This was a great chat with Jess, who I was lucky enough to teach in my first ever year of teaching back at WSU. Jess and I catch up on what she has been doing in the meantime & it sounds like an awesome journey. From Arizona State University to working at Google and all of the lessons along the way - this is a fantastic episode and a must listen for anyone keen on how translational the S&C skillset really is!

Jess' bio & links:

Jess De Silva is a Performance Coach for EXOS @ Google, specialising in bridging the gap between research and practice across various populations. While her day-to-day focuses on corporate performance, Jess brings a robust history of hands-on athletic experience, including leading the S&C program for the Sydney University American Football Club (U20's and Men's). A dedicated professional with a Master’s degree in Strength and Conditioning and experience interning at Arizona State University, Jess is uniquely positioned to discuss adaptable, evidence-based training methods.

LinkedIn - Jess De Silva

Instagram - @jess_desilva 

This was a fantastic chat with emily about this paper (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40987621/), which was a mediation analysis of a previous trial (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30808666/). Emily was the lead author and walks us through what mediation is and why it is important for clinical trials, what this study found, what it means for clinical practice, and what is next!

Emily and I get into some great discussion around relevant clinical strategies that can be derived from this paper (and other relevant literature) as well as some healthy banter along the way.

This episode is a great listen & make sure to keep posted for a follow up ep that we talk about toward the end!

Emily's bio & where to find her:

Emily Walker is a PhD candidate at UNSW and Neuroscience Research Australia, using process evaluation to explore patient-led goal setting and pain science education for people with chronic low back pain. She also spends her time reading about social determinants of pain, health equity, and critical qualitative approaches to health research. Clinically, she works as an exercise physiologist in a multidisciplinary clinic, mainly supporting people with musculoskeletal concerns. She is also an Associate Lecturer at UNSW, where she is involved in subjects on research methods, musculoskeletal health, and special populations.

Insta: emwalker_exphys 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-walker-exphys/

Blue Sky: emwalkerexphys.bsky.social

I was fortunate to sit down with Soph and chat all things Telehealth. Soph's bio below shows exactly why you should tune into this chat! There are some absolute gems of advice in here about how to get set up and navigate the online space! I will definitely be having Soph back on to talk more about her research so stay tuned for another chat :)

Soph's Bio:

Soph is a queer, Autistic/ADHD woman living andworking on Wiradjuri country (Wagga Wagga). She is an APA Titled Pain Physiotherapist, Pain Revolution Local Pain Educator & Mentor, and Clinical Director of Vive Pain & Fatigue, a niche telehealth practice established to support those living with complex persistent pain, chronic fatigue, and invisible illnesses. Soph is also a researcher and current PhD candidate, with interests spanning pain and fatigue management, health equity, rural health, neurodivergence,psychologically-informed care, and suicide prevention within physiotherapy. An experienced educator and speaker, Soph has presented nationally and internationally, including invited lectures for the Australian Physiotherapy Association, the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta, and University ofLondon (City). Her expertise has also been recognised with invited presentations at both the 2025 Global Ehlers-Danlos Conference and the 2025 Australian Pain Society Conference. In her spare time she also hosts a podcast, Beyond Pain & Fatigue.

@vivepainandfatigue

This was a great chat with Nathan who is the current Strength & Power coach at the St George Dragons & leads Strength-IQ. In his spare time, he is also doing a PhD - so you can imagine, we had a lot to talk about. Nathan talks us through his experience in elite sport from the NRL to the NBA and his lessons along the way. There is some cool chat about interpreting research and statistics, which is extremely valuable for coaches, clinicians, and students. Get around it and have a listen!

You can find Nathan's bio below, and learn more about him at the following links (be sure to follow him, the stuff he puts out on Linkedin is top shelf!)

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-spencer-a6856299/

Instagram: @performancecoach_spencer

Nathan' bio:

Nathan Spencer is a Strength & Power Coach and PhDcandidate whose career spans over a decade in elite sport both internationally and domestically. He has coached and consulted in the NRL, NBA, and Olympic pathways, with a focus on strength and power diagnostics, velocity-based training, and applied sports science. Nathan is currently Strength & Power Coach at the St George Illawarra Dragons and leads Strength-IQ, a consultancy dedicated to helping coaches and organisations gain clarity in athlete performance through diagnostics-driven prescription. His research explores mentoring and coach pedagogy, aiming to design evidence-based frameworks that support thenext generation of strength and conditioning professionals.

This was a very insightful chat with Amelia Yarwood, a Learning Success Advisor from USYD. In this podcast we chat all things communication, tricky clinical scenarios, and the complexity of navigating complex clinical communication. This is the episode I would have loved to listen to as an undergrad prior to going on my clinical placements - but there are also so many great insights in here for established clinicans also. Be sure to give this one a listen!

Amelia's bio:

Amelia Yarwood is annexperienced Learning Success Advisor of 7 years. She currently works at the University of Sydney where she supports students' academic success through workshops and 1:1 consultations. Amelia works closely with Allied Health students and has been responsible for delivering clinical communication workshops for disciplines with the Faculty of Medicine and Health since 2023.

This was a great opportunity to sit down with Scarlett to chat about her experiences as a new grad EP in rural settings. I had the privledge of teaching Scarlett only a year ago and she always had brilliant insights and a bunch of experience - so when I heard she was working in rural settings I was very excited to pick her brain. This was a great chat and I hope you all enjoy!

Scarlett's bio:

"I am a 2024 graduate of the University of New South Waleswith a Bachelor of Exercise Physiology, awarded with distinction. During mystudies, I completed part of my practical placement in rural New South Wales, which led me to my current role as an Accredited Exercise Physiologist serving Dubbo and the Central West. Over the past eight months, I’ve had the opportunity to apply and refine the skills I developed at university across a diverse range of clients. In addition to my work as an Exercise Physiologist, Ialso work as a Personal Trainer. I’m passionate about supporting both general and clinical populations to challenge themselves and achieve their health and performance goals."

This was a great chat with Kate about her experience working in hospital settings as well as her PhD and MRes research. Kate shares an abundance of insights in this episode about clinical work, research, placements, and much more. This was also just a genuinely fun chat where I learned a lot about so be sure to check this one out!

About Kate and where you can follow her work:

Kate is a clinician scientist with a background in cardiopulmonary exercise physiology and critical care nursing. She is currently pursuing a PhD to understand how exercise testing can uncover clues about why people become breathless. Kate has over a decade of experience working in the Australian public healthcare system, taking on roles across the entire spectrum of clinical acuity, including emergency, clinical trials, and outpatient rehabilitation.

Twitter and BlueSky: @physiologistk8

’Effects of intensity and training on cardiovascular responses to the Valsalva manoeuvre’ in Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology

This was a great chat with PhD candidate, Yannick Gilyani. Yannick walks us through Process Evaluation, which is something that may not be super familiar as it is emerging in the exercise/pain space. But, if you have ever read a clinical trial and wondered how this may replicate in your clinic or, what the elements you need to 'extract' from that trial to achieve the same (or better) effect this episode is for you! Please see Yannick's bio below:

Yannick is a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia in the Centre for Pain IMPACT. Yannick’s research interests include complex pain conditions, investigating treatment mechanisms, understanding the lived experiences in the healthcare system, and translating research into practice. For his PhD, he is conducting a process evaluation of the MEMOIR trial for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome to optimise and translate mechanistic and experiential findings into clinical practice and policy. Yannick has experience working clinically as an Accredited Exercise Physiologist with young people in the mental health space. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf, rock climbing, cooking and live music.

This was a huge episode with someone I have connected with online for quite some time now, Justin Martino, DPT. Before I intro this episode and Justin, the audio got a little spotty in the first 5mins, but we sorted it and the rest was back to normal audio quality.

In this ep, we set out to chat exercise and mental health, which we did... but we also covered much more. We chatted about the psychosocial side of pain, siloed research, BJJ, pragmatic exercise options in the context of pain management, and of course all about Justin's journey to where he is today. In the context of mental health and exercise, Justin takes us through the evidence and some breadcrumbs as to how we can set out to engage people we are working with in this exercise in meaningful and achievable ways. Justin is a full-time clinician (see below) but also puts out some great research in really cool areas and at the end of the episode gives some insight to what he is currently working one.

This was an absolute pleasure to record, and I highly encourage everyone to check this one out - there are a tonne of golden nuggets in there from Justin.

Justin's Bio:

"Justin Martino is an outpatient orthopedic physical therapist with Duke University Health System in Durham, North Carolina in the United States. He emphasizes evidence-based care and shared decision-making to empower patients through movement optimism—helping them recognize their body’s resilience and the benefits of conservative care.

He earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from High Point University in 2024 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Wake Forest University in 2019.

When he's not at work or doing research, Justin enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and goldendoodle, Brazilian jiu jitsu, lifting weights, and cooking."

Research discussed by Justin:

⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35416941/ ⁠

⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36731907/⁠

⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38355154/⁠

⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34398577/⁠

⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36369663/⁠

⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33497853/

This was a huge episode with someone I have connected with online for quite some time now, Justin Martino, DPT. Before I intro this episode and Justin, the audio got a little spotty in the first 5mins, but we sorted it and the rest was back to normal audio quality.

In this ep, we set out to chat exercise and mental health, which we did... but we also covered much more. We chatted about the psychosocial side of pain, siloed research, BJJ, pragmatic exercise options in the context of pain management, and of course all about Justin's journey to where he is today. In the context of mental health and exercise, Justin takes us through the evidence and some breadcrumbs as to how we can set out to engage people we are working with in this exercise in meaningful and achievable ways. Justin is a full-time clinician (see below) but also puts out some great research in really cool areas and at the end of the episode gives some insight to what he is currently working one.

This was an absolute pleasure to record, and I highly encourage everyone to check this one out - there are a tonne of golden nuggets in there from Justin.

Justin's Bio:

"Justin Martino is an outpatient orthopedic physical therapist with Duke University Health System in Durham, North Carolina in the United States. He emphasizes evidence-based care and shared decision-making to empower patients through movement optimism—helping them recognize their body’s resilience and the benefits of conservative care.  

He earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from High Point University in 2024 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Wake Forest University in 2019. 

When he's not at work or doing research, Justin enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and goldendoodle, Brazilian jiu jitsu, lifting weights, and cooking."

Research discussed by Justin:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35416941/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36731907/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38355154/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34398577/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36369663/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33497853/