Private practice physical therapy, PT business strategy, and burnout prevention are critical issues for clinic owners and clinicians today. In this episode, neurologic physical therapist Lauren Young joins Jimmy McKay to break down why so many PTs feel stuck in the system—and what it takes to build a career that actually works.
Lauren shares her journey from traditional clinic work into building a hybrid neurologic physical therapy model that blends insurance care with cash-based services. Along the way, she exposes a few uncomfortable truths: PTs are often underpaid because they under-value their services, PT schools rarely teach the business side of healthcare, and clinics that ignore financial sustainability eventually burn out their clinicians.
If you're a physical therapist, clinic owner, or early-career PT wondering why the profession feels harder than it should, this conversation connects the dots between burnout, reimbursement, business education, and the future of neurologic physical therapy.
Understanding the business side of PT isn’t about becoming corporate — it’s about making sure great clinicians can stay in the profession long enough to help patients.
00:00 PT Career Reality Check
04:03 Playing To Win In PT
09:47 Bleeding Heart Problem
17:41 Cash-Based Neuro Therapy
26:57 Fixing PT Education
36:32 Starting A PT Business
41:00 Final Advice For PTs
