Why I Still Talk to My Therapist – 18 Years Later (and the Impact on My Business) FTH: 088 - a podcast by Kim Doyal

I’ve mentioned on many episodes that I have a therapist and still talk to her regularly (even though technically she’s “retired”). I’m hoping this episode will be helpful in hearing how this relationship has evolved and why I still talk to my therapist – 18 years later (almost 19).

For those of you who have been listening to the show for a while (i.e, the days of “The WordPress Chick” podcast), some of this might be a repeat, but I encourage you to listen anyway.

The perspective I have today is completely different than the perspective I had when I first started podcasting.

The Backstory

Why I started therapy

I started therapy in 2003, a couple of months after I lost my husband in a car accident (he was 32, our kids were 6 & 2). Prior to this, I didn’t think I was someone who “needed therapy” (now I think everyone does 😉 – if you’re lucky enough to find the right therapist).

I initially went to therapy for grief counseling and more or less considered that to be why I was going for the first couple of years.

Then my therapist told me she was moving out of the area and closing her practice, but me being me, asked if I could stay in touch.

I’d email now and then and then asked if we could do some phone sessions. Fast forward a few more years and I told her I wanted to see her in person (she had moved 3 hours north of me). Fortunately, she said sure and since I was making the trek we could keep the sessions open-ended (in terms of time). Most of these sessions were 3 hours long.

I looked at these days as a gift to myself and most people knew not to try and get in touch with me. There was something soothing about the solitude and time in the car before and after my session.

In between seeing her in person, I’d have phone sessions but it was more of an ‘as-needed’ basis. I’d have an in-person session usually every two months (unless I was going through something).

Fast- forward to 2020

Right after I moved to Boise the pandemic struck and everyone went into lockdown. I was stuck in Boise, she was stuck in Costa Rica (and yes, her love of Costa Rica is what put it on my radar).

A few months into the pandemic I was struck with inspiration and asked her if we could do weekly calls because I “wanted to raise my vibration.”

I had no idea what that looked like or meant, but she was game (we have similar spiritual beliefs so I knew she’d get it).

Now two years later, unless something comes up, I’m still doing weekly calls with her (or seeing her in person when she’s in Costa Rica).

Sharing this in my business

When I started my business in 2008 I had a completely different vision for what it was going to be than what it turned into (ignorance truly was bliss).

I first started sharing it on my podcast.

My intention when I started podcasting was simply to have more fun in my business.

At the time I was still doing WP websites, had an outsourcing company, and was just starting to coach clients (with similar businesses).

Because I wasn’t stuck on how things had to be I let it grow and evolve (I’ve done this with every iteration of my business).

I started podcasting in 2013 and structured the show on two things: what I wanted to do and the types of shows I enjoyed listening to. I needed to get out from “behind the computer” at the time and I’ve always been a huge fan of audio content.

I set the show up so I would do a solo show one week and an interview the next (this varies nowadays). When I did the solo shows I started sharing little snippets here and there of things I had talked to my therapist about or a nugget of wisdom from her.

Let me be super clear: even though I did this,...

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