How YouTube Led to this Teen Therapist's MOST Profitable Month

Hey, Mallory, thanks so much for being with us today.

Thank you. I'm really happy to be here, too.

I'm really excited to talk to you about what your YouTube channel has really done for your practice. And so why don't you go ahead and share with everybody what it is that you do.

Sure. My name is Mallory Grimste. I'm a licensed clinical social worker, which means that I am licensed to provide psychotherapy services to people who are physically located in Connecticut or New York. Um, wish it was different, but I don't make the laws, so that's basically what I do. I provide therapy services for teenagers.

Fantastic. And so you've been doing YouTube. What are we at, two years now?

No, longer than that. Because I joined your program in February of 2019. I made my channel in 2016, and I think I uploaded like one video and then was near the end of 2018, I was doing what you tell us not to do, which was a good call, and doing Facebook lives and then uploading the live to YouTube, which was a. No, no. Yes, you taught me that. Thank you.

So why did you start your YouTube channel? Like, what were you hoping to accomplish by even taking the extra time to put your Facebook lives on YouTube? What were you thinking that would do?

So it was really trying to maximize the reach and impact that I had as a therapist in the community. So providing mental health therapy, it's very like one to one kind of thing. And so what I was finding is, you know, I'm only one person. There's only so many hours in the day. And I also work with teenagers who also have a limited crunch time of when they're available for appointments too. And so I was really wanting to get this information out to more parents, more teenagers, more people who could use it while. While they're either waiting for therapy services if there's no openings, or aren't able to access it for some sort of reason. There's still a lot of stigma we're fighting in mental health.

Big mental health breakthrough with the Olympics here recently. So that's, I mean, kind of timely right now. So as we're talking about this with Simone Biles, so that. How. I mean, we'll kind of take a sidetrack here, but how do you feel that's affecting even mental health in teens? Because I feel, feel like that's really targeted for them right now since the Olympics are younger. A younger generation.

Yeah, absolutely. And even with Naomi, I'm not going to try to pronounce her last name because I'm going To screw it up. Yes. I was so thrilled. Not only that these, you know, these women had the courage to pause, take a step back, and also announce that it was for taking care of their mental health and. And that it was received so well by most, not all. We still got, you know, a few stragglers. But I think it's really kind of important, especially right now. I think everybody across the globe is experiencing some sort of stress burnout just from all the changes that we've gone over since 2020 and beyond. And then if you already had struggles before 2020 hit or like, circumstances that were impacting that, it's probably compounded. So to see somebody at like, the height of their careers, both of these women and Simone was like, favorite for Gold, like, all this stuff to say, you know what? Me first. I was like, yeah, girl, yeah, that was just great.

And I know it probably had an effect in four for you and even your patients and people who are coming in working with you. So just wanted to do a little sidetrack because I think it's so important. Even as business owners ourselves, we struggle with those types of things too, and it just isn't talked about. And on top of that, being on video and doing the YouTube kind of rush, too.

Yeah, you know what? It actually, as you were saying, that it brought to mind how important it is to have visible figures and role models out there to be able to point to and say, you know, look, if they can do it, you can do it, sort of a thing, which is really where, like, YouTube helps. Because if you have more and more voices out there advocating for healthy change, like, people are going to see that and start noticing that.

All right, so now we went on our little sidetrack. I want to get back to kind of what was your biggest hurdle when you got started on YouTube? You said you put one video up and then you started repurposing your Facebook Live. So what was kind of that thing, that hurdle that was really holding you back from seeing growth or seeing results from the content you're putting on YouTube?

Oh, I think it was hurdles. I definitely had, you know, some thoughts in my head of, like, who am I to do this? But when it comes to technology, I think because I'm very good at googling and following step by step directions, people think that I just intuitively know how it works, and I do not. So overcoming that tech challenge and figuring out that, but also I just was having a hard time managing, learning what was important to learn, and also being present for my active clients. Because ultimately they're why I'm doing all of this.

So what would you say, lengthwise, once you kind of jumped into my program, video strategy academy, and you started doing it, let's say, the right way. There are a lot of right ways. But how long did it take you to see an outcome or to say, huh, YouTube is actually worth my time?

Oh, definitely. Probably almost right away. And not necessarily any, like, direct, like, linear sort of a thing. But, um, so I joined your program in February of 2019 and, like, immediately dove in and took action because, you know, that's just how I am. And so I think I. I probably started doing weekly, like in March. And, like, when I say weekly, kind of weekly, ish. Like, I would have, like, a good run and then like a break and good run and then break until, like, got the mechanics down and everything. But even as soon as, like, March hit, like, I was having people in the community reach out. I was having my clients say, like, I saw you on YouTube, which was so weird. I was like, okay. So people were noticing it. They were appreciating the feedback and the information that was being presented, which was really the whole point of this. And the people who were calling for services were good matches for the type of work that I do. I wasn't getting. I still get, like, the straggler call sometimes for, like, couples counseling, and I don't do that.

And so when you say the results weren't linear, what were you kind of classifying as results? Like, how did you determine these are the results that made it worth your time to commit to YouTube.

So I was very caught up in the vanity numbers. I was like, I have, like 100 subscribers. Like, not even realizing, like, that's still 100 individuals. Click that button. Like, that's a lot when you think about it. So I think I was getting very, very caught up in kind of those numbers and not so much in the, like, direct impact. Yeah.

And I think you've even said recently where you're at with your clients. Why don't you tell everybody kind of where you're at with your clients after doing YouTube consistently right now?

Yeah. So I. I do individual counseling and three different teen growth therapy groups. When I started, I had one group and I've had to expand to three because there's been so much response for that, which has been great. And the kids in the group are, like, amazing. I've also started doing, offering guided self help programs. So I consolidated all my freebies into one thing called the Self care Bundle. So you can get all of those for free. And then I also did last year, with the transition back to school and everything, I did a coping skills crash course workshop which people can now purchase for very, very low. And I'm going to be upgrading that soon now that I have time to sit and do that. Yes.

And I think even when we got started, I think it was 2019, that summer, you could really contribute a significant growth in your normal slow months to video. Why don't you kind of share that experience?

Yeah. So working with teenagers over the summertime tends to be a slower pace because, you know, school is not in session for most of these kids and so that additional stress isn't there. So we usually experience a little bit of a slump in the summertime, which is nice because they're either going to camp or they're just not having that same intense level of stress. And then in, I think in August, I had my best month ever, like, client session wise, where people were coming. I think that's around the time that I may have opened up that second group, if I'm remembering correctly. But that was like, unusual. Usually I plan on August being very slow and I was working, working, working.

And you said you could contribute your clients really finding you from your YouTube content.

Yeah, absolutely.

So what would you say? Finally made that click, you know, that made you. Okay, I am going to commit to YouTube. What was that? Maybe aha moment or light bulb moment.

So I think I already had that before I found your program. Like, I knew it was important. Um, I had been told repeatedly. Um, I just didn't have like a good structure for it. I really think that your program made it a lot more manageable and helped kind of keep my eye focused on what was important to focus on rather than getting caught up in, I call it shiny object syndrome. Very good at that. So it was nice having, I mean, you have this really nice flow in the program of like, get this down and then learn this next step. Like, just start with this and then build from there. And then once I got that down and I was seeing, you know, how it was helping, I ended up deciding to outsource and hire a video editor, which was really, really hard to do. But that probably was like the second best investment I've made.

Would you say you would have been able to hire that video editor if you wouldn't have gone through the program and learned the way to do YouTube the right way?

Absolutely not. No, because the. So at the time, like, what the return on investment would have been from a Financial and time management aspect. I just did not understand what that was until going into the program and going into the analytics. I think your, your hot seats that you do every month. The analytics, like I try to make them as much as I can, even if it's not a channel that pertains to me or my clients because I just learned so much from, oh, this is what we should be paying attention to or oh, that's what that means, it's actually a good thing or that's not what I thought it meant.

So you mentioned quite a few things inside of Video Strategy Academy. What would you say, like the top shiny thing in the program that made it worth the investment?

I think definitely. Oh gosh.

I did an interview with another student and she said I gotta pick one.

Yeah, because I was gonna say the hot seats and the analytics, but it's also really, I mean, if you're not doing the videos and like following the basics of the program, then the hot seats aren't gonna make any sense for you. So really I. It probably just is like the program, like, like what you have in there ready. And also the Facebook group has been really, really great. I've connected with a lot of really cool people in there. Like I know Sonia and Tracy and Hope. Like we've all kind of touched base here and there and helped each other out. That's really nice because in my world in mental health, I have a lot of people who are in private practice but don't totally understand video or afraid of video. And so I only get one piece of support for that. So it's nice to have these other people to like reach out to and be like, what does this mean? Or what do I do? Yeah.

And then I wanted to just touch base because like you said, you are opening up more of these groups and you're getting more clients. So how are you finding the time? Because that's what a lot of people come into the program with. The struggle balancing the time to do the video versus the time you're spending with your clients. And you're also talking about creating a speed self guided course. So how are you balancing that with your schedule, with your clients? What's that look like?

So it's interesting that you're mentioning that because I really, over the summer I've been kind of at a crossroads because you know, where is going to have the most impact for why I do this and like the main reason why I became a therapist, why I decided to branch out into videos, is I have a very, very strong desire to reverse the trend of rising rates of t suicide and self harm. I've experienced it personally and professionally in my life with various entities and people. And so I've really been considering, you know, as, as some of my college age kiddos are getting ready to go back to school, you know, how much I should like pour into like YouTube videos and that sort of stuff and that free help versus opening up more slots for for clients which is like a great problem to have. Yeah. So I really just taking a look at what I need from a self care standpoint and also where my priority needs to be based on what's happening like in the world.

But I mean with YouTube you have two years worth of a library of content that you can still continue to help people. They can still continue to find you. And that's not something, you know, that Facebook or Instagram is doing. And so there are times where you've got to take back, take a step back, take care of yourself. You know more than the rest of us about needing that self care. But you've put in two years, you probably have, I'm guessing at least 60 to 70 videos of libraries of content that you can still help people with the content that you have while you take a step back. And I think that's something people don't think about when they're creating these YouTube videos. These are things that continue to help people even when we have to take a step back.

Yeah, that's very true. Like I think I was talking about in the group because somebody in there was saying like oh my gosh, my videos are like so poor quality but I'm doing it. I'm like, oh girl, look at my very first video. Yes, they're like horrible quality. Like I didn't know like editing it was just bad. And if you were to look at my like real time analytics right now for like the last 90 days, consistently in the top like three to five slots of real time views has been like my old, old, old videos. But I'm like, no, look at the updated ones.

Yeah, but that just gives a show to not necessarily worry about the because again people are watching it. I'm sure if you go to your audience retention, people are watching it and they're. If they're the videos that are performing, they're the videos that are sending people to you.

Yeah, definitely. Yeah.

That is so great to hear. If you were talking to somebody who's like, I know I need to be on YouTube but like the time it takes and should I invest in video strategy Academy. What would you say to that person who's kind of sitting on the fence?

I would absolutely say to first, like, look at your scheduling and see where you could potentially open up some blocks of time just even for like learning. You can even start with like one hour a week to just like watch the lessons, take in the information. You don't necessarily have to like hustle and take action right away. I've done that periodically where I've like, there's something new to learn and have not done a YouTube video for like a week or two and it's been okay. You've taught me a lot of great strategies about I don't need to like recreate the wheel every time, which is nice. So I think really just setting out some time in your schedule to figure out where you could even just start to learn what's entailed will help.

Yeah, that's so fantastic. So, Mallory, I want to ask you a question to wrap this up that I'm going to ask every single person that I interview here. How has this program really reframed the way that you think about video?

It definitely helped me kind of stay focused on what's important, like why I do this, like why I put the effort in, take the time and energy to put these videos out there and get this information out to people. Staying focused on, like, that bigger reason has really helped, like when you get a mean comment or, you know, a video doesn't quote, unquote perform well right away, you get those, those red arrows. So that's been really helpful just to kind of stay focused on that. Especially, you know, most of us are not going to reach like millions of views in our first two videos. It really is a long game.

I'm so glad that you said that. That is so true. So why don't you go ahead and share with everybody where they can learn more about you and see the amazing things that you're doing with your content.

Thank you. So my website is mallorygrimste.com it's just my name. My YouTube channel is the same. Mallory Grimsby. Those are probably the two main places that you can find me and see what I'm up to and what I'm doing. And if you're interested in getting that Self Care bundle, it's free. We're going to be updating things in August because in August we're going to be doing two videos a week where we're going to be doing some mindfulness practice. So all those mindfulness practices will be updated and uploaded into that self Care bundle for free, so definitely make sure to get that.

And can we also do that? Like, as long as we're not. If we're not teenagers, we can still do that along with you?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, my information is geared towards teenagers, but I've had several people email me or, like, comment like, I'm well beyond a teenager and I still benefit. And, you know, I mean, these are life skills.

Yeah. I think we all need it at this point in time in where we're at in the world.

Yeah, definitely.

Mallory, thank you so much for being here today and sharing your insights and just talking with me about your YouTube journey.

Thank you.