Tinashe Dune: From Financial Burden to Clinic for Good, and more | GYC Podcast E273

In this episode, Tinashe shares her personal experience of imposter syndrome and struggling financially.

We discuss the importance of seeking advice and support, which ultimately leads to a positive change in life and business. Tinashe reflects on her clinic transformation and how knowing her numbers was the catalyst.

Tune in to hear this inspiring story of overcoming imposter syndrome and success from knowing your worth.

Quotes

• "I've put in so much time and money and effort. Surely there's gotta be an opportunity for me to be able to get some help and some mentorship."
• "Maybe failure is trying to carry everything on your own and not then connecting with others. Maybe that is where things aren't necessarily going to go well for you if you just try to be Atlas and carry the world."
• "But what is your worth? Don't you deserve to sleep at night? Don't you deserve to enjoy your children, to enjoy your pregnancy, to enjoy the holiday that you'd been waiting for for years?"
• "What I love is those numbers ultimately end up in financial resources that you can invest in the client experience, invest in the team experience, and of course, take home something meaningful for you and your family, because that's important."
• "We are a Clinic for Good and we are connecting to people who might not necessarily feel that they can be included in some other mental health spaces."
• "There is only winning or learning, there is no losing."

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:34 Imposter syndrome
• 10:15 Mindset shift from debt to resourcefulness
• 12:13 Choosing to invest in mentorship
• 15:35 The first meaningful action towards clinic growth
• 18:29 Getting comfortable with clinic numbers/finances
• 20:41 How profit and loss guides project planning
• 21:33 Being Clinic for Good (working with purpose)
• 27:51 Balancing family and clinic life
• 32:04 Mastery is continuous learning
• 34:17 Advice for other clinic owners
• 37:30 Connect with Tinashe

Connect with Tinashe

• Dune Health and Wellbeing - https://www.dunehealthandwellbeing.com/home
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dunehealthandwellbeing
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/dune-health-and-wellbeing/

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We appreciate your support and feedback!

Transcript

0:00

most people often suffer from imposter syndrome. And I thought, well, there's nothing special about me. But we were counting pennies. I couldn't even go to the beach to enjoy it. I was just so stressed out. I wasn't familiar with my numbers. I didn't know what my profit and loss was. I just knew that I was just constantly losing. Those first few chapters honestly changed the way that I see myself. It came back to... The moment then I invested in good advice and support, the whole thing changed. Gosh, I wish I had done this sooner. There is only winning or learning. There is no losing. It's amazing to actually say that out loud. Welcome to the Grow Your Clinic podcast. My name is Ben Lynch. In this episode, I speak with Tinashe Dune, clinical psychologist and clinic owner from Wollongong, Australia. In this very candid conversation, Tinashe opens up about the hardships, the stresses, the anxiety, the sleepless nights and the financial burden. of just a couple of years ago and the important decisions for the support and investments that she made to navigate out of it. It's not all rainbows and butterflies, and we speak very openly about the hardships. Tinashe also speaks about the village that it takes to raise a family, manage running a business as well, and what it's like to create a clinic for good and amplify your impact. Let's start the conversation two years ago and the really tricky position that Tinashe was in. So recently you gave us a Google review at Clinic Mastery, which is really wonderful and we want to say thank you very much. even though you've done all the work, right? So, which is really awesome to implement it. We just hope to provide some sort of good sounding board and direction. The part of the message, the review that captured my attention was the part around how your accountant was shocked about the turnaround as evidenced by some of the numbers and seeing the negatives as opportunities. take us back to, you know, nine, 12 months ago, what was it like? What were some of those challenges you were facing? And then have you gone about navigating beyond that period? Yeah, absolutely. So maybe I'll even go back even two years, perhaps, because now here we are at the end of another year. So maybe the beginning of last year is maybe where I'll take us to so I had started the practice and it was just myself and a administrator who was helping me to organize and book clients and take invoices and we'd gotten to the point where there were so many clients who were seeking to have a chat with me as a clinical psychologist. And I thought, well, what I need to do is I need to engage more staff, more team members. That would be a great idea. And this is, I guess, coming out of COVID a bit, and I think psychologists and mental health practitioners were still a bit wary about face-to-face contact and what it would mean for them, and there were still some, you know, inconsistencies with what the rules were around that. And so tried to look for registered psychologists and was having a really hard time. Right. And there's so many jobs out there for wonderful clinicians. And I thought, how can I stand out? And so I thought, you know, I've been an academic before and I've worked with provisional psychologists with students. Maybe this is the opportunity. And I like to do things in no half measures. And so ended up I'm taking on for provisional psychologists, right? So trainees. Yes. Wow. I know at once for once. And I had the idea that okay, I had, you know, quite a number of you know, people who needed support. So there were opportunities for referrals. But in addition to that, I thought, well, I've got a little bit of money put aside. And what I'm going to do is I'm going to invest that those personal funds, that's what I'm going to do. And within the next, you know, two, three months, their books are going to be full. That is not what happened. So what I then found out is that their books weren't full in the first three to four months, and that there is something different that people are looking for in terms of registered psychologists. And I think one of the key things that I learned in clinic mastery, and I'll get kind of get to how I got into that process, is learning about how to appreciate and value yourself. And I think I came into and I've Most people often suffer from imposter syndrome. And I thought, well, there's nothing special about me, about what I do, about how I care for clients. There's nothing different. I'm a psychologist like any other. So surely, you know, it will be OK if we have, you know, these provisional psychologists come through. I can train them. It'll be OK. And, you know, I know that you guys have the Clinics for Good book that you've prepared. And those first few chapters, honestly changed the way that I see myself as a clinician, but also as a business owner focused on me first, and I had never thought about me first. And I was always engaging in business in most aspects of my life, to be honest, really apologetically. And I think when I realized, oh, I matter too, I offer something different. Then now what now, of course, these realizations came, you know, much later. So went into this and then essentially after this three or four month period, I was putting in my own personal money to pay salaries. And I was driving myself into a really, really, really red hole. and it was financially really difficult. Now, in the background of this, I had also been working at a university, and so trying to run a business, support team members, and having two children at the time as well, has been family, elderly parents, trying to do all of this, and One of the things that I got to was just like, I owe so much money. How am I possibly going to survive this? And so then I started looking up, literally Googling how to get out of business debt. And Clinic Mastery somehow came up. And I looked at it and I thought, this sounds incredible, but I can't afford it. And talked to the administrator that we had at the time and, you know, looked, talked to the accountant and they're like, you just can't do it. You can't afford it. Then August, September, October, November, come along December. I'm in Hawaii for my wedding anniversary with my husband and I can't afford anything. And I like to be an independent woman. And he was lovely. He's like, Oh, I'll cover this, I'll cover that. But we were counting pennies. And I work hard, I want to enjoy my holidays. And I couldn't now also, at this time, I was Yeah, several months pregnant, four months pregnant, or five months pregnant at the time. So I was just not doing well. And While he had gone out to the beach, cause I couldn't even go to the beach to enjoy it. I was just so stressed out and I was seeing clients on telehealth while I was in Hawaii. And then I went back in and looked at, okay, the emails that I'd gotten from clinic mastery when I'd first inquired. And I went back in and I was like, there's, there's gotta be something here. Right. I've, I've, I've put in so much time and money and effort. Surely there's gotta be an opportunity for me to be able to get some help and some mentorship. So then I started asking around and then my mentor, Claire Lawson, Dr. Claire Lawson said, you know, I'm happy to have a chat with you, but what I think would really heal you and these concerns you're having. is if you would connect with Clinic Mastery. I was like, third time it's coming up. Clearly, the universe is trying to tell me that this is what I need to do. And after signing up, which would have been December, January, yeah, December, end of December last year while I was in Hawaii, then it really, from that point, Every single opportunity that has been offered, I've tried to gobble up and there are so many more that I still haven't even had the time to engage with. So many different courses and webinars and opportunities to talk to accountants and HR people and lawyers and people from my field in psychology, people who run big clinics, small clinics. so wonderful, the number of opportunities that it's inexhaustible. And of course, the Clinic Mastery book is just absolutely gold, right? It just really does take things to the next level in terms of really consolidating all of these things that I, yeah, wish I'd known sooner. It's lovely to hear an incredible story juggling all of those elements, family, business, clinical practice. you would perhaps say, like being a psychologist, you understand the mind, you understand psychology. The first chapter that you're referring to broadly, as you said, is about, well, if you're in no great state to be able to take care of your team and your clients and have the resources available yourself, You can't grow when you have really a limited impact. What do you think it was like specifically? Because I would say you probably got a lot more skills and knowledge in this area than I do and we do. What was it do you think that was maybe holding you back or a barrier to being able to access that resourcefulness to overcome some of these challenges? Yeah, so barriers to accessing, yeah, the resourcefulness. I think one of the key things and what I've learned with Clinic Mastery is that it's okay to ask for help. And it's okay to not know everything. And to really think about how you can get people to engage and support you to, I guess, to progress to move forward to see your blind spots and I kind of had this mentality of like, I have to do it all myself. Otherwise I'm a failure if I don't do it all myself. But then realizing that, well, maybe failure is trying to carry everything on your own and not then connecting with others. Maybe that is where things aren't necessarily going to go well for you if you just try to be Atlas and carry the world. It's a great observation and reflection because I feel like I've seen it a lot over time in working with clinic owners and experiencing it myself as well. We tend to be perhaps people who go into business, high achievers, they wanna do it well, they wanna have the badge of honor and letting go of whatever that is that says, actually, there are people who I can ask for help and support who have a different perspective. And even myself, I have so many blind spots, right? And people to be able to call it out and say, have you thought of it like this or try this different approach? And so. Coming back to that starting point, because as you said, your financial resources at that stage were limited. Very low. We've often sort of said like, you can't afford not to do it in the sense of like the delayed effect of, well, if this doesn't change, then it's only going to get worse. How did you justify, how did you make it happen in that sense? Because it was a very real limitation, the financial resources. Was it something you did? Was it sort of the way you thought about it? Like what, take us back to that point. So how do I, how did I get to that place of deciding that, yes, this is time to invest and how did I actually invest? in clinic mastery, well, it really came out of desperation. And I wish I could say that I had been at a place where I could think clearly and make great choices and do everything right. And in hindsight, like one of the things that I had said after signing up was like, gosh, I wish I had done this sooner. But really, it was just finding the pennies And really then just trying to put those pennies together and saying, okay, like, like, I will, I will make it happen, because I have run out of my psychological resources. That includes my, like, I was losing sleep. Like, I, And I know all clinic owners and all business owners are often thinking about so many things. But I had gotten to a really kind of difficult mental health space, I think myself, where I was just like, what's the point in all of this? What's the point in everything that I'm doing? But I knew that what the business was focused on, which was how do we make sure that we help people live full lives and to thrive, right? And that's our kind of like tagline or slogan for our practice is we want people to thrive and live full lives. Then surely I need to really give this a really red hot go. I really need to try again and see if I can get out of this hole that I'm in. And, you know, I still have a long way to go and still have lots of debts to pay, but I can actually sleep at night. That's a huge difference. That is a huge difference, especially with a seven-month-old being able to sleep and some other kids at home. What have been some of the key actions or changes that you've made since joining up? What I often find is we've got an abundance of of learning, of perspectives, of things to do. It's our job really to continue to level up and provide those things. So there's never a point where you can cover all of it. Even we are outdoing ourselves and not able to stay across at all because we're trying to provide the latest and the best. How did you go about figuring out, okay, where am I going to focus here to get some progress and what have been some of those meaningful changes that you've made? Yeah, so I think one of the very first things and this is tied to not being apologetic about my business, my existence, the work that I do, and how much I can actually bring was raising fees. I think I came into it thinking that, well, you know, and I still believe this healthcare should be affordable and that people should have access to, you know, great opportunities for great clinicians with great, you know, experience to support them in really meaningful ways. But I was probably charging, you know, half of what I really should have. And I think I had you know, this, I guess, delusion that it'll all work out, right? Because at this point, I wasn't I wasn't familiar with my numbers. I didn't know what my profit and loss was, I just knew that I was just constantly losing. And that was one of the first changes that my mentor and coach kind of ensured that I put into place, and the way that she put it was just so beautiful, was that it came back to, but what is your worth? Don't you deserve to sleep at night? Don't you deserve to enjoy your children, to enjoy your pregnancy, to enjoy the holiday that you'd been waiting for for years? but that you didn't get, isn't that also valuable? And if you can be at a good mental, physical, social, spiritual place, then you'll be able to give back more. And when I thought about that equation, I was like, but yes, that makes sense. And so unapologetically, I was able to raise fees. And that was the first change that precipitated a huge shift in everything that I did as a business owner. And as I'm continuing to move forward to focus on value, not just for myself, but team members and the practice. what was it like going through your numbers? You said you weren't familiar with that. And I know a lot of health professionals are. Talk us through that experience. Oh, that was very painful. Very, very painful. It's like I knew it was bad, but then and, you know, I knew the accountant, you know, was was freaking out, which is great. He's really, you know, invested. And so he was, you know, getting upset on our behalf. But I think one of the most helpful things is that Clinic Mastery provides the templates and the spreadsheets and has all the calculations in it. And I guess like in my life, even as a researcher and academic, I do qualitative research. I don't like numbers. and you know somebody said statistics if you're not interested in it is like a brick to the head and that's so I avoided it I avoided the numbers and when I saw them I cried because it was like oh it is this bad and the deficit huge like The deficit is so huge. How am I going to come back from this? And what was really beautiful about working with Claire is that she was like, it's OK. This is not the first nor the last time that a business has made a loss or a huge loss. And this is not the first time that someone's looked at the numbers and felt confused or upset. But let this be the first time for you that you're actually seeing them clearly. and then making a choice about what to do next. It's like the fact that you have done the numbers, you've gone back to the accountant, you've had these conversations, you're already on your way. And that was such a huge relief that like this isn't it, right? It doesn't end here and I don't have to shut everything down. Yes, I have to make changes, but the numbers, yes, were scary when I saw them, then they're just that numbers. And now it becomes a game. Now, how can we play the numbers? Very nice. I was going to say, how's your relationship now with numbers? How are numbers playing a role in you making decisions or taking action, you know, in your week or in your month? Yeah. So I guess like at this point, it's yeah. Checking the numbers at least weekly. Right. Looking at how we're going in terms of, are we breaking even? Are we not? What would need to change? And I really like the spreadsheets and calculators because literally, I can just play with numbers. It becomes a game. Okay, well, if I can change this number, then what will happen? Okay, that looks good. All right, how do I get that number? And then I can go back to the team with a plan, with something to do, asking for ideas, versus really just shooting in the dark. What I love is those numbers ultimately end up in financial resources that you can invest in the client experience, invest in the team experience, and of course, take home something meaningful for you and your family, because that's important. Put your oxygen mask on, You spoke earlier about being a clinic for good. The type of clinic that we say is sustainable is a good business. It can sustainably stay in business and support the local community through the health care services. and is good by connecting with, aligning with, and contributing to the causes that matter to you and you collectively, the team inclusive of that and kind of finding this bridge of two worlds where sometimes being in healthcare and being in business could seemingly be at odds. How could you be commercial minded and also business minded? And so a clinic for good is our definition, our articulation of something that is really people-centered and purpose-driven and profitable along the way, but that being really the outcome of doing the first two things really well. What does that look like now for you in your clinic? How are you and the team embodying that clinics for good philosophy? How's that translating into action? Yeah, so I think that there are a few things that I've been able to do because of Um, engaging with clinic mastery and I'm, you know, my background in academia is 1 focused on social justice. Like, that's where I come from in terms of my ethos and equity and cultural safety and all of these kind of things. And so it's really important to me to make sure that, you know, the social determinants of health are. I guess addressed in a way that seems that adds value to the team as well as to the community. So one of the things is really supporting the next generation of psychologists and counselors and mental health practitioners. So we take on placement students and of course they do a lot of work to support us, but they actually gain a huge amount of free supervision and Really being able to build their skills and within our practice, we're really focused on the experiences and well, being of people from marginalized backgrounds and people of color. And so it really then offers a safe space for those. Provisional psychologists, or, you know, mental health care workers who are trying to learn. to be in a space where they know that they will feel safe and comfortable. And so that's something that I feel like we do add because it's such a focus, right? We, once again, unapologetically saying that this is the cohort of people, whether that be clients or team members, that we really want to help to grow and develop. And so we've got, you know, placement students even from allied health who are health service managers or public health and giving them those opportunities. And of course, we get great benefit from that as well. The other part of it as well is that we've started doing mental health first aid courses as well, which is great. And within those mental health first aid courses, we reserve at least five spots to offer to university students, to people who can't afford that course. And that allows us to be able to then, once again, give people that leg up on their CV that they normally would struggle to be able to do if they were a university student who's an international student, or who doesn't necessarily have a lot of support, or who's a first-in-family student, or a mature-age student, and they have many other responsibilities. And the third thing is I'm of African descent, and it's really important to me to increase knowledge about mental health and well-being within African and diverse communities. And so I've been doing workshops for free and engaging with different opportunities. I mean, next weekend, I've been asked to be a keynote speaker for the celebration of African Australians. Awards night, and I'm so honored. Thank you. So honored to be able to do that and that is because people are recognizing that we are clinic for good and we are connecting to people who might not necessarily feel that they can be included in some other mental health spaces. And so, hopefully, through working on the next generation of practitioners, as well as, you know, community and supporting people of various backgrounds. Hopefully, we're a clinic for kids. It sounds like you're doing a lot of meaningful work, which is awesome. I think wherever we can impact those without perhaps access or where it is not affordable, I think that's wonderful to be able to connect them with the health care or education that they need whilst also running a sustainable clinic. for yourself so that you can continue to do it more for longer and to bigger audiences as well. And if the business had stayed where it was a year ago, 18 months ago, it wouldn't have been possible, right? Because I ended up seeing huge numbers of clients just and not taking any, you know, I guess, pay or cut from that. just to pay salaries, just to fuel things. But now that I don't have to do that, it's amazing to actually say that out loud, but I don't have to do that. I can then say, OK, we'll offer these spaces for mental health first aid. I can take the time to do and prepare a keynote speech because I'm not seeing clients back to back to back to back to back every single day. As the months have evolved and you've implemented some of these changes, with an intense sort of focus on the business to navigate out of that hole. How have you gone about managing, say, family life? You mentioned going back when you're pregnant, you've now got a seven-month-old, which is beautiful, plus the other kids. What have been some things that you've found useful in navigating? Hey, you know, I've got all this stuff happening on at work, but also I'm going home to a family who I need to be present for, care for, you know, etc. How have you gone about navigating that? Because that is such a tricky thing to balance. It is. And I'm not going to lie. I mean, it is still rather tricky. It is, you know, there, there are some times where I do notice myself putting, you know, evenings and weekends into the practice. And, you know, I'm doing my best to try to balance those things. And I think what I've, I guess, realized as well as it takes a village, that it doesn't just have to be me. And, you know, for instance, today, my seven month old is with my mother, right? So his grandmother, right? And he's learning language from her. And, you know, when they see each other, they just have such a great time. They just laugh and they enjoy each other. And, you know, I think sometimes I had the thought that like, oh, but I'm missing out, but he's not. Right. He's getting that great connection of culture and his ethnic background that if I was just with him all the time, because I don't speak the language as well as she does, and then he would miss out. Right. Because I wanted to do it all. And so it takes a village, number one. And I have great support. I've got my sister is a wonderful support. My parents, my husband is just out of this world, because he is really open to my achievement of my goals. He knows I'm a really ambitious person. And he's like, you do it, you get that you make it, which is which is wonderful. So I'm not going to say that, you know, it's just all me all the time. And I'm just like this amazing superwoman. No, that's not the case at all. And sometimes I do work well and truly late into the night and I do miss the bedtimes. I'm going to be honest. Um, and sometimes, you know, I will fit in a couple extra clients because I think, okay, this will help to balance the numbers in this pay cycle because someone has taken leave. And then yes, I do end up missing a couple of dinners that week. Um, but overall, I would say that. I would try my absolute best, particularly on a Sunday. not to do anything and just to be with the kids. And sometimes it doesn't always happen. Sometimes I do end up sending off an email or I do end up, you know, finishing up some notes. So I think it comes down to one, it takes a village. It's not just me and it's not just mom who has to do everything. And it's of benefit, at least to my children, that they get all these other opportunities. They go to childcare, afterschool care, these kind of things. So I'm capitalizing on all of the opportunities there are for people to help me to raise my children. And I guess the other thing is being flexible, that sometimes, yeah, yes, you are gonna miss out, right? And then thinking, okay, well, the way I think about it is, In the future, it won't be like this. I'll be able to let some things go. And that has happened with the help of Clinic Nursery that I've started to be able to do that. It's beautiful to have that support. That's wonderful to hear. I know not everyone has it, but wonderful to know that's part of your village. I too am very fortunate for the village that helps raise our crazy clan of kids, which is beautiful. In terms of mastery, that's part of our name in terms of continuing to improve. How do you think about mastery in growing your clinic today? Perhaps, what's the distinction of how you embody getting better whilst also not being overwhelmed by how much more opportunity there is, but being enough to say, I can just get better in these days. So I guess really the question here is, how do you manage that hunger that you clearly have to get better? Also knowing there's like an endless amount of opportunities. That's right. That's right. I'm still working on patience. It's a virtue. I meditate on it. I really, yeah, I'm working on patience. But I think in terms of mastery, I think really it's understanding that it's a process. It's a journey. And that in order to have longevity as a business, that one needs to master the enjoyment of the process. And, you know, everybody likes to win. And I really am so proud of my team. And we've got some great team members. And one of our client engagement officers, we don't call them admin officers or receptionist, client engagement officers, and they really embody that title. They really engage. But one of them, they said, there is only winning or learning, there is no losing. And I thought, absolutely. She's 18 years old. Wow. And she's telling me as a 40 year old woman, what life is about was very wise beyond her years. And I thought, that's it, right? That you just keep learning. Yes, we fall down. And yes, we make mistakes. And yes, you know, we have to take out a loan or whatever, but we learn. And that is the key. If you are learning, then you are mastering the process. Then you are mastering the difficulties and not making the same mistakes multiple times. That's mastery, learning. So through this conversation, I'm interested in what your summary is for someone that's listening in, that has resonated with parts of this or says, I'm there or I've been there. what's your reflection on the last 12, 18, 24 months as to the journey that you've been on, especially as a, as a clinic owner? Yeah, I guess there are two things. The first thing is that I would say to someone who is where I have been and, you know, I'm still on the journey, but it's okay. There are people out there who are invested in helping you to get to where you want to go. And I feel that so strongly working with Claire and working with you all that this is not about. just ticking off boxes or, you know, helping me to meet the numbers, but really to help me be well as an entrepreneur, well as a business person, well as a woman and as a mother to be well, like, and I, and I feel so much better as a person, as a human. And at the end of the day, it was okay. it didn't break. And if you, I guess, like lift your head up from just what you feel is a huge mess, that there are people waiting to give you a hand. And I think just that perspective shift, just getting out of the despair and looking for the resources and like Clinic Mastery just has a plethora, that's been really helpful. So it's okay. And I guess the second thing is, in the book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, one of the things that I learned is that often entrepreneurs, they try to do everything themselves, and they try to be everything for everyone. But one of the pieces of advice it gave was, pay for good advice. That is an investment, because it will save you tens, if not hundreds of And the moment then I invested in good advice and support, the whole thing changed. So that is true. It's a great point. I do the same in terms of investing, as you spoke to the blind spots that we all have, so that we can really amplify our impact. I think we all get into healthcare. for various reasons, but there's a common thread of we love helping people and we love helping people live a better quality of life. And if we can do that to a greater impact over a longer period of time, speaks to the sustainability, leads to some of that rich, meaningful, joyous, fulfilled life. So Thank you so much for sharing that it's not all rainbows and butterflies. There's lumps and bumps, and we're all going through that as well at various times. And all of us need support around to make good decisions and work through it. So thank you for sharing so candidly. If anyone's listening in, they want to get in touch with you. What's the best way that they could do that? Yeah, I mean, they could definitely just contact me via email. That's totally fine. And hopefully I can share those details with you so that you can share with the listeners. Will do. Thank you so much, Tinashe. Thank you so, so much, Ben. Thanks for tuning in to the Grow Your Clinic podcast. To find out more about past episodes or how we can help you, head to www.clinicmastery.com forward slash podcast. And please remember to rate and review us on your podcast player of choice. See you on the next episode.