For the healers in the room
Today, I was part of a conversation that I hear all too often: highly trained yoga therapists (or other healing professionals) discussing discount strategies like "buy four sessions, get one free" and offering complimentary sessions to “get” clients. As I listened, I couldn't help but think about how these pricing approaches fundamentally devalue the profound healing work these practitioners provide.
The scarcity wound is at work.
When healers, coaches, or creatives discount their offerings, they're often (not always, but often) operating from a place of scarcity—a fear that without these incentives, clients won't come. This is problematic for a number of reasons:
It diminishes the perceived value of your expertise. When you consistently discount your work, you send an implicit message that it isn't worth what you initially asked for.
It attracts clients who prioritize deals over transformation. Clients drawn to discounts often seek the best bargain rather than investing in the power of the healing journey.
It creates an unsustainable business model. Consistently undercharging leads to burnout as you work more hours for less compensation.
So let’s stop that, shall we?
The deepening value principle
A friend and colleague, the brilliant Michele Woodward, once shared with me what I call the "Deepening Value Principle": the longer you work with someone, the more value clients receive—and your pricing should reflect this increased value.
Please read that again. I’ll wait.
You know it’s true—with each progressive session, you:
Develop deeper insight into your client's specific needs
Build upon previous progress and support client integration
Deepen the therapeutic relationship, which itself has healing power
This is particularly true for yoga therapists, energy workers, bodyworkers, coaches, psychologists, and other healing practitioners whose work becomes more potent with continuity and relationship-building.
Honestly, I haven’t gone so far as to increase pricing with longer client relationships. Still, the very idea of the Deepening Value Principle has been an anchor for me to remember the incredible value that people get when they are in relationship with me for a longer period of time. Because I, too, can be swayed to question myself and the value of my work by discount culture.
Community care vs. discount culture
I know so many of you want your work to be accessible, and so you might balk at the deepening value principle. I get it. But, there's an important distinction between thoughtful community care pricing and discount-driven marketing tactics:
Discount Culture:
"Buy 4, get 1 free" type offers
Free introductory calls that are full-length sessions
Flash sales and limited-time discounts
Competing on price rather than results
Community Care Pricing:
Sliding scale based on genuine financial need, that also honors your financial requirements
Scholarship spots for specific underserved communities
Payment plans that make services accessible while honoring their value
Pay what you can work as a deliberate, sustainable part of your practice
Community care pricing acknowledges financial realities—both yours and your clients'—while still affirming the value of your work. Discount culture, on the other hand, treats healing work as a commodity that can be marked down like items on a clearance rack.
Your expertise is not a commodity.
Healing modalities like coaching, psychology, body work, or yoga therapy are not standardized products. It's not yoga in a gym or rote advice that you can get from YouTube. These modalities are tailored to the individual in a way that requires years of training, continuing education, and personal practice.
When you offer "buy 4, get 1 free," you're using pricing tactics designed for products like shampoo or coffee—items that are essentially the same regardless of who purchases them. But your healing work is adaptive, responsive, and deeply personal. It is your sacred vocation, and I want you and your clients to experience it that way.
Owning the value of your work: a way forward.
If you're a healing practitioner caught in the discount cycle, here are some considerations to shift your relationship with pricing:
Know your unique value. What specific transformation do you offer that makes your work incredibly valuable to clients?
Focus on outcomes, not hours. Communicate what clients will experience as a result, not just what they're buying.
Structure services to demonstrate deepening value. Consider packages designed to reward commitment rather than discounting an hourly rate.
Create genuine accessibility options from a place of overflow and generosity, not lack. If serving diverse economic backgrounds matters, build intentional community care options that don't diminish your work.
Surround yourself with practitioners who value their work. Those around us influence us—find colleagues who celebrate you, your work, and healthy boundaries around pricing.
You and your work are infinitely worth it.
It takes courage to stand firmly in the value of your sacred healing work, especially in fields where practitioners have historically undercharged. Honor the value of your healing work and it ripples out in magnificent ways. Beginning with modeling for your clients what it looks like to honor themselves.
The expertise that you have cultivated isn't just another service to be discounted. It's a pathway to transformation that deserves to be properly valued—by you first, and then by those fortunate enough to work with you.
How do you honor the value of your healing work? Tell me everything.
I would love to work with you
Please stop underpricing your expertise. You are an amazing healing practitioner, and I want you to be compensated in a way that honors your training, your experience, and the transformation you provide. I help creatives, coaches, and healers like you create business and pricing models that reflect the true value of your work while remaining accessible to those who need your gifts - all while honoring your energy.
[Book Your Discovery Session] → Build a practice that thrives.
