Hi, I’m Mel - girl dad and licensed psychologist. I understand how challenging it can be to be successful and busy as a clinician, especially when it's no longer as fulfilling as it used to be. While you still have a genuine love for your clients, you now yearn for a greater sense of ease, flow, and freedom in your work.

You may have thoughts like:

Embarking on the creative journey of creating an online course, from the initial spark of an idea to successfully launching and scaling it, is no easy task.

And as a therapist, you must do this while juggling time for your practice, loved ones, and other responsibilities.

Your inner critic keeps telling you it’s not possible.

Your colleagues and loved ones will even deter you with “well-intentioned” concerns like,

“You’re not going to see clients anymore?”

or

“I don’t think you can ethically do that.”

I wasn't born into money. My family immigrated from India to the U.S. in 1989, and as a young boy, I saw my parents struggle and succeed through sheer hard work, unbelievable grace, and grit.

They taught me many wonderful lessons, but one unfortunate one was that I should “stay in my lane” to succeed.

So I went down the path to become a Counseling Psychologist, a career path that I was passionate about and that also, in some ways, "felt safe".   
 

After a while, I felt like I was meant to do so much more. The work was meaningful.  But it was also exhausting, and my income was capped.

I knew that it was possible to stop trading time for money, and my life took an incredible turn when I finally decided to bet on myself and become an online course creator.

In the early days, nervous about being on camera.

Here I am over 7 years and $300K in revenue later ...

There were a few bumps along the way ...

I left behind a stable clinical job offer at Vanderbilt when my partner and I got married in 2012.

We made the decision to move from Nashville to Philadelphia.  I was put in the terrifying place of having to start my clinical career from scratch.

With no professional network to lean on. 

I started in a group practice.  I met wonderful colleagues.  With a 90% show rate, clients I loved, and a 5+ week wait list, I looked successful on the outside.

But on the inside, I was starting to feel unfulfilled and burnt out by the work.

There was a part of me that felt like I was not fulfilling my creative potential.

I hated the crisis calls, the loads and loads of paperwork, and the cumulative toll on my own mental health of hearing heart-breaking story after story.

I also hated how all of my income was from a single income source, one that required me to trade my time for money.

Then a blizzard slammed the Northeast in January 2015.

It ended up dumping 20 inches of snow in a matter of hours, leading to me canceling over 20 clients due to downed power lines, spotty cell service, and icy roads.

The loss in income was devastating. 😥

We were in the midst of saving up for the down payment on our first home, and I knew then that I needed more reliable alternative sources of income if I was to be able to provide for my family. 

So, later that spring, I started to move away from 1:1 and towards online business.

It all started with the launch of the STC podcast, then when other therapists started asking me to give them tips on how to start a successful podcast, I began the journey to become a course creator. 

I made many mistakes along the way.

But I also have finally found a way to create an income independent of my 1:1 work. One that helps people without burning me out, or sacrificing precious time with my family.

Now, I'm on a mission to guide fellow therapists to follow a similar path. 

That’s why I designed the STC mastermind to give back to those who are earlier in their creator journey, and to save you from the challenges I had to go through to succeed.