This is the podcast clinic owners listen to when they’re done with gurus, funnels, blueprints, and templates pretending to be strategy. No hacks. No 'proven' 10X systems.
This comes from HMDG. We have worked with more than 1,000 MSK clinics. We see the accounts, the utilisation rates, the failed ideas, the profitable ideas, and the reality behind the noise. We do not deal in theory. We deal in numbers. Most of the industry advice collapses the moment it hits real-world finances.
You get the truth about how clinics actually grow. Why some print money while others burn out. What patient numbers mean once you stop pretending templates can fix capacity problems or that “mindset” builds a business. The idea that a clinic becomes successful because someone journalled harder is fantasy. We talk to people who have actually achieved something. Multi-site owners. True specialists. People with real P&Ls, not testimonial slides about a “life-changing £30k month”.
We break down marketing, pricing, staffing, finance, AI, and operations without pretending there is a magic blueprint that saves everyone. There isn’t. The only thing that works is understanding the fundamentals and executing them properly.
If you want comforting stories, find a guru. If you want the unfiltered reality of running a clinic, you’re in the right place.
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Données mises à jour le 01/10/2026
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The Inside View: Learnings From A Practice Manager
mercredi 30 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:07:16
Overview
This episode takes a different angle. Instead of hearing from another clinic owner, Michael talks to someone who sees the business from the other side of the desk.
Michael sits down with Anne-Kathrin Heuer, a practice manager who has worked in private physiotherapy clinics since 2020. They discuss what really happens behind the scenes, what patients say when the clinicians aren't listening, and why so many clinic owners struggle to let their managers actually manage.
They start with pricing. Anne explains why her first clinic spent years debating a move away from charging more for initial assessments, and how her current clinic made the switch to a flat rate within months of her joining, with no pushback from patients. Michael sets out the numbers behind that decision and explains why pricing against your competitors keeps you stuck in the middle.
The bigger theme running through the episode is trust. Anne and Michael look at why clinic owners delegate responsibility without handing over the authority to go with it, why a good practice manager needs to be able to say no, and why keeping your manager away from the financials limits what they can do for the business. They also cover hiring for personality over clinical ability, the part the reception team plays in patient experience, and the phone call that most clinics get wrong.
Show Notes
Anne's route into practice management
Moving to flat-rate pricing
Why pricing against competitors is a mistake
The biggest mistake clinic owners make with their managers
Delegating responsibility without delegating authority
Why a practice manager needs to be able to say no
The practice manager's role in recruitment
Hiring for personality over clinical ability
What patients say when the clinicians aren't listening
Patient experience and what makes a good reception team
The "how much is an appointment?" phone test
When a clinic should hire a practice manager
Practice managers, revenue and business development
Giving practice managers access to financial data
What You'll Learn
Why moving to flat-rate pricing rarely costs clinics the patients they fear losing
How much revenue the gap between initial and follow-up prices can be costing you
Why your practice manager can't do their job if you won't let go
How to introduce a practice manager to your team so they actually become the first point of contact
Why a manager who says no is more valuable than one who agrees with everything
How a practice manager can add value to recruitment, even without clinical knowledge
Why personality often matters more than the best CV
The small details that shape how patients feel about your clinic
What separates a good receptionist from a great one
How to answer the pricing question on the phone without losing the booking
The questions to ask before hiring a practice manager
Why a practice manager should be commercial, not just operational
Why sharing financial data with your manager builds trust and better decisions
Who This Episode Is For
Clinic owners thinking about hiring a practice manager
Clinic owners who already have a manager but struggle to delegate
Practice managers looking to grow their role
MSK clinic owners reviewing their pricing structure
Clinics looking to improve patient experience and front-desk performance
Anyone interested in how clinics really run day to day
Guest Details
Anne-Kathrin Heuer, Practice Manager
Anne-Kathrin Heuer has worked as a practice manager in private physiotherapy clinics since the start of 2020.
Before moving into the MSK sector, Anne trained as a teacher in Germany, studied applied linguistics in the UK, and worked in training coordination and operations management at a business school and in hospitality management.
She spent six years at a large, established clinic with around 17 to 18 therapists. There she managed a reception team of five, was closely involved in recruitment, and worked alongside the directors on the running of the business. She joined her current, smaller clinic in spring this year.
How Do You Grow a Clinic When Nobody Knows Who You Are? The Power of Relationship Marketing
mercredi 23 septembre 2026 • Durée 43:02
Overview
Part start-up story, part industry conversation, this episode looks at what it really takes to grow a clinic when nobody knows who you are yet.
Michael sits down with Josh Newsom, founder of Ancoats Chiropractic, to talk about opening a clinic just a year after qualifying, building it from scratch, and learning very quickly that getting patients through the door takes more than simply being good clinically.
They get into the changing face of chiropractic, why younger chiropractors are moving towards more evidence-based care, and how Josh has built his clinic around rehab, patient education and a broader MSK approach rather than relying purely on adjustments.
But the bigger theme running through the episode is relationship marketing.
Josh explains how office talks, local businesses, run clubs, referrals, and simply getting out into the community helped grow the clinic when traditional marketing budgets were limited. Michael and Josh explore why these relationships can be one of the most valuable growth tools for a new clinic, especially in the early stages when nobody knows your name yet.
Show Notes
Why Josh opened a clinic so soon after qualifying
The changing reputation of chiropractic
Moving away from adjustment-only models
Combining chiropractic with rehab and MSK care
Educating patients who only want to be adjusted
Bringing physiotherapy into a chiropractic clinic
Why legal and financial advice matters when starting out
Building a clinic with very little marketing budget
Using office talks to generate new patients
Why cold outreach can still work
Building relationships with local businesses
Growing through run clubs and community connections
Turning happy patients into referral sources
Making referrals more personal to individual clinicians
Incentives, bonuses and team performance
Hiring for personality rather than just clinical experience
Jack Howard on Growing a Home Physio Business Without Losing Your Mind
jeudi 17 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:20:15
Overview
Building a physio business sounds great until you realise you are now responsible for absolutely everything.
In this episode, Michael sits down with Jack Howard, founder of Warwickshire Home Physio, to talk honestly about what it has taken to grow the business over the last five years.
They go back to the early days of bad systems, a homemade website, very little structure and a lot of trial and error, before getting into what actually changed as the business grew.
The conversation covers burnout, hiring, working with your partner, moving from clinician to manager, building a team, patient retention, gamifying rehab, and why Jack eventually realised that growing the business meant spending less time treating patients himself.
They also discuss what home physio can teach the wider MSK industry about patient experience, long-term relationships, simple rehabilitation and doing things differently.
Show Notes
Jack’s move from the NHS into private practice
Starting a business with very little commercial experience
The early mistakes behind Spiral Health Physio
Rebranding to Warwickshire Home Physio
Why systems matter as the business grows
Working with your partner and trying to switch off
The reality of burnout and poor work-life balance
Why growth gets harder when you start hiring
Moving from clinician to business owner
What the Private Practice Barometer changed for Jack
Hiring for personality and soft skills
Building structure, supervision and training into the team
Why patient relationships matter so much in home physio
Gamifying rehab without overcomplicating it
Why low-tech rehab can still be highly engaging
Patient retention and the value of small gestures
Standardising the patient journey
Why Jack now spends less time treating patients
Building local relationships and creating organic growth
Richard Higgs: The MSK Clinic Lessons Nobody Teaches You
mercredi 2 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:11:22
About this episode
What does it actually take to open a physiotherapy clinic and make it work?
In this episode, Michael sits down with Richard Higgs, owner of Handforth Physiotherapy and Rehab, to talk through the first seven months of building the clinic.
They cover visibility, location, team development, employed versus self-employed models, mentorship, marketing, patient experience and why clinics need more than one way for patients to enter the business.
They also discuss investing in new services, lifetime value, and why sometimes the biggest lesson is simply backing yourself.
Show Notes
• Richard’s journey from the NHS to clinic ownership • Why a completely full diary is not always a good thing • Choosing a visible clinic location • Naming the business after the local area • Supporting newly qualified clinicians • Building a culture of learning and development • Employed versus self-employed models • Giving clinicians responsibilities beyond treatment • Investing in CPD and protecting the business • Creating a clinic environment people want to be in • Community visibility and local marketing • Why constant promotional posting becomes noise • Meta ads, SEO and AI search • Using WhatsApp to improve patient communication • Building multiple entry points into the clinic • Pilates, massage and specialist services • Understanding lifetime value • Richard’s biggest lessons from opening the clinic • Why every investment should add value • Backing yourself as a clinic owner
What You’ll Learn
• Why visibility matters before any marketing begins • How location and naming can influence growth • Why development and progression can improve retention • How mentorship can work inside a growing clinic • Why employed teams can make culture easier to build• How patient experience extends beyond treatment• Why some marketing works better than others• How specialist services can create new revenue streams• Why lifetime value matters• How to think about investment commercially• Why confidence matters when starting a clinic
Jack Chew Returns: Is MSK Heading in the Wrong Direction?
mardi 25 août 2026 • Durée 01:51:45
About this episode
The MSK industry is full of new technology, new ideas and new ways to sell healthcare. But how much of it genuinely improves patient care, and how much is simply hype?
In this episode, Michael sits down with Jack Chew to discuss longevity medicine, AI, rehabilitation technology, commercial incentives and the future of physiotherapy.
They explore the risks of overtesting, the role of gamification and objective measures, why younger clinicians need better mentorship, and how AI could reshape private practice.
They also discuss professional standards, innovation, the MSK Awards, and why success in healthcare should be measured by more than revenue, clinic size and growth.
Show Notes
• Longevity medicine, preventative healthcare and the risks of over-testing • Technology, screening and the danger of always looking for something to “fix” • Why pain and injury are more complicated than simple biomechanics • Gamification, objective testing and measuring meaningful progress • Why younger clinicians need better mentorship • Commercial KPIs and the pressures facing clinicians in private practice • AI scribes, productivity and what clinics should do with the time they save • How AI could change the future of physiotherapy • Professional standards, regulation and consistency of care across MSK • Why the industry needs better incentives for genuinely good practice • Innovation, treatment styles and unnecessary division within MSK • The MSK Awards and recognising great clinicians, clinics and services • What success should really look like for a clinic owner • Why bigger clinics and higher revenue do not automatically mean better businesses • Innovation across the MSK industry, from software to rehabilitation technology • How Jack’s views on touch and hands-on care have changed over the last decade
What You’ll Learn
• Why preventative healthcare can become problematic when testing creates problems that were never causing symptoms• How technology can be useful without becoming the reason patients are repeatedly treated• Why rehabilitation should focus on meaningful function rather than simply correcting measurements• How gamification can motivate patients when it is tied to the right goals• Why objective testing needs to sit within a much wider clinical picture• Why mentorship is one of the biggest challenges facing early-career clinicians• How commercial incentives can influence the way clinicians assess and treat patients• Why saving clinicians time with AI does not automatically make a clinic more productive• How clinics could use AI-generated productivity gains to improve services, outreach and patient care• Why AI could fundamentally change what patients expect from private physiotherapy• Why the MSK industry needs better incentives for good practice and stronger consequences for poor practice• How professional identity and attachment to specific treatment methods can prevent constructive debate• Why innovation needs to be encouraged rather than automatically criticised• Why a successful clinic does not have to become a large multi-site business• How personal goals, family life and lifestyle should influence the way clinic owners define success• Why profitability matters without needing to become the sole purpose of a healthcare business• Why human touch may remain an important part of physiotherapy even as technology becomes more prominent
What Clinic Owners Get Wrong: A Clinician’s View from Inside the Treatment Room
lundi 13 juillet 2026 • Durée 01:15:19
About this episode
Clinic owners spend a lot of time talking about what clinicians should do better. Far fewer ask clinicians what clinic owners are getting wrong.
In this episode, Michael sits down with osteopath Chloe Gibson to explore what running a clinic looks like from the clinician’s side.
They discuss why self-employed clinicians are often treated like employees without receiving the security or support of employment, why new hires are brought into clinics without enough patient demand, and why mentoring is often too vague, inconsistent or clinically narrow.
They also examine the tension between commercial KPIs and ethical patient care, the role of hands-on treatment, what actually creates patient loyalty, and why patient experience often matters more than clinical credentials.
The conversation also covers work ethic, younger clinicians, business education, technology, difficult patients, gender in MSK healthcare, and why clinic owners may be hiring for the wrong qualities.
Show Notes
• Where clinic owners consistently go wrong • Self-employed clinicians being treated like employees • Why hiring before there is enough patient demand fails • Employment versus contractor models in healthcare • The problem with fragmented clinic systems and expectations • KPIs, rebooking rates and ethical patient care • Hands-on treatment versus exercise-led rehabilitation • Why patient experience matters more than outcomes alone • What makes patients trust and return to a clinician • Hiring for personality, communication and emotional intelligence • Why clinical knowledge is useless without communication skills • Technology, shockwave, force plates and unnecessary investment • What newly qualified clinicians actually need from mentorship • Why business and financial education should be part of clinical training • Work ethic, work-life balance and changing expectations • Managing difficult patients • Reviews, referrals and long-term patient loyalty • Gender, authority and patient preferences in MSK healthcare
HMDG: The Untold Story | Healthcare Businesses and The Female Touch
vendredi 15 mai 2026 • Durée 01:51:38
Overview
Most people see the success story of a business. Very few see what it actually costs to build one.
In this episode, Michael sits down with HMDG co-founder and his fiancée, Hannah, to talk honestly about what building HMDG actually looked like behind the scenes.
Not the polished LinkedIn version. The real version.
From having almost no money and wondering how they were going to pay bills, through to building and selling one of the best-known healthcare marketing businesses in the UK, this episode breaks down the stress, burnout, scaling problems, health scares and emotional pressure that came with it.
They also talk about building a business together as a couple, leadership, female founders in healthcare, selling the company, and why entrepreneurship often feels far less glamorous than people imagine.
Show Notes
• How HMDG actually started • Going from broke to building a million-pound business • Burnout, stress and health problems from scaling • Working together as a couple • Leadership, team culture and managing people • Selling the company and the reality behind exits • Female founders and being underestimated in healthcare • Why business ownership can feel isolating • The emotional pressure of entrepreneurship
What You’ll Learn
• What building a healthcare business really looks like • Why growth often creates more stress, not less • The hidden emotional cost of entrepreneurship • Why systems become critical as businesses scale • What selling a business actually involves • How leadership changes as companies grow • Why luck plays a bigger role than people admit
Who This Episode Is For
• Clinic owners and healthcare founders • Entrepreneurs building service businesses • Couples working together in business • Healthcare professionals considering starting a company • Anyone struggling with stress, burnout or scaling problems
The Revenue Leakage Most Clinics Never Track - With Jared at Coherent Healthcare
lundi 20 avril 2026 • Durée 48:32
Overview
Part honest conversation, part industry insight, this episode explores one of the most misunderstood topics in healthcare: sales.
Most clinics think they have a marketing problem. In reality, many have a follow-up problem. Enquiries come in through forms, phone calls, WhatsApp, social media, and email, but too often nobody really knows what happens next. Patients drift away, systems miss them, and clinics lose revenue without ever spotting where the leakage is happening.
In this episode, Michael sits down with Jared Aron, founder of Coherent, to talk about why sales should not be a dirty word in healthcare. They unpack patient drop-off, recall, reactivation, lead conversion, poor PMS data, and the hidden cost of clunky clinic systems. They also touch on how better visibility tools like the HMDG Capacity Engine (https://capacity.hmdg.co.uk/) and Retention Engine (https://retention.hmdg.co.uk/) can help clinics actually understand what’s going on beneath the surface.
Show Notes
Why sales is misunderstood in healthcare
Jared’s background in clinics and healthcare technology
The idea of patient leakage and where clinics lose people
Why PMS data is often inaccurate or misleading
The gap between medical records and customer records
Why many clinics stop following up too early
How better follow-up improves lead conversion and recall
What healthy inquiry-to-booking conversion can look like
Why poor booking systems create friction and lost revenue
How irrelevant automation trains patients to ignore clinics
Why timing, channel, and relevance matter in patient communication
The real ROI of better follow-up
What You’ll Learn
Why sales in healthcare is really about better follow-up
How clinics lose patients without realising it
Why PMS retention figures can be misleading
What stronger lead handling actually looks like
Clinic Benchmarking Live with Flex Physio
vendredi 6 mars 2026 • Durée 01:25:15
Overview
Part industry analysis, part honest conversation, and a clear reality check for clinic owners who want to know where they actually stand.
Most clinics don’t know what the average physio appointment costs in their region. They don’t know what a good rebooking rate looks like. They don’t know whether their marketing spend, utilisation, or team structure is healthy compared to the rest of the industry.
In this episode, Michael sits down with Alex Kyriacou, co-owner of Flex Physiotherapy, to walk through the results of the Private Practice Barometer, one of the largest benchmarking surveys ever conducted in the MSK industry.
Using data from hundreds of clinics, they compare Flex Physio’s numbers against national benchmarks. From pricing and retention to staffing models, technology, marketing costs, and owner wellbeing, the conversation explores what “normal” actually looks like in private practice.
Show Notes
Why the Private Practice Barometer was created
How Flex Physio grew from satellite clinics to a 13-person practice
Typical physio pricing across the UK and how Flex compares
Admin support, staffing models, and clinician productivity
PAYE vs contractor clinicians and the impact on culture
Utilisation rates: what a healthy diary actually looks like
DNA rates and systems that reduce missed appointments
Rebooking rates and the role of patient trust
Technology in modern clinics: ultrasound, shockwave, and force plates
Understanding patient acquisition cost and marketing spend
Why many clinics lack financial visibility
Scaling vs staying small, and the reality of clinic growth
What You’ll Learn
Why most clinic owners don’t know their true performance benchmarks
How pricing compares across different UK regions
Why raising prices often improves retention
The systems that reduce DNAs and improve rebooking
What a healthy utilisation rate actually looks like
The Patient’s Take: Trust, WhatsApp and Modern Patient Relationships
jeudi 26 février 2026 • Durée 01:29:43
Overview
Most clinics obsess over clinical quality.
Very few audit the experience around it.
In this episode, Michael sits down with Heather, a former agency owner, now AI advisor, and long-term MSK patient, to get an outsider’s perspective on private practice. From first phone calls to follow-up WhatsApp, pricing strategy to practitioner branding, this is an honest look at what patients actually notice.
They explore why “great clinicians” aren’t enough, how small operational details drive referrals, what women in leadership experience differently, and where AI genuinely adds value, without damaging trust.
This is a conversation about business fundamentals, patient psychology, and the uncomfortable truths clinic owners need to hear.
Show Notes
Why patient experience starts before the first appointment
Missed calls, slow callbacks, and operational blind spots
Clean rooms, clear communication, and the details patients actually notice
Why referrals are worth more than retention
The brand vs the practitioner: who do patients stay loyal to?
Boutique clinics vs bigger models, and why women often choose differently
Pricing in a tighter economy: value vs sensitivity
Why most people don’t understand what physios actually do
The opportunity for clinics to replace the lost “family GP” role
Accountants, metrics, and why messy numbers kill leverage
Business coaches, snake oil, and the danger of generic advice
AI in clinics: where it saves time, where it creates risk
Why patients care more about experience than expertise
The difference between price resistance and value resistance
How to think about clinic pricing in uncertain economic times
Why most clinic owners treat the business like a bank account
Podcasts Similaires Basées sur le Contenu
Découvrez des podcasts liées à No Appointment Necessary . Explorez des podcasts avec des thèmes, sujets, et formats similaires. Ces similarités sont calculées grâce à des données tangibles, pas d'extrapolations !
After qualifying as a chiropractor, Josh opened his own clinic within around a year and has spent the last two years building the business, growing the team and developing a more evidence-led approach to chiropractic and rehabilitation.
Much of the clinic’s early growth came through relationships, referrals, local businesses and community connections, an approach that has helped Josh build visibility in a highly competitive Manchester MSK market.
Jack is the founder of Warwickshire Home Physio, a home-based physiotherapy service built around delivering rehabilitation in patients’ own environments.
After leaving the NHS and starting the business during COVID, Jack spent the next five years learning how to move from sole practitioner to business owner.
Today, Warwickshire Home Physio has grown into a wider team, with Jack increasingly focused on management, training, business development and building a more consistent service across the company.
• New and aspiring clinic owners • Physiotherapists considering private practice • Small and growing healthcare businesses • Clinic owners building their first team • Newly qualified clinicians • Anyone interested in the reality of opening a physio clinic
• Clinic owners and healthcare founders • Physiotherapists, osteopaths and other MSK clinicians • Newly qualified and early-career physiotherapists • Clinic managers responsible for performance and clinician development • Healthcare professionals interested in AI and emerging technology • Clinicians interested in rehabilitation, testing and patient experience • Anyone working in or around the private MSK industry • Healthcare professionals questioning where the industry is heading
Guest Details
Jack Chew:
Physiotherapist, founder of Physio Matters, co-creator of Therapy Live and co-owner of Choose Health. Known for calling out nonsense, modernising MSK reasoning and building genuine community initiatives. One of the few voices in MSK willing to say what others won't.
• Why filling a clinician’s diary should begin before they are hired • How contractor models can damage culture, consistency and retention • Why strict KPIs can create poor clinical and commercial decisions • How good communication improves both patient care and revenue • Why patients often decide whether to return within the first few minutes • What effective mentoring should include beyond clinical skills • Why clinicians need to understand business, finance and profitability • How patient experience drives reviews, referrals and repeat business • Why expensive technology does not automatically create a better clinic • What clinic owners should look for when recruiting clinicians • Why long-term profitability usually follows good care rather than aggressive selling
Who This Episode is For
• Clinic owners and healthcare founders • Physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors • Newly qualified and early-career clinicians • Clinic managers responsible for recruitment and performance • Healthcare professionals considering self-employment • Clinicians planning to open their own clinic • Anyone interested in the commercial realities of private healthcare
Guest Details
Chloe Gibson – Osteopath and Personal Trainer
Chloe is an osteopath with a background in personal training. She has worked across a range of private healthcare businesses, from small room-rental clinics to larger multi-site organisations.
Her experience gives her a direct view of the differences between well-run clinics and those that struggle with recruitment, culture, mentorship, patient experience and clinician retention.
Why ROI includes both revenue gained and time saved
Who This Episode Is For
Private practice owners who feel they are losing patients
MSK clinic owners looking to improve conversion and recall
Healthcare businesses frustrated by poor systems and messy data
Practice owners who want growth without being overly salesy
Marketing and growth teams working with clinics
Guest Details
Jared Aron - Founder, Coherent
With a background in clinic leadership, medical devices, and healthcare technology. After seeing how difficult it was for clinics to manage patient drop-off, retention, and recall with existing systems, he founded Coherent to help practices improve revenue by fixing leakage across the patient journey.
Private practice owners who want to benchmark their clinic properly
MSK clinicians thinking about starting or scaling a practice
Clinic owners unsure whether their numbers are “good” or “bad”
Healthcare businesses trying to improve profitability
Practice owners who want clearer strategic decisions
Guest Details
Alex Kyriacou - Co-Owner, Flex Physiotherapy
Alex is a physiotherapist and co-owner of Flex Physiotherapy in Burgess Hill, Sussex. After joining as an associate in 2019, he became part of the leadership team alongside founders Matt Prout and Kieran Barnard.
Flex has grown from small satellite clinics into a multidisciplinary practice with a rehabilitation gym, diagnostics, and a team of more than a dozen staff.
Alongside running the clinic, Alex continues to work full-time in the NHS, giving him a unique perspective on both public and private healthcare systems.
What good financial visibility actually looks like
How to evaluate advisors, consultants, and coaches properly
Where AI genuinely improves efficiency, and where it erodes trust
Why authenticity still wins in an automated world
Who This Episode Is For
Clinic owners who want honest external feedback
MSK practitioners serious about improving patient experience
Leaders thinking about pricing and positioning
Clinics exploring AI tools but unsure where to start
Female clinic owners navigating leadership and growth
Business-minded clinicians who know “being good” isn’t enough
Not For
Owners who believe clinical skill alone drives growth
Clinics unwilling to review their operations honestly
People expecting AI to solve structural business problems
Leaders who don’t want their assumptions challenged
Guest Details
Heather. Founder, The AI Edit
Heather built and sold a UK marketing and PR agency before leading a group of agencies and, more recently, launching The AI Edit, a consultancy focused on helping leaders think clearly about AI and implement it responsibly.
With 25 years in business leadership and a long history as a private MSK patient, she brings a rare dual perspective: commercial operator and healthcare consumer. Her work now focuses on AI fluency, risk awareness, and practical implementation, without hype.