The Real Reason Holistic Practitioners Avoid Email (It’s Not What You Think)
A common mistake I see holistic practitioners make with email has nothing to do with subject lines, open rates, or “not being good at marketing.”
It’s not even the words.
It’s this:
They’re not emailing enough.
And before you tense up - this isn’t a call-out. It’s a reframe.
Because almost every naturopathic doctor or holistic practitioner I talk to wants to email their list more.
They want the booked calls.
They want aligned clients.
They want consistent income without feeling like they’re constantly reinventing the wheel.
So if the desire is there… why does hitting send feel so hard?
Let’s get into it 👇🏼
It’s not a marketing problem. It’s a relationship one.
Most practitioners assume their issue with email is technical.
They think:
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m not good at writing.”
“I need to learn email marketing first.”
But the real resistance usually lives somewhere else.
Email requires ongoing presence.
It asks you to stay in relationship with people outside of a container - outside of appointments, programs, or paid time together.
And that’s a very different kind of visibility.
In sessions, you’re invited in.
On email, you choose to show up.
That shift alone brings up more discomfort than most people realize.
Email isn’t a megaphone. It’s maintenance.
A lot of practitioners treat email like a tool you pull out when you have something to sell.
Long silence.
Then a launch email.
Then silence again.
Over time, this trains your list to expect one thing from you:
Selling.
But email works best when it’s relational, not transactional.
It’s where trust is maintained between visits.
It’s where people stay connected to your way of thinking.
It’s where someone who isn’t ready yet keeps you in mind when they are.
When email is only used for selling, it feels heavy - for you and for them.
The fear isn’t “being annoying.” It’s being seen.
Most practitioners will say:
“I don’t want to email too much.”
What they usually mean is:
“I don’t want to take up space unnecessarily.”
“I don’t want to be perceived as pushy.”
“I don’t want to show up unless I have something valuable enough to say.”
That belief makes every email feel like it needs to earn its place.
So instead of writing something simple, you wait.
You overthink.
You put it off until you have more time, more clarity, or something more important to share.
And weeks (or months) go by.
(Don’t worry, we’ll fix this together!)
Consistency isn’t about discipline. It’s about pressure.
Here’s the thing most marketing advice misses:
Practitioners don’t struggle with email because they lack discipline.
They struggle because they put too much pressure on each message.
If every email feels like it needs to:
Educate
Inspire
Prove credibility
And convert
Of course, it feels exhausting.
But relationship-building doesn’t require performance.
Sometimes it’s a reminder.
Sometimes it’s a reflection.
Sometimes it’s a short thought you’d say to a client anyway.
That’s enough.
You don’t need to email every day. You just need to stay present.
Let me be clear - this isn’t about emailing daily.
It’s not about hustling.
And it’s definitely not about carving out hours of your week.
It’s about staying in your audience’s world consistently enough that:
They remember you
They trust you
And they don’t feel like you disappear until you need something
When email becomes a place for low-stakes connection, the resistance starts to soften.
Simplicity is what keeps relationships alive
One of the biggest shifts I see practitioners make is when they stop trying to “do email marketing” and start treating email like a conversation.
That’s why templates work - they remove the emotional load of starting from scratch.
You don’t need to learn email marketing.
You don’t need to be a writer.
You don’t need to overthink every sentence.
You just need a simple way to show up without draining yourself.
A gentle place to start
If emailing your list has felt heavy, avoidant, or oddly charged - you’re not broken, and you’re not behind.
You’re just human.
I created my 5-Minute Email Templates for practitioners who want to stay in relationship with their audience without turning email into another thing to dread.
They’re short.
They’re simple.
And they’re designed to help you practice consistency without pressure.
You can download them for free here:
