In this episode, Gilly continues her conversation with osteopath and professional supervisor Ruth Wharton, diving deeper into the value of supervision in supporting osteopaths’ wellbeing and professional growth.

Ruth explains that supervision offers a confidential, reflective space for practitioners to explore emotional and professional challenges — distinct from mentoring, which focuses more on business or career progression. It’s a space to pause, process, and gain perspective.

Together, Gilly and Ruth discuss how supervision can help osteopaths navigate burnout, boundary difficulties, and emotional overload; issues that can be especially acute for clinic principals managing teams. By creating a supportive framework for reflection, supervision helps practitioners strengthen boundaries, sustain empathy, and maintain balance amid the demands of clinical life.

Ruth also explores how reflective practice can benefit even the most experienced osteopaths, preventing compassion fatigue and enhancing long-term fulfilment. The discussion touches on the intersection of neurodivergence and osteopathic practice, highlighting how traits like heightened empathy can be both an asset and a challenge — and how supervision provides a space to work through that complexity.

🕒 [01:20] – Ruth’s journey to becoming an osteopath
🕒 [11:22] – Who does supervision benefit?
🕒 [38:00] – Typical issues that are seen in supervision

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Are You Ready To Maximise Your Clinic's Potential And Achieve A Higher Annual Turnover? Click here to get your FREE personalised report.

CONTACT METHOD

https://www.instagram.com/gillywoodhouse/
gilly@osteobiz.com
https://facebook.com/Osteobiz/

ABOUT THE HOST

Since 2013, Gilly Woodhouse has been inspiring and developing Osteopaths, other healthcare professionals and their clinics. With a wealth of entrepreneurial skills gained over a lifetime of creating businesses from scratch both in the UK and abroad, Gilly shares these experiences as well as illustrating how her clients have vastly improved their practices by streamlining operations and improving their marketing skills. The Osteobiz team of six now comprises Osteopath clinic owners or members of an Osteo family and together support over 100 worldwide clinic owners.

In this episode, Gilly speaks with osteopath and supervisor Ruth Wharton about the role of professional supervision in osteopathic practice.

Ruth shares her journey from working in social work to becoming an osteopath, and how her experience led her to value reflective, supportive dialogue in clinical settings.

They explore how supervision—distinct from therapy, coaching, or managerial oversight—offers a confidential space for osteopaths to process challenging cases, offload emotional weight, and grow both personally and professionally. Ruth explains that supervision can help practitioners avoid burnout, increase confidence, sharpen clinical and interpersonal skills, and maintain joy in their work.

Importantly, supervision isn’t about being told what to do—it’s about being met where you are, asking high-quality questions, and working collaboratively with someone who holds space for you without judgement or agenda. It’s a tool for sustaining longevity and wellbeing in a caring profession.

🕒 [07:45] – Ruth shares her transition from social work to osteopathy and the moment she realised she could become an osteopath herself.

🕒 [22:30] – The turning point: Ruth explains why she sought out supervision as an osteopath and how it helped her hold space for difficult experiences.

🕒 [39:10] – What supervision is NOT – Ruth clarifies the difference between supervision, therapy, business coaching, and line management.

🕒 [56:05] – The real benefits: Ruth and Gilly discuss how supervision can boost confidence, prevent burnout, and bring more joy to clinical work.

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Are You Ready To Maximise Your Clinic's Potential And Achieve A Higher Annual Turnover? Click here to get your FREE personalised report.

CONTACT METHOD

https://www.instagram.com/gillywoodhouse/
gilly@osteobiz.com
https://facebook.com/Osteobiz/

ABOUT THE HOST

Since 2013, Gilly Woodhouse has been inspiring and developing Osteopaths, other healthcare professionals and their clinics. With a wealth of entrepreneurial skills gained over a lifetime of creating businesses from scratch both in the UK and abroad, Gilly shares these experiences as well as illustrating how her clients have vastly improved their practices by streamlining operations and improving their marketing skills. The Osteobiz team of six now comprises Osteopath clinic owners or members of an Osteo family and together support over 100 worldwide clinic owners.

This show was brought to you by Boost and Bloom.

In this week's podcast episode, Gilly shares a busy and eventful week, starting with the Institute of Classical Osteopathy's conference on International Women's Day, where her talk was well received.

She enjoyed a sunny birthday on Sunday, spent with friends and newborn babies. On Monday, she had client meetings, supporting them with tech and system improvements. Tuesday involved attending a careers day at UCO and delivering a talk on marketing to students at LSO. Thursday was filled with a masterclass on marketing, a team meeting, and working with a new ambitious client looking to expand his clinic.

The week was packed with learning, networking, and business development.

(0:00) - Kicking Off the Week: The Institute of Classical Osteopathy Conference
"Let's sneak a peek into my week. So I've been very busy this week, beginning last Saturday."

(0:54) - Birthday Celebration and a Relaxing Sunday
"Sunday, it was my birthday, and unusually it was very sunny, and warm."

(1:52) - UCO Careers Day & Marketing Talk at LSO
"Tuesday, I was at the UCO, because it was their undergrad jobs day, or careers day..."

(2:44) - Masterclass, Team Check-in, and New Client Development
"Thursday, oh that was a busy day, I gave an hours masterclass to my OsteoBizFix group on marketing into the community."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Are You Ready To Maximise Your Clinic's Potential And Achieve A Higher Annual Turnover? Click here to get your FREE personalised report.

CONTACT METHOD

https://www.instagram.com/gillywoodhouse/
gilly@osteobiz.com
https://facebook.com/Osteobiz/

ABOUT THE HOST

Since 2013, Gilly Woodhouse has been inspiring and developing Osteopaths, other healthcare professionals and their clinics. With a wealth of entrepreneurial skills gained over a lifetime of creating businesses from scratch both in the UK and abroad, Gilly shares these experiences as well as illustrating how her clients have vastly improved their practices by streamlining operations and improving their marketing skills. The Osteobiz team of six now comprises Osteopath clinic owners or members of an Osteo family and together support over 100 worldwide clinic owners.

This show was brought to you by Boost and Bloom.