Meet Monica Kovach | Founder of Hold Space Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Monica Kovach and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monica, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I started Hold Space Creative in 2017, after working as an art therapist and mental health counselor. Friends and family would always ask me, “How do I find a therapist? When I search online, I can never tell which ones are right for me.” After several challenging therapist searches of my own over the years, I felt their pain. Even with my knowledge and experience in the mental health field, I found myself struggling to help my loved ones find their best-fit therapist online.

One of the biggest issues I observed was that almost every therapist’s website I found looked and sounded the same. It was extremely difficult to tell them apart and understand any practitioner’s style and expertise.

I knew that if I was having this issue, many others were likely experiencing the same thing, which meant that too many people weren’t able to find the mental health support that they needed. Too many people were likely feeling frustrated with the therapist search process and giving up before finding the right therapist for them.

On the flip side of things, I had a lot of therapist and coach friends who were struggling to find their best-fit clients; they knew they had unique skills and expertise to share, but struggled to fill their caseload with the types of clients they were best suited to help.

Seeing both sides of the situation, I thought, “It doesn’t have to be this way.” I realized I was uniquely positioned to help therapists and therapy-seekers connect by helping therapists build and design better websites. I knew that if therapists learned how to talk about their expertise and communicate their style of holding space in visual terms, the therapist search process would become easier.

Eight years, and hundreds of therapist websites later, I’m starting to see a shift. Therapists are embracing their websites as a tool for connection, rather than a glorified resumé, and slowly but surely, the therapist search process is becoming easier.

Of course, there are many contributing factors here, including the normalization of mental healthcare, but I like to think my little corner of the internet has made an impact on the larger shift in accessibility.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Hold Space Creative is a Squarespace website design agency and template shop, specializing in websites for therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals. I started HSC in 2017 after working as an art therapist and counselor. I saw my friends and family struggling with the therapist search process online, and simultaneously, I saw my therapist and coach friends struggling to market themselves online. With a background in both psychotherapy and art/design, I realized I was perfectly positioned to bridge this gap.

I started by designing custom websites and brands, and soon had so much demand for my services that I decided to create website templates to help more therapists at a lower price point. Now, we have 11 template designs, along with a full shop of products to help therapists and coaches connect with their best-fit clients online.

While I love designing pretty websites, my biggest goal has always been to empower therapists to take control of their websites and educate them on connecting with their best-fit clients in an authentic way. I regularly hear from clients and customers who say, “I never thought I could do this before, thank you for showing me how!” I’ve also had several clients and customers tell me they had to expand their practices to accommodate client demand after redesigning with us. That makes me endlessly proud.

I’ve definitely encountered challenges along the way, but being willing to 1) pivot, and/or 2) ask for help, have been the best tools for getting through. I think a balance of flexibility, focus, and humility has been key for me throughout the life of this business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Last year, I became a resident at Jerico Kalamazoo – a community of creative entrepreneurs, makers, and artists in the Edison neighborhood. I would give them a tour of the community, stop at the coffee shop (Fiddle Leaf Cafe), and pay a visit to the resident kitty, Jeri.

I’d schedule a stop at River Street Flowerland, or as I call it, My Happy Place. It’s my go-to place for annuals and perennials in the growing season, and houseplants year-round. The soft classical music that plays over the speakers creates a whole vibe, and it’s really hard to be stressed out there.

I’d also introduce them around my favorite nature spots around Kalamazoo and SW Michigan; the Nature Center, Lake Michigan, and Al Sabo, to name a few.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without support and mentorship along the way.

First and foremost, my small but mighty team that keeps Hold Space Creative running smoothly – Anna, Sienny, and Lily. These women are brilliant at what they do, and I feel so lucky to be in collaboration with them. When I started my business, I thought I’d be a solo-preneur and had no plans to hire a team. As things progressed, it became obvious that I needed help. I found my dream team gradually, and I can honestly say that my business wouldn’t be where it is without them.

Also worth a shoutout are my peer-led Mastermind groups! I’ve been lucky enough to find these two amazing groups of like-minded folks along the way, and their support and mentorship has given me the confidence and inspiration to reach new goals and persevere through tough times. Lindsay Bryan-Podvin (mindmoneybalance.com), Kaleigh Cornelison (k-cornelison.com), Lauren Ranalli (laurenranalli.com), and Julie Tobi (jelizacreative.com) make up my local, Michigan-based mastermind; we each have different types of businesses and backgrounds, so the diversity of experiences has been invaluable. Christy Price (christyprice.com), Will Myers (will-myers.com), Kristine Neil (kristineneil.com), Chris Schwartz-Edmisten (schwartz-edmisten.com), and Omari Harebin (sqspthemes.com) make up my remote mastermind; each of us are Squarespace designers and/or specialists, and it’s so great to have the opportunity to deep-dive on industry-specific topics and share tips and strategies with these folks.

Website: https://www.holdspacecreative.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holdspacecreative/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/holdspacecreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holdspacecreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@holdspacecreative

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@holdspacecreative?_t=ZP-8vX2ds4vkj9&_r=1

Image Credits
(Headshot) Amanda Yassay