Most physios want to help people. Few learn how to lead people. And even fewer figure out how to grow a clinic without burning out.

In this episode of Staying Relevant, Tom Swales sits down with Darryl Yardley—physiotherapist, clinic owner, entrepreneur, and one of the most influential mentors in Canadian rehab. Darryl is the founder of Mentorship Bootcamp, Chief Clinical Officer at Clinic Accelerator, and an Assistant Professor of Business and Leadership in Physical Therapy at Western and Queen’s University. He’s mentored hundreds of clinicians, supported over 500 clinic owners, and continues to push the profession forward with brutal honesty and practical strategies.

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Darryl shares:

▫️ Why most clinic owners are the bottleneck in their own growth

▫️ How feedback, failure, and coachability separate all-star clinicians from the rest

▫️ The dangers of chasing “shiny objects” and how to actually scale

▫️ What PT schools aren’t teaching—and how mentorship fills the gap

▫️ The role of AI and data in the future of physiotherapy

▫️ The hard truths he wishes every new grad and clinic owner knew

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⏱ Timestamps

00:00 Intro – Why most clinics fail to grow

05:00 Wearing too many hats: lessons from mistakes

15:00 How to give feedback that stings but sticks

25:00 All-star clinicians vs average ones: the 3 traits that matter

35:00 Coaching vs micromanaging: setting expectations in clinics

45:00 The grass isn’t greener: retention, splits, and growth paths

55:00 What PT schools don’t teach about practice management

1:05:00 The future of AI and physiotherapy practice

1:12:00 Best advice Darryl ever received (and ignored)

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Follow Darryl Yardley

📸 Instagram – @darrylyardley

📘 Facebook – @darrylyardley

🐦 Twitter – @darrylyardley

📧 Email – darryl@clinicaccelerator.com

Resources Mentioned

📚 Mentorship Bootcamp – www.mentorshipbootcamp.ca

🏥 Clinic Accelerator – clinicaccelerator.com

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Sponsor — The AMT Certification

This episode is brought to you by the Advanced Movement Therapist (AMT) System — the neuro-centred certification that helps clinicians and performance coaches solve the root cause of pain and accelerate client results.

👉 Start your training: amtcertified.ca