No Appointment Necessary

Overview Most people see the success story of a business. Very few see what it actually costs to build one. In this episode, Michael sits down with HMDG co-founder and his fiancée, Hannah, to talk honestly about what building HMDG actually looked like behind the scenes. Not the polished LinkedIn version. The real version. From having almost no money and wondering how they were going to pay bills, through to building and selling one of the best-known healthcare marketing businesses in the UK, ...

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...

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 be...

Overview In this episode of No Appointment Necessary, Michael sits down with Simon and David, the founders of Rehab Guru, to unpack what it’s really like to build, grow, and scale a healthcare software company from the ground up. From military roots and clinical practice to bootstrapping a tech platform used by thousands of clinicians, the conversation explores the realities of running a founder-led business in healthcare, including growth pains, customer support at scale, product development...

Overview Choosing a coach should make running your clinic clearer. For many owners, it does the opposite. The industry is full of confident promises, packaged systems, and “proven frameworks” that look good on the surface but rarely fit the reality of running a clinic. When the advice doesn’t land, owners don’t just lose money; they lose confidence in their decisions. In this episode, Michael and Celia explore what good coaching actually looks like, why so many clinic owners end up in the wro...

Overview: The phone rings, no one answers, and the patient disappears. That tiny moment is where clinics lose revenue, trust, and momentum and it’s exactly where AI can quietly do the heavy lifting. We unpack how AI phone reception helps clinics capture bookings after hours and during peak spikes while protecting data, avoiding lock‑in, and freeing staff for high‑value human moments. We also share a vendor‑vetting checklist to spot wrappers, weigh security, and implement AI that works...

Most clinic owners think they’re networking. Jonathan Shearer explains why they’re wrong. In this episode of No Appointment Necessary, Michael speaks with Jonathan Shearer, podiatrist and founder of Footsteps Clinic, about what networking actually looks like when it works. Not letters to GPs. Not one-off events. Not vague “being visible”. They unpack why networking fails for most clinics, how trust is built through consistency and inconvenience, and why transactional thinking kills long-term ...

Overview Most people in MSK talk about “community” like it’s a slogan. Jack Chew actually built one. In this episode of No Appointment Necessary, Michael sits down with Jack, founder of Physio Matters, co-creator of Therapy Live and clinic owner at Choose Health, for a blunt conversation about the realities MSK keeps avoiding. They start with the Timperley Trundle, a walking group that accidentally became a public health intervention, then dig into AI, business ethics, evidence, over-servici...

OverviewThis one is chaos, honesty and a masterclass in how a small clinic becomes a serious force. Emily from LR Podiatry joins Michael for a conversation that swings from musical theatre to burnout to rebuilding a clinic from the ground up. If you’ve ever felt like you’re winging it, drowning, or one bad month away from packing it in, this episode will hit home. Emily talks openly about walking away from London, moving home, joining her mum’s tiny single-chair practice, and the moment every...

OverviewMost clinic owners talk about taking risks. Andy actually did it. He bought a declining osteopathy clinic, rebuilt it from the inside out, then opened a second business across the road with no plan, no sleep, a newborn child and a stomach ulcer. Now he runs one of the most interesting blended MSK + strength clinics in the South West. In this episode, Michael Schumacher sits down with Andy to unpack the real story: the messy acquisition, the resistance from inherited staff, the Notion ...

Overview: When HMDG sold, most people assumed it was a simple acquisition. It wasn’t. Michael Schumacher sits down with new owner Ben Marcilhacy to talk openly about buying an agency, why he walked away from building a clinic group, and what he’s learned from seeing hundreds of MSK businesses up close. They cover culture, integrity, corporate creep, data, patient experience, and why MSK is changing faster than most clinics realise. Show Notes: Ben originally spent months travelling the UK ...

Overview: Podiatry is one of the most misunderstood professions in MSK. Nick Knight joins Michael Schumacher to talk honestly about why podiatry struggles with visibility, why the public still thinks pods cut toenails, and what needs to change. They cover tech, orthotics, FHPs, bad marketing, inter-professional politics and why podiatry is actually one of the most exciting parts of MSK when done properly. Show Notes: If you asked the average patient what podiatrists do, most would say “cut to...

Overview: Neuro physio is not MSK with a different label. It is a different universe entirely. In this episode, Michael Schumacher talks with Adam Poulter, founder of Foundations Physio, about the realities of running a neuro clinic, why staying clinical actually strengthens a business, the truth about neuro pricing, and why innovation means more than buying shiny tech. Show Notes: Neuro physiotherapy looks glamorous from the outside: higher fees, long-term patients, stable caseloads, and no...