The Entrepreneurial Clinician

Surviving the Unthinkable: How Brad's Business Defied Destruction - Twice with Brad Williams

Many factors can contribute to burnout in allied health professionals that are outside our control, including changes by Government or insurance companies. In this episode, Jo is joined by Brad Williams, an Occupational Therapist who has experienced this twice. Brad shares his experience about how his practice has defied the odds and thrived through two difficult periods and protective measures he has put in place to protect his relationships and his health.

In this episode, Jo and Brad discuss:

• Brad’s experience with burnout
• The importance of being able to adapt quickly when decisions are made by others that impact your business
• The Impact of a policy change that has had a massive impact on his industry and his business
• The personal costs he has experienced as a practice owner
• The extra-circular activities and other measures Brad has put in place to protect his health, energy and relationships 
• The power of creating an organisation chart and detailing all the hats and roles that you wear as the owner of an allied health practice
• How Brad turned Covid into an opportunity for refinement in his business, and 
• How he helps his team members adopt a similar positive, proactive and forward thinking mindset.

About Brad: Brad Williams is a CEO and wearer of many hats. He is the founder and CEO of Williams OT. He moved around a lot as a kid and didn’t grow up soon enough during school (maybe he still hasn’t). After ten years as a baker and pastry chef, he jumped into Uni and completed a bachelor’s degree in OT. Here, he was introduced to driving and has not looked back. After several years of working in a public hospital, he broke the shackles and started Williams OT in 2011. He developed an award-winning service, Williams Occupational Therapy, that has the clients at the heart of everything. A proud family man, Brad is a qualified OT Driver Assessor and Rehab practitioner with additional qualifications in Heavy Vehicle and Motorbike assessments and is a qualified Motor Driving Instructor. Along with continuing to help clients and run Williams OT, Brad is a creator of the Drive-Able Podcast, a board member of the road safety initiative, The Get Home Safe Foundation, and he is an invited representative on the National OT Australia Driver Task Force

You can connect with Brad via his website at https://www.williamsot.com. 

Thanks to our podcast sponsor, Practice Conquest! 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group 

 If you know you need more support, please visit my website at https://jomuirhead.com

Evolving Workforce Dynamics: Navigating Burnout and Barriers in Health Care - with Dr Julie Bajic Smith

Burnout doesn’t just happen to busy practice owners. It can happen to our staff too. So how do safe (and unsafe) systems of work impact on the risk of burnout for our workforce? Dr Julie Bajic Smith returns to the podcast this week to explore this question with Jo.

In this episode, Jo and Julie discuss:

• The implications of having a burnout workforce and the impact it can have on the quality of care delivered by staff
• Julie’s experience with burnout and realising that she didn’t want to manage people
• The importance of giving yourself permission to do things differently
• How Julie’s mission and passion have shaped her service delivery
• The importance of safe systems of work to protect staff from burnout
• What ‘emotional contagion’ is
• The impact emotional contagion can have (good or bad) on the culture in an workplace and on service delivery to clients
• How to separate positive and negative emotions in the workplace
• The importance of understanding what helps you switch off from work and better balance work and life, and
• Examples of workplaces that are managing the burnout risk well.

About Julie: Dr. Julie Bajic Smith is a registered psychologist who has over 15 years clinical experience in aged care. Julie is a board-approved psychology supervisor and she regularly delivers clinical supervision to intern psychologists and other mental health professionals. Julie is also an experienced researcher and writer. Her doctorate research examined wellbeing in home care workers and postdoctoral research focused on supported decision-making in dementia. She has significant experience in the assessment and the application of psychological treatments to older adults and recently published a book on enhancing emotional wellbeing in residential aged care environments.

You can connect with Julie via her website at wisecare.com.au.

Thanks to our podcast sponsor, Practice Conquest!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group 

 If you know you need more support, please visit my website at https://jomuirhead.com

Finally, if you loved this episode, please make sure you subscribe and leave us a review.

Rewiring the Brain: A Journey of Neuroplasticity and Overcoming Burnout with Angela Lockwood - The Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast

Prompted by a question from the Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group about neuroplasticity, Angela Lockwood returns to join Jo on this week's episode of The Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast to discuss neuroplasticity and its role in burnout and recovery from burnout.

In this episode, Jo and Angela discuss:

• what neuroplasticity is (and isn’t)
• that neuroplasticity isn’t reserved for certain people, professions or ages
• how neuroplasticity can contribute to health professionals experiencing burnout
• the need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of burnout
• the importance of creating space and taking an extra moment to enjoy moments of joy or peace and how it helps to reset our nervous system and brain
• how to utilise the neuroplasticity of your brain to recover from burnout

About Angela Lockwood: Angela is an Occupational Therapist, Podcast Host, Guest Expert, Speaker and Author. 

With over two decades of experience as an Occupational Therapist, Angela has immersed herself in the exploration of focus—examining how individuals think, learn, and interact with their surroundings, their work and their mindset. As the author of “The Power of Conscious Choice" and "Switch Off: How to Find Calm in a Noisy World," Angela delved deeply into the intricacies of mindful decision-making and attention management. Her podcast, "Distracted," serves as an invaluable resource for those seeking clarity amidst the chaos.

You can find Angela via her website at www.angelalockwood.com.au 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group 

 

From Burnout to Renewal: A Clinical Psychologist's Story of Self-Care and Scaling Back for a Better Life - with Dr Natalie Green

There is no doubt that burnout is prevalent in the allied health professional field. Some may try to ‘blame’ allied health professionals who experience it for not looking after themselves properly. However, this perspective fails to recognise the impact of the systems we work in on our mental health and our lives. 

In this episode, Jo is joined by Dr Natalie Green to discuss Natalie’s repeated experiences with burnout and the steps that the profession and society need to take as a whole if we are to create safe and healthy spaces that enable people not just to survive but thrive.

In this episode, Jo and Natalie discuss:

• Some of the times in Natalie’s life when burnout was prevalent and the steps she took to overcome it
• The behaviour patterns that Natalie now recognises that contributed to her burnout cycle
• The importance of talking about our experiences with burnout
• How the systems we work in are perpetuating our illness and burnout
• Why the profession needs to have more conversations about money and making sure that allied health professionals look after themselves, and
• The advice Natalie would give newly qualified allied health professionals.

About Dr Natalie Green: Dr Nat Green is a Trauma Breakthrough Coach, an Author and Podcast host with a background in Clinical and Health Psychology. Dr. Nat is passionate about transforming lives and revolutionising the trauma landscape.

With over 34 years’ of working in trauma, and having experienced her own trauma firsthand, Dr Nat is a trailblazer, authored a book ‘Key to Freedom- The 7-Step Model to Triumph Over Trauma’, has chapters in multi-author International Bestselling books Changemakers (Volume 4) and Empowered Women Empower Women and is Founder of the ABS Method™ which accelerates trauma healing and transformation into post-traumatic growth.

She is a nominee in the 2024 Women Who Podcast Awards in the USA and received an Award at the Therapists Rising Industry Awards in 2023.

When she isn’t writing, podcasting or changing lives Dr Nat enjoys coffee by the beach and travel. She lives on the NSW Mid North Coast with her husband and two kids.

You can find Natalie at her website here or you can email her at drnat@drnataliegreen.com.au. Natalie is also on Facebook and Instagram.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group

Battling Burnout: A Speech Pathologist's Journey to Innovating Self-Care and Equity in Healthcare with Ed Johnson - The Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast

Fatigue and being overtired are two of the most common symptoms of burnout. However there can be a much darker side which can have a significant impact on your mental health. In this episode, Jo is joined by Ed Johnson who openly and vulnerably shares his experience of burnout which culminated in a diagnosis of psychosis and PTSD. 

In this episode, Jo and Ed discuss:

• Ed’s journey from being a child interested in language to being the co-founder of a social enterprise designed to provide access for underserved communities to speech pathology and occupational therapy support,
• The struggle (and cost) of juggling multiple projects at the same time
• The cycle of burnout and (partial) recovery Ed experienced throughout his career
• The work-related circumstances that led Ed to be diagnosed with psychosis and PTSD
• How burnout is often focused on the person, not the environment that contributed to it, and
• The importance of speaking up if you are struggling or if you notice behaviour changes in your colleagues.

About Ed Johnson: Ed Johnson is a social entrepreneur and academic with degrees in linguistic anthropology and speech pathology. He worked in rural and remote Australia (mainly in Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi, and Iningai communities) for over a decade as a speech pathologist before moving into academia. Ed completed his PhD in 2021 at the University of Sydney which focused on the phenomenologies of rural families of children with intellectual disabilities, and humanistic digital allied health support delivery and capacity-building with National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants across rural and remote Australia. He co-founded his scale-up Umbo, based on the findings to support Australians in underserved communities and populations to access speech pathology and occupational therapy support. Umbo has saved NDIS participants over $8m since its inception and continues to invest 50% of profits into funding services for people who can’t afford to see a therapist.

 Ed now lives on Dharug land and is the coordinator of the Remote and Rural Enterprise Program at the University of Sydney which aims to support indigenous and rural communities to create and consolidate sustainable social enterprises in the bush. He lives by the quote from his favourite existentialist, Franz Kafka: “Do what is right, not what is acceptable.”

You can find Ed on LinkedIn here

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group

The Cost of Overwork: Finding Balance and Preventing Burnout in Allied Health – Interview with Yolanda Harper

Last week, Jo was joined by therapist and writer Yolanda Harper to discuss Yolanda’s book, Soul Sabbatical. You can listen to that conversation here.

While supporting Yolanda with the writing of Soul Sabbatical, Jo realised that she needed to take a sabbatical to address her burnout, work and life. So in this episode, the tables (and microphone) are turned and Yolanda returns to the podcast to interview Jo about her sabbatical experience. 

In this episode, Jo and Yolanda discuss:

• The emotional response Jo had when she first read the manuscript of Yolanda’s book
• The moment Jo realised that she had not been living in alignment and knew she needed to take a sabbatical
• The crucial role support played in Jo’s sabbatical
• What the hardest part of taking a sabbatical was for Jo (it might surprise you)
• Jo’s biggest takeaway from her sabbatical experience and
• What Jo would say to someone who was considering taking a sabbatical.

About Yolanda Harper: While many authors know all of their lives that they want to become published, Yolanda Harper’s first book, Soul Sabbatical, started as a series of journal entries written during a burn out “meltdown” that led to her taking a sabbatical from her roles as a trauma and relationship therapist, researcher, trainer, mental health thought leader, and business owner/entrepreneur. As she shared more about her experience, she realised how much people resonate with the idea of a sabbatical, but don’t know how to step back from the demands of hustle culture to take one.

Yolanda is a warm hearted music and nature lover who has a strong faith and likes #TrailLife.  She is real; a therapist, mental health thought leader, entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker, Soul Sabbatical Doula, wife, and Mama always to her grown children – but a human first.

You can find Yolanda at https://yolandaharper.com 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Ideal Day Workbook
• Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group 

 

The Hidden Cost of Caring: Burnout and Vicarious Trauma in Healthcare - lnterview with Yolanda Harper - The Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast

In this episode, Jo is joined by therapist and writer Yolanda Harper. 

Yolanda is a therapist based in Florida who is a specialist in trauma. It was in the process of supporting Yolanda with the writing of her first book, Soul Sabbatical, Jo realised that she needed to take a sabbatical and address her burnout, her work and her life.

In this episode, Jo and Yolanda discuss:

• the concept of vicarious trauma 
• that you don’t work in the traditional field of ‘trauma’ you are likely to be dealing with clients who have experienced traumatic events,   
• the difference between vicarious trauma and burnout
• the shame and stigma associated with burnout
• how Yolanda arrived at the point of realising she needed a sabbatical, and
• why a sabbatical is not a holiday.

About Yolanda Harper: While many authors know all of their lives that they want to become published, Yolanda Harper’s first book, Soul Sabbatical, started as a series of journal entries written during a burnout “meltdown” that led to her taking a sabbatical from her roles as a trauma and relationship therapist, researcher, trainer, mental health thought leader, and business owner/entrepreneur. As she shared more about her experience, she realised how much people resonate with the idea of a sabbatical, but don’t know how to step back from the demands of hustle culture to take one.

Yolanda is a warm-hearted music and nature lover who has a strong faith and likes #TrailLife.  She is real; a therapist, mental health thought leader, entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker, Soul Sabbatical Doula, wife, and Mama always to her grown children – but a human first.

You can find Yolanda at https://yolandaharper.com 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Ideal Day Workbook
• Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group 

 If you know you need more support, please visit my website at https://jomuirhead.com

Finally, if you loved this episode, please make sure you subscribe and leave us a review.

From Symposium to Sabbatical: The Catalyst for Change - The Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast

In this solo episode of the Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast, Jo shares what prompted her to take a sabbatical. 

In fact, Jo shares the presentation she was in the midst of giving during the 2023 Future-Proofing Health Professionals Symposium when she realised that she was not living in integrity and that things in her work and life had to change. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group 

 If you know you need more support, please visit my website at https://jomuirhead.com

Finally, if you loved this episode, please make sure you subscribe and leave us a review.

Season 4 Premiere: Triumph, Turmoil, and Transformation - The Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast

Welcome to the first episode of Season 4 of the Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast. 

Burnout is a major challenge facing allied health professionals. So in this episode, Jo shares her personal story about why she is so passionate about this topic, the very public moment she realised that she was not living in integrity, her experience of realising she was burnout and depressed and the changes she has since made in her business and her life. 

This season the conversations about burnout are very real, open and honest. And while the conversations are very heavy, you will also be inspired to determine how you as a practitioner and the profession as a whole can thrive despite the challenges we face on a daily basis. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group 

 If you know you need more support, please visit my website at https://jomuirhead.com

Finally, if you loved this episode, please make sure you subscribe and leave us a review.

Prelude to Season 4 - The Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast

Welcome back to the Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast.

In this prelude to season 4, Jo shares the focus of this season which is burnout. It is an important but necessary conversation we must have as allied health professionals.

Jo also shares an opportunity for you to use Jo’s voice to amplify your message with the allied health professional community by sponsoring an episode of the podcast

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Future Proofing Health Professional Facebook group 
• Entrepreneurial Clinician Podcast Sponsorship Prospectus (coming soon)
  

If you know you need more support, please visit my website at https://jomuirhead.com

Finally, if you loved this episode, please make sure you subscribe and leave us a review.