The Practice of Therapy

Gordon Brewer: Well, hello everyone and welcome again to the podcast and I'm really glad for you to get to know today. Samantha Perello. Welcome Samantha.
Samantha: Hi. Thanks for having me. I'm very excited to be here.
Gordon Brewer: Yes. And, and so Samantha and I have kind of done a podcast exchange. She had me on her podcast called Wealth Unfiltered, and there'll be links here in the show notes in the show summary, so you can access that.
But I had such a fun time and just our conversation and she's such a, a great podcaster and great interviewer, but so I knew I needed to have her here. So, Samantha, as I start with everyone, tell folks a little bit more about yourself and how you've landed where you've landed.
Samantha: Absolutely. Well, and just to to note your episode actually just went live this week, so very excited about that.
And I'm really grateful that you have me on your show as well, but Absolutely. So, you know, I actually started elevate Consulting nine years ago, and it was a, it's named after my daughter Ella. And I started as a consultant who was really helping business owners and small businesses scale and grow.
And part of what I fell in love with was the mentorship part of the consulting piece. And one thing that I found, I'm sure that, you know, all business owners can relate to, no matter what their practice is, they kept running into like very, very similar issues. And those issues really were. Number one time scarcity.
So their challenge was they never had enough time in the day. They felt like they were losing themselves or they couldn't take care of their bodies, or they were really sacrificing a lot to maintain the business or scale and grow. And ultimately they were really hitting burnout and. When that was a very consistent issue for the people who I was working with because I was really just strategizing with them on how to grow their business as a business strategist, operation efficiency.
I really found that I wanted to help these people and so what I did is I actually took a year off from consulting and I reinvested my time into myself. So I actually started I worked with a Tony Robbins. Disciple, if you will. Mm-hmm. He was a legacy with him. He worked a very long time under Tony, and his name is Trevor McGregor.
He's now my mentor and very good friend. I work, I work with him and his wife as well. And, you know, I took that time to really, really grow my skills. So one thing that I did was I have a very high business and operational prowess, and he helped me transform that in a way where I could really. Turn that into a business to help people through coaching.
Mm-hmm. And it really, it, it's a pa It was a passion for me to do that. And so now I started my own company's Samantha Perello, executive coaching. And I, in addition to the coaching, I also do the business strategy piece with them. But I really needed it to be. You know, change from consulting to coaching because I wanted to focus on the areas that I could to help people specifically get time back.
So my clients, I try to work with them for about six months at a minimum. And the goal really is to instill great habits with them to help reduce the time they're working on things that are just not what they should be. And usually they get about 10 to 14 hours back a week after working with me.
Gordon Brewer: Right, right. Yeah. So I, you know, one of the first things that comes to mind for me and just thinking about this topic is you know, time management. And I can, I can remember when I first went into private practice. You know, eons ago now, but one of the things that I recognized really quickly was, is I felt like things were falling through the cracks.
And so I really started to be a study really did a deep dive into time management. And the book that always stands out for me that I read first was, by David Allen getting things done. And so he had a whole system there. But even with that, you can spend hours and hours just working the system and still feel like you're not getting anything done.
And so what, in your work with people, what, what are the things that you notice that people struggle with the most? As far as you know, getting, getting their time back, getting, getting to, to be able to focus on the things that matter most.
Samantha: Well, you know, one common thing that I find is that most people finish their day and they're like, where did the time go?
Half the time they don't even know what they've been working on because they're so inundated with the next thing coming their way, the next task coming their way, and they feel like task managers instead of operators and mm-hmm. That's, I, I think a major, major problem is when people don't even know where their time went.
Mm-hmm. So, one thing I like to do the first thing I like to do with people who we've isolated that their major challenge is time is a full-time audit, but not just for their work life, I mean, for their entire life. Mm-hmm. So we do, we do what I call the brain dump. And I actually, I, I started getting strategies.
I too, I love to read books that help me with that. So I actually first read the book the Perfect Week. Mm-hmm. And that is from Craig Ballant Ballantine. Mm-hmm. And he really does a good job of giving some really great strategies. One of 'em is the brain dump, and I love it. I, it's like the absolute number one rule that I go to, and I think it's as important to put down everything in your personal life that and your professional, because everyone can say all day long, no, when I'm at work, I'm solely working, but.
You also have a million other things at home that you have to do. They're in the back of your mind or you're trying to figure out how to schedule in that doctor's appointment, or where are you gonna get, when are you gonna get your hair done? And you have obligations to get your kids to and from school.
So those things impact your, your professional life as well. So that's where I like to start.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah. Yeah. It's so funny you should say that because without even, you prompt, I mean, without. Us even knowing this about each other. That's something I do regularly is what I call, I call it a brain dump as well.
And so in my planner, if I'm feeling overwhelmed about anything or just about life in general. I know that that's time for me to do a brain dump, and so at least the way I do it is I just jot down every single thing that is on my mind that I feel like is weighing on me or things that I need to get done or get accomplished, that kind of thing, and just jot it down.
No particular order, no particular rhyme or reason to it. And a lot of times when I do that, I recognize it's really not as much as I think it is.
Samantha: Oh yeah. Very interesting. I think that's a good point as well.
Gordon Brewer: Right, right. And so then it doesn't feel quite as overwhelming when you start looking at, oh, well I know how to do this, this, and this, and can get those things done, so, yeah.
Samantha: Right. Well, and I find, you know, when they're, when you're actively trying to scale your business or grow your business. You, you end up having a lot more on your plate than you probably even thought you would. Right. And you end up taking on a lot of extra hats, is what I find. Mm-hmm. So when you, when you do that, it's really important to figure out a, number one, you isolate, should I be the person doing this job?
Yeah. Number two, you figure out. Well, actually, let me actually go back. Mm-hmm. How you figure that out first and foremost is I like to make sure that after you do the brain dump, every single item on there, we give a productivity ROI. Mm-hmm. What is going to be the best use of your time and what is the absolute least, like if you could just give it away, not do it, that goes at the very bottom of the list and you prioritize your list that way.
And then I like to work on, okay, so. Every single day, you should be putting those top priorities in a different day because you're hopefully checking those things off your list, obviously. So you don't want them to go into multiple days. Mm-hmm. But then you also wanna make sure. What can I maybe just get rid of?
Do I need this? Or instead of going to the grocery store, should I have it delivered to my house and save me time? Mm-hmm. Should I delegate something? Do, do I need to look for somebody else to do a role for me? And that's everything at home and in your business. So if you need to have somebody who comes in and does your accounting, because the, you know, doing all your budgeting and accounting takes an extra six hours a week, but you are supposed to be the highest level of operator and you're supposed to be.
Doing things that'll be more valuable to your business, then maybe you should have a person like that. But even at home, are you the person who's doing the lawn work? Because it has to get done. It's not a passion of yours. Well, maybe you need to start looking at a budget and start finding a somebody to come do that for you on a Saturday and and give you some time back for yourself.
Gordon Brewer: Right? Right. Why do, what do you think it is, Samantha that makes it so hard for people to outsource? I think it,
Samantha: I think that there, I think there's a couple of reasons. I know if you ask my family the, the genetic trait that is in my family is that we are all control freaks. So we all mm-hmm. Are like the A type personality who doesn't like to give things away.
Even when we know other people are perfectly capable, perfectly wonderful at what they do. We're the people who are like, I don't wanna lose that control. I wanna know when it's getting done that it's done the right way. So I think that that's probably a common. Piece for at least one type of personality.
And then I would say the other piece is that a lot of people don't even know where to start. Mm-hmm. I think that they get, so kind of what we're talking about, they're so overwhelmed in everything going on that they're just, they don't even think about outsourcing something. And then if they do, they don't know how to find that person.
And it becomes more tasks and they're like, you know what? It's too hard for me to figure this out and now it's adding more to my plate.
Gordon Brewer: Right, right. Yeah. And so what would maybe be some tips that you would have about figuring out where to start? I mean, as far as, you know, you do the brain dump and then you think, okay you know, there's so many things here.
What do I focus on first? How do I figure that out?
Samantha: So what I like to do is like, well. First, I, the, the areas that you can't give away are the things that are the highest ROI for you. Mm-hmm. But like, let's say you take those off the list and now you're looking at all the things that you can either delegate or maybe get rid of, and those are just your sole focuses.
The way that I like to do it is I like to look at based off of those, those aspects. Alright? Now we know that these things are things that you can either delegate or maybe get rid of. The things that you can delegate, what will be the most time consuming. So you look at the time commitment, and then those are your main focuses.
So there could be a million things you give away, but the thing that's gonna take more of your time, that's where you should start.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah, yeah. That makes sense. That makes sense. And I, you know, one thing I would add to that is looking at. Your energy level around things. I mean, there are, there are certain things that you just have to do that maybe you don't enjoy doing.
I know like in in, in my world with in therapy practices, we have to record our clinical notes and our session notes and that kind of thing. And the other person that can do that is me and I, one of the things I've learned is that, to, to do those Well, I need to do 'em at a time when my energy level is, is high as well, because then I can knock 'em out much more quickly.
Absolutely. And get 'em done and then move on to other things.
Samantha: Yeah. I like to make sure that the, when I'm doing a time block, which I also very much recommend, I swear by it. I have all of the people who work with me do time blocks is the first few hours of your day are where you're. Able to do the best of your work, but also the fastest part of your work.
Mm-hmm. Typically. Mm-hmm. 'cause your brain is fresh. So I always say the things that are going to give you the best ROI, the most impact that will drive your business the furthest fastest, is what you should be doing in the first three to four hours of every day and then the rest of your day. You really shouldn't do big creative or high like tasks that really take brain power and you should be getting through the tactical things that you just have to do to, to execute on those things.
Gordon Brewer: Right? Right. Yeah. So for, for you, Samantha, with other than being overwhelmed or just feeling like you're burning out. What are some other things that you work with people on that you really find I, I guess, interesting or fun or whatever?
Samantha: Yeah. So I would say my passion is really operations and helping people optimize what they're doing, so, mm-hmm.
I, I, people tease me all the time because one of the things that I just am so probably. Unlike other people, I really, really enjoy. Having like things in spreadsheets and made sure that they're very organized. And so one of the things that I do is I try to help people find technology that will do that for them.
So it's not an extra burden, but that keeps everything in full alignment. Because like you were mentioning with energy. You know, it takes a lot of energy to be a task manager to, to make sure and ensure that things are just being done. So automating things and helping them have efficiencies, and also to be able to kind of create a world where things will keep an engine will keep moving without you in it.
Mm-hmm. Those are really, really important things, and I think a lot of business owners tend to get so in the day to day, but if you were to take a vacation. Those, that mechanism and that machine should still be going. If you were going to get a surgery, that thing should, you know, it needs to keep on moving without you in it.
And so helping our helping businesses create a path where you are not in the day to day is really, really important. And I really love that part. 'cause it's kind of like a. Oh man, I didn't realize what I, how, how much involvement I had, or I didn't realize mm-hmm. How much control I was really doing. And, and when you're an owner, you really need to be st you need to get your software, you can be in the owner's box mm-hmm.
And you're really just making high level decisions and you have the right people and the right seats and the right, you know, strategy in place to continue to grow your business.
Gordon Brewer: Right, right. Yeah. I would say without a doubt, you know, the, the therapists and people that I have seen really grow and scale well, well are those that are really good at taking stuff off their plate because if you're trying to do it all, you get nothing done well at all.
Samantha: A hundred percent agree. I am the queen of multitasking. That's like what I've always like called myself, and I can tell you after the last probably four years when I started doing time blocking, I realized multitasking is not what you think it is. Like you really shouldn't. Multitask. Mm-hmm. If you focus and you give yourself true timing where you're supposed to get through said thing, it really actually makes you work faster and you get way more done.
Mm-hmm. And what I've also found as somebody with my type of personality and helping others do the same, is that if you have to then move that time block again to another day because you didn't accomplish it, that doesn't feel great. You're like, right man, I really should have gotten through that. And then you have to look at why didn't I.
You know, so that's another really key piece is I, another thing I, I recommend all of my clients to do is at the very end of every day a reflection of their day. Mm-hmm. And it is like the always, always you, you start with the things you're, you're happy about and the things that you are grateful for.
Like, oh, thank God I got this. This was my big win. And you, and you look at your wins. And then the two or three things that you should have done differently that maybe you missed on, or that you have to move to the next day, and then you evaluate why that happened, because you just don't want that to keep occurring over and over again, right?
So when you do the self-reflection at night, it really sets you up for your day and your week.
Gordon Brewer: Right, right. I, I remember one of my good friends, Dr. David Hall, who's been on this podcast numerous times. I forget who he quoted on this, but the, the quote is, it's, it's always better to whole ass one thing rather than half ass several.
Samantha: I love that.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah. Yeah. And so, yeah, so yeah, so being able to just focus on stuff because you're right, we can, multitasking is not, is a misnomer. I mean, and that is, it's a, I would say it's the antithesis of being productive for most people.
Samantha: Truly. Truly. Mm-hmm. And I learned that the hard way that would, that would be one thing that I, if I, if you asked me if there's something you wish you would've known earlier, it would've been multitasking is not it.
Gordon Brewer: Right, right, right. Yeah. Yeah. So in, in thinking about kind of going back to what something you said earlier is just thinking about a time audit, is there a particular method that you like to get people to use? I know. In the past, I've just used a spreadsheet for that. But would, are there other ways that you'd like to go about that?
Samantha: I, I do have a system that I, I created within, so there is a platform called Monday. And we use it for work. So we have the professional version, but there is a free version for if you're just like one person, so you anyone can go get it. And you build boards. And one of the cool parts is there's tons of automations.
There's a way to build them. And what I did is I created a weekly time audit for myself and a part of the time audit. Is every task is also color coordinated to the productivity pyramid. So I have the four levels and each one is a different color based off of its ROI. And so I have the four tiers.
Mm-hmm. And it's, so they're actually color coded and connected. And then what I do is I've also attached that to my time blocking, so mm-hmm. Basically what it does is it not only. Has a list of everything I do for the week, and it's usually the week, not per day, because I like to make sure it's all in there and there's multiple tasks that I have to do for my career all the time.
And so then I go in and I start the clock. When my time block starts, I start the clock on it, and then at the end it evaluates how much time I've been truly spending in each one of those categories. So then if I'm seeing that the lowest. Part of my peer pyramid is the one that's the most prevalent in my week.
Then I realized I didn't delegate well enough this week. I was not using my time the most wisely. Mm-hmm. And I need to figure out a system for next week where I don't make those same mistakes. Or I can say, why did that happen? Was there a reason? Was somebody else out? And then kind of figure out how I would have a backup plan for the next time that happened.
Gordon Brewer: Right, right. And I do that with all my
Samantha: clients. They use Monday.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah, I've, I've, I'm familiar with that. I've heard of that. I've not actually used it myself, but I, yeah, I love hearing about new tools like that. So when you, you mentioned the pyramid, say more about that.
Samantha: Sure. So basically the bottom level of the pyramid, I, we, I don't, I don't know.
I'll, I'll use good language here. So the bottom is brown because those are the activities that you don't wanna be doing if you mm-hmm. Catch my drift. And the next one is light green. And that really means like there is a small amount of money that, or like ROI, so I like green to money. So lighter green means that it's like.
The next level. You might get some ROI from this. You might get some money back or profitability. Or revenue coming from these items. But there are things that you have to do, probably like accounting, you know, that type of situation. Then the next tier is like a dark green. It's like the the best ROI you're gonna get for those items that you have to do that are like.
Like this, a podcast where it's we're relationship building or meetings where you're gonna have something come from those meetings that are really gonna move your business forward. And then the very last thing is the top, and that one's gold. And the reason that the very tip top is gold because. Those are the things that you cannot put money to, so they're priceless.
Mm-hmm. So those are your relationships, your passions, whether maybe it's going to church or something spiritual that you need to do for yourself. And those are things you can't put money on. Those activities are family time and memories, and you wanna make sure that you have that built into. Your, your productivity pyramid, because those are the things that are gonna make you have high energy, make you happy, and then you overall have a better life and a more successful personality to come into the world with and be able to have Right.
The things that you're trying to do and accomplish.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah. Yeah. That, that, I, I think it's good to conceptualize it that way just because again, that goes back to figuring out what's important and what's not.
Samantha: Yeah, absolutely. And I like to do it that way too with people because when you put a specific tier or level of, of.
ROI back impact of what you are doing. It kind of makes you think twice, man, am I spending my time wisely? Gosh, I did not do what I wanted to do this week. I don't have any gold. So my entire week means I wasn't, I wasn't focused on my own wellbeing or my family members, you know? So it's a good reality check for people too, to have that.
Gordon Brewer: Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Well, Samantha, I know that we could spend all day talking about all these things and I, I really, I really enjoy, I have enjoyed our conversations, but I've gotta be respectful of your time. Tell folks more about how they can find out more about you and, well, of course we'll have links in the show notes and everything.
One is the Wealth Unfiltered Podcast. Yes. You wanna say a little bit more about that?
Samantha: Sure. Yeah. So wealth Unfiltered. My husband and I do, I'm the host, but my husband is kind of my resident guest expert. He is the VP of investor relations for Viking Capital. So, mm-hmm. We talk a lot about macro level economics.
We, I bring on tons of guests. You were on the show as well. You know, the goal for me really is to have people. Who come on and guest experts who. Really drive the ability for people to find success or to understand the financial world. So it's really ways to grow, grow your business, and understand macroeconomics and how it'll impact you in, in your investments or your future.
Mm-hmm. And that, yeah, like you said, that's welcome filter. It's on Spotify, apple, all your listening platforms. Mm-hmm. And then for me you'll, you can find me online@samanthaperello.com. And. I have obviously lots of social media as well, but that's probably the best way to find me book a discovery call if you're interested in learning more about how I can help you and mm-hmm.
Honestly, I am, I, I, I just had a call the other day booking with a corporate company where now I'll be teaching several of their executives and I do mastermind classes for people, so I, I do a lot, but I love it. It's definitely my, my passion.
Gordon Brewer: Awesome, awesome. Yeah, and again, I'm repeating myself, but we'll have the links here in the show notes and the show summary.
And also we'll we'll put a link in there, the, the episode I did with you on your podcast. So that'll be Yeah, please do. That'll be fun as well. So, yeah. So well Samantha, thanks again for being on the podcast and I hope we can have another conversation here soon.
Samantha: You too. Thank you very much for having me.