Why Is It So Hard to Hire? Five Strategies That Actually Work
Jul 22, 2026The job posting is live. You refresh your inbox. A promising application arrives—great credentials, thoughtful cover letter. You schedule the interview. They don't show. You start over. Another candidate makes it through two rounds, seems genuinely excited, accepts the offer, then ghosts you entirely. Meanwhile, the room sits empty, the schedule has gaps, and your existing team is stretched thin covering everything.
Welcome to post-pandemic hiring in the wellness industry.
In this episode from Kendall's "What the Wellness Center?!" archive series, recorded four years ago but painfully relevant today, she addresses the hiring struggles being felt across every industry and every coaching conversation she's having. Her core insight reframes the problem entirely: this isn't about your clinic's reputation, your job posting's wording, or your interview process. It's about the collective mental state of the workforce.
"At the end of the day, I think it's mostly about mental health," Kendall explains. "We've all spent two years doing really hard things and our brains are smart. We're going to do everything we can at this point to avoid hard things. So if it's not a job that provides everything we want and need, we're going to keep looking, wait altogether, or start our own business."
In healthcare specifically, practitioners are stepping back to reassess their values, priorities, and what they actually want from work. Kendall—who describes herself as "absolutely celebrating this new trend" from a therapist and business coaching perspective—acknowledges it creates genuine difficulty as an employer. Both things are true simultaneously.
Her five-tip framework offers a practical path through:
Lower your expectations. Not of the quality of person you'll eventually hire, but of the process getting there. "You will have applicants not send in all the requested materials. You will have applicants no-show interviews. So don't sweat it when a super qualified candidate interviews and then doesn't send you a thank you email." Releasing these expectations reduces stress without compromising standards.
Be patient. Expect the process to take longer than it ever has. Give yourself at least six months before stepping back from recruiting, while continuously refreshing and updating job postings throughout.
Try new recruiting channels. Kendall shares a specific recommendation: Wisehire.com, which posts to 100+ job sites simultaneously including major platforms like Indeed. This was how Vancouver Wellness Studio found their two newest mental health counselors. She also emphasizes word of mouth through current team members, Facebook Jobs, and local community groups.
Step up your benefits. Candidates aren't just looking for a job—they're looking for the right job that meets all their needs. As Kendall notes: "Do everything you can to make it easy for them to choose your business." What benefits can you add, emphasize, or make more visible in your posting and interview process? Ease of onboarding, clarity of expectations, and support structures matter as much as compensation right now.
Sell your business to applicants. This is perhaps the biggest mindset shift. The interview dynamic has flipped. "Interviewees are coming in wanting to make sure you have your stuff together and, to be honest, that they're not going to have a traumatic experience while working for you." Candidates have been through difficult employment situations. They're evaluating you as much as you're evaluating them. Make sure they know exactly what to expect before accepting the position.
Kendall closes with honest acknowledgment that employers have also been through the wringer—and still, in the hiring process, the focus needs to be on the candidate's experience. This generosity of perspective, even when exhausted, is part of what builds the kind of team culture that attracts and keeps great people.
If hiring feels impossibly hard right now, this episode is the combination of validation and practical strategy you need to keep going.
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About Anna Rudel
Anna Rudel, L. Ac is the owner and founder of Lokahi Acupuncture Clinic in San Jose California, founded in 2003. Anna is a master organizer and clinician, and as a Coach she specializes in working with Clinic Owners in the state of California, and Acupuncturists and Acupuncture Clinic Owners, or groups wanting to add Acupuncture worldwide, as well as teams that need support with employee retention and satisfaction. Born in the UK, Anna has traveled extensively in Asia and now has a thriving multi-practitioner clinic in the US!
Anna's Website and Links
- Website: https://lokahiacupuncture.com/
- Learn Group Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/group-coaching
- For info about Individual Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/individual-coaching
About Kendall Hagensen
Kendall is a Somatic Mental Health Therapist, Multidisciplinary Clinic Owner and Business Coach. She specializes in, and is passionate about, working with healthcare professionals to create the businesses of their dreams. Big goals always have a psychological component beneath the surface, so Kendall uses her background in Somatic Psychotherapy and EMDR Therapy mixed with Business Coaching tools to help clients develop a healthy relationship with their business and their strength as a leader.
As someone who lives with a chronic illness herself, Kendall feels that health happens best within community, which is why she takes a holistic, integrative, and collaborative wellness approach to her personal and professional life.
Kendall’s Web/Social Links