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Overview
What actually makes a clinic memorable?
In this episode, Michael is joined by Jason from Body Logics to talk about how he has grown the business from a small sports massage setup into four clinics delivering around 1,500 appointments a month.
A big part of the conversation is about what happens beyond the treatment room.
Jason talks about why he openly shares the P&L with his team, how he links progression to performance and patient feedback, and why he wants every person in the clinic to understand how the business actually works.
They also get into patient experience, reviews, referrals and Jason’s idea of turning patients into fans rather than simply trying to retain them.
There’s also plenty on the numbers behind the business, including self-funded versus insurance patients, retention, patient value, service mix, capacity and how Clinic Signal helps him see what is really going on across the clinics.
Show Notes
What You’ll Learn
Who This Episode Is For
Guest Details
Jason Dodd - Owner, Body Logics
Jason is the owner of Body Logics, a group of four clinics based in North London.
After leaving a career in teaching, Jason took over the original Body Logics business and has since grown it from a small sports massage setup into a multi-site clinic delivering around 1,500 appointments a month.
His approach centres around transparency, patient experience and building a team that understands both the clinical and commercial sides of the business.
Jason is also focused on expanding Body Logics into a broader multidisciplinary model, while continuing to use patient feedback, team performance and business data to guide how the clinics grow.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
Overview
How many decisions are you making in your clinic based on what you think is happening?
In this episode, Michael is joined by Ewan Ross from ER Physiotherapy to look at what changes when you stop relying on gut feel and start using the numbers properly.
They get into the data Ewan actually uses to run the business, from revenue and utilisation to rebooking, cancellations, demand, team performance and marketing return, and how those numbers influence decisions around hiring, pricing and growth.
A big part of the conversation focuses on Clinic Signal and how having everything in one place has helped Ewan spot problems earlier, understand where the clinic has capacity, benchmark performance and make decisions with a lot more confidence.
They also cover recall, room occupancy, service mix, insurance work and why one bad week does not necessarily mean the business is heading in the wrong direction.
Show Notes
What You’ll Learn
Who This Episode Is For
Guest Details
Ewan Ross - Founder, ER Physiotherapy
Ewan Ross is the founder of ER Physiotherapy in Aberdeen.
After starting out as a solo practitioner, Ewan has grown the business into a team of 10 with its own clinic space and a growing reputation in sports physiotherapy.
ER Physiotherapy has also worked with major sporting organisations and events including Rogue Fitness and the Rogue Invitational, supporting some of the world’s leading strength and CrossFit athletes.
Alongside the clinical side of the business, Ewan has developed a strong focus on the numbers behind the clinic, using data around demand, utilisation, team performance, marketing and patient behaviour to guide how ER Physiotherapy grows.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
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
What You'll Learn
Who This Episode Is For
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.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
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
What You’ll Learn
Who This Episode Is For
Guest Details
Josh Newsom - Founder, Ancoats Chiropractic
Josh Newsom is the founder of Ancoats Chiropractic in Manchester.
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.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
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
What You’ll Learn
Who This Episode Is For
Guest Details
Jack Howard - Founder, Warwickshire Home Physio
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.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
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
Who This Episode is For
• 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
Guest Details
Richard Higgs – Clinical Director and Owner, Handforth Physiotherapy and Rehab
Richard is a physiotherapist with around 15 years of experience across the NHS and private practice.
After running a smaller physiotherapy business from a single treatment room, he opened Handforth Physiotherapy and Rehab in East Cheshire.
His approach focuses on visibility, patient experience, clinician development and building a clinic where both the team and the business can grow.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
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
Who This Episode is For
• 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.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
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
What You’ll Learn
• 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.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
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
Guest Details
Hannah Humphries – Co-Founder & Managing Director, HMDG
Originally trained as a physiotherapist, Hannah co-founded HMDG and helped grow it into one of the UK’s leading healthcare marketing businesses.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
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
What You’ll Learn
Who This Episode Is For
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.
Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.
Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100
From the publisher's feed
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…
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.