Dr. Heather Lee Farrell

Economic and Professional Beliefs

My Professional Practice and Economic Beliefs

I believe in interdependence over individualism, community upliftment, people over profit, well-being and self-care over productivity. In my professional practices, I am working towards an economy rooted in being sustainable, life-affirming, collaborative and mutually equitable.

Re-imagining how I work is an ongoing evolvement.
I am doing my best to practice equitably and inclusivily. I’ve had to figure out, work on, and make mistakes along the way related to how this might appear in my tiny business.

Money Growth is not my only goal

In my offerings, I am committed to financial accessibility. A core value of normal “best business practices” is exponential growth. This value does not mesh well with the well-being of people or the Earth. I do not believe that exponential growth a marker of success. It also doesn’t make sense to me on a planet with finite resources.

I want to offer services, work, and products that feel good to create and cultivate wellness. I want to do all of this at a sustainable pace.

In my opinion, most “best practices” for business-as-usual lead to us treating each other transactionally and extractively. Most “best practices” for business-as-usual encourages the customer to get the most for the least amount of money spent, and the business tries to get the most money or the least amount of energy. This paradigm is at odds with a healthy life and world. In my business, I am placing more value on community upliftment and supporting people while overdelivering in value in a way that works for me.

I believe in a future in which money is no longer a barrier to survival, in which we all have equal access to wellness, health, joy, and ease, regardless of our financial status. I support an approach that builds a safer and just world for all. And that can begin with me. I can be part of the change to create a more equitable world; even in my tiny business.

What Enough Means to Me

I work at always being clear about what my own current “enough” earning amount is. That is the amount of money I need to be well. I shape my pricing and the pace of my offerings around this enoughness goal. After I reach that amount, I do not continue demanding myself to earn more, more, more.

I am not looking for a quick sale from anyone; I want to work together on a jointly nourishing path over an extended period. So, instead of building just one signature offering, I prefer to create many different options, programs, and offers. This turns my work into a process and place we can return to together again and again, growing and evolving.

Care and Wellness over Productivity.

I need rest and nourishment. I work at figuring that out. I remind myself that my worth is not tied to my output.

Monthly Redistribution

A percentage of my earnings are given to individuals and organizations that support our Earth and other groups that work in or have suffered from societal inequality and oppression. This is something I practice regularly.

Gift economy

All of the resources and gift programs that I create are offered in line with the gift economy, which means that there is no cost at all for you. I do this to move away from being only transactional and step into a more relational and reciprocal way of working. With my Newsletter, I offer high-quality and supportive suggestions and writings to help you create foundational uncomplicated health and wellness. You do not need to purchase anything to receive my newlsetter.

Urgency-free marketing

I am committed to not using any marketing tactics based on scarcity and urgency. No sales emails that give you the feeling of “You better buy this right now or else!!” I aim to offer longer-than-average registration windows so you can take your time deciding if my offer is right for you. I will not sell by pressing on pain points, fears, or a sense of fear of missing out. I offer extended sales periods.

Full scholarships

 I believe that for a pricing model to align with economic justice truly, there must be a zero cost option. My programs and offerings include a pre-determined number of scholarship spots related to the program’s size. These full scholarships are given in good faith with no income verification needed. When those slots are filled, I offer no feel payment plans and sliding fees to people who inquire about full scholarships.

No fee payment plans

Have you ever noticed that online payment plans are almost always more expensive than the one-time payment option? I do not believe in charging someone more money because they aren’t able to pay in full upfront.

I even offer alternative ways to pay, like barter. However, they can be challenging to figure out online, but I welcome the discussion!!

Sliding Payment Scale

I work on a shame-free sliding payment scale. This allows everyone to join within their current means and gives those with more economic and societal privilege the chance to opt into a higher price tier to help supplement payments for folks on the lower end of the scale. Below is an image to help you figure out where you land. (Thank you, Alex J Cunningfolk for creating this image.)

Questions? Contact me!

You can always go to my contact page, here

Or you can email me at: drhlfarrell@gmail.com or info@heatherleefarrell.com. I will be updating my phone contact number in the near future so email or website submission is optimal for now!