EP 28 | Hiring, Growth & Profits in Group Practice: How Stefanie & Lucinda Built New Ground Wellness
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In this episode, I’m joined by Stefanie Denluck-Larkin, RCC, and Lucinda Wray, RCC — the co-founders of New Ground Wellness in the Okanagan.
What started as two therapists sharing office space in Penticton eventually grew into a multi-location group practice serving clients across British Columbia. But like most real practice-building stories, it didn’t start with a perfectly mapped-out business plan.
Stefanie and Lucinda share how they built their practice while raising families, navigating risk, and learning the realities behind the idea that group practice is “passive income.” We talk about the financial narratives therapists carry into business, the responsibility of holding other clinicians’ livelihoods, and what it really looks like to grow a sustainable practice over time.
They also walk through the full story behind their recent rebrand from South Okanagan Counselling to New Ground Wellness — including what they learned about incorporation, systems, and scaling a practice the second time around.
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE
• How Stefanie and Lucinda went from sharing office space in Penticton to co-founding New Ground Wellness with hybrid offices across BC
• Why not overthinking their early decisions became one of their biggest advantages as founders
• The reality behind the “passive income” narrative of group practice and what it actually costs you in the early years
• Independent contractor splits, what 80/20 actually signals in this industry, and why therapists often interpret these numbers differently than other allied health professions
• How our money stories often drive business decisions more than our numbers do
• What it means to hold responsibility for other clinicians’ livelihoods — and how that leadership role lands differently in a caring profession
• The full scope of their rebrand from South Okanagan Counselling to New Ground Wellness, including new incorporation, systems, and infrastructure
• Why incorporating earlier would have saved them significant complexity and administrative work
ABOUT STEFANIE & LUCINDA
Stefanie Denluck-Larkin, RCC, and Lucinda Wray, RCC are the co-founders of New Ground Wellness, a growing multi-location group practice based in Penticton, BC with hybrid offices across British Columbia.
What began as a shared office during the early years of the Okanagan transition grew organically into a full-service wellness practice spanning counselling, breathwork, nutrition, sleep support, and workplace wellness.
Their practice is built around three hubs — mind, body, and workplace wellbeing — and serves clients throughout British Columbia and other Canadian provinces.
Formerly operating as South Okanagan Counselling, they completed a full rebrand and incorporation into New Ground Wellness in early 2026.
Website
https://www.newgroundwellness.ca
https://www.instagram.com/newgroundwellnesscollective
ABOUT YOUR HOST
I’m Cecilia Mannella, a Registered Social Worker, Clinical Counsellor, and therapy practice coach.
After 25 years as a mental health practitioner and nearly two decades building my own practice from solo therapist to seven-figure group practice, I now help Canadian therapists build profitable, sustainable businesses — without apologizing for their ambition or compromising their values.
Website
https://www.ceciliamannella.com
Podcast
https://www.ceciliamannella.com/purpose-and-profit-podcast
Apply for 1:1 Business Coaching
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