Actually, it is free if, within 10 days of the introductory consultation, you book and pay for two or more hours’ consultation time with me, because the fee for the introductory consultation will be credited against the cost of the consultation time booked.
It would be nice if everything were free, but I have to pay for my food and shelter just like you do, so I have to place a value on my time and energy. GBP 20 for 20 minutes isn’t a big ask.
The purpose of asking for a token payment up-front is to filter out the ‘tyre-kickers’ seeking a free consultation with no real intention of doing personal growth work. I value my time and the services I provide and working with such people without some form of exchange isn’t a good application of my time or energy, nor does it really serve the person having the free consultation.
Doing lots of unpaid consultations for people who are just looking for a free ride also diverts me from working with people who genuinely want transformation in their lives and are willing to invest time and effort to achieve that. Those are the people I can work most effectively with and they’re also the ones who are a joy to work with.
So requiring a nominal fee for an introductory consultation is a way to deter those people who demand that everything be given to them free of charge. It goes some way to covering the cost of my time for those who genuinely want an introductory chat but then choose not to work with me, and it means they’ve had only minimal outlay to establish that working with me isn’t what they want. And offering a refund to those who do choose to work further with me is a way of retrospectively giving them a free introductory chat and acknowledging their commitment to doing transformational work.