The EP Growth Podcast

One of the toughest moments as an EP is when a patient says, “I’m not improving.”It can quickly shake your confidence and if handled poorly, it can cost you the patient.In this episode, we break down a simple, practical approach to handling these conversations. You’ll learn how to respond without becoming defensive, how to better understand what the patient is actually saying, and how to adjust your plan to rebuild trust and momentum.If you’ve ever felt unsure in this situation, this episode will give you a clear way forward.

Struggling to get clients to commit after the initial consult?In this episode, we break down the key mistakes EPs make and walk through a simple framework to run a consult that builds trust, creates clarity, and leads to better outcomes.

Most exercise physiologists focus heavily on programming but often overlook the most important part of the session:👉 The first 5 minutes.In this episode, we break down a simple, repeatable structure you can use at the start of every session to improve engagement, retention, and outcomes.

This week's guest is Hunter Rehabs own Joe Smith. Since joining the team Joe has become not only a wonderful practitioner but also a key driver of clinic culture. Join us as we sit for a chat about all things clinic culture. EP Growth Podcast

In this episode, we break down what a Primary Health Network (PHN) is, why it exists, and the role it plays in shaping healthcare delivery across Australia. Whether you’re a clinician, practice owner, or simply curious about how healthcare systems connect, this episode provides a clear and practical overview.In this episode, we cover:What a Primary Health Network is and why it was createdThe role PHNs play in supporting primary care and community healthHow PHNs work with GPs, allied health, hospitals, and community servicesFunding, commissioning, and how services are prioritisedHow healthcare providers can engage with and benefit from their local PHNA great listen for anyone wanting to better understand the system behind primary healthcare and how to work more effectively within it.

Get organised and prepared for 2026 with these 3 simple questions!

As a new grad it can be quite daunting and overwhelming when you first encounter all the registrations, certifications and insurances you may need on your first day as an EP.In this episode Chris brakes down some of the fundamental requirements and things to be aware for new grad EP's to help you ensure you thrive from day 1.

Join this episode as Hunter Rehabs very own Amber Holland shares her story on how she went from student to flourishing EP. Tune in for some tips that may just make this process easier for you or someone you know.

In this episode, we break down everything exercise physiologists need to know about writing effective WorkCover reports in NSW. From insurer expectations and reportable content to fees, timelines, and best-practice communication, we unpack how to create reports that are clear, compliant, and genuinely helpful for all stakeholders. Perfect for early-career EPs looking to lift their WorkCover game and write with confidence.

If you’ve ever submitted an AHTR and waited weeks for a response, or worse, heard nothing back; you’re not alone. In today’s episode, we’ll unpack exactly how the approval process works, what the timelines are, and what to do if the insurer doesn’t respond. This episode is brought to you by Clinic1 Check out Clinic1's features at: ⁠www.clinic1.ai⁠, and use the interactive calculator to see what your clinic will save!Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.clinic1.ai⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/clinic1ai/about/⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/clinic1.ai?igsh=cWszcWJybTAzem0y&utm_source=qr⁠⁠⁠

Featuring Kirra Benedetti, Independent Workers’ Compensation ConsultantIn this episode, we welcome Kira Benedetti, a seasoned workers’ compensation expert with over fourteen years’ experience navigating this complex system. Kirra began her career as a case manager, gaining hands-on experience in the trenches of claim workflows, and gradually moved into roles within insurance organisations. Throughout our conversation, Kirra pulls back the curtain on what really matters for providers working in the workers’ compensation space. She explains how insurers evaluate cases, how case managers triage and manage complex claims, and what red flags providers should be aware of from day one. Here are just a few of the golden tips Kira shares in the episode:Think like a case manager and insurer simultaneously. By anticipating what questions will ultimately be asked—by insurers, adjusters, or auditors—providers can frame their notes and plans more defensibly.Stay proactive with communication. Don’t wait for the insurer to ask—offer updates, communicate barriers early, and flag when progress isn’t happening.Leverage the “win-win” mindset. Kira encourages providers to frame recommendations in terms of both patient benefit and cost effectiveness—because the insurer needs both sides of the story.Whether you're a treating clinician, rehab provider, or simply someone working with injured workers, this episode offers practical, field-tested advice to help you stay ahead of pitfalls and build stronger, more defensible claims. Give it a listen—you’ll find takeaways you can apply immediately.Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirra-benedetti-7587b21ba/This episode is brought to by Clinic1Website: https://clinic1.ai About: Clinic1 is an Australian-developed, AI-powered practice management platform built for allied health clinics. It automates administrative workflows, supports clinical documentation, patient booking and communication, and other clinic operations. Social / Online ProfilesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/clinic1.ai/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clinic1ai/

Our final episode looking at flags in healthcare. This episode unpacks black flags and what we can about them as exercise physiologists.

Join Chris to continue the conversation about health flags in the return to work rehabilitation process. This episode focuses on 'blue' flags. Get in touch with us here

In this episode of the EP Growth Podcast, I sit down with Elliot Dobie the visionary behind Clinic1, a practice management software that’s changing the way allied health clinics operate. We dive into the story behind Clinic1’s creation, the challenges of building innovative solutions for health professionals, and how technology can streamline clinic management, improve patient outcomes, and boost business growth.Whether you’re running a solo practice or leading a large allied health team, you’ll walk away with practical insights and strategies to help your clinic thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape.Website: https://clinic1.ai/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clinic1.ai/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clinic1ai/

Join Chris as he unpacks yellow flags in the rehabilitation process.

Continue on with Chris in this series as he discusses the flag system in healthcare. This week we take a look at Red Flags.

Join Chris as he discusses the coloured flag system used to identify psychosocial and physical risk factors in patient care. As a healthcare provider, this is one you need to be across!

Join Chris for a chat about WorkCover and where you can add value for the various stakeholders in this system. If you feel like you get good results for your patient but aren't generating repeat referrals- you need to listen to this.

Catch up with Ryan and Chris as they sit down and talk about neck and shoulder injuries, their rehabilitation and considerations as an EP.

Join in to learn some key strategies to ensure you maximise your learnings from professional development studies. Check out the EP Growth PodcastExPhysCPD

This episode is brought to you by Clinic1Check out Clinic1's features at: www.clinic1.ai, and use the interactive calculator to see what your clinic will save!Website: ⁠www.clinic1.ai ⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/clinic1ai/about/⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/clinic1.ai?igsh=cWszcWJybTAzem0y&utm_source=qr⁠⁠ In today’s episode, we tackle a silent issue that’s affecting both patient outcomes and clinic performance—health professionals assuming their patients’ financial situation. Whether it’s skipping a rebooking, under-delivering a treatment plan, or holding back out of discomfort, these assumptions are doing more harm than good.We break down:Why making financial assumptions is a disservice to your patientsHow these habits hurt your clinical outcomes and your businessWhat to say instead to give patients full agency over their healthPractical scripts and mindset shifts you can implement todayWant help improving rebookings ethically? DM us or visit ⁠hunterrehab.com.auIf you’ve ever found yourself hesitating to recommend the “gold standard” of care—this one’s for you.

Check out this episode as Ryan and Chris chat about what they see as the trending areas for EPs in 2025 and why. Get in touch with us at ⁠The EP Growth podcast

Thank you again for tuning in for this chat on how having a curious mindset will help you level up as a health care practitioner and gain better outcomes with patients and key stakeholders. Get in touch and find out more at The EP Growth Podcast.

Join Chris as he discusses key areas of consideration in achieving goals for yourself of patient- that aren't exercise! Get in touch at the EP Growth Podcast

Join us for this episode where Chris chats about the new AHTR and raises some pro's and cons when comparing it with the older AHRR.

In this episode Ryan sits down with Director of Simply Stronger Exercise Physiology - Sara Woodroffe for a discussion of her journey to date and the challenges she has faced in the industry. Tune in to this one to hear some great insights and nuggets of gold that you will all use! Find Sara on Linkedin here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-woodroffe-1aa18077/?originalSubdomain=au Email - [email protected]

Throughout your personal and professional relationships there are going to be times where you disagree with people- but how can you do this productively? Tune into today's episode to find out. Contact us here for more.

In this episode, Ryan interviews special guest former ESSA CEO of 17 years and now Chief Allied Health Officer of Australia, Anita Hobson Powell In this episode, Anita shares her fascinating career journey, leadership advice and her vision for EP's and allied health in the future! Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-hobson-powell-caho-b79160333/ Email - [email protected]

Day to day as a health professional can see you making plenty of decisions. This can all take its toll and leave you quite fatigued. Check out today's podcast for some practical tips to recognise decision fatigue and prevent it from happening to you. Check out the EP Growth Podcast and let us know what you'd like to hear on the podcast next.

Patients consistently late to your sessions? Your calendar keeps getting changed without notice? Are you unhappy with how you are generally spoken to? It could be that you need to work on your boundaries and how you communicate them. Check out today's episode as Chris runs through all things boundaries and how you can use them to improve your own quality of life.

In this episode, Ryan is back on deck for this solo episode on motivational interviewing Ryan discusses the two key questions that can significantly increase your chances of facilitating long term behaviour change Online Course Link - 0-100 How to get more GP referrals - https://epgrowthmentoring.freshlearn.com/more-gp-referrals

Accountability is often seen in a negative light, however in her book 'Own It', Dr Paige Williams helps to change this narrative and show how 'owning it' can be a positive thing. Join Chris as he talks through some of the key concepts and actions you can start implementing to encourage those around you to Own It! Find the book here Get in touch with us here

Join in today's podcast as Chris talks through 'the coaching habit' by Michael Bungay Stanier. Chris covers the 7 questions you can ask to improve the effectiveness of your coaching be that with patients or your mentees. Either way, today's episode is a great place to start if you want to see better results. Check out the book here Get in touch with us here

Recently we spoke about what you should be including in high quality session notes. Clearly though it's not always so simple and there can be barriers that make this difficult. Check out today's podcast for ideas and tips to overcome these barriers and ensure your session notes are high quality. Check out the EP Growth Podcast for more.

Report writing can be a frustrating exercise. What should you include? What should you leave out? Will it get read? Follow these key steps to make sure you're reports are efficient to write and useful for those they're intended for. Check out the EP Growth podcast for more.

SOAP notes are an important part of your consult and can make a big difference in the quality of outcome you'll achieve with your patient. We're all likely to have different note templates and ideas on how we should keep our notes, but check out these 4 key areas to pay particular attention to if you want to level up your notes AND your outcomes. Check out the EP Growth Podcast with any questions or suggestions.

Join us today for a sit down with Senior EP, mentor and student coordinator at Hunter Rehab- Dan Parsons. Dan's passion areas are metabolic and cardiac health and he shares with us today some great insights when working with patients who identify weight loss as a goal but aren't quite committing to the process required to achieve it. Get in touch at https://epgrowthpodcast.com/

In this episode Ryan is joined by fellow Exercise Physiologist Danny Miller to tell her story and share some exciting updates about Exercise Physiology! Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-miller-942a7010b/ Join the Hunter Rehab and Health Team - https://www.hunterrehab.com.au/join-our-team/

A different style of podcast today as we take a look at some current news topics from ESSA as well as current CPD options of interest. Enjoy.

What comes to mind when you think of high value healthcare? Check out todays episode for some examples of what has been reported as valuable in healthcare and interestingly- what isn't. You might be shocked!!! Reach out to us here if you're interested in being mentored by one of the Hunter Rehab team, have any questions or are interested in featuring on the podcast.

One thing that we've come to understand in our clinic is that language matters. Often we can fall into habit when speaking with clients without considering the impact of our words. Today's episode seeks to explore some examples to be mindful of in your next consult. Remember to check out ⁠The EP Growth Podcast⁠ for mentoring opportunities, questions and suggestions.

Thanks for joining in for another episode. Todays episode explores how we as exercise physiologist can be confident in presenting evidence based treatment options to our patients while ensuring our patients remain at the center of the care process. Thank you to our listeners who have contacted us with suggestions on topics to cover and potential guests. If you'd like to reach out, you can do so here

In this episode Ryan is joined by a special guest - Prosthetist and Manager at APC Prosthetics - Paul Nixon Join us for this engaging chat to learn more about how EP's can work better with amputees LinkedIn - (6) Paul Nixon | LinkedIn  and (6) APC Prosthetics: Posts | LinkedIn Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/apcprosthetics/ Facebook - (20+) Facebook Website: apcprosthetics.com.au – click ‘contact’ for Get in Touch section of website

Join Chris in this episode as he discusses some essential steps in securing an upgrade on the certificate of capacity. Check out the EP Growth Mentoring program if you're interested in being mentored by one of the Hunter Rehab team. Got a topic you'd like Chris and Ryan to discuss- feel free to reach out at [email protected]

In this episode, Ryan does a Journal article review of a 2016 article from the Journal of Translational Psychiatry MAP training: combining meditation and aerobic exercise reduces depression and rumination while enhancing synchronized brain activity See the link here - https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2015225#:~:text=Abstract,neurogenesis%20in%20the%20adult%20brain.

In this episode, Ryan talks about a way to rebook clients that provides accountability and immense value to our clients. If you try this, your clients will feel that you care more about them than any other health professionals

In this episode Ryan explains the new trends in 2024 that can help your networking go the next level Online Course - How to get more referrals from GP's https://epgrowthmentoring.freshlearn.com/more-gp-referrals

In this episode, Ryan and Chris discuss; - Their own experiences as young EP's lacking confidence - Imposter syndrome - Confidence vs. Arrogance - Tips to fast track confidence and much more.........

Professor Philip Morgan is Co-Deputy-Director of the University of Newcastle Centre for Active Living and Learning and lecturer in the School of Education. Internationally renowned men’s health expert, Professor Philip Morgan’s multi-award-winning lifestyle programs are helping dads improve their diets, activity levels and parenting skills so they can pass on healthy habits to the next generation. He completed his PhD in 2003 which focused on primary school physical education and has since won both local and national awards. Professor Morgan has received grants in excess of $11 million and has worked with the Office of Sport NSW,  Heart Foundation, NSW Health and Industry community organisations alike. Professor Morgans ultimate goal is for these programs to be rolled out nationally and internationally and to live on so people across the globe can benefit. Some of the programs Professor Morgan has helped inspire and contact information can be seen below- Daughters & Dads Active & Empowered is a program is an award-winning evidence-based program, proven to enhance the physical and social-emotional wellbeing of girls. Follow these links to find out more about the program: Daughters & Dads Videos: â https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhNCe06LIrR2Go6ssKHzXuZE9qMuVvNFN&jct=JaaZoEBvJ4aoR_KdTdJ9CtCZya6Lew⁠ Program history: â https://www.daughtersanddads.com.au/about/history/⁠ Daughters & Dads Football: â https://footballnsw.com.au/player-hub/female-football/daughters-dads/⁠ Daughters & Dads Cricket: â https://www.daughtersanddads.cricket.com.au/⁠ Daughters & Dads Basketball: â https://www.bnsw.com.au/daughters-dads-basketball/⁠ Daughters & Dads Cycling: â https://westcycle.org.au/dadae/⁠ To register your interest in partnering with the Daughters & Dads team: â https://www.daughtersanddads.com.au/partners/⁠ To register your interest in becoming a program facilitator: â https://www.daughtersanddads.com.au/home/facilitators/⁠

In this episode both Ryan and Chris unpack the most recent email and update from ESSA and APA about starting the relationship again with mutual respect