Season 2 Episode 10: Growing a Team, Holding Your Values: A Conversation on Leadership and Change with Isabelle and Paige
Summary
For the final episode of Season 2, I’m joined by Isabelle and Paige. Co-founders of a paediatric OT service built on shared values, strong team culture, and thoughtful, reflective leadership.
We explore the realities of growing a team, supporting clinicians across sites, and navigating change. Including how they’re preparing for one founder to relocate while maintaining connection and cohesion.
We also cover practical tools and strategies including:
Zoom-based supervision with transcript summaries
Structuring sustainable workloads for new graduates
Creating space for supervision to feel meaningful (not rushed!)
Planning future clinic expansion without overcommitting
Using ChatGPT for service planning and content ideas
This is a beautiful, grounded conversation for any therapist reflecting on leadership, growth, or staying aligned with their “why.”
If you’ve loved this season and would like to be a guest on a future episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I’d love to hear from you.
Register your interest OTCC Podcast EOI
Hosted by: Alyce Svensk The OT Coach Australia www.theotcoach.au
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Season 2 Episode 9: Finding Your Clinical Voice: Boundaries, Confidence, and Doing Things Differently with J
Summary:
In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I sit down with J, an early-career paediatric occupational therapist who is working hard to bridge the gap between clinical training and real-world therapy. J shares what it’s like to feel well-trained but still unsure — navigating multiple models, complex family dynamics, and unclear expectations in NDIS-funded therapy.
Together, we explore:
The challenge of integrating approaches like DIR/Floortime, CO-OP, and SOS Therapy contracting and how to explain your “why” to families
Setting boundaries early in your career
How supervision can help build clarity and confidence
Developing your clinical voice when things feel uncertain
This episode is an honest reflection for any OT working in paediatrics who’s still piecing it all together — especially in those early years where growth often happens outside the textbooks.
We have various workshops coming up that address some of the practice areas discussed
Caregiver Capacity
Using a coregulation approach in therapy
The Art of Paediatric Therapy – Live July 2025
Hosted by: Alyce Svensk
The OT Coach Australia
www.theotcoach.au
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Season 2 Episode 8: Figuring Out Time, Boundaries, and Working for Yourself with Taylor
Summary
In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I sit down with Taylor, an Occupational Therapist who has moved through hospital rotations, mental health, and now community-based NDIS work. She’s built strong clinical confidence - but is now planning how to run her own business!
Taylor shares her reflections on navigating time pressures, unclear expectations around billables, and the early stages of considering what working for herself might look like.
Together, we explore:
What it feels like to be confident clinically but still unsure of your direction.
Managing time and ensuring you are billing effectively across a mixed caseload.
How sole trading is often the next step for building a professional practice that aligns with your professional values.
Why reflecting on what doesn’t work can help shape what comes next.
This thoughtful, real conversation is for any therapist who’s built something solid—but is starting to wonder what comes after “getting good at the job.”
Resources:
We didn't speak about this during the pod - but Verve OT Learning has a great workshop about billable time Navigating Billable Time & the NDIS
Spreadsheet
Hosted by: Alyce Svensk
The OT Coach Australia
www.theotcoach.au
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Season 2: Episode 7 Building a Business That Works for You – Not the Other Way Around with Jess
Summary
In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I sit down with Jess, a sole trader OT with a decade of experience and a clear vision for the kind of business—and life—she wants to build. Jess shares her journey from early NDIS work to leadership roles, and eventually, stepping back into sole trading for the flexibility it offered her growing family.
We unpack the complexity of doing it all—functional assessments, home mods, assistive tech, reports, supervision, student placements, and dreaming up bigger things like subcontracting and building her own team.
Together, we explore:
The challenge of wearing all the hats as a sole trader
Pricing, self-worth, and saying no to unaligned opportunities
Structuring time and caseloads to avoid burnout
Why supervision and teaching are core to her future goals
Navigating student placements and early-stage hiring plans
The tricky reality of juggling family, admin, and ambition
This honest, relatable episode is full of practical reflection for anyone building a service on their own terms—especially if you're craving a slower pace, but dreaming big.
Resources:
Sample Diary - https://alyce-svensk.mykajabi.com/pl/2148656142
Hosted by: Alyce Svensk
The OT Coach Australia
www.theotcoach.au
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Season 2 Episode 6: From supervisee to sole trader life with Abigail
Summary:
Abigail didn’t plan to go solo—but after workplace changes, she found herself taking on private clients while figuring out her next steps. In this episode, we talk through the reality of stepping into sole trader work without a long-term plan, and the importance of pausing to reflect before making big career moves.
We explore how supervision, curiosity, and practical self-awareness have shaped Abigail’s growth, and why it’s essential to think ahead—especially in paediatrics, where going solo comes with long-term responsibilities.
Big Takeaway: Private work might seem like a flexible option, but especially in paediatrics, it’s not something to leap into lightly. Take time to clarify your vision, scope, and systems before making the move.
Curious about private work but not sure where to start? Check out my Sensational Start to Private Practice workshop—it walks you through all the essential decisions before you leap, so you can start with confidence and clarity. https://www.verveotlearning.com.au/Sensational-Start-to-Setting-Up-in-Private-Practice
Looking for your next role: This free workshop will chat through the considerations https://sensationalstart-au.zoom.us/rec/share/_cibZYCX7zsb62REFhGAPbnAuyUrI0z1eD0jM6Dw5-Du8rx336kij2iy51wOQqoG.u5U2YGdrbIYLEhnU
Hosted by: Alyce Svensk
The OT Coach Australia
www.theotcoach.au
Alyce Svensk is an experienced paediatric occupational therapist, business mentor, and the voice behind OT Coaching Confidential. With a no-nonsense approach and a deep love for empowering OTs, Alyce brings the real talk minus the fluff straight to your ears.
She’s not here to sugar-coat the challenges or sell you a shiny one-size-fits-all strategy. Alyce shares honest conversations, practical tools, and thought-provoking questions to help you feel confident, clear, and capable in your career whether you’re navigating caseload chaos, stepping into business, or figuring out what’s next.
This is your go-to podcast for grounded conversations, lightbulb moments, and the kind of mentoring that reminds you - you’re not doing this alone.
OT Coaching Confidential offers a unique and intimate look into the world of occupational therapy through one-on-one mentoring sessions. Each episode, we focus on a different occupational therapist, providing them with a safe, anonymous space to explore their professional challenges and growth opportunities. This anonymity allows our guests to be completely open and honest, fostering conversations that are as real as they are insightful.
Australia