Starting a Private Practice With a Business Partner: Lessons from Allison and Amanda

There is a version of private practice that gets sold as the default. You, alone, with your name on the lease, your caseload, your paperwork, and your slow months. For a lot of therapists, that picture is exactly why starting feels so heavy. Doing it alone sounds less like freedom and more like one more thing to carry by yourself.

Allison and Amanda did not start that way. They built their Dallas practice together, as business partners, after years of working side by side in an inpatient hospital and then a group practice. Three years in, they run a specialized couples and trauma practice that neither of them believes they could have built solo.

Their story is not a clean five-year plan. It runs through insurance panels they were tired of, a generalist group practice that quietly discouraged niching, four months of Saturdays spent building a website and filing LLC paperwork, and a slow, deliberate decision to grow into the kind of work they actually wanted to do. Here is what we took from their conversation with Kelly.

Lesson 1: You Do Not Have to Start a Practice Alone

When Kelly asked why they chose partnership, Allison was honest about it. They were, in her words, too scared to do it on their own. The idea of going solo felt daunting. That is not a flattering origin story, and that is exactly why it is worth telling. Most advice about starting a private practice assumes a lone founder who just needs the right checklist. For Allison and Amanda, the checklist was not the missing piece. A partner was.

But here is the part we want therapists to hear clearly: partnership is not a shortcut around the hard parts. It is a trade. You swap the loneliness of solo building for the genuine work of two nervous systems, two communication styles, and two sets of expectations sharing one business. Kelly was direct about this from her own experience with Miranda. They did not start as friends, they barely knew each other, and they do not recommend doing it that way. The partnerships that work are not the ones that skipped the hard conversations. They are the ones that had them.

The takeaway: If solo practice feels too heavy to start, a business partner can be a real answer. Just go in knowing you are signing up for relationship work, not avoiding it.

Transcript

Kelly [00:00:01]: Hey, everybody. Welcome back to this episode, all about business partnership and creating a practice from the beginning. How to do it, how to start it well, and how to do it with another person. I'm joined today by two people, which is very unusual. We have Allison Schmidt and Amanda Stretcher, lpcs, in Dallas, Texas, and owners of Crescent Counseling. Welcome. Alison Schmidt [00:00:28]: Thanks for having us. Kelly [00:00:29]: Yeah, I think this is great. Okay. Just for the audience listening, who is who, so they can kind of maybe tune into voices and know. Alison Schmidt [00:00:37]: Yeah. I'm Alison. Amanda Stretcher [00:00:39]: And I'm Amanda. Kelly [00:00:40]: Okay. Good luck distinguishing their voices, guys. I really am. I was saying this before we hit record. I am truly, genuinely excited to talk about your story, because sometimes people. People come to Zinni me, and they see me and Miranda, and they're like, I want that. And what they don't see is that Miranda and I really. It took years to cultivate the kind of relationship we have. Kelly [00:01:10]: And we did not start out as friends. We did not start out in a business partnership in a way that anyone should. We barely knew each other, and we don't recommend that. And we just are very, very lucky. But it was hard sometimes. And so I'm really curious about y' all's story, how it has come together for you. So can you take us to the beginning? Like, why private practice? Why this route? Alison Schmidt [00:01:40]: Yeah, well, Amand and I actually met. We were working in an inpatient hospital facility, so that's where we met each other. And we were friends, kind of. We kind of knew each other, and then we found ourselves at a group practice together after we left that place. And we were at the group practice for many years. And then, you know, we just have some friends in the area that had started their own private practice that were nudging us. And I remember one day walking into Amanda's office and saying, you know what? I think we can do this. So, yeah, that's kind of the overview. Alison Schmidt [00:02:14]: The birth of it, if you want. Kelly [00:02:16]: Will, why do it together should. Alison Schmidt [00:02:19]: Because we were too scared to do it on our own, and we just didn't really. I mean, the idea of it kind of felt daunting. I think at the group practice, it was predictable but uncomfortable. You know, we were working many hours a week on insurance panels, and it just felt like I remember thinking to myself one day, like, I don't know that I can do this the rest of my life. Like, this is just exhausting. Amanda Stretcher [00:02:47]: Yeah. I think we had a shared vision also of the group practice we were at before was very generalist, really kind of discouraged. Niching. And I think we both, in our friendship so personally and professionally realized we both really had specific populations we wanted to work with. And that led to invest in ourselves and in the work with our clients. And so that felt really aligned to have this shared vision of really specializing really niching and really providing really quality therapy to people in our community. Kelly [00:03:25]: Yeah, I think sometimes our past informs, you know, the pivots we make, and it can inform us of what we don't want. Like, I kind of knew, like, leaving the county, I was like, I cannot do more paperwork. I cannot. I need the least amount, you know, and sometimes we. We have something and we're inspired, and we want to replicate that. So I totally resonate with the. I don't want to be a generalist. I don't want to do this insurance stuff. Kelly [00:03:53]: So what. What paths did you want to take in terms of your niche? Alison Schmidt [00:03:57]: I primarily see couples and then emerging adulthood issues. Amanda Stretcher [00:04:03]: And I'm trauma. I love brain spotting. Kelly [00:04:05]: I'm trauma. Amanda Stretcher [00:04:08]: I am trauma. I love Kelly [00:04:12]: you do brain spotting. So one of you is more couples, one of you is more kind of individual. Yeah. Cool. So how did you make the leap from your job. Right. This job that you have into doing practice full time? Alison Schmidt [00:04:30]: What did that look like? We found the Zinnime podcast, started listening to it, and then we would get together on Saturdays and just spend our time going through business school, learning how to build our website, learning all the financials, learning how to file your llc. Like, all these things were very new to us, and we just kind of worked our weekends to kind of build it. Kelly [00:04:54]: How long did that take you? Alison Schmidt [00:04:57]: Four months, maybe. Amanda Stretcher [00:04:58]: Yeah, I would say, at least. Kelly [00:04:59]: That's kind of fast while you're working another job. Amanda Stretcher [00:05:03]: I think we had a little bit of an advantage being in the group practice. We were exposed to a lot there, so I think we had. We weren't starting from total scratch, even though, like, for us, everything we were building was new, and we were pretty motivated. We were really ready, so we were really willing to put some time. Alison Schmidt [00:05:26]: Yeah. Kelly [00:05:26]: Where do you think. Where do you think it was the most beneficial in terms of, like, building up the practice, getting clients? Where do you feel like these are the things that really helped you? Amanda Stretcher [00:05:39]: I think spending time networking is one thing that was really important to us. I think, again, another reason why we started together was we both really value relationships and collaboration. And so I think really kind of talking to other people we know in the community, being sure we're cultivating those relationships, help with referrals. And I think, oh my goodness. Putting a lot of work into SEO and trying to understand the whole world of SEO and keywords and how to communicate ourselves on our website, on Psychology Today, on social media, just how to talk to the type of client that we were looking for was again, such a shift from where we were at before. That was very generalist, Just kind of talk broadly about yourself and work with anything. Really saying, this is who I'm trying to speak to was really impactful. Alison Schmidt [00:06:39]: Yeah. I would say in the beginning we definitely invested a lot of time in, hey, you started your own private practice, can we take you to coffee? And pick your brain and like, what did you do and what would you not do again? And those things are really valuable. And then, you know, attending events in the community and really being able to like, speak to what you work with and not be afraid to say, like, ah, I like to work with just couples. I hope I fill up. Kelly [00:07:03]: You know, is there anything that you found, like, didn't work for you that it was like, well, that was, that's not aligned. Alison Schmidt [00:07:11]: I mean, I think at some point we shifted away from going to a lot of different events and maybe like we had, we had met all these same people. You know, a lot of these events are a lot of the same people. And so we pulled back on that a little bit and then started thinking about, like what new things we wanted to do, starting a podcast, thinking about, we now have a shared service that we do, couples integrated trauma therapy. So, so we're both in session. So things like that I think we shifted away from. But in the beginning we went to all the events and we host events. You were party people, you know, like, Amanda Stretcher [00:07:51]: please come see our space. Kelly [00:07:53]: Yeah. I think there is something about hosting. People forget that, that if you don't see what you need, you have to create it and invite people into that and then you're seen as a leader. People then look like you're the point of contact person so people really get to know you. And I think that that's true in my experience, like in the beginning it's a lot more work up front and then once you have the relationships established, it's much more light work and easeful to maintain them. And you know, who is really in your inner circle in terms of networking and who isn't. Yeah. Any mistakes along the way? Amanda Stretcher [00:08:32]: Oh, I think mistakes, I think I often violate that like five minute rule. I let myself get pretty bogged down time wise on some different things. Again, SEO, all sorts of things. I can go down some spirals and, like, overwork. Sometimes I think less can be more. A lot of times, yeah. Alison Schmidt [00:08:55]: And I think this is maybe not something that necessarily went wrong, but I think that it's something that you have to continue to learn, is to ride the wave. Right. When your numbers might drop a little bit to get on your SEO. Like, if I know that I'm doing everything I can to get new people in the door, then I just have to ride the wave, and then people show up, and then you fill up again. So I think. Amanda Stretcher [00:09:20]: And I think we see that with Alison Schmidt [00:09:22]: people that we're friends with in practice. You know, that's the hard part. Kelly [00:09:26]: Right. I think there's something about teaching our nervous systems, like, this is normal. Like, can our bodies might be like, ah, feast and famine versus, like, no, you have to take a little, like, higher position and see, like, a bigger picture of, like, oh, these are the months that kind of flow out, or, oh, do I even have the energetic capacity for clients? Maybe that's why they're not coming in, those kinds of things. What have you noticed that has shifted in terms of your relationship and your roles in the business as time has gone on? Alison Schmidt [00:10:02]: I think we are each other's yin and yang. She is the SEO queen in our company. Just still kind of makes my eyes roll in the back of my head. But I think we have, like, kind of naturally fallen into our. What we're good at, you know, and Amanda Stretcher [00:10:20]: support each other in that. Kelly [00:10:22]: And what. What would you say? So you do the SEO, and what do you do well? Alison Schmidt [00:10:28]: What do I do well? Amanda Stretcher [00:10:29]: I think that, Allison, you are so creative, and so I think I appreciate I can, again, get kind of bogged down in certain things. And I think you do a great job of, like, pulling me out of that and just bringing, like, a lot of creativity and helping us, like, both get really excited about different things. That's why I think the creativity and the grounding are things that you do really well that I lose track of sometimes. Alison Schmidt [00:10:54]: Thanks. Kelly [00:10:55]: Mm. I have that with Miranda. I get so in the weeds, and she'll be like, hello, come back to earth. So it's very helpful. When you're talking about, like, the marketing aspect, do you market it as a group practice, or do you market kind of individually? Alison Schmidt [00:11:17]: Yeah, I mean, I think we market it as a group practice. Our website is us together. And I think sometimes it's confusing for people if they go on our website and they want trauma therapy and they're reaching out to me. But, I mean, I think our Brand. Right. We were pretty specific about what does this mean? Like, what are many values? Why are we doing this? Why is it. Why is our Dallas community important to us and what do we want to specifically offer? So in that way, yeah, we're a group and we offer very different things and. And we overlap. Alison Schmidt [00:11:50]: And I think that that's. It's been really cool to see how that has evolved over the years. Kelly [00:11:54]: So how many years have you been in Practice now together? Alison Schmidt [00:11:57]: 3. Kelly [00:11:58]: What are you noticing about what the business looks like today compared to where it started? Amanda Stretcher [00:12:02]: I think that space of continuing to niche even further again, the creativity piece. Also, I think being in practice for ourselves and stuff of part of a group practice has just really allowed us to kind of cultivate and think about how do we want to be working and like, what really is a fit. Things like intensives, things like offering this. This work that we like to do together, where we're both in the room, really getting to say to have confidence in who we are as clinicians and what we're offering people, and to continue finding our voice and being able to communicate. That, I think has been really exciting. Like, if you want change, here's how I think we. We might be able to help you do that and believe in it and we really see it work. Alison Schmidt [00:12:48]: Yeah, it's definitely, like, made space for us to, you know, I think back to when we were in the group practice or even beyond that. Like, I didn't have the capacity to really invest in further trainings. Now I've kind of, you know, I drank the Kool Aid with the Gottmans and I am all in there, you know, but like, it didn't have that capacity and now, like, the space to say, yeah, I really want to invest in that and I want to become more of an expert in this thing. That's nice. Kelly [00:13:19]: I love that. How, like, when people ask, I'm curious what you say when people are like, I want to start a business with my friend. What do you say to that? Alison Schmidt [00:13:31]: You send them your website. You must do this. Kelly [00:13:36]: But I mean, I have a particular stance, you know, this. That it's not for everyone and that you really need to know your partner well and that usually you don't need. You don't need a partnership, but in order for it to work, you've got to have really good vulnerability, conflict negotiation skills. You know, there's just a. There's just a lot there. And so I'm usually more on the cautious side of it. Are you both like, yes, do it or where do you kind of land with it? What do you think? Amanda Stretcher [00:14:14]: I think a little on the cautious side. Also. I think we like to share, make sure people really understand and know our story of how long we've known one another, that we've worked across multiple different levels of care in different settings for, like, a lot of years. That we did have friendship in addition to a professional relationship, that we did do a business school to, that encouraged us to think about a lot of different things. Like, it wasn't just. Even though we said it only took us about four. Four to six months to get things going, like, a lot of time went into that. We really put into what we were doing. Amanda Stretcher [00:14:50]: So I think it's doable and for sure, and I think really rewarding. I really enjoy and admire Allison and really like the way that we get to work together and don't think it would look the same if we had just been our own separate entities. Kelly [00:15:06]: For sure. Amanda Stretcher [00:15:06]: We're doing would be a little more complicated. It wouldn't look like this. And the work we're doing now, I'm so excited. So I wouldn't tell anyone no completely, but I would want to ask her, like, hey, here are some things to think of about some of the stuff you said, like, how. How has conflict looked? Like, how do you feel like you would be able to resolve that together? What's the benefits, truly, of doing it together? The risks of doing it together? What looks different? I think for us, it's. It's worth it. The benefits outweigh any of the. Any of the challenges? Kelly [00:15:36]: Yeah, there's challenges even if you're by yourself, y'. Alison Schmidt [00:15:38]: All. Kelly [00:15:39]: So don't. I'm. I'm my worst partner sometimes, too, so. So this new stuff of, like, working together clinically, what do you see in the next year? What are you envisioning of, like, how the business is going to continue to grow and evolve? Because this sounds very exciting. Alison Schmidt [00:16:01]: I think that it is a really cool service. We've been able to convince some of our clients to do it, and they just think it's so cool, and they've been telling their friends about it. And now we. So we made a whole page on our website to of kind of help people understand what it is. And I think that both of us, too, are probably on our way to moving into, like, the intensive space. Kelly [00:16:23]: Yeah, I really do feel like in order to navigate what is happening in the world and changes with laws and ethics and AI and all these kinds of things, I do feel like intensives are One of the ways that we can deliver great outcomes, keep ourselves well resourced and sustainable in this work. So that's very, very exciting. So for people who are thinking about starting a practice, what is something you want them to know? Do you. Well, first let me ask this. Do you think it's a good time to start a practice? Amanda Stretcher [00:17:01]: That's a good question. I'm going to say yes, because there are people in my life I've been encouraging to do that. Kelly [00:17:08]: So. Amanda Stretcher [00:17:08]: So I'm gonna go yes, because I think for us here in Dallas at least, we're still seeing so much need. Like people need and want therapy and like quality therapy. I think quality. Kelly [00:17:21]: Yes. Amanda Stretcher [00:17:21]: Sources are more limited when there's all sorts of struggles going on. I think the quality piece is really important. So I think knowing what you're doing, being confident in that, and finding the population that you can work with, I think that's something we, again, that we were just so passionate about. Like, there. There are enough clients out there, and if we all get to specialize in what we enjoy working with best and find those clients, then people are really getting help. And people are going to come to therapy because they know what they're going to get if someone really invested in them and providing something they really need. So I think it's. It can be a good time now, as long as there's some good thought put into what you're doing and how you want to do it. Kelly [00:18:06]: Yeah. Do you have anything else you want to add? Alison Schmidt [00:18:09]: I think I would echo all of that and then I would just. I'm hearing. I'm hearing business school in my ear saying, your business is recession proof. Kelly [00:18:18]: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think, like, when we. If anyone's listening, one of the reasons why I do feel that your practice has done so well is being very intentional and understanding what sets you apart. Not trying to serve everybody, not trying to be all things to everyone, but being really, really clear. Not only how each of you individually serve, show up, and who you love working with, but how that story melds together. It's an added layer when you have a partnership. Right. If I were to write a piece of something and then Miranda were to write a piece of something, we have our own distinct voices. Kelly [00:19:00]: And then together we have this. We have this thing where when we write together, you see in our book, it's its own voice too. And so the fact that you took the time to be very intentional about what you didn't want, what you did want, how it fits together, I think that that is like an ultimate key here. And that when people are starting and they just start from the. I just want to see people, that's where they're going to struggle. And especially as venture capital has come in and the marketing has been way more generalist, we need to stand out more as like specialists, you know, so. Amanda Stretcher [00:19:37]: And it's what makes the community and collaboration so important too. Like we know who we want to work with and who we don't. And we know who in the community does that better than us. And we're always comfortable referring someone, letting someone know, I don't think I'm the best that. But you know what this person is and trusting that that's going to come back, they know us and what we work with well. And they're going to send a referral right back. Our way really again, allows everyone to work with what they work with best. Kelly [00:20:05]: Yeah. And then you can keep doing the work because you enjoy the work and you're doing work that you, that is meaningful and gets great clinical outcomes. Right. It's a win. Win for clients and for you. Yeah. Anything you want to leave as like a piece of advice to people that are listening to this who are wanting to start a practice. Amanda Stretcher [00:20:26]: It is doable. I think when we were, our history, when we were in group practice before, there was a lot of narrative about how hard this is and that you need, you need someone with admin, someone with more experience. You need someone doing all of this for you. I think even more now. Back when we were at that practice, some of those larger companies weren't quite a thing as they are now. And so I could see the narrative even more. You know, let us do all the back work. Kelly [00:20:56]: Yeah. Amanda Stretcher [00:20:56]: Right. But it's, it's doable. Yes. It is a lot of work for sure. And there are challenges and it's hard, but it is so doable to do these things for yourself and so rewarding too. Kelly [00:21:10]: And I think about like when you do them yourself versus outsourcing, right off the bat, you get to learn about like how like the client experience, you get to be more in control of that and curate something super special instead of it just fitting into something a larger company is doing across the board. Amanda Stretcher [00:21:30]: And that's such an important part of the work too. Right. So much of the research says the relationship is such an important piece of. Kelly [00:21:38]: Yeah. Amanda Stretcher [00:21:38]: So I, I feel like we know our clients so much more relationally by doing this, by thinking about them. From the moment we write our Psychology Today page, we're thinking about them. We're so much more connected. Kelly [00:21:51]: I love that. Alison Schmidt [00:21:52]: I think getting curious about the fear was something that we really thought about a lot in business school. Yeah. Of what is. What is my roadblock? Why am I feeling like this is going to be hard or people aren't going to follow me or this is going to be a failure? I think that was really important and helpful piece of. Of the work we did in the beginning, you know, because it is. It. Kelly [00:22:14]: You're. Alison Schmidt [00:22:14]: You're looking at yourself, too, you know, like, do you believe in yourself and your abilities and what you. The work that you do with people can take you a long way, but it. Work. It's work. But we're all smart. Yeah. Kelly [00:22:30]: And I mean, as I look at some of those fears, it's like, are those even mine, or were they just handed down to me and I just bought into, like, this is how it is. You know, I should be afraid of this thing when maybe it's not even mine to carry anymore. Amanda Stretcher [00:22:44]: Absolutely. Kelly [00:22:46]: So if people want to learn more about your practice in Dallas, what's the website that they could go to? Alison Schmidt [00:22:52]: Our website is crescent counselingdallas.com I really Kelly [00:22:57]: recommend you go check it out because it's a beautiful website, but it also does a beautiful job of being very, very clear about what is unique about you guys and how you fit together. Thank you for sharing your story. I have absolutely loved. I love getting to meet partners in business. We are a rare breed, and it's a special thing. And I know. I know the challenges of it, but I also know the beauty of it. And I'm so happy for you both to have found each other and to have created something that works so well for both of you, that is not an easy feat, but when it happens, it's so sweet. Amanda Stretcher [00:23:41]: Yeah. There's something magical about it when it works. Kelly [00:23:44]: Yeah. Alison Schmidt [00:23:44]: I love it. Kelly [00:23:46]: All right, so if you've been listening to this podcast and. And you have thoughts about business partnership niching, send us a message. Send us your questions. We'd be happy to talk about them on our next podcast that Miranda and I are doing, but I'm hoping that this story inspires you to hear that you can do this and you can do it in a way that really works for you, that is in the best interest of the client, but also without compromising what you need and your unique voice and way of doing things. So until next time, we'll see you.

Lesson 2: The Model That Did Not Fit Was Telling You Something

Before the practice, there was a group practice that did not fit. Allison described it as predictable but uncomfortable: long weeks on insurance panels, a generalist model, and a creeping sense that this could not be the rest of her career. Amanda named the same friction from a different angle. Their old group practice discouraged niching, and both of them already knew they had specific populations they were meant to work with.

That discomfort was not a sign that something was wrong with them. It was information. We talk to therapists every week who assume they are the problem because agency life or generalist group practice burns them out. Usually they are clinicians whose values and clinical interests were never going to fit a model built around volume and insurance reimbursement. The misfit is the data. Allison wanted couples and emerging adults. Amanda wanted trauma work and brainspotting. The practice they eventually built was simply those answers, taken seriously.

The takeaway: If your current setting feels off, get specific about why. The thing that does not fit is usually pointing straight at the practice you should build instead.

Lesson 3: You Can Build a Practice on the Edges of Your Week

Here is the part that surprises people. Allison and Amanda built the foundation of their practice in about four months, on weekends, while still working their jobs. They found the zynnyme podcast, started listening, and turned their Saturdays into working sessions: going through business school, building the website, learning the financials, filing the LLC.

They will be the first to say they had an advantage. Years in a group practice meant they were not starting from total scratch. But the bigger point is one Amanda made near the end of the conversation. There is a loud narrative, louder now than ever, that says starting a practice is too hard to do yourself, that you need a company to handle the admin, the credentialing, the marketing, the back office. That narrative is good for the venture-backed platforms selling it. It is not always true for you. Allison and Amanda are proof that two motivated therapists with a clear plan can build something real in the margins of a busy life.

The takeaway: Starting does not require quitting everything first. It requires consistent, focused time and a path to follow. The "it is too hard to do alone" message is often a sales pitch, not a fact.

Lesson 4: Relationships and SEO Are How Clients Actually Find You

When Kelly asked what actually built the practice, two answers came up: relationships and SEO.

On the relationship side, Allison and Amanda spent their early months taking other practice owners to coffee, asking what worked and what they would not do again, showing up to community events, and eventually hosting their own. Kelly named why hosting matters. When you create the thing people need and invite them into it, you become the point of contact, and you get seen as a leader. The first year of that work is heavier. After that, the relationships mostly maintain themselves.

On the SEO side, Amanda became, in Allison's words, the SEO queen of the practice. She put real work into keywords, into their website, into their Psychology Today profiles, and into learning how to speak directly to the specific client they wanted instead of broadcasting broadly to everyone. That shift, from generalist language to speaking to one person, is the same shift the whole practice was built on.

The takeaway: Getting found is not luck. It is relationships built patiently and a website written for a specific person. Both take time, and both compound.

Lesson 5: Feast and Famine Is a Skill, Not a Flaw

Every practice has slower months. What separates the therapists who move through them from the ones who panic is not luck. It is what they do with their nervous system.

Allison described it as learning to ride the wave. When the numbers dip, she gets back on her SEO, does everything she can to bring new people in, and then trusts the cycle. People show up. The practice fills again. Kelly added the piece underneath it. Feast and famine can feel like an emergency to your body when it is really a normal rhythm you can learn to expect. Sometimes a slow stretch is even useful information, a sign you did not have the energetic capacity for a full caseload that month anyway.

This is one of the most underrated skills in private practice. Not a marketing tactic. The ability to stay regulated when the schedule looks thin, to keep doing the steady work, and to trust that the wave comes back.

The takeaway: A slow month is not a verdict on your practice. Build the habit of staying calm, doing the next right thing, and letting the cycle do its work.

Lesson 6: A Partnership Works When Each Person Owns Their Lane

Three years in, Allison and Amanda have settled into what Allison calls a yin and yang. Amanda runs SEO and the more technical, detail-heavy side. Allison brings creativity and a grounding presence, the one who pulls Amanda out of a spiral and gets them both excited again. Neither tries to be good at everything. They each own a lane, and they trust the other person in theirs.

That clarity shows up in how they market, too. They present as a group practice with one shared brand and one website, while still being honest that they offer different things and serve different clients. The partnership did not blur their distinct strengths. It gave each strength somewhere to live. Kelly compared it to writing with Miranda: two distinct voices that, together, make a third thing neither could produce alone.

The takeaway: A good partnership is not two people doing the same job. It is two people who know exactly what they bring, own it fully, and trust each other with the rest.

Lesson 7: Get Curious About the Fear (and Whose It Even Is)

Near the end of the conversation, Allison named the inner work that made everything else possible. In business school, she and Amanda spent real time getting curious about the fear. Not pushing past it. Examining it. What is my roadblock? Why does this feel like it will be hard? Why do I assume people will not follow me, or that this will fail?

Kelly took it one step further with a question worth sitting with. Are those fears even yours? Or were they handed to you, absorbed from an old workplace, a discouraging supervisor, or a field that taught therapists to stay quiet about money and growth? Some of the fear that keeps therapists from starting is not theirs to carry. It was just never set down.

This is the work underneath the website and the SEO and the LLC paperwork. The practical steps are learnable. The harder, more important question is whether you believe in yourself and the work you do enough to build something around it. Allison and Amanda did the practical work and the internal work side by side. That is why it held.

The takeaway: Before you talk yourself out of starting, get curious about the fear. Name it, trace where it came from, and check whether it is even yours. Often it is not.

Your Next Step: Build a Practice That Fits

Allison and Amanda did not follow a perfect roadmap. They paid attention to what was not working, got honest about what they wanted, found a path to follow, and did the practical and the internal work at the same time. Three years later, they have a practice that fits their lives, their clinical interests, and the way they want to work together.

Twenty years in this field, and we keep seeing the same thing. The therapists who build practices they love are rarely the ones with the cleanest plan. They are the ones willing to start, to ask better questions, and to trust their own judgment over the narrative that says this is too hard to do on your own terms.

If you are sitting with a question about whether to start, whether to niche, whether to partner, or whether now is the right time, take what resonated from Allison and Amanda's story. Now is, by the way, a good time. As Amanda put it, people still need and want quality therapy, and a clear, specialized practice is how they find it.

You do not need certainty. You need a next step.

For more support, resources, and real talk about building a sustainable private practice, head to zynnyme.com or listen to more episodes of Starting a Counseling Practice Success Stories.

Ready to Build a Practice That Actually Works for Your Life?

Whether you are brand new to private practice or rethinking the one you already have, you do not have to figure it out alone. Business School for Therapists is our flagship program for therapists ready to build a practice that supports the life they actually want. It is a blend of live coaching and self-paced curriculum, plus a community of clinicians who normalize niching, real fees, and clinical depth.

Learn more at zynnyme.com.

Key Takeaways for Therapists Considering a Business Partnership

• You do not have to start a practice alone. A business partner can be a real answer, as long as you go in ready for the relationship work.

• The model that does not fit is data. Insurance panels and generalist group practice were pointing Allison and Amanda straight toward their niche.

• You can build a practice in the margins of your week. Four months of focused weekends got them started.

• Getting found comes down to relationships and SEO. Both take time, and both compound.

• Feast and famine is a nervous system skill. A slow month is a rhythm, not a verdict.

• A partnership works when each person owns their lane and trusts the other with the rest.

• Get curious about the fear, and check whether it is even yours to carry.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Allison and Amanda's group practice: crescentcounselingdallas.com

• Brainspotting (Amanda's trauma modality): Brainspotting.com

• The Gottman Institute (Allison's couples training): Gottman.com

• Business School for Therapists: zynnyme.com

• Starting a Counseling Practice Success Stories podcast