STP 169 | Fear, Failure, and First Steps: How Ira Hays Put His Mission in Motion

STP 169 | Fear, Failure, and First Steps: How Ira Hays Put His Mission in Motion

June 29, 2026 · 27 min · Season 3

About this episode

James Marland interviews Ira Hays about overcoming fear and taking first steps to expand a therapeutic mission.

Fear, Failure, and First Steps: How Ira Hays Put His Mission in Motion In this episode of The Scaling Therapist , James talks with Ira Hays, LCSW, about what happens when your mission gets bigger than the people you can help one-on-one. Ira started like many therapists do. He had a job, a small practice, and a desire to help the people in front of him. Over time, his work with school phobia, OCD, emetophobia, and school attendance led him into school trainings, new programs, a book, content, and other ways to serve. This conversation is for the therapist or group practice owner who knows they have something useful to share, but still feels nervous to put it out there. Ira’s reminder is simple: start before it is perfect, give away what helps people, and take the next step toward your mission. What You’ll Hear in This Episode You’ll see how a mission can grow one step at a time. Ira did not start with a giant plan. He started by asking, “How do I help more people?” That question led to trainings, new roles, a book, and a bigger way to serve. You’ll hear why fear does not mean stop. Ira talks about feeling scared, sick, and out of place before his first big talk. But he did it…

People in this episode

Host: James Marland

Guest: Ira Hays

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LCSW

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