The Money Sessions

Tiffany McLain
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Deep, thoughtful, raw conversations with real therapists who are in the midst of leaning into raising fees and making bank – all while working with the clients they are passionate about serving.

  1. 12h ago

    Escaping the Time Massa': Fees and the Legacy of Slavery

    Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math.🎁 Download our FREE Life First Fees Private Practice Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free Ready to charge Life First Fees? Click here to fill out an application What if your relationship with money isn't just about money? What if your relationship with time, work, rest, safety, and your right to take up space has been shaped by something much older and deeper? In this deeply personal episode, Tiffany explores a realization that stopped her in her tracks: the feeling of an internal "time master"—a constant ticking clock that says you can rest later. When you're financially secure. When your children are safe. When you've worked enough. When you've earned it. But what happens when the clock never actually stops? For Tiffany, this question led directly into the legacy of slavery, intergenerational trauma, labor, and the ways that the value of Black bodies has historically been tied to their capacity to work. And then the question gets even more uncomfortable: What if financial freedom alone isn't enough to make us feel free? Because you can earn more. You can build the business. You can create time freedom. And still have an internal voice telling you that you haven't done enough to deserve rest. This episode is about that voice. And about what might finally quiet it. In this episode, Tiffany explores: The "time master" and the internal pressure to constantly produce Why financial safety can become psychologically intertwined with permission to rest The historical relationship between labor, worth, and the bodies of Black people and women How intergenerational and relational trauma can shape our experience of money and safety Why making more money doesn't automatically create an internal experience of freedom The connection between financial security and attachment, safety, and belonging Why community can create a sense of safety and expansiveness even before financial security arrives How being seen and believed in by other people can help us see possibilities we cannot yet hold for ourselves Why your clinical work can only expand as far as you're willing to explore inside yourself The importance of having a container where difficult thoughts, fears, grief, and desires can actually come forward What happens when self-protection becomes the very thing limiting your professional and personal growth Why creating a Life First Practice is about much more than increasing your income Tiffany also shares the story of a therapist in the Lean In. MAKE BANK. Academy who once questioned whether she could really charge premium fees in her rural community—and then watched that possibility become real. She booked $450 intake sessions. Clients said yes to $300 weekly sessions. The money was important. But what made the transformation possible was something deeper: Community. Connection. Mattering. Someone else seeing the possibility in you before you're fully able to see it yourself. And maybe that's the real work. Not simply getting paid more. But learning that you are allowed to exist, take up space, breathe, rest, and be present before the money arrives. Because the ultimate goal of a Life First Fee isn't just a bigger bank account. It's the ability to finally silence the ticking clock. To sit with your kids without calculating what you should be doing. To be with your partner without feeling pulled toward the next task. To spend time with your friends and actually be there. To stop measuring your worth in hours worked. To be present for life. If this episode brought something up for you—if you're curious about what might be possible when you have the right community and container to explore these questions—email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the words "I'm Ready." Because getting paid is lovely. But what's priceless is getting your life back.

    Escaping the Time Massa': Fees and the Legacy of Slavery

  2. Sep 14

    From $110 & Paneled to $300/Session & FREE with Adina Babad

    Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math.🎁 Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free Ready to charge Life First Fees? Click here to fill out an application When Adina Babad first found Lean In. MAKE BANK., they were charging around $110/session, fully paneled with insurance, overwhelmed, and wondering how much longer they could keep doing it. Today, they charge $300/session, have left insurance panels behind, are seeing fewer clients, earning $10K+ months, and have built a practice that actually feels sustainable. But this episode isn't about marketing hacks or overnight success. It's about the uncomfortable work of trusting yourself, challenging deeply held beliefs about money, and learning that the biggest obstacle to premium fees often isn't strategy—it's the mindset underneath it all. If you've ever thought, "Other therapists can do it, but not me," this episode is for you. IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER How Adina went from earning about $110/session on insurance panels to $300/session in private pay. Why leaving insurance wasn't just a business decision—it was a trust-in-yourself decision. The fear of "betting on yourself" and what finally helped them move forward anyway. Why borrowing someone else's belief in you can be enough until you develop your own. The mindset work therapists try to skip—and why strategy alone won't get you premium fees. How childhood, family history, gender, culture, and money beliefs quietly shaped Adina's relationship with earning more. What happened after they stopped trying to stay small and started showing up in the world. Why networking isn't about being loud—it's about being genuinely yourself. How confidence is built by collecting evidence, not waiting to feel ready. What therapists who think "everyone else is special except me" need to hear. RESOURCES MENTIONED   LIMB Academy LFF Calculator Adina's Website Adina´s Instagram

    From $110 & Paneled to $300/Session & FREE with Adina Babad

  3. Sep 7

    A $55 Fee Raise in THIS Economy?! Here's What It Takes.

    Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math.🎁 Download our FREE Life First Fees Private Practice Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free Ready to charge Life First Fees? Click here to fill out an application "But Tiffany, how can I raise my fee when I don't even have enough clients?" That's exactly the question one therapist asked Tiffany after describing the practice she desperately wanted: 17 sessions a week. $200,000 a year. Enough space to actually enjoy her life. The problem? Getting there would require a $55 fee increase with her existing clients—and she hadn't received a new referral in weeks. So how do you raise your fees when you don't yet have evidence that anyone will pay them? You stop waiting for the evidence. Because if you need your desired future to exist before you're willing to move toward it, you will stay trapped inside the reality you already have. In this episode, Tiffany challenges the conventional order of operations therapists have been taught to follow: Get the referrals. Fill the caseload. Then raise the fee. What if that's backwards? What if the practice you want requires you to make decisions before you have proof that they will work? In this episode, Tiffany explores: Why waiting for evidence before making a change can keep you stuck indefinitely The paradox of wanting a different practice while continuing to make decisions based on your current reality Why "I'll raise my fees once I have enough clients" may be exactly what's keeping you from building the practice you want How fear around your current caseload can keep you loyal to a business model that isn't actually working for you Why your current circumstances are not evidence of what is possible for your future The difference between following the status quo and having the audacity to create a new reality What Prince can teach therapists about creating a world that doesn't exist yet Why conviction has to come before evidence How taking decisive action can create the evidence you were waiting for A real example of a therapist raising her fees by $85/session without clients saying no Why being in demand can start with the decision to act like the practice you want is possible The economy doesn't have to be perfect. Your current caseload doesn't have to be perfect. Your clients don't have to prove to you that they can pay more. You have to decide what you're building. Because the therapist who waits until the world says, "Yes, you can do that," may be waiting forever. But the therapist who decides, "This is the practice I'm creating—and I'm going to learn what it takes to build it," creates the possibility for evidence to follow. That's what Life First Fees require. Not blind optimism. Conviction. Action. Strategy. And the willingness to move before the evidence arrives. Because you can keep building the practice that's merely fine. Or you can have the audacity to build the one you actually want. If you're ready to stop waiting for permission and start creating your Life First Practice, email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the word "Icon." Because "fine" is not the goal. And neither is waiting.

    A $55 Fee Raise in THIS Economy?! Here's What It Takes.

  4. Aug 31

    How this therapist & single mom got to her Life First Fee with Carol Covelli

    Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math.🎁 Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free Ready to charge Life First Fees? Click here to fill out an application What if becoming a premium fee therapist wasn't about seeing more clients—but about finally valuing the transformation you already provide? In this inspiring episode, Tiffany sits down with Carol Covelli, a therapist, business owner, and single mom of two who transformed both her practice and her life by reaching her Life First Fee. Carol shares how she moved beyond fear, stopped letting geography define what was possible, and built a practice around deep specialization instead of volume. Along the way, she discovered that raising her fee wasn't just about making more money—it was about becoming a better clinician, creating stronger boundaries, and building a business that could truly support her family. If you've ever wondered whether premium fees are possible for you, or worried that your circumstances make it harder than everyone else's, Carol's story is one you won't forget. IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER What finally led Carol to pursue her Life First Fee. How she dramatically increased her revenue while cutting her caseload nearly in half. Why being a single mom changed the way she thought about time, boundaries, and sustainability. The mindset shifts required to stop undercharging and fully own her expertise. How specializing in a highly specific niche transformed her marketing. Why therapists often confuse accessibility with self-sacrifice. The role that confidence, community, and coaching played in Carol's growth. How charging premium fees has improved both her business and her clinical work. Practical marketing lessons for therapists who want premium fee clients. Carol's advice for therapists who feel like charging Life First Fees isn't possible for them. RESOURCES MENTIONED LIMB Academy LFF Calculator Carol's Website

    How this therapist & single mom got to her Life First Fee with Carol Covelli

  5. Aug 24

    A Seam in the White Room

    Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math.🎁 Download our FREE Life First Fees Private Practice Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free Ready to charge Life First Fees? Click here to fill out an application Most therapists think the hardest part is allowing themselves to want more. More income. More freedom. More creativity. More time off. A Life First Practice. But what happens after you let yourself want it? In this episode, Tiffany explores the next stage of growth—the one almost nobody talks about. Because once you stop wondering if a Life First Practice is possible and start moving toward it, something unexpected happens. You begin to see things you couldn't see before. A new possibility. A new level of clinical work. A new version of yourself. Tiffany calls it finding the seam in the white room. For years, you've been practicing inside the same room, doing meaningful work with your clients. Then one day, you notice what looks like a tiny seam in the wall. You get closer. And you realize it isn't just a seam. It's a door. A door that has been there all along. Opening that door changes everything. Not because the work you've been doing wasn't valuable—but because you suddenly discover there's an entirely new level of growth, clinical depth, and possibility waiting on the other side. And that's where the real work begins. In this episode, Tiffany unpacks: Why allowing yourself to want more is only the beginning of the journey What happens after you begin building a Life First Practice The powerful metaphor of "the seam in the white room" and what it reveals about clinical growth Why expansion often brings grief, regret, excitement, and uncertainty at the same time The hidden cost of trying to navigate new levels of growth by yourself Why every new level of success requires new resources, new support, and new ways of thinking How investing in yourself becomes part of becoming the therapist your future clients need Why the "messy middle" is not a sign you're failing—it's evidence you're growing The importance of surrounding yourself with people who have already walked through the next door How asking better questions opens opportunities that have been in front of you all along This episode is about far more than charging higher fees. It's about becoming the kind of therapist who is willing to keep opening doors. Because every time you step into a bigger room, you'll discover another seam. Another opportunity. Another level of yourself waiting to be explored. Growth doesn't end. It expands. And the therapists who build extraordinary practices aren't the ones who never feel overwhelmed. They're the ones who learn to stay curious enough to open the next door. If today's episode helped you see a seam you've never noticed before, email Tiffany at tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the words: "I Want It." Because sometimes the biggest breakthrough isn't finding a new strategy. It's realizing the door has been there all along.

    A Seam in the White Room

  6. Aug 17

    Rural Virginia: 8 Months to $40K Revenue Boost with Half the Caseload

    Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math.🎁 Download our FREE Fun with Fees Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free Ready to charge Life First Fees? Click here to fill out an application When therapists tell themselves, "I live in a rural area, so premium fees aren't possible here," Leah Harlan is living proof that assumption isn't true. In just 8 months, Leah increased her annual revenue by more than $40,000 while cutting her caseload nearly in half. And she did it in rural Virginia. In this conversation, Leah shares what it looked like to move from exhaustion and overwork into a practice that actually supports the life they want to live. They open up about the fears, mindset shifts, fee increases, and practical decisions that made this transformation possible—and why geography wasn't the barrier they once thought it was. If you've been convinced your location, market, or community can't support Life First Fees, this episode is a must-listen. IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER Why rural therapists often underestimate what clients are willing to invest in therapy The mindset shifts Leah had to make before raising their fee How they increased revenue by over $40,000 in less than a year What happened when they reduced their caseload instead of adding more sessions The fears that surfaced throughout the fee-raising process How Life First Fees created more sustainability inside and outside the therapy room The connection between therapist burnout and undercharging Why premium-fee clients exist in every community—including rural areas What changed in Leah's confidence, boundaries, and clinical work as their practice evolved Advice for therapists who believe their market "can't support" higher fees   RESOURCES MENTIONED LIMB Academy LFF Calculator Leah's Website

    Rural Virginia: 8 Months to $40K Revenue Boost with Half the Caseload

  7. Aug 10

    Get Good Enough to Charge $600/Session

    Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math.🎁 Download our FREE Life First Fees Private Practice Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free Ready to charge Life First Fees? Click here to fill out an application What does it actually mean to be good enough to charge $600 per session? More certifications? Another modality? A better niche? A prettier website? Most therapists assume that charging premium fees is simply a reflection of clinical expertise. But in this episode, Tiffany challenges that assumption and asks a much deeper question: What if the thing that allows someone to charge $600 per session has less to do with what they know—and more to do with who they become? Because after working with therapists for over a decade, Tiffany has noticed something fascinating: The therapists who create Life First Practices don't just change their marketing. They change their relationship with themselves. They become freer. Freer from permission-seeking. Freer from fear. Freer from the opinions of colleagues. Freer from the invisible rules that tell them what's allowed and what's possible. And that freedom changes everything. In this episode, Tiffany explores: Why charging a Life First Fee is about far more than marketing or clinical skill What therapists often misunderstand about charging $600 per session The difference between earning more money and becoming more free Why SEO, Google Ads, copywriting, and marketing strategies are only the tip of the iceberg How internal limitations, fears, and unconscious beliefs create financial ceilings The surprising lesson Tiffany learned from a therapist successfully charging $600 per session who still didn't feel free Why making more money without doing the deeper work often leaves therapists trapped in new ways What it means to build a practice that gives you both time and money How personal transformation creates professional demand Why becoming more conscious, present, and fully yourself may be the greatest business strategy of all This episode is not about learning how to charge $600. It's about becoming the kind of person for whom charging $600 feels natural. Because there are therapists charging premium fees right now who are still trapped by anxiety, shame, people-pleasing, and fear. And there are therapists building extraordinary lives because they chose something deeper than a pricing strategy. They chose freedom. The kind of freedom that shows up in your relationships. In your parenting. In your business. In your ability to make decisions without constantly asking for permission. The real question isn't whether you're good enough to charge $600 per session. The real question is: What would happen if you became free enough to? If you're ready to build a Life First Practice that creates both financial success and personal freedom, we'd love to meet you. Apply to Lean In. MAKE BANK. through this link Or email tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: "I'm Ready." Because the goal was never just $600 per session. The goal is becoming the version of yourself who no longer needs anyone else's permission to build the life you want.

    Get Good Enough to Charge $600/Session

  8. Aug 3

    $600/Session: A Mystery Guest You Cannot Miss

    Ready to set your fee? You choose the dream, we'll do the math.🎁 Download our FREE Life First Fees Private Practice Calculator 👉🏽 https://www.leaninmakebank.com/free Ready to charge Life First Fees? Click here to fill out an application What happens when a therapist charges $600 per session and becomes the target of criticism, projection, outrage, and endless commentary from other therapists? In this powerful and provocative episode, Tiffany sits down with a mystery guest we'll call Maverick—a Canadian trauma therapist who built a thriving premium fee practice and now charges $600 per session for deeply relational trauma work. Maverick shares the emotional reality of raising fees, the backlash they faced from colleagues, the clinical implications of becoming the "bad object," and why so many therapists remain trapped in martyrdom disguised as ethics. This conversation goes far beyond pricing. It's about desire. It's about self-abandonment. It's about what becomes possible when therapists stop organizing their lives around being perceived as "good." And it may completely change the way you think about money, power, accessibility, capitalism, and clinical work. In This Episode We Cover: Why Maverick chose to remain anonymous—and the surprising amount of hate they receive for charging $600 per session The journey from charging $80 per session to $600 in just two years Why simply raising your fee is not the hard part The emotional and identity-level work therapists face when stepping into premium fees How therapist training reinforces self-abandonment and martyrdom What therapists get wrong about accessibility, privilege, and client decision-making Why therapists often assume they know what clients can and cannot afford The clinical importance of becoming the "bad object" How fee conversations mirror relational trauma dynamics Why many therapists unconsciously organize their practices around avoiding discomfort The difference between living in fantasy versus living in reality How Maverick learned to stop collapsing criticism into "I am bad" Why being well-rested, well-trained, well-supported, and financially secure makes therapists better clinicians The connection between premium fees and providing transformational trauma therapy Maverick's take on capitalism, social justice, and why therapists are often the wrong target Why AI will replace many forms of transactional therapy—but not deeply relational work The future of private practice and what therapists need to do to remain valuable How therapists unknowingly model self-abandonment to clients through their businesses What therapists lose when they prioritize being liked over being effective Resources Mentioned: LIMB Academy Life First Fee Calculator About The Money Sessions The Money Sessions is the podcast for therapists who are ready to stop treating money as separate from clinical work. Each week, Tiffany McLain brings you honest conversations about private practice, premium fees, therapist identity, wealth, desire, marketing, and the emotional realities of building a sustainable business. Because the therapist you become when you're financially resourced is often the therapist your clients need most. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a therapist who needs to hear it. And if you're ready to build a premium fee private practice, email tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the word Ready.

    $600/Session: A Mystery Guest You Cannot Miss
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About

Deep, thoughtful, raw conversations with real therapists who are in the midst of leaning into raising fees and making bank – all while working with the clients they are passionate about serving.

Information

  • Creator
    Tiffany McLain
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    197
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ©2019
  • Show Website
    The Money Sessions

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