The Freedom Therapist

This episode is about the real calendar shifts I’m compounding on in 2026 so my work feels steadier… without asking more of me. After years of running a private practice, both my businesses and mentoring therapists, I’ve learned this: Time isn’t actually the problem. A calendar that isn’t built for your reality is. In this episode, I share the 10 practical ways I’ve redesigned my calendar so it su...

In this episode, I’m sharing three lessons I’m carrying forward after a big, full year — both in business and in life. This is an honest reflection on what happens when demand stays high, capacity changes, and the way you’ve always worked quietly stops being supportive. As therapists, we’re skilled at clinical reflection — but when you’re running a practice or leading a business, self-reflection b...

2026 is here - and this year, I’m entering differently. In this first episode of The Freedom Therapist Podcast for 2026, I’m sharing what I’m consciously calling in as an occupational therapist, business owner, and human who wants to be more present - in my work, my life, and the way I lead. 2025 was a challenging year for me in many ways, and while there was also deep pride, meaningful work, and...

If you’ve opened Instagram this week, stared at a blank caption box and thought: “I actually don’t have it in me…” This is the episode you need. December asks therapists to hold so much- final sessions, reports, cancellations, end-of-year fatigue, squeezing just one more thing in AND on top of that, you're meant to “keep your marketing going.” I know you’re tired. And you don’t want marketing...

In this episode, I sit down with occupational therapist and director of Thrive Together Therapy, Aileen Mathyssen - a remote OT, private practice owner and leader in rural & remote allied health in Western Australia. Aileen’s story starts in Ireland, moves through Bondi and lands in Paraburdoo - a tiny mining town in WA where she became a true generalist OT and one of the only allied health pr...

What does it really look like to start a private practice before you feel “ready”? In this episode, I sit down with Chante Niemand , occupational therapist and founder of Little Lighthouse Therapy in North Brisbane — a paediatric practice she opened just six months ago that has already grown to include her first team member. This isn’t a story about scaling fast or chasing big numbers. It’s about...

For a long time, I avoided Instagram in my practice. I’d overthink every caption, second-guess every post, and tell myself I’d “come back when I had time.” (Which we both know never really happens.) But the moment I stopped forcing it and built a structure that actually worked in a therapist’s real week everything changed. Clients started finding me through my words. Opportunities landed that I co...

You’ve written the caption in your head a hundred times. You talk about these topics all day in sessions — emotional regulation, connection, care, identity, growth — it flows so easily when you’re in the room. But the moment you sit down to share it online, your stomach drops. You start rewriting, second-guessing, shrinking. And suddenly the thing that should feel like connection feels like exposu...

If you’ve ever tried to keep up with marketing your private practice while juggling clients, reports, and the chaos of real life — this episode is for you. We talk about what it really looks like to find rhythm in your business when everything feels unpredictable: why showing up online feels so heavy for allied health practitioners and therapists, and how to create visibility that feels ethical, s...

We poured some wine, hit record, and spoke about what it really feels like to start a brand new practice from scratch. In today’s episode, I sit down in person in Mparntwe/Alice Springs with my gorgeous friend and client, Hannah Muir, the founder of Deep End Counselling. We poured some wine, settled the nerves, and talked about what it really feels like to build a business from the very beginning....

What happens when you realize you don’t have to run your practice the way everyone else is telling you to? Today on the Freedom Therapist podcast I’m joined by Emily Mackaway — occupational therapist, mum of two, and founder of My Family OT . Emily’s story is one of reimagining what’s possible: from burning out in systems that didn’t work for her brain or her family, to slowly crafting a business...

Therapists and allied health practitioners often tell me that content takes so much time — one post can swallow an entire day, only to land with crickets. The truth is, your marketing isn’t failing because you’re not posting enough. It’s because the way you’re creating content is missing the connection piece. In this episode, I’m sharing my favourite content strategy — one that’s so easy you can s...

Maybe you’ve been sitting on a price rise for months because you can’t find the words that feel professional enough. Maybe you’ve got a program living half-built in your laptop because it doesn’t feel “ready” yet. Or maybe you’ve deleted the messy, human line from your caption and replaced it with something polished that could’ve come from anyone. That’s perfectionism in the messy middle of busine...

What does it really look like to build a practice that reflects both your values and your humanity — instead of just following the well-worn path? In today’s episode I’m joined by the wonderful Tess Neates, a paediatric occupational therapist and founder of Self & Space in Boorloo/Perth. Tess has woven together her love of creativity, connection, and community into a practice that feels deeply...

If your practice has ever felt quiet, you know the spiral. You start tweaking your website, Googling “SEO for therapists,” or posting more on Instagram — but still, no new referrals. And when you do get engagement, it’s mostly from other therapists, not the parents, teachers, or clients you actually want to reach. This is where most therapists get stuck. We think marketing is about doing more. But...

This week’s episode is one I recorded on the fly, after a real conversation reminded me of just how heavy things have felt for so many therapists right now. Between constant NDIS changes, shifting ballparks, and the relentless pressure of report writing, it’s no wonder so many of us are feeling tired, questioning ourselves, and teetering on the edge of burnout. In this episode, I speak honestly ab...

So many therapists, health professionals & allied heath practitioners tell me the same story: “I mapped out my whole week, and by Wednesday it was chaos again.” If you’ve ever felt like your calendar just doesn’t stick — no matter how motivated you are — this episode is for you. We’ll explore why traditional productivity hacks and rigid schedules often fail in therapy businesses, and what’s re...

If content keeps slipping off your to-do list — it’s probably not just about time or “sticking to a plan.” In this episode, I’m unpacking why showing up online as a therapist can feel so uncomfortable (and no, it’s not just the algorithm), and how to shift your mindset so creating content feels more like building connection and less like performing. We’ll talk about what’s really behind that hesit...

In this episode, we’re talking about the constant tug-of-war therapists feel between working in the business (client sessions, admin, the to-do list) and working on the business (planning, strategy, sustainable growth). If you’ve ever felt guilty for stepping back from client work to focus on the bigger picture — or overwhelmed by the idea of making time for CEO time when you’re already drowning —...

Is Private Practice Still Worth It? Why I’m Choosing to Stay For the therapist on the edge of burnout, change, or walking away — a reminder of what’s still possible There’s Still So Much Goodness in Private Practice Yes, it’s hard. Yes, things are shifting. But this space is still full of possibility. If you’ve felt the weight of all the recent changes If you’ve caught yourself thinking, “Is it ev...

You love this work. You care deeply. You hold the emotional weight of your clients, your team, and your community and yet, you’re still afraid to talk about making really great money. In today’s episode, we’re saying the thing out loud: being broke isn’t ethical — it’s unsustainable. I’m unpacking the toxic stories therapists have inherited around accessibility, pricing, and guilt... and what it a...

In this warm, honest, and emotionally rich episode, Mia sits down with Darwin-based occupational therapist and founder of Palm Tree OT , Emma Podsiadly to unpack the deeply personal story behind her heart-led private practice. Emma is a paediatric OT, mum to two gorgeous young children, and small business owner. She is always optimistic, and the kind of friend (and therapist!) who will cheer you o...

You finally start creating a business that feels good in your body. A group program that works. A bit more breathing space in your calendar. Profit that doesn’t rely on you being constantly available. And then the voice creeps in: Am I abandoning the work? Am I betraying my peers who are still in the trenches? Is it okay to want more — when so many are just barely getting by? In this episode, I’m...

You think you’re just being generous. You think you’re just making your service more accessible. But what if staying affordable is quietly costing you far more than you realise? In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of a real pricing conversation I had with a therapist inside The Freedom Therapist Club — one that started with “I’m not sure what to charge for this…”... and ended somewhere m...

You started your business for more space, more autonomy, more alignment. But what happens when you’ve built the thing… and it still doesn’t feel like yours? In this episode of The Freedom Therapist Podcast , I speak to the quiet ache so many therapists carry: the over-functioning, the people-pleasing, the invisible labour that follows us from traditional systems straight into private practice. We...