Project Description

Dr. Kathleen Smith, a practicing therapist and author specializing in anxiety, relationships, and interrupting unhelpful patterns, contacted me with a new book on the horizon and what she described as “a very poor-looking WordPress site.” With her Substack newsletter The Anxious Overachiever boasting over 10,000 subscribers, she needed a professional, branded online home that made it effortless for readers to subscribe, explore her books (True to You: A Therapist’s Guide to Stop Pleasing Others and Start Being Yourself and Everything Isn’t Terrible), contact her for therapy, book speaking engagements, or learn more about her work helping people-pleasers, anxious overachievers, and those stuck in relational patterns.

We designed a modern, scalable site that leverages her existing author voice—warm, expert, and approachable—while creating a clear model for adding future books, speaking dates, or resources.

The Challenge: The old site was outdated and visually unappealing, limiting easy updates and failing to showcase her multifaceted career — bestselling self-help books, high-engagement Substack, therapy practice, and speaking opportunities. It needed to feel therapeutic and trustworthy for clients/readers while handling multiple CTAs (therapy intake, book purchases, newsletter signups, speaking bookings) without overwhelming the user.

My Solution: We built a clean, professional design with strong typography, calming neutral palette, and intuitive hierarchy that centers her books and expertise. The layout integrates Substack seamlessly, highlights endorsements and key themes (boundary-setting, interrupting anxiety, building better relationships), and provides straightforward paths for all her audiences—readers, clients, event organizers, and publishers.

Results: The new site launched aligned with True to You’s release, serving as a powerful hub for Dr. Smith’s brand. It boosts book discovery and sales, grows her Substack audience, facilitates therapy and speaking inquiries, and allows confident self-management for future projects. The design matches her expert, empathetic voice, creating a polished presence that resonates with busy professionals seeking practical tools for anxiety and relationships.

Critical Elements Delivered:

• Prominent book showcases for True to You (new release on people-pleasing/boundaries) and Everything Isn’t Terrible (anxiety/insecurity tools), with synopses, endorsements (e.g., Eve Rodsky, Mary Laura Philpott), pre-order/purchase links, and easy future additions
• Seamless integration and prominent linking to her Substack The Anxious Overachiever (10k+ subscribers) for newsletter signups and content discovery
• Dedicated sections for therapy practice inquiries and speaking engagements (with clear contact CTAs)
• About/bio highlighting her therapist credentials, expertise in anxious patterns/relationships, and author achievements
• Strong, multiple calls-to-action tailored to audiences (book buys, therapy contact, speaking bookings, newsletter)
• Responsive, mobile-optimized design with a warm, therapeutic tone for trust-building
• SEO-friendly structure targeting “therapist author website,” “anxiety book site,” and Smith-specific terms

Type of Project: Author Websites, Book Websites, Therapist Author Website Design, Mental Health & Wellness Sites, Self-Help Author Website Redesign, Substack Integrated Website

Ready for a therapist or self-help author website that integrates your Substack, promotes your books, and handles inquiries? Schedule a Free Chat.