In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce sits down with Ezra an occupational therapist and small practice owner who’s committed to doing leadership differently. Ezra’s service supports clients across mental health and disability, and she’s actively mentoring both a new grad and early-career OT.

With strong values and a reflective approach, she’s created a workplace where learning is intentional and supervision is embedded not tacked on. But as the business grows, so do the demands. Ezra is navigating the reality of holding others, managing her own caseload, and leading a service all while asking, what does sustainable leadership actually look like?

We explore:

Supporting early career therapists in real, sustainable ways

Building rhythms and systems that reduce mental load

Honouring psychological safety and emotional wellbeing

Supervision, reflection, and protecting your own growth as a leader

Key takeaways

Supporting early career therapists takes structure, not just availability

Supervision and reflection need protected time not just good intentions

Sustainable systems must support the leader too

Psychological safety matters for clients and clinicians

Mentioned in this episode

Michelle Bihari – Supervision & Leadership Resources

Client Snapshot Tool - download here

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia

Supporting occupational therapists and allied health professionals to build confidence, clarity, and connection through mentoring, supervision, workshops, and The OT Coach Academy.

If this conversation resonated with you and you’d like support through supervision, business mentoring, or leadership development, visit www.theotcoach.au to explore how The OT Coach Australia can support you.

To express interest in being featured on a future episode of OT Coaching Confidential, apply at www.theotcoach.au/podcast-1 

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce Svensk shares a real mentoring conversation with Kane - a thoughtful OT who has transitioned from paediatric clinical work into supervision and management. Together, they unpack what it looks like to support early-career therapists, hold professional boundaries, and navigate the realities of leadership in private practice.

Kane reflects on finding balance between helping and over-helping, how to manage reports and proofing while still seeing clients, and the art of having tricky conversations with clarity and care. This conversation explores the real learning curve of supervision. How to lead with purpose, support growth without losing yourself in the process, and keep your work grounded in empathy and reflection.

You’ll Hear About

• The shift from clinician to supervisor and manager

• Supporting early-career therapists without over-helping

• Contracting clearly with supervisees and families

• Balancing caseloads, reports, and leadership responsibilities

• Building confidence for difficult conversations

• Using the Caregiver Capacity Scale to adapt therapy to fit each family’s capacity

Key Takeaways

Supervision isn’t about having every answer it’s about creating space for reflection, learning, and growth. Boundaries and clarity are essential for sustainable leadership. Frameworks like contracting, structured feedback, and the Caregiver Capacity Scale help therapists tailor support that fits both clients and teams.

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia Supporting occupational therapists and allied health professionals to build confidence, clarity, and connection through mentoring, supervision, workshops, and The OT Coach Academy.

If this conversation resonated with you and you’d like to work with Alyce Svensk through mentoring, supervision, or professional development, visit www.theotcoach.au to explore how The OT Coach Australia can support you.

To express interest in being featured on a future episode of OT Coaching Confidential, apply at www.theotcoach.au/podcast-1.

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce Svensk shares a real mentoring conversation with Al - a mature-age graduate whose path to occupational therapy began with degrees in writing and marketing, and evolved through a pivot into the health field during COVID.

Together, they unpack Al’s discovery of OT after exploring nursing, how a youth mental health placement cemented his clinical fit, and the ongoing challenge of finding roles that value the full scope of occupational therapy. Al shares how enforced reflection, systemic observation, and critical thinking have shaped his practice along with a desire to work in settings that see OT as more than just functional assessments.

This is a thoughtful and validating episode for any therapist questioning fit, navigating scope limitations, or figuring out how to practise meaningfully in systems that don’t always understand what we do.

You’ll Hear About

• Al’s transition from the creative industries to the health space

• Discovering OT through patterns of thought and problem-solving in nursing

• The power of a youth mental health placement to confirm clinical direction

• Navigating misalignment in roles where OT is misunderstood or undervalued

• Using solo reflection time as an unexpected form of supervision

Key Takeaways

You don’t need to fit a traditional mould to thrive in this profession. Finding your clinical “home” often starts with noticing what feels like a mismatch. And reflective practice isn’t extra — it’s foundational.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Robbie B – The Online OT for mental health OT training pathways and a supportive professional community

• How to Choose Your Next OT Role - a practical workshop by Alyce Svensk & Nikki Cousins to help you evaluate supervision, scope, and service alignment when navigating career choices

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia

Supporting occupational therapists and allied health professionals to build confidence, clarity, and connection through mentoring, supervision, workshops, and The OT Coach Academy.

If this conversation resonated with you and you’d like to work with Alyce Svensk through mentoring, supervision, or professional development, visit www.theotcoach.au  to explore how The OT Coach Australia can support you.

To express interest in being featured on a future episode of OT Coaching Confidential, apply at www.theotcoach.au/podcast-1 

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce Svensk shares a real mentoring conversation with Hazel a mature-age early career OT who brings deep lived experience, clarity, and care to her sole trader practice.

Together, they unpack how her journey into OT was shaped by 18 years of parenting and caregiving, how she built strong systems to support her growth when supervision was limited, and why she’s now prioritising sustainability over scale.

Hazel has developed a small, structured service that works for her family and honours the kind of therapist she wants to be. This is a reflective and reassuring episode for any OT wondering if it’s possible to grow your practice slowly, intentionally, and without burning out.

You’ll Hear About

• Returning to OT as a mature-age student with a long-held professional goal

• Navigating early roles with supervision gaps and building your own systems

• Designing a part-time, term-based practice that protects energy

• Reframing supervision and parent coaching to reflect your own style

• Using structure and boundaries as tools for growth not limitation

Key Takeaways

Sustainable practice isn’t second-best it’s often the most intentional form of success. You can grow clinical confidence without rushing and your values can lead the way.

Mentioned in this Episode

✔ The Art of Paediatric Therapy – for paeds clinical confidence and structured planning

✔ The OT Coach Academy – Paediatric Hub – for weekly support and practical resources

✔ Sensational Start to Private Practice – for finances, systems, and service foundations

✔ Caregiver Capacity Scale – to reflect and communicate around family engagement

✔ Paper-based timetables, bounce-back emails, and realistic admin planning strategies

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia

Supporting occupational therapists and allied health professionals to build confidence, clarity, and connection through mentoring, supervision, workshops, and The OT Coach Academy.

If this conversation resonated with you and you’d like to work with Alyce Svensk through mentoring, supervision, or professional development, visit www.theotcoach.au to explore how The OT Coach Australia can support you.

To express interest in being featured on a future episode of OT Coaching Confidential, apply at www.theotcoach.au/podcast-1 

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce Svensk shares a real mentoring conversation with Ella, a paediatric and young adult OT who brings deep intentionality to her solo practice.

Together, they unpack how chronic illness shaped her career journey, why she’s redefining supervision and professional development as business essentials, and how she’s navigating the tension between flexibility and financial sustainability.

This is a grounded, reflective episode for any therapist seeking to do private work differently and sustainably.

This episode provides space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the kind of therapist you want to be. Whether you’re early in your career, leading a team, or building your own service.

You’ll Hear About

• Building a solo practice that protects energy and supports long-term sustainability

• Reframing PD and supervision as essential business overheads

• Exploring new business offerings that are nourishing, not just billable

• “What if your business was a job you’d actually want to apply for?”

Key Takeaways

You don’t need to follow a traditional path for your practice to be successful, but you do need to be clear on what success looks like for you. Treating learning, reflection, and support as business essentials (not luxuries) can help you sustain your work and yourself long term.

Mentioned in this episode Beki Eakins for inspiration around diversifying your OT income through supervision and training offerings. Find her podcast and offerings at www.bekieakins.com

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia

Supporting occupational therapists and allied health professionals to build confidence, clarity, and connection through mentoring, supervision, workshops, and The OT Coach Academy.

If this conversation resonated with you and you’d like to work with Alyce Svensk through mentoring, supervision, or professional development, visit www.theotcoach.au to explore how The OT Coach Australia can support you.

To express interest in being featured on a future episode of OT Coaching Confidential, apply at www.theotcoach.au/podcast-1 

In this episode, we chat with Nikki an early career OT who’s navigating her first year in practice with confidence, reflection and a clear sense of direction.

After entering the profession with previous experience in the disability sector, Nikki began working as a contractor before moving into sole trader work offering a well-defined service. Now, she’s intentionally seeking an employed role that offers strong supervision and collaborative learning – building both roles side-by-side to grow her skills in a sustainable way.

We explore:

This is a thoughtful and grounded conversation about early practice, professional identity, and choosing growth with intention.

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia

Alyce Svensk is an experienced paediatric occupational therapist, business mentor and founder of The OT Coach Australia. She supports therapists at all stages of their career whether you're just starting out, building a business or redefining your next chapter.

Through The OT Coach Australia, Alyce offers career mentoring, business Solutions Sessions, and ongoing support through clinical supervision, business mentoring and sole trader guidance.

Need support with your next step in practice or business? Explore your options at www.theotcoach.au

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, we meet Tanya an experienced OT who made the shift from public health to private work in search of better balance and flexibility. What started as a handful of clients quickly snowballed into a full-blown service, a small team of contractors, and the realities of running a business.

Tanya shares honestly about the challenges of scaling without a clear plan, navigating financial pressures, juggling clinical and business demands, and learning to set stronger boundaries in service delivery. We talk about managing complex psychosocial caseloads, the limitations of non-attendance policies in outreach services, and why working on the business is just as critical as working in it.

Together we unpack strategies for purposeful delegation, identifying admin support needs, and carving out protected time to refocus.

This conversation is a must-listen for any OT navigating growth in their private practice. 

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia

Alyce Svensk is an experienced paediatric occupational therapist, business mentor and founder of The OT Coach Australia. She supports therapists at all stages of their career whether you're just starting out, building a business or redefining your next chapter.

Through The OT Coach Australia, Alyce offers career mentoring, business Solutions Sessions, and ongoing support through clinical supervision, business mentoring and sole trader guidance.

Need support with your next step in practice or business? Explore your options at www.theotcoach.au

In this episode, we meet Michelle, a regional paediatric OT who transitioned from burnout in a large organisation to building her own therapy service. We explore the early years of business setup without clear mentorship, and the challenges of managing a long-term stagnant caseload while juggling a full-time mobile therapy load and motherhood.

Together, we unpack strategies for sustainable practice:

Resources mentioned throughout:

Master timetable

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia.

Alyce Svensk is an experienced paediatric occupational therapist, business mentor and founder of The OT Coach Australia. She supports therapists at all stages of their career whether you're just starting out, building a business or redefining your next chapter.

Need support with your next step in practice or business? Explore your options at www.theotcoach.au

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I sit down with Jane, an experienced occupational therapist and trained play therapist who has just launched her own private practice. Seven weeks in and already full, Jane shares the early realities of running a solo service - from navigating boundaries and managing emotional load, to thinking ahead about admin support and long-term sustainability.

We explore what it means to create “service rules” that protect your energy, the benefits of introducing a virtual assistant early, and how to streamline referral pathways so your time stays focused on therapy — not inbox admin.

Jane also reflects on her dual pathways (OT and play therapy), and how being intentional from the start can help you build a service that aligns with your values, capacity, and lifestyle.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to reset how your service is structured, this episode is packed with practical insight and thoughtful reflection.

Mentioned in this episode:

– Getting the Admin Support You Actually Need Workshop

– The Master Timetable tool

– Creating “service rules” to help manage referrals and expectations

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia

Alyce Svensk is an experienced paediatric occupational therapist, business mentor and founder of The OT Coach Australia. She supports therapists at all stages of their career whether you're just starting out, building a business or redefining your next chapter.

Through The OT Coach Australia, Alyce offers career mentoring, business Solutions Sessions, and ongoing support through clinical supervision, business mentoring and sole trader guidance.

Need support with your next step in practice or business? Explore your options at www.theotcoach.au 

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I chat with Claudia, an Occupational Therapist whose journey into OT began later in life and has taken some fascinating turns. From setting out to be a brilliant clinician, Claudia found herself unexpectedly drawn into the business support space - building a service designed to help solo OTs streamline their non-clinical tasks and free up their time to focus on therapy.

We explore:

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia

Alyce Svensk is an experienced paediatric occupational therapist, business mentor and founder of The OT Coach Australia. She supports therapists at all stages of their career - whether you're just starting out, building a business or redefining your next chapter.

Through The OT Coach Australia, Alyce offers career mentoring, business Solutions Sessions, and ongoing support through clinical supervision, business mentoring and sole trader guidance.

Need support with your next step in practice or business? Explore your options at www.theotcoach.au