We recently connected with Jennifer Kovach and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

Early Days of Starting My Practice

Before starting my practice, I remember sitting down with another practice owner who told me, “It’s time to pick your hard. You can stay at your current job and work yourself to the ground making someone else richer, or you can start your own company and put the work in there.” I left that meeting with both excitement and exhaustion. Excited for the possibility, but exhausted because I knew absolutely nothing about running a business.

In that first year, I was constantly learning. I’ll never forget the first time someone asked me about my “P & L” and I had to quietly Google what it meant. I lived by the phrase, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” I had to lean into that, be confident even when I was unsure, and give myself a lot of grace while learning a new language of leadership and ownership.

Key Challenges & What I’d Do Differently

Looking back, the biggest thing I would have done differently is to give myself more patience. I tend to want results yesterday, but business takes time, a lot of time. Growth is rarely instant, and I had to learn to accept that progress happens in layers.

Another ongoing challenge has been building a team. Every time I bring someone new on board, I have to learn a new way of leading and running the practice. I am a firm believer in *hiring slow*. This business is my baby, and I want to make sure each person who joins shares in the vision and values that drive our work.

One of the hardest lessons early on was learning that I couldn’t help everyone. In this field, our hearts want to, but it’s simply not possible. Another challenge was facing rejection, whether it was applying for small business loans, negotiating for office space, or trying to connect with larger organizations. After my fifth bank rejection, I realized I could either get discouraged or laugh and keep moving forward. I chose determination.

Advice for Young Professionals

If I could give advice to someone considering starting their own practice, it would be this:

* Take the risk. You will regret it more if you never try.
* Give yourself grace.Success doesn’t happen overnight. Trust the process.
* Be ready for rejection. Don’t let “no” stop you from pursuing your vision.
* Hire slow.Protect your vision by building a team that truly fits.
* Remember you can’t help everyone. Focus your energy where it will be most effective.

At the end of the day, starting a business is about resilience. It’s about showing up, learning as you go, and refusing to let setbacks keep you from your dream.

Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My journey into this field began about 10 years ago when I was introduced to the work of Dr. Caroline Leaf. Around that same time, I experienced a severe season of anxiety and panic attacks that completely disrupted my life. In searching for answers, I immersed myself in learning about the brain and its incredible ability to change and heal. That journey not only brought me back to stability, but it also inspired me to return to school for psychology — and eventually led me to discover neurofeedback. From the moment I learned about it, I knew this was what I was meant to do.

At NeuroWellness Center, we specialize in what I call “stacking modalities”, combining therapies such as Neurofeedback, HRV training, Photobiomodulation, Infrared Sauna, EMDR, and Psychotherapy to create faster, deeper, and longer-lasting results for issues like anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep problems, focus, and motivation.

What makes us different is both personal and professional. Personally, I know what it’s like to feel consumed by anxiety, and I also know what it takes to come out on the other side. That lived experience allows me to meet my clients with both compassion and confidence. Professionally, I designed NeuroWellness Center as more than a clinic, it is a mental wellness spa, a calming space where people can disconnect from the chaos of the outside world, set their phones down, and simply breathe.

I am most proud of creating a safe place for people to heal, grow, and reclaim their lives. What I want potential clients, law enforcement, and first responders to know is this: you don’t have to go through life feeling stuck in stress or survival mode. Healing is possible, change is possible, and at NeuroWellness Center, you’ll find both the science and the support to make it happen.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy has been creating an environment that doesn’t feel like a traditional counseling office. From the moment clients walk in, they’re greeted with music and a space that feels more like a warm, inviting coffee shop with spa-like touches. Our goal is to make people feel comfortable and at ease, especially those who may feel nervous about beginning therapy or working on themselves.

Another key factor is our stacking modalities approach, combining neurofeedback, HRV training, PBM, EMDR, and more. Which helps clients experience results more quickly and holistically. Our motto, “Be a Light in the City,” reflects our heart for creating a space that is not only healing but also fun, upbeat, and full of hope. That unique environment and approach have been instrumental in growing our clientele.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was believing that I had to do everything other business owners told me to do in order to succeed. When you’re first starting out, you’ll be bombarded with advice, from social media, from other small business owners, and even from well-meaning friends. People will have a lot of opinions about where you should spend your money and how you should grow your business.

At first, I felt pressure to join networking groups, attend endless events, and invest thousands of dollars into programs just to keep my business afloat. After countless invitations, I finally gave in and attended some of these gatherings. What I discovered, though, is that it wasn’t aligned with my passion. Large networking events weren’t where I thrived. I found much more fulfillment (and growth) in building genuine one-on-one relationships.

The truth is, you don’t have to buy into every group or spend thousands to succeed. You can absolutely grow your business without them. For me, redirecting that energy and money into creating authentic connections and strengthening my practice was far more valuable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.NeuroWellnessCenter.org
• Instagram: neurowellness_center
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/NeuroWellnessCenters
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kovach-lpctherapist

Image Credits

Jennifer Kovach