Burnout doesn’t always mean you need more rest. Sometimes it means your nervous system is asking for a different rhythm—or even a different container for your work.

In this special three part holiday series of Off the Chair, Dr. Colleen Long dives into the science of nervous system regulation, winter hibernation, and why clinicians feel more depleted than ever during December. You’ll learn how seasonal biology, unfinished stress cycles, trauma physiology, and systemic pressure collide—especially for therapists, psychologists, physicians, and helpers who feel for a living.

This episode helps you identify what kind of tired you’re actually experiencing—the kind a nap will fix, the kind that needs a nervous system reset, or the kind that signals a deeper career redesign. You’ll also hear why December is not a neutral month for clinicians, how rest can bring uncomfortable clarity, and why evolving your work is not failure—it’s biology.

If you’re feeling exhausted, flat, or quietly done, this episode offers language, permission, and practical tools to slow down without shame and listen to what your nervous system is asking for next.

Who this episode is for:
• Therapists, psychologists, counselors
• Physicians, psychiatrists, dentists
• Coaches, healers, helpers
• Burned-out professionals considering a career pivot

Burned out, questioning everything, and wondering if you’re allowed to want something different from your work and your life? This episode is for therapists, group practice owners, and mental health leaders who have hit a wall and know they cannot go back to “business as usual.”

In this conversation, Sarah Olson opens up about slamming into burnout at full speed, even while her practice and life looked successful from the outside. She traces the moment everything stopped working, the fog that made it hard to think straight, and the reckoning that forced her to step back, rest, and rebuild her relationship to work, productivity, and worth.

You’ll hear her talk about how hard it actually is to delegate, release control, and trust a team when you’ve been holding everything together for too long. Sarah describes what it took to take real time off, reconnect with her body, and how healing her own trauma shifted everything.

Key takeaways:

➡️ Burnout can manifest unexpectedly, even when things seem to be going well.

➡️ Recognizing the signs of burnout is crucial for recovery.

➡️ Taking a break is not a sign of weakness but a necessary step for mental health.

➡️ Delegation can be challenging but is essential for sustainable practice management.

➡️ Self-care should not be viewed as selfish but as a priority for well-being.

➡️ Redefining success involves understanding personal limits and needs.

➡️ Quality work can be achieved in shorter, focused periods rather than long hours.

➡️ It's important to listen to your body and respect its signals.

➡️ Leadership styles can shift significantly after experiencing burnout.

➡️ Finding peace in professional life is a continuous journey.

➡️ Listening to your body is crucial for maintaining well-being.

➡️ Healing personal trauma can enhance professional practice.

➡️ Small changes can lead to significant improvements in well-being.

➡️ Prioritizing what truly matters can help manage stress and burnout.

If you've ever wondered what sustainable work-life balance as a clinician could look like, Sarah outlines a pathway there in this episode.

Episode chapters:

00:00 – The burnout experience

03:40 – Recognizing the signs of burnout

07:32 – The decision to step back

18:30 – The shift in mindset

24:58 – Finding community and support

26:45 – Recognizing personal limits and the need for rest

29:12 – The journey back from burnout

30:50 – Learning to delegate and trust the team

33:02 – Navigating the challenges of group practice ownership

35:47 – Understanding burnout and its impact

38:22 – Shifting perspectives on productivity

42:16 – Finding motivation and embracing change

46:03 – Dismantling old beliefs about success

53:33 – The evolution of leadership in practice ownership

01:03:02 – Leading with connection and inspiration

01:06:58 – Listening to your body: a journey to self-care

01:14:12 – Shifting therapy practices: from management to leadership

01:18:47 – Marketing and building a sustainable practice

01:21:31 – Advice for clinicians: small steps to avoid burnout​

If this episode speaks to you, hit subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations. Leave a review so other clinicians can find these stories, and share this episode with a colleague who is on the edge of burnout and needs to know they are not alone.​

Connect with us!

Website: www.offthechair.com

Instagram: @offthechairpodcast

YouTube: @offthechairpodcast

TikTok: @offthechairpodcast​

Burned out, morally injured, and wondering if you’re the problem? Good news and bad news: it's not you, it's the system. This episode is for clinicians, group practice owners, and mental health leaders who feel trapped between their ethics, insurance demands, and the crushing weight of “doing it all.”

In this conversation, we unpack the evolving challenges facing clinicians in independent practice, especially the shift from “I’m just burned out” to recognizing true moral injury. We look at how systemic forces, insurance requirements, and changing rules in healthcare are reshaping what it even means to do ethical, sustainable clinical work.

You’ll hear how isolation in leadership, constant multitasking, and opaque power dynamics erode both capacity and integrity over time. The episode also explores why so many group practice owners feel like they “failed,” when in reality the rules changed without their consent or control.

What you’ll learn

➡️ Why your group practice didn’t fail just because you “couldn’t hack the rules”

➡️ The difference between burnout as a capacity failure and moral injury as an integrity failure

➡️ How clinicians become the vicarious “fall guy” for insurance companies and broken systems

➡️ Why burnout can stop being a phase and start to feel like an identity you can’t escape

➡️ How isolation at the top quietly harms clinical judgment, leadership, and well-being

➡️ What it looks like to reinvent your work using technology and AI without losing your humanity

➡️ Why “off the chair” means refusing to believe that suffering is the price of legitimacy in this field

If you’ve ever thought, “I can survive this if I can just see a way out,” this episode sketches the contours of that way out. It offers language, frameworks, and possibilities for clinicians who are ready to stop surviving in silence and start reimagining what practice can look like.

Episode chapters

00:00 – Introduction to the journey of clinicians

06:46 – The illusion of freedom in group practice

09:05 – The changing landscape of healthcare

10:26 – The new power dynamics in healthcare

12:53 – The burden of multitasking in practice management

13:11 – Understanding moral injury vs. burnout

17:55 – The impact of moral injury on clinicians

21:13 – The isolation of leadership in healthcare

25:07 – Navigating workplace turmoil

27:48 – The burden of leadership in mental health

30:27 – The impact of insurance on mental health practices

36:43 – The journey to selling a practice

40:24 – Reinventing mental health care in a changing landscape

45:58 – Embracing technology for sustainable practice

48:33 – Finding hope and healing in the chaos

50:33 – Understanding human behavior and cues

51:24 – Taking action for change

If this episode resonated with you, hit subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations. Leave a review to help other clinicians find this show, and share this episode with a colleague who is quietly burning out or carrying moral injury alone.

Connect with us!

Website: www.offthechair.com

Instagram: @offthechairpodcast

YouTube: @offthechairpodcast

TikTok: @offthechairpodcast

In this conversation, the hosts discuss the challenges of leadership in group practices, emphasizing the importance of trauma-informed leadership and building a culture of trust. Dr. Colleen Long introduces Poonam and Julianne from Level Up Leaders, who share their journey from clinicians to leadership consultants. The discussion covers the significance of understanding group practice owners, navigating isolation, and integrating culture into daily practices, especially in remote work environments. They highlight the costs of neglecting culture and the need for compassionate accountability in leadership, ultimately encouraging leaders to embrace their humanity and foster relational ecosystems within their teams.

Key takeaways:

• Trauma-informed leadership is essential for sustainable practices.
• Turnover is costly, affecting both finances and morale.
• Survival mode hinders effective leadership.
• Building a culture of trust is crucial for team cohesion.
• Daily practices can automate culture cultivation.
• Compassionate accountability balances empathy with expectations.
• Honesty in leadership fosters trust and growth.
• Neglecting culture leads to high costs and low morale.
• Everyone in a team shares responsibility for culture.
• Transitioning from clinician to entrepreneur requires strategic planning.

If you are in the thick of it, you are not alone. And you are definitely not the only one trying to survive inside something that was never built to support you.

Connect with us!

Julianne and Poonam:

Website: https://www.levelupleaders.org/

Newsletter: https://levelupleaders.myflodesk.com/newsletter

Off the Chair:

Website: www.offthechair.com

Instagram: @offthechairpodcast

YouTube: @offthechairpodcast

Freedom after selling your practice isn’t guaranteed - and scaling doesn’t have to break you.

In this episode, we unpack what happens when “I’ll feel free after the exit” meets real life. We explore why peace comes from boundaries, systems, and aligned choices - not the transaction - while showing how a growing practice can actually create space.

Along the way, we share practical ways a therapist mom can protect energy, use AI tools for therapists to reclaim time, practice real self care for therapists, and boost therapist productivity without losing humanity. If you’re in the messy middle, this one’s for you.

What’s inside (and why it matters):

• When selling doesn’t equal serenity: a therapist mom shares post-exit overload - and the surprising shifts that finally restored calm (hint: self care for therapists that looks like SOPs, not spa days).
• Scaling without the spiral: how we lifted therapist productivity by delegating outcomes (not tasks) and shortening meetings - and why that’s the most sustainable self care for therapists we’ve found.
• Real-life systems that stick: energy-based scheduling, admin-only days, and hard stops that any therapist can try this week to protect focus and raise therapist productivity.
• Tech that gives hours back: specific AI tools for therapists for notes, reports, content prompts, and creative assets - plus the ethical guardrails we use so AI tools for therapists support care (not replace it).
• Guilt, grace, and identity whiplash: how we navigate being a therapist mom who’s ambitious and present - and how reframing “self-care” as capacity building lifted both morale and therapist productivity with help from AI tools for therapists.

It’s strategic, human, and immediately usable - especially if you’re balancing clients, leadership, and carpool.

Join us and walk away with a calmer calendar, smarter AI tools for therapists, sturdier self care for therapists, and a kinder approach to therapist productivity as a working therapist mom.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

When the walls feel tighter than ever, that crossroads of deciding to scale, sell, or stay is real - and confusing.

In this episode, we unpack the deeply personal, strategic, and emotional decision every practice owner faces: whether to scale therapy, sell, or stay - and how aligned practice management can help you make the right call for your life and your business.

We share the truth about what happens when your practice feels too big to manage but too valuable to walk away from. We talk about what it means to evolve as a clinician-turned-CEO, how to lead with clarity instead of burnout, and how strong clinic practice management can shift the entire trajectory of your career.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why “freedom” isn’t just about income or time - and how to know if your practice is helping or hurting both
• The signs it's time to scale therapy, shift your model, or step away entirely - and how to trust yourself through the process
• How poor practice management can make scaling impossible - and what changes when your systems finally match your growth
• What we’ve learned from staying too long, scaling too fast, or selling too soon - and why we don’t believe in “one right answer”
• How our therapist identities have evolved - and how being a CEO therapist doesn’t mean abandoning your clinical heart
• 
  

Feeling stuck between craving growth and needing rest? You’re not alone - and you don’t have to decide blindly. Join us for an honest look at what’s possible when you scale therapy practices with intention, alignment, and just a little more permission to change your mind.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

If you’ve ever felt trapped by your own success, stuck in the grind of growing your therapy businesses, or secretly questioning your career while leading others - this episode is for you.

We’re talking about the real cost of therapist burnout, what no one tells you about running therapy businesses, and how we finally stepped away from the chair (emotionally, clinically, and sometimes financially).

In this first episode of Off the Chair, we share our personal stories of crashing, questioning, and rebuilding from the ground up. Each of us has navigated the highs and lows of running a group therapy practice, often while carrying the invisible weight of perfection, responsibility, and fear.

We created this podcast because we know firsthand how often clinician mental health gets overlooked in the rush to grow, lead, and serve. And we’re not here to sell you a formula - we’re here to walk with you through the messy middle of leadership.

• The behind-the-scenes reality of therapist burnout - what triggered ours, and how we knew it was time to make a change
• What it looks like to leave behind the “right way” of running therapy businesses and do it your own way instead
• How running a group therapy practice can lead to both empowerment and exhaustion - and how to find your center again
• The emotional and strategic impact of neglecting clinician mental health as a leader
• Why we believe successful therapy businesses don’t have to sacrifice your well-being or your values

If you’re building a group therapy practice, leading a team, or silently battling therapist burnout, we see you. Listen now and hear what happens when clinicians stop pretending, start healing, and finally get off the chair.

New episodes drop every Tuesday.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE!

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj

When therapist burnout meets business overwhelm, something has to change. Off the Chair is here to spark that change.

In this trailer, we introduce our unfiltered mission: to talk about what really happens behind the scenes of building and sustaining a therapist business in today's broken mental health system.

We are Dr. Colleen Long, Dr. Jennifer Politis, and Erika Bugaj, LICSW - three clinicians who have led, scaled, and sometimes struggled with running a group therapy practice while navigating the messy middle of motherhood, leadership, and identity.

This show is not about perfection. It is about truth, transparency, and tangible strategies for therapists who are ready to think differently. We created this space because we know therapist burnout is real. Clinician mental health is often ignored. And the old model of doing more with less is no longer working.

Each week, we will share honest conversations, behind-the-scenes lessons, and real-time reflections that merge business strategy with emotional clarity. Whether you're building your first therapist business or trying to breathe life back into your established group therapy practice, we are here to remind you that you are not alone.

If you are a therapist who is tired of pretending everything is fine, a practice owner who feels like the business is running you, or a clinician who wants more freedom without selling your soul, this podcast was made for you.

Subscribe now and join us every Tuesday for honest insights on therapist burnout, clinician mental health, the realities of running a group therapy practice, and what it takes to build a sustainable and fulfilling therapist business.

Connect with us!

Podcast Website: www.offthechair.com

Colleen Long, Psy.D.

Website: www.claritypsychologicaltesting.com

LinkedIn: Dr. Colleen Long

Jennifer Politis, PhD, LPC

Website: www.wellnesscounselingBC.com

Instagram: @wellnesscounselingnj

TikTok: @wellnesscounseling

LinkedIn: Jennifer Politis

Erika Bugaj, MA, MSW, LICSW

Website: www.dandelioncounselingcare.com

Instagram: @dandelioncounselingcare

LinkedIn: Erika Bugaj