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Exploring communication
Matt Phillips
Matt Phillips
Educator, podcaster, and neurodiversity advocate working in the space of thinking and communication in practice.
My work now sits outside day‑to‑day clinical practice, focusing instead on how clinicians think, communicate, and work together.
It sits at the intersection of:
how people understand each other
how behaviour change emerges
and how learning environments support (or fail to support) different ways of thinking
If that sounds a bit broad, it is.
Because most of what we struggle with—whether in MSK healthcare or education—isn’t just about knowledge or technique. It’s about communication, understanding, and context.
That’s where my work sits.
Before shifting into education
Before shifting into education
My career began in Strength & Conditioning and later Sports Therapy, working for a decade in a multidisciplinary clinic.
During that time I:
created the RunChatLive Podcast
organised the RunChatLive International Running Conference 2019 (Brighton, UK), bringing together expert speakers from Australia, Canada, the USA and Ireland
organised the RunChatLive Online Conference 2020, with simultaneous Spanish translation (in response to the Covid-19 pandemic)
set the benchmark for future healthcare conferences through these innovative events
helped establish Run Beyond—Kenya’s first 3D Gait Analysis Lab in Nairobi
I still teach a small number of my gait analysis course “Gait Analysis For Runners: A Modern Approach”, but this is now being phased out as my work has shifted more fully into education and communication.
Further education
Further education
A major part of what I currently do is in Further Education.
I support individuals who were often let down by mainstream schooling—usually because of non‑inclusive environments, unrecognised learning barriers, or missed neurodivergent traits.
My role isn’t about “fixing” people. It’s about helping them:
develop communication confidence
recognise their strengths
rebuild a sense of agency
Working in that environment has fundamentally shaped how I think about clinician education. Particularly when it comes to accessibility, psychological safety, and the relational nature of communication.
Communication Skills CPD
Communication Skills CPD
A significant part of my work now sits within Further and Professional Education, particularly supporting MSK clinicians.
This work is informed by my academic background, clinical experience, and time supporting individuals who have often been underserved by traditional systems.
It has shaped how I think about communication — not simply as a skill to be applied, but as something relational, contextual, and deeply human.
Through this lens, I explore how communication has evolved — from early philosophical traditions such as Socratic dialogue, through to contemporary clinical approaches like motivational interviewing — and how these ideas can support more sustainable, patient‑centred practice.
Much of this thinking informs the CPD I deliver to clinicians, including my course, Communication & Behaviour Change Skills for Clinical Practice , where the focus is not on “changing” people, but on creating the conditions in which:
understanding can emerge
therapeutic relationships can flourish
meaningful change becomes possible through collaboration, rather than correction
Further details about the course can be found here.
STA Clinician Podcast
STA Clinician Podcast
I host the STA Clinician Podcast—a weekly live conversation aimed at helping MSK clinicians move towards more modern, evidence‑informed practice, without the hierarchy, judgement, or noise that can sometimes come with it.
The podcast brings together a broad range of voices and perspectives, creating space for open, honest discussion around clinical practice, uncertainty, and professional growth.
At the time of writing, the STA Clinician Podcast has been recorded live every week on the Sports Therapy Association YouTube channel and Facebook Page for 289 consecutive weeks.
Whether that says something about consistency, curiosity, or the power of neurodivergence is perhaps up for debate.
Neurodivergent MSK Clinicians
Neurodivergent MSK Clinicians
Facebook Community
Facebook Community
In January 2026, I created the Neurodivergent MSK Clinicians Facebook community.
It’s a space for clinicians who identify as neurodivergent—whether formally diagnosed or not—to connect with others who share similar lived experiences, in an environment that values openness, curiosity, and mutual support.
Within the community, members are free to engage in whatever way feels right for them—whether that’s actively contributing or simply observing and listening.
It’s a space where people can:
share experiences
explore strengths
talk openly about navigating healthcare environments that weren’t designed with them in mind
learn from one another and develop a stronger sense of belonging within the profession
The Common Thread
The Common Thread
Across everything I’ve shared here, there’s a common thread.
Not MSK, not gait analysis, not even neurodivergence, really.
Communication.
Most of the challenges we face in practice aren’t just about what we know. They come down to how we connect, how we make sense of others, and how those interactions shape outcomes.
In practice, this shows up in:
how we understand people
how we’re understood in return
and the environments in which those interactions take place
And ultimately, that’s the thread that runs through all of the work I continue to do.
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