http://www.patientcentred.co.uk/

Patient Centred Training, Sevenoaks (2026)

20/03/2026

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞

Just a quick one today - I recently joined Kevin Christie on his Modern Chiropractic Mastery podcast for a great conversation.

I always enjoy our conversations, and this was probably my favourite to date - delivering a first class patient experience in the age of AI.

As many of you know, I’ve been exploring this a lot the last couple of years, and have so far made a couple of predictions that turned out to be band on the money:

ChatGPT-written posts being increasingly obvious and a massive turn off for many…

Rookie coaches using fake images and lazy AI-generated ideas to fake credibility
This episode discusses a couple more, including one that will affect all of us - regardless of whether you’re using AI or not.

Check it out at one of the below links in the comments and find out why, and what you need to do to 𝐧𝐨𝐰 to avoid getting caught out.

And if you want some help, Kevin and I are teaming up for a one-day deep dive on this exact topic.

Whether you’re 20 years in, just started your own practice, or are planning to do so in the next year or two, this is for you.

Early bird discount expired at the end of the month, so get yours now for the best possible price, link in the comments.

But whether you choose to join us or not, check out that podcast episode to make sure you’re not left behind.

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢’𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨…

17/03/2026

𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜

“𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵” 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧…

It’s September 2025, and I’m in the middle of a 4 day trip up to Edinburgh to attend the Lost Evenings music festival.

It had been put together by Frank Turner, a former punk & hardcore musician who became part of the north London Folk scene in the early 2000’s.

Teenage Chris was a massive Frank fan, and you could say that whole rebellious, anti-establishment subculture shaped a lot of my views and attitudes at the time.

To me, the festival itself felt like going back 20 years in a time machine, finding myself surrounded by punks & rockers (both young and not-so-young)...

… Doc Martins, Black Flag T-shirts, more piercings than you could shake a stick

at…

But as much fun as it was, something had clearly changed - me.

First of all, the prospect of spending 4 nights in a row on my feet was a lot more daunting for my middle-aged spine.

(I’d booked myself a sports massage and visited a local colleague on the way up!)

And far from crashing on a friend's sofa like I’d used to, I’d booked myself a room in a lovely little hotel - whose reviews had specifically mentioned how comfortable the beds were.

And lastly, instead of grabbing food from the tortilla & burger vans outside the venue, here I was enjoying the tasting menu at one of the city’s top fine-dining restaurants.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a picky eater, and no stranger to street food.

From time to time though, I do like to treat myself.

And one of the reasons I enjoy visiting places like this one isn’t just the food - it’s because I’m fascinated by all the ways they enhance the experience.

Because it’s not just about the food - yes, for the prices they charge, the food had better be impeccable… but that’s not enough.

Good food is just “table stakes” - they need to go above and beyond in order to earn the reputation they have.

And this place knew exactly what they were doing there.

One example in particular stood out to me, and it surprised me for the exact reason that’ll make you think I’m joking:

Their gluten free bread.

Now, in most restaurants of this calibre, you expect some fresh-baked bread whilst you wait for your meal.

And whilst you’d expect them to cater to dietary options like this, truth be told most gluten-free bread is a pretty poor approximation of the real thing.

Not here though - honestly, that bread was hands-down the best I’ve ever tasted - crazy as it might sound, I was blown away by how delicious it was!

I mentioned this to the waiter and she told me “Oh yes, we’re known for it here - the chef developed his own recipe in fact - he wanted it to be up to the same standard as the rest of the food.”

(She then brought me another roll… I regret nothing!)

The thing that grabbed me about this though is that it’s not really about having high standards - it sends their customers a subtle but powerful message:

“If we put this much care into the bread, just think how good the rest of the meal will be…”

It’s a great example of foreshadowing and creating anticipation, which then makes the next course taste even better as a result.

All from paying a lot of attention to one of the first experiences their customers have with them.

Now if, on the other hand, they’d have brought out the usual dry & tasteless GF bread that most restaurants do, I wouldn’t have been annoyed… but I wouldn’t have been wowed either.

And chances are I’d have been subconsciously starting to mentally group them with other “regular restaurants”, and ending up less satisfied as a result.

And of course, as you’ve probably now guessed, this isn’t just applicable to fine-dining restaurants - it is just as true for your practice as well.

It’s tempting to think that patients come to see you for your clinical skills, and your ability to help them.

That matters, but like good food… that’s just table stakes.

It doesn’t build a reputation for excellence, or lasting loyalty.

That comes from consciously designing an excellent customer experience - and this starts from way before they’ve even met you, and can be impacted by exactly the things most DC’s tend to overlook.

If you want to learn a ton of proven ways of achieving this, and take your patient experience to the next level, make sure you don’t miss my next Masterclass with Kevin Christie on June 20th.

Kevin is one of the few US coaches I genuinely trust - he’s evidence-informed, patient centred, and incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to designing a practice that works for both you and your patients.

The Early Bird pricing runs out in a couple of weeks, you can find all the details in the comments.

But whether you choose to join us or not, remember this - excellence is about more than just great clinical skills.

And sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference.

13/03/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩

(𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 - 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦)

If you either own a practice or think you might one day, there’s a trap in the middle of that journey that very few people warn you about.

Recently I saw some interesting data from a survey of UK private practice clinic owners that highlighted this exact issue.

Initially it looked pretty typical - as clinics grow, the owner’s income generally rises the way you’d expect.

Sounds good, but it’s not the full story…
… and perhaps more importantly, owner satisfaction doesn’t follow the same trajectory.

It clearly highlighted that even though 2 specific practice models are pretty fulfilling for owners, the most common type by far actually carries 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭.

Today's video breaks down:
- The types of practice this happens to
- The two very different directions your practice can evolve,
- The one thing that matters early on if you ever want the business to grow without relying entirely on you.

If you’re building a clinic, or thinking about it one day, this is worth understanding before you get there.

PS. If you’re serious about building a practice you actually enjoy running, Kevin Christie and I are running a one-day 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 in London on June 20th.

It’s focused on the systems and patient experience that allow clinics to grow without everything sitting on the owner’s shoulders.

Early bird tickets are available until the end of the month. Check out the comments for full details.

05/03/2026

𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫

Earlier this week, I had an associate of mine come down to observe for the day.

Rather than just passively watching (a recipe for boredom, FYI), I gave her a task for the day: note what I do that she doesn't, and what she does that I don't.

At the end of the day, I asked what she’d noticed.

She told me that the most obvious difference was this - I joke around with my patients constantly.

"That's just not really me," she then said.

It makes sense, and for a relatively recent grad I can understand it feeling outside their comfort zone.

However, the folks who 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 use humour in the treatment room (like this associate) often assume it's just a personality thing - you either have it or you don't.

And those who do generally fall into one of two camps: they're either doing it out of habit, or out of insecurity.

Very few are doing it deliberately and strategically.

That's what I get into in today's video.

04/03/2026

𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

Just had a great conversation with Kevin Christie for an upcoming podcast - he highlighted the importance of the word "even" when talking about wanting to do "even better".

"I want to be better" = I'm not doing enough, fixed mindset language

"I want to be even better" = I'm already enough but would love more, growth mindset language

That one little word separates the truly excellent from the "pretty good" - but also the ones who truly love what they do, from those who just get by.

I enjoy helping pretty much anyone to improve their skills, but what I really love is working with folks who bring that growth mindset to their clinic - who are about the journey, not just the destination.

It's why I'm so excited about this next event - because I know we're going to have a room full of those kinds of DC's, all with the energy to match.

Join us both on June 20th to take your practice from better to even better ;)

https://healthfit.lpages.co/london-2026-masterclass/

03/03/2026

"𝐈'𝐦 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭....."

Apologies for the radio silence recently, there’s been a lot happening both in clinic, but also with Alexandra that’s needed all of my attention.

(Nothing too serious fortunately, and thank you to all of you who messaged me to check in regarding her - it’s always touching to hear from subscribers checking in with me!)

Fortunately things are getting back onto a more even keel now, which means I can get to finishing off my next project (I know I keep teasing, but not long now I promise!)

Anyway, on to today's newsletter…

“𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴!”

I had to chuckle a little hearing that…

I’d been talking to a colleague recently who had reached out asking for advice - they were trying to build rapport and trust with patients, but had hit a problem they couldn’t solve on their own.

They’d been making the effort to get to know their patients, taking an interest in their personal lives, and asking about more than just their back pain.

On the one hand, it was definitely working - patients were opening up to him, and felt they could trust him enough to share their problems.

On the other hand, it was starting to take its toll on his mental state…

He found himself getting frustrated at some patients who seemed to be “dumping” on him, and their appointments were at risk of turning into a therapy session.

And many had problems in their lives that were well above his pay grade.

“𝘐’𝘮 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 - 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦!”

I could relate - I’ve had my fair share of challenging situations like this, and patients looking to unload on the nearest friendly ear.

But it was what he said next that made me realise just where this problem comes from - he talked about at uni, he’d been taught to take a biopsychosocial approach to care.

Considering not just mechanical “issues in the tissues”, but also the patients stress levels, home situation, and wider environment.

So far so good - I’m not going to argue against that.

The problem, however, lies in what happens next - now he’d gathered all this information, it left him with a subconscious responsibility to try and fix it.

Part of him knew this was a lost cause - after all, we’re chiropractors, not mental health professionals.

We’re not trained to help people in this way, and I doubt many of us became chiropractors to dive into these issues.

But if you’re going to collect all that information, and you know it can play a big role in some peoples pain… what are you supposed to do with it?

This left him feeling stuck between two pretty rubbish options: either embrace his new role as untrained therapist / social worker…

… or give up on the biopsychosocial approach all together and retreat into an overly simplistic structural model, and pretend none of that other stuff matters.

Part of him was tempted - “𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘐 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵”

But deep down, he knew it was a cop out.

(And although he was worried about burning out from taking on all their other problems, I’ve seen just as many DC’s burn out from just adjusting spines all day long too…)

So I asked him, “What if you don’t need to do anything about those other problems?”

Something I realised a long time ago, was that there is a big difference between understanding a barrier to healing, and having to do something about it.

On the one hand, I do believe it’s important to assess and identify things like stress, mental health, and social dynamics, and help patients understand their impact on whatever they’re currently struggling with.

On the other hand, that doesn’t mean it’s your responsibility to do anything about them - for 2 reasons.

First and most obvious, there are better qualified people out there to help them with this.

I’m far better placed to help signpost and refer appropriately, than to try and manage those factors within a chiropractic treatment.

More important is the secondary reason - who says the patient actually wants that help right now?

Just because I think it’s an issue, that doesn't mean they do.

And even if they do, who says now is the right time?

I’ve had countless patients come to me with some significant crisis going on in their lives, which has been a major driver of their pain.

But whilst I make sure they understand what’s going on, that doesn’t mean they’re ready to tackle it right now.

And if I feel it’s somehow my responsibility to fix those things (even if it’s a subtle and subconscious belief), in many cases that’s going to lead to me pushing some patients in directions they’re not ready to go.

Which causes the patient to push back, and me to feel frustrated and stuck.

I explained all this to him, and could hear the relief in his voice - it finally allowed him to take the pressure off himself, and to focus on the things he can help them with whilst empowering them to get additional help at the right time, and on their own terms.

Now, I’m sure some of you can relate to this, but for those who can’t, I’m betting this applies in other dimensions too.

Diet, rehab, soft-tissue therapy… these all can be big factors in the presenting complaint…

… but that doesn’t mean you have to be the one to manage them yourself.

(Not that you can’t of course - assuming you enjoy that and have the skills)

The challenge most of us face is being able to identify all of these issues in advance… and knowing where to start.

If you want help with that, keep an eye on your inbox - I’ve been working on something that will help you do just that…

19/02/2026

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐩 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜 - 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝

I was listening to an interview with Judd Apatow recently.

For those a bit younger, there was a time 20 years ago when he was THE BIGGEST comedy producer & director in Hollywood.

Anchorman, Superbad, 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, This is 40…

Back before streaming forever changed the movie industry, his films were household names.

Anyway, what I didn’t know before listening to this interview was that he didn’t start in movies - he began in stand-up.

And he shared one particular insight that’s been rattling around my brain since - not how to be funnier, but why stand up comedy is such a particularly brutal career.

He described how most performers don’t quit because they lack potential, or aren't funny enough, but because of how much scarier the learning curve is compared to most other talents.

Which, of course, got me thinking about chiropractic… and how there’s a lot more similarities than you might think.

It also highlights a simple tool that all of us can use to improve both our confidence and out treatment… yet so few actually do.

It explains why so many chiropractors struggle more than they think they “should”, and why many constantly battle burnout, impostor syndrome, or just falling out of love with the profession.

There’s a structural reason it feels a lot tougher than other jobs..

Today's video breaks down what that is - and more importantly, what actually makes it easier without pretending the nerves disappear.

Because there are ways to approach this that change the experience entirely.

17/02/2026

“Easy for you to say, Chris… 🙄”

In fairness, no-one actually sent me that after last week's email.

But I’ve been working with practitioners long enough to know that a fair few thought it anyway when they read it.

It was about the link between being genuinely patient-centred and also being comfortably profitable, and the discomfort many of us (mistakenly) feel around that.

The key message was that if your practice is financially fragile, then it’s much harder to remain unattached to the patients choices about whether to start care (or finish early).

I did get quite a few replies, with folks saying it clarified things and names the tension they'd been feeling around this false dichotomy of “eat well or sleep well”.

And whilst I’m genuinely glad it resonated for so many, I also know there will be another group reading who might have internally rolled their eyes a bit.

Even when you can see the truth in it, for some of you it probably feels a bit abstract - something that applies once you’re already successful.

Or once the diary is consistently full.

But if you’re not there yet, the idea of “being less attached” sometimes sounds like a luxury.

And I do get it - probably more than you might think.

Because years ago, I found myself in a similar situation:

Around 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to try my hand at teaching.

I’d build a busy patient list, dialled in my communication skills, and had mentored a few new graduate associates in how to do the same.

So I got in touch with the Royal College of Chiropractors, and offered to run a small evening talk for local practitioners. Nothing major, just a small conference room in a nearby hotel.

They agreed and organised the event - I just turned up, spoke for an hour, and went home feeling reasonably pleased that I hadn’t made a complete tit out of myself.

Afterwards, a colleague from Bristol messaged me. He hadn’t been able to attend, but mentioned that his clinic director sometimes hired external speakers to run in-house weekend trainings.

“𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥?”

I said yes almost immediately - this was a huge step up, and after my first ever speaking gig!

I was dead excited, right up until he replied with “𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮?”

Suddenly, that excitement in my stomach turned to ice…

… not only did I have no website, I had practically no online presence at all.

No testimonials, no professional photos, and no evidence that I had ever taught more than 10 colleagues in that little room in Wrotham Travelodge.

Up until that point I was simply a chiropractor with an interest in patient-centred care and communication skills.

For a few minutes, I considered replying with something sensible.

“I’m still putting things together… Maybe later in the year… Let me get back to you once I’ve got something in place…”

Entirely reasonable replies - but I knew myself well enough to recognise what would happen next.

If I stepped back in that moment and waited until I looked more established, it might be years until I got around to it (and maybe even more years until I landed a gig like that).

So instead of replying, I opened a Squarespace account.

I spent the entire weekend building a website.

It wasn’t sophisticated, strategic, or particularly informative - just me trying to look like someone who had done this many times before.

(I even wrote a full page titled “The Science of Patient-Centred Care” complete with references - which in hindsight was clearly written more to reassure myself than any prospective client 😆)

Honestly, some Monday morning when I replied with “of course, here you go!”...
I felt like a bit of a fraud.

But I’ll never forget that email, and the frantic weekend it led to.

Not because of the website, so much as that was the day I stopped being “Chris who wants to coach one day”, and became “Chris, the coach”
(I know it would sound snappier, but I just can’t bring myself to say “Coach Chris” 🤢).

Over the following years, that hastily-assembled website led to a career of many seminars, training, conference invites, and eventually working with hundreds of practitioners across the globe.

None of that came from me waiting for “the right time” though.

I had to take action first, and then grow into the identity I’d set for myself
Which brings me back to my last email.

It’s completely understandable, if your diary feels inconsistent or your margins feel tighter than you’d like, to think:

“𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳…”

𝘖𝘳 “𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰…” 𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦."

The reality though, is that you only build the kind of stability you’re waiting for by doing the very decisions you’re postponing until “one day”.

Whereas the practitioners who eventually feel less emotionally invested in their patients' decisions, and can recommend care without that background hum of financial anxiety, rarely arrive there by accident.

They confronted uncomfortable trade-offs sooner rather than later, and took action before they felt fully ready.

That’s one of the main reasons I'm running this next Masterclass in June:

For folks who want to take action now, rather than wait until “some day” when they’re magically in a place where it feels easy.

Who want deliberate, structured steps towards reducing financial fragility without compromising patient care.

Tickets are $595 USD - which isn’t trivial, but also not life-altering when you're running a business (especially when you consider how massive a return on the investment you’d get from just implementing a fraction of what we’ll be teaching).

But deep down, what it really represents is a decision:

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲?

𝐓𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?

If you read last week's email and thought “that makes sense,” then this Masterclass is simply the next practical step.

If you read it and quietly thought, “Easy for you to say,” then this might be the exact action that feels uncomfortable… and therefore important.

Of course, you can absolutely decide now isn’t the right time.

Just make sure that decision is intentional, and not just an easy habit of postponing the exact step that would make the year ahead easier instead of harder.

If you’d like to explore it properly, the details and registration are in the comments.

Whatever you decide, do it deliberately - “choosing not to choose” is still a choice.

12/02/2026

"𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬"

Not sure about your clinic, but our diaries were unusually quiet at the start of Jan.

Nothing too dramatic, but noticeably so - my team all noticed it, and some of the newer ones were concerned:

They started asking “𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘰𝘸? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?”

I saw a lot of this online too in practitioner groups.

I get it, if there’s a sudden change in the bookings, it’s natural to ask why.

I’ve been there myself too in the past.

But this time, I wasn’t worried about it.

I’m not a naïve optimist though (I suspect no-one running a clinic during 2020 could be accused of that!)

And it’s not because I don’t care about money - with staff to pay and a family to care for, I’m well aware of the stakes.

But despite the quiet patch, I just knew the clinic could absorb it.

If we had a softer few weeks, we’d be fine.

And if the next handful of new patients decided not to continue, we’d still be fine.

I didn’t always have that kind of steadiness though...

Earlier in my career, after we’d paid for our BFGW (Big Fat Greek Wedding), bought a house that was frankly a bit outside our budget, and had a baby on the way, I remember feeling something I hadn’t really felt before.

For the first time, it was all on me.

If my earnings dipped, that wasn’t less money for nice meals and holidays, it was “how am I going to keep a roof over our heads?”

In fact, I can remember catching a subtle thought in a couple of appointments during a quiet spell…

… not something I acted on, but it was niggling away there anyway:

“If they don’t decide to take up care, that actually matters…”

Of course, I didn’t change my recommendations or treatment plans, suddenly become pushy, or let it influence patient care…

… but the tension was there, and for the first time, I realised how easily financial pressure could start to leak into my practice.

Most of us avoid talking about it publicly - but behind closed doors, or in private DM’s, I hear it from other colleagues too.

It often feels like we’re stuck balancing this tension, between patient values versus profit.

As if caring about money somehow “contaminates” our desire to be ethical and patient-centred.

However, something I later realised was that it’s not actually the money that causes this, but the fragility.

When a clinic is financially fragile, everything matters more.

Whether it’s cancellations, quiet weeks, or early drop-outs from care, any dip starts to feel personal.

When you’re under that kind of pressure, any relief starts to look more enticing - especially the big “30 patients in 30 days!” promises.

Not because you suddenly care less about integrity, but a stressed brain wants certainty.

However, there’s another way of looking at this - and what changed for me wasn’t just a mindset shift and becoming unattached to outcomes (that can help, but only if you address the deeper problem first).

Instead it’s more of a concrete, structural change:

Rather than feel uncomfortable about profit, I started to lean into it - and looked for ways to increase clinic revenue, without resorting to cutting corners or gimmicky marketing tactics.

We sat down and strategised - and looked for ways we could build on what works, create even more reviews and referrals, and generally give out patients an experience they couldn’t get anywhere else.

(This also allowed us to upped our fees, though that’s optional)

Essentially, we worked on the thing that mattered most - our business model - so we could continue to put our patients first, without having to constantly think about our bottom line.

And as a result, future quiet spells like last month didn’t concern me - we had a buffer, and could absorb losses without immediately feeling the emotional pressure.

Even better, that changes how I showed up: both in terms of not needing to worry if a patient came back or not (that non-attachment is great, but a lot easier to foster when you’re not financially fragile).

It also made it easier to slow down, take time off, spend time training my team… and ensure associates didn’t feel any pressure from me to “earn their keep” either.

Despite the default assumption a lot of people subconsciously hold about money, raising your income as a practitioner doesn’t make you somehow less principled.

In fact the opposite is true: a financially healthy practice actually 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 your standards.

Instead of feeling stressed, it gives you room to breathe.

And the really cool thing is that.

And when the underlying practice design and patient experience reinforce each other, you get a positive feedback loop.

Improved revenue allows you to invest back into your practice: team training or expansion, better equipment and premises, CPD and adding new techniques / services…

… That team, clinic environment and treatment efficacy then creates better patient outcomes…

… and happier patients stick around longer, leave great reviews, and refer more people…

… all of which increases clinic income again.

So although most practitioners feel uncomfortable around the idea of “profit”, in the right kind of business model, it actually serves a patient-centred approach!

The key thing is removing business fragility, and creating resilience and stability.
Focus on that, and this whole “eat well or sleep well” myth completely disappears - and you and your patients can succeed together.

If you’d like some help with this, that topic is exactly what Kevin Christie and I are focusing on in our upcoming masterclass:

How to design a clinic where the business side and the patient experience side strengthen each other - so resilience is baked in, not a “nice to have” if things go well that month.

If you’re a clinic owner or solo DC and can relate to that subtle tension between caring for your patients and needing the numbers to work, you’re going to love it
It’s on June 20th in London - get all the details in the comments.

But whether you choose to join us or not - or you’re not at the point of running your own practice yet - here’s the key thing to remember:

“Patient care vs profits” is a false dichotomy - it’s entirely possible to make it a win-win for you both.

But you can’t get there if you feel bad about making money.

More on this next week…

P.S. turns out, when we ran the full January numbers at month end, we’d actually had one of our stronger months.

Which was a helpful extra lesson: you don’t have to always believe the first thing your brain tells you!

Patient Centred Training

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