Getting Backlash for Charging Premium Rates? Here's How to Handle the Hate [Ep 66]

Welcome to the Thriving therapyneur podcast. The show for ambitious therapists who are ready to unapologetically make more money, scale their impact and build their dream coaching business. I'm Carly Hill, therapist turned coach turned CEO of a seven figure online business. I created the Thriving Therapeneur podcast because I'm obsessed with helping big hearted therapists outgrow the office and build successful and sustainable online businesses. So if you are wondering how you can continue to make an impact without sacrificing the life you love, welcome Therapreneur. This is exactly the place for you. Think of it like the business school we never had. I am so excited to dive in with you. Let's get started. Welcome back to the Thriving Therapreneur podcast. I'm your host, Carly Hill. Today we're diving into something that so many of you, so many have either faced already or will face as you step into entrepreneurship and start charging what you're actually worth. Here's the truth. One of the hardest parts of raising your rates or moving into coaching isn't the actual number itself. It's not saying the actual number out loud. It's the backlash. And it's not just from potential clients. Most of the time. It's not most of the time, it's from your own colleagues, your therapist friends, the Facebook groups, the people you thought would be cheering you on. All of a sudden you're labeled as all about the money. You're questioned, you're doubt it, sometimes even judged, or just outright criticized simply because you've chosen not to stay stuck in the burnout martyr model of one to one therapy. So if you've ever felt that sting, if you've ever thought, wow, I didn't expect this much hate, this episode is for you. I hear it all of the time from my clients. And one of my clients actually just post it yesterday, like, I need some feedback. Wow, this stings. I didn't think I would be struggling with this as much. Please provide some support. So if you've ever been in this position again, this episode is for you. And I just want to start by normalizing. You're not alone in this. Like I said, I've had clients come to me in tears because another therapist literally hung up on them when they started sharing their premium rates. I've seen threads in therapist communities where anybody daring to step out of the box, they just get dragged. It hurts. It feels isolating. It makes you question yourself. Because we want to be supported by our peers. We want to believe that people who Understand the burnout the most. You think that they would be cheering us on. We want to believe that. And we want to believe that they know and understand that we're just creating a better way for ourselves. But instead, it can feel like you've just been pushed into a new category, the hate it category. And that sting. It's real. Hey there. Did you know we give away one of our incredible digital products every single week? All you have to do is leave a review for the show, then submit proof using the link in the show notes, and you'll be entered to win. Prizes include amazing resources like our passive income course, the license protection bundle, top business trainings, my bestselling book, and so much more. It's super simple. And your review helps us reach more listeners just like you. So take a moment to share your thoughts, enter to win, and maybe you'll be our next winner. But I want you to know that this isn't really about you. This is what's important to understand here. This. This isn't really about you. Because when you decide you're no longer available to martyr yourself to low wages, you hold up a mirror, a big fat mirror that shows people that are still stuck in the cycle of overwork and underpay what's possible. For many, that's deeply uncomfortable. It triggers fear in them. It triggers scarcity. It even triggers jealousy. And here's something we have to name. Especially as women, we've been conditioned for generations to believe that wanting more is selfish, that making money is unladylike, that our worth is how much we can give away and not in how much we can create. This isn't ancient history either. Until 1974, women in the United States couldn't even open a credit card. They couldn't open a credit card in their own name without a male co signer. We couldn't freely open a bank account. We couldn't sign checks independently. So think about that. That's less than 50 years ago. That's crazy. So of course it makes sense. That money, leadership, ambition, it's still tangled up with guilt and shame for so many women in this field, for everyone, but especially I'm naming the women. Okay? That idea that a woman therapist should work for scraps or keep herself small, it's literally baked into the history of our financial rights. Which is why every time you charge a premium rate, every time you say, I am worthy of abundance, you're not just making the business decision, you're quite literally rewriting history. You're healing generational patterns. You're modeling something radically different, not only for your clients, but for your peers, your daughters, the women who come after you. That is so beautiful. So here's the truth that I want you to anchor into. Charging premium rates. It does not make you greedy. In fact, it's going to make you sustainable. Charging premium rates doesn't mean you don't care. In fact, it means you care enough. You care enough to stay in the field without burning out. How many people just throw the towel in? We need therapists. There's a shortage. There's a mental health crisis. We need therapists. We need coaches. Charging premium rates doesn't mean you're abandoning your ethics. It means you're raising the bar. And I'll never forget when I started making these shifts myself, I had people telling me I was selling out, I was abandoning therapy, I was exploiting my license. It stung. Some people I thought were friends just stopped talking to me. I felt that isolation. They were my therapist friends. I thought they were. But here's what also happened. I started finding my real people. The ones who weren't threatened, but they were inspired. They started asking me, carly, how can I do this, too? Teach me how you did this. And that's when I realized the resistance wasn't a sign I was doing something wrong. It was evidence that I was actually stepping into leadership. Leadership will always disrupt the status quo. And disruption doesn't feel comfortable to people who are still clinging onto the old model again. It's a mirror, right? It's their stuff that's showing up for them. They're just projecting it onto you. So let's get practical here. How. How do you actually deal with this one? I need you to remember, it's not about you. Their reaction is about their deep beliefs, not your worth. Number two, I want you to anchor back into your vision. I tell this to my clients all the time. Your. Why? Why are you doing this? Every time you feel that sting, come back to why you're doing this. The freedom, the sustainability, the impact. Number three, I need you to protect your energy. I need you to block, mute, unfollow, whatever you gotta do. Create your feed, start so it feels inspiring, not draining. You don't owe anything to them. You don't have to respond. Just delete it. You don't need to engage with every critic. Number four is lean into a supportive community, just like my client did. She came to the community and she was like, ouch, this stings. I need help. And the thread is just popping off with beautiful support. Find a space where Your vision is celebrated, not judged. Surround yourself with people who get it. And lastly, reframe that criticism as proof. The louder the critics get, the bigger the waves that you're making. That's a good sign. Hate is a byproduct of visibility. It means you actually showed up enough to create a wave. You did it. You're doing it. So it's proof that you're making waves and you're moving into a trailblazing industry. You're becoming a leader. You are a leader. You're not in the hate it category. You're in the trailblazer category. Trailblazers always get misunderstood before they get celebrated. Let them judge. Bye, Felicia. To the haters. That's what I say. And what you're doing isn't just about you. Every time you say your rate out loud, with confidence, with conviction, every time you choose freedom, every time you keep going despite the critics, you're lighting the way for every therapist, watching, silently, wondering if it's possible. Your courage is contagious. I promise you that. Your courage, your energy, it is contagious. The boundaries that you set are important and they're inspiring. Your vision is paving the way forward. It's paving the path forward. So don't dim your light to make others comfortable. Let them talk, let them project. You just keep building. You keep leading. You keep showing what's possible. Because the next generation of thriving therapyers, they're watching you. We're changing the trajectory of the mental health field. We are. We're standing up, we're rising. You're rising. I see you. I believe in you. I'm rooting for you. I am you. I was you. I raised myself. I moved into leadership. I'm a trailblazer in this space. I'm proof that this is possible. My clients are proof that this is possible. You're taking the steps forward. I need you to own it, claim it, run with it. If this resonated with you, share it with someone who's struggling, I would love for you to share it with a therapist or coach who needs this reminder today. The Facebook groups need this the most. They get so mean sometimes. I don't get it. And if you're ready to support into stepping into premium prices with full confidence, conviction, I want you to connect. The link is in the show notes. You can find me on instagram. Check out carlyhillcoaching.com Support is available for you. Remember, you're not hate it. You're a trailblazer. The world needs you. Keep leading. And until next time, keep thriving. I'll see you in the next episode. Thank you so much for listening to the thriving therapyneura podcast. I hope that this episode has inspired you to reduce burnout, work smarter and see the freedom potential you have as a therapist. We would love to have you inside the Therapist to Coach Accelerator Facebook group where we have live trainings and cheat sheets on all things marketing, sales and adding coaching ethically and legally. I am here cheering you on and I'll see you around.