Life Stories

What does it take to turn a passion for sport into a careerat the highest level - and leave a lasting legacy?   This week on Life Stories, I sit down with a leading figurein sports medicine to explore an incredible career working with elite athletes, world-class teams and some of the biggest moments in sport.   From dreaming of becoming a sports commentator to helpingtransform sports medicine into...

In this week’s episode of Life Stories, I’m joined by Stephen McKendry, a physiotherapist and founder of Your Physio in Northern Ireland, to hear the story behind his journey from a teenage footballer with an interest in sport to building a thriving multidisciplinary clinic back home in Derry. Stephen’s career has taken him from Northern Ireland to Northumbria University, into the world of private...

This week on Life Stories, I’m joined by Khalid Maidan, co-founder of Clinical Physio, to hear the story behind his journey from aspiring physiotherapist to entrepreneur, educator and business owner. What really stood out to me about Khalid’s story is that Clinical Physio wasn’t built overnight. It started with a simple frustration from his own early career: he wanted to learn more, but the course...

Life Stories with Andy Thomas | David Sheepshanks CBE DL   This week on Life Stories, I’m joined by David SheepshanksCBE DL for a fascinating conversation about an extraordinary life in business, football and leadership.   David’s story is one of remarkable twists and turns. Growingup expecting to become a farmer, his life changed dramatically at 17 when his parents told him the family farm would...

This week's episode of Life Stories is with Bruno de Jongh,owner of CBRE MSK Physio Clinics and strategic coach.   Bruno moved to the UK from Brazil over 20 years ago,originally planning to improve his English before returning home. Instead, he found himself navigating years of challenges to become a practising physiotherapist, before building a successful clinic group and coaching business.  ...

This week on Life Stories I chat to Dr Fearghal Kerin, aconsultant physiotherapist who has worked with clubs including Shamrock Rovers, St Johnstone, Leinster Rugby and Chelsea, and now advises elite athletes and sports organisations around the world.   We talk about how he got his first opportunity inprofessional sport, what he learned from working under some outstanding managers and practitioner...

This week on Life Stories, I'm joined by Dr Nick Tait, ClubDoctor at West Bromwich Albion and a highly experienced sports physician whose career has spanned elite rugby, football, general practice, and emergency medicine.   Nick takes us behind the scenes of professional sport andshares what it's really like making high-stakes medical decisions in some of the most demanding environments im...

In this episode, I sit down with Professor Andrew Cuff -physiotherapist, Executive Director at , researcher, and clinical leader - for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, healthcare innovation, research, and building purpose-driven organisations.   Andrew shares his journey from wanting to work in elitesport and the military to helping lead one of the UK’s largest musculoskeletal healthc...

This week on Life Stories, I’m joined by physio, educator,and former professional dancer Liz Bayley.   Liz shares her incredible journey from ballet classes atthree years old to performing internationally at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, travelling the world as a professional dancer, auditioning for Strictly Come Dancing, and eventually becoming one of the UK’s leading dance physiotherapists.   We ta...

This week on Life Stories, I sit down with someone I’ve beentrying to pin down for a long time - performance therapist Derry Suter.   Derry’s journey is nothing short of incredible. From growingup in a mining village with dreams of making the Olympics himself, to having his career cut short by injury… and then completely reinventing his life working with some of the greatest athletes the UK has ev...

This week on Life Stories, I sat down with Dr HarvinderPower.   He started out as a doctor, right in the middle of the COVIDpandemic, thrown into the NHS at one of the toughest times in recent history. But what he experienced early on changed his perspective. Instead of spending most of his time with patients, he found himself stuck behind a desk, dealingwith admin, missing out on the very reason...

This week on Life Stories, I’m joined by Jo Turner -  physiotherapist, coach, and founder of Mehab - for a powerful conversation on wellbeing, performance, and being human in demanding professions.   We talk about her journey into coaching, the lasting impactof COVID on clinicians, and why issues like perfectionism and imposter syndrome are so common. We also break down the difference between coac...

This week on Life Stories, I sat down with Tom Lamb -  a senior physiotherapist with a seriously unique journey – and we covered a lot more than just rehab and performance.   We got into how the physio world is evolving fast,especially with the rise of technology, AI, and data-driven rehab. Tom shares how tools like force plates and AI notetaking are changing the way clinicians work, but also why...

What does it really take to build a meaningful career -  and stay ahead in a changing profession? In this episode of the Life Stories Podcast, I’m joined by DrDan Bunstone  for a deep dive into careergrowth, leadership, and navigating the realities of modern healthcare.   Dan shares his journey -  the decisions, challenges, and defining moments that have shaped his path -  andwe explore what separ...

Why do so many clinicians feel stuck in their careers - andhow do you fix it?  In this episode of the Life Stories Podcast, I sit down withphysiotherapy career coach and leadership advocate Priyanka Shinde to unpack what it really takes to build a successful, purpose-driven career in healthcare.   Priya shares her journey from struggling to land her firstrole to stepping into leadership and ultima...

What does it really take to build a career in elite sport?   In this episode of the Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast, Isit down with Sarah-Jane McDonnell to talk about her journey through more than two decades working in high-performance sport.   SJ is the Head of Rehabilitation at the Sport IrelandInstitute, supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes across multiple Games cycles. In our conversat...

What does it really take to build a lasting career inhealthcare?   In this episode of the Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast,host Andy Thomas sits down with respected physiotherapist and healthcare leader Karen May for a powerful conversation about leadership, career growth, and the realities of working in healthcare.   Karen shares the experiences that shaped her journey - thechallenges, the turnin...

This week on the Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast, AndyThomas sits down with specialist physio Nell Mead for a bold conversation about pricing, value, and confidence in healthcare.   Nell shares why she charges premium rates, how shecommunicates price rises transparently, and why being fully booked isn’t luck - it’s clarity of value. From expectation setting to protecting profit margins, this epis...

On this episode of the Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast,Andy Thomas sits down with Paul Wimpenny for an honest, behind-the-scenes conversation about career pivots, leadership, and staying grounded whileworking at scale.   Paul shares his journey from frontline care into seniorleadership - opening up about the pressure that comes with responsibility, the importance of building strong teams, and why...

From Failing Exams to Building a National HealthcareBusiness | Andrew Walton on Life Stories   In this episode of the Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast,Andy sits down with Andrew Walton, founder of Cora Health and First ContactHealth, to explore an incredible journey from struggling at school to becomingone of the UK’s leading MSK healthcare entrepreneurs.   Andrew shares his story growing up in Ne...

In this episode of the Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast,Andy is joined by Andy Barker - former Leeds Rhinos Head Physio and founder of TheNew Grad Physio.   Andy shares his journey from struggling to get onto a physiodegree to working in elite sport, stepping into leadership early, and latermoving into business and mentorship.   They discuss the realities of professional sport, whycommunication an...

Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast - Episode with Alex Manos |From Elite Sport to Coaching, Purpose & Personal Growth   In this episode of the Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast,Andy is joined by Alex Manos, a former Premier League physiotherapist turnedcoach, for one of the most honest and reflective conversations on the show todate.   Alex shares his journey through elite football - fromworking...

Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast - Episode with Matt Taylor| Building a Career, a Business & Resilience in Healthcare   In this episode of the Andy Thomas’ Life Stories Podcast,Andy is joined by Matt Taylor, Clinical Director at Response Healthcare Group,for a wide-ranging and honest conversation about careers in healthcare,entrepreneurship, and what it really takes to build something that las...

Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast - Episode with Bob Stewart| Leadership, Longevity & Lessons from a Life in Sport   In this week’s episode of the Andy Thomas Life StoriesPodcast, Andy is joined by Bob Stewart for a wide-ranging conversation onleadership, high performance, and the lessons that only come from decades ofexperience in sport and professional life.   Bob reflects on his journey, sha...

Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast – Episode with Dr AndyMcDonald | Rethinking Pain, Rehab & Modern Healthcare   In this episode of the Andy Thomas Life Stories Podcast,Andy is joined by Dr Andy McDonald for a deep, thoughtful conversation on pain,rehabilitation, and how healthcare needs to evolve.   Dr McDonald shares his journey through medicine andmusculoskeletal care, challenging traditional...