Overview

Part industry analysis, part honest conversation, and a clear reality check for clinic owners who want to know where they actually stand.

Most clinics don’t know what the average physio appointment costs in their region. They don’t know what a good rebooking rate looks like. They don’t know whether their marketing spend, utilisation, or team structure is healthy compared to the rest of the industry.

In this episode, Michael sits down with Alex Kyriacou, co-owner of Flex Physiotherapy, to walk through the results of the Private Practice Barometer, one of the largest benchmarking surveys ever conducted in the MSK industry.

Using data from hundreds of clinics, they compare Flex Physio’s numbers against national benchmarks. From pricing and retention to staffing models, technology, marketing costs, and owner wellbeing, the conversation explores what “normal” actually looks like in private practice.

Show Notes

• Why the Private Practice Barometer was created
• How Flex Physio grew from satellite clinics to a 13-person practice
• Typical physio pricing across the UK and how Flex compares
• Why raising prices doesn’t necessarily reduce patient demand
• Admin support, staffing models, and clinician productivity
• PAYE vs contractor clinicians and the impact on culture
• Utilisation rates: what a healthy diary actually looks like
• DNA rates and systems that reduce missed appointments
• Rebooking rates and the role of patient trust
• Technology in modern clinics: ultrasound, shockwave, and force plates
• Understanding patient acquisition cost and marketing spend
• Why many clinics lack financial visibility
• Scaling vs staying small, and the reality of clinic growth

What You’ll Learn

• Why most clinic owners don’t know their true performance benchmarks
• How pricing compares across different UK regions
• Why raising prices often improves retention
• The systems that reduce DNAs and improve rebooking
• What a healthy utilisation rate actually looks like
• How admin support affects clinician productivity
• Why contractor models can limit long-term growth
• The relationship between clinic size and owner happiness
• How technology can increase pricing power and retention
• Why understanding patient acquisition cost matters

Who This Episode Is For

• Private practice owners who want to benchmark their clinic properly
• MSK clinicians thinking about starting or scaling a practice
• Clinic owners unsure whether their numbers are “good” or “bad”
• Healthcare businesses trying to improve profitability
• Practice owners who want clearer strategic decisions

Guest Details

Alex Kyriacou - Co-Owner, Flex Physiotherapy

Alex is a physiotherapist and co-owner of Flex Physiotherapy in Burgess Hill, Sussex. After joining as an associate in 2019, he became part of the leadership team alongside founders Matt Prout and Kieran Barnard.

Flex has grown from small satellite clinics into a multidisciplinary practice with a rehabilitation gym, diagnostics, and a team of more than a dozen staff.

Alongside running the clinic, Alex continues to work full-time in the NHS, giving him a unique perspective on both public and private healthcare systems.

Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.

Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100

Overview

Most clinics obsess over clinical quality.

Very few audit the experience around it.

In this episode, Michael sits down with Heather, a former agency owner, now AI advisor, and long-term MSK patient, to get an outsider’s perspective on private practice. From first phone calls to follow-up WhatsApp, pricing strategy to practitioner branding, this is an honest look at what patients actually notice.

They explore why “great clinicians” aren’t enough, how small operational details drive referrals, what women in leadership experience differently, and where AI genuinely adds value, without damaging trust.

This is a conversation about business fundamentals, patient psychology, and the uncomfortable truths clinic owners need to hear.

Show Notes

• Why patient experience starts before the first appointment
• Missed calls, slow callbacks, and operational blind spots
• Clean rooms, clear communication, and the details patients actually notice
• Why referrals are worth more than retention
• The brand vs the practitioner: who do patients stay loyal to?
• Boutique clinics vs bigger models, and why women often choose differently
• Pricing in a tighter economy: value vs sensitivity
• Why most people don’t understand what physios actually do
• The opportunity for clinics to replace the lost “family GP” role
• Accountants, metrics, and why messy numbers kill leverage
• Business coaches, snake oil, and the danger of generic advice
• AI in clinics: where it saves time, where it creates risk
• Why AI fluency must start with the owner

What You’ll Learn

• Why clinical excellence alone doesn’t guarantee growth
• How operational friction quietly kills referrals
• Why patients care more about experience than expertise
• The difference between price resistance and value resistance
• How to think about clinic pricing in uncertain economic times
• Why most clinic owners treat the business like a bank account
• What good financial visibility actually looks like
• How to evaluate advisors, consultants, and coaches properly
• Where AI genuinely improves efficiency, and where it erodes trust
• Why authenticity still wins in an automated world

Who This Episode Is For

• Clinic owners who want honest external feedback
• MSK practitioners serious about improving patient experience
• Leaders thinking about pricing and positioning
• Clinics exploring AI tools but unsure where to start
• Female clinic owners navigating leadership and growth
• Business-minded clinicians who know “being good” isn’t enough

Not For

• Owners who believe clinical skill alone drives growth
• Clinics unwilling to review their operations honestly
• People expecting AI to solve structural business problems
• Leaders who don’t want their assumptions challenged

Guest Details

Heather. Founder, The AI Edit

Heather built and sold a UK marketing and PR agency before leading a group of agencies and, more recently, launching The AI Edit, a consultancy focused on helping leaders think clearly about AI and implement it responsibly.

With 25 years in business leadership and a long history as a private MSK patient, she brings a rare dual perspective: commercial operator and healthcare consumer. Her work now focuses on AI fluency, risk awareness, and practical implementation, without hype.

Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.

Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100

Overview

Most clinic owners don’t burn out because they’re “bad at business.”
They burn out because they’re carrying too much, in an industry that rarely admits how hard it is.

In this episode of No Appointment Necessary, Michael sits down with Jo Turner, a physiotherapist of 30 years, clinic owner, and founder of Mehab. To talk about the side of private practice that rarely gets airtime: identity, pressure, perfectionism, and the quiet emotional weight of running a clinic.

They unpack why better metrics don’t automatically create happier owners, why clinic owners often operate like isolated islands, and how well-being support can improve performance as a byproduct, not the goal. It’s an honest conversation about the “messy middle” of clinic growth, the myths around money and success, and what it really takes to stay in the profession without losing yourself.

Show Notes

• Jo’s shift from clinic owner to clinician coach (and why it happened during COVID)
• Why better metrics don’t automatically mean happier clinic owners
• The “messy middle” of clinic growth: stress, money pressure, and isolation
• Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the fear of being seen struggling
• Toxic comparison in the profession, and how it impacts confidence
• Practical takeaways: identity, boundaries, doing less, and decision filters that calm the noise

What You’ll Learn

• Why improving wellbeing often improves performance without chasing performance
• How perfectionism and comparison create chronic stress in clinic owners
• Why “more money” doesn’t fix emotional exhaustion
• What the “messy middle” looks like, and why so many clinics get stuck there
• How to spot when growth is costing you more than it’s giving back
• Why clinic ownership can change how people see you overnight
• How to rebuild identity outside the clinician role
• Why doing less can create better outcomes for both patient and clinician
• Simple filters for decision-making: does it make you happy? does it move the needle?

Who This Episode Is For

• Clinic owners who feel stressed, isolated, or quietly overwhelmed
• Physios questioning whether they can stay in the profession long-term
• Clinicians who feel like they “should be coping better”
• Practice managers supporting burnt-out owners or teams
• Anyone tired of hustle-content and keen on a more sustainable view of success

Not For

• People looking for “10 hacks to scale your clinic fast”
• Anyone who thinks wellbeing is fluffy or irrelevant to performance
• Listeners expecting quick fixes instead of real reflection
• Clinicians who only want tactics, not mindset, identity, and behaviour change

Guest Details

Jo Turner - Physiotherapist, Clinic Owner & Founder, Mehab

Jo Turner is a UK physiotherapist of 30 years and owner of two clinics in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Just before COVID, she trained as a life coach, a shift that became the foundation for Mehab, her coaching organisation focused on supporting clinician wellbeing.

Jo provides one-to-one coaching, group coaching, and courses designed specifically for clinicians and clinic owners, helping people feel safe, regain perspective, and rebuild a sustainable relationship with work, identity, and performance.

Visit https://hmdg.co.uk for further information.

Follow Michael on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjschumacher100