💪Girl dad 🛋️Psychologist 🌅I pulled back from a prestigious (but overworked) clinical path to design a 6-figure career around my family 🤝🏾I help therapists build and make money from their online courses and podcasts

I didn’t come from a family of entrepreneurs or business owners.
I thought I’d spend my life doing therapy work.

But in 2015, a snowstorm changed everything.

The power went out. Roads froze over.
I had to cancel 21 therapy sessions in one week.

We were saving for our first home.
And just like that, my income was gone.

That week I asked myself:

👉 What kind of business really supports the life I want?

A few months later, I started the Selling the Couch podcast.
It didn’t blow up overnight. But step by step, it grew into:
	•	🎙 One of the top 0.5% podcasts in the world
	•	🌍 1.82M+ downloads in 100+ countries
	•	💛 A quiet community of thoughtful therapists and founders

Then life shifted again.
Our daughter was born 8 weeks early.
The sound of NICU machines is something I’ll never forget.

That season taught me this:
It’s not just what you build.
It’s how you build—and who you become while building.

⸻

Now I help others create businesses that fit their lives:

✅ 245+ therapists launched podcasts ($344,000+ in course sales)
✅ 50+ founders built courses inside my mastermind ($300,000+ earned)
✅ I’ve shaped my own business around hiking, deep work, church, golf, and unhurried time with loved ones.

Here’s the truth:
Good work doesn’t always speak for itself.
People need to see it.

But you don’t have to hustle or burn out to be seen.

If you’re a therapist, quiet founder, parent, or leader who wants to grow without losing yourself—I’d love to connect.

🟡 I share stories and lessons on slow growth each week
🟡 Follow for simple, calm business ideas
🟡 My DMs are open

And if you want to go deeper—

I write The Quiet Builder:
A paid newsletter for thoughtful builders.
$97/year. Two soulful issues a month.
It’s for people who want to grow slow—but strong—even in uncertain times.

👉 sellingthecouch.com/quietbuilder

Because that snowstorm taught me one thing:

A business worth building protects your life.
It doesn’t swallow it.

𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 + 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲:

After four years, we’ve decided to shut down STC Elite, our online course mastermind for therapists, this December.

Our current cohort will be our final one.

This was our second product to cross $400,000 in revenue (our podcasting course was the first).

Margins hovered around 66–67%.
So why end something that’s working?

Well... a few reasons.

⸻

1️⃣ 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱… 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

I’ve been thinking a lot about a phrase Alex Hormozi said:

“𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴.”

Right now we have three online courses.
I can see another four or five in the pipeline.
But I don’t want a big team.

I also don’t want to be in 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲.
And as someone who’s navigated anxiety for most of my life—
that model just isn’t sustainable.

⸻

2️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱.

Our last two launches were harder.
Not because the content wasn’t valuable —
but because we’re in a different economic moment.

Therapists need lower-cost options.
And frankly, so do we.

⸻

3️⃣ 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻.

👵 I’m stepping more into caregiving for aging parents.
🎯 Quiet Builder is becoming its own thing — a movement about building slowly, strategically, and in alignment.
⛳️ And I’ve started a serious journey into golf — not just as a game, but as a vehicle for transformation.

⸻

In 2026, I’m launching a new offering called 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵:

A golf-based executive coaching experience that blends:
→ Performance psychology
→ Brainspotting (a powerful neuropsych modality)
→ And real-time insight into how stress shows up in your body + how to regulate it.

All while walking 9 holes with a founder, executive, or leader.

Because how you play… is how you lead.

⸻

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲…
𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻.

💻 It’ll be a more affordable community focused on:
→ Online courses
→ Podcasting
→ YouTube
→ Digital writing
→ Public speaking

Our first 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 launches this January:

🧠 𝘈𝘐-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 — built specifically for therapists.

13+ colleagues are helping me make Haven truly a community vs a membership so I'm excited for that. 

You can take a peek here 👉 sellingthecouch.com/haven 
⸻

I’m learning to build a business around the life I want to live—
Not to squeeze life into the business I’ve built.

Starting January, most of my STC work will shift to Mondays and Tuesdays.
Wednesday to Friday? I’ll be on the golf course:

Practicing.
Coaching.
And connecting.

And honestly, that feels like success and one that I never imagined getting to at 43.

—

More soon. Grateful to those who’ve been part of this journey. 🙂

Melvin Varghese PhD

💪 Girl dad + Psychologist + New Golfer ⛳ Helping therapists & quiet builders grow calm, strong businesses ✍🏽 Sharing slow growth lessons since 2015

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🍁 𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲

Hi friends —
I’ll be stepping away from social for the rest of the week, but before I go, I wanted to say a quiet, heartfelt thank you.

If you’re here in the U.S., I hope this season brings you:
🌿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁
🥧 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱
🫶 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲

And wherever you are in the world —
thank you for being part of this little corner of the internet for Quiet Builders...
where we value depth over noise and steady growth over spectacle.

⸻

🌱 𝗔 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 (𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼)

Over the past two years, I’ve started to move many of my online connections into real-life conversations.
📞 Phone calls
🤝 Sometimes longer collaborations.
💬 Sometimes simply human connection.

If we’ve had a call this year, thank you.
These moments matter more than metrics.

⸻

📣 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻… 𝗔 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀

We’re hosting a new, free workshop:

🧠 How to AI-Proof Your Online Course Idea
📅 Wednesday, December 10
🔗 https://lnkd.in/edPNSaqu

It’s for therapists who are:
→ Building their first course
→ Revisiting something they’ve already created
→ Or trying to future-proof their income stream without hustle

I’ll be sharing:
🧩 What I’ve learned from working with 50+ therapist course creators
🧠 How to think strategically about content and longevity
💡 What actually works in this shifting economy

⸻

🍂 𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻…

Wishing you a warm, grounded Thanksgiving.

Let’s keep building slow, meaningful things —
Together. Quietly. 🙂

You don’t have to launch like that again.

Even if it worked.
Even if it made you money.
Even if people said it looked successful.

In our mastermind, one-course creator shared something raw:

“𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥... 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦.”

It’s easy to build strategies that check the boxes…

But miss your body’s wisdom.

Burnout isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it hides in polished slides and packed calendars.

Here’s your permission slip :

The next launch can feel aligned, calm, and gentle. You get to create it on your terms.

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.
Not a newsletter.
Not a story.

Just a quiet announcement:

We’re opening enrollment for 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣 in Dec, a new community for therapists shifting from clinical work to online income.

No funnel.
No urgency countdown.
Just a Notion page and a simple “Join the interest list if it speaks to you.”

We’re taking 50 people max, including beta members.
As of this morning, 20 are already on the list.

Will all 20 join? Probably not.
But honestly, that wasn’t the most surprising part.

What surprised me was 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹.

Encouraged.
Not just by the numbers.
But by what those numbers confirmed.

⸻

When I started Selling the Couch 10 years ago, wise mentors told me:

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁.”

I didn’t get it then.
But I do now.

93% of everything I’ve ever sold has come from email.
Not social media.
Not a Reel.
Not a carousel.
Not even a post like this one.

Podcast → email → product.
That’s been the path all along.

And it’s led to two products each crossing $400,000 in lifetime revenue —
proof that quiet trust can still build big things.

⸻

And now that I see it... I want to protect it.
To tend to it.

But I’m still unsure what “growth” looks like.
Everyone talks about viral lead magnets.
And maybe I’ll try one someday.
But when I download them, I rarely read them.
And when I see creators push one every week, something in me trusts them less.
It’s like watching someone yell “value!” instead of simply offering it.

⸻

Launching something new — even with past success — is still scary.
But this week reminded me of something I’ve quietly believed all along:

𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴.
And slow can still scale — if it’s built on the right foundation.

Haven will grow slowly.
That’s by design.

Because I’m in a season of
→ Raising a daughter
→ Caring for aging parents
→ Practicing golf
→ Writing books
→ And building something that gives me space, too.

If that resonates, we’ll have more to share in the weeks ahead.

But for now, I just wanted to share that little Monday moment.

Sometimes the strongest signal isn’t a viral post.
It’s an email with no subject line gimmick.
And 20 people saying quietly:
“I’m interested.”

Every course starts with one small lesson.

It might not feel like much, but 1% progress beats 0% every time.

But there's something safe about staying in that 0%.

Each step you take gets you closer to your finished course.

Consistency compounds. Keep going—you’re building something valuable.

How are you moving 1% forward today?

Hi all. We’re opening up 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 for the Selling the Couch podcast. 🎙️

Several of our long-time partners have already renewed, so we’re down to our 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 TWO 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 for the year.

If you run a company that serves mental health therapists and want to:

✅ Reach a highly engaged, values-aligned audience
✅ Build long-term trust through story-driven content
✅ Partner with a show that therapists have trusted for over a decade

— I’d love to explore a fit.

⸻

The STC Podcast is now in its 𝟭𝟭𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿:
🎧 400+ episodes
🌎 2 million downloads
📈 Ranked in the 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟬.𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆

We’ve proudly partnered with companies like 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝗹𝗺𝗮, 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹, and would love to add yours to that list. 🙂
⸻

📌 You’ll find a link to our 2026 sponsorship sheet at the top of my profile.
🎥 I’ve also included a short behind-the-scenes video to show how we produce and promote sponsor content.

With full in-house audio + video editing, your message reaches:
→ Podcast listeners
→ YouTube viewers
→ 𝟯,𝟰𝟬𝟬+ 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀

If you’re interested, please 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗗𝗠 with the subject line:
👉 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽

Let’s create something meaningful together. <3

There’s a kind of exhaustion that has nothing to do with how full your calendar is.

I recently experienced this with our most recent mastermind launch. 

You can have every email scheduled.
Every launch piece in place.

And still feel like you’re moving through molasses.

It’s not the logistics.
It’s the emotional weight behind the scenes.

An argument at home.
A parenting moment that wrecked you.
A deep fatigue you can’t name.

These are the parts of business no one teaches us to plan for.

But they’re the very things that impact our capacity to show up.

Grace has to be part of the business model.

Especially when life is happening behind the content.

🔥 I’ve been thinking a lot about a phrase lately:
𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲.

It’s how I’d describe so many of us building things quietly —
Not for show.
Not for scale-at-all-costs.
But for meaning, health, and longevity.

Not the burn-it-down kind of fire.
The kiln kind.
Steady, intentional, high heat that reshapes things permanently.

⸻

This mindset has been quietly shaping everything I build.

🧱 Earlier this year, I launched the 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 — a $97/year letter for people building long-game, life-first businesses.

We’re now at 59 paying members with ~80% open rates per issue.
Not huge revenue.
But huge signal.

It tells me Quiet Builders are out there.
People who crave stillness, not spin.
Depth, not dopamine.

https://lnkd.in/ekm_yFtG
⸻

Next year, I’ll be rolling out something new:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵.

It’s a private, 1-day golf experience for high-performing people in high-pressure roles —
surgeons, investors, operators, pilots, founders —
who need their 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 when the stakes are real.

We use 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹,
𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺,
and 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 to create one of the most personalized executive coaching days available.

⸻

Quiet fire isn’t fast.
But it compounds.
And what it builds tends to last.

For years, I tried to squeeze more in.

More productivity.
More hours.
More blocks on the calendar.

Because that’s what we’re taught, right?

Maximize every minute.
Fill every open slot.
Push to the edge.

But somewhere along the way, I realized something I didn’t expect:

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲.
𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻.

The space between.

Today—after nearly a decade of trial and error—I work a rhythm that finally honors my brain and my body.

🕘 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Deep work
🥾 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. – Daily hike in the woods
😴 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Power nap + school pickup
🎨 3:30 to 5 p.m. – Creative time

I work Monday through Thursday.
And I build margin into every day.

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜’𝗺 𝗹𝗮𝘇𝘆.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲.

If you’ve been burning the candle at both ends—
consider this your permission to leave some space.

🟡 This week’s podcast unpacks this idea in more depth: https://lnkd.in/e-nM3qu3

Excited to announce a new partnership with the Kartra team! 🎉

Honestly, if you told me 9 years ago that I’d have opportunities like this, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Kartra has been the backbone of Selling The Couch, and I can’t imagine running STC without it.

Here’s what it powers for us:
📧 Our email list
🎓 Online courses
📊 Surveys
🎥 Video hosting
...and more things I’m probably forgetting!

The Kartra team has been incredible to work with, and they’ve hooked us up with a special deal for the STC community.

If you’re a therapist or business owner looking for an all-in-one platform, it’s worth checking out.

➡️ sellingthecouch.com/kartra

P.S. For full transparency, this is an affiliate link. I only recommend products I’ve personally used or whose teams I trust to stand behind STC’s mission and my name. 😊

I remember the first time I thought about starting a podcast.

Before I ever hit record, there was a deeper fear running the show:

“What if I share my voice... and people judge it?”

I didn’t have a "radio voice."
I stumbled over my words.
I worried I’d say something wrong—or worse, not say anything worth hearing.

But here’s what I learned:

Visibility feels scary because it 𝘪𝘴 vulnerable.

And if you’ve been trained to stay small or quiet, stepping up can feel unnatural.

But your lived experience has power.

And someone is waiting to hear your perspective in your voice—not a polished version.

If you’re a therapist thinking about podcasting but holding back because of fear, I created something that might help:

🎙️ From Therapist to Thought Leader: Why Podcasting Could Be Your Next Big Move

It’s a free workshop that covers how to start a podcast grounded in purpose—not performance. 🙂

You can find it at the top of my profile or at:
https://lnkd.in/eXCZAmhb

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