Under the Influence with Martin Harvey

Most chiropractors try to improve retention by explaining more. More education. More certainty. More “here’s why you need care." But people don’t change their behaviour because we told them something clever. They change when they see something differently. In this episode, Martin breaks down five questions that help patients move from a pain-based view of chiropractic to a prevention and performan...

What if success isn't something you chase, but something you create? In this episode, Martin sits down with Dr Erin Hawken to explore the four pillars that have shaped her life, career, and approach to success: • Rituals • Creativity • Growth • Ownership Together, they discuss why meditation and exercise are more than daily habits, how growth often requires letting go before moving forward, an...

What actually makes a great second visit? Most chiropractors think it’s about presenting a care plan. Others think it’s about convincing people to follow one. More explaining. More persuading. More “handling objections.” But before people commit to a plan, they’re asking something much simpler: Does this make sense for me? In Part 2 of this series, Martin zooms out from the step-by-step and explor...

What actually makes a great first visit? Most chiropractors think it’s about gathering information. Others think it’s about impressing people. Better explanations. Better credibility. Better findings. But before people buy into a plan, their brain is asking something much simpler: Do I feel heard? In this first episode of a 2-part series, Martin zooms out from the step-by-step and explores the psy...

What do you do when practice feels tougher? Discounts? More ads? Lower the barrier to entry? In this episode, Martin sits down with Dr Shady Botros to unpack a different path: relational growth. Over the last 15+ years, Shady has developed a framework for building genuine relationships with GPs that has led to more than 800 GP referral visits a year. Not by watering down chiropractic. Not by prete...

Most chiropractors think practice growth comes from big breakthroughs. New ads. New funnels. New “systems.” But the best practices often grow another way: Tiny improvements. Repeated consistently. A better question. A clearer explanation. A stronger handover. A more intentional experience. The aggregation of marginal gains. In this episode, Martin unpacks a common practice “shituation” : Someone i...

What makes an associate relationship last 19 years? In this episode, Martin sits down with Dr. Kieran Whelan to unpack why long-term associate relationships are surprisingly rare in chiropractic… and what makes them work when they do. We discuss: The hidden costs of owning your own practice Why autonomy, mastery, and purpose matter more than money alone How to create a practice culture people actu...

A client feels worse after an adjustment. Trust drops. Confidence takes a hit. And the question creeps in: “Did I do something wrong?” In this episode, I unpack a different lens. Because most flare-ups aren’t about bad technique… They’re about a mismatch between input and capacity . Inside this episode: Why reactions happen (and why they’re often misunderstood) How to assess someone’s capacity to...

Most chiropractors think growth comes from ads, SEO, or social media. Useful tools. But not the whole game. In this episode, I break down one of the most overlooked growth strategies in practice: The people already walking through your door. Your current patients often hold the key to your next best referrals through the trainers, dentists, physios, massage therapists, gyms, and local businesses t...

I went into theatre to watch surgery. I came out rethinking how I communicate. Surgeons have it easier (in one way): One problem One solution Built-in authority Patients who have to act We don’t. We’re asking people to keep going… after the pain is gone. That’s a harder sell. But here’s what surprised me: The most powerful moment wasn’t technical. It was a sketch. On the back of an envelope. Built...

Most chiropractors only ever see one practice. Mike Szabo has seen dozens. As a full-time locum, he steps into practices all over the place -different teams, different systems, different energy. Which means he sees something most of us don’t: Patterns. In this episode, we break down what separates practices that feel flat… from the ones that feel alive the moment you walk in. We get into: Why lang...

AI just flooded the internet with content. More posts. More emails. More “top 3 tips.” And less attention than ever. In this episode, Martin breaks down what that means for your practice. Why generic content is getting ignored. Why trust is now built offline. And how to grow faster by doubling down on what AI can’t replicate: Real connection Real community Real experiences If you want more retenti...

Most chiropractors have experienced this moment. You assess someone. You know what the best recommendation would be. But something makes you hesitate. Maybe they seem financially stretched. Maybe they’re older with long-standing degeneration. Maybe they just don’t look like a “performance care” person. So you soften the recommendation. Or skip the bigger picture altogether. But that creates a prob...

Every chiropractor knows the signs. Appointments get pushed out. “I’ll check my diary.” “Let’s just see how I go.” They haven’t left. But they’re already walking toward the door. In this episode, Martin breaks down what’s really happening when patients start fading in commitment. Spoiler: it’s not about scheduling. It’s about belief. Specifically: • Pain vs prevention health beliefs • Why people s...

Guy Reikeman passed away this week. If you’ve been around chiropractic long enough, you’ve felt his influence. Palmer. Life. Sherman. Renaissance. Quest. The Octagon. Vitalism. Vision. Video before video was cool. But this episode isn’t a history lesson. It’s a distillation. The ideas that shaped me. The principles that still matter. Inside this episode: • “Thank you for my life, I forgot how big”...

“If I don’t feel bad, I must be fine.” That belief quietly undermines retention, reactivations, and proactive care. In this episode of Under the Influence , Martin unpacks one deceptively simple question that changes everything: “Why now?” When someone has had a problem for weeks… months… sometimes years… Why now? Used well, this question: • Reveals what actually motivated them to act • Exposes th...

Most patients believe one simple lie. If I feel fine… I must be fine. Sounds harmless. It’s not. It’s the reason they: • cancel early • disappear when pain settles • only come back when things flare up I call it The Feeling Fallacy . The idea that feelings = function. But pain is a smoke alarm. Not a performance report. And here’s the kicker: Explaining this doesn’t work. More words don’t change b...

This week’s episode was recorded in India. Not in practice. Not on Zoom. Dr Vismai Schonfelder and I sat side-by-side after a day serving kids in rural communities and hit record. It turned into less of an interview… and more of a debrief about what actually makes practice work. We cover: Specificity : why generic “stress talks” don’t cut through, but “anxious brain” does Ideal clients : why relev...

When patients feel good, things get weird. John asked a great question in the AP group: after a holiday break, patients came back happy, pain-free, and wanting to stretch out visits. Not because they were disengaging, but because they were doing well. Which is harder to handle than pain. Here’s the problem beneath the problem: Feeling good reinforces Pain logic. Pain logic says: “If I feel fine, I...

What does modern chiropractic education look like when it’s grounded in philosophy, neurology, and real clinical reps from day one? In this episode of Under the Influence , I’m joined by Alex Whittingham, a final-year chiropractic student at the Barcelona College of Chiropractic and a third-generation chiropractor. We unpack what makes the Barcelona model different: three full years in clinic, ear...

Most chiropractors think the answer is “more”: more staff, more hours, more moving parts. In this episode, Martin sits down with Kirsti Janse Van Vuuren , a UK chiropractor who did the opposite. She stripped her practice back to something rare in 2025: a purely principled, subluxation-focused, no-staff practice that still creates real impact… and leaves her with time and headspace for her kids and...

How Choice Makes People Say Yes Faster The final episode of The Care Plan Paradox. Most chiropractors think offering choices makes them look uncertain. In reality, it makes people commit faster. In the final episode of The Care Plan Paradox , Martin Harvey breaks down why bounded choice — not authority — is what creates trust, commitment and follow-through in care plans. You’ll learn: – why people...

Most chiropractors don’t overservice. They underdose. In this episode of The Care Plan Paradox , Martin explains why great adjustments can produce average results. Not because the technique was wrong, but because the dose, density, and direction were too weak to create real neurological or soft-tissue change. You’ll learn: – Why sporadic care destroys momentum – How long gaps make patterns snap st...

Most chiropractors don’t sabotage people with bad adjustments. They sabotage them with kindness. “Let’s just see how you go.” It sounds supportive. It feels patient-centred. But it quietly sets people up to fail. In the first episode of a podcast series, The Care Plan Paradox , Martin breaks down why this gentle phrase creates: – false expectations – early dropout – misaligned timelines – and exac...

That “new car” feeling fades fast. Not because the car changed, but because you did. It’s called hedonic drift , the brain’s built-in habit of taking good things for granted. And it’s quietly eroding your patient retention. In this episode, Martin unpacks how hedonic drift shows up in chiropractic care. When people stop noticing progress and start seeing care as optional. You’ll learn simple ways...