Meet Liz Fernandez, Mft

We were lucky to catch up with Liz Fernandez, Mft recently and have shared our conversation below.

Liz, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My resilience is deeply rooted in my identity as the eldest daughter of farm-working Mexican immigrant parents. I grew up watching my parents wake up before the sun, work tirelessly in the fields, and push through exhaustion because they believed in the possibility of something greater—for themselves and for me. Their sacrifices planted the seed of resilience in me long before I even understood what it meant.

As a first-gen Latina, I was statistically destined to struggle—to work twice as hard for half as much, to be overworked and underpaid, to live for stability instead of possibility. But I refused to accept that as my reality.

When I was in grad school, juggling unpaid practicum work, student loan debt, and a 9-5 that barely covered my bills, I realized something: no one was coming to save me. I was expected to follow the traditional path, wait years to become licensed, and accept burnout as part of the process. But deep down, I knew I was meant for more.

So I took a chance. I invested in a coaching program with my stimulus check—not because I had it all figured out, but because I refused to let fear dictate my future. I showed up online, even when it felt cringy. I fought through imposter syndrome. I learned how to sell my services without guilt.

That decision changed everything.

During the pandemic, at a time when most people were holding onto job security, I made the scariest and most freeing decision of my life—I quit my 9-5, turned down a six-figure therapy job, and went all-in on my business instead. Everyone told me I was making a mistake. But I trusted myself. I bet on my own potential. And it paid off.

Today, I’ve built a half-a-million-dollar coaching business—as a therapist with no business background and no licensure. I went from making $2,900/month in my 9-5 to becoming 9-5 optional, creating generational wealth, and helping other therapists and coaches reclaim their power and create options for themselves. Because I know firsthand what it’s like to feel trapped in a system that undervalues your skills, and I refuse to let others believe that’s the only path available to them.

To me, resilience isn’t about never feeling fear—it’s about showing up anyway. It’s about rewriting the narrative that daughters of immigrants are meant to struggle and proving that we are worthy of success, ease, and abundance.

I am a walking miracle—because I refused to become a statistic.

And I wake up every day knowing that no one can take away what I’ve built.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m Liz Fernandez, a marriage and family therapist turned business coach, and I’m on a mission to help therapists break free from burnout and financial struggle by leveraging their expertise through coaching.

For too long, therapists have been told that burnout, low pay, and overworking are just part of the job. We were trained to work for broken systems that weren’t designed for our well-being, instead of learning how to market our skills, set sustainable prices, or create financial stability on our own terms.

And I know this reality firsthand.

I grew up as the eldest daughter of farm-working immigrant parents, where hard work wasn’t optional—it was a way of survival. Like many first-gen daughters, I was taught that stability meant safety, and that getting a “good job” was the key to success. So I did what I was supposed to do:

I got a 9-5 therapy job making $2,900 a month while juggling unpaid practicum work
I took on debt and credit cards just to make it through grad school
I followed the traditional therapy path, thinking that licensure would finally bring financial relief
The Moment Everything Changed
There are moments in life that shift everything.

For me, one of those moments came when my grandfather was on his deathbed.

I was still in grad school, balancing an impossible workload, when I had to make a choice: stay in my program or leave to be with my grandfather during his final days. I was told that if I took a full week off, I risked getting kicked out. The idea that I had to choose between my education and my family, between my career and my grief, broke me.

I was devastated. But I knew I couldn’t live with myself if I chose school over him.

So I left, but only for a few days, just enough to be with him without losing everything I had worked for. And in that moment, I made a decision that changed the course of my life:

I never wanted to feel trapped like that again. I never wanted to be in a position where someone else had control over my time, my family, or my ability to grieve.

That moment planted the seed that would later push me to leave the traditional therapy path behind.

During the pandemic, I made the scariest and most freeing decision of my life—I quit my 9-5, turned down a six-figure therapy job, and went all-in on my business instead. Everyone told me I was making a mistake. But I trusted myself. I bet on my own potential.

With zero business background, no licensure, and nothing but my stimulus check, I invested in a coaching program, built my brand from scratch, and within a few years, scaled my business to half a million dollars.

But this wasn’t just about me—it became my mission.

I founded The Therapist to Coach Collective (TCC) because therapists deserve more than low-paying jobs, high caseloads, and financial stress. I help therapists leverage their expertise through coaching offers so they can:

Ethically market their work and finally get paid what they deserve
Increase their income without sacrificing their well-being
Become 9-5 optional and create more flexibility in their careers
Expand beyond private practice if that’s their desire—because therapy is a skill set, not just a job title
Through coaching offers, therapists are able to serve their communities in new ways, reduce their caseloads, and step into a more sustainable, fulfilling career path.

In addition to TCC, I host The Beyond Private Practice Podcast, where I share real conversations on how therapists can break free from outdated industry norms, expand beyond therapy, and create careers that give them financial freedom.

I also offer private coaching for therapists and coaches who want high-level, personalized support in launching and scaling their coaching businesses.

This is Bigger Than Business—It’s a Movement
For too long, therapists—especially first-generation therapists, women of color, and daughters of immigrants—have been underpaid, undervalued, and conditioned to believe that struggle is just part of the job.

That ends now.

I am on a mission to close the pay gap for therapists nationwide by helping them ethically market their work, create coaching offers, and finally have financial freedom. Because when therapists have options, they have power. And when they have power, they can change their lives, their families, and their communities.

This isn’t just about making more money. It’s about creating a career that supports your well-being, rather than one that drains you.

Expanding The Therapist to Coach Collective to help more therapists break free from burnout
Hosting live trainings and workshops on ethical marketing and business growth for therapists
Releasing new episodes of The Beyond Private Practice Podcast, featuring industry experts and real therapist success stories
Offering private coaching for therapists who are ready to scale their coaching business
For me, success isn’t just about financial freedom—it’s about creating generational change.

Therapists deserve to thrive. And I’m here to make sure they do.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, three qualities were absolutely essential in helping me create the life and business I have today:

1. Trusting Myself Before I Had “Proof”
When I decided to leave my 9-5, I had saved some money—but I wasn’t making enough in my business yet to replace my income. At the time, I was doing everything at once—building my coaching business, overloading on classes for grad school, working full-time, and doing unpaid practicum hours. It would have been easier to wait, to “play it safe,” but I knew if I wanted a different life, I had to believe in my ability to figure it out.

I had to be willing to be delusional—willing to dream big, even when I had no guarantees. I made decisions from the highest version of myself, not the version that was scared of failing.

Another major factor in my growth? Getting in rooms that reflected my greatness back to me. Building a community of entrepreneurial friends who were working toward the same goals as me—and who normalized the challenges of growing a business—is the reason I’ve stayed in business this long. Not because I was the smartest in the room, but because I surrounded myself with people who wouldn’t let me quit.

Advice: If you’re early in your journey, surround yourself with people who see your potential even when you doubt yourself. The right environment will push you to keep going when fear tells you to stop. You will feel safer to dream bigger.

2. Willingness to Be Seen and Heard (Even When It Felt Uncomfortable)
As a daughter of immigrants, I was raised with the mindset that success meant working hard, staying humble, and keeping my head down. But entrepreneurship required me to do the opposite—to take up space, to speak about my work with confidence, to market my services unapologetically.

I truly believe that being a daughter of immigrants makes you an incredible CEO. You’ve been problem-solving your whole life. You’ve navigated systems, translated for your family, found solutions when resources were scarce. These are the exact skills that make a great business owner—resilience, adaptability, and the ability to make things work with whatever you have.

Advice: Stop waiting for permission to be seen. Whether it’s posting online, sharing your story, or talking about your work—visibility is not about you, it’s about the people who need what you have to offer.

3. Releasing the “Good Student” Mentality and Learning to Think Like a CEO
I spent my whole life being a great student—following the rules, checking all the boxes, doing everything “right.” But in business, there is no syllabus, no professor telling you what to do next. You have to decide.

Early on, I had to shift from being the person who waited for the right answer to the person who trusted herself to make the right decisions. I had to stop over-consuming information and start implementing, even when I didn’t have all the answers.

Advice: If you’re used to following a structured path, be prepared to unlearn a lot. Entrepreneurship is about trusting yourself to figure it out—not waiting until you have every answer before taking action.

No one is born knowing how to do this. Every successful person you admire once started with no experience, no connections, and no guarantees—just a willingness to bet on themselves.

The best thing you can do early in your journey is make bold decisions before you feel ready, surround yourself with the right people, and never let fear make decisions for you.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is a therapist or coach who knows they are capable of more but feels stuck in the limitations of traditional career paths. They are ambitious, driven, and deeply passionate about their work, but they are ready for a new way of doing things—one that allows them to have financial stability, more freedom, and bigger impact without sacrificing their well-being.

Characteristics of My Ideal Client
They are ready to think bigger. They know deep down that they are capable of more, even if they’re still battling imposter syndrome or fear of failure.
They are willing to be seen. Even if they feel uncomfortable at first, they’re open to learning how to market their work in a way that aligns with their values.
They value ethical business growth. They care about making a bigger impact without resorting to manipulative sales tactics or overworking themselves.
They are willing to take action. They don’t just want to consume information—they are ready to apply what they learn and trust themselves in the process.
They are done playing small. They are no longer willing to settle for exhaustion, underpay, or waiting for permission to build something greater.

Who It’s NOT For
People who are looking for a “get rich quick” scheme
People who are unwilling to challenge their own limiting beliefs
People who expect success without taking action

My Work is For Therapists and Coaches Who Want to Create More Freedom
I don’t just help therapists and coaches make more money—I help them create real options for themselves. Whether that means becoming 9-5 optional, reducing their caseload, or expanding beyond private practice, my work is about helping them step into the version of themselves that trusts their own potential.

(I know what it feels like to question if more is even possible for you. To feel guilty for wanting more ease when you’ve spent years being taught that struggle is just part of the process. To wonder if leaving behind the traditional path means “throwing away” your degree.

But let me tell you this—your education, your experience, and your skills were never meant to keep you small. They were meant to create opportunities for you, not limit you.

You don’t have to choose between helping people and building wealth. You don’t have to stay in a system that undervalues you. You get to create your own options.)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thelizfernandez.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelizfernandez/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizfernandezamft

Image Credits

Carlos from Walking Photo MX