Joey shares her article published in Occupational Therapy Australia's Convention Magazine - an honest reflection on people-pleasing tendencies in allied health and why the profession attracts them, and why it is time to break the cycle.

What we cover:

• Why allied health professionals are particularly prone to people-pleasing
• How it shows up in your clinical work, your workplace, and your relationships with families
• The cost of chronic people-pleasing on your wellbeing and your practice
• Why breaking the cycle is not selfish - it makes you a better practitioner
  

You cannot pour from an empty cup. And you cannot advocate for your clients if you are too busy managing everyone else's feelings.

A good mentor helps you build the boundaries and confidence to practise sustainably - milestones.au/mentoring

The NDIS is changing - and if you work in paediatric allied health, you are already feeling it.

Joey and Emily break down exactly what is happening with Thriving Kids and the NDIS reforms, what it means for practitioners and families right now, and how to navigate the noise without losing your mind.

What we cover:

• Why the NDIS is being restructured and what Thriving Kids actually is
• What a tender agreement means - and why private providers are not automatically included
• The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and what the rate freeze has really cost the profession
• How to talk to families about the changes without catastrophising or pretending everything is fine
• Whether paediatric allied health is still worth it as a new grad or student
• The overwhelm nobody is saying out loud - and why it makes complete sense

Every major funding shift in allied health has arrived with this same wave of noise and uncertainty. In a few years, this will quieten down. It always does.

Looking for OT or Speech mentoring to help you build a sustainable career in a changing landscape? Find out more at milestones.au/mentoring

Joey and Emily explore a reframe that might change how you relate to self-doubt in your clinical career. Rather than trying to eliminate imposter syndrome, what if you learned to work with it?

What we cover:

• Why imposter syndrome is almost universal in allied health - and what that tells us
• The difference between imposter syndrome that paralyses and imposter syndrome that drives growth
• Practical strategies to move through self-doubt without letting it run the show
• How to use uncertainty as a signal rather than a stop sign
• A genuinely different take on a topic you've heard about a hundred times.
  

If imposter syndrome is holding you back from growing in your career, mentoring can help - milestones.au/mentoring

In this episode, Joey and Emily get honest about the hidden cost of always doing more, and share the systems, mindset shifts, and tools that have helped them run a clinic and still have a life outside of it.

What we cover:

• Why hustle culture is actively harmful for allied health practitioners
• The hidden cost of constant busyness - on your output, your clients, and your wellbeing
• How to track where your time is actually going (vs where you think it's going)
• The small changes that have made the biggest difference to how Joey and Emily work
• AI tips and systems worth actually trying
  

If you've ever felt like you're working constantly but getting nowhere, this one is for you.

Want support building a career that's sustainable AND successful? That's exactly what our mentoring is designed for - milestones.au/mentoring

Joey and Emily break down exactly what to look for in an allied health mentor - and what to run from. As practitioners who both have mentors and offer mentoring themselves, they bring a perspective from both sides of the relationship.

What we cover:

• The qualities that actually matter in a mentor (hint: it's not just experience)
• Questions to ask before you commit to a mentoring relationship
• The difference between a mentor who challenges you and one who just validates you
• Why getting the right support early is one of the highest-leverage things you can do for your career
  

If you've been thinking about finding a mentor, this episode will give you a clear framework for doing it well.

Interested in working with Joey or Emily? Find out more about our mentoring program - milestones.au/mentoring

Joey and Emily go head-to-head in a debate on the productivity advice that genuinely helps versus the stuff that sounds good in theory and falls apart in real clinical life. Expect disagreement, laughter, and at least one opinion that might surprise you.

What we cover:

• The productivity tips we swear by - and the ones we've abandoned
• Why some popular advice actively makes things worse for allied health practitioners
• How to figure out what actually works for your brain and your workload
• Practical strategies that apply whether you're a sole trader or part of a team
  

Come in with your own opinion and see if it survives the episode.

Looking for mentoring that helps you build sustainable work habits? We can help - milestones.au/mentoring

Joey sits down with Jesse Sene-Lefao - ex-professional athlete and founder of Talk Your Walk Foundation - to talk resilience, purpose, and what it really takes to empower young people. Jesse now works with children and adolescents in the community, and the parallels to allied health practice are striking.

What we cover:

• Jesse's journey from elite sport to mental health advocacy
• The life and business lessons that translate directly to working with children
• What resilience, positivity, culture and community actually look like in practice
• How to empower youth - insights that apply directly to allied health
  

A different kind of episode - and one of our favourites.

Follow Jesse and Talk Your Walk Foundation to learn more about his community work.

Interested in mentoring from practitioners who think outside the box? We'd love to connect - milestones.au/mentoring

If you have ever finished a session and wondered if you're actually good enough, this one is for you. Joey and Emily break down five concrete signs that you're doing better than you give yourself credit for - whether you're a new grad, mid-career, or burning out at the edges.

What we cover:

• The 5 signs that actually matter (and why you're probably dismissing them)
• Why the therapists who question themselves are often the best ones
• How to recalibrate when imposter syndrome is running the show
• A reframe that might change how you see your whole career
  

Equal parts reassuring and practical.

If you've been thinking about getting a mentor to help you grow with more confidence, we're here - milestones.au/mentoring

In this New Year episode, Joey and Emily share their honest ins and outs for 2026: what resonated, what they're leaving behind, and the mindset shifts that changed how they work and live.

What we cover:

• Embracing the cringe - why showing up imperfectly beats not showing up at all
• Bringing your whole self to work (and why it makes you a better clinician)
• Clarity over comfort - why being direct is actually an act of kindness
• What we're saying goodbye to: multitasking, constant availability, and the "yes girl" trap
  

This one is reflective, honest, and a great listen if you're figuring out what 2026 looks like for you.

If mentoring is on your 2026 list, we'd love to chat - milestones.au/mentoring

Book recommendations:
Radical Candour by Kim Scott

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

This is Behind the Milestones.

Brought to you by Joey (Occupational Therapist) and Emily (Speech Pathologist) - two friends, business partners, and therapists who are done pretending the career is always what they pictured.

From new graduates to clinic owners, we've lived the messy, rewarding, and very real journey of allied health together. This podcast is where we talk about what actually happens behind the milestones.

Expect honest conversation, a few laughs, and the kind of advice you'll wish you'd had earlier.

Subscribe now - new episodes dropping soon.

Interested in OT or Speech mentoring from practitioners who've been there? Find out more at milestones.au/mentoring

In this episode, Joey and Emily dive into one of the most complex dynamics in paediatric practice: what happens when a parent and a therapist see things differently. They unpack the biggest points of friction in the field, then stage a real debate between the parent and therapist perspective.

What we cover:

• Why the parent vs therapist tension exists in the first place
• The "biggest" issue in the industry right now - and both sides of it
• How to hold your clinical reasoning while genuinely respecting a family's perspective
• What good collaboration actually looks like in practice
  

This one will make you think.

Send your dilemmas via Instagram DM @milestoneskth - no question is too raw.

Looking for mentoring that helps you navigate the hard stuff? We've got you - milestones.au/mentoring

In this Q&A episode, Joey and Emily unpack the realities of finding the right role in the allied health space, plus a practical deep-dive into travel billing and scheduling for community-based therapists.

What we cover:

• How to actually evaluate a job offer (beyond the salary)
• Red and green flags when interviewing with a new employer
• The ins and outs of billing travel as a community-based therapist
• Scheduling strategies that protect your time and your income
  

Practical, honest, and straight from people who have navigated it themselves.

Send your questions via Instagram DM @milestoneskth to be featured anonymously on the show.

Thinking about your next career move? A mentor in your corner makes all the difference - milestones.au/mentoring

In our first Q&A episode, Joey and Emily answer two raw, real questions - a first-year Speech Pathologist on the verge of burnout who hates every day at work, and an OT student who thinks the whole profession is a scam.

What we cover:

• When "push through" is good advice - and when it isn't
• What early burnout actually looks like vs normal new-grad struggle
• How to know if you're in the wrong job, the wrong setting, or just the wrong headspace
• What we would tell our younger selves in those exact moments
  

No judgement. No toxic positivity. Just honest answers.

Send your own questions via Instagram DM @milestoneskth - we read every one.

Feeling lost in your allied health career? A good mentor changes everything. Find out how we can help - milestones.au/mentoring

Joey and Emily share the journey that took them from new graduates to co-owners of Milestones Kids Therapy Hub.
The highs, the learning curves, and everything in between.

What we cover:

• How two friends ended up running a paediatric clinic together
• The moments that shaped our careers early on
• What we wish someone had told us as new grads
• Why friendship and business can actually work (when you do it right)
  

This one is equal parts practical and personal - grab a coffee.

Looking for a mentor who has been where you are? We offer 1:1 OT and Speech mentoring for new grads and early-career practitioners - milestones.au/mentoring

Joey and Emily answer your therapist dilemmas with a healthy dose of over-sharing, chaotic energy, and the kind of honesty that only comes with end-of-year exhaustion. If you've had a big year, this one is your permission slip to laugh about it.

What we cover:

• Your therapist dilemmas, answered with minimal professionalism
• The moments from our year we probably shouldn't share (but do anyway)
• Why the chaos of working with kids is actually the best part
• A very genuine, very heartfelt wrap on 2025
  

Light, fun, and exactly what you need right now.

Merry Christmas - we'll be back in your ears in 2026.

When you're ready to invest in your career in the new year, we're here - milestones.au/mentoring