Selling the Couch
by Melvin Varghese, PhD
With 1.81 million+ downloads, Selling the Couch is an Apple Top Career podcast for current and future mental health private practitioners who think differently. Psychologist Melvin Varghese interviews successful therapists in private practice about how they built their businesses as well as top entrepreneurs, business/marketing, and social media experts.*You'll learn how therapists get referrals, grow their practices, work through fears, find their enough, and stop "trading time for income." Melvin also shares the lessons as he grows his impact + income beyond the therapy room (podcasting, YouTube, writing, online courses, masterminds, investing, etc) and the tips and tools he uses to grow STC from a single-person business to the CEO of a 6-figure business.*Featured in Psychology Today, Good Therapy, and Psych Central ****Get show notes and even more good stuff at sellingthecouch.com/stcpodcast*
Episodes
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ENCORE: How To Build An Email List Alongside Your Online Course
Today’s encore features a coaching call about how to build an email list simultaneously with an online course. You’ve probably heard that social media is the best option for building an email list, but is it? There are pros and cons to consider. Join us as we discuss this topic that is relevant…
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432: 11 Years, 2 Million Downloads, and the Business Lessons I Learned the Hard Way
What does 11 years of building a business actually teach you — especially when things don't go according to plan? In this final episode of Selling the Couch for 2026, Mel reflects on 11 years of entrepreneurship, more than 2 million podcast downloads, and some of the hardest lessons he's learned...
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431: How to Sell Your Online Course with Webinars and Email Marketing
What actually makes someone decide to buy your online course? It's not just the information you're teaching or how polished your webinar looks. More often, it's the trust you've built with the people you're trying to help. In this episode of Selling the Couch, Mel takes you behind the scenes of a...
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430: YouTube for Therapists: How to Grow Without Chasing the Algorithm
What if growing a YouTube channel as a therapist didn't require posting constantly, chasing trends, or becoming an influencer? In this episode of Selling the Couch, Mel takes you behind the scenes of Haven, our small, intentional community for therapists building sustainable online income beyond...
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429: How to Grow Your Therapy Business Without Living on Social Media
What if you could use social media to grow your therapy business without feeling like you have to be online all the time? For many therapists, social media comes with a complicated relationship. You know it can help people discover your work, build trust, and create new opportunities. But you…
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428: The Marketing Advantage Therapists Don't Realize They Have
Do you ever feel like you're just… bad at marketing? You don't want to become an influencer. You don't want to post every day, chase an algorithm, manufacture hot takes, or turn every part of your life into content. And maybe that's not actually a problem. In this solo episode of Selling the…
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427: When Life Doesn't Fit Your Business Plan
What happens when the life you’ve been building toward suddenly has to change? In this solo episode of Selling the Couch, Mel shares a personal update about entering a new season of caregiving, and the difficult questions it has raised about business, ambition, family, and what success actually...
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426: How to Host a Small, Intimate Retreat as a Therapist
What if hosting a meaningful retreat didn’t require a luxury resort, a huge audience, or 50 people in the room? In this episode of Selling the Couch, Mel sits down with licensed psychologist Dr. Shawn Hondorp to talk about what she’s learned from creating small, intimate retreats — including the...
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425: A Relationship-First Approach to Getting Referrals From Churches
Could churches and other faith communities become one of your private practice's strongest referral sources? For many therapists, networking with churches can feel intimidating—or even a little unclear. Who do you contact? What do you say? Should you offer free workshops? And how do you build…
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424: Why Therapists Should Pay Attention To LinkedIn
What if you didn’t need to post on LinkedIn every day to build real authority? For years, the dominant LinkedIn advice has been pretty consistent: post constantly, engage with bigger accounts, chase visibility, and keep feeding the algorithm. But what if there’s a quieter—and more sustainable—way...
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ENCORE: Finding Your Enough As An Entrepreneur with Jeanetta Garrison, LCSW
More is not always better. We often find that what we are chasing in our pursuit of success is not what we thought it was. Entrepreneurship for private practice clinicians naturally attracts many high achievers and recovering perfectionists, so we need to take a pause and periodically reassess…
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ENCORE: 5 Lessons from 2 Years on LinkedIn
If you’ve been thinking about posting more on LinkedIn or if you’re curious about how to best use this social media platform, today’s encore is for you. It took me a long time to understand the purpose of LinkedIn and how it can be beneficial in connecting me to the right followers. Join me for…
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ENCORE: The Anxiety Of Finding A Private Practice Niche
In today's encore, I share my journey of going into private practice, in addition to keeping STC running and growing. There were three main reasons for this decision: I missed the therapy room, a clinical arm to my business is a wise move, and I’d be able to more strategically diversify my…
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ENCORE: Why Every Course Creator Should Start A Podcast
If you have ever considered creating an online course, or if you are already a course creator, you have probably thought a lot about marketing. The challenge is how to be thoughtful and creative in marketing your course, which becomes a separate income stream for your business. Starting a podcast...
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ENCORE: Could Keeping Your Business Small Be the Next BIG Thing?
In today's encore, we will cover two questions that confront me daily: How big do I actually want to grow STC? What is the purpose of STC in relation to my overall life? Freedom is my most important value, and building my business around my life, family, and health is most important to me. Not...
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ENCORE: 3 Meetings 99% of Course Creators Don’t Schedule But Absolutely Need
Are you a course creator who wants to get better and better at your craft? Today's encore reflects on three non-negotiable meetings that I’ve implemented with my online courses. This simple technique has played a massive role in making over $300K more than the original course. Join me! You’ll...
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ENCORE: If I Were Launching An Online Course Soon, I'd Do This...
If you are considering launching an online course, today’s encore is for you! I’ve learned a lot as a course creator, and I’m sharing an honest look at my biggest lessons learned and what I would tell anyone on this course creation path. You’ll Learn: 5 things I want to share about launching an...
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ENCORE: Leaving Therapy for Coaching with Dr. Corey Wilks
Today’s encore is about leaving psychotherapy for coaching. This transition is one that many therapist colleagues have made, and the reality is that many more are shifting from the field of therapy into coaching. Several major factors play into this decision, and my guest today gives a…
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ENCORE: Designing a Life-First Business In An Uncertain World
Today’s encore is at the heart of the Quiet Builder philosophy. The question is, “How do we design a business that supports our lives, not swallows it?” This becomes increasingly important as the world grows more uncertain and our responsibilities grow daily. This episode is for anyone building a...
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ENCORE: What Therapists Get Wrong About Selling Their First Online Course
Today’s encore is on what therapists often get wrong about selling their first online course, considering all the assumptions we make and the misconceptions we hold about online courses. I’m bringing full transparency to today’s topic as I share what I’ve learned through my years of experience…
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ENCORE: A Live vs. Pre-Recorded Online Course
Today’s encore is from a live coaching call talking about the many nuances of online courses. I hope this episode will be helpful to you and bring new ideas if an online course is on your radar. Our Featured Guest-Kristen Boice, LMFT Kristen Boice is a therapist in private practice and a fellow...
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ENCORE: The Process of Creating and Marketing Your Product Using the Feelings Wheel
In today's encore, we're tapping into creative thinking. How are you at thinking outside the box? This episode is perfect for everyone who has thought about creating, marketing, and selling a product. What is the process like? How do you take care of all the little details? What about the…
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ENCORE: The Power of Depth Over Scale
Today's encore is on the 400th episode of Selling the Couch! It was truly surreal to think back to 2015 and the show’s humble beginnings; reaching this milestone is beyond anything I ever dreamed of 10 years ago. I wanted to use this milestone to reflect on a few meaningful thoughts about staying...
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423: Why Google Is Done With Your Reels (And What Smart Therapists Are Creating Instead)
Are therapists focusing on the wrong kind of content in the age of AI? In this episode, Mel explores one of the biggest shifts happening online right now: why Google and AI-powered search are quietly rewarding depth-first, human-centered, experience-based content, while most social media content...
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422: What Happens to Your Clients If Something Happens to You?
What happens to your private practice if you suddenly become incapacitated… or pass away? It’s a difficult question, and one most therapists never want to think about. But in this deeply practical and important conversation, Mel sits down with Dr. Robin Miller to discuss one of the most…
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421: A Quick Clinical + Life Update
In this deeply personal episode, Mel shares an honest update on a new chapter he’s building: one that sits at the intersection of psychology, nervous system regulation, golf, performance under pressure, and the future of clinical work in the age of AI. This is not a polished “success story.” It’s…
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420: How A Therapist's Website Shapes A Client's First Impression
Do therapist websites still matter in the age of AI? With platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI Search, social media, and online directories changing how people search for support, many therapists are wondering: Is it even worth investing in a website anymore? In this episode, Mel sits down...
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419: Why Smart, Thoughtful Professionals Are Pulling Back From Social Media
Are therapists quietly leaving social media… on purpose? In today’s episode, we explore a growing shift: not burnout, but intentional withdrawal from platforms that promise connection... but often create fragmentation. If you’ve ever felt conflicted about social media—needing it for visibility…
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418: Human-Centric Marketing: Choosing Connection Over Algorithms
What does it actually look like to market your work… without losing your humanity? In today’s episode of Selling the Couch, I’m joined by Shayna Vance Roman to explore a powerful and often overlooked idea: human-centric marketing—and how to apply it in a way that feels grounded, ethical, and...
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417: Is Ai Killing Our Ability To Protect Time?
Is AI actually giving us more freedom… or just more to do? In this episode, I reflect on something I’ve been noticing lately, both in my own life and in conversations with other business owners: Even though AI makes it easier to write, create, and move faster… many of us aren’t using that time to...
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416: Is Blogging Still Worth It In The AI Age?
If you’ve been told to “just start a blog” to grow your private practice and be seen online, but you’re now wondering if AI has made that advice outdated... this episode is for you. In this conversation, I sit down with Daniel Fava from Private Practice Elevation to explore what’s actually…
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415: What Actually Drives Podcast Downloads Based on Real Data
After 11 years, 400+ episodes, and nearly 2 million downloads, I thought I understood what drives podcast growth. Then I saw the data, and it challenged a lot of assumptions. In this episode, I break down what actually drives podcast downloads today, based on real-world insights and my own...
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ENCORE: Researching and Finding an Audience for Your E-Course
Today’s encore is covering creating and selling an E-Course. Since creating Healthcasters, I’ve definitely made many mistakes that I’m happy to share with you. Statistics show that the self-improvement industry is a $10-11 billion industry, so we know that there are a lot people who crave…
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ENCORE: How to Show Up Imperfect In Your Marketing
If there is one thing I’ve learned as a small business owner, it’s that it takes courage to show up imperfect. We want so badly to be perfect and put together in front of our audience, but perfectionism makes us less authentic and connected. Join us to learn more about being OK with being...
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ENCORE: Pro Tips To Improve The Quality Of Live Videos
We use video for meetings, live sessions, live-streaming, and other content, so it’s important to have the best quality possible. Michael Rothermel is my videographer who filmed the welcome video for STC. We were part of the same faith community while Michael lived in the Philly area. Join us to...
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ENCORE: How I’m Thinking About YouTube as a Podcaster (and Dad)
Since the beginning of this podcast in 2015, I’ve thought a lot about how I can use YouTube to maximize the impact of STC. I’ve pondered many questions about the sustainability of this endeavor and whether I should be creating separate content on YouTube or simply repurposing these podcast…
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414: Why Most Online Courses Fail (Even If the Content Is Good)
“If you build a great course, they’ll come.” I wish that were true. Over the past decade, both as a course creator (since 2015) and as a teacher helping therapists launch their own courses, I’ve seen something surprising: Great content alone is rarely enough. In this episode, we talk about why…
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413: What They Don’t Tell Therapists About Owning a Small Business
Most conversations about private practice are highlight reels. But what about the parts no one posts about? In today’s episode of Selling the Couch, I’m joined by my friend Dr. Justin Dodson, a group practice owner in Memphis, Tennessee, for an honest, real-world conversation about what it…
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412: How to Create a Podcast That Actually Pays Off
Most podcasts never make a dollar. Not because the host isn’t talented. Not because their strategy is bad. But because they quit too soon, or they measure ROI the wrong way. In this episode, I break down what 11 years of podcasting (and nearly 2 million downloads) have taught me about building a...
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411: Making Peace with Your Becoming: Navigating Brand Evolution as a Therapist
In this deeply honest and practical conversation, I’m joined by fellow clinician and creative coach TJ Walsh as we explore what it means to evolve your brand in real time — especially when your identity as a therapist is shifting. TJ introduces a simple but powerful framework: Push. Pull. Propel....
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410: Why Many Therapists Quietly Reject Social Media Fame
In today’s episode, I’m diving into a topic many therapists and thoughtful professionals wrestle with: the pressure to be seen on social media, and what it means to opt out. Over the past decade of building Selling the Couch, I’ve had a front-row seat to both the power and the cost of online...
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409: How to Use AI for Content Creation—Without Losing Your Voice
AI can be an incredible tool to save time, boost creativity, and streamline your content, but how do you use it without losing your authentic voice? In this episode, I’m joined by Dan Cumberland, founder of Dan Cumberland Labs, to explore how therapists, coaches, and small business owners can use...
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408: If I Were in Grad School Again: 5 Career Shifts I'd Make
Whether you're in grad school for psychology, counseling, social work—or mentoring someone who is—this episode is for you. After 20+ years in the mental health field and over a decade running Selling the Couch, I'm sharing 5 things I wish I had done during grad school to set up a more…
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407: How to Build Emotional Fitness as a Therapist and Quiet Leader
What is emotional fitness, and why is it more important than ever for therapists, helpers, and quiet leaders? In this episode of Selling the Couch, I’m joined by psychologist and author Dr. Emily Anhalt to explore how we can strengthen our emotional muscles to prevent burnout, set boundaries, and...
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406: How to AI-Proof Your Online Course as a Therapist
Melvin kicks off Season 11 of Selling the Couch with a powerful and timely conversation on how therapists and online educators can AI-proof their online courses in 2026 and beyond. If you’re worried that AI tools might replace the need for your course, this episode will help you rethink that…
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ENCORE: Charging Premium Prices For Your Online Course (Money Blocks + Fears)
Today’s show is a coaching call about online courses and the imposter syndrome that sneaks in with fear and doubt. Join us to learn more! Our Featured Guest for today’s coaching call: Nikki Sewell, LCSW Nikki was ready to get her pilot students into her course, but she has encountered a lot of…
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ENCORE: Mental Roadblocks Of Going From Clinician To Coach with Angela Williams, LCSW
Many clinicians are left wondering if their best work lies in the clinical field or the coaching/consulting arena. I’ve felt this dilemma myself, pondering how to balance my interests, endeavors, and the evolution of family life. I realized that I couldn’t sustain multiple paths, and I made the...
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ENCORE: 3 Tips To Become An Awesome Storyteller Online
Today’s topic is a fascinating one for me. As therapists, we are wired for stories, but telling an effective story online is a struggle for many of us. Fortunately for us, my guest has wisdom and tips to share to help us become awesome storytellers. Join us to learn more! Our Featured Guest…
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ENCORE: The 10 Biggest Mistakes I Made As An Online Course Creator
I’ve been focused on building a life around my family and self-care rather than fitting those things around a career. I’ve learned that there is much wisdom in slowing down and not keeping up a crazy pace. One thing that has helped me accomplish these goals is creating an online course. Even…
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ENCORE: Where Should I Focus My Online Course Marketing?
Our Featured Guest for today’s call: Heather McKenzie, LCMHCS Heather McKenzie came through Online Course School as a beta student back in the fall of 2021. Online Course School is a live, eight-week experience that takes your online course from a simple idea all the way through the development...
About this show
With 1.81 million+ downloads, Selling the Couch is an Apple Top Career podcast for current and future mental health private practitioners who think differently. Psychologist Melvin Varghese interviews successful therapists in private practice about how they built their businesses as well as top entrepreneurs, business/marketing, and social media experts.*You'll learn how therapists get referrals, grow their practices, work through fears, find their enough, and stop "trading time for income." Melvin also shares the lessons as he grows his impact + income beyond the therapy room (podcasting, YouTube, writing, online courses, masterminds, investing, etc) and the tips and tools he uses to grow STC from a single-person business to the CEO of a 6-figure business.*Featured in Psychology Today, Good Therapy, and Psych Central ****Get show notes and even more good stuff at sellingthecouch.com/stcpodcast*
Hosted by
Melvin Varghese, PhD