Ryan McCathie is the Director and Lead Exercise Physiologist at Hunter Rehabilitation and Health. Ryan is extremely passionate about helping people get back to doing what they love.
He has experience working as an Exercise Physiologist in London, UK and has extensive knowledge and experience in the NSW Worker’s Compensation Scheme.
Ryan believes that his passion for his industry provides all the motivation and drive he needs.
- What career path led you to where you are now?
I’ve always had a passion for health and fitness and also for helping people as well. So high school led me to do a degree in exercise and sports science.
After finishing my bachelor, I still wasn’t quite sure where I was going to go. There weren’t too many paths that were available to me. So I pursued my university degree of a Masters in Exercise Physiology to become an accredited Exercise Physiologist. That led me to London. I worked for two years in a hospital in London before coming back here and starting my own business.
Helping people is an area that I’m very passionate about, so that’s the direction and path I’m on now.
- What motivates and drives you?
So our main motto at Hunter Rehabilitation and Health is that we help people get back to doing what they love. And plain and simple, that’s what motivates us the most. That’s what gives us the best feeling in the world. when we do get people back to doing what they love and get those amazing results for them; that’s what drives us internally.
I think from a motivation point of view, you don’t need too much motivation when you’re passionate about what you do. It just comes naturally. I’m happy getting up at all hours in the morning, staying up all hours of the night because I’m passionate about what I do. So in terms of motivation and drive, it’s internal and it’s there because I already enjoy what I do. It’s something I don’t really have to go searching for.
- What has been your biggest learning curve in your career?
The biggest thing I’ve learned so far about being a business owner is from the book by Simon Sinek – Start With Why. That’s one of my favourite books. He repeats himself many times in the book in saying people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. After reading this, I really thought about that in depth and started implementing that into my business meetings and even with the patients that I do see.
It’s made a huge difference in terms of our business and it just makes clear sense to me. Rather than explaining what you do, what you do and what you do; it’s going to be more beneficial to explain why you do it, why you’re so passionate about what you do. You build much, much better relationships that way. So that’s been the big game-changer for us; that was amazing for me personally and something that I’ve implemented into the business.
- Where would you like to be in 10 years?
In ten years I’d like to be managing a large team of younger exercise physiologists and growing the name of exercise physiology nationwide in Australia. It’s still an up-and-coming health profession and the major issue is that not many of the general public actually know what we do.
I’m passionate about spreading the word and awareness is growing exponentially.
But what I’d like to be doing on a national scale is going out and educating not only the general public but also other health professionals, doctors and as many other people as possible about the benefits of an exercise physiologist. And hopefully we will be one of the most popular health professionals in the next five to ten years, which I do believe we will be.
- Have you had any significant Hunter-based mentors during your career that inspire you?
Unfortunately, in the Hunter region there aren’t too many exercise physiologists. I do have a mentor who is based in Tamworth and who is an exercise physiologist as well. He’s grown his business quite significantly in the past three years and has been very successful. I feel to be successful you have to surround yourself with successful people. I’ve really used him as a mentor in terms of growing our business and following basically what he’s done for the industry and for his business as well.
I’m still looking for a mentor to follow in the Hunter region. But hopefully I can become a mentor to many people in the future.
With thanks to Hunter Young Professionals who Hunter Headline collaborated with to source this interviewee.