The end of financial year can easily become one giant checklist.

• Update your fees.
• Review payroll.
• Read the latest Fair Work announcements.
• Talk to your accountant.
• Tick the boxes.

and then.....move on.

But what if we're missing one of the biggest opportunities of the year?

In this episode I'm joined by one of my closest friends and long-time business sounding boards, Ngaire Turnbull. Ngaire spent 14 years as a practice owner and comes from a family deeply rooted in small business. Every conversation I have with her leaves me thinking differently about business, and this one was no exception.

Together we unpack why the start of a new financial year is about much more than compliance. It's a chance to pause, reflect and make intentional decisions about the health of your practice, not just financially, but personally as well.

We also have a very honest conversation about something many practice owners experience but rarely admit: the fear, shame and overwhelm that can come when the numbers aren't where you hoped they would be.

If you've ever laid awake wondering how you're going to make everything work, this episode is for you.

• Why EOFY shouldn't just be another checklist.
• The opportunities that come from reflecting on the past 12 months.
• Why so many practice owners avoid looking at their numbers.
• The emotional impact of financial stress in business.
• How knowledge can replace fear and help you make better decisions.
• The financial indicators Ngaire watched most closely throughout the year.
• The importance of tracking the right numbers, but not every number!

Whether you're feeling confident about your numbers or avoiding opening your profit and loss report altogether, I hope this conversation reminds you that you're not alone, and that sometimes the smallest habits create the biggest changes.

If you'd like more practical support around understanding your numbers, creating a financially healthy practice and running your business with both confidence and compassion, I'd love to welcome you into The Connection community.

You can find out more at theconnectionco.com.au.

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar: The New Allied Health Award Changes Explained - 4 August | 10am AEST | Live Online via Zoom

Join me for this free, practical webinar where i'll explain what the changes mean for your practice, what you'll need to do before they take effect, and how to navigate them with confidence (without the legal jargon).

Save your seat to the Webinar here.

Have you ever reached the end of the day and wondered why everything suddenly feels harder than it should? You still love your work. You still care deeply about your clients and your team. But the decisions feel heavier, the motivation isn't quite there, and even the simplest tasks seem to take more effort than they used to.

This episode was inspired by The Cognitive Athlete by Clint Rahe, a book we recently explored in our Connection Book Club. It gave me a completely different way of thinking about the mental demands of running an allied health practice and why so many practice owners are feeling tired, even when they aren't necessarily burnt out.

Sometimes the problem isn't that we need another productivity hack. Sometimes we simply need to recognise that our brains have been working incredibly hard, and they deserve the same care and recovery we would give our bodies.

• Why running an allied health practice creates an enormous cognitive load
• The difference between physical tiredness and cognitive fatigue
• Why many practice owners mistake fatigue for a lack of discipline or productivity
• What elite athletes can teach us about preparation, performance and recovery
• The importance of recognising the different seasons of business and leadership
• A simple question that helps cut through the overwhelm: "If I could only work for two hours today, what would I choose to work on?"
• Why recovery isn't something we earn after finishing the work, it's part of doing meaningful work well.

One of the biggest lessons this book gave me was recognising that I spend a lot of time intentionally managing my business, but not nearly enough time intentionally managing myself.

As practice owners, we often expect ourselves to think clearly, make great decisions and perform at a high level every single day. But just because we can keep going doesn't mean we should.

Maybe the answer isn't squeezing more into our day. Maybe it's creating more opportunities to recover before we reach the point where everything starts to feel flat.

If this episode leaves you with one thought, I hope it's this:

You're not failing. You might simply be cognitively tired.

Giving yourself permission to recover isn't selfish... it might just be one of the most important leadership decisions you make.

Thank you so much for listening. If this conversation resonated with you, I'd love to invite you to learn more about The Connection, our membership for allied health practice owners. It's a place to connect, learn, reflect and remember that you don't have to navigate practice ownership on your own.

You can find out more and explore our free resources at https://theconnectionco.com.au

When Fair Work recently announced upcoming wage increases, I noticed something interesting.

There seemed to be two common responses. Some practice owners went very quiet, while others felt relatively unaffected because they already pay above award wages.

As I sat with it, I realised there was a bigger conversation to be had.

In this episode, I'm sharing three of the biggest mistakes I've made over my 20 years as a practice owner when it comes to pay rises, remuneration, and leading a team.

These aren't payroll mistakes or compliance issues. They're leadership lessons I've learned, sometimes the hard way, about balancing care for my team with care for the health of the business.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why I used to think a pay rise was the only way to recognise and reward someone
• What I've learned about the difference between recognition and remuneration
• How avoiding difficult conversations can create more stress for everyone involved
• The importance of understanding the numbers before making people decisions
• How pay rises impact far more than just wages
• Finding the balance between leading with heart and leading with sustainability
• Why being a good employer doesn't mean saying yes to everything

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that good intentions don't pay wages. Healthy businesses pay wages.

This episode is an invitation to step back, look at the bigger picture, and think about how you're approaching pay rises, recognition, leadership and business sustainability in your own practice.

As you're listening, I encourage you to think about:

• If money is only one part of the equation, what other opportunities for growth and recognition can you offer your team?
• Is there a conversation you're avoiding because you're worried about disappointing someone?
• Are you making people decisions with both your heart and your numbers?
• If you say yes to a pay rise, what might you need to say no to elsewhere in the business?

If you'd like more support navigating the challenges of practice ownership, I'd love to welcome you into our community.

You can learn more about The Connection Co and the Allied Health Connection membership at:

The Connection Co

Because building a good allied health practice isn't about choosing between smart and heart. It's about bringing both together

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar: The New Allied Health Award Changes Explained - 4 August | 10am AEST | Live Online via Zoom

Join me for this free, practical webinar where i'll explain what the changes mean for your practice, what you'll need to do before they take effect, and how to navigate them with confidence (without the legal jargon).

Save your seat to the Webinar here.

I have tried a lot of systems, apps, and tools in my time as a practice owner. Some have promised me productivity bliss, but most ended up as clutter on my phone. So in this episode, I'm sharing the five tools that genuinely work for me. These are the ones that suit how my brain works, that help me connect with my team, stay organised, and actually get things done.

Here's what I covered in this episode:

• Why I finally stopped trying to make phone-only apps work for me
• The key questions I ask before adopting any new tool
• My favourite walkie-talkie-style app that helps me connect with my team and clients (without the email overload) - https://www.voxer.com/
• A visual, structure-loving-but-not-rigid person's app for daily planning - https://www.tiimoapp.com/
• The clinic communication tool that took us out of email chaos and into calm - https://connecteam.com/
• A project manager that helps me brain dump and plan big things - https://clickup.com/
• My old faithful for storing and finding all the things (even if you're a dump-and-dasher) - https://drive.google.com/drive/

Takeaways:

• The right tools are the ones that reduce mental load, not add to it
• You don’t need the fanciest system, just one that works with your brain, your energy, and your current stage of business
• If a tool feels like homework, it's not the right one for you
• Ask yourself: Does this live where I already work? Will it make things easier or harder? Do I really have the capacity to build a new habit right now?
• Remember to check out the Busy Blind Spot Quiz to get insight on how you're currently approaching work https://theconnectionco.com.au/resources/

Thanks for listening! I hope this episode helps you feel a little more confident choosing the right supports for your workday. If you’ve found a tool that fits you perfectly, I’d genuinely love to hear about it.

And if you’re looking for more support and connection in your practice journey, come join us at The Connection Co! We are here to make things easier for you. https://theconnectionco.com.au/membership/

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar: The New Allied Health Award Changes Explained - 4 August | 10am AEST | Live Online via Zoom

Join me for this free, practical webinar where i'll explain what the changes mean for your practice, what you'll need to do before they take effect, and how to navigate them with confidence (without the legal jargon).

Save your seat to the Webinar here.

Have you ever had that moment where you're sitting at your desk surrounded by Post-it notes, printer problems, and unfinished progress notes and thought, "Hang on, this is a lot more than being a therapist"? Yep, me too. In this episode, I take you back to when I first started my practice (hi, baby Ruby in the pram!) and share the very real realisation that we wear way more hats than we ever signed up for.

In this episode, I chat about:

• The funny but accurate concept of an "entrepreneurial seizure" from The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
• Understanding the three roles every business owner juggles: technician, manager, and entrepreneur
• Why we spend too much time in our safe, comfy clinician zone (and what that costs us)
• What happens when the entrepreneur hat stays hidden in the cupboard
• Practical ways to carve out time and space for managing and growing your practice
• Giving yourself permission to grow (without tying it to being even more busy!)

Reflections & Takeaways:

This episode is all about recognising where you're spending your time, and whether it's where you need to be. Technician, manager, entrepreneur: they’re all crucial roles, but most of us cling to our clinical roots while the business side of things quietly frays around the edges. The moment we start to truly own our business owner identity? That’s when things shift.

Remember: you don’t have to grow a big team. You don’t have to step away from clients entirely. But you do deserve calm, clarity, and support. And that means building systems, carving out CEO time, and embracing all the hats (even if they’re a bit uncomfortable at first).

If you’re feeling like the technician role is taking over your world, I hope this episode gave you some practical ways to step into your manager and entrepreneur shoes a little more often. And if you need help doing that, come join us inside The Connection...it's the place where we work on these things together... Smart with Heart!

You can learn more here: https://theconnectionco.com.au

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar: The New Allied Health Award Changes Explained - 4 August | 10am AEST | Live Online via Zoom

Join me for this free, practical webinar where i'll explain what the changes mean for your practice, what you'll need to do before they take effect, and how to navigate them with confidence (without the legal jargon).

Save your seat to the Webinar here.

If you are juggling school holidays, sick kids, and a business that never seems to switch off, you are so not alone. In this episode, I recorded mid-school-holidays (with one grumpy child off with Dad!), I'm unpacking what it really takes to get rest when you're a practice owner.

After 19 years in business, I still sometimes get this wrong. I block out the holidays in my calendar, but I forget to actually plan for them. And what ends up happening is a half-switched-off, half-working juggle that leaves no one feeling like they've had a proper break.

So today is all about taking a REAL holiday. Not the kind with tinsel and tension or school holidays that feel like a logistical headache. I'm talking about the kind of break where your soul says yes, your laptop stays closed, and no one asks you for toast every three minutes.

In this episode, I share:

• Why practice owners struggle to switch off on holidays
• The frantic pre-holiday energy (you know the one... 117 tasks before Friday!)
• What actually makes a break feel like a real break
• The importance of energetic boundaries before and after a holiday
• How to prep your team (or yourself if you're solo!)
• Tips like the fake start date, the holiday FAQ, and the single point of contact
• Why "no new projects" is your new holiday mantra
• What to do when you come back so you don’t feel punished for taking a break
• And why it’s okay (essential, even) to book that pastry-and-a-book moment

Real holidays don’t just happen. They take intention and planning, not just of the calendar logistics, but of our mindset. I want you to feel like you got a break, not just your business. That means buffers before and after, boundaries, and giving yourself full permission to be a human who needs rest.

Thanks for being here. If this episode resonated, feel free to share it with a friend who needs the reminder too. You can learn more about how to connect with me and join our beautiful community over at theconnectionco.com.au.

Want my freebie download??

I’ve made you a little freebie: a "Real Holiday Prep Checklist" just for practice owners. Send us an email and we'll get it over to you [email protected]

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar: The New Allied Health Award Changes Explained - 4 August | 10am AEST | Live Online via Zoom

Join me for this free, practical webinar where i'll explain what the changes mean for your practice, what you'll need to do before they take effect, and how to navigate them with confidence (without the legal jargon).

Save your seat to the Webinar here.

I’m really glad you’re here because today’s episode hits that place many of us settle into without even realising... a quiet burnout. Enough to feel tired, a little despondent, maybe like you’ve lost your spark. I had Nicole de la Perelle from Encourage OT on, and together we lean into what burnout actually looks like.. its early whispers, and what we, especially as practice owners, can do before it becomes the roar. This one’s honest, hopeful, and full of practical stuff.

• Breaking down what burnout really is: exhaustion, cynicism/negativity, and reduced professional efficacy.
• Nicole's own journey into recognising burnout (thanks to an art therapist) and how hard it was to admit.
• Common myths & misconceptions in allied health: such as it’s all-or-nothing (you’re burnt out or you’re fine), it’s a personal failing (“if only I worked harder or was better”) and generational myths (“Millennials/Gen Z are soft” etc.)
• The stages of burnout, from early warning (“whispers”) to full burnout, and how often we mislabel those early stages.
• The factors beyond hours & caseload that contribute: job demands vs resources, workplace culture, feeling heard/seen, connection, supervision/mentorship, recognition.
• Isolation: even people surrounded by clients or in teams can feel isolated, especially if they're the only one doing certain tasks or working remotely / alone.
• What practice owners can stop doing to reduce burnout risk in their teams!!! Such as being defensive about feedback, waiting until something is “big” before acting, and ignoring small boundary creep
• What practice owners (and individuals) can start/keep doing, such as leaning into small changes: firm boundaries, carving out time for connection, rest, hobbies or small joy things, making connection points in the workplace: team lunches, welfare sessions, being intentional about checking in
• Recognising that rest (weekends, holidays) shouldn't feel like the only way to recover — if you need those just to make it through, something is off.

Metaphors that stuck:

• “Whisper” vs “scream” stages of burnout
• Firefly: glowing by gathering from environment, turning on/off light, sustaining glow
• Pouring from an empty cup vs pouring from overflow

Thanks for going through this one with us. If anything here hit home... maybe you thought, “Yeah, that’s me… and I’ve dismissed it too long” , then this is your moment to lean in. Try one small shift this week: maybe it’s a boundary, maybe it’s checking in with someone, maybe it's re‑instating that team lunch spot.

If you want more support, Nicole’s work is GOLD! And if you ever need someone to bounce ideas off, reach out. You are not alone in this, and you do deserve to feel connected, supported, and less burdened.

• Sydney Burnout Measure. https://www.naturallywith.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Sydney-Burnout-Measure-Questionnaire.pdf
• Utrecht Work Engagement Scale https://www.wilmarschaufeli.nl/tests/
• Job Resources and Demands Model https://www.wilmarschaufeli.nl/publications/Schaufeli/476.pdf And application in practice to NDIS space (as an interesting read!) https://nds.org.au/images/events/Banners_2022/BETA_NDIS_Workforce_Findings_Webinar_slides.pdf
• 5 Language of Appreciation at Work book https://www.appreciationatwork.com/books/5-languages-appreciation-workplace/

• Mentoring and supervision: https://encourageot.com/
• Burnout Course: https://encourageot.com/course/
• Workplace training: https://encourageot.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar: The New Allied Health Award Changes Explained - 4 August | 10am AEST | Live Online via Zoom

Join me for this free, practical webinar where i'll explain what the changes mean for your practice, what you'll need to do before they take effect, and how to navigate them with confidence (without the legal jargon).

Save your seat to the Webinar here.

If you've ever laid awake at night wondering whether to give a team member a pay rise, and how on earth to afford it, this episode is for you. It’s a topic that comes up all the time in my mentoring sessions and inside The Connection Co. membership, so I wanted to get honest about what really happens when we start increasing wages without a clear plan. Spoiler alert: I’ve made all the mistakes.

In this episode, I chat about the sometimes tricky, often heartfelt process of giving pay rises in a way that honours both your values and the financial reality of running a business. There’s no dry Fair Work lecture here, just real talk, some gentle truths.

• The first uncomfortable truth about pay rises: the money has to come from somewhere (and no, it’s not Monopoly money)
• The three buckets that pay rises can come out of—profit, your own wage, or practice expenses—and why all three can cause resentment if not managed well
• How to avoid generosity becoming self-sabotage
• What to consider when deciding how much to increase a wage
• Why you need to be clear about whether a pay rise is a thank you for past work or a carrot for future expectations
• The importance of balancing your nice-boss heart with your business-owner brain
• A great little calculation: the wage to income ratio, what it is, how to work it out, and what it can tell you
• Why clarity and communication with your team is just as important as the dollars on the payslip

• Pay rises are not just a lovely gesture, they’re ongoing financial commitments that must be backed by a sustainable plan
• You can be both generous and responsible, those two things aren’t mutually exclusive
• Clear communication about wage levels, award rates, and business sustainability can save everyone from future misunderstandings
• Checking your team’s wage to income ratios can help you make smarter, values-aligned wage decisions
• It’s okay to pause. You don’t have to say yes to every request out of guilt or fear

If you’re currently wrestling with whether (or how) to give a pay rise, I hope this episode has helped you feel less alone and more equipped. The balance between looking after your team and looking after your business is a delicate one, but you can absolutely do both.

I’ve also created a free fact sheet to walk you through the wage to income ratio—what it is, how to calculate it, and what it means for your team. You can download it over at theconnectionco.com.au on the podcast page.

Thanks for being here—I’m so grateful to share this journey with you.

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar: The New Allied Health Award Changes Explained - 4 August | 10am AEST | Live Online via Zoom

Join me for this free, practical webinar where i'll explain what the changes mean for your practice, what you'll need to do before they take effect, and how to navigate them with confidence (without the legal jargon).

Save your seat to the Webinar here.

What if you train them... and they leave?

Hi lovely ones. Today’s episode touches a nerve that so many of us feel as practice owners: that sting when you’ve trained someone, invested your time, heart and energy, and then… they leave. Ouch.

It’s one of the most vulnerable parts of leading a team. And it’s also where we often freeze up, unsure of whether to keep backing our people or retreating to protect ourselves. But here’s the thing: not training your team comes with its own big risks too.

So in this episode, I’m getting honest about the fear behind training (and re-training), why I built a long-game training culture at Health Nest, and how that recently led to us winning a very special award (trophy and all!). But I’m also sharing the behind-the-scenes missteps, false starts, and very human reality of building something like this in a busy allied health practice.

In this episode, I talk about:

• The old-but-golden quote that changed how I think about training
• The real cost of not training your team (and no one warns you about it)
• What we actually do at Health Nest – our 12-month onboarding, daily planning, mentoring, and values time
• Why we ditched the word “supervision” in favour of “mentoring”
• Building a culture of grace (because learning doesn’t happen overnight)
• The messiness behind the systems – and why that’s totally normal
• How to start small if you’re not there yet
• Why supporting your team, even if they leave, is still a legacy

Some takeaways from this chat:

• Training is more than teaching skills – it’s living your practice values.
• Yes, people might leave… but they might also stay, flourish, and become your leaders.
• It’s okay if your systems aren’t perfect. It’s okay if you have to cancel mentoring for the third week in a row. You’re not doing it wrong... you’re doing it real.
• You don’t need a 10-module program to start. A checklist and one honest conversation can go a long way.
• Building a training culture is iterative. It grows just like your team does – one awkward, wonderful step at a time.

Thanks for being here with me.

Whether you’re in the early days of figuring this out, or you've already built something you're proud of.. I see you. And I hope this episode helps you feel less alone in the mess and magic of it all.

If it landed for you, feel free to share it with a friend or leave a review... it really helps other practice owners find the podcast. You can also learn more about our Allied Health community over at theconnectionco.com.au.

Until next time, keep building your good allied health practice.

Much love,

Amy

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar: The New Allied Health Award Changes Explained - 4 August | 10am AEST | Live Online via Zoom

Join me for this free, practical webinar where i'll explain what the changes mean for your practice, what you'll need to do before they take effect, and how to navigate them with confidence (without the legal jargon).

Save your seat to the Webinar here.

It happens quietly and often without fanfare: the allied health blog that once had so much promise slowly... fizzles. In this episode, I’m diving into the common pitfalls that cause blogs to lose steam (no shame here... I've been there too!) and how you can revive yours with purpose, consistency, and some practical tweaks.

Blogging might feel like a slow burn, but it’s one of the most powerful, cost-effective tools we have in allied health to build trust, show our human-ness, and help the right clients find us. Whether your blog is gathering dust or you’ve never started one, there’s something here for you.

In this episode, I talk about:

Why blogging is still one of the most powerful tools for your practice

I share why blogging continues to be a quiet achiever when it comes to growing your practice. It's cost-effective, builds your visibility, shows off your gorgeous expertise (without shouting), and gently builds trust with both clients and referrers. Whether you're trying to grow your client base, shift into a new service model, or just want to be more “findable” online, a good blog can work hard in the background for you, without needing a big marketing budget.

What causes blogs to fizzle

Let’s be honest, most of us start our blogs with all the good intentions, but somewhere along the way, they lose momentum. I unpack the very normal reasons this happens, like inconsistent posting, writing for the wrong audience, going too broad with topics, or not knowing what to do after you hit publish. No guilt here... just a chance to notice what’s getting in the way and what small changes could make blogging feel more doable (and maybe even fun) again.

Key takeaways and reflections:

• Blogs fizzle out for very normal reasons—you're not alone.
• Think smaller: narrow topics are more digestible and helpful.
• Write like a human, not like a textbook (ditch the jargon).
• Frequency matters, but consistency matters more.
• You don’t have to do it all solo—get help with writing, uploading, or promotion.
• A good blog builds trust, grows your reach, and gives your marketing some much-needed legs.

If you’re feeling the nudge to dust off your blog or finally start one, I’ve got you. Inside my membership, we just ran a booster shot week on starting a blog... where we explored purpose, ideal readers, picked topics, and wrote our first blog post together. If you’re craving structure, encouragement, and community around running your practice, come and join us.

Thanks for being here with me, I'm incredibly grateful you're part of this community. If you found this episode helpful, please send it to a friend who might need the gentle nudge too.

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar: The New Allied Health Award Changes Explained - 4 August | 10am AEST | Live Online via Zoom

Join me for this free, practical webinar where i'll explain what the changes mean for your practice, what you'll need to do before they take effect, and how to navigate them with confidence (without the legal jargon).

Save your seat to the Webinar here.