The Money Sessions

Tiffany McLain

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. 4d ago

    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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. Jul 27

    The Myth of the Insurance Boogeyman

    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 Therapists are afraid of a lot of things. Raising their fees. Leaving insurance panels. Being visible. Being judged. Failing publicly. But according to Tiffany, one of the biggest obstacles standing between therapists and the lives they actually want isn't reality. It's a story. A story that says: Insurance is the only safe option. The market is too competitive. Clients won't pay. The economy won't support it. Someone out there is stopping you from succeeding. In this episode, Tiffany challenges one of the most persistent myths in private practice: The belief that there is a boogeyman standing between you and the business you want. Because while insurance companies certainly create challenges, many therapists have unknowingly built entire careers around reacting to fear instead of responding to possibility. And that fear comes at a cost. A cost measured in exhausted evenings. Financial anxiety. Overloaded caseloads. Missed time with family. And years spent living far below your actual potential. In this episode, Tiffany explores: Why therapists often give away their power to systems they believe control them The hidden emotional payoff of believing someone else is responsible for your limitations How fear-based thinking keeps therapists trapped in business models they no longer want Why insurance isn't the true obstacle for most therapists The difference between reacting to circumstances and creating a vision for your future How chronic financial stress quietly impacts your quality of life Why many therapists have stopped imagining what they actually want The invitation to stop building a practice around fear and start building one around possibility What it means to become the hero of your own story instead of waiting to be rescued How to begin imagining "you to the max" and building a practice that supports that vision This episode is ultimately about reclaiming agency. Because the question isn't whether insurance is frustrating. The question is: What are you going to do with the one life you have? Will you continue organizing your business around fear? Or will you finally give yourself permission to imagine something bigger? A practice where you see fewer clients. Charge fees that support your life. Spend more time with your family. And stop carrying the constant weight of financial anxiety. As Tiffany asks in this episode: Who are you at your fullest potential? Who are you to the max? Because the future you want won't be built by hiding from fear. It will be built by deciding that fear no longer gets to make your decisions. If you're ready to stop playing defense and start building a Life First Practice, fill out an application through this link Or email tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the subject line: "I'm Ready." Because there is no insurance boogeyman powerful enough to stop a therapist who has finally decided to put their life first.

    The Myth of the Insurance Boogeyman
  7. Jul 20

    Danielle's Journey to $255 & Full: A Journey through the VERY Messy Middle

    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 the "messy middle" isn't proof you're failing… but proof you're growing? In this deeply honest episode, Tiffany sits down with Danielle Robbins, an LMHC in New York, who went from opening a private practice with one client at a $200 fee to charging $255/session, nearly full, and preparing to leave group practice for good. But this is not a shiny overnight success story. This is the story of fear. Shame. Doubt. Identity shifts. October–November panic spirals. Networking while terrified. Feeling like "everyone else can do it but me." And continuing anyway. Danielle shares what it actually looked like to build a Life First Fee practice while navigating deep internal conflict, grief around leaving scarcity behind, and the emotional reality of stepping into more—especially as a Black woman therapist navigating messages about service, struggle, and success. If you've ever thought: "Maybe this works for other therapists, but not me…" This episode is for you. Because Danielle thought the exact same thing. And now? They're here telling you why you can do it too. In this episode we cover: How Danielle went from 1 client at $200 → 8 full-fee clients at $255 and growing What it really feels like in the "messy middle" (spoiler: doubt doesn't magically disappear) Why so many therapists mistake normal growth cycles for failure The shame Danielle experienced around success, money, and "doing well"  How being a young Black therapist shaped their beliefs about wealth, visibility, and belonging The unspoken money dynamics in therapy—and how Danielle's own experience as a free pro bono client changed how they practice What happened when inquiries slowed down and fear got LOUD Why networking became Danielle's biggest growth strategy (even though they were terrified) How stepping into higher fees required stepping into a new identity The difference between "failure" and simply being on page three of chapter one Why Danielle says therapists don't need confidence to do this—they can do it scared The mindset shift that helped them keep going when nothing seemed to be working What it means to stop colluding with scarcity and start building a practice rooted in desire, freedom, and sustainability If this episode hit home, send it to one therapist who needs permission to stop mistaking the messy middle for failure. And if you're ready to stop white-knuckling your way through private practice and finally build a business that supports your actual life? Email tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the word "Ready."   Resources mentioned: LIMB Academy Fun With Fees Calculator Danielle's website: Connect with Danielle: danielle@soulfulharmonycounseling.com

    Danielle's Journey to $255 & Full: A Journey through the VERY Messy Middle
  8. Jul 13

    Come to the Hamptons With Me

    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 the thing standing between you and your Life First Practice isn't strategy? What if it's the story you tell yourself about who you're allowed to be? In this deeply personal episode, Tiffany shares a surprising encounter that sparked a profound realization about wealth, self-concept, and the invisible limits therapists place on themselves. A simple conversation about the Hamptons uncovered something many therapists do every day: They automatically rule themselves out. Not because they can't. Not because it's impossible. But because somewhere along the way they decided: "That's for those people. Not for me." Whether it's a trip to the Hamptons, charging $350 per session, making $20,000 a month in private practice, speaking on bigger stages, or simply taking up more space in the world—many therapists unconsciously reject opportunities before they ever give themselves permission to consider them. And that's exactly what Tiffany challenges in this episode. In this episode, Tiffany explores: Why therapists often disqualify themselves from the very lives they want before they even try The hidden psychological cost of choosing what's "comfortable" instead of what's actually aligned with your goals How self-concept—not marketing—is often the biggest barrier to charging Life First Fees Why therapists routinely shrink themselves around wealth, success, authority, and visibility The surprising ways Tiffany caught herself minimizing her own success in real time What your desired fee symbolizes psychologically, emotionally, and relationally Why therapists readily accept negative projections ("struggling therapist," "martyr," "burned out clinician") but resist positive ones like authority, expertise, and abundance How to begin expanding your capacity to hold more success, more visibility, and more ease without abandoning yourself The paradigm shift required to build a practice that generates both freedom and meaningful income This episode isn't really about the Hamptons. It's about the places, spaces, opportunities, and identities you've quietly decided aren't available to you. It's about the part of you that wants more—and the part of you that immediately explains why you can't have it. And it's about learning to stay present long enough to question whether those stories are actually true. Because the therapists who build Life First Practices aren't necessarily smarter. They're not better marketers. They're simply willing to ask: "Who would I have to become if this were actually possible for me?" If you're ready to step into a new paradigm—one where $350 sessions, $20,000 months, spacious mornings, creative work, and financial ease are no longer things that happen to "other people"—this episode is for you. Email tiffany@leaninmakebank.com with the word "Paradigm." Because the goal isn't the Hamptons. The goal is becoming the version of yourself who no longer automatically assumes you don't belong there.

    Come to the Hamptons With Me
4.9
out of 5
101 Ratings

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.

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