram as @cameishabrewer. All social media platforms, @cameishabrewer. I do have a freebie for your audience. It's my three biggest mistakes I've made in private practice. So, it's a three-part series video training. It is at cbrewerconsulting.com/start.

PATRICK CASALE: And all of that information will be in the show notes so you have easy access to all of Cameisha's info and all of that great advice.

Thank you so much for coming on and making the time.

CAMEISHA BREWER: Of course, thanks for having me.

PATRICK CASALE: To everyone listening to the All Things Private Practice podcast, new episodes are out every single Saturday on all major platforms and YouTube. Like, download, subscribe, and share. Doubt yourself, do it anyway. Will see you next week.