Welcome to the Pursuing Private Practice podcast!
This episode wraps up Season 3 of the podcast. We'll be back for Season 4 this fall!
Join Jennifer McGurk, the CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, and Hannah Turnbull, founder of NourishED Colorado, a group practice specializing in eating disorders, and a business coach at Values Driven Group.
Hannah shares her journey of building and leading a thriving group practice, the challenges and rewards of managing a team, and her bold decision to step away for an 18-week sabbatical. Together, they dive into leadership, company culture, burnout, and what it really takes to create a sustainable business that supports both clients and clinicians.
This conversation is packed with inspiration and practical wisdom for any dietitian or business owner who wants to step fully into leadership while still honoring their own life outside of work.
- Shift Toward Coaching & Leadership Development: During the pandemic, Hannah began coaching other owners, earned a master’s in organizational leadership, and identified leadership skills as the “secret sauce” for practice success.
- Planning a Sabbatical: Burnout triggers, delegating responsibilities to trusted leaders, writing exhaustive SOPs, securing a line of credit, and announcing the break to the team.
- Post‑Sabbatical Structure & Work‑Life Balance: Implemented “No‑Work Wednesdays,” a four‑day work week, and strict time‑batching across multiple projects.
- Leadership Philosophy & Lessons Learned: Advocates detaching from outcomes, modeling balance, viewing the business as an asset, and “rolling out the red carpet” for departing staff.
Hannah’s story is a powerful reminder that leading well means trusting your team, setting boundaries, and creating a business that fuels your life - not the other way around.
Timestamps:
- 00:01 Opening & Why People Matter: Jennifer sets the tone, explaining that hiring is both the most rewarding and the hardest part of running a group practice.
- 02:36 Guest Introduction – Hannah Turnbull: Founder of Nourished Colorado (9 dietitians) and Values-Driven Group (business coaching), plus co-host of the Weight Inclusive Innovators podcast.
- 04:08 Career Origins: From hospital dietitian to the “Healthy Annie” blog, a move to Denver via Craigslist, and the launch of her first private-practice space.
- 06:15 Growth & Pandemic Pivot: Rapid expansion to 8-10 clinicians, a swift shift to fully virtual during COVID, and quarterly hiring cycles.
- 09:30 Burnout & Sabbatical Decision: After completing her master’s and maxing out her coaching load, Hannah realizes she can no longer over-perform without harming herself.
- 10:50 Preparing to Step Away: She hands off clinical duties, delegates supervision, and navigates key leadership turnover while already planning a 2025 sabbatical.
- 12:06 Team Trust & SOP Creation: Hannah explains how she documented detailed standard operating procedures to ensure the practice would run without her.
- 15:00 Life on Sabbatical: Hannah discovers the power of a structured, work-free period before returning in January 2025.
- 18:15 Company Culture Deep-Dive: Emphasizes companionship, hybrid office use, purposeful all-hands meetings, retreats, and balancing fun activities against cost.
- 21:00 Transparency & Financial Sharing: Shares mission, vision, client flow, and payroll ratios (~75% payroll) while keeping full profit-and-loss details private to build trust without overwhelm.
- 24:32 Retention & Career Pathing: Discusses the typical 2-3-year clinician tenure, encourages honest conversations about growth, and promotes “red-carpet” exits to maintain goodwill.
- 27:41 Practical Sabbatical Prep: Recommends a trusted interim (e.g., finance expert), comprehensive SOPs for every task, and a line-of-credit cash-flow safety net.
- 34:20 Leadership Philosophy: Advocates consent-based hiring, mutual choice to stay, evolving roles, and “rolling out the red carpet” for departing staff as brand ambassadors.
- 41:38 Sabbatical Reflection: Stepping away forces detachment from outcomes, clarifies personal values, and reinforces a sustainable work-life balance.
- 51:00 Final Takeaways: Trust the team, rely on SOPs, adopt the “It’s not that serious” mantra, and schedule regular breaks to ensure longevity.
Whether you’re dreaming of building a team, navigating leadership challenges, or simply craving more balance, this episode will leave you with the clarity and courage to create a business that truly supports the life you want to live.
Hannah Turnbull is a multi-passionate clinician entrepreneur. She founded NourishED Colorado, a dietitian group practice specializing in eating disorders and weight-inclusive care, and is a business coach at Values Driven Group, where she helps clinicians build thriving, values-aligned group practices. As co-host of the Weight Inclusive Innovators podcast, she shares insights on business, leadership, and finances. A lifelong learner, she’s often found nose-deep in a leadership or finance book.
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