Have you ever dreamt of starting your own private practice straight out of grad school? Guess what, it's no longer an impossible dream! We're thrilled to have Haylie Castillo, a licensed clinical social worker associate, Certified Financial Therapist, and entrepreneur who defied all odds to start her private practice just after graduating. She's here to share her journey, the bold decision, the careful planning, and the work that went into setting up her practice. With her experience in the Abundance Practice Party, Haylie emphasizes the importance of investing in yourself, your practice, and the often overlooked practical guidance needed from grad school.
Navigating grad school, resisting the pressure to learn everything, and finding a niche is no easy task, but Haylie's discovery of her niche, and the power of carving her own path. But the learning doesn't stop there! Delve into Haylie's lessons from setting up her private practice where she found the importance of healthy money beliefs and a supportive community. She also shares her unique perspective on the value of vulnerability, trusting in others, and how essential it is to rally your support circle. So, are you ready to garner fresh insights and possibly take a new direction in your career? Tune in!
Haylie Castillo, LICSWA, CFT-1, Castillo Financial Therapy
Website
Instagram
Instagram @mentalbreakitdown
Email: mentalbreakitdown@gmail.com
Logo Artwork: artofandoy.com
Connect with us of you have questions, want to be on the podcast, or have topics you want discussed!
Have you ever dreamt of starting your own private practice straight out of grad school? Guess what, it's no longer an impossible dream! We're thrilled to have Haylie Castillo, a licensed clinical social worker associate, Certified Financial Therapist, and entrepreneur who defied all odds to start her private practice just after graduating. She's here to share her journey, the bold decision, the careful planning, and the work that went into setting up her practice. With her experience in the Abundance Practice Party, Haylie emphasizes the importance of investing in yourself, your practice, and the often overlooked practical guidance needed from grad school.
Navigating grad school, resisting the pressure to learn everything, and finding a niche is no easy task, but Haylie's discovery of her niche, and the power of carving her own path. But the learning doesn't stop there! Delve into Haylie's lessons from setting up her private practice where she found the importance of healthy money beliefs and a supportive community. She also shares her unique perspective on the value of vulnerability, trusting in others, and how essential it is to rally your support circle. So, are you ready to garner fresh insights and possibly take a new direction in your career? Tune in!
Haylie Castillo, LICSWA, CFT-1, Castillo Financial Therapy
Website
Instagram
Instagram @mentalbreakitdown
Email: mentalbreakitdown@gmail.com
Logo Artwork: artofandoy.com
Connect with us of you have questions, want to be on the podcast, or have topics you want discussed!
Welcome to Mental Break it Down, a podcast for therapists and the therapy curious, where we dig into all things mental health and mental health adjacent. We're so happy you're here, let's jump in. Why are we so serious? I'm just waiting for you to bust up again, because it's imminent. I'm fine, okay, okay.
Sam:Everyone look at the camera. Okay, welcome to Mental. Break it Down. I'm Sam and I'm Sonia, and today we are talking to Hailey Castillo and we're going to get to know all about her and why she went into private practice and her experience thus far. Hailey, you want to introduce yourself?
Haylie:Sure. So hi, I'm Hailey. I am a licensed clinical social worker associate and I'm an entrepreneur, and I started my private practice this year. How exciting. How long have you been open? I launched on March 20th of 2023. So however many months that is.
Sam:I don't know. I just blacked out time and space.
Haylie:Yes, me too.
Sam:What is that? Five months, six, five, almost? Yeah, five months, five and a half months Congratulations.
Sonia:That is amazing. Thank you, so great.
Haylie:So you did right out of grad school? Yes, I did. I graduated in December and then right out the gate.
Sonia:Yes, and okay, so let's just call it out. Why did you do that right after?
Sam:grad school.
Sonia:Because so many? I'm sure people have questions. Yeah, let's be honest.
Sam:Yeah, there's mixed reactions to those of us who decide to go into private practice right out of grad school.
Haylie:Yes, also, it's not legal in all states, right so?
Sam:some people can't do it. So yeah, what made you do it? What made you jump Sure?
Haylie:So mostly it was just the idea of freedom.
Sam:Right To be honest.
Haylie:I've always been a freedom seeker, if I can use that term. But yeah, so much. Like you guys, this is kind of my second act. I had a career before in personal finance and the goal was always to open up my private practice as a financial therapist. And so once I found out, actually from my therapist, who was also in the same boat- as us.
Haylie:it opened her practice right out of grad school as a second career. Once I found out from her that, oh, in Washington state you can do this as an associate, I was like, all right, sign me up, I don't have to wait.
Sonia:No questions, yeah, no trepidations, no hesitation.
Sam:Well right, no worries.
Sonia:But is that realistic? Because for some people maybe it is. It's like nope, I just jumped right in. Did you have concerns? What were they?
Haylie:Of course, Of course I did have concerns right, but I think just having the clarity that this was the plan before I graduated was hugely helpful, because I was able to start putting some of the pieces in place even before I graduated in December oh yeah, even before the first day of school, I had like my spreadsheet.
Sonia:Right.
Sam:Because I too also wanted to jump right into my practice, yeah.
Haylie:So I think that definitely helped with just being able to kind of like have a plan, at least the next couple of steps in place definitely helps with anything in life, right, okay?
Sonia:So what was your first step? Because I think sometimes people don't know where to start. Okay, sure, what was your first step? Sonia, always searching for a list? Yeah Well, I love a good list, a little check off, you know, but everybody's list is different, sure.
Haylie:I mean Honestly. I'll just say this. My first step was to sign up for the Abundance Practice Party with Allison Per Year. Honestly, I found her very close to the beginning of the whole grad school journey and through her podcast and as soon as I found out that she and her program existed, I just knew that that was for me. And she has the steps in place. She even has a free, downloadable little checklist for you that you can do, and so for me it was just okay. There's my checklist.
Sam:So the structure and the built-in kind of mentorship, Because it's all in that program and I mean we joined it recently too, just to see what the fuss is about. Because I came across her, you recommended her, I saw her years ago and so yeah, having that structure because you don't know what you don't know you don't know where to start Right, and it's going to be just worth the investment to just have all of that already in place, exactly Because it is an investment.
Sonia:It is a financial investment. I don't want it to be a misconception that you can just start off with zero dollars. There is investment.
Sam:Right, right, okay, if it's minimal, because you have to have a business entity, you have to get all these things in place. Exactly, yeah.
Haylie:So most of the things were on that checklist of just get your liability insurance, get your business license, get your EIN number your. Npi like the blah blah blah.
Sonia:All the XYZ and the QRX. Why are there so many letters in this profession? There's so many letters.
Sam:That's not just this profession. That's just a business.
Sonia:Yes, that's true. Oh, I know yeah.
Sam:And let's be honest, in grad school, no one talks about this.
Haylie:Oh no.
Sam:And I will be shocked if somebody writes in and says my like yes, you might get like a one-off webinar for an hour talking about what private practice can look like. But I would be shocked if somebody reshot and said you know, they integrated it into my graduate program.
Sam:If anything, it's opposite. Our messaging very beginning was very clear Like I hope you don't want to make any sort of comfortable living. Oh, yes, try not to get burnt out, but it will happen. Yes, and don't talk about money, and that is really integrated into our profession.
Haylie:Yes.
Sam:I find it interesting, you being a financial therapist right. Because to be able to become a private practice owner and make it a success, you do have to talk, think and discuss money.
Haylie:Yes, you do yes.
Sam:You have to figure out what your fees are going to be, how that can be sustainable, how you want to grow, how you want to structure things.
Haylie:Yes, I mean, being any kind of entrepreneur brings all the money stuff up, right yeah.
Sam:Some of us are bad at business, some of us don't know.
Sonia:Some of us don't know, some of us don't know.
Haylie:Some of us don't know. You don't know where to start. I think a lot of it is just simply that is just like you haven't been given the tools. Don't count yourself out as being bad at using the tools if you haven't been given the tools. Yes, and.
Sam:I'm trying to stop myself at saying it's bad and good Because it is. I mean, we had to. It's just Google, google talking to mentors right. You follow the trail. You're like, oh, I need an EIN, okay, but then what is this number? You need that for a group. And then you just follow the trail down. Yeah.
Haylie:Yeah. So for me it was very much. I'm kind of at that point in my life. I was kind of sick and tired of being by myself and not having someone mentor me, and so I was like I'm going to do it this way. This time I'm going to invest in a community and a mentorship program because I don't want to be by myself.
Sonia:Yeah, this work can be really isolating, especially post COVID. A lot of us are working telehealth and we're doing it out of our own homes or in an office space, but by ourselves, and I'm so glad you found your community and we're in community right?
Sam:Well, that also speaks to intentionality, because it's easy. Well, I mean, at our level, you do need a clinical supervisor right. It's required. But even outside of that one other person, if you're not careful you can silo yourself and isolate.
Haylie:Absolutely, especially if it's all telehealth.
Sam:So then once, twice a month, you're talking to one person other than that you're by yourself. That's not wise, no.
Haylie:It's not good for you, no, or you're clients. It's not fun. Yeah, it's not healthy.
Sam:I don't think so. We're waiting for connection.
Haylie:Yeah, we absolutely are.
Sam:Yeah. So I'm curious. Now we're near six months into your private practice. What have you learned? What surprised you?
Haylie:So many things? No, not really actually. Yeah, it was. I will say it was really helpful to just have those mentors in that community call in that support because I didn't feel too much like. I didn't feel like I felt when I became a mom I'll say it that way. I was like what am I doing? Where do I go? Yeah, I didn't feel that. I felt very much. I felt so much more held and supported.
Haylie:Now, having said that, yeah, there were some surprises. Still, I'm sure some down the road as well, but I mean honestly, if I can say it was a happy surprise in the sense of finding other people in this same mentality, in this doing the same thing. Right, the details are different, but y'all the details are different, but we're on a very similar journey. Yeah, and being able to find those people throughout, even before I started, but then, especially after starting my business, has just been a really nice surprise. Yeah.
Sonia:I think it's hard to do this on your own. It's really hard, and I think part of the reason why Sam and I went into business together is so we could have another person just in the building, because some sessions are hard, some days are hard, and who do you go to for a quick consultation or just as human to human? You're struggling with something.
Sonia:And, yeah, community is important. It is absolutely. I don't want to say impossible, but it's really damn hard to do this work by yourself, even just with a clinical supervisor, because day to day stuff happens.
Sam:I'm always so curious because I mean, sonia and I had big ups and big downs during grads.
Haylie:So I always like to hear about other people's stories. Right, we're going there, we're going there.
Sam:I'm not going to make you do a whole reverse back in a childhood, but what? What was the catalyst of you going back, like going to grad school, and how was that experience for you?
Haylie:So the catalyst was the fact that I wanted to be able to do financial therapy, and my my passion for that came from my own experience of growing up in a very patriarchal household, very patriarchal community, where women don't do money, women don't do math, women don't need control over their lives, and then getting out of that very much, finding a life that was very different from that and finding so much agency in my life through, like, healing my relationship with money. I wanted to do that for others as well, and so I found financial therapy. Yes, it is a thing. Yeah, okay, that's what I want to do, and so that was the catalyst. How do I? How do I get there? Oh, I need to go to grad school to get my therapy degree right. Okay, let's, let's see if we can do this. So my husband and I kind of restructured things and, you know, made it happen.
Sonia:So I am so envious that you already knew your niche before you even went to grad school.
Sam:A lot of us struggle. We're like, oh, we want to be therapists. Yeah and then we don't know what that looks like after after school, what we want to do, we don't know our niche and then we struggle, we flounder a lot. Yeah, some of us don't find that. Yeah.
Sonia:Yeah, because we've been told, at least Sam and I, in our program you should be able to help everybody and anybody.
Haylie:Oh, yes, and for you.
Sonia:I'm full, which can be harmful, because that is that's really difficult. You cannot be everything to everyone. Oh, and for you. You already knew what you wanted to do. I'm so jealous, haley. How amazing and good for you and good for you.
Haylie:And great for your clients. Honestly, I that was a surprise To go back into grad school and realize that I was so unique In that I had such a clear Goal and direction that I was going in. That was that was a surprise.
Sonia:Did that make grad school difficult?
Haylie:in some ways. Yes, very much so, just because I you know, I was very different from most of the other people in my cohort right.
Sam:Like, and then it's like a fight, because they're like oh, you should learn how to do all of this and be good at all of this, and you're like but I want to do this one thing right, you really get it. That's one thing. Right yeah, how was your grad school experience.
Haylie:It was, it was fine.
Sonia:You're really selling it, haley. You are really selling it.
Sam:You know, I understand that, I understand that it was yeah, fine, it was fine.
Haylie:It really was. It was just fine. It was an experience you had to do the most I did, and then it was awful, oh no.
Sonia:I think so many people can relate.
Haylie:It was fine and then it was awful. Yeah, it was very much. I mean, it definitely helped Going into it, as we've discussed, with the end goal in mind, because that was the carrot, that was the thing right, like I kept you going, it kept me going, I was gonna get there right. But yeah, the journey through was was not Great. It was not, you know, it was an awful most of the time, but it was just kind of the thing that you have to do In order to get to the thing that I wanted to do Necessary which is so much like life, so many things in life for that way right.
Sam:Yeah, and from For me I. I don't know why, but when I went into grad school, you know, for some reason I had this vision that I was going to learn everything.
Sonia:Ooh Well, read every single word, out of every single textbook.
Sam:I was going to do that, but also we were going to cover every topic. I was going to be a fully formed therapist. When I got out I don't, I do not know why I thought that. So the first year was disappointing.
Haylie:Yeah.
Sam:You realize you only have enough time and energy to focus on overarching overviews and theories of things. Yes, Right, you can't get into the nitty gritty, you can't talk about private practice, you can't talk about all of these things, and that was I had to almost grieve that. I was very disappointing because I was like, oh, then it's on me, right. Yeah, it's on me to figure out what I actually want to do, to learn more to read, and you can't really do that during grad school because you are just drowning.
Haylie:Who has the time?
Sam:You're drowning in reading assignments and writing assignments and practicum and all of these things. So discussion posts. Oh bros, Just don't say those words together to me again.
Sonia:I don't know if that's an online thing only. I don't know if people that are in person grad school have to do discussion posts?
Sam:I don't think so. They were in lieu of class time.
Sonia:Yeah, discussion posts. Shut your mouth, good.
Sam:Oh gosh, yes, yeah, did you do it in person program.
Haylie:Yeah, during the pandemic. It was during the pandemic, yeah.
Sonia:And so how did you connect with classmates?
Haylie:Some. Yeah, that was probably the most disappointing thing for me. I definitely thought, whereas I didn't think that I was going to learn everything that I needed to, because financial therapy is so new I knew that, okay, it'll be a general type of degree, okay, I'll be learning a lot of focusing, a lot of things that I don't really feel like apply. But that's okay, I can navigate that. I was really hoping to form more connections with my colleagues, or soon to be colleagues. Yeah, right, and there was some pleasant interactions and we're still connected on social media and that sort of thing, but not really in the deeper sense of yeah, I guess what I had in my mind.
Sam:Yeah, well, like you have that vision of like almost like high school, right? So you?
Haylie:go to school all four years with this cohort Right, and sometimes that's just not how it pans out.
Sam:To be honest, like in our program, it was like, mostly, like you said, second career. So we're all older, we have families, we have responsibilities, everyone's busy yeah, nobody has time for you.
Sonia:Yeah, I mean right. Yeah, it's like I have to get to my job or I have, you know, kids or a family, or a spouse, or whatever that looks like it's. So no wonder you've worked so hard to create community post grad school?
Haylie:Yeah, I guess I'm just kind of realizing that that definitely was a component of it.
Sonia:I guess too, yeah, it's yeah, I'm curious what was the reaction from like friends, family, loved ones Once you said I'm going to graduate and then do my own thing. Not going to go work at an agency, I'm not going to work at a group practice, just do my thing.
Haylie:So I'll even like give you so my like community back home, not necessarily my family, but like community back home. You know, small town Georgia are just the sweetest people in the world, but they also kind of didn't know what being a mental health professional was in general. You know, just because that's not really too much on the radar, it's probably changing a lot. I mean, it's been a minute since I've been back. So, so yeah, they were just kind of yeah, we don't really know what you're doing.
Sam:We're kind doing whatever this is.
Haylie:So yeah, okay, but that's great, it wasn't like don't do it. No, well, because they didn't really know. Fair, fair.
Sam:You're dying, no great.
Sonia:You're doing.
Sam:Well, I look it back on like grad school. What do you wish you knew before you jumped in?
Haylie:What would have?
Sam:been helpful for you.
Haylie:That I was gonna be really really difficult and not fun. Yes, thank you Like not fun.
Sonia:What part is not fun? What was the least fun?
Haylie:Probably my internships.
Sam:We have spillin' some tea today, but there's nothing like being a scared, shaky first-timer. Oh my god. Well, I just didn't have great internships.
Haylie:You said internships. So, yes, so my program, which I'm not sure if this is unique or not, maybe y'all can tell me, but my program had it where for two semesters we had a generalist internship somewhere. I did mine at a community mental health center, and then the last two semesters we did a specialized specialization internship, and so it was at a different place and I did mine at a private practice, private group practice.
Sonia:So you had so many clients then?
Haylie:Well, that was the idea Okay, yeah, but I had a few, but community mental health wasn't really what I wanted to do. I learned a lot from both. I will say that of course it's a mixed bag. Everything in life is a mixed bag right Right. But yeah, my internships, more than anything else, showed me what I didn't want to do rather than what I did want to do.
Sonia:Yeah, yeah, our program was not like that. We could stay at one internship site.
Sam:Essentially for a year.
Sonia:Yeah, essentially for a year, or you could switch if you weren't getting enough hours or client work or two. Yeah, but yeah, we had a great internship site, it's just grad school was challenging. I think I can speak for Sam as well, because we've talked about it. It does give you clarity on what you want to do, and what you don't want to do what you're good at and maybe what isn't your therapeutic journey.
Sam:Right yeah, I mean, let's be honest, you don't know what you don't know, right, and so you do have to work with a whole bunch of different people to see if that is what is not just for you, but for the clients too, if you're not really feeling it and this is not your niche that you're not jazzed about it and passionate about it. It's going to come out in your work.
Haylie:Yeah, yeah, you can't be everything to everyone. Yeah, exactly, it doesn't make internship any easier, though. Yeah, I think one of the main things was that, especially at the group practice, I just didn't feel supported either.
Sonia:That, yeah, that sucks because you would think. Yeah, I think our experience was much different.
Sam:I'm so glad, yeah, honestly.
Sonia:I think that support really helped us to be able to do this. But yeah, when you're brand new and you don't know what this work looks like, not having the support of people that have been doing it longer than you, how scary.
Haylie:Yeah, I floundered a bit yeah.
Sam:Do you feel like? That overall ended up making you stronger, or like. What meaning did you make from that?
Haylie:Yeah, I guess the meaning that I made from it was really just the fact that, you know, not everybody's cut out to be a business owner.
Sonia:Mm-hmm.
Haylie:You know, and that's fine. Yeah, you know. Yeah, especially coming from kind of the finance background, you know very much relationship with money being top of mind, because that's the work that I wanted to be able to do. I came into it, you know, or kind of navigated my entire grad school with that in mind and I saw a lot of, you know, unhealthy money beliefs played out.
Sam:Hey, you're like, I am definitely needed everywhere. Right, yeah, just the purity.
Haylie:Right, yeah, so I guess that yeah, that was some meaning that I took is like that this is definitely needed, there's a need for it, there's a market for it. However, also the meaning of like I kind of the you don't have to help everybody, you don't have to fix every problem, type of thing. I learned that. I got to practice that with my internships, knowing where you don't have any control.
Haylie:Knowing where I don't need to step in. I don't need to step in and change anything here. I can just kind of do what I need to do in order to get the thing that I need, and there's no problem doing that.
Sonia:No, it's a stepping stone to the next thing yeah.
Sam:And what a healthy outlook, especially because, as a professional, we're helpers.
Haylie:Right, and so we're like.
Sam:I can help everybody all the time no matter what Right because you want to. You're here. Your passion is to help people improve their lives and understand themselves, and so it can be very difficult when you're watching somebody have a difficult time. Yeah, but it's not your place.
Haylie:Right, so that was really yeah. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reflect on that, because, yeah, that was very empowering for me to be able to practice that in real time of like that's not something that I need to hold.
Sonia:That's not the space for you. Oh my gosh, so many questions. Okay, so if someone listening wants to jump into private practice, right? Out of grad school, or whenever, or whenever right, because some people do wait decades maybe, or can't yeah or can't If they're considering private practice. What's one piece of advice you would share?
Haylie:Find your people. Find your people, Find your community. Call in support. Find the mentors they are out there. They are out there Well how do I do? That Sure. I mean start small. I mean for me, social media has been huge, continues to be a huge like support in my life, like I've just found. You find one person on Instagram that you vibe with and you love the way that they exist and their messages and like look at who they follow and who they're friends with. Ooh breadcrumbs.
Haylie:Yes, and then that's how I've done it and I'm like, oh my gosh, there's so many people Look who they're interacting with and just like kind of sidle up and sit down at the table. Like you know, people are so generous, you know, and so welcoming the right people.
Sam:You know, your people they will be, they will be. That's a good lesson too. You can't just force relationship Right, and if somebody will show you whether or not they're gonna be, a good support for you.
Haylie:Exactly yes, and definitely believe people when they show you who they are.
Sam:But I mean that's a good lesson too, because it can. I mean. So, first of all, fresh out of school, right, starting a business, all terrifying stuff, right, getting your hours doing all that good stuff. And then also we have to be vulnerable with other people outside. Gross, I'm already doing a ton of scary stuff and you want me to like talk to people? Yeah, and it's that vulnerability piece, it's learning to be okay if they're not gonna vibe with you but still continually reaching out. Be like. I mean, who doesn't love to hear hey, let's be friends. I think you're rad. Yeah, like, can we just get together and see it? This vibes. I love the work that you're doing.
Sam:I appreciate you. First of all, that's just a little bit of an ego stroke and we love it Absolutely. But also it's a authentic place.
Haylie:Yes.
Sam:Right, yeah, because, yeah, the mentorship and just community, not even it's peer to peer too.
Sonia:Peer to peer connection. Because I think something one of our professors said is, yes, your family and your friends can understand and sympathize with what you do, that you had a hard day and try to comfort you through that. But it really is your colleagues and your peers who really know what a hard day means when it comes to your work, and so you need each other, we need each other.
Sam:Oh God, yeah, yeah, because this work is very weird. Yeah, it's so strange and amazing. It's strange and amazing and you can try to explain it all you want to to people who don't do it, and they'll sort of get it and it's not their job to get it. But when you actually have peers that you can just say a couple words and they kind of really know what you're going through.
Haylie:Yeah.
Sam:It's so soothing, it's so great yeah.
Sonia:And I love that. You said you used social media to connect. It's here. You might as well.
Haylie:Yeah.
Sonia:It's not going anywhere. Instagram is here to stay. I think Maybe it's threads now, I don't know.
Sam:Yeah, oh, who knows, the future is at the end.
Sonia:But you've really used it and would you say that you feel like you have a good, strong community around you? Yeah, I know.
Haylie:I do, yeah, well, and also, like, people use social media or at least my people because they're very community minded. They use social media as a starting point, right, it doesn't stay there. They're planning events, they're planning happy hours, they're planning like get-togethers that are in real life, right, and so then it's not just on the phone, it's actually in person as well.
Sam:It's a real investment.
Sonia:Yes.
Sam:Yeah.
Sonia:Okay, can I just like not be Debbie Downer, but go there. Have you ever regretted going into private practice? No, no.
Sam:Look at those. She knew what she wanted years ago.
Haylie:No, I know, but we all have moments because, at the end of the day, you did say right, Not yet. I'll say not yet Perfect.
Sonia:Six months in right.
Haylie:Yeah.
Sonia:But I just want, because there are very real hard moments, because you have to not only put on the therapist hat, but you also have to put on the other Business. And so what if you don't have a business background? I mean, those moments are really hard, yes, so okay, you never regretted it.
Haylie:Not yet, but yeah, I definitely know that it's all a journey, so, yeah, maybe not regret.
Sam:Have you had feelings of doubt? Not yet. Okay, I love this.
Haylie:Me too, because. So the reason is because we're like I had doubts, I had doubts, everybody has.
Sam:I'm not gonna say everybody have doubts, but it also should be celebrated that some people just really are just like, yeah, this is it, yeah, right.
Haylie:And they're like whatever.
Sam:Yeah, I don't know about you, but it can feel like if you feel like this was a good thing for you and whatever it is that you're doing is just aligned and there's no regrets or doubts or whatnot. Sometimes that can be a weird thing to say.
Haylie:Yes, absolutely, because people are like, that's not true.
Sam:Right.
Haylie:I have doubts. Why don't you have doubts, right, yeah, are you just giving us the shiny, happy version of the beautiful Sugar coated? Yeah, fair, no, it's totally fair.
Sonia:I'm here for it. You feel good, you feel confident, it's going great. I'm here for that.
Sam:And I think that we need to celebrate that too, because then somebody who is maybe feeling a little bit more doubt, or even pangs of regret they can be like well, I can still make the best of this, or keep hoping. Or maybe this isn't for me and everybody is different.
Haylie:Yeah.
Sam:I love that for you. Well, thank you, it actually makes me really happy because you're just like. I'm so solidified in what I'm doing. This is where I should be.
Haylie:Yeah, it's so rare and beautiful. I'm just a unicorn. No it's great.
Sonia:I think it gives a lot of us hope, because you start out and you don't know what it is going to look like. You know, sam and I were like, oh, we'll launch our website.
Sam:It's go time. Well, that's another whole piece. Yeah, the marketing hat grows, oh gosh.
Sonia:Yeah, and to hear you say no, it's been great so far. And yeah, no doubt you are a unicorn.
Sam:Can I say that you have this niche. That's like it's not new but it's not known and it's still being figured out in the language around. It is still being developed and the systems and the understanding. So you're doing a lot of scary new things that other people aren't doing.
Haylie:Yeah, I've finally gotten into a place in my life where I am embracing that uniqueness and it does feel good. I'm going to say it does feel good because there's been many, many, many, many years, decades of my life where I did not feel good to be the different one, fair, oh yeah.
Sam:And now it's a found career.
Haylie:Yeah, Feels really good to have kind of alchemized that Well we celebrated.
Sam:Yes, wholeheartedly. I love it. I love the doubt, I love the confidence. Whatever you have, I love it.
Sonia:I think it's also important to see women, moms, people from all different backgrounds and cultures doing the damn thing. Being business owners, entrepreneurs, therapists, I mean you can wear multiple hats and succeed in it and not have regrets and doubts. It is totally possible and again I celebrate that. I wish that for more of us. Yeah, Same.
Sam:Yeah, thanks for joining us, haley. Yes absolutely, and if anybody wants to connect with you where?
Haylie:can you be found? Sure, you can find me at my website. I also have a newsletter and a blog at CastilloFinancialtherapycom, and then on Instagram at C underscore financial, underscore therapy, and we'll link to everything in those show notes.
Sonia:Thank you so much for spending time with us.
Sam:Thank you, bye. Here. Mental Breakdown is produced and edited by Sam and Sonia. Our logo was created by the amazing art of Andoi. If you have any questions, comments or have a topic you want discussed on the podcast, email us at mentalbreakdownatgmailcom or connect with us on Instagram at mentalbreakdown. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. Nothing said in this podcast constitutes personal or professional consultation, therapy, diagnosis or creates a counselor-client relationship. It is not intended to provide medical or mental health advice. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are those alone. Thanks for listening, bye, bye.