Hope, Heal, Restore – Knowing Your WHY

Yesterday was a significant day in the life of our practice. Well, it was and it wasn’t…. let me explain.

It was a significant day because it marked the formal transition of leadership within the practice. We announced that Johnny Cassidy would be taking on the role of Managing Director with overall responsibility for the business. This would be in addition to his role as Clinical Director – a role he has fulfilled so well in recent years. Paul Hattam, our Founder, (that’s me) will remain a Director in support of Johnny as he takes on these additional responsibilities. So naturally, we gathered our team together.

The question I was faced with was ‘What is the most important thing for a founder to convey to a growing and successful team in this moment of transition’? According to Simon Sinek it’s really important to remind people the reason WHY the business exists in the first place:

“As a company grows, the founder’s job is to personify the WHY.
To use it.
To talk about it.
To preach it.
To be a symbol of what the company believes.”

So I asked around the table – ‘WHY do you do what you do’? There were a number of really good answers. Our team doesn’t lack inspiration!

And it’s an absolutely vital question. Anyone can tell you WHAT they do – in fact, it’s one of the most common questions people ask when they first meet. Asking WHY though, is a much harder question.

Well, I had the answer. I knew my WHY.

Bear with me, but let’s wind the clock back 15 years or so. The practice was growing, but it was exhausting trying to keep all the balls in the air, and somewhere along the way we lost our passion and direction. Inevitably, I found myself asking, “Why am I doing this?” The answer wasn’t immediately clear – but as I persisted, three words transformed everything.

Hope, heal, restore.

There’s a bigger story around this which I’ll save for another time, but I knew these words were significant. Imagine people finding hope in what we do? People who had given up on their recovery or had been told that nothing could be done – what if they realised that there was a solution? What an opportunity we have as physios to assist in the body’s incredible healing process to bring a speedy and complete recovery. And what a privilege to help people reach their goals and be fully restored and being able to do the things they love.

You wouldn’t think 3 words could change everything – but they did. They are themes that are deeply embedded in my Christian faith and they were transformative. Instead of being daunted by the week ahead – I became invigorated and passionate about what I did. Every day brought joy and purpose. And so it has been ever since – pretty much. This ethos, if I can call it that, was one of the things that drew Johnny to the practice in 2014 and it has been our bedrock ever since.

Okay – so why is this so important? Well, let’s get back to yesterday and pick up on Simon Sinek’s advice:

“Knowing your WHY is not the only way to be successful, but it is the only way to maintain lasting success and have a greater blend of innovation and flexibility.  When your WHY goes fuzzy, it becomes much more difficult to maintain the growth, loyalty and inspiration that helped drive the original success.”

We need to know our WHY and it’s my job as founder “to talk about it, to preach it and personify it!” So WHY do we do what we do? Those 3 words are now ingrained in our answer:

“We believe recovery should restore people to what they love and leave them stronger, more confident and ready for life.”

Now that’s worth getting out of bed for…

So why did I say it wasn’t a significant day?

This transition in leadership has been in the planning for over a decade. As I explained this to our team, there were no looks of incredulity – they saw it coming a mile off! It has always been my ambition to make the handover completely seamless – like those Olympic high board divers that manage to enter the water without a trace!

But there’s another reason why there were no surprises around the table…

Johnny is already a leader and he has demonstrated this consistently over the years. He has a keen eye for quality and is the most innovative person I know – always looking for creative ways to solve problems and advance the practice. Most of all – he is a great team player and loves the people he works with. Johnny is perfectly equipped to take over the reins, to protect the legacy and our WHY, and set the direction of the practice going forwards. And I will be his biggest supporter.

So in many ways, it was just an ordinary day…

January 29th 2026