The Practice of Therapy

ordon Brewer
Okay, when you're ready do the blurb.

Andrea Liebross
Okay. Hi, I am Andrea Lee brows, and I am happy today to be here with Gordon on the oh my gosh, therapy hold on the practice of the practice of therapy. I was gonna say therapy practice. That doesn't make sense. Okay. Practice of therapy. Hi, I'm Andrea Libras. And I am happy to be here today with Gordon on the practice of therapy podcast to talk to you about being a business owner, getting things done, aside from seeing your patients.

Gordon Brewer
Well, welcome everyone, again to the podcasts. And I'm looking forward to you hearing from Andrea Libras. Welcome, Andrea.

Andrea Liebross
Thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here.

Gordon Brewer
Yes. And, and Andrea is a fellow podcaster. I found out so she's got her own podcast. But Andrea is I start with everyone, why don't you tell folks a little more about yourself, and how you've landed where you've landed?

Andrea Liebross
Sure. So yes, I do have a podcast, it's called Time to level up and you can find it on any of your favorite podcast players. But when I'm not recording a podcast, I am working with entrepreneurial women, small business owners to help them really what I like to say, create their own secret sauce for success. So really embrace both the right mindset and systems. In order for them to move past what sometimes seems kind of heavy, like I call it the messy middle into more of their zone of genius, or their zone of extraordinary achievement, where they're really doing what they want to be doing in terms of helping themselves grow, helping the world be a better place, all of those things. And I'm also about to release a book in the fall fall of 2023 called, she thinks big, the entrepreneurial Woman's Guide to moving past the messy middle and into the extraordinary. I have a coaching practice, where I work with these entrepreneurial women and business owners and we we figure it out, we figured out how to like so so that they don't have to feel like they're just on a hamster wheel. Because that's not a good feeling.

Gordon Brewer
Right. Right. Yeah. And, and true confession time, here are our little bit of disclosure on one of the things that I I'm not known for doing is being very well organized. And I think, I think for me, and I think a lot of us in this therapy world, we do a lot of stuff off the cuff. And I think that that is we were talking about before we started recording. We I think that is one of the things that keeps us stuck, because we don't really have a good sense of direction or purpose in what we're doing. Yeah, yeah.

Andrea Liebross
And I think I think a lot of, yeah, but a lot of therapy, it has like, along with coaching, right, we're used to kind of going with the flow or using what the client or patient brings to the practice to the session as our material in order to to help them right. So we do kind of just work off the cuff a lot in our craft. So I think when you when you take your therapy therapist, or coach hat off, and you put your business owner hat on, that same sort of just going with the flow doesn't work. Doesn't work for long. Run it that way. Right.

Gordon Brewer
And you'll get stuck. Yes, absolutely. So yeah, so in your work with people, what's kind of your process of helping them through all of this.

Andrea Liebross
So um, I really like to say that they've got to first figure out what they want. And this is really a lot harder than it looks. I oftentimes will walk them through a process to create what I call a vision into action business plan. So the first page, it's actually a two page document in the end, that's what we end up with. But that first page is really about vision. And I asked them, hey, if you had a magic wand, and you could wave it and go 10 years from now, what do you want that to look like? And I mean, the stairs and blank faces I get, you know, if I had a dime for everyone, I'd be a millionaire. But it's really hard for us to figure that out or to even just allow ourselves to go to that place. So I walked them through a process where we figure out okay, what do they want 10 years to look like? What do they want three years to look like? And in that discussion we also talked about, what do you want to focus on? Like yes, you could help every patient known to mankind every person known humankind could definitely you could help. But who do you really want to help? So I had a practice owner last week who I walked through this exercise. And really what she wants to do is more equine therapy. She wants patients out in the barn or on the ranch with her and she wants to that's where she wants to, to focus her practice. But yet, you know, that's a Kipper. I mean, I have a brick and mortar office, I've got four other therapists, you know, so I central care, but what do you really want to do? And what she really wants to do is she wants to do that equine. So we started to talk about that, and what that would look like and what she needs to do this quarter, this year, over the next three years to get herself to that place, and it's not going to take 10 years to get there, she could get there this year, but kind of breaking it down. So what's your vision? And then what are the actions you're going to take that are going to fuel or support your vision. And when we get to that place, a lot of times, we're very short sighted, in the sense of, oh, I need to do more social media, or I need to send out a newsletter, or I need to maybe create a group coaching or group therapy opportunity. All those things? Yes, like, yes, let's do them. But how are we going to do them? What are they? Are they building blocks? Are they going? Are they still fueling our long term vision? And is that really something that you practice owners should be doing? Or should you be outsourcing it? So even though you can create a social media post, and you can enroll people into a group coaching, opportunity, or group therapy opportunity? Is that your zone of genius? Or do we need to outsource this? And then of course, it comes in like, well, that's gonna cost money. And then we can that we can go down a whole other trail, but really helping them understand or get a grasp on what their vision is, and then how to put it put it into action. It's kind of a two part thing. And it ends up really being a working document that if we continue to work together, I'm going back to that continuously. Every session, we're pulling it out. Where are we on this? What's happening? what's getting in your way? Where's your roadblock?

Gordon Brewer
Yes, yes. How do you help people kind of prioritize what they need to take action on first?

Andrea Liebross
Mmm, good question. So I, I say a couple things. Number one, what's going to give you the biggest bang for your buck? So to speak? What's going to move the needle the most? Okay. And in doing this, you kind of have to assess is whatever this is? Is it moving? me or my business forward? There's a couple questions you have to ask. So let's say they say yes. Okay. Alright. How does it how do you feel when you're doing it? Does this light you up? Or is this something you dread? I like to say is it a power generator or a black hole? So let's say it's a power generator, let's just say yes, I like doing this. Okay. Are you the only person in the world that can do it? Wow, no, I'm really probably not the only person in the world. Okay. So we've identified Yes, it's gonna move your business forward. Yes, you like doing it? But no, you're not the only person in the world. So if we kind of think about that, okay, it's probably something that should get done. But maybe the next step on that the next best step, I always say, what's the next best step? Is you? Is you finding someone else to do it? Do you have an admin? Can you hire just a freelancer? So that's the task, not the create the social media posts, for example, but the task is actually finding that other person? If it's something that yes, it's gonna move their business forward, but it's a black hole, like they dread it, they hate it? Is it something that you need to know how to do? And most of the time, the answer is actually no. Like, wow, I mean, I could learn how to do it. But most of the time, the answer is no. Okay. So can I go back to the same question that if it's something that's going to move our business forward, and it's going to give us a huge bang for our buck, then again, do we need to outsource it? So this, I kind of walk them through a series of questions that help them identify what they what their next best steps are? A lot of times too, it comes down to the fact that they don't really have a good handle on their finances. Right? Right. So that's a whole other topic and a lot of times where they need to spend the most time right up front, if they're trying to move forward or grow is getting a handle on that. And we do a little bit of talking around. What's the difference between a CPA and a bookkeeper? And what what is cashflow? Like, do you even understand the concept of cash flow because QuickBooks is great, but it's all after the fact that what's preventing you for moving forward and some of these things is probably you don't have the confidence that you have the cash flow to support them. But that's just what your thought, like, that's not a fact necessarily. You've never really looked at it.

Gordon Brewer
Right? Right. Yeah. Yeah, it's, uh, yeah, that's why you bring up some really good things. In that. I think one, in my work with folks just in doing some consulting with folks, I know, one of the things that people really struggle with is outsourcing. Yeah, being able to recognize that, okay. My time is better spent on things that are going to move the needle forward, rather than those things that drag it down. And I'm, again, trick confession here. I'm just, I'm the world's worst and doing that. Oh, it's just easier. I know, I know what I want to do. Just let me do it. And I'll go do it. But then I eat up all this time doing those things, when really, I should have been spending my time on something in a different way.

Andrea Liebross
Yeah. So so if you Yes, you could do it. Okay. You know, you're capable, or you'll figure it out, right? And figure anything out now. But is that something that you and only you can do? I mean, you are the only one that can serve your particular patients right now, okay, that's what you should be doing. Or you're the only one that can assess whether or not you should hire another therapist. And actually, you're the only one that could even dis, figure out who to outsource to in a sense, right? So we get into a place as business owners, I call it the messy middle, right. So things are going along, like nothing's really broken, okay, nothing's gone wrong. But yet, you're just kind of at status quo, like you're kind of stuck. Or you're in what I like to call stuck stress. And when we're in stuck stress, we can't really access our genius brains. We it gets, it gets actually more intense as time goes on, as you think about like finances, for example, right? It gets it gets heavy and heavier. And in order to move past that into what I call progress, stress, you do have to kind of switch from just being interested in maybe hiring someone or interested in learning the new skill to committed, right. So a lot of us are interested in some of this stuff. But we're not committed to making it happen. Like my client last week, she's definitely interested in growing this equine portion of her business. But is she committed? She comes up with 1000 excuses as to why she can't be committed. Right. But if she can switch her mindset from just being interested to committed, I will bet great things will happen.

Gordon Brewer
Yeah, yeah. And I think it's, yeah, it's goes back to what you said earlier, I think is really, really honing in on what is it that you really want, but it's actually really, you know, what is your what is your overarching arching goal? Or what is your goal around all of this stuff? Is why? And people hear from me all the time, what is your, what is your why? Why are you doing any of this? Yes,

Andrea Liebross
yes. So, in my book, I actually created a tool, I call it it's in the toolkit, called, are you operating in your zone of extraordinary achievement? So that's kind of figuring out is this whatever you want to do worth it? Those are the kind of a question helps you work through questions. But that But going back to what you want, you have to really access your future you you got to access that person. That's not living in the moment, but living five or 10 years from now, and I had to say go ask that person. Because they'll tell you what you want. They'll tell you like that's the person the future you not the present you. Certainly not the past you the past can be a teacher, but it's not a fortune teller. Mm. Right. You really gotta go to the future you but we get too caught up in the past us like, well, I know, I just know myself. I just know that if I do this, then that will happen or in the past. I mean, I've attempted to manage some of this stuff myself, and it just never works out. Okay. So there's the past you the President, you doesn't really know either, because if they did, they'd be doing it. And so you've got to go to that future. You and I have a whole chapter about that. Actually, you've got then go to that feature you and ask them or I like to say sometimes it's like, you know, iPhones come out with the next version. You know the Gordon 2.0. Right the Andrea to point out, not the Andrea one point out, she's she's good. So, but doing that it's it's hard to do unless you've got someone kind of prompting you or asking you questions because you're stuck in your own little peanut butter jar like you're in there, you're stuck and you can't see what's going on.

Gordon Brewer
Yeah. The other thing that you mentioned, I think is it's doing kind of a an inventory of what are those things that energize you versus those that suck the energy out of you? Yes. Yeah. So paying attention to that? Yeah.

Andrea Liebross
Right. So what are power generators? For you? Like, what? lights you up? Okay, what's a power producer for your business? And it's okay, if it's not a power producer or power generator? Is it a black hole? Is it a shiny object? Is it something that distracts you? Is it something that you're not really interested in? But yet you think you should be? And that never works out? either? Yeah. So assessing that is very important, because it's kind of like your energy meter, in a sense, like picture like your gas gauge, right? Is this something that you're gonna put, you know, it's gonna, you're gonna accelerate on? Or is it going to pull you back, and you're gonna go really slow below the speed limit? Those are all valid questions. And just because you're capable, or you can learn doesn't mean that it's something Asians be spending energy on or be doing yourself.

Gordon Brewer
Yeah. Something came up at an interview I did earlier, with someone and it was alluding to the all of the shoulds, and OT twos. In other words, we have this have this idea that, Oh, this is what I should be doing, or what I ought to be doing. But that might not line up with what you really want for yourself.

Andrea Liebross
Right? So I call that like, shitting. on yourself. Yes. Usually, the shoulds are really kind of just another way to to, they're just another way to say limiting beliefs. Like I shouldn't be doing this, versus the truth is a liberating truth could be, I couldn't be doing this, but I'm choosing not to. Right. So kind of shifting things that you're where you're limiting yourself in terms of how you want to use your resources. I say your through your four most valuable resources or time, money, relationships and brainpower and brain power probably is the most valuable. So is this something that you're telling yourself you should be doing? Which is kind of keeping you you know, below like, right, maybe at the speed limit, versus something that you are that energizes you or you want to be doing or that's going to move things further along faster? That's going to you're going to accelerate. Right. And the truth usually comes out if you if you can assess what's going on to keep you in that place.

Gordon Brewer
Right. Right. Yeah. So you know, kind of going back to something you said earlier, just about around goal setting. And I know from looking at some of the things that you've got on your website, one of the things that comes up is, as a matter of fact, I was fun fact here. I saw that you were on the focus on this podcast at one time. And yeah, I listen to them all the time. In fact, I've got my Michael Hyatt planner here and my right next to me. Focus planner. Yeah. So one of the things that Michael Hyatt talks about is smart, smarter goals versus SMART goals. Yes. You want to say more about that,

Andrea Liebross
sir. Sure. So yes, I am a full focus certified Pro. I'm a big Michael Hyatt fan. And actually, I'm going to I just recorded Gordon a second podcast with focus on this. So I don't know when it's coming out sometime soon. Also, yeah. Okay, smarter goals. So smarter goals. I think the two letters in smarter that we really need to pay attention to are maybe three, E E is exciting. Okay, so the E stands for exciting. If this isn't exciting to you, doesn't let you up, right. If it doesn't create, if it doesn't generate power, you're probably either a not going to do it or be continue to drag it along month after month, day after day, right thinking you're going to eventually do it. So it needs to be exciting. It needs to have energy going into it. I think Think the Rs are very important to so risky and relevant. So let's talk to relevant first relevant really means. And how I interpreted is, is in this season of life is this or in this timeframe? Is it really relevant? Okay, so I've got some of my clients say, You know what, I really wish that I could just work one day a week. Okay, so, all right, you totally could just work one day a week, it would be absolutely possible. But right now, in this season, when you want to double your revenue, is that going to happen? Okay, now, it's not relevant right now. Or they'll say, hey, I want to move to Florida. I want to spend the winter in Florida in the summer in Tennessee. Okay, you have three school aged children. Is that really relevant right now? No. Okay. So that's one or the other art is risky. And I think that's a little more exciting. But risky, is you kind of pushing yourself past the point of resistance. So I always like to say all of your goals, you should have a little bit of resistance to, it's not something that you're just going to do on a daily basis, for example, like your goal should not be to drink, too, or, you know, 64 ounces of water a day, that's more of a habit, in a sense, right, that can fuel the goal to become healthier. Okay. But it's got to be a little risky. There's no risk also in drinking the 64 ounces of water, right? So goals have to have a little bit of a risk. So in writing this book, like I think it was kind of risky, I didn't really realize how risky it was, I started to realize that, but there's so many pieces of that puzzle, and it opened up so many kinds of cans of worms in a good way. That there it was very risky. I had to address a lot of things within my business, even that kind of, you know, if the book was going to go along with it, what am I really doing? So risky and exciting? And relevant gets a close? Third, we others are more more typical, measurable, specific. actionable, timely. Yeah. But think about relevant, risky, and exciting.

Gordon Brewer
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I think, and the exciting part is, yeah, I think something that people need to pay attention to, if it's something that's not exciting for you probably should be outsourcing that, if it's not, and even though

Andrea Liebross
it could be like your goal could be I'm gonna retire in 10 years, or I'm gonna sell this practice in 10 years. And that can be exciting. And that's okay. And so we're gonna work towards how we're going to prepare for that. But right, so it doesn't have to be some like grand gross kind of goal. It can be, I'm gonna retire, sell the business. Okay. That's exciting.

Gordon Brewer
All right. All right. Well, well, this is this is great stuff, Andrea now. And I got to be respectful of your time, what tell folks how they can get in touch with you and find out more about the things that you're doing.

Andrea Liebross
Sure. So I'm, I'm on all the social medias. So that's number one, Andrea dot Libras dot coaching on Instagram is probably my best one. Go listen to the time to level up podcast, just search that. And if you want to explore more about the book, or what you know, what I read, read more about what I'm doing schedule a call all of that you can go to Andrea's with an S links with an S Andrea's links.com. And that will direct you to the website, to the book to all the things so Andrea's within s links with an s.com. And if you are a full focus planner person, there is a quiz at Andrea's links that helps you figure out what your productivity archetype is like, what? How, where, when are you or where are you the most productive? So you might find that fun?

Gordon Brewer
That's great. I'm gonna check that out. For sure. Yeah, so well, we'll have all of this in the show notes and the show summary for people to find it easily. Andrea is so good to get to know you and glad we had this conversation and hope we can do it. Do it again.

Andrea Liebross
Me too. Thanks for having me.

Gordon Brewer
Thanks, Andrea.