What if growing your audience on Instagram as a therapist didn't require becoming an influencer—or sounding like everyone else online?

If you know you have something meaningful to share but you're struggling to get your content in front of the right people, wondering if anyone is actually paying attention, or trying to figure out how Instagram can help you reach prospective clients and grow your services, this episode is for you.

In today's episode, I'm sitting down with my client Lizzy Madrigal, a coach, therapist, and writer based in Orange County, California.

Lizzy is a graduate of Emerson College's MFA in Popular Fiction and has an MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She has co-written several articles for the mental health nonprofit IDONTMIND, and her poetry has been published in Harness Magazine and Writerly Magazine. She published her debut book, everything in its season, in 2025 and is currently working on her next poetry and lyrical essay collection for eldest daughters. With more than 10 years of experience in the mental health field, Lizzy is bringing together her love of psychology and writing to create stories and services that inspire others.

And in this conversation, we're talking about what happened when Lizzy began bringing more of that voice, expertise, and lived experience into her content.

We get into what it actually looked like for her to move through the fear of being seen, find her voice on Instagram, and create content that helps the right people find and deeply connect with her work.

And while you'll hear about some pretty incredible growth along the way 👀, this conversation is about so much more than followers.

It's about what can happen when you learn how to communicate what you already know and who you already are in a way that feels like you—and build an audience of people who genuinely want what you have to offer.

If you're a therapist trying to grow on Instagram, reach more of your ideal clients, market your private practice or services, and turn your content and visibility into real inquiries, you'll want to listen to this one all the way through.

• Finding your voice and creating content that still feels like you

• Becoming more comfortable being visible online as a therapist

• What it really looks like to keep creating before the growth comes

• Creating content that makes the people you want to work with feel seen

• Growing the right audience—not just chasing more followers

• The strategy, feedback, and community that supported Lizzy inside Six Figure Therapist

• What can start to become possible for your work and business when more of the right people are finding you

Doors to Six Figure Therapist are officially OPEN and close Sept 28th at Midnight🎉

Six Figure Therapist is my 12-month content + marketing program for therapists who want to get their work in front of more of the right people, turn their content into inquiries, and book more clients and grow their services through Instagram.

If you're ready to stop wondering what to post and start building an Instagram presence that actually supports the practice and services you want to grow, schedule a consultation call to see if SFT is the right fit for you.

👉 Join Six Figure Therapist
👉 Schedule a Consult for Six Figure Therapist

Instagram: @lizzymadrigal
Website + Work With Lizzy: lizzymadrigal.com
Substack: The Rewrite Room
Book: everything in its season — available through Lizzy's website

Instagram: @thelizfernandez.co
Website: thelizfernandez.com

What if growing your Instagram as a therapist didn't require posting more—or waiting months for the right people to finally find you?

In less than one week, I gained 500+ new ideal followers on the Instagram account I'm currently rebuilding. Not random followers—the exact therapists I want my work to reach.

And in this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of what I've been doing differently and the 3 Instagram strategies that are working right now to get my content in front of more of the right people.

Because if you're posting consistently but still wondering why your Instagram isn't growing—or why your content isn't translating into client inquiries—the problem may not be Instagram.

There are a few key shifts I've made in the way I'm creating content, and I'm breaking them down for you in this episode.

And while 500+ new followers in a week is exciting, this is about so much more than followers.

It's about getting your work in front of the right people—and knowing how to turn that visibility into connection, inquiries, and ultimately, clients.

If you're a therapist trying to grow on Instagram and use your content to actually support your private practice or services, you'll want to listen to this one.

• The biggest shift I made in my content that changed how I approach Instagram growth

• What I'm doing differently to get my content in front of more of the right people

• The piece I see so many therapists leaving out when trying to turn content into inquiries

• What my audience—and my clients' results—are teaching me about what's working on Instagram right now

Join me Monday, September 14 at 3 PM PT for my FREE live training:

3 Strategies Therapists Are Using to Book Private-Pay Clients From Instagram Right Now (Even With a Small Audience)

I'm breaking down the exact strategies I'm using right now to rebuild my own Instagram—and teaching my clients—to help you create content that gets in front of more of the right people, turn followers into inquiries, and book clients from Instagram.

Plus, I'll be doing live Instagram audits so you can see how I would apply these strategies to real therapist accounts.

If you're starting from zero, posting consistently but not seeing inquiries, or simply want more of the right people finding your work, you gotta be in the room.

Save your free Spot here: https://thelizfernandez.com/training

Instagram: @thelizfernandez.co
Website: thelizfernandez.com

Can you actually get cash-pay clients from Instagram if you only have 100, 300, or 500 followers?

And if you're starting an Instagram account from scratch, what should you focus on first if you want your content to eventually help grow your private practice?

A few months ago, I unexpectedly lost my entire Instagram account — nearly 10,000 followers, years of content, client wins, memories, and a community I had spent years building.

So now, I'm rebuilding my Instagram account from scratch.

And as frustrating and humbling as this experience has been, it's given me a completely new perspective on Instagram marketing for therapists, growing a small audience, creating content that attracts the right people, and getting cash-pay client inquiries before you have thousands of followers.

Because one of the biggest things rebuilding has reminded me of is this:

You do not need a big Instagram following to get clients.

I built my first six-figure business with fewer than 2,000 followers. I've helped therapists with small audiences get clients and generate recurring revenue from their content. And now, I'm putting those same strategies back into practice as I rebuild my own account in real time.

If you're starting your Instagram account, growing a smaller audience, or posting consistently and wondering when all of this is actually going to turn into clients, this episode is for you.

• Why you don't need thousands of Instagram followers to start getting cash-pay clients

• What to focus on when you're starting or growing a smaller Instagram account

• How to create content that attracts the right people — not just more views

• How to get clear on what you want to be known for so the right clients recognize that your work is for them

• Why you can grow your audience and get client inquiries at the same time (you don't have to wait!)

• How to stop letting a small following keep you from showing up, sharing your work, and building the practice you want

You don't need 10,000 followers.

You need the right people finding you, feeling seen by your content, understanding how you can help them, trusting your perspective, and knowing they can work with you.

And you can start building that now — even with a small audience.

If you've been staring at a blank Reel wondering, "Okay… but what do I actually say?" I created something for you.

Grab my free Instagram Hooks Guide for Therapists for hooks you can use to help the right people stop scrolling, pay attention, and want to hear more from you.

Grab the free guide: https://thelizfernandez.com/freebie

If you're starting an Instagram account, rebuilding your audience, or you've been posting but aren't seeing the followers or client inquiries you want, you don't have to keep guessing what to change.

Inside my 90-Minute 1:1 Content Intensive, we'll look at your Instagram, ideal clients, messaging, and content together.

You'll leave with a personalized plan to help you create content that attracts more aligned followers, nurtures the people already watching, and creates more opportunities for cash-pay clients to reach out and work with you.

The investment is $497 USD.

Book your 90-Minute Content Intensive: HERE

And if you want to follow along as I rebuild my own Instagram account from scratch, come find me at @thelizfernandez.co.

We're building it together. 🤍