Let’s just call it out: there’s a growing epidemic of “coaches coaching coaches.”
You know the type. They’ve got a Canva template, a slick sales funnel, and a couple of testimonials from people who’ve “finally learned to charge their worth.” But scratch the surface, and you’ll find something missing—namely, an actual successful healthcare practice.
And yet, I keep seeing good practitioners—smart, talented, clinically solid folks—drop thousands of dollars on programs run by people who’ve never treated a complex patient, managed a team, or navigated the burnout that comes from being on the front lines of care.
Let me ask you something: would you take surgical advice from someone who’s never held a scalpel? No? Then why the hell are you letting someone without a clinic tell you how to build one?
I’m fired up because I’ve been there. In my early years, I joined a business mastermind group that promised to “10x” my practice. I followed every step. Rewrote my website, adjusted my pricing, made cheesy little graphics with stock photos of bamboo and pebbles. I even practiced my damn elevator pitch in the mirror.
And you know what happened?
Crickets.
And a hefty dose of shame when I realized the “expert” I’d been following had never treated a real patient in their life. Their business was selling the idea of business.
That’s not mentorship. That’s a pyramid scheme with a stethoscope.
Real mentorship comes from the trenches. From people who’ve built a clinic, hired staff, dealt with 1-star reviews, misdiagnosed something, bounced back, and still showed up the next day. People who understand what it means to have your name on the lease, your license on the line, and your energy tank on empty.
So here’s the gut-check:
Are you seeking guidance or outsourcing responsibility?
Because the truth is, a lot of us hire coaches hoping they’ll save us from doing the deeper work. The uncomfortable work of clarifying our mission, building systems, confronting our self-worth issues, and taking full agency over our careers.
But no one can give you that. They can only walk beside you while you dig.
So what should you look for in a mentor?
- Have they run a real clinic?
- Have they hired (and fired) people?
- Have they weathered a recession, a slow month, a clinic rebrand?
- Are they still clinically active, or did they just jump ship to coaching?
If the answer is no, walk away.
Stop getting distracted by surface-level hype. Stop giving your time—and money—to people who’ve never walked your path. And most importantly, stop handing over your power to someone just because they seem confident.
You don’t need another guru.
You need someone who’s actually been where you are—and has receipts.
