In Episode 3 of My Aligned Practice, host Dr. Stephanie Dinsmore (psychotherapist, social worker, and group practice owner) guides listeners into a deeper understanding of their business as a sacred container. Building on last episode’s journal prompts, Stephanie revisits the questions of your why and your identity as a person, clinician, and leader, and invites you to explore how those three roles intertwine within your business. Stephanie explains that your sacred container is the integration of your mission, vision, values, and the authentic expression of who you are. She shares how her own therapeutic modalities—Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatics, polyvagal theory, and bottom-up trauma work—deeply inform not only her clinical identity but also the decisions she makes as a practice owner. Your clinical way of being, she emphasizes, becomes the foundation of your business way of being. Drawing from her experience at Mindful Path Counselling, Stephanie gives real examples of how aligning values with business practice can shape everything from community partnerships to student internship programs. She also introduces the idea of energetic environments—physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and digital—and encourages listeners to begin noticing which areas fuel them and which areas drain them. This episode encourages vulnerability, authenticity, and aligned decision-making, reminding therapists that building a practice is not just about logistics—it is an extension of their healing work and a representation of their deepest values. The episode closes with a creative journal prompt inviting you to draw and define your sacred container, forming the foundation of your mission, vision, and values.

Apply for the Aligned Practice Blueprint

Request a consultation call for Stephanie’s new business mentorship program, the Aligned Practice Blueprint—a small, high-support container designed to help clinicians move from solo to group practice with clarity and confidence. We’re only taking six practitioners!

More info: https://therapistsofftheclock.ca/the-aligned-practice-blueprint/

Aligned Action Item — Journal Prompt

This week’s prompt invites you into a creative, visual, and intuitive exercise to explore your mission, vision, and values from the inside out.

Draw Your Sacred Container

1. Choose any shape or visual structure that feels aligned with you.
2. Inside it, jot down the words, values, emotions, and themes that feel true to:
3. Who you are as a person
4. Who you are as a clinician
5. Who you are as a business owner or leader
6. Let this become the earliest form of your mission, vision, and values.

This is an art-based reflection—do it if it feels supportive, or simply imagine it while listening. There is no right or wrong way to approach this. Your only job is to notice what feels authentic, energizing, and aligned.

Want to share your sacred container? Visit the “Episode Three” video on Instagram and post your reflections or message Stephanie picture of your drawing. https://www.instagram.com/myalignedpractice

About Dr. Stephanie Dinsmore

Stephanie Dinsmore, MSW, RSW,...

In Episode 2 of My Aligned Practice, host Dr. Stephanie Dinsmore (psychotherapist, social worker, and group practice owner) guides therapists through the process of imagining, defining, and aligning with their dream practice. Building on the journal work from Episode 1, Stephanie explores how the shift toward private practice often begins as an internal nudge: a sense of misalignment, fatigue, or longing for something more meaningful and spacious. Stephanie shares her own story of transitioning from community care into solo private practice, describing the exhaustion, imposter syndrome, and uncertainty she navigated along the way. She explains the crucial distinction between our identities as a person, a clinician, and a business owner—and why soulful-led business growth can only happen when all three identities are aligned. Listeners will hear real stories of Stephanie’s early days in private practice, the nervous-system shock of leaving behind rigid work schedules, and the unexpected joy and energy that came from reclaiming autonomy. She also explores the top three barriers that most clinicians face when considering a shift into private practice: the belief that they must maintain a 9–5 job, fear around financial or career risk, and a lack of confidence or ongoing imposter syndrome. This episode closes with two powerful journal prompts designed to help you understand your “why” and clarify who you are across the personal, clinical, and leadership domains—setting the foundation for an aligned, sustainable practice.

Apply for the Aligned Practice Blueprint

Request a consultation call for Stephanie’s new business mentorship program, the Aligned Practice Blueprint—a small, high-support container designed to help clinicians move from solo to group practice with clarity and confidence. We’re only taking six practitioners!

More info: https://therapistsofftheclock.ca/the-aligned-practice-blueprint/

Aligned Action Item — Journal Prompts

Use these prompts to deepen your understanding of your motivation, your identity, and the core values that will guide your shift into solo or group practice. Take your time and return to these questions often.

1. Why am I doing this?

Consider:

What is calling you toward a shift?

What are you yearning for more of in your life or clinical work?

What current realities feel misaligned or unsustainable?

2. Who am I across the three roles of my aligned practice?

Consider:

Who am I as a person?

What are your core values, rhythms, needs, and desires?

Who am I as a clinician?

What is your therapeutic style? What populations or modalities feel most energizing?

Who am I as a business owner or leader?

What kind of practice do you want to build? What leadership qualities are emerging in you?

What does aligned stewardship feel like?

These prompts are your invitation to clarify your vision, strengthen your confidence, and begin shifting from practitioner to aligned business owner—slowly, intentionally, and with support.

Want to share? Tell us what came up for you. Find the “Episode Two” video on Instagram and leave a comment so Stephanie can chat with you about your reflections:

https://www.instagram.com/myalignedpractice

About Dr. Stephanie Dinsmore

Stephanie Dinsmore, MSW, RSW, is a psychotherapist, social worker, group practice owner, and soulful-led business mentor for therapists. She is the founder of Mindful Path Counselling, a thriving Ontario-based practice with over 25 clinicians. Stephanie blends clinical...

In this opening episode of our sub-series, My Aligned Practice, host Dr. Stephanie Dinsmore (psychotherapist, social worker, and founder of Mindful Path Counselling) invites therapists and healers into a new way of thinking about business growth. Rather than relying solely on strategy and external expectations, Stephanie introduces the foundations of soulful-led business coaching, a model rooted in intuition, embodiment, and alignment. Stephanie explores what she calls "a call to more": the inner signals, bodily cues, and intuitive nudges that often arise when a therapist begins to consider private practice, expanding to a group practice, or pursuing greater autonomy in their work. Through personal stories and real examples from her own growth - from solo practitioner to leading a team of 25+ clinicians - Stephanie highlights how tuning into the body can lead to more energized, authentic, and sustainable business decisions. Listeners will learn the early signs that a shift may be needed, how intuitive guidance often gets overridden, and why grounding, centering, and journaling become essential tools when navigating mindset blocks. Stephanie shares practical first steps—including the surprising power of bringing on a student intern—as well as a candid look at her own fears, imposter syndrome, and the practices that helped her transform them. This episode closes with your first Aligned Action Item, a set of journal prompts to begin unblocking mindset barriers and clarifying the practice you truly want to build.

Apply for the Aligned Practice Blueprint

Request a consultation call for Stephanie’s new business mentorship program the Aligned Practice Blueprint (we’re only take 6 practitioners!).

More info: https://therapistsofftheclock.ca/the-aligned-practice-blueprint/

Aligned Action Item — Journal Prompts

Use these prompts to gently uncover what’s calling for change, what’s possible, and what parts of you might be holding back. Take your time, let your body guide you, and notice what arises.

1. What part of you feels the need to make a change right now?

1. What comes forward?
2. Does this part have a name, emotion, age, or story?
3. What does it want you to know? (IFS-informed inquiry)

2. How do you envision your dream practice?

Describe the details with clarity and imagination:

1. Who is beside you?
2. What is the environment like?
3. Who do you serve?
4. What does your workflow, support system, and schedule look like?

3. Are there parts of you getting in the way of making these shifts?

1. If yes, what protective beliefs or fears are showing up?
2. If no, what is stopping you from moving forward?
3. What would living and working in alignment look like right now?

Use these prompts to deepen your connection with your intuitive business self, activate grounded decision-making, and begin moving from practitioner to fully aligned business owner.

Want to share? Let us know what...