Why I Closed My Private Practice

July 30th, 2015 - I loaded up a few trinkets and books from my office, looked around at a space that has held so many sacred moments, locked the door and said goodbye.

I’m still processing it all.

I remember when I signed the lease on my office. I was going to be there forever. It was so warm and cozy. My clients loved the space and together we did incredible work and I was witness to healing and transformation.

I see this is as a holy work.

So why did I lock the door and walk away? Behind every business is a person. A person who has other relationships and a life on the outside. I moved an hour away to a more comfortable home, 15 minutes from the beach, to have a different lifestyle than the one I had in Orange County. It was the best decision for my family.

I chose to commute to my practice and I commuted for a year because I love this work.

There comes a point where you need to make a decision. I sat with this decision for a year, going through other personal losses unable to fathom how to “lose” my practice. It’s lovely to have a 7 year plan but understand, life throws your curve balls and those plans are always going to be shifting.

I reached out to Tamara Suttle. Coaches need coaches too. She had closed her practice before due to an out of state move and I wanted her wisdom. I knew what I would learn would make me a better coach, but to be personally in the middle of it all, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. She was so helpful and she highlighted something so critical – I had a lot of loss that past year and needed to be gentle with my decision.

I made a compassionate plan.

ZynnyMe is my soul’s purpose. I can make more of an impact through helping clinicians from everywhere than I can one on one. Overtime, I have been dedicated full time to ZynnyMe while decreasing hours at my practice. Because of my limited availability in office, I had been doing more virtual work. I also had some training in virtual therapy. I decided to continue my practice with current clients in a virtual setting.

The physical location is no longer mine but the work continues.

I sold the assets of my practice, another lesson I will one day share and worked with my clients to terminate or transition into full time virtual work.

So now I am working full time from home, primarily on ZynnyMe still and continuing the work I love with my clients.

I share this story as a testament of the many ways to be in private practice, to be light to the a world hurting.

Take time to evaluate your life. The private practice you had 5 years ago may no longer fit what you need today. I want to live in alignment with what we teach at ZynnyMe – Your practice should fit into your life not your life fitting around your practice. It takes time to make this transition and there is loss but there are huge rewards as well.

Do your work in the way that is best for you.

It takes guts to honor what you need. I could have seen this as a failure. I am choosing see this as growth.

How are you doing private practice? Does it contribute to a better life for you, your loved ones and your clients?

If you need help figuring out how to find the balance of life and private practice, check out more resources at zynnyme.com