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Selling the CouchImpact And Income Beyond The Therapy Room Author: Melvin Varghese, PhD
With 1.81 million downloads, Selling the Couch is an Apple Top Career podcast for current and future mental health private practitioners who think differently. Psychologist Melvin Varghese interviews successful therapists in private practice about how they built their businesses as well as top entrepreneurs, business/marketing, and social media experts.* You'll learn how therapists get referrals, grow their practices, work through fears, find their enough, and stop "trading time for income." Melvin also shares the lessons as he grows his impact income beyond the therapy room (podcasting, YouTube, writing, online courses, masterminds, investing, etc) and the tips and tools he uses to grow STC from a single-person business to the CEO of a 6-figure business.* Featured in Psychology Today, Good Therapy, and Psych Central ****Get show notes and even more good stuff at sellingthecouch.com/stcpodcast* Language: en Genres: Business, Careers, Health & Fitness, Mental Health Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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ENCORE: The 10 Biggest Mistakes I Made As An Online Course Creator
Thursday, 27 November, 2025
I’ve been focused on building a life around my family and self-care rather than fitting those things around a career. I’ve learned that there is much wisdom in slowing down and not keeping up a crazy pace. One thing that has helped me accomplish these goals is creating an online course. Even though I’m super grateful and blown away by the success, I made a lot of mistakes along the way. Join me as I share my insights and lessons learned. You’ll Learn:The 10 biggest mistakes I made as an online course creator:1–I didn’t understand how my childhood trauma affected my course pricing. Check out these resources: “The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship” (Inc Magazine), We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers, and courses by Tiffany McLain.2–I gave my students lifetime access to coaching and community.This caused me to feel resentment for not charging more for that kind of access to me.3–I focused too much on gear instead of creating a steady marketing system. I have learned that marketing, which is not my strength, is all about authenticity and connection.4–I focused on being in the “middle of the pack” on pricing instead of in the upper tier.Ask yourself, “Do you want to be the Apple or the Walmart in your niche?”5–I didn’t realize that I could invite students into other experiences beyond my course.Options include a mastermind, cohort-based course, and other recurring income buckets.6–I realized that looking at my bank account doesn’t drive sales as testimonials do.7–I thought I’d be stuck on one business model, so I built a “strip mall model.”8–I thought having a mentor with a similar course meant that I couldn’t create one.When someone else has a similar course, you can niche down into a more specific message.9–I was too concerned about the sale over the relationship.This came from a poverty mindset instead of the abundance mindset to which I aspire. 10–I didn’t think about the one-off sale on the front end and the recurring invitation on the back. A certain number of students will want a more in-depth experience with us. Resources:Want to launch your online course?Join our Free 90-Minute Workshop happening on December 10th: Will AI Make My Course Irrelevant? Save your spot at sellingthecouch.com/aiwebinarCheck out our new membership site that’s launching in January! Find out more and join the interest list for Haven.













