Empowered to Lead

If you have ever wondered whether you are ready to grow, this conversation is for you. Frances of Moose Jaw Psychology shares how a solo practice she opened the month before the pandemic grew, almost accidentally, into a team of around sixteen clinicians, and the grounded, numbers-based thinking she used to decide when to take more space before she was ever fully ready. What You’ll Hear: Why you a...

What does it look like to expand your group practice three times without a blueprint, before you feel financially ready, and driven entirely by vision? In this conversation, Lisa sits down with Rachel Frankford, owner of New Pathways Therapy in Toronto, to talk about organic growth, the guardianship model of leadership, and what it really takes to keep saying yes when everything in you says it is...

This solo episode is a permission slip for any leader who has been white-knuckling a promise that no longer serves them. Lisa unpacks the real difference between being authentic and being vulnerable with your team, and why honouring your own capacity is one of the most caring things you can do as a group practice owner. What You’ll Hear: Why pausing a commitment is an act of leadership, not a fail...

Summer can feel like a season you either coast through or panic through. In this solo episode, Lisa offers a different invitation: to use the slower pace deliberately. Drawing on the burnout conversation from the previous episode and the image of a plant quietly wilting from giving without being watered, Lisa walks group practice owners through three grounding questions to help them arrive at the...

What does burnout actually feel like from the inside — and how do you know you're in it before it's too late? In this conversation, Lisa sits down with Katarina McCurdy, a therapist, clinical supervisor, workshop facilitator, and podcast host, to talk about the hidden emotional cost of keeping all the plates spinning, and what it really takes to slow down before your body does it for you. What You...

Last week we named the cost of leading alone. This week, we hand you the map. In this solo episode, Lisa walks group practice owners through the Connection Map — a tool for seeing who is actually in your circle, where the gaps are, and what kind of support you are missing without realizing it. You will learn the six roles every group practice owner needs in her circle, three questions to ask about...

What does it actually cost a group practice owner to lead alone? Not the obvious cost — the loneliness everyone talks about — but the hidden one. The one that shows up as decisions that take longer than they should, doubts that grow louder than they need to, boundaries that quietly slide, and a sense of normal that has drifted further from actual normal than you realize. In this solo episode, Lisa...

You know you need to delegate. You've read the books, hired the help, and still find yourself answering emails at 9 p.m. and quietly taking tasks back. In this solo episode, Lisa picks up where the last one left off and walks through three layered frameworks that turn delegation from a tactic into a practice — so you can finally lead the business you built. What You’ll Hear: ✓ Why delegation is a...

Uriah Guilford built a group practice by accident, a virtual assistant company out of necessity, and an AI-powered intake platform because a problem needed solving. In this conversation, he and Lisa talk honestly about why group practice owners wait too long to let go, what great delegation actually looks like, and how the right intake system changes everything. What You’ll Hear: - Why waiting too...

If you are still answering intake calls, reviewing invoices, and making scheduling decisions for your team, this episode is going to name something you already know but haven't acted on yet. We are talking about what it actually looks like to step out of the work that doesn't belong to you anymore, so you can lead the way your practice needs you to. What You’ll Hear: - Why being capable of somethi...

In this episode, Lisa sits down with Krista Helman , founder and Executive Director of the Trauma and Grief Institute in Ottawa, to talk about the real behind-the-scenes work of growing a group practice — and what it looks like to lead with intention while carrying *a lot* of hats. Krista shares her journey from solo practice to running a 15-clinician practice, the misconception she had about how...

The way people search for a therapist has changed — and if your website hasn't kept up, you may be invisible to the very people you're best positioned to help. Teddy Bezna of Searchlight Digital breaks down what group practice owners need to understand about SEO and AI search right now. What You’ll Hear: - Why AI search tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are changing how potential clients find therapis...

What does it actually mean to take care of yourself as a leader, not just as a therapist? In this conversation, Lisa sits down with longtime friend and colleague Jennifer Nagel to talk about congruence, self-leadership, and the retreat they are co-creating together in Costa Rica. What You’ll Hear: Why congruence is more than honesty and what it looks like when your values, mind, body, and spirit a...

In this honest and grounding conversation, Lisa sits down with Vancouver group practice owner Rebecca Rauscher , founder of Boundless Heart Counseling Group , to talk about what it really takes to grow a sustainable practice. From people-pleasing and painful leadership moments to stabilizing finances and learning to treat clinicians as “clients,” Rebecca shares the turning points that helped her s...

You can't lead a culture you haven't defined. This episode walks you through a practical three-layer checklist to help you get honest about whether your team culture is defined, communicated, and actually showing up in your practice day to day. What You’ll Hear: Why clarity is the root issue behind most team culture problems, and what it actually means to define your culture before you try to lead...

Leading a group practice is only sustainable when you genuinely enjoy the people you're leading. This solo episode picks up where the conversation with Kathryn Atkinson left off and gets honest about what it actually takes to build a team culture that works for you, not just your therapists. What You’ll Hear: Why your voice and enjoyment in leading your team matters just as much as your therapists...

In this episode of the Empowered to Lead podcast, host Lisa Catallo sits down with Kathryn Atkinson, a dynamic group practice owner from Vancouver Island. Kathryn shares her journey of building a thriving practice, emphasizing the importance of collecting the right people over expanding locations. She discusses her unique business model, leadership style, and the value of collaboration over compet...

Support is not just an admin hire. It is the full ecosystem that helps you lead with intention instead of constantly catching up. In this shorter, practical episode, Lisa walks you through a simple support mapping exercise to identify gaps across four key categories, operational, clinical, leadership, and personal. You will map what you are currently doing, what others are doing, what needs a plac...

As a group practice owner, it can feel like you are supposed to hold everything together. The clinical work, the leadership, the marketing, the finances, the emotional weight of your team. Somewhere along the way, “being a strong leader” can quietly turn into “doing it all alone.” In this episode, Lisa unpacks the myth of having to do it all. She explores the different types of support group pract...

In this inspiring conversation, Lisa sits down with Gisela Lamadrid , founder of Strong Ties Counselling in the Lower Mainland of BC. Gisela shares her journey from solo practitioner to intentional group practice owner, the lessons she’s learned about leadership, and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right support systems. Together, they explore what it really means to lead with care...

In this episode of Empowered to Lead , Lisa walks group practice owners through a powerful boundary audit designed to help leaders notice where overgiving, rescuing, and avoidance may be quietly draining their energy. This episode invites you to pause, reflect, and step more fully into your CEO role by strengthening boundaries that support sustainable leadership, clarity, and capacity. What You’ll...

If you listened to my conversation with Jessica Cowling and felt that “oh wow, that’s me” moment — this episode is your next step. We’re talking about two common crossroads for group practice owners: avoiding the numbers and leading from people-pleasing. I share my own experiences (including the resentment trap), and I walk you through five practical leadership steps you can take this month to pro...

In this heartfelt and practical conversation, Lisa sits down with Jessica Cowling , founder of Innerworks Counselling in London, Ontario. Together, they explore what it means to grow as a leader — from the early stages of group practice ownership to running a multi-layered organization with a leadership team, clear systems, and financial clarity. Jessica shares the lessons, mistakes, and mindset s...

In this episode, Lisa explores the idea that group practices move through distinct seasons —and leadership looks different in each one. Whether you're planting, growing, tending, or harvesting, knowing your current season helps you lead with clarity, reduce pressure, and stop comparing your practice to others. Lisa walks through practical markers to identify your season, common leadership traps to...

We’re kicking off Season 2 with a grounded, intentional reset for group practice owners. This episode invites you to slow down, take stock of the past season, and step into the next quarter with clarity, energy, and purpose—without the pressure or hustle culture vibes. You’ll hear reflections on wintering, the natural seasonality of practice ownership, what’s ahead for the podcast, and a simple th...