Meet David Lieberman | Relationship Therapist & Private Practice Mentor

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Lieberman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Entrepreneurship has always been in my DNA. On my 18th birthday, I skipped high school to become the youngest licensed builder in Michigan. That same year, on prom night, I spent the day building a deck for a client and had to race home to get ready and pick up my date. During undergrad, I built homes while juggling classes, often stepping out when my pager beeped to find a payphone and call my contractors. The thrill of building something from the ground up—whether a business, a home, or an idea—has always driven me.

When I transitioned into relationship and family therapy, I expected a steep learning curve in clinical work, but what surprised me was how many of my talented peers were struggling to launch private practices—not because they lacked skill, but because they weren’t taught business fundamentals, financial strategy, or marketing. Many of them followed a well-worn path: graduate school, mostly unpaid internships, and then agency jobs or group practices where they had little control over their income, schedule, or long-term growth. The industry pushed a false narrative that private practice was something you did later, after years of experience, but by then, many were already locked into jobs that left little room for autonomy.

That’s when I started asking myself: How can we, as therapists, ask our clients to embrace courage and transformation if we aren’t willing to take that leap ourselves? Therapists guide clients through fear, uncertainty, and change, yet many were too afraid to apply those same principles to their own careers. That contradiction stuck with me.

I founded Seed to Stand to bridge the gap between clinical expertise and business success. Therapists deserve more than just a job—they deserve a thriving, sustainable business. But launching a private practice isn’t just about filing an LLC and building a website. It requires understanding who you serve best, how to market your practice effectively, how to set fees that allow you to thrive, and, most importantly, how to cultivate the courage to step fully into business ownership.

I believe that when therapists take control of their careers, they become better clinicians. Their confidence, leadership, and boldness ripple outward—not just in their own success, but in the deep, transformational work they do with clients. That’s why Seed to Stand exists—to ensure no therapist has to figure it all out alone.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My Journey as a Marriage and Family Therapist
Becoming a marriage and family therapist is my fifth career, and my path to this work has been anything but traditional. Before I was a therapist, I built homes, helped manage a family business, and appraised commercial real estate—all with an MBA from Michigan’s Ross School of Business tucked in along the way. Entrepreneurship has always been part of who I am, so when I made the leap into therapy, I knew I wanted to build something of my own.

Launching People Not Problems, my therapy practice, came with both ease and challenges. On the business side, I had the knowledge, confidence, and capital to get started. But building a brand and attracting the right clients? That took more time and trial and error than I expected.

What I Learned Along the Way
Starting a private practice is about so much more than registering an LLC and putting up a website. The real work is in understanding:

Who you can best support and how to connect with them
How to build trust so clients feel safe enough to begin therapy
How to run a business that sustains both you and your clients
But beyond the logistics, I also had to grapple with some of the narratives that get pushed in therapy circles—especially the ideas that being a therapist requires selflessness and that seasoned clinicians are inherently more effective.

I see flaws in both of these ideas. First, being “selfish” isn’t a bad thing—it’s actually necessary. Too often, new therapists are expected to charge low fees to “give back,” but that only raises the financial barriers to entering the field and forces talented young clinicians to take on unsustainable workloads. Second, experience alone doesn’t make a great therapist. I believe that fresh, respectful curiosity is just as powerful as decades of experience, and sometimes even more so. When therapists stay fully present rather than applying a past case to a new client, they create space for clients to truly re-author their own stories in ways that resonate with their values.

Why I Started Seed to Stand
One of the biggest challenges I noticed—both personally and in the field—is the paradox of needing to spend money to make money. Many new therapists graduate with debt, unpaid internships, and little business training. Without the savings or financial runway to invest in effective marketing, they either struggle to attract clients or end up charging fees that are too low to sustain them.

That’s why I created Seed to Stand—to help new therapists avoid these pitfalls and successfully launch private practices that are both financially viable and deeply fulfilling.

Because at the end of the day, therapy isn’t just about helping others—it’s also about creating a career where therapists can thrive, not just survive.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When I think about Boulder County, I think about movement, connection, and curiosity—all things that shape both my personal life and my work.

I’d start the day with a matcha latte from East Simpson—a spot that always feels like a local hidden gem—before heading to the Boulder or Louisville Farmers Market for breakfast. I love how the markets embody the spirit of Boulder—community-driven, local, and full of people engaged in meaningful work.

Next, I’d head up the canyon to Betasso for a bike ride or a snowshoe hike. There’s something about the evergreens that always takes me back to northern Michigan, where I spent my early summers. I find that places with deep-rooted trees always remind me of how important it is to feel grounded, yet capable of growth—a metaphor that feels just as true in business and therapy as it does in nature.

After a morning in the mountains, I’d grab lunch on Pearl Street before heading over to Boulder Pickleball for a lesson with world-renowned coach Scott Fliegelman. Pickleball has become one of my favorite ways to stay active, push my limits, and connect with others—it’s both humbling and exhilarating to chase mastery in something new.

Later, I’d unwind with a cup of tea at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House, letting the conversations around me drift into the background while I reflect on the day. I’d end the evening at Gregory Canyon in Chautauqua, watching the sunset over the Flatirons—a moment that always reminds me of the power of perspective.

But really, any day in Boulder is a perfect day—because wonder and awe, two of my favorite emotions, are always just a glance away.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Two people immediately come to mind.

First, Dr. Lindsay Edwards played a huge role in shaping the early vision for Seed to Stand. From the very beginning, she brought enthusiasm, creativity, and systemic thinking to our brainstorming sessions. But more than that, she believed in the power of community—helping me see that Seed to Stand wasn’t just about launching businesses, but about creating a network effect, where every new therapist benefits from the strength of the whole.

Second, Dr. H. Luis Vargas has deeply influenced my understanding of courage and its impact on therapists. His research highlights how courage isn’t just necessary for clients—it’s essential for therapists stepping into their professional identities. That perspective shaped my belief that when therapists take the leap into private practice, their confidence and boldness don’t just build their business—they create a ripple effect of trust and transformation for their clients.

I’m grateful to both of them for their insights, encouragement, and the role they’ve played in this journey.

Website: https://www.seedtostand.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lieberman-therapy

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SeedtoStand

Other: if you can also link to my therapy website that would be great, www.peoplenotproblems.com