The smart way to create a compassionate and professional lactation private practice, hosted by private practice IBCLCs Annie Frisbie and Leah Jolly.
Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.
Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.
Tune in each week to learn all the ins and outs of running a successful private practice lactation business!
Connect with Leah and Annie:
On Instagram: @lactationbusinesscoaching
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lactationbusinesscoaching
On YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv3-4pMgjlzbXD9KWFCIV3-1LipsTbgsj
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Today we are diving into the crazy world of scheduling. From juggling multiple locations to dealing with holiday madness, we are sharing our secrets and survival tactics.
Leah explains her scheduling system, which involves multiple providers and locations, and the crucial role that her administrative assistant, Amanda, plays in orchestrating the chaos (and why she should get a raise).
Annie explains how she navigates the nuances of handling interns and a recently expanded office schedule by implementing a more automated system to minimize the back-and-forth with her clients.
There isn’t a one-size-fits all solution to scheduling but we hope hearing how we handle scheduling will help you with recreating your own.
“When it feels crazy stressful and I'm like, we're never going to figure this out. I always just tell myself it always works out.”
In this episode, we will cover:
Managing complicated schedules (2:19)
The importance of having clear communication with your team (6:08)
Creating waitlists to help with meeting client needs (12:05)
Handling cancellations (25:17)
Each month we host a live Deeper Dive so you can connect with us, our special guests, and each other + get lifetime access to the recording!
It’s the New year and with that comes making resolutions but this year we are not excited about it.
The idea of setting goals has become daunting. Plus we usually don’t keep them anyway. It’s time to take a more intentional approach and remember that good enough is good enough.
Listen in as we set a goal to not put so much pressure on ourselves and just realize that we are doing the best we can (just like everyone else).
”We don't want to bog ourselves down so much that we forget to enjoy what we're actually doing.”
In this episode, we will cover:
Setting intentions for the New Year (5:01)
Battling perfectionism in goal setting (13:02)
Navigating expectations (17:51)
Accepting that good enough is ok in 2025 (20:28)
Each month we host a live Deeper Dive so you can connect with us, our special guests, and each other + get lifetime access to the recording!
Promo | Deeper Dive into Reflux with Cathy Watson Genna
Monday, April 22, 2024 • Duration 03:46
Each month, Annie and I take a deeper dive into topics and information with an expert to give us more insights on things that we might be incorporating in our clinical practice as well as entrepreneurs and business owners. We're bringing you this snippet today to give you a taste of what these deeper dives are all about.
This month, we got to chat with Cathy Watson Genna about reflux. She dives into what reflux is, the causes of reflux, and strategies for IBCLCs to support families when dealing with reflux.
Each month we host a live Deeper Dive so you can connect with us, our special guests, and each other + get lifetime access to the recording!
If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
About Us
Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with in Houston, Texas.
25 | Educating Families, Healthcare Providers, and Communities about Lactation
Episode 25
Wednesday, November 27, 2019 • Duration 34:32
People don’t know what they don’t know about breastfeeding.
As a lactation consultant, you have the unique opportunity to educate families, other healthcare providers, and members of your community about the different feeding methods. By increasing awareness and understanding for breastfeeding, chestfeeding, formula feeding, and supplementation, you are making your job easier down the road when people feel more comfortable coming to you for help when they feel they need it.
“You’re building a community that values infant feeding and values continuing education about lactation…creating a connection that is fulfilling for everyone.”
In this episode, we will cover:
IBCLCs are the gold standard for lactation care because of the high expectations and great responsibilities that they have to their clients and communities, and part of this is being competent in educating.
You may find it helpful to offer classes such as Basics, Getting Started, Returning to Work, Starting Solids and Weaning, or other focused classes to the families in your community.
In online and in-person community groups, it is best to just stick to announcing your classes and not get sucked into responding to clinical questions or engaging in advocacy inside someone’s personal thread about their own experience
A great way to educate healthcare providers is to create informational resources that they can review and hand out to relevant patients.
Look into creating continuing education opportunities locally and at conferences to meet healthcare providers (and medical students) where they are.
Consider reaching out to local schools and groups to see if you could share with students about lactation consulting as a profession since many of them have never heard of it but might consider following that path in the future.
The more we talk about breastfeeding in the community, the more comfortable people will be breastfeeding and talking about breastfeeding, and the positive impacts on the community of a more healthy breastfeeding culture are too great to be measured.
24 | Creating Safe Spaces for You and Your Clients During Lactation Home Visits
Episode 24
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 • Duration 48:51
When a family reaches out to you for a home visit to help them with breastfeeding/chestfeeding or other lactation-related concerns, it’s natural to want to take some precautions to protect your own safety in an unfamiliar situation with someone you’ve never met before.
Our clients also need to feel safe with us because if they don’t trust us, we can’t help them. You are coming to them at a raw and vulnerable time and you want to come across as someone who is understanding and accepting of them without judgment. At the same time, you should communicate your expectations ahead of time about the visit and have a plan in place to alert someone if you ever feel unsafe.
“I felt from the very beginning that it was important for me to set some expectations for both sides.”
In this episode, we will cover:
Your intake process is a great way to set expectations from the start
Consider sharing your location with your spouse, partner, or other trusted friend so someone always knows where you are
Have procedures in place for physical safety and digital privacy
Know when and how to refer out if anyone in the family is unsafe
Do work ahead of time on your own biases
Be cautious in your use of social media
This episode is sponsored by IntakeQ. Use IntakeQ to collect client information for the superbill, even if they are out of network. IntakeQ is offering Lactation Business Coaching podcast listeners a discount on their first 3 months using the service at this link.
Links and Resources
23 | Making Sense of Insurance Coverage for Lactation Care
Episode 23
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 • Duration 38:03
Your goal as a lactation consultant is to provide the best care you can to the families you serve, but far too often, insurance companies make this easier said than done.
The Affordable Care Act did some good in stating that lactation services would be covered, but because of the vagueness of the phrasing, there is no clear consensus among insurance companies and providers about what this should look like in reality.
Annie and Leah provide some tips for listeners who want some help navigating this topic in order to focus on serving their families better.
“Everybody needs help.”
In this episode, we will cover:
The Affordable Care Act says that “lactation services are covered” but doesn’t specify who the providers should be, what the timing should be, or who should determine if the services are needed
Insurance companies only want to cover the lactation consulting services at the hospital immediately after birth and at the pediatrician’s office, so they are quick to deny coverage for anything outside of those instances
The National Women’s Law Center, however, provides scripts for families to use when talking with their insurance companies to ensure coverage of lactation consulting services
Typically, the consultant handles in-network insurance claims and agrees to the insurance company’s prices for their services and the consultant provides a superbill to clients who are out-of-network for the client to submit to their insurance company
The providers feel obligated to provide services to clients regardless of their insurance status because it is a right
Sometimes out-of-network insurance companies will call or write to argue with your billing amounts
It is unclear whether it is more successful for the provider or the client to submit the superbill to an out-of-network insurance company
Leah talks about the benefit of looking at your average payout versus your per-consult payout to assess how your business is working with insurance and self-paid clients
22 | Diversifying Your Lactation Private Practice
Episode 22
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 • Duration 41:26
By diversifying – opening up multiple channels of income within – your lactation consulting business, you are building yourself a sturdy foundation to prepare for lean market times while connecting with more families. This could include accepting both insurance and self-pay clients, writing a course or book, creating a resource or piece of merchandise for others to purchase, or developing continuing education. The sky’s the limit!
“We can use our passions for more things.”
In this episode, we will cover:
Diversification in business essentially means opening up multiple channels of income
Having multiple income streams can help sustain your business during lean times because you will not be relying on any one thing and you will be competitive in the market
In the lactation consulting industry, one of the main forms of diversification is accepting insurance and self-pay clients
Annie and Leah also advise people to set up opportunities for passive income such as creating a continuing education course, handouts, YouTube content, and writing books that are all accessible through a paywall that you write once but continue to earn from as people access the content
Consider what other topics you are interested or talented in and start integrating those things into your lactation business. Ideas include QuickBooks, courses, engineering, research, writing, graphic design, merchandise, etc.
When venturing into the world of renting and selling pumps, try to remain as impartial towards all of the companies as possible by not accepting any “free gifts” they want to give you
There is often a fine ethical line when combining two of your business elements, so it is always best to disclose your status to the client ahead of time
Remember to stay up-to-date on the applicable laws and insurance regulations, particularly if you are doing business with people in countries outside the U.S.
Keep in mind the strategies about time management previously shared on this podcast and be smart about the ideas you decide to pursue
21 | Growing Your Lactation Practice By Hiring Help
Episode 21
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 • Duration 48:02
Many lactation consultants are used to working solo, and it can be hard to surrender certain aspects of your private practice to others. But if you feel like you’re spending too much time on tasks that take you away from the clinical work you love, it may be time to bring on people who can share the workload.
In this episode, Annie and Leah discuss when to recognize when you need help and where you can hire help in your business.
“When you’re pushing and trying to do everything yourself, there will be long-term health consequences that will cost you money down the road.”
In this episode, we will cover:
Realizing that time is just as finite as money helps you see that when you have more time for the things you want to do you might actually make more money
Writing down your weekly and monthly tasks outside of your IBCLC responsibilities and assess what tasks might be good to hire out
These tasks are likely things that someone else is more passionate about or proficient in
You can hire out work for your personal or business life: billing, scheduling, clinical assistance, taxes, cleaning, laundry, school pickups, childcare, elder care, etc.
It could be just as good for you to commit to brushing up on your proficiencies and then “hiring yourself” to do those extra tasks
Not being afraid to tweak things until everything is working the way you want it to
The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters.
20 | Productivity for Lactation Private Practice
Episode 20
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 • Duration 38:51
As a lactation consultant, you’re keeping track of so much. Client care, running a business, keeping up with social media, and staying current with your clinical training can become overwhelming, and sometimes important things slip through the cracks.
Leah and Annie share the techniques they use to get organized and increase productivity to align their personal and business priorities to free up mental space and enjoy work and life.
“I do think it’s important for us to think about the things that we do want to have balance in our lives in and put that into our productivity too.”
In this episode, we will cover:
Time blocking is a great way to focus on one task at a time while allowing yourself some mental rest within the structure.
Bullet journaling is a freeform way to keep up with tasks and can take whatever form or function works best for you.
Using productivity techniques helps you maintain a good work-life balance and prioritize the important over the urgent.
The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters.
Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and !
19 | Even Lactation Consultants Need a Vacation
Episode 19
Tuesday, July 16, 2019 • Duration 29:26
Lactation consultants are especially prone to burnout because our work is so intense. It can be hard to disconnect from your clients and from your business, but it’s essential to recognize the importance of taking regular breaks.
In this episode of the Lactation Business Coaching Podcast, Leah and Annie offer practical steps to take when you’re prepping for your vacation.
“Burnout affects the families that we’re caring for.”
In this episode, we will cover:
Burnout is real. It’s just not physically or emotionally possible to work without taking regular breaks.
Our work is hard. We’re always thinking about our clients and it can be hard to turn that off.
Our clients’ problems can drain our energy. When situations are complex, or when we’re faced with the same kinds of issues over and over again, it can wear us out.
Scared that your business will die. Your private practice is not a shark, it doesn’t have to keep moving to live.
How to set your practice up for a break. From organizing your tech to managing your communications, learn specific steps to take the break you need.
This episode is sponsored by Acuity. Never ask “what time works for you?” again. Clients can quickly view your real-time availability and self-book their own appointments—and even pay online, reschedule with a click. You can even handle all of your forms and payments before your appointments so you can get right down to business. For a FREE 45 day trial, visit this LINK.
This episode is sponsored by IntakeQ. Use IntakeQ to collect client information for the superbill, even if they are out of network. IntakeQ is offering Lactation Business Coaching podcast listeners a discount on their first 3 months using the service at this link.
Annie recommends the diagnosis code of Z39.1 and the procedure code of either S9443 or S99404 because these are the most conservative and hardest for the companies to argue with
It is important to ethically bill your clients and seek information from a variety of sources
This episode is sponsored by Acuity Scheduling for forms and payments – They are providing LBC podcast listeners with a 45-day free trial at this link.
This episode is sponsored by Acuity Scheduling for forms and payments – They are providing LBC podcast listeners with a 45-day free trial at this link.
Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member!
All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!
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