Healers with Hustles When the old way no longer works: On doing business differently with OT Leesa Tuffnell
Aug 28, 2025
50:11
Is employment *really* the safe option or just a false sense of security?
In this ep, Caitlin chats with Leesa Tuffnell, occupational therapist, coach, and founder of The Mindful OT, about what it takes to build a sustainable business as a health professional. Leesa shares how her own experience of burnout led her to combine OT frameworks, somatic regulation, and business strategy to help health professionals step into their CEO role (without losing themselves in the process).
If you’ve felt like your private practice is “just a little thing” or struggled with the leap into doing business differently, this conversation will give you the permission to think bigger.
Tune in to learn:
- The somatic regulation practice that turned her calendar into a magic productivity tool
- The two things that helped one OT triple her utilisation after just one session
- The shift from clinician mindset to CEO mindset (and why so many sole traders resist it)
- The moment Leesa realised employment isn’t the “safe” option after being made redundant three times
- How she went from resisting Facebook until her 30s to coaching OTs on social media
- The quote Leesa repeats to herself whenever she avoids posting, filming, or being seen online
- The nervous system clue that tells you whether you’re moving toward or away from something you want
- How a single decision could have made Leesa an actress instead of an occupational therapist
- What nearly getting trampled in a Gold Coast mosh pit taught her about friendship (and survival)
- Why clarity of purpose, not more systems, is the foundation of every sustainable OT business
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