In this monologue, Kelly Alhooie argues that business owners and clinicians should maintain a strict no‑refund policy once a client has committed to a package or program. She explains that breaking the refund standard erodes brand credibility, undermines staff confidence, and creates a slippery slope where every exception invites more demands. Alhooie frames commitment as a two‑way contract: if a client cannot honor it, they bear responsibility for any fallout, including negative word‑of‑mouth. She shares personal anecdotes (e.g., swimming with sharks) to illustrate the importance of keeping one’s word, and she advises leaders to stay emotionally resilient, remind clients of their original goals, and use the agreement as the final arbiter. The overall message is that upholding standards, even when uncomfortable, protects the business, its culture, and the leader’s integrity.
Chapters
If someone— if they can make that commitment, then that's the policy. And you have to uphold the policy because the second you break your standards, the second you break the standard, then what happens is they're going to go start talking to every single other person, be like, well, you broke the standard for this person, you broke the standard for this person, you broke the standard. And then you don't have a standard. And then guess what? Your brand and your company tanks. But here's the scary part about it. Then you have to let those people that are pissed off that you won't refund them, you have to let them start going and potentially talking about you. They're good people and they're good character, they won't talk about you. Like, clearly, like, because most of us, we don't do anything wrong. We're not trying to hurt anyone, right? Like, it's not like— but it's really on them. A lot of times, people that like don't stay committed, it's really on them. That, that's really the, the truth that I have found. And so, but you have to let them— let them go say things. Let them go and say, well, this thing didn't work for me, or, um, I only got this certain, you know, way here in my rehab process because, like, I just thought that was good enough. Let them go say that. But they committed to this, so I'm— we're not going to give a refund for packages. No, we're not going to give a refund for our program that's a year-long commitment. We're not going to give a refund for the 12 or the 20 yoga sessions that the person committed to, right? Like, you have to have a standard, and you cannot bend the rules no matter what scenario. If they called and said their mother died and they're never going to come back, okay, well, when you're ready, we'll do teletherapy when you're in Hawaii. You know what I'm saying? But you committed. And if you commit, you have to live with the commitment. Y'all, part of my job is to raise y'all's standards. And I don't know where we were— we have lost it. I really don't. So please raise your standard. And you yourself, let's just talk about that too. You yourself, if you commit to something, I need you to hold that standard high. If I commit to swimming across the ocean or commit to swimming with sharks, which I did last weekend, I am going to commit to that and keep my word. If I say anything out loud, I will commit and keep my word. And I need you guys to have the same standards as that. And I get it, it is so painful when you have a patient that you absolutely adore or a client you absolutely adore It's not personal, okay? That like, you're like, oh my God, but I really feel for them and their situation. I really should, you know, refund the rest of the visits or whatever it may be. But the second you break that is the second you have just now dishonored yourself, dishonored the standards, and brought the company down. And then your staff sees that, and then the employee, like everyone sees it and they're like, wow, is she a leader? No, she's not. So once you become a leader, be ready to take the heat and know that more than likely, if I had to take a guess in all these, you know, scenarios that I'm talking about, it's more than likely not the owner. It's more than likely the client, okay, or the customer. And they just wanted something, and that's not the deal because you guys both agreed upon something and And so you just— I'm telling you, the best case scenario in this, in any of these situations with people asking for refunds or wanting whatever it may be, not even refund, what's the other thing? They just— oh, they don't want to complete their full package, so, um, they don't want to pay you anymore, they just stop paying. Like, all that is character on the person that's doing the thing. It's not a you thing, just so you know. And all you guys are doing an amazing job. And sometimes there's not honestly more that you can do. Sometimes there is when it comes to clinicians, of like reminding them of their goal, because sometimes people forget about their goal, of why they even started their goal, and like re-nurturing them and getting them to understand, like, the reason why you committed to this package is because you said you wanted to stop your leakage sprinting down the track for 5 minutes. Okay, well, because that meant so much to you so that you can actually keep up with your with your Harvard baseball son. It doesn't even make sense, but you know what I'm saying? Like, you're— what is the baseball league? The— I don't know, the National Baseball League son that you have that's like an amazing sprinter. Like, maybe that's it. Like, maybe that's your standard, right? And so anyways, my point is keep your standards high. Have your moment to cry when people are rude to you or make you feel like shit, because you don't want to have to be that person that's like, no, I can't give you what you want. You don't want to be that person because it feels like shit. But also at the same time, as a true leader and as a business owner, you're going to have to make these hard calls. And the right call is to keep your standard high and go with the agreement because it is listed in the agreement. And if that's on them, if they want to go talk crap about you or go say things about you, that is on them.
