We were lucky to catch up with Kate Sjostrom recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kate, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

If you had told me years ago that I would eventually be the proud owner of two businesses, I would have thought you were kidding. I can vividly remember years ago when I lived in Phoenix, meeting someone who had her own therapy practice and it didn’t even occur to me that doing such a thing was possible. And I certainly did not picture myself taking on this challenge. But here I am, with my private practice specializing in children’s mental health, and my most recent endeavor, my parent coaching business.

None of this happened overnight.

Having completed graduate school with a degree in Social Work in the early 2000’s and experience working mainly with young children and their families, I felt fortunate to hold several meaningful jobs throughout my early career which eventually led me to a couple leadership positions. I think I figured that I’d continue to pursue leadership in either non-profit agencies or other community mental health programs, which would be great paths to take.

Fast-forward to 2011, at which time my husband, young son and I move to Brentwood, Tennessee, right outside Nashville. If you’ve ever moved from one state to another, you know how difficult it can be, especially when it comes to finding a job. It’s almost as if I was starting from scratch, as I knew absolutely nobody here and had to really dig in and learn about all the local mental health programs and agencies to target for my job search. And although I did land a decent job, I felt myself daydreaming about creating something of my own.

But I put this off. For about 7 years. I was terrified to get so far out of my comfort zone. And the critical voice inside my head kept trying to convince me that I didn’t have what it took to start my own practice. I thought only the most organized, driven, and assertive people can pull this off.

Yet I learned from others who had taken the plunge and started their own business. And I realized that while, yes I would need to become more organized and would need to become more assertive, that this was possible. Instead of believing negative assumptions and buying into my fears, I started trusting in myself. Whoever created the phrase, “get comfortable with getting uncomfortable” pretty much nailed it. Having the faith in myself and knowing that the discomfort was helping me grow, got me to where I am now.

Key challenges when I was setting up my practice included not only developing billing systems and figuring out how to do Quickbooks, but also building up my caseload. Even in 2018, before the pandemic hit, there was already a noticeable rise in depression and anxiety amongst kids and teens. Being a child therapist and having a background in providing attachment-focused support to children and parents, I strongly believed I had much to offer and I had learned that many families in my county felt there were not enough therapists available to meet the demand. But it would take some dedicated marketing on my part and connecting with others in my community to get the word out about my practice and what I could offer. It was this face-to-face interaction with pediatricians, school social workers, the local library and networking with other therapists that ultimately helped me get to a place where I was serving a substantial amount of families. Perhaps if I could do anything differently, I would have started the marketing piece earlier than I actually did. I think I had this notion in my head that I had to have everything “just right” in order to start the outreach process. In reality, the marketing can start before the fancy business cards and office furniture are ready!

In 2024, I started my second business, Empower Coaching LLC, to dedicate support solely for parents. I never would have created this had it not been for all the work I’ve done over the years with families.
With my parent coaching business, I am able to provide the guidance and help that is truly needed by so many caregivers who are raising a child with mental health challenges. But more about this later on!

For those who are considering starting their own business, I would encourage you to stop comparing yourself to others. There will always be people out there who we view as more successful, better organized, and knows more than us. The truth is, we tend to compare ourselves to coaches, entrepreneurs, or other business owners who have been at it for a significant amount of time. So instead of comparing, reach out to those you admire or to those who are doing things you hope to do. You will discover that there are far more helpful entrepreneurs and leaders out there than not, and they are more than willing to share lessons learned and they will be the ones cheering you on as you dive into new territory!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and have over 25 years of experience with children and families. I feel so fortunate to have gained some of my clinical experience and expertise in the attachment arena while working at an Infant-Toddler Mental Health program in Phoenix. In addition to managing a child development home-visiting program in Phoenix, I also worked in community mental health and engaged in pediatric mental health consultation in Tennessee.

When I started my practice, Empower Therapy Solutions, I knew I wanted to create services that not only attended to the needs of kids and teens, but would also provide support to parents. Helping children who are struggling with ADHD, anxiety and depression have always been at the forefront of treatment I provide. I have also leaned on my experience with young toddlers and parents, especially when helping in the area of emotion regulation. So often when I am receiving a phone call or email from a parent of a toddler, I will hear them say that they have not been able to find a therapist willing, or much less trained, in treating toddlers. Even today, there continues to be a need for therapists who can work with young children.

As much as I love treating and helping children and teens, I began noticing a pull towards providing something specifically for moms and dads. Over the years, I have met with so many parents who have disclosed feeling completely alone, judged and unsure of how to best support their child at home. For so many different reasons, parents today report feeling a greater degree of stress than 20 years ago. And with our increasing use of screens, parents are describing a general feeling of disconnect with their children.

So I decided to create another business that would concentrate care towards parents. This has been a completely new experience, as the world of coaching is different than therapy. This is not geared towards a diagnosis and not clinical in nature. Coaching is typically goals-driven, time-specific, and geared towards empowering parents to make changes they are wanting to create within their family. For example, if a caregiver is struggling with parenting their child who has ADHD and is getting in daily power struggles, battling over screen-time use, and describing most days as chaotic, coaching could be a valuable resource. Part of the process is helping parents take a step back and gain more understanding of what is underneath the challenges. Before jumping into strategies, all of this must be understood so that parents can approach challenges in a more responsive stance as opposed to reactive.

I’m a big believer in utilizing a strength-based approach and encourage parents to tap into their strengths as they participate in the process of developing plans to create change. My favorite quote I use is this: the #1 parenting tool that can reduce stress, boost self-esteem, and improve regulation is : your relationship with your child!

Empower Coaching LLC is still growing and I am excited about upcoming workshops and groups I am developing to reach as many parents as I can! The best part is all of this is virtual, so coaching services are available to anyone in the U.S! I also run a free group on Facebook called Connected Moms and share valuable resources through this community.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I started Empower Therapy Solutions in 2018, my private practice designed to address and treat children’s anxiety, depression, ADHD, and emotional dysregulation. Being able to provide care to so many young children and the most vulnerable of our population has been so meaningful and needed. I could never have foreseen that just 2 years after my doors opened, I would have to make significant shifts in the way I engaged with families.

The pandemic naturally affected all of us. I saw firsthand how the school closures, shutdowns, and isolation were impacting children and teens. I was noticing how my son was handling it and then faced with the reality that children who were already having challenges were unraveling and showing signs of acute stress.

It became clear that I would need to temporarily hold off on doing sessions in my office when Covid started. I remember adamantly telling others that doing video sessions with young children would be impossible. However, like countless others, I had to find ways to make this work. And once again, get comfortable with getting uncomfortable. I could not have gotten through the years of 2020 and 2021 without wonderful colleagues, networking with fellow therapists, and making sure that I was prioritizing my own mental health. It reminded me that not only was I more resilient than I gave myself credit for, but that once again relationships are everything.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I am now in a place where I am more clear about the importance of surrounding myself with like-minded folks. I believe what helps be successful in the field of entrepreneurship is aligning yourself with those who have a similar vision. Specifically for those in the world of mental health, I believe that learning never stops and no matter how many trainings I have been to and presented myself, there will always be more to learn. This ongoing quest for knowledge is what helps us continue to grow!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://empowercoachingllc.com/
• Instagram: @empower_coaching_llc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/15aetUUwFD/

Image Credits

Michael Kent (professional photos)
The other pictures were taken while I was doing a presentation in the community.