Rebel Radio: Conversations with Allied Health Leaders

Episode 8 of Rebel Radio features Nicole Pates, Founder and Managing Director of Western Kids Health, Titled APA Paediatric Physiotherapist and one of Perth’s leadingvoices in paediatric health. Nicole shares her journey from originally considering becoming a doctor to finding her way into physiotherapy, travelling around Japan at just 16, and working multiple jobs while completing her studies. We also dive into her early career in AFL, from starting out as asports trainer to becoming a junior physio with the West Coast Eagles, why she eventually walked away from what many would consider a dream job, and how her passion for paediatrics changed the direction of her career. Nicole opens up about imposter syndrome, becoming a mom while completing her Master’s in Paediatrics, and the difficult transition from clinician to motherhood, including losing part of her professional identity along the way. From learningto let go of rigid expectations to discovering how motherhood changed the way she works with children and families, this is an honest conversation about curiosity, taking opportunities, finding your path and learning what reallymatters along the way.

Episode 7 of Rebel Radio features Trystan Conway, Physiotherapist, business owner and one of the leading voices in Allied Health reform. In this episode, Trystan shares his journey from dropping out of Computer Science to finding his way into physiotherapy, why life experience matters just as much as grades, and how a regional graduate role fast-tracked his career into leadership. We also dive into building and scaling an Allied Health business to more than 300 clinicians during the NDIS boom, the lessons that came with rapid growth, and why he ultimately walked away to pursue a new mission. Today, Trystan is helping clinicians and business owners make sense of an ever-changing healthcare landscape through AI, technology, problem solving and practical insights. From admitting, "I was a crap clinician, but I was a good leader," challenging traditional views on leadership and career progression, this is an honest conversation about taking risks, embracing change and creating a bigger impact beyond the clinic.

Episode 6 of Rebel Radio features Lauren Haskins, Founderand Owner of A Growing Understanding and Board Director at Speech Pathology Australia. In this episode Lauren shares her unconventional path into speech pathology, one that began with not getting the marks required for the course and refusing to let that be the end of the story. We explore her early career running a modelling agency, and the business and leadership skills she built there that still shape the way she works today. Lauren also takes us through her first new grad role, which was meant to be a 12 week locum and turned into8 years, plus one of the most unusual speech pathology roles you will ever hear about, working FIFO to provide services at a detention centre. She opens up about how A Growing Understanding came to life, and the hard lesson that camewith it: how scaling too much too fast became a negative that had to be unwound and deliberately scaled back. Lauren reflects on receiving her diagnoses later in life and how they helped her understand herself on a deeper level, and howher goal-driven nature carried her all the way to her recent appointment as a board Director at Speech Pathology Australia. From building a career in public, to keeping her personal life fiercely private, Lauren is living proof of whatit looks like to back yourself relentlessly while staying intentional about who gets your time and energy.

Episode 5 of Rebel Radio features Kennedy Lay, Founder andOwner of Fly2Health. In this episode Kennedy opens up about his early adult years and what success meant to him back then, a definition shaped heavily by his cultural influences and a relentless, goal-driven mindset. We explore how thatdrive showed up at university, where a focus on networking landed him his first physiotherapy role a full eleven months before he had even graduated. Kennedy also shares the childhood passion that ran alongside it all, a love of aviationand a dream of becoming a pilot, how he made that dream real even and how he simultaneously believed his physio career was over. Then came the move to Perth, which sparked an entirely new question: what if he could blend both worlds? That question became Fly2Health. He takes us right back to the start, just him renting a single-seater plane and flying out to Narrogin, and walks through how the business has grown and scaled into what it is today, and how much further he still intends to take it. This episode is an honest conversation about ambition, identity, heritage, and backing your own ideas, and what becomes possible when you stop choosing between your passions and find a way to fly with both.

Episode 4 of Rebel Radio features Dr Oz, Clinical Psychologist and Director of ANIMA Health Network. In this episode, Dr Ozshares his journey from immigrating to Australia as a child and growing up in some of Sydney’s tougher areas, to completely rebuilding his life after taking a chance on himself and moving to Perth alone at 25. We explore the path that led him from a career in hospitality into university as a mature age student,the financial pressures and uncertainty that came with it, and how trusting his instincts opened doors he never expected - including studying abroad in Canada, achieving First Class Honours, and securing a last-minute place in the ClinicalPsychology program. Dr Oz reflects on his early career experiences and how leadership opportunities came quickly, and the journey of eventually building ANIMA Health Network into the thriving practice it is today. He also speaks openly about living with ADHD, the perspective it has given him as both a clinician and leader, and how differently life could have unfolded if he had stayed on a different path. This episode is an honest conversation about resilience, reinvention, identity, and what can happen when you back yourself before the outcome is guaranteed.

Episode 4 of Rebel Radio features Dr Oz, Clinical Psychologist and Director of ANIMA Health Network. In this episode, Dr Oz shares his journey from immigrating to Australia as a child and growing up in some of Sydney’s tougher areas, to completely rebuilding his life after taking a chance on himself and moving to Perth alone at 25. We explore the path that led him from a career in hospitality into university as a mature age student,the financial pressures and uncertainty that came with it, and how trusting his instincts opened doors he never expected - including studying abroad in Canada, achieving First Class Honors, and securing a last-minute place in the Clinical Psychology program. Dr Oz reflects on his early career experiences and how leadership opportunities came quickly, and the journey of eventually building ANIMA Health Network into the thriving practice it is today. He also speaks openly about living with ADHD, the perspective it has given him as both a clinician and leader, and how differently life could have unfolded if he had stayed on a different path. This episode is an honest conversation about resilience, reinvention, identity, and what can happen when you back yourself before the outcome is guaranteed.

Episode 3 of Rebel Radio features Lauren Hart, OccupationalTherapist, founder of Optimal Living Therapy and OTuition. In this episode, Lauren shares her “conventional” journey into Occupational Therapy and how that foundation led her to discover a niche working in the SDA and home modifications space. We explore how she identified an opportunity within the market, built a service around it, and what it’s taken to grow a business and team from the ground up. Lauren also opens up about the transition from therapist to business owner, the realities of leadership, and the weight that comes with it. She shares the tools that have helped her navigate growth, along with honest reflections on what it really looks like behind the scenes of building a business in Allied Health today.

Episode 2 of Rebel Radio features Serena Jones, an Occupational Therapist, business owner, and the founder of the Allied Health Awards, one of the most recognised celebrations of clinicians across Australia. In this episode, Serena shares how her career in Occupational Therapy evolved while balancing parenting, travel, and building multiple businesses that support the Allied Health community. We dive into the story behind the Allied Health Awards and how a simple idea born from a gap in the industry grew into a national community that celebrates everyday clinicians doing incredible work. Serena also shares her perspective on professional development, breaking down barriers between disciplines, and why recognition, connection, and community matter more than ever in Allied Health today.

You usually see the finished product. Rarely the path it took to get there.

Every business has a starting point. This is ours.

In the very first episode of Rebel Radio, Founder Chris Antartis pulls back the curtain on the road that led to building Rebel Recruitment. From navigating early adulthood and figuring things out in real time, to an unexpected entry into Allied Health recruitment, Chris shares the moments that shaped his thinking, his standards, and the way he shows up in business today.

This conversation sets the tone for Rebel Radio. If you have ever thought about starting your own business, changing direction or backing yourself before you feel ready, this episode is for you.

Welcome to Rebel Radio.