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Megan Walker: Hello, everyone. I'm Megan Walker, and welcome to the Healthcare Thought Leaders show. I'm delighted to have along today a very special guest, Dr. Dean Watson. Dean is a musculoskeletal physiotherapist and the director of Watson Headache Institute. Dean, how are you today?

Dr. Dean Watson: I'm good, thank you.

Megan Walker: That's great. Now, you are definitely a man who has carved out the path in this space of thought leadership. You might not call it that, but that's kind of what I call it. And I'd love for you to kick us off by sharing, how did you go from the everyday physio world into stepping up and being a leader and a trainer in this space?

Dr. Dean Watson: Well, I'll start midway through my career. Well, actually 10 years into my physiotherapy career. I'd have left physiotherapy had I not had a mortgage to pay. Back in the mid-'80s, now I'm talking about the mid-'80s, you didn't change professions quite so readily as you do these days or unfortunately some people are forced to do. So I stayed in the profession and I did a master's degree by research looking at headache. Why I chose headache, that's a discussion for another time. But having completed the master's research towards the end of 1989, I think it was, the results of that created such a lot of interest in the media and indeed the health professions as such. I decided from that moment on all I would do was just treat headache and migraine. So I set up the South Headache Clinic. Well, actually, I'll have to go back a little bit from there because I was in a large practice at the time and I went to my partners and said, "Look, can I establish a small sub-clinic within the large existing clinic?" And to my surprise they weren't happy about that. But something was really driving me to do what I needed to do. And I can't explain it, but back then people weren't niching in a condition in physiotherapy. I'm talking about 1990. And so I was a little concerned, is this going to work? Is it gonna be successful? But something kept on driving me, Megan, and I thought, "No, I've got to do this." And around the same time, there was a movie going around called Strictly Ballroom. And there's a line in the movie that goes something like this, "A life lived in fear is a life half lived." And I took that and I thought, "Right." So I jumped off the cliff with my Strictly Ballroom parachute on, established a clinic, and then the rest is history almost. So I'm working away in my one-man clinic, and then I went to a breakfast forum run by the Australian Physiotherapy Association, and unbeknownst to me, the person I was sitting next to was a journalist with the Sunday Mail in Adelaide. And people were talking to me, asking me about how my headache work was going and, you know, I'd been overseas to meet a neurologist about headache. And so they were asking me these questions, and all the while this guy sitting next to me, I didn't know who he was, but his ears were flapping and I'm thinking, "Oh." Anyway, at the end of the breakfast forum, he introduced himself and said, "I'd like to do an article with you in the Sunday Mail." And I said, "Yeah, that's fine." So we did that, and then within two or three days, Channel Seven rang and they said, "Dean, we'd like for you to be on Today Tonight. We'd like to interview you." So that went ahead, and we had 7,000 phone calls to the clinic in a week following that. So from that moment on, the exposure was huge. And so people encouraged me, "Dean, you need to be teaching some of this." So I did a small course, and then more courses. And then I was invited to go and present at an international conference in the Netherlands. And so I presented on headache and the approach that I was developing. And of course there were many people at the conference from around the world. And so I got invited then to come to the Netherlands, come to the UK to run courses. So it all took off from there in the late 1990s. And here I am.

Megan Walker: Amazing. Still active clinically.

Dr. Dean Watson: I think that's important for me because it is my foundation and it's my truth. Because as a thought leader, my perspective is controversial. And I think there are two types of thought leaders. You can be looking to change frameworks within an existing model. I'm actually looking to change the model. Indeed, the medical model of headache, and the medical model of headache comprises mostly neurologists, and neurologists, it's been said, they own headache and migraine space. And my perspective is quite different in that the neck is involved in a whole range of headache and migraine conditions, whereas the medical model says no, the neck can't be involved. So I have been pushing this for 30 odd years now, 38, 39 years or so. And it's been challenging. But what provides me with the passion, the commitment, the courage actually to stand there and put forward another view has been, yeah, not easy at times, but every day I go to the clinic and I see what happens under my hands with my patients. And I know that I've just got to keep on doing what I'm doing.

Megan Walker: Yeah, amazing. So I'm hearing like this deep heart-driven drive. There's a deep knowing within you that what you do has impact. And then you had the good management of being in the right place. I'm not going to say good fortune because you chose to be at that networking event. You chose to answer the call, and the good management of saying yes to media. So when you knew that there was a groundswell, and yes, you couldn't see 7,000 people, so you had to train others, what mindset shifts were required for you to move from, "Okay, I'm a one-man band," to, "Hang on, have I got a different identity now?"

Dr. Dean Watson: I don't know that I do have a different... I don't feel different except I have this responsibility now. A responsibility of just, I owe it to the public, because I know people are not being managed appropriately. And so there's a responsibility there. So I'm in love with the difference that it makes for most people. I'm also in love with the difference it's made for my colleagues, because the people who do my training, some of them have gone along and set up dedicated headache clinics. It's actually changed their professional direction. So I have a responsibility on the one hand to my patients as a clinician, and then also to my colleagues who have essentially done my training, established headache clinics, and they're saying they're doing the Watson Headache Approach. Now, the method that I've developed, that's evolved, has been called the Watson Headache Approach. I didn't call it that, it was called that by a medical person in Europe. So they're putting it out there, they're doing the Watson Headache Approach. So this has to continue. And I think time's marching on. So there's no thought of retiring. I just love doing what I do with patients because it does provide me with the foundation. I'm standing on the body of 40,000 hours of experience just with headache and migraine patients, and that's what keeps me going.

Megan Walker: Amazing. You are just absolutely walking the walk and talking the talk. I love it. So good. And so what have been some of the challenges in training a global audience? This is bigger than Australia. Tell me about some of that growth.

Dr. Dean Watson: Well, I've been fortunate enough to have people host my courses in Europe, so I've been teaching internationally since 2000. And mainly in Europe and the UK. So in Europe the challenge has been where English is not the first spoken language. It's a second language, so to speak. So that's challenging, getting my message across and teaching like this. I think another challenge has been too that the curriculum in physiotherapy has changed so much since I did my training. And when I did my training there was a significant emphasis on manual skills, palpation skills. There's not that same emphasis in physiotherapy training now. And so I'm finding people coming along to my courses, they're lacking the experience with palpation. And my approach relies heavily on skilled palpation. So that's been challenging along the way, but if people are prepared to work at it, and they are, then they become skilled at it and are getting great results. So there's been a language barrier, but fortunately that's becoming less and less. And I've had the good fortune of having people in Spain, in Italy that have been hosting my courses and supporting me and doing great translation as well.

Megan Walker: Yeah, that's one to adapt to, and not necessarily a limitation. It's an adaptation.

Dr. Dean Watson: The challenge too is that when I go overseas, then my patients have to wait for me. And so I might be away for four or five weeks at a time teaching. And so it's trying to balance both, the clinical work and the teaching, because I love both.

Megan Walker: Yeah. High demand, absolutely. And what advice would you give to clinicians, physio or other professions, who feel like they've got this valuable knowledge, like that calling that you had, but they're not sure how to share it beyond their clinic? They're sitting on this wisdom and knowledge. What would you say to them?

Dr. Dean Watson: I think, well, you've got to get out of yourself and put yourself forward in running courses. I think it only needs to be a small course and it will grow. If you're meeting a demand, and what you're doing makes a real difference, then it will grow. I mean, I've arrived here organically, literally. I didn't set out to do this. Every day I still pinch myself. Growing up where I did, in a small country town, it's just been an amazing journey, an amazing ride.

Megan Walker: Yeah. But your product is good, and that's why it's had the meteoric success. There's a lot to be said for a really good quality product selling well, isn't there?

Dr. Dean Watson: And I think to develop good communication skills. And don't be concerned about not being trained as a teacher. I've not trained as a teacher, but I'm passionate about what I do.

Megan Walker: The passion for sharing. Absolutely.

Dr. Dean Watson: And I think these days you do have to be into the media, and in a credible way too. It's a fine line, I think, in this world now. Because if you come across as being really overconfident, arrogant, you've gotta be humble. Because you'll get questions on courses, you think, "Really?" You've gotta be humble. And as a good teacher, the best feedback I've had is being told, "We're not afraid to ask you questions, any questions." And also show your vulnerability. We all are vulnerable. And so I share my vulnerable moments with experiences with patients, with my colleagues and teaching.

Megan Walker: You're so real to who you are. That's what people love about you. It's amazing. And so if you were starting again, let's say last week you had that lunch with that journalist, and don't worry, this is my last question so you can stop sweating after that. What would you do differently kicking off now with the changes in digital and what you know from your journey? So I suppose it's asking for a friend who's kicking off this journey now. What's your advice to them? What would you have done?

Dr. Dean Watson: I think put good systems in place. We've been learning along the way. And it's been challenging, setting up educational programs. And fortunately my partner, Jane, she's an ex-teacher, so she's helped me enormously with those sorts of things. So just establishing your good systems and your priorities too, I think. It's a bit like, well, clearly I love doing what I'm doing and it's almost like I have a mistress in my marriage. It's called headache and migraine. Poor old Jane, I play second fiddle to the headache and migraine space because I'm just so engrossed in it. And knowing that it just makes a huge difference. Look, treating headache and migraine patients is emotionally demanding, but the rewards are just huge. Changing people's lives is amazing. So why would you retire when this is what's happening for you? So yeah, I think put systems in place. Adjust your communication skills. Be authentic. Be yourself. Be humble.

Megan Walker: What's the worst that can happen? So Dean, I'm gonna wrap this up. For those of you listening, if you're in any type of manual therapy to do with headache, you have to go and do Dr. Dean's course. If you're a consumer and you're listening, then you only go and see a physio or an osteopath if they've got the Watson Headache on their website. And you can follow Dean on social media, have a look at the Watson Headache website. And Dean, what's your parting comments from our conversation?

Dr. Dean Watson: Well, thank you very much for the invitation and for the opportunity to share my journey, because it's been a wonderful journey. It's been difficult at times because of the resistance there's been. But I cannot stop doing it because of the difference it makes. And we're all here to make a difference, aren't we? I'm just a lucky man. I don't work a day of my life, literally. That's how I feel. This is not work. I get to meet new people as patients, make a difference, change their lives, and get to meet these kids coming along to my courses and become colleagues and watch them change their professional direction, and that's really exciting for me. So yes, I'm blessed.

Megan Walker: Thank you so much for speaking with me today. Absolute pleasure to have you in our world. All the best, Dean. Thank you so much again.

Dr. Dean Watson: Thanks, Megan. A pleasure. Bye for now.

Connect with Dean:

• Website: watsonheadache.com
• Facebook: Watson Headache
• Instagram: @watsonheadache
• LinkedIn: Watson Headache