OT Coaching Confidential

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce is joined by Bobby, an occupational therapist in the process of returning to paediatric practice after spending eight years overseas working across health coaching, strength and conditioning, and other roles outside occupational therapy. After allowing his registration to lapse, Bobby made the decision to return to Australia and to OT but quickly...

  In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I’m joined by Luana, a paediatric occupational therapist who stepped into private practice 12 months ago after almost a decade working across clinical practice, leadership and education. Now running a mobile paediatric practice in a regional community, Luana has gone from wondering where her referrals would come from to managing a full caseload a...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential , I'm joined by John, an occupational therapist who made the move from vocational rehabilitation in New Zealand to complex psychosocial NDIS practice in Australia, and who is now stepping into leadership as an OT team leader.   After seven years as an occupational therapist and one year in a leadership role, John reflects on the transition from bein...

In this episode of   OT Coaching Confidential, I'm joined by   Katie, an occupational therapist with a background in acute, rehabilitation and hospital practice who is building a completely new area of occupational therapy in maternal health.   After experiencing the transition into motherhood herself, Katie recognised a gap in the support available to women recovering from Caesarea...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I'm joined by Harry, an occupational therapist working in paediatrics while also holding a pastoral leadership role within his church community. After taking seven years to complete his occupational therapy degree and spending much of his early adulthood mentoring young people, Harry reflects on the transition into professional practice and the challeng...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce is joined by Jessica, a paediatric occupational therapist who built her own private practice from the ground up and is now navigating what it takes to lead well without losing herself in the process. With close to a decade and a half in paediatrics, including a foundational stint at a larger multi-site practice with strong mentoring and supervisio...

This week I am joined by C, a paediatric OT working in a subcontracting role, and we talk about what happens when you love the clinical work but the systems around it are slowly wearing you down. In this episode we discuss: Finding your clinical niche and why specialising can be a protective factor Moral burnout and the difference between caseload overwhelm and systems overwhelm Navigating anticip...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I'm joined by Chris, an occupational therapist running his own small private practice specialising in home modifications and assistive technology. Chris has been working for himself full-time since 2023, building steadily from a standing start during COVID into a practice with subcontractors, a full-time VA, and a part-time support person. Now, with his...

In this final episode of OT Coaching Confidential Season 5, I’m joined by Rochelle, an experienced paediatric occupational therapist who has recently taken a significant next step in her business journey. After years of building a strong trauma-informed paediatric caseload as a sole trader, Rochelle has just transitioned into company structure and brought on her first employee. What sounds excitin...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I’m joined by Marie, an experienced occupational therapist who has recently transitioned from hospital and community mental health into private practice. With over 15 years of experience, Marie reflects on the shift from structured public health roles into the autonomy of private work. While the transition has brought flexibility and creative freedom, i...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce is joined by Sophia, an experienced occupational therapist who is navigating early private practice while holding the weight of past system reform, identity shifts, and changing personal priorities. With over a decade of experience across government disability services, hospitals, schools, and child development teams, Sophia reflects on how p...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce sits down with Jane, an experienced occupational therapist working in a Grade 3 leadership role within the public health system while also running her own private practice. After more than twenty years working across clinical roles, Jane recently stepped into a leadership position supervising a growing occupational therapy team. While continuing h...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce sits down with Mary, an occupational therapist running her own private practice across several rural towns. After stabilising her caseload and building systems that support sustainable rural service delivery, Mary finds herself asking a new question. Not how to build a practice, but how she can best serve her community beyond individual therapy se...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce sits down with Paige, an occupational therapist working in adult mental health and psychosocial disability within the NDIS. Paige reflects on her pathway into OT, including beginning her career in NDIS LAC and community roles before moving into clinical mental health practice and establishing herself as a sole trader. With several years in practic...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce is joined by Ruby, an experienced occupational therapist working across a broad regional caseload while building her sole trader business alongside part-time hospital work. Ten years into her OT career and around 18 months into self-employment, Ruby reflects on what it has been like to grow quickly without a clear structure to hold the work. With...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I’m joined by B, an experienced paediatric occupational therapist navigating a demanding and uncertain season of practice. After eight years as an OT and nearly five years running her own business, B reflects on the emotional load of long-term paediatric NDIS work, the pull toward creative and entrepreneurial projects, and the challenge of holding multi...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce sits down with Elsa, an experienced occupational therapist with over 15 years across hospital, community, leadership, and NDIS practice. Elsa shares her journey from working within structured hospital systems overseas, into community-based roles in Australia, followed by leadership and management positions, and more recently stepping into solo pri...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce sits down with Ezra an occupational therapist and small practice owner who’s committed to doing leadership differently. Ezra’s service supports clients across mental health and disability, and she’s actively mentoring both a new grad and early-career OT. With strong values and a reflective approach, she’s created a workplace where learning is inte...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce Svensk shares a real mentoring conversation with Kane - a thoughtful OT who has transitioned from paediatric clinical work into supervision and management. Together, they unpack what it looks like to support early-career therapists, hold professional boundaries, and navigate the realities of leadership in private practice. Kane reflects on finding...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce Svensk shares a real mentoring conversation with Al - a mature-age graduate whose path to occupational therapy began with degrees in writing and marketing, and evolved through a pivot into the health field during COVID. Together, they unpack Al’s discovery of OT after exploring nursing, how a youth mental health placement cemented his clinical fit...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce Svensk shares a real mentoring conversation with Hazel a mature-age early career OT who brings deep lived experience, clarity, and care to her sole trader practice. Together, they unpack how her journey into OT was shaped by 18 years of parenting and caregiving, how she built strong systems to support her growth when supervision was limited, and w...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, Alyce Svensk shares a real mentoring conversation with Ella, a paediatric and young adult OT who brings deep intentionality to her solo practice. Together, they unpack how chronic illness shaped her career journey, why she’s redefining supervision and professional development as business essentials, and how she’s navigating the tension between flexibili...

In this episode, we chat with Nikki an early career OT who’s navigating her first year in practice with confidence, reflection and a clear sense of direction. After entering the profession with previous experience in the disability sector, Nikki began working as a contractor before moving into sole trader work offering a well-defined service. Now, she’s intentionally seeking an employed role...

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, we meet Tanya an experienced OT who made the shift from public health to private work in search of better balance and flexibility. What started as a handful of clients quickly snowballed into a full-blown service, a small team of contractors, and the realities of running a business. Tanya shares honestly about the challenges of scaling without a clear p...

In this episode, we meet Michelle, a regional paediatric OT who transitioned from burnout in a large organisation to building her own therapy service. We explore the early years of business setup without clear mentorship, and the challenges of managing a long-term stagnant caseload while juggling a full-time mobile therapy load and motherhood. Together, we unpack strategies for sustainable practic...