In this episode of the Podiatry Legends Podcast, I welcome back Joe Keain from Pod Fit Podiatry in Adelaide. Joe first appeared on the podcast in Episode 193 when he transitioned from employee to business owner. Now, ten years into his podiatry career, he shares his top ten lessons from a decade in the profession.
If you’re a new graduate, a frustrated associate, or a clinic owner wanting to sharpen your thinking, this episode will hit home.
1. You Control Your Career
Joe’s number one lesson was simple: you control your career.
If you want more ideal patients, go and get them.
If you want to earn more, build more skills.
If you want better opportunities, create them.
Too many podiatrists wait for permission. The profession rewards initiative.
2. If You Don’t Know What You’re Doing, Do Volume
University gives you the foundation. The real learning starts when you begin treating real people.
Confidence comes from repetition. Just like going to the gym, reps matter. Volume matters.
If you want to improve your biomechanics, see more biomechanics. If you want to improve your communication, speak more.
3. You Can Only Connect the Dots Looking Backwards
Joe shared a great story about writing referral letters he didn’t enjoy. Those same letters later led to mentorship and long-term professional relationships.
At the time, the task felt tedious. In hindsight, it was career-shaping. Sometimes the uncomfortable work compounds quietly.
4. Nobody Knows Who You Are at the Start
This is both good and bad. Good because you can experiment and grow. Bad because invisibility doesn’t build a career.
You must become known in your community. This is why attending networking events and building referral relationships matter.
5. Prioritise Learning Over Earning Early
Joe took a lower-paying role early in his career to gain better clinical exposure. That decision paid off long-term.
The first two years should be about skill-building, not chasing the highest salary. It’s a short-term sacrifice that often leads to long-term leverage.
6. Continue Building Skills
Your income ceiling is often tied to your skill ceiling. If you want to earn more, you need to make an effort to increase your value. Do further education, create your own niche of expertise; all of it compounds.
But don’t wait for your employer to send you off for training. Take the initiative. The profession doesn’t stand still. Neither should you.
7. Understand Before You Outsource
Whether it’s marketing or business strategy, you need to know a bit about it first so you can ask intelligent questions and know if you’re being taken for a ride.
If you blindly outsource, you could be wasting a lot of money. Informed outsourcing creates leverage.
8. Set Boundaries Early
If you want to enjoy your career, the earlier you set boundaries with your patients and your team around your availability, the happier you will be. Your time is valuable.
Ifyou’re an employee, the same rules apply.
You get what you tolerate. If you don’t set expectations from the start, it becomes much harder to correct later.
9. Communication Matters
You can be clinically brilliant, but if you can’t connect with patients, it won’t matter. Trust, clarity and confidence are built in the first few seconds of any new interaction, and if you get it wrong at the beginning, it’s very difficult to win it back afterwards.
Not impossible, just far more difficult… So work on becoming a better communicator.
10. Ten Years Go Fast — Build Something You’re Proud Of
A decade passes quickly, and if you’re not intentional with your career direction, you can slowly drift off course.
But if you build deliberately, surround yourself with good people, invest in skills and think strategically, podiatry can be an incredibly rewarding career.
Ten Point Summary
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You are responsible for your career growth.
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Repetition builds confidence and competence.
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Today’s small tasks can create tomorrow’s opportunities.
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Visibility matters in your community.
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Early career learning compounds later.
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Skills increase earning potential.
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Don’t outsource blindly.
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Boundaries prevent burnout.
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Communication builds trust.
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Be intentional — time moves fast.