The STA Clinician Podcast

Episode 293 of the STA Clinician Podcast explores the history, purpose and current priorities of the General Council for Manual Therapies (GCMT). Host Matt Phillips is joined by GCMT chair Ruth Duncan, vice chair Susan Findlay, and STA founder Gary Benson to discuss regulation, education standards, professional associations, and protecting public safety.

The guests reflect on the GCMT’s origins, challenges with inconsistent training and online courses, relationships with CNHC, and practical steps for improving CPD, governance and public guidance. They also share how the GCMT supports small associations, influences public-facing information, and promotes evidence-informed practice.

In Ep. 292 of the STA Clinician Podcast, host Matt Phillips moves into the guest chair, allowing STA founder Gary Benson to interview him about his specialist focus: thinking and communication in practice. They also discuss why, after a decade as "Runchatlive", Matt has launched his new website, MattPhillips.Education.

The episode explores why labelling a patient as "difficult" often misses the point, and how shifting the focus from changing the person to adjusting the environment, improving communication, and using approaches such as Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can better support patients and clients...

In Ep.291 of the STA Clinician Podcast, host Matt Phillips speaks with special guest Tim Allardyce, founder of Rehab My Patient, about his recent ascent of Mount Everest — the physical challenges, medical issues experienced (frostnip, mild frostbite, and a posterior tibial DVT), and the grit it took to reach the summit. Tim shares his preparation and acclimatization strategies, the role of Sherpa teams, and the charity work funded by the expedition to support local schools, an orphanage and Sherpa communities. A truly inspiring episode you do not want to miss! 

Chapter Markers

In this episode, we take a look ahead at the 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, happening on Saturday 20th June in Ludlow Assembly Rooms. Joining host Matt Phillips is conference organiser Mike Grice from Movement Therapy Education, and Performance Sports Physio Kieran McMahon.

Together, they give an exclusive preview of what’s in store — including insights from a fantastic speaker line up featuring Mike James, Tristen Attenborough, Carol Seaborne, Rosy Sexton, and more. The episode discusses the event’s focus on movement, soft-tissue therapy, exercise integration, and practical hands-on learning, and covers practical highlights: sessions on ankle assessment and return-to-play, neurodynamics and nerves, MMA injury insight, networking opportunities, CPD accreditation and ticket details for delegates.

Useful Li...

In Ep..289 of the STA Clinician Podcast — 'Accreditation, Employability and the Future of Sports Therapy' — we explore how accreditation is shaping the future of the sports therapy profession and what it really means for employability.

Host Matt Phillips is joined by two expert voices from PD:Approval — an international, independent accrediting organisation specialising in the health and fitness sector:

Also present is Gary Benson, founder of the Sports Therapy Association. Together, they unpack the importance of quality assurance, industry standards, and professional recognition, and discuss how ed...

In this episode, host Matt Phillips is joined by Sarah Meharg and Rosi Sexton to discuss the launch of Neuroflect UK and the recent publication of their 'Reflective CPD Journal'. They explain why neurodivergent‑affirmative practice matters, share practical planning and reflection tools for clinicians, and outline upcoming training and resources to improve accessibility across healthcare and workplaces.

The conversation is aimed at MSK and other health professionals — both neurotypical and neurodivergent — who want simple, actionable ways to reduce barriers, better support patients, and embed reflective learning into everyday practice. Find the journal and more at neuroflect.co.uk...

We arrive at the final part of our focus this month on Communication Skills for MSK Clinicians, in an episode entitled “Psychological Patterning Process (PPP)”. In this episode, host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Serena Simmons, a Chartered psychologist, educator, and behaviour change specialist with over 25 years experience of working in psychology, behaviour change, teaching, and human complexity, across Healthcare, Higher Education, Coaching, and Forensic settings.

Serena discusses her recently released 'Psychological Patterning Process (PPP)' - a practical, formulation-based lens for understanding the patterns beneath a client’s behaviour. Serena explains how co-mapping and simple...

In Part 3 of our focus this month on Communication Skills for MSK Clinicians, entitled 'EXPLAINING DIAGNOSES', host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Ben Whybrow, Clinical Communication Skills Facilitator at Norwich Medical School, specialist physiotherapist in an NHS Pain Clinic, and host of the Clinical Communication Podcast.

In this episode, Ben explores how MSK clinicians can explain diagnoses clearly, confidently and compassionately. He discusses asking about patients’ expectations, meeting people where they’re at, timing explanations, using simple relatable analogies (like the "cocktail"), and checking understanding.

Practical tips focus on keeping explanations simple, validating feel...

In Part 2 of our focus this month on Communication Skills for MSK Clinicians, entitled 'AWKWARD CONVERSATIONS', host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Richard Shorter, founder of Non-perfect Dad.co.uk, an expert in Sports Parenting & Business Leadership Conversations.

In this episode, Richard provides some fantastic tips on how to deal with the awkward conversations that can arise during clinical consultations in which children are accompanied by their parents or carers. The episode explores the power of asking permission, fencing the conversation, using whiteboards and card prompts, and de-escalation techniques to keep the child at the...

A new month and a new focus topic: 'Communication Skills for MSK Clinicians'. In Part 1 of this four part series, titled 'Motivational Interviewing in MSK Practice', host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Orla Adams, a highly respected & experienced Motivational Interviewing trainer based in Cardiff, alongside Motivational Interviewing co‑founder Dr Stephen Rollnick. 

The episode explores what Motivational Interviewing really is and why it continues to matter in modern healthcare. It unpacks how MI helps shift perspectives from “fixing” patients to partnering with them, with a particular focus on recognising and resisting the fixing reflex that many cl...

Many of the frustrations MSK clinicians feel when assessments, diagnoses, or outcomes don’t go to plan aren’t down to lack of skill, but to unseen COGNITIVE BIASES and JUDGEMENT NOISE shaping everyday decisions. In the final part of our focus this month, 'Common Frustrations For MSK Clinicians', host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Tristen Attenborough of movementpossible.co.uk, a Sports Therapist with BSc Psychology & MSc Pain Management, who explains how unawareness or misunderstanding of these human factors fuels inconsistency, self‑doubt, and missed learning.

Tristen discusses perceptual errors like pareidolia and con...

In Part 3 of our focus this month 'Common Frustrations For MSK Clinicians', host Matt Phillips is joined by special guests Ben Cormack of Cor-Kinetic, and Adam Meakins 'The Sports Physio'. Ben & Adam are founders of 'The Better Clinician Project (BCP)', an online continuing professional development (CPD) and education platform for healthcare and rehabilitation professionals, providing accessible and evidence‑based education for clinicians.

With a focus on critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and practical decision‑making, the course reveals to Ben & Adam many of the common frustrations felt by MSK clinicians, and in this episode they talking about four...

In Part 2 of our focus this month 'Common Frustrations For MSK Clinicians', host Matt Phillips is joined by special guests Carla Bickerstaffe, Sports Therapist & part of the Invictus Games Medical Team, and Emily Gilbert, a Chronic Pain Specialist and owner of Framework Sports Massage.

Carla and Emily talk discuss their frustration with the term “soft skills”, and explain why soft skills such as communication, difficult conversations, documentation and supervision do matter as much as hands-on techniques. They also talk about their annoyance of what seems like an ever-increasing number of very short online qualifications that allow individuals to t...

This month on the STA Clinician Podcast, our focus is 'Common Frustrations For MSK Clinicians'. In Part 1, host Matt Phillips is joined by special guests Imi Testa, owner of Back On Track Soft Tissue Therapy, and Jo Turner, founder of Mehab.co.uk. Imi and Jo discuss the all too often polarised debate over 'good posture', and the misconception that maintenance massage is merely a luxury.

The conversation covers safe peer spaces, coaching and clinician self‑care, the limits of purely biomechanical thinking, and the value of collaboration and awareness in practice. Imi talks about the exciting ne...

The Sports Therapy Association (STA), The Society of Sports Therapists (SST) and the Sports Therapy Organisation (STO) are widely recognised as the three main professional membership bodies specifically representing Sports Therapists in the UK.

In Ep.279 of the STA Clinician Podcast 'Collaboration: Therapy Show 2026 & Beyond', host Matt Phillips is joined by representatives from each of these professional membership bodies, who discuss how by working together in collaboration the Sports Therapy Industry can move forwards & upwards. They also reflect on what’s in store at this year’s Therapy Show, formerly known as Therapy Expo, which is taking plac...

In Ep.278 of the STA Clinician Podcast, entitled 'Why is Therapy Expo now Therapy Show?’ host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Liam Richardson, Content Director of Therapy Show.

Liam explains why Therapy Expo, thirteen years after it first started, has now been rebranded as Therapy Show, including a focus on better content and attendee experience, new practical and business-focused sessions, speaker line-up highlights, and ticketing details for the 25–26 November event at the NEC Birmingham (England).

Liam explains the reasons behind the new advisory and education committees, improvements to theatre sizes and interactive spaces, netw...

In Ep.277 of the STA Clinician Podcast, host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Tim Allardyce, founder of Rehab My Patient, who talks about how integration of AI into MSK rehab is revolutionising MSK Rehabilitation. The discussion looks at how Artificial Intelligence can support time-saving prescription, age & context-appropriate plans, data privacy & safety, and real clinic use-cases (note-taking, complaints, contracts). Tim explains how AI should support - not replace - clinicians, how it really doesn't need to be that expensive in 2026, using real examples from the exciting AI developments in ‘Rehab My Patient’ exercise prescription software.

Tim also...

Matt Low, Consultant Physiotherapist at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, is one of the authors (along with Roger Kerry, Fiona H. Moffatt & David A. Nicholls) of the 2025 paper 'Physioethology: A Post-Humanist Perspective On Physiotherapy'. The paper argues that modern physiotherapy, and indeed all hands‑on MSK professions, still rely too heavily on a mechanical, human‑centred view of the body. Using ideas from philosopher Gilles Deleuze and psychoanalyst Félix Guattari, the authors propose “Physioethology,” which sees bodies as dynamic, relational, and shaped by interactions with people, environments, and non‑human factors.

In this episode of the STA Cli...

"Research consistently shows that women experience more MSK pain than men, have it taken less seriously, and are more likely to receive delayed or inadequate treatment compared to men." 
In Part 3 of this month's focus 'Understanding Pain in 2026' on the STA Clinician Podcast, host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Dr.Rachel Dewar-Haggart, who discusses the '𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐩' that we see across multiple domains, including prevalence of MSK conditions, pain severity, diagnostic delays, treatment disparities, and healthcare‑provider bias.

The episode discusses biological factors like hormones, the impact of diagnostic overshadowing, racial and socioeconomic disparities, and the need for better clini...

In Part 2 of our focus this month on ‘Understanding Pain in 2026’, we take a look at Predictive Processing (the brain guessing what is happening and outputting pain when it predicts danger) and Active Inference (the brain acting to confirm or update these guesses, shaping how you move, feel, and interpret sensations). 

Joining host Matt Phillips of Runchatlive.com are special guests Professor Dave Newell, Head of The Centre for Pain & Active Inference Research at Health Sciences University, and Anna Maria Mazzieri, a PhD student at Health Sciences University, and Director of The ST School.  

The episod...

A new month arrives for the STA Clinician Podcast, and with it new focus topic: ‘Understanding Pain in 2026’. In this first part of four episodes, host Matt Phillips of runchatlive.com is joined by Dr. Bronnie Lennox Thompson (Occupational Therapist, Psychologist, Academic Coordinator, Postgraduate Programmes in Pain & Pain Management at University of Otago, New Zealand, Mentor & Content Expert for Modern Pain Care) and Ben Whybrow (Pain Specialist Physiotherapist in the NHS, Communication Skills Facilitator for Cambridge Medical School, host of “Clinical Communication Podcast," Community Manager & Content Expert for Modern Pain Care).

With so much changing & evolving information out th...

Welcome to the final part of our series “Neurodivergence in Healthcare” this month on 'The STA Clinician Podcast' (formerly known as The Sports Therapy Association Podcast'). In this episode entitled ‘THE NEURODIVERGENT THERAPIST’, we look at steps that neurodivergent therapists can take to help look after one's own health & energy capacity, including how to structure one's day, build in recovery time, use energy accounting, and more.

Host Matt Phillips is joined by special guests Sarah Meharg (Occupational Therapist and Neurodivergent Accessibility & Inclusion Consultant at Moodlifter and Neuroflectuk) and Kassandra Clemens (Founder of Heal Your Confidence, a Level 7 Specific...

In Episode 270 of 'The STA Clinician Podcast' (formerly known as The Sports Therapy Association Podcast'), we present Part 3 of our four part series 'Neurodivergence In Healthcare', and in this episode look at BARRIERS that neurodivergent patients & clients so often find themselves up against when seeking healthcare, which typically reduce their access to effective or suitable healthcare.  

Host Matt Phillips is joined by special guests James Dewar‑Haggett (Founder of Strong Path - Neuroinclusive & Mental Health-Informed Sports Coaching) and Leslie Campbell (Massage Therapist and Tutor based in Glasgow Scotland). Together they discuss communication differences, the double‑empathy problem, senso...

In Episode 269 of 'The STA Clinician Podcast' (formerly known as The Sports Therapy Association Podcast'), we present Part 2 of our four part series 'Neurodivergence In Healthcare', and in this episode look at the link between Neurodivergence and Hypermobility.

Modern studies suggests that individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, ADHD and Tourette’s have a significantly higher prevalence of joint hypermobility compared to the general population. Research by Dr. Jessica Eccles has shown that individuals with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) have an increased risk of autism. Her studies indicate that approximately 31% of autistic individuals exhibit joint hypermobility, and ab...

Welcome to a new season of 'The STA Clinician Podcast' (formerly known as The Sports Therapy Association Podcast').

We start 2026 with a four part series focussing on 'Neurodivergence In Healthcare', with the goal of providing information to help MSK clinicians work closer & more effectively with neurodivergent patients/clients, and also to offer support for neurodivergent therapists in how to deal with the challenges that can often bring.

In the first part of this series, host Matt Phillips, creator of Runchatlive.com, is joined by a panel of special guests who together look at the vital...

And so we reach the final episode of 2025! The Sports Therapy Association Podcast has now been streaming LIVE every Tuesday Night at 8pm for an incredible 5 years and 7 weeks, and as the 2025 end of year festivities rapidly approach, host Matt Phillips is joined by some of the Sports Therapy Association team who together look back at the highlights of 2025, and look forward to what will, could or should be happening in 2026. 

On The Christmas Panel:

In Ep.266 of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, Matt Phillips hosts a candid discussion with Anna Maria Mazzierri, Director of The ST School,  and Gary Benson, Founder Of The STA, about whether sports therapists should diagnose. They explore the difference between vocational and university routes, the current unregulated landscape, professional membership standards, and legal and insurance implications.

Key takeaways include prioritising clinical reasoning and red-flag screening, the value of referral and communication, protecting scope of practice through strong governance and reflective CPD, and the importance of listening to and treating the whole person rather than chasing labels.

In Ep.265 of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, special guest Mike James, aka 'The Endurance Physio' joins host Matt Phillips to reflect on the recent Therapy Expo 2025, held at the NEC Birmingham. Listen as they discuss this year's highs, lows, everything in between, and what the future could / should hold for Therapy Expo.

As speakers, theatre hosts, and members of the Therapy Expo Advisory Board, Mike James and Matt Phillips have both seen Therapy Expo evolve from a roomful of attendees in Manchester back in 2013, to becoming the UK’s largest multi-disciplinary event, with over 2,000 delegates, 100 specialist sp...

In Episode 264 of the Sports Therapy Association podcast, ‘Collaboration Over Competition: The Unbound Project - Nine Months On', host Matt Phillips is joined by Andy Hosgood and Andy Thomas, co-founders (with Andrew McCauley) of ‘The Unbound Project’ - a community for healthcare practitioners and business owners to collaborate rather than compete, to get together and share problems and solutions.

Having been guests on the podcast nine months ago in Ep.225 ‘Collaboration Over Competition’, Andy & Andy discuss how the Unbound Project has evolved since its launch, and what they have learnt in the process. Topics include the 'Curiosity Scorecard...

In Episode 263 of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, host Matt Phillips is joined by Rehab Guru founders David Barrow and Simon Taylor. Designed for modern health professionals, Rehab Guru is an online platform that streamlines every aspect of your clinic, from bookings, treatment notes, invoicing to digital forms, alerts, and world-class exercise prescription.

David & Simon reveal new features & integrations (bookings, invoicing, treatment notes, Scan.com) and expanded customer support. Also discussed are new AI tools for transcribing notes, auto-generating and progressing exercise programs, secure UK data handling, and how the platform aims to reduce clinician burnout, improve...

In Episode 262 of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, host Matt Phillips is joined by guests Aimi Healey-Bracher, Sports Rehab Therapist at Praia Sports Rehab and Lead Therapist at Cardiff City FC Women, and Tristen Attenborough, educator & founder of Move Massage Pro, to discuss: ‘MSK Conferences: How Much Do They Affect Your Clinical Practice?'.

Aimi and Tristan share honest experiences from the recent 'STA & Hands-On Hub Conference' in Exmouth, and also Therapy Expo, the UK’s largest annual multi-disciplinary event, which is returning to the NEC Birmingham this year on the 26th & 27th of November. They talk abou...

In this episode, host Matt Phillips is joined by special guests Molly Benson, Therapy Expo Content Producer, and Charlotte Speer, Therapy Expo Show Manager. For those of you unaware, Therapy Expo 2025 is the UK’s largest multi-disciplinary event for professionals dedicated to preventing, treating, and rehabilitating musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, and the 2025 conference is happening in less than a month, on the 26th & 27th of November at the NEC Birmingham.

Molly Benson and Charlotte Spear discuss what’s new for this year’s event - new theatres (Business Advice and Practical Skills), expanded CPD and exhibitor line-up, fresh...

Happy Birthday to us! We’ve reached 5 years of weekly podcasts! 260 episodes, 260 weeks since we decided to record a show back in 2020 to help answer some of the questions that therapists had when they were finally allowed to go back to work after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.

Since then, we have grown into around 2000 downloads a month, thanks to our amazing guests who give up their time to share their experience & wise words to help, as our tagline says, put some evidence back into Soft Tissue Therapy. We don’t shout, we don’t make you feel stupid...

In Episode 259 of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast - '3 Ways for Clinicians To Avoid Physical & Mental Burnout' - host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Jenny Burrell, Founder, CEO, Lead Tutor and Course Curator of Burrell Education.

With over 17 years in the business, Burrell Education is hugely respected in the industry, with courses designed to educate & support Women’s Health, Movement, Fitness, Physiotherapy, Soft Tissue Therapy and Coaching professionals. In this episode, Jenny Burrell talks about her latest course 'BRIEF COACHING', designed to provide the all-important skills to help health professionals avoid physical & mental burnout, sk...

In Episode 258 of the Sports Therapy Association podcast, entitled 'New Perspectives On Fascia', host Matt Phillips is joined by special guests from the University of Kent - Dr Claire Melanie Boucher, Lecturer in Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences, and Dr Kyra De Coninck, Senior Lecturer, School of Sport & Exercise Sciences.

The episode looks at the differences between superficial and deep fascia, the limits of current imaging, and why effects of touch often involve fluid, neural and psychosocial factors as well as connective tissue.

Key takeaways for clinicians from this episode include:

In this episode, we reflect on the ‘STA & Hands On Hub Conference’ that took place nearly two weeks ago on 20th & 21st September in Exmouth, in collaboration with the ST School. Host Matt Phillips is joined by Gary Benson, Founder of The Sports Therapy Association, Anna Maria Mazzieri, Director of The ST School, and Andy Hosgood, coach, mentor, and Unlocker of Human Potential.

Together, they discuss what factors are important for a successful educational conference for soft tissue therapists, in what ways the ‘STA & Hands On Hub Conference’ succeeded, and how it could potentially be improved in future e...

The tagline of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, heard at the beginning of every episode, is "Putting The Evidence Back Into Soft Tissue Therapy". One way of becoming more evidence informed is to keep up with the latest research, but how easy is it to understand a research paper, to be able to judge its quality, reliability, and significance in what we practice in clinic?

In this episode, host Matt Phillips, freshly back from the recent 'Hands On Hub & STA Conference' in Exmouth, is joined by special guest Ben Cormack, founder of Cor-Kinetic, and co-founder of the...

We reach the last episode before the ‘STA South West & Hands On Hub Conference’ taking place in Exmouth on September 20th and 21st, in collaboration with the ST School. Host Matt Phillips is joined by conference speaker James Earls, Writer, Lecturer & Bodyworker, and founder of Born to Move, who discusses the gains we could all make by re-addressing the way in which we traditionally view anatomy, as well as details of his presentation at the conference: "The Knee: Why Do We Have It All Back To Front?" 

If you are listening to this podcast before the weekend of Se...

We continue our countdown to the STA South West Conference happening in Exmouth this September 20th and 21st, in collaboration with the ST School and Hands ON Hub. Host Matt Phillips is joined by Director of The ST School Anna Maria Mazzieri, who discusses what evidence-informed practice means in Massage Therapy.  

The episode explores topics including how trauma and chronic pain interact, the somatic effects of touch, and practical, evidence‑based approaches to working with scars. Anna Maria talk about the online CPD Webinar offered by The ST School: "Evidence Based Practice in Massage Therapy: What Social Medi...

In Ep.253, we continue our countdown to the STA South West Conference that is happening in Exmouth this September 20th and 21st, in collaboration with the ST School and Hands ON Hub. Host Matt Phillips is joined by conference speakers Dr Claire Minshull, Rehab & Conditioning Specialist & Founder of Get Back To Sport, and Serena Simmons, Chartered Psychologist & Founder of The Psychology School.

Together they discuss the importance & value of clinicians combining exercise, education and psychological skills in practice, with strategies to improve patient adherence and practical takeaways from real case studies. For details on Serena Simmons ‘Behaviour Ch...