Navigating the Mental Health Field Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities with Samara Stone Ep.77
Episode Overview
About Guest: Samara Stone
Samara Stone is a trailblazer in the mental health field, known for her innovative approach to private practice and her commitment to empowering fellow therapists. As the CEO of Perfected Practice and the founder of the Perfected Practice, a thriving group practice, Samara has spent over two decades helping mental health professionals build sustainable, successful businesses. She began her journey with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hampton University, an HBCU that shaped her foundational understanding of human behavior. Samara continued her education with a master’s in social work from the University of Maryland, where she honed her skills in clinical practice and social work. This blend of academic rigor and practical experience has positioned her as a leader in her field, capable of guiding others through the complexities of mental health entrepreneurship.
Samara founded Perfected Practice, a coaching and consulting firm dedicated to helping therapists and other mental health professionals grow their practices beyond the traditional one-on-one therapy model. Through her flagship program, the “90 Day Sprint,” she provides tailored coaching to help practitioners identify their niche, develop a strong brand, and explore new business opportunities. Her work focuses on leveraging skills and experiences to create diverse revenue streams, such as online courses, workshops, and corporate consulting, ensuring that therapists can maintain a healthy work-life balance while achieving their professional goals. Samara’s approach is rooted in her belief that mental health professionals can thrive both personally and professionally by embracing entrepreneurship and innovation.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Samara is passionate about supporting her community and fostering personal growth. She is the creator of Be Full Grown, a project designed to support Black women navigating midlife transitions, helping them to embrace change and live fully. Her leadership extends into speaking engagements, where she addresses topics such as mental health, business development, and the impact of societal changes on the therapeutic field. Samara’s dynamic presence and ability to connect with diverse audiences have made her a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant. Her insights are particularly valuable in today’s rapidly evolving mental health landscape, where she continues to inspire and guide others to find their own paths to success and fulfillment
Episode Transcript
Becky Coplen : Thanks so much for returning to mastering counseling. We are so thrilled to talk to Samara Stone today. She is the CEO and owner of Perfected Practice and of course has a website to go along with all that. Welcome to the show today, Samara. Thank you.
Samara Stone: Becky, thank you so much for having me.
Becky Coplen : We were just chatting before about your wealth of knowledge and the journey that you’ve been on, which I believe started in the study of psychology. So let’s just kind of go back there and talk about your interest in that and how things have evolved through the years.
Samara Stone: Oh my gosh, all the way back to psychology. That means you want to start with a bachelor’s degree, right? That’s that’s where.
Becky Coplen : A lot of the listeners might be. So yes, we’d love to know about it.
Samara Stone: I did I started with my bachelor’s in psychology at Hampton University. That’s an HBCU, historically black college and university. And while on an internship one year, like between my junior and senior year, I actually went to Las Vegas. My mom was living in Las Vegas at the time, and she arranged for me to have an internship with a woman named Maggie Martell. Maggie Martell was in private practice. She was an MFT. And I, I mean, that experience was so transformative for me on so many levels. It’s hard to even really capture all of it in just this one conversation. But one of the things she said to me is based on where I was at that time, and this is in the 90s, that’s how old I am. This is the 90s, she said to me, you have to pursue your master’s in social work as your next step. This is the next wave of what will make sense and give you the greatest versatility in the field of mental health. And she was right. , so I pursued a master’s in social work at the University of Maryland right after that, you know. After completing that degree in psychology. And, you know, I tell you, I’ve always loved the flexibility of social work. We are everywhere and can do all kinds of things. And even having, you know, really positioned our license to be recognized as having the capability to cross-train in so many different industries. I love all the doors that it’s opened for me. And so, yeah, I started in psychology, went to social work. I at one point had the random thought to pursue a degree in cultural anthropology. It kind of seemed like, you know, the individual, then the social, and then I’ll go back historically. But I stopped right there at that master’s.
Becky Coplen : I know, right, as you get older, there’s so many more topics. You’re like, I wish I knew about this when I was 20. So it’s amazing that you went on a trip across the country. And then in working with your mom and others, you figured out your next degree. I don’t think usually people go on vacation to forget about it, right? But you open up more doors. So very cool. And so you did some work in private practice. , you used to have a practice group called the Perfected Practice, and now your main focus is perfected practice. So let’s just talk about your practice and what it looks like and what you’re doing.
Samara Stone: Sure, sure. So I actually still do own the Perfected Practice. I still have that as a group practice. , we’ve been in operation consistently, consistently since January of 2005. So that means this January of 2025 will be 20 years that that business has been in existence. Amazing, right? Right. And it started as a solo practice and soon became a group. And by around the third year in practice, I realized that in order for my business to actually grow to its full potential, I needed to fully embrace my role as an administrator and not as a therapist. Right. That was a really interesting choice for me, but it made sense based on what was happening with my family. I had two children at that point, and, you know, it was just really a logical decision around how can I optimize the time that I have available to invest professionally. And that choice was such a game changer for my business. I started to explore contracts and government contracts, and being able to leverage the skills that mental health professionals have to secure different kinds of work experiences outside of the 1 to 1 private practice model. And so that work allowed me to employ people full time and offer health insurance, and to build the kind of infrastructure that a, you know, a business would have. It was a wonderful chance for me to become more of a leader in the field. Right? Because by employing mental health professionals and even offering continuing education and that kind of thing. I really started thinking about not just the opportunities for me, but how do I create greater opportunities for the field as a whole. And that kind of led me to offer this training called Hanging Your Shingle, because a lot of people were like, well, Samara, how did you do this? How did you start a private practice and then see it grow into a group? And so I built this little crew.
Samara Stone: It was a three hour crew called Hanging Your Shingle. And at the end of each of those, every time I’d offer it, people would be standing in the room asking more and more questions. So what was a three hour queue became a six hour. It became a three day event, became a coaching program where I actually teach people how to build their own private practices. So that was in 2013. I started Perfected practice. And it’s interesting in coaching other therapists to build their businesses. I really noticed that a lot of it had to do with the inner work of becoming an entrepreneur and kind of how that changes us. The money mindset, the leadership, the personal growth edge, , as well as this need to establish a niche for themselves. Like a lot of folks were resistant to creating a niche. But by not doing that, it was a lot harder for them to explore opportunities that were going to be a right fit for them. , and so we started teaching people how to create a niche, how to build a brand, how to have an online presence that allows you to secure opportunities beyond 1 to 1 services. And I love that work. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past ten years, and there have been so many training and masterclasses and courses and collaborations. I mean, there’s so much you can see on perfected Practice. Com and even on some of our stone comm around things that we’ve offered in the field. But all of that kind of started by me just trying to answer the question of how I did what I did with the Perfected Practice.
Becky Coplen : Right. I love.
Becky Coplen : That. I feel like when I hear you talk, I just see your brain reeling, really reeling in people wanting more, Wanting more. And then you put it into a professional courses and all of that. So that is amazing. And one thing I saw on your website was something called the 90 day. Is that the sprint 190 day sprint, which I really liked. I used to coach track way long ago, so and I think I was thinking about it, it seems like that time frame is must be so appealing to people to say, this is what I’m doing for three months. So tell us about where that came from and how it’s going.
Samara Stone: Oh my God. You’re picking all my faves, all my favorite things. All my favorite things. What I like about the 90 day sprint. It’s just what you said. The container is perfectly timed. So you have this sense of urgency like, okay, I got to get this done. I can’t just kind of loaf right? And it has enough time for you to actually implement one thing and get some feedback and support around that. And so most of the clients who take my 90 day sprint are folks who’ve already created their private practice and have reached what I call the popping point. Right? Like in the very beginning of establishing your private practice, the thought is, Will I ever have clients? I want to make sure I have clients. I don’t know if I’m going to have any clients. Especially if you’re taking insurance about a year in, you’re like, oh my God, what am I going to do with all these clients? Right. So that’s the popping point. Like I cannot see one more person, but I would like to make more money. And quite honestly, if I’m seeing ten, I mean 15, 20, 25 clients a week, when am I going to stop remembering people’s names? Right? Like, like that starts to come up. Right? And so when people reach that point, the 90 day split spread is a real custom coaching experience to help them navigate the next best step, right? Take stock of what you’ve done professionally.
Samara Stone: What skills and talents and abilities you have. Get in touch with kind of the parts of your lived experience that are relevant for what you’d like to do professionally, because that’s where we find stuff that’s meaningful and that we’re passionate about. Like, these are how we build niches that matter to us, right? So it’s not that just making money, but we’re doing something we feel great about that we believe in. And with that kind of clarity, we start creating offers and work that you can do beyond the couch that leverages all those skills and abilities and kind of, you know, fits exactly with your personality and your way of being. And so I love doing that, finding the right next step and then focusing on that and actually seeing it through to implementation. That’s what that 90 day sprint makes available for mental health professionals, and a part of why I love it so much. You know, it still does give me that one on one opportunity. Like I’ve taught courses and I’ve done, you know, trainings and training programs and courses for groups of people. But I really love the sweet spot of just a few conversations focused on one person at a time, because it allows for a nice deep dive, and for me to offer some customized strategies that are going to fit you as an individual and not kind of the cookie cutter. Here’s step one. Step two, step three.
Becky Coplen : Yeah, I’m sure it can be. You can really niche down with them and exactly what they need to move forward. And as you said, I think the popping point of expansion. So in perfected practice are you the sole coach or you have many other people. How big or small are you using that operation?
Samara Stone: So I am the sole coach, and I do have an administrative team that helps with things like marketing and, you know, behind the scenes stuff and, you know, the inner workings of the business. But I am the one that teaches all my courses, that offers all my coaching services. It is a boutique, you know, experience for people. I do still have other opportunities that I make available for folks, you know, but I, I don’t know, something about perfected practice. It’s like my little incubator where I help new businesses nurture themselves and grow. And that to me is a special experience and not something I’m trying to mass produce. Right, right. I do have some online courses and self-led courses, and for people that are at the beginning of their journey, I do have like a self-led piece that has the community element. And in the community, I think more folks are supporting each other and not just everyone looking to me for guidance. But my favorite is the 90 day sprint, where it’s me and a person, you know, spending time working on growing their business.
Samara Stone: And some people stay longer than 190 days. It’s not that they only can, you know, 90 days and you’re out of here. Don’t ever talk to me. It’s 90 days to focus on this one thing and let’s make some real traction. That one is just myself. I do still have a team of therapists at the Perfected Practice, and we have, you know, an administrative team that works over there as well. I kind of have a dual focus in my business and even the work that I do, the same way I encouraged therapists to explore opportunities beyond the couch. I’ve done that for myself, and so I love consulting and corporate spaces. I love speaking engagements and keynotes. You know, those that I love doing. I have another passion project called Be Full Grown. That’s for black women. Beyond the 40 type, you know, stage of life, you know, navigating the second half of life. So I’m an active entrepreneur. I like to explore and do lots of different things that speak to what I’m, you know, curious and interested in.
Becky Coplen : Yeah, I love it. And then I love that you still want to work one on one with someone and get them through. Going back to because you the 90 day was someone who’s maybe begun and is this expanding. But then you do work with people who are like fresh and talk to us. Is that like. And it was more of a group and community. Are those like sessions you do each week? How does that look a little different than the 90 day one on one?
Samara Stone: I love it so so practice Pros is my program for new therapists or people that are new to building their private practice. And for ten years I taught it live. Once a year I would open up the cohort because it’s a six month course. I would open it up, I would teach it live every week. And I never had more than 25 students at a time. So it was kind of like still a small community, right? So some years I had very small like 7 or 8 people, right? Really, really small. But I’d show up live one week. I’d teach a lesson, the following week we’d do a Q&A, and they’d have two weeks to complete that. And we were step by step, building a practice right this year, or maybe starting last year, I think was the last time that I did it live, and so now it is a Self-led course. So the curriculum itself is still available. There are videos and handouts and links and all kinds of stuff that you can use, and you get three private calls with me. So the first call I asked them to be to at least have completed the section on Niching before we talk, so that when we talk, we’re talking about your niche.
Samara Stone: And then after that the other two calls, you know, it varies some it’s about creating a marketing strategy for themselves because I’m very big on customized marketing strategies for folks. Not everybody should do the same thing to grow their grow visibility in their business. , and for some people, they focus a lot on workflows, like making sure they’ve got the right, you know, administrative operations in place, those SOPs that are going to help them to run the business. So those are pieces where they tend to have the friction. And that’s where I kind of meet with them privately to get them through that. And then there’s a community where they kind of speak amongst themselves. Once a year I do host a brunch for all of my students, whether you’re in the private coaching program, the 90 day sprint, or if you’re a practice pro, or even if you’ve been with me in the past because it’s an alumni brunch. So let’s say you worked with me five, six, seven, eight years ago. They’re all welcome to come together for brunch. And that happens in the fall. And so that’s kind of a community aspect of what we do.
Becky Coplen : Very fun. And so I imagine you’re working with people across the nation. And then and some people do, some people actually fly in for the brunch. That would be fun. Yes, I love it.
Samara Stone: Yeah. They come from all over for the brunch. They really do because it’s, you know, it’s the first time for us to meet in person. And one of the things I’m really clear about when I’m working with someone, I’m not. I’m not just working with them, their business, I’m working with them as a person. And so I kind of become an auntie to the people that I’m serving. And so by the time we’ve done the 90 day sprint and they’ve gotten this result, and they feel real clear about their business, and they’re confident that they’re ready to come and meet in person for us to kind of, you know, share that moment of, look what you’ve done, right. Like that celebration of what they’ve done.
Becky Coplen : Yeah.
Samara Stone: And I’ve had some international clients too. I’ve had some clients in, I think I had one lady that was in Europe. One lady? Yeah. One lady in Europe. And I had a lady in South Africa, too, but it didn’t work out so well. The time zones were just so. Yeah. We couldn’t get it going. And then, you know, converting the currencies. It was a little while, but I’ve had a few international clients too.
Becky Coplen : Yeah. The time zones. I mean, if you want to work at a certain time and they want to work out, but yeah, it can be tricky for sure. So some of this team is international and I think I’ve interrupted them too late at night in America. But. Well, that is all very exciting. I love all the work that you’re doing and that you’re sharing with everyone. What would you say are some more current trends? , in this whole field that you’ve been seeing or maybe even new issues? , because you have had a lot of experience. So I’m sure things look very different now than they did in 2013. So what are some of those trends or issues?
Samara Stone: I’ll tell you, you know, I love this question. There are usually two forces that impact change in a field like ours. There’s our own, you know, growth of capacity and what we’re able to do and what we’re aware that we are capable of doing. And then there’s the external pressures of just things happening in the world around us that call us to action differently. And I’ve seen both of those things at play. One of the things that I think has been a huge, pivotal moment for us is Covid. Covid 19 gave therapists the ability to open a computer and be in business, right? Whereas prior to they really were primarily in office and needed to be able to create enough infrastructure and to have, you know, a brick and mortar business. But the virtual option changed that, right? It also did, , create a huge influx of folks that required mental health care. And so the availability of clients was just huge, right? Yeah, huge opportunity for mental health professionals. One of the things, though, that I think we’ve also seen is burnout is real, right. And so what happens is, if I’m at home seeing clients and I don’t realize that 25 clients in a week is going to be the death of me, and I’m doing that while also looking at a child that’s going to school virtually. It’s not long before I’m overwhelmed.
Becky Coplen : Yeah.
Samara Stone: And so trying to figure out how do I how can leverage the skills that I have beyond just this 1 to 1, you know, therapeutic model that has led people to explore the wide range of opportunities that are available for mental health professionals. And I’m so happy to see that. I mean, there are people that are doing intensives, retreats, online courses, facilitating, you know, in corporate spaces, speaking engagements, keynote speaking, writing books like think of all the things that mental health professionals are able to do to make money. That is shifting the way we see how we’re able to offer our services. And so for some clients, even who they don’t maybe have time to commit to a week of talk therapy for six months, but they’d love to attend an immersive retreat experience where they can really get in touch with some of the core issues they’ve had around, you know, their parenting experience or work on their relationships. Right? Being able to heal and community, even, , and having therapists lead Those experiences has been, you know, really interesting and therapeutic. And so I think we’re going to see more shifts in the way that we deliver mental health services outside of that 1 to 1 therapeutic hour, because there’s so much that we can do and so much that clients need and that they’re willing to experience and explore with us. Destigmatizing mental health services means that people are, you know, even able to market themselves differently. You know, it’s not something that’s seen as a deficit. If you want to see a therapist, it’s almost like, I’m going to talk to my therapist about that, you know, kind of thing. That’s changing in the way that the field is seen. And that means more clients who are coming to perfect themselves and to work on things and not coming because they’re just terribly, you know, not functioning well. So you get high functioning people that are sharpening the saw as opposed to folks that are knitting together broken hearts, and that creates new opportunities for therapists as well.
Becky Coplen : Yeah, I love that perspective. Very good analysis. I think of the time and and I don’t know about you, but I feel like with Covid, , burnout. I just feel like, especially like 2022, everything felt slower and harder. And I this rate that we used to work at, I don’t know that I’ll ever get back to it. You know, I don’t know, it’s just kind of a reset in a good way of we all need to settle down just a tad. So. Exactly right.
Samara Stone: That’s exactly right. And being able to control your time in that way meant that therapists weren’t so willing to go back into spaces that didn’t affirm their well-being. Right. That didn’t serve. And that kind of led to burnout. They’re like, I’d rather kind of create my own schedule. And if that means that I maybe need to be cash pay instead of work with insurance so that I’m able to make more per hour, or if I’m able to do some other things where I’m only out of the office one day a week. You know that type of stuff. Or out of the home one day a week. It really did change. It empowered us to look differently at what we’re doing. I actually have a YouTube channel for Perfected Practice where I talk a lot about this dynamic while it’s happening and kind of helping therapists to reflect on what’s available. Now that we’ve kind of come through Covid and are now looking at a new landscape for what’s possible in the field of mental health.
Becky Coplen : All right. I will have to check that out for sure. All kinds of things that you are giving us. One other trend of going a little farther, of course, is AI. Are you doing much with that? What’s your thoughts? Where do you see it going?
Samara Stone: You know, it’s so interesting. So there’s AI, there’s also the third party conglomerates that are involving themselves in the world of private practice, the headway, the alma, the growth, their Talkspace and BetterHelp and all of these other kind of on demand texting, mental health services and such. And fourth, I really think that what’s happening is the type of work that therapists are able to do is expanding, and it’s creating a gap where things that can be handled by AI or other things are able to do so. Right. I will never be able to hold space for hands in the way that other therapists can, but they sure can spit out some responses on what this is, what depression is. And here’s some strategies you can try and rate that on a scale of 1 to 10.
Samara Stone: And so if anything, I think more than feeling intimidated or feeling like we’re being ousted, it’s wise to embrace this technology and see how we can leverage and use it to our own benefit. It’s not going away. Right And so to say, oh, we don’t like it and you shouldn’t. That doesn’t really doesn’t serve us because it creates a rigidity that ultimately will be up to our own detriment. Right. I’m thinking about industries like I remember reading an article once. I think it was a word processor or typewriter company saying that there’ll never be a day when computers are in people’s houses. That’s that. Computers are for corporate spaces. They’re never going to have them in their house.
Becky Coplen : Right. You know, they were wrong on that not happening.
Samara Stone: Right. And so now they have computers in our back pockets, right. Or in our sunglasses. So it’s better to kind of surf with technology and direct the tide and not kind of let it crash up upon you. I do think also that AI has some need for us to pinpoint areas of danger. Like there are some friction points where it can be hazardous to the health of someone who’s fragile. And so being able to identify that and put it in places where we’re redirecting to Hans is going to be essential.
Becky Coplen : Mhm.
Becky Coplen : Yeah I like that. Take surf with technology. That’s a good way of putting it. Yeah. People used to think we would never all use the internet or it was only bad. I mean you can’t even imagine. It’s just like the tool of you want to know. You just look it up.
Becky Coplen : So.
Samara Stone: And something else that I’ve noticed for those mental health professionals that are entrepreneurs and in business for themselves, I can be very helpful in marketing your business. If you learn how to create a ChatGPT that understands your brand voice and understands your audience, it can help you to write emails, to put together calendars for social media to like help with pitches. Like it can be a proposal. Like it’s so much that it can assist you with, , if you’re using it, you know, as an astute user, Right?
Becky Coplen : Right.
Samara Stone: Should it be the only voice that your clients hear, your potential clients hear in a marketing space? Not at all. But can it assist you to put together topics or outlines or. Yes, yes it can.
Becky Coplen : Yeah. I love to think of it as like my initial brainstorm. Especially if you’re tired and you’re like, oh, I can’t even. And then it just gets the ideas, the words going. And then you can take it from there.
Becky Coplen : So I’ll tell you another way.
Samara Stone: I use it for Becky. One when I am privately coaching with someone, I have an AI assistant that comes into the recording. It records, but it also categorizes, pulls out key points, puts together a list of tasks like it. It’s like my little assistant that takes the call and packages it up so nicely as an actionable, you know, follow up step for clients. And I’m like, gosh, I remember before, even when I used to not record my calls, people trying to take notes of what we were talking about, and it would take us completely out of the flow of what we were discussing. Now we can get through so much material in 30 minutes, because we know what we’re discussing is being categorized, recorded and, you know, put in order for implementation.
Becky Coplen : Yeah, those yeah, those are great things to know I think. Yeah. Definitely helping in mental health with the data. And while data is not a great word but you know, the notes of the session. So what would you say? I mean, I know you have your whole I think it was the pros program for new people. Yeah. Practice pros and 90 day. But just for the sake of this podcast, what would be your advice to someone either kind of finishing a program and their bachelor’s or master’s or possibly just launching into this world? What would what would be the top two things you’d want them to know?
Samara Stone: Protect your confidence. Right? You’re going to need that whether you’re sitting across from someone in a therapy session, working for another business, or trying to stretch out and create your own, you need confidence. And so in the beginning, we grow our confidence by exposing ourselves to different professional experiences and see what sticks. What are you good at? What are you passionate about? Who do you really want to work with? What are you noticing? Where you’re getting good results and good feedback, right. And lean into that further. To me those are the sprouts of a niche that will help you to become an expert over the years as you continue moving forward in your career.
Becky Coplen : The second thing that I would advise is that you really start developing some, some clear self-care and personal personal growth and personal development strategies, because a lot of times therapists come to this work because we ourselves have had damage, hurt, pain, and our compassion moves us to want to support others in that. But if we’re not doing our own work, we are a vessel that cannot help hold water for those that are thirsty. Right. And so I always advise that you learn about your own kind of edge when it comes to self-care. How do you know when things are going south? How do you know when you’re tending towards burnout? How do you know when you’re overwhelmed? Pay attention and put preventative practices in place to assist you with taking, you know, being able to take good care of yourself so you can take good care of your clients.
Becky Coplen : Great advice. Inspiring and helpful for sure. One last thing that I did want to ask you about, especially we have, you know, many people who talk on here who are doing so many things, like you are the teacher, the one on one running this business, checking in on this business. How do you know what works for you in the scheduling of your time? And is that does your admin let you know. Oh, you’re filled up. What kind of tools or apps are you following to stay organized? I love hearing about that.
Samara Stone: First of all, if you are in business, you absolutely need someone as an assistant to help you with the things you’re not great at. There’s a book by Gaye Hendricks called The Big Leap that I recommend folks reading when it comes to your zone of genius. Your zone of excellence, you know, and really choosing to spend your time on the things that you’re great at. So I have always had an assistant of some sort throughout my business journey. Well, I can’t always say. It took me the first two years to learn that, right?
Becky Coplen : But let’s say.
Samara Stone: Since 2008, I’ve had an assistant business regardless of what I’m doing. And that person does the things that I’m not great at, I’m very clear about what I’m not good at, and I hire other people to do those things. In terms of apps, gosh, there are so many that I use. I think having a good productivity app is good, but something that helps you manage tasks and team. So right now we’re using Monday. I’ve used asana. There’s lots of other productivity tools out there that you can use. But something like that is very important. I also I use Google Calendar and because it syncs with so many other things seamlessly, so in some of my corporate experiences, they require a certain scheduling app. I just pull them into, you know, the same thing. I also have tight boundaries on my days, like I work three days a week and the other two days I’m off and I’m off on the weekends, and I travel a lot these days, but I’m at this point. I’m 50, so I’m in college like, it’s a different world for you, but I I’m very strict with my time. I do not waste it and I do not squander it. And so when I’m off, I spend that time playing and enjoying life. And then when I’m on, I spend that time focused and getting things done. And so I think a lot of times stress comes from, you know, knowing you need to do something but not doing it. And so now you’re feeling that pressure. I’d rather get it all done as much of it as I can and then schedule, you know, that planned neglect. Like I’m planning to not do that until the next time. Not stress me out. I’ve already said I’m not doing it, you know.
Becky Coplen : Right. And being very.
Samara Stone: Very judicious with my. No. I have a lot of no and. Nope, not doing that, not doing that, not doing that. And I only give a yes to a thing that really fits with my life, my skills, my niche. And actually, I can see how I’ll be able to contribute and gain from participation. I think that in terms of other apps and things like that, I love Canva in the world of branding and just creating design things. Canva has been phenomenal for me and my clients. Back when I first was doing my social media myself back in 2013, it was wonderful. Wix is an amazing website platform. It’s flexible, they have so many new features and they’re adding new ones all the time. , so I really, really love that. I also like a place where you can use voice notes because when inspired ideas come, I want you to capture all those. But I don’t want you to feel like you’ve got to take action on them right away. And so something that’s a voice note where you can talk through things for yourself. That’s very helpful for me. And I always suggest that for my entrepreneurial clients.
Becky Coplen : So much great wisdom in there. If people are listening right now, they’re going to have to record it to remember. So no, those are really great ideas. And yeah, thank you for sharing all of that. especially for people who could be starting out. And maybe you need 90 day sprints and a few a year or so. So very cool.