As we begin to take our financial needs seriously—raising fees, setting boundaries, and valuing our work—those shifts don’t stay contained to our businesses. They often ripple into our personal lives, especially our friendships. In this episode, I talk about what can happen when we move from self-sacrifice to self-advocacy, and how that transition can quietly (or painfully) change the dynamics of the relationships we’ve built.

In this coaching-style episode, I sit down with Colleen Barrows, a perinatal mental health therapist, mom of two young children, and graduate of Money Skills for Therapists. Together, we walk through the very real tension Colleen is feeling between maintaining financial stability as the primary breadwinner, managing most of the household responsibilities, and wanting more meaningful one-on-one time with her kids—while also nurturing a creative passion project, which will help therapists and postpartum women, that she hopes may one day provide her with passive income.

Most of us only hear the word sabbatical in academic circles, but as Maegan reminds us, its root is “Sabbath”—rest. Somewhere along the way, rest became another productivity tool, something to “use well” rather than simply experience. As therapists and practice owners, we need something different. A true sabbatical isn’t for catching up on house projects or writing endless to-do lists—it’s about completely reimagining your relationship with time, worth, and spaciousness.