Welcome to a special episode of the Authority Builder Podcast, where I had the pleasure of sitting down with physical therapist and strength coach, RaMez Antoun. RaMez is the founder of Spine PT University, a spine rehab education and consulting company that helps physical therapists solve sciatica and progress patients back into the gym. We also share a connection as peers in the Get Paid Marketing programme, which has shaped both our journeys over the past year.

From Private Practice to Specialist Educator

RaMez’s journey began in private, concierge physical therapy, moving away from the insurance-based model. Back in 2014, this was a bold move, and it quickly attracted the attention of other physical therapists who wanted to learn how he combined his clinical expertise with strength and conditioning. What started as informal mentoring evolved into a structured curriculum, and eventually, Spine PT University was born.

The business now focuses on helping sports physical therapists—those with a foot in both sports medicine clinics and strength and conditioning spaces—learn to evaluate, treat, and progress patients with sciatica and back pain from the clinic back to athletic performance. Over time, RaMez’s offering has grown from one-on-one mentoring to group coaching and self-paced online courses.

Balancing Business, Family, and Learning

Running a business while raising a young family and learning new skills is no small feat. RaMez shared candidly about the mental load of juggling marketing, client work, and family life. He described the “percolating time” needed to process new knowledge, especially when learning marketing and sales as a clinician.

He also highlighted the importance of focusing on high-leverage activities and narrowing his client work to make space for business growth and personal development.

Cracking the Code on Messaging

One of the biggest challenges RaMez faced was refining his messaging. He realised the gap when his landing pages failed to convert, despite having a strong product that people had asked for. The turning point came when he started actively listening to his audience—surveying them, collecting their language, and using their words in his marketing.

This shift from focusing on process to highlighting outcomes and using real client language made his messaging more resonant and effective. He also shared practical tips, like using transcripts from calls and webinars to generate FAQs and sales emails, and leveraging voice memos and AI tools to capture and organise ideas.

Balancing Practitioner and Marketer Roles

For many clinicians, the transition from practitioner to marketer and educator is daunting. RaMez’s approach was to make the online education business his primary focus, while outsourcing parts of his private client work to trusted partners. This allowed him to dedicate time to learning marketing and building his authority in the B2B space.

He emphasised that the founder’s involvement in messaging is crucial, especially in service businesses. The authenticity and depth of understanding that comes from direct client experience can’t be easily delegated.

What’s Working to Attract Clients

RaMez credits paid ads, his podcast, and his newsletter as the main drivers of client acquisition for Spine PT University. He’s found that combining paid traffic with consistent organic content and podcasting has helped grow his audience and authority.

He also shared lessons from a recent launch that didn’t meet expectations, highlighting the importance of balancing outcome-focused messaging with clear explanations of process and structure. Every setback has been a learning opportunity, helping him refine his approach for future launches.

Dealing with Rejection and Building Self-Worth

A recurring theme in our conversation was the emotional side of business—dealing with rejection, trolls, and the self-worth rollercoaster. RaMez spoke openly about his experiences as an immigrant, the impact of past trauma, and the work he’s done through therapy and cognitive behavioural techniques to separate thoughts from reality.

He’s learned to use negative feedback as fuel for objection handling and to focus on the positive impact he’s making. For anyone struggling to put themselves out there, his advice is to do the thing—post, send the email, launch the page—and remember that criticism often comes from those not in the arena.

Final Thoughts and Where to Connect

RaMez’s story is a powerful reminder that building a specialist business and attracting clients is as much about personal growth as it is about strategy. If you’re a sports physical therapist looking to upskill in spine rehab, or if you’re interested in the intersection of clinical expertise and business, RaMez is a fantastic resource.

You can connect with him on Instagram at Spine PT University, listen to the Spine PT Podcast, or visit spineptuniversity.com.

Listen to the Full Episode

For the full conversation and even more insights, listen to the episode “Ramez Antoun on Growing a Specialist Business and Attracting Clients” on Buzzsprout.