The Traveling Therapist Podcast

Kym Tolson
  • 4.9 (39)
  • Places & Travel
  • Updated Weekly

Hi, I'm Kym Tolson, and I'm the traveling therapist. It's my passion to teach therapists how to navigate online private practices and multiple income streams so they can travel the world. I'm a digital nomad. With a virtual insurance based private therapy practice and a multi six figure coaching business. I'm obsessed with entrepreneurship and developing tools that can help therapists live an adventurous lifestyle. In this podcast, I will discuss my journey as a digital nomad. I'll chat with other traveling therapists and help you navigate the complexities of running an online insurance based practice. I'm so glad to have you with me on this journey.

  1. 224. Leaving the Platforms for Out-of-Network Private Practice with Karen Ann Schmid

    3d ago

    224. Leaving the Platforms for Out-of-Network Private Practice with Karen Ann Schmid

    Getting recruited by a platform, telling them flat out that you live overseas, and then getting cut off anyway is a special kind of frustrating, and it's a big part of why an out-of-network private practice starts to look like the smarter move. In this episode of The Traveling Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Karen Ann Schmid, who came out of retirement at 70 and has been piecing all of this together from a 32-acre farm in New Zealand. Karen has been through it. A handful of platforms, a cease-and-desist, and a lot of late nights trying to keep seeing her clients while living abroad. We talk about what actually shifted for her once she stopped trying to credential with insurance panels, and what she's building in its place. In This Episode, We Explore… Why so many platforms started cutting off therapists located outside the US.What happened when Karen got a cease-and-desist after years of full disclosure.The realization that opened up once she stopped chasing insurance panels.How superbills let her keep working with clients out-of-network.The AI tools she leaned on to build her website, logo, and outreach from scratch.Connect with Karen Ann Schmid: Website: https://www.seensevicesusa.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-ann-schmid-7998ab75/ Are you ready to take the plunge and become a Traveling Therapist? Whether you want to be a full-time digital nomad or just want the flexibility to bring your practice with you while you travel a couple of times a year, the Portable Practice Method will give you the framework to be protected! ➡️ JOIN NOW: www.portablepracticemethod.com/ Connect with me: www.instagram.com/thetravelingtherapist_kymwww.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/www.thetravelingtherapist.comThe Traveling Therapist Podcast is Sponsored by: Berries: Say goodbye to the burden of mental health notes with automated note and treatment plan creation! www.heyberries.com/therapists Alma: Alma is on a mission to simplify access to mental health care by focusing first and foremost on supporting clinicians www.helloalma.com/kym

    39 min
  2. 223. What a Late Autism Diagnosis Taught Her About Therapy with Marina Livis

    Jun 24

    223. What a Late Autism Diagnosis Taught Her About Therapy with Marina Livis

    A late autism diagnosis can reframe everything you thought you knew about why your work, your relationships, and even your own field have felt harder than they should. For Marina Livis, that reframe arrived after years of being told she was too literal, too this, too that, with no one stopping to ask why. In this episode of The Traveling Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Marina to talk about what came after she was finally diagnosed, the licensing hurdles she refused to let stop her, and how all of it shaped the niche she serves now. We also get into the insurance mess so many traveling therapists are sorting through right now, and why she is rethinking how she wants to run her practice. In This Episode, We Explore… The long-distance relationship that quietly kicked off her traveling therapist journey.What being called "too literal" actually looked like on the job.The evaluation that was supposed to help her and ended up doing the opposite.Signs of autism in women that often slip right under the radar.Why she is stepping back from insurance platforms and panels.Connect with Marina Livis: Website: https://www.marinawellness.com Book a consultation button on her site (routes through her EHR) Kym's Resources: Bill Like a Boss: https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/Bill-Like-A-Boss 100 Side Hustles for Therapists: https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/opt-in-100-side-hustles Thera AI Hub: https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/AI-Tools-for-Therapists Coaching with Kym: https://calendly.com/kymtolson/30min The Traveling Therapist Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling Are you ready to take the plunge and become a Traveling Therapist? Whether you want to be a full-time digital nomad or just want the flexibility to bring your practice with you while you travel a couple of times a year, the Portable Practice Method will give you the framework to be protected! ➡️ JOIN NOW: www.portablepracticemethod.com/ Connect with me: www.instagram.com/thetravelingtherapist_kymwww.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/www.thetravelingtherapist.comThe Traveling Therapist Podcast is Sponsored by: Berries: Say goodbye to the burden of mental health notes with automated note and treatment plan creation! www.heyberries.com/therapists Alma: Alma is on a mission to simplify access to mental health care by focusing first and foremost on supporting clinicians www.helloalma.com/kym

    35 min
  3. 222. Tax Strategies That Turn Profit Into Real Cash with Emily Bowie

    Jun 17

    222. Tax Strategies That Turn Profit Into Real Cash with Emily Bowie

    If you have ever looked at your bank account and wondered where all your money actually went, the right tax strategies might be exactly what you have been missing. Most of us started a private practice because we love the work, not because we wanted to become experts in cash flow, pricing, and taxes. So it makes sense that this is the stuff that trips us up. In this episode of The Traveling Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Emily Bowie, a CPA and cash flow strategist with Thorne Advisors, to talk about why so many therapists end up profitable but broke. Emily has a real gift for making the money side feel doable instead of overwhelming, and she shares the kind of tax strategies that can genuinely change what you take home. If you have ever felt a little unsure about your own numbers, this one is worth a listen. In This Episode, We Explore… What "profitable but broke" really means and why it happens to so many practice owners.The simple pricing check that shows you your true profit per session.When it actually makes sense to elect S corp status, and the net income number to watch for.Why looking at your P&L next to your balance sheet tells the real story about your money.The tax strategies that only open up once you become an S corp, like the accountable plan.Connect with Emily Bowie: Website: https://www.thorneadvisors.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thorneadvisors/ Free Resource (5 Cash Leaks & 5 Missed Tax Deductions): https://www.thorneadvisors.com/cashleaks Kym's Resources: Bill Like a Boss: https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/Bill-Like-A-Boss 100 Side Hustles for Therapists: https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/opt-in-100-side-hustles Thera AI Hub: https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/AI-Tools-for-Therapists Coaching with Kym: https://calendly.com/kymtolson/30min The Traveling Therapist Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling Are you ready to take the plunge and become a Traveling Therapist? Whether you want to be a full-time digital nomad or just want the flexibility to bring your practice with you while you travel a couple of times a year, the Portable Practice Method will give you the framework to be protected! ➡️ JOIN NOW: www.portablepracticemethod.com/ Connect with me: www.instagram.com/thetravelingtherapist_kymwww.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/www.thetravelingtherapist.comThe Traveling Therapist Podcast is Sponsored by: Berries: Say goodbye to the burden of mental health notes with automated note and treatment plan creation! www.heyberries.com/therapists Alma: Alma is on a mission to simplify access to mental health care by focusing first and foremost on supporting clinicians www.helloalma.com/kym

    33 min
  4. 221. The Reality of Traveling While Getting Licensure Hours with Willow Renée

    Jun 10

    221. The Reality of Traveling While Getting Licensure Hours with Willow Renée

    If you're pre-licensed, you've probably been told that traveling while getting licensure hours is something you can't do. Stay put, finish your hours, then go live the life you actually want. Willow Renée decided she wasn't willing to do it that way. In this episode of The Traveling Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Willow to talk about what it really takes to keep traveling while getting licensure hours before you're fully licensed. She's hit some real roadblocks along the way, and she's refreshingly honest about all of it. If you've ever felt like you have to wait for permission to start building the life you want, Willow's story is a good reminder that you don't. In This Episode, We Explore… How falling in love with the Hakomi method in Mallorca set this whole path in motion.Why a verbal agreement with no contract left her scrambling to find a new supervisor.The two pathways she found for collecting licensure hours while living outside California.The Facebook group message that turned a rough travel day completely around.Her honest take on what she does to fund her travels and trainings right now.Connect with Willow Renée: Website: https://willowreneetherapy.com Email: willowreneetherapy@gmail.com Mentioned in this episode: Facebook post with list of supervisors who support traveling associates: https://www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/permalink/2005318196992541 The Traveling Therapist Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling 100 Side Hustles for Therapists (free opt-in): https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/opt-in-100-side-hustles Kym's Resources: Thera AI Hub: https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/AI-Tools-for-Therapists Bill Like a Boss (for supervisory billing education): https://kymtolson.kartra.com/page/internsprivatepractice Coaching with Kym (30-min): https://calendly.com/kymtolson/30min Coaching with Kym (60-min): https://calendly.com/kymtolson/60min Are you ready to take the plunge and become a Traveling Therapist? Whether you want to be a full-time digital nomad or just want the flexibility to bring your practice with you while you travel a couple of times a year, the Portable Practice Method will give you the framework to be protected! ➡️ JOIN NOW: www.portablepracticemethod.com/ Connect with me: www.instagram.com/thetravelingtherapist_kymwww.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/www.thetravelingtherapist.comThe Traveling Therapist Podcast is Sponsored by: Berries: Say goodbye to the burden of mental health notes with automated note and treatment plan creation! www.heyberries.com/therapists Alma: Alma is on a mission to simplify access to mental health care by focusing first and foremost on supporting clinicians www.helloalma.com/kym

    35 min
  5. 220. How Sailing Wellness Retreats Became Her Next Chapter with Cheryl Greathouse

    Jun 3

    220. How Sailing Wellness Retreats Became Her Next Chapter with Cheryl Greathouse

    A lot of therapists believe they need their full license, years behind them, and a perfect plan before they can build a business around something like sailing wellness retreats. Cheryl Greathouse is proof that the timeline can look completely different. In this episode of The Traveling Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Cheryl, a counselor and newly minted boat captain who put her practice on hold for four and a half years, sailed across the Pacific, and came home to start over as a pre-licensed intern while leading women's wellness retreats on a yacht in Greece. We get into how she built a life and a model that fits her instead of the other way around, and why being pre-licensed has not slowed her down one bit. In This Episode, We Explore… Why Cheryl put her therapy practice on hold and went sailing at 50.How she went from Army deckhand and powerboats to skippering her own boat.What a women's wellness retreat on a 48-foot yacht actually looks like day to day.How she handles her caseload and clients when she leaves for a month.Why she does not believe you have to wait for your license to do this work internationally.Connect with Cheryl Greathouse: Website: https://www.wayfinderwisdom.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wayfinderwisdom/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherylsailsaway/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.l.greathouse/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryl-greathouse-8795847/ Are you ready to take the plunge and become a Traveling Therapist? Whether you want to be a full-time digital nomad or just want the flexibility to bring your practice with you while you travel a couple of times a year, the Portable Practice Method will give you the framework to be protected! ➡️ JOIN NOW: www.portablepracticemethod.com/ Connect with me: www.instagram.com/thetravelingtherapist_kymwww.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/www.thetravelingtherapist.comThe Traveling Therapist Podcast is Sponsored by: Berries: Say goodbye to the burden of mental health notes with automated note and treatment plan creation! www.heyberries.com/therapists Alma: Alma is on a mission to simplify access to mental health care by focusing first and foremost on supporting clinicians www.helloalma.com/kym

    35 min
  6. 219. Work Exchange Travel with Kids as a Remote Therapist with Shannel Busuioc

    May 27

    219. Work Exchange Travel with Kids as a Remote Therapist with Shannel Busuioc

    Work exchange is one of those ideas that sounds great in theory but feels impossible once you add kids, a therapy caseload, and two suitcases into the equation. Shannel Busuioc figured out how to make it work anyway. In this episode of The Traveling Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Shannel, a Marriage and Family Therapist who left San Francisco in 2023 with her husband and two young kids to build a remote life abroad. She has spent the past three years moving her family through farms in Oregon, coastal towns in Mexico, forest schools in Portugal, and now the mountains of San Miguel de Allende. Work exchange has been one of the tools that made it sustainable, and she breaks down exactly how she approached it with a family in tow. In This Episode, We Explore… How Shannel and her husband planned their first year of family travel.What work exchange actually looks like with young kids.How Workaway works, what the membership costs, and the range of exchanges available around the world.How Shannel sets up a private practice workspace in each new location.Why she sees travel as a therapeutic tool, and the "family internship" philosophy behind how they choose destinations.Connect with Shannel Busuioc: https://www.therapywithshannel.com https://www.travelthroughtrauma.org https://www.gounpacked.substack.com Are you ready to take the plunge and become a Traveling Therapist? Whether you want to be a full-time digital nomad or just want the flexibility to bring your practice with you while you travel a couple of times a year, the Portable Practice Method will give you the framework to be protected! ➡️ JOIN NOW: www.portablepracticemethod.com/ Connect with me: www.instagram.com/thetravelingtherapist_kymwww.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/www.thetravelingtherapist.comThe Traveling Therapist Podcast is Sponsored by: Berries: Say goodbye to the burden of mental health notes with automated note and treatment plan creation! www.heyberries.com/therapists Alma: Alma is on a mission to simplify access to mental health care by focusing first and foremost on supporting clinicians www.helloalma.com/kym

    37 min
  7. 218. Building a Life You Love with Multiple Income Streams with Lisa Bodenstein

    May 20

    218. Building a Life You Love with Multiple Income Streams with Lisa Bodenstein

    Building multiple income streams as a traveling therapist isn't just a financial strategy; it's how some clinicians make the whole lifestyle actually work. In this episode of The Traveling Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Lisa Bodenstein, a therapist, coach, and clinical supervisor who has been doing this since 2012, long before online therapy was even a thing. Based in Italy, originally from South Africa, trained in the UK, she has figured out how to keep practicing across borders while building a life that genuinely fits her. Lisa shares how she navigated international licensing across three countries, why having multiple income streams took the financial pressure off her client work, and what it looks like to build offerings that come from real lived experience. From a supervision community to an ADHD book in progress to a creative retreat space in rural Italy, she's a great example of what's possible when you stop waiting for permission to do things differently. In This Episode, We Explore… How Lisa has practiced across South Africa, the UK, and Italy since 2012, and what she learned about navigating licensing along the way.Why building multiple income streams gives traveling therapists more flexibility and less pressure around client work.Her clinical specialty in womb twin survivors, and how an ultra-specific niche can attract clients without heavy marketing.The Brew and Do Supervision Crew, her community for therapists to get accountable and get things done together.Her book in progress, You, Me, and This Thing Called ADHD, and how her own ADHD diagnosis shapes how she works and travels.Using TrustedHouseSitters as a low-cost way to explore new destinations while keeping a home base.Connect with Lisa Bodenstein: https://www.lisabodenstein.online/ https://www.skool.com/brew-and-do-supervision-crew-9236/about https://forbodymindandsoul.com/ https://wombtwinsurvivor.com/ https://www.instagram.com/forbodymindandsoul/ BnB: https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/sonic-alchemy.it.html?utm_source=copilot.com Recording studio: https://sonicalchemy.it https://www.lisabodenstein.online/ Are you ready to take the plunge and become a Traveling Therapist? Whether you want to be a full-time digital nomad or just want the flexibility to bring your practice with you while you travel a couple of times a year, the Portable Practice Method will give you the framework to be protected! ➡️ JOIN NOW: www.portablepracticemethod.com/ Connect with me: www.instagram.com/thetravelingtherapist_kymwww.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/www.thetravelingtherapist.comThe Traveling Therapist Podcast is Sponsored by: Berries: Say goodbye to the burden of mental health notes with automated note and treatment plan creation! www.heyberries.com/therapists Alma: Alma is on a mission to simplify access to mental health care by focusing first and foremost on supporting clinicians www.helloalma.com/kym

    48 min
  8. 217. What It’s Really Like Working Inside a Prison as a Therapist with Ana Godoy

    May 13

    217. What It’s Really Like Working Inside a Prison as a Therapist with Ana Godoy

    Working inside a prison as a therapist is not something most clinicians ever picture for themselves. But for Ana Godoy, it turned out to be one of the most humbling, eye-opening experiences of her career. In this episode of The Traveling Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Ana, a bilingual social worker and licensed clinician based in Southern California, to talk about what led her to take a contract role inside a California state prison, what the work actually looked like day to day, and how that leap eventually opened doors she never expected. If you've ever thought about doing something completely outside your clinical comfort zone, this one is for you. In This Episode, We Explore… What drew Ana to correctional mental health work after 25 years in schools and family services.What it was actually like walking into a prison and running groups with incarcerated individuals.How contract recruiting works for mental health clinicians in California, and what to expect with pay and benefits.The telehealth options now available inside correctional settings, and why some positions don't require you to be on-site.How Ana is now channeling her experience into independent facilitation and consulting for families navigating the California Regional Center system.Connect with Ana Godoy: Website https://mifortaleza.us/ Website https://allthingslatina.com/ Are you ready to take the plunge and become a Traveling Therapist? Whether you want to be a full-time digital nomad or just want the flexibility to bring your practice with you while you travel a couple of times a year, the Portable Practice Method will give you the framework to be protected! ➡️ JOIN NOW: www.portablepracticemethod.com/ Connect with me: www.instagram.com/thetravelingtherapist_kymwww.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/www.thetravelingtherapist.comThe Traveling Therapist Podcast is Sponsored by: Berries: Say goodbye to the burden of mental health notes with automated note and treatment plan creation! www.heyberries.com/therapists Alma: Alma is on a mission to simplify access to mental health care by focusing first and foremost on supporting clinicians www.helloalma.com/kym

    29 min
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4.9
out of 5
39 Ratings

About

Hi, I'm Kym Tolson, and I'm the traveling therapist. It's my passion to teach therapists how to navigate online private practices and multiple income streams so they can travel the world. I'm a digital nomad. With a virtual insurance based private therapy practice and a multi six figure coaching business. I'm obsessed with entrepreneurship and developing tools that can help therapists live an adventurous lifestyle. In this podcast, I will discuss my journey as a digital nomad. I'll chat with other traveling therapists and help you navigate the complexities of running an online insurance based practice. I'm so glad to have you with me on this journey.

Information

  • Creator
    Kym Tolson
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    222
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Traveling Therapist Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Traveling Therapist Podcast

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