After 11 years, 400+ episodes, and nearly 2 million downloads, I thought I understood what drives podcast growth.

Then I saw the data, and it challenged a lot of assumptions.

In this episode, I break down what actually drives podcast downloads today, based on real-world insights and my own experience growing Selling the Couch into a top 0.5% podcast.

Because here’s the truth:

• Audience size doesn’t guarantee downloads
• Big-name guests aren’t the growth lever you think they are
• And visibility alone isn’t what moves the needle

In this episode, we cover:

• Why audience size ≠ downloads (and what matters more)
• The real difference between a “vitamin” vs. “painkiller” episode
• Why titles matter more than your guest list
• How to write titles that get 2–3x more downloads
• The ideal episode length
• How to think about podcast guesting strategically (not randomly)
• The strategy that beats social media for growth
• Your best discovery tool
• The biggest shift in downloads

Plus, we'll go over a simple experiment to try to see what your audience actually responds to, and how to double down on it.

If your podcast isn’t growing the way you expected, it may not be your consistency. It may be your alignment—between your title, your topic, and the real problems your listeners are trying to solve.

If you found this helpful, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague who is building (or thinking about starting) a podcast.

And don’t forget to subscribe for more insights on podcasting, online business, and building something that compounds quietly over time.

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Ready to launch (or grow) your online course?

Haven is our membership for therapists who want to turn their expertise into sustainable online income through courses, content, and simple systems that actually work.

You’ll get access to trainings, live accelerators, and a community that supports you every step of the way.

Get on the waitlist: sellingthecouch.com/haven

Today’s encore is covering creating and selling an E-Course. Since creating Healthcasters, I’ve definitely made many mistakes that I’m happy to share with you.

Statistics show that the self-improvement industry is a $10-11 billion industry, so we know that there are a lot people who crave knowledge and want to learn.

Join me for more!

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Want to launch your online course?

Our new membership is open for enrollment! Find out more and join Haven here

If there is one thing I’ve learned as a small business owner, it’s that it takes courage to show up imperfect. We want so badly to be perfect and put together in front of our audience, but perfectionism makes us less authentic and connected. Join us to learn more about being OK with being imperfect.

Samara Stone is a return guest to the podcast, and I’m thrilled to welcome her back! In addition to her work as a therapist, Samara is a branding expert who has a curated community, Be Full Grown, for black women over 40 who are ready to imagine, create, and live a life of their own design. Samara is in the process of launching a podcast, and she has already proven her courage in showing up imperfect through some major life difficulties. We will discuss how we, as clinicians, can show up imperfect when perfectionism always has a pull on us. Samara also shares helpful guidelines for sharing appropriately on social media, which is something we all need to keep in mind.

Be Full Grown

You’ll Learn:

1. How things have changed in our field in beautiful ways; “Your Saturday self CAN show up on Monday morning.”
2. Why many therapists struggle with perfectionism and are afraid to show up as 100% human
3. Why clients appreciate transparency because it conveys a non-judgmental attitude
4. Why there is a huge shift happening in how we understand marketing and our personal brand
5. How therapists need to share enough about the real dynamic of themselves so clients can see the healing possibilities
6. How Samara decided to share on social media the experience of her divorce a few years ago
7. Why we have to be polarizing at times in order to find our true audience–and that’s OK
8. The importance of realizing that you can’t and won’t appeal to everyone
9. How to use your clear purpose and intention to determine how much of your life to share on social media

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Want to launch your online course?

Our new membership is open for enrollment! Find out more and join Haven here.

We use video for meetings, live sessions, live-streaming, and other content, so it’s important to have the best quality possible.

Michael Rothermel is my videographer who filmed the welcome video for STC. We were part of the same faith community while Michael lived in the Philly area.

Join us to learn his top tips to improve the quality of live videos.

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Want to launch your online course or YouTube channel?

Save your spot for our free live webinar: The Calm YouTube Flywheel here!

Or check out our new membership site! Find out more and get on the Haven Waitlist here.

Since the beginning of this podcast in 2015, I’ve thought a lot about how I can use YouTube to maximize the impact of STC. I’ve pondered many questions about the sustainability of this endeavor and whether I should be creating separate content on YouTube or simply repurposing these podcast episodes on YouTube.

As a result of coaching, taking courses, and obsessively (nerdily) studying YouTube, I have decided to finally leap into YouTube in 2024. In today’s session, I’ll share what went into this decision for me and what you should consider as a current or aspiring therapist podcaster.

You’ll Learn:

1. How our fears are usually rooted in some sort of trauma or feeling unseen or unheard
2. Top considerations for me in starting out on YouTube:
3. YouTube is intentionally appealing to podcasters and is becoming an ever more popular podcast platform.
4. Putting a video editing team in place makes the jump to YouTube much easier.
5. YouTube (owned by Google) is very beneficial for discoverability and SEO.
6. I plan to use the best of both playlists (podcasts, YouTube) and feed platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn).
7. I plan to use “Walden months” to prioritize self-care and big projects. (My inspiration is the commitment to be a fully present family man and what I learned from Tim Ferris’ 2020 blog, 11 Reasons Not To Become Famous.)
8. How I plan to keep you updated and document my YouTube journey in the weekly STC Newsletter
9. Why I’m grateful for the support of STC listeners on this new path that has me feeling vulnerable, nervous, and fearful

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Want to launch your online course or YouTube channel?

Save your spot for our free live webinar: The Calm YouTube Flywheel here!

Or check out our new membership site! Find out more and get on the Haven Waitlist here.

“If you build a great course, they’ll come.”

I wish that were true.

Over the past decade, both as a course creator (since 2015) and as a teacher helping therapists launch their own courses, I’ve seen something surprising:

Great content alone is rarely enough.

In this episode, we talk about why most online courses fail, even when the material inside is research-backed, thoughtful, and genuinely helpful.

Because the truth is:

Content is only one part of the equation.

Completion, clarity, and connection build a real course business.

Inside this video, I break down:

1. Why the most important video in your course isn’t what you think
2. The 80/20 mistake most course creators make
3. Why your course is competing with everything (not just other courses)
4. The hidden anxiety that leads to overstuffed, overwhelming modules
5. How to simplify your curriculum without losing depth
6. A practical way to map and refine your modules (using tools like Miro)
7. How gentle gamification (completion badges, progress nudges) increases completion rates
8. Why the clearest courses—not the deepest ones—tend to win

If you’re a therapist or clinician thinking about creating an online course (or wondering why yours isn’t gaining traction), this episode will help you shift your focus from perfection → to promotion → to sustainable momentum.

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Resources:

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients.

You support your clients. Alma supports you.

Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE–an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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Want to launch your online course?

Save your spot for our free live webinar: The Calm YouTube Flywheel here!

Or check out our new membership site! Find out more and get on the Haven Waitlist here.

Most conversations about private practice are highlight reels.

But what about the parts no one posts about?

In today’s episode of Selling the Couch, I’m joined by my friend Dr. Justin Dodson, a group practice owner in Memphis, Tennessee, for an honest, real-world conversation about what it actually takes to run (and sustain) a small business as a therapist.

Justin is heading into year 6 of private practice, and I’m in year 11 with STC—so we wanted to pull back the curtain on the things therapists often learn the hard way: pricing, confidence, leadership, loneliness, burnout, and what success really looks like after the early hustle phase.

In this conversation, we cover:

1. Why most therapists start with zero business training (and what to do anyway)
2. The “version 1 vs version 10” trap therapists fall into
3. How Justin set his first fee (and why he’ll never haggle again)
4. A realistic approach to raising rates without spiraling
5. Why “don’t base your business on someone else’s secret” matters more than ever
6. The hidden loneliness of entrepreneurship (no-shows, cancellations, declined cards, overhead)
7. How becoming a business owner changes you—emotionally, mentally, and relationally
8. Managing burnout + anxiety while still showing up for clients
9. The leadership challenges that come with scaling and relinquishing control
10. How to build trust in yourself by keeping your word to yourself

If you’re in private practice, thinking about starting one, or navigating the messy middle of business ownership... this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

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Resources:

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients.

You support your clients. Alma supports you.

Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE–an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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Want to launch your online course?

Check out our new membership site! Find out more and get on the Haven Waitlist here.

Most podcasts never make a dollar.

Not because the host isn’t talented.

Not because their strategy is bad.

But because they quit too soon, or they measure ROI the wrong way.

In this episode, I break down what 11 years of podcasting (and nearly 2 million downloads) have taught me about building a podcast that actually pays off.

The 3 Forms of Podcast ROI

1️⃣ Trust – Deep relational credibility that compounds quietly over time

2️⃣ Longevity – Most quit early; sustainable rhythm wins

3️⃣ Assets – Turn episodes into evergreen SEO infrastructure

Podcasting is not about going viral.

It’s about building something that compounds.

If you’re a therapist building a podcast (or considering it), this episode will help you think beyond downloads, and design something sustainable, profitable, and aligned.

Resources:

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients.

You support your clients. Alma supports you.

Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE–an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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Want to launch your online course?

Check out our new membership site! Find out more and get on the Haven Waitlist here.

In this deeply honest and practical conversation, I’m joined by fellow clinician and creative coach TJ Walsh as we explore what it means to evolve your brand in real time — especially when your identity as a therapist is shifting.

TJ introduces a simple but powerful framework:

Push. Pull. Propel.

It’s a guide for navigating professional discomfort, emerging desires, and the momentum that comes from integrating both.

We talk about:

* Why branding is worked out in real time

* Letting go of perfectionism and overthinking

* The emotional cost of being “the product” in therapy work

* How to know when it’s time to pivot

* Building Quiet Builder and navigating multiple identities

* Intuitive practices for clarity and alignment

* Why slow growth is often the greatest gift

If you're in a season of change — whether it's launching a new offer, exploring a new part of yourself, or simply wondering “what’s next?” — this one is for you.

Resources:

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice.

With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients.

You support your clients. Alma supports you.

Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE–an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

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Want to launch your online course?

Check out our new membership site! Find out more and get on the Haven Waitlist here.

In today’s episode, I’m diving into a topic many therapists and thoughtful professionals wrestle with: the pressure to be seen on social media, and what it means to opt out.

Over the past decade of building Selling the Couch, I’ve had a front-row seat to both the power and the cost of online visibility. And lately, I’ve been asking myself: What does success look like without the performance? What if we chose privacy over performance, resonance over reach?

In this episode, I share 3 core insights I’ve learned from personal experience and from conversations with fellow clinicians:

🧠 The illusion that fame heals insecurity

📉 The emotional weight of influence

🕵️ Privacy as the hidden cost of visibility

I also reflect on how slow growth gave me space to emotionally regulate, why I’m focusing more on deeper offline conversations (including my golf journey 👀), and how I’ve come to define enough in business and life.

Whether you're feeling burned out from social media, questioning your relationship to personal branding, or just wondering if there's a quieter way to grow, I hope this episode offers encouragement and clarity.

Resources:

Want to launch your online course?

Check out our new membership site! Find out more and get on the Haven Waitlist here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Try Alma!

Building and managing the practice you truly want can feel overwhelming. That’s why Alma is here—to help you create not just any practice, but your private practice. With Alma, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to navigate insurance with ease, connect with referrals that are the right fit for your style, and streamline those time-consuming administrative tasks. That means less time buried in the details and more time focused on delivering exceptional care to your clients. You support your clients. Alma supports you. Learn more at sellingthecouch.com/alma and get 2 months FREE—an exclusive offer for STC listeners.

AI can be an incredible tool to save time, boost creativity, and streamline your content, but how do you use it without losing your authentic voice?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dan Cumberland, founder of Dan Cumberland Labs, to explore how therapists, coaches, and small business owners can use AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude without sounding robotic or generic.

We cover:

* Common therapist concerns about using AI

* How to treat AI as a collaborator (not a replacement)

* The POWER Framework: How to get better AI output

* Building a brand voice guide

* How AI frees up time for life, family, and creative work

* Using AI to repurpose podcast & YouTube content

* Dan’s tips for delegating content without losing your voice

This episode is packed with practical tips if you're looking to scale your message, free up your schedule, and still sound like you.

Resources:

Want to launch your online course?

Check out our new membership site! Find out more and get on the Haven Waitlist here.