Becky White, LMFT is the Founder, Director, and CEO of Root To Rise Therapy, a boutique psychotherapy practice that provides individual therapy and couples counseling in Los Angeles.  Becky is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Yoga Teacher, EMDR Therapist, and Certified Anger Management Counselor, with extensive training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. She works with couples and individuals to help them practice healthy self-care, and create satisfying, loving relationships with themselves and others. 

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I grew up on the westside of Los Angeles.  My parents both owned their own businesses, so I had a lot of exposure to the life of a business owner from a young age.  My mother is also an LMFT and my father was a lawyer.  I studied Psychology and Art History at UC Santa Barbara, and got my MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine, Malibu campus.  I am particularly passionate about working with the caretakers of the world, teaching self-care and healthy boundaries to the people who are always taking care of others and need to turn that care onto themselves. 

What inspired you to start your business?

Watching my mother start and own her own psychotherapy practice was a huge inspiration. I always knew I wanted to make my own schedule and be my own boss. As a woman it was important to me to have flexibility and autonomy in my work. I am passionate about helping couples and individuals tap into their true wishes, dreams and desires, and helping people learn to communicate better. I also am passionate about money psychology, business ownership as a woman, and growing my own team of amazing therapists to make therapy accessible to all. 

Where is your business based?

My business is based in Mar Vista in Los Angeles California. It is near Culver City, Santa Monica, Playa Vista, and Marina Del Rey. We also offer virtual therapy services. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

First I had a full time job at a clinic, and slowly built up a caseload working in a group practice on nights and weekends. I ultimately ended up leaving that full time job as I built up to a full caseload of around 25-27 sessions a week in the group practice. I learned so much from my amazing group practice boss, Rachel Thomasian, about how to run and market a business.  I knew when it was time to leave and start my own practice, Root to Rise Therapy,  when an office space opened up in a nearby building.  I started my own practice in Jan 2019, hired my first therapist in August 2020, and hired my second therapist in September 2021. We are now a team of three and I plan to continue expanding our services. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

My website has been by far the most powerful tool for raising awareness for my business.  I love to write, and so through my website I have been able to speak to my ideal clients– the clients I feel most passionate about serving.  Yelp, Google, and Psychology Today are all great platforms for my business, as well as client and other therapist referrals.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Fear is always my biggest challenge. Fear of not making enough money, fear of all the success I’ve had just going away one day for no reason.  Learning about money psychology, money mindsets, and keeping an abundance mentality have created huge shifts in my approach to owning a business.  Whispering to myself “money flows freely and easily to me” has helped me be less tight and rigid about spending money on my business.  You have to spend money to make money, and in order to grow you simply can not do it all by yourself. Having a team has been critical in my ability to grow and be successful. 

How do you stay focused?

I use Mindfulness practices to stay focused, apps like Calm or Insight Timer can really help with that. Yoga is a part of my daily practice and helps with staying rooted and grounded when life feels chaotic.  I also like to honor my own energy ebbs and flows and not push it if I’m just not feeling energetic.  My most focused time of the day is the morning, and I honor that by allowing myself to rest in the afternoon. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I really try to speak directly to my ideal client, and offer warmth, humor, compassion, comfort and a place where they can truly be themselves without any fear of judgement.  I offer therapists that work in my practice a place where they can grow into their most authentic selves. I provide a culture of autonomy and flexibility, and a platform so that all they need to do is show up and do the most important work: be an amazing therapist. We handle all the marketing and have no expectations that our therapists bring in their own clients. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Being authentic on my website really attracts my ideal clients and therapists to Root to Rise. I get a ton of clients from my Yelp page, and I also pay a social media and marketing team. Because clients have such great experiences as Root to Rise, they refer people they know, and having a network of local therapists in the area who I trust is the most important marketing tool of all. We know and trust one another and can confidently refer clients. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

 Start Before You’re Ready

Don’t let your desire to get things perfect stop you from starting. Maybe you are a planner, a Type A personality, a perfectionist, a Virgo, a Manifestor, or a procrastinator (or all of the above!) If so, it’s natural that you might want to get every single detail ironed out before starting to offer your gifts to the world.  Don’t get me wrong– there are some things that do need to be addressed before you can start (e.g. getting a Tax ID number & setting up a business bank account, deciding on your rates, etc.) but generally, I recommend starting before you are ready and ironing out details as you go. 

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Profit Boss by Hilary Hendershot completely changed my perspective on money. This was my intro to money psychology.  

Clockwork by Mike Michalowitz is a book that no entrepreneur should miss. It teaches a mindset and philosophy on business ownership that is invaluable. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Do Less by Kate Northrop teaches women ground-breaking lessons about honoring their own energy cycles as business owners.  The Do Less calendar has been fundamental in learning about my own cycles and learning how to work with my energy so that I am not working against myself. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

Brene Brown. She is amazing, prolific, and endlessly trustworthy.  Her work on vulnerability and leadership has changed my life and the lives of so many people I know. 

How do you balance work and life?

I try to rest a lot and honor my energy at different times of the day and different weeks of the month.  I know that in order to do my best work I need unscheduled time, where my thoughts can run freely, so creating space for myself to have downtime is super important. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Going on walks, watching a good show, reading, yoga, and journaling. 

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I would like to hire 1-2 more therapists into my practice, hire a Clinical supervisor, and get more office space. I also want to get more consistent with sending newsletters to my growing email list, and eventually create some offering that is outside 1:1 therapy. 
How can our readers connect with you?

Visit our website www.rootrisetherapyla.com,  read our About Page, our blog, follow us on instagram @rootrisetherapy_la,  and schedule a call with our intake coordinator to learn more about our services!

Please also see 10 Tips for Starting a Business.